epidermal-growth-factor and Adenocarcinoma--Bronchiolo-Alveolar

As previously described, SPC/myc transgenic mice developed bronchioloalveolar adenocarcinomas derived from alveolar type II (AT II) cells within 10-14 months, whereas SPC/IgEGF transgenic mice developed hyperplasias. Our purpose was to determine the potential interplay of environmental and genetic factors in lung tumorigenesis.. Six-week-old SPC/myc and SPC/IgEGF transgenic mice, overexpressing c-myc and a secretable form of the epidermal growth factor (IgEGF) under the control of the surfactant protein C (SPC) promoter, were treated with a single dose of the tobacco carcinogen 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK). As control groups, SPC/myc and SPC/IgEGF transgenic mice were treated with NaCl and non-transgenic littermates were treated with NNK or NaCl, respectively.. After 6 months, none of the NaCl-treated transgenic littermates showed bronchioloalveolar hyperplasia and adenocarcinoma formation, whereas 100% of the NNK-treated SPC/myc transgenic mice did. The effect of NNK on SPC/IgEGF transgenic mice was less pronounced, inducing hyperplasia in the lung in only 16.7% of them. In 90% of the NNK-treated non-transgenic littermates no neoplastic changes were detected in the lung.. These results demonstrate that the progression of pulmonary bronchioloalveolar adenocarcinomas, induced by expression of c-myc as a transgene, was accelerated by NNK, suggesting that c-myc cooperates with NNK-induced mutations.

Topics: Adenocarcinoma, Bronchiolo-Alveolar; Animals; Carcinogens; Epidermal Growth Factor; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Hyperplasia; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Lung; Lung Neoplasms; Mice; Mice, Transgenic; Nitrosamines; Peptides; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc; Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein C; Pulmonary Surfactants

Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC), a form of pulmonary adenocarcinoma, presents unique clinical features, such as endobronchial spread and bronchorrhea in advanced stages. The prognosis for BAC patients in advanced stages is poor, as is the case for patients with other non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) types, because of low susceptibility to conventional chemotherapy. Recently, an orally active, selective epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI), ZD1839 ("Iressa"), has been investigated in phase II clinical studies (IDEAL 1 and IDEAL 2) as monotherapy against chemotherapy-refractory NSCLC, and provided clinically significant antitumor activity. In this study, we examined the therapeutic efficiency of ZD1839 in chemotherapy-refractory BAC patients with bronchorrhea. Two female BAC patients with bronchorrhea were treated once daily with ZD1839 (250 mg/day). In both cases, serous sputum production was dramatically reduced within 3 days of starting the treatment, and hypoxia and radiographic signs of bilateral lung consolidation were visibly improved within 7 days. Following more than 8 months of treatment, no evidence of recurrence or severe adverse events has been observed. These results suggest that this selective EGFR-TKI, ZD1839, may be a powerful agent for treatment of chemotherapy-refractory BAC patients with bronchorrhea.

Topics: Adenocarcinoma, Bronchiolo-Alveolar; Aged; Antineoplastic Agents; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; Epidermal Growth Factor; ErbB Receptors; Female; Gefitinib; Humans; Hypoxia; Lung Neoplasms; Middle Aged; Quinazolines; Radiography; Sputum

A series of mouse mammary epithelial cell lines has been established by a protocol that gives highly reproducible results. The mammary epithelial cell lines, designated as FSK lines, were judged to be epithelial based on positive immunostaining for keratin-intermediate filaments, negative immunostaining for vimentin-intermediate filaments, hormonal induction of casein, and the ability to exhibit ductal and alveolar mammary morphogenesis in vivo. The FSK cell lines are dependent on epidermal growth factor and insulin in a low serum (1%) medium. Conditioned medium from spindle cell cultures replaced the requirement for serum and increased the growth of FSK3 and FSK4 4-5 times in collagen gels and 12-14 times in monolayer culture, respectively. Following injection into the mammary fat pad at passages 2-11, the FSK cell lines generated stable transplantable hyperplastic alveolar outgrowth lines. The in vivo outgrowth lines were judged as preneoplastic based on their stable alveolar morphology in vivo and an increased susceptibility for tumorigenesis. The FSK cell lines and their derivative in vivo outgrowth lines provide a new and potentially productive system to examine critical molecular alterations involved in the development of mammary preneoplasias. Furthermore, the reproducibility of the in vitro culture system provides the assurance that stable cell lines of mouse mammary epithelial cells can be generated easily and at will.

Topics: Adenocarcinoma, Bronchiolo-Alveolar; Animals; Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating; Cell Division; Cell Line; Culture Techniques; Epidermal Growth Factor; Epithelial Cells; Female; Fluorescent Antibody Technique; Keratins; Mammary Glands, Animal; Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Neoplasm Transplantation; Precancerous Conditions

Serum-free medium conditioned for 72 h by a human bronchioloalveolar carcinoma of lung, A549-1, stimulated the colony formation of normal human bronchial epithelial cells, newly cultured cells from human solid lung tumors, and established human lung tumor cell lines, including A549-1 cells themselves. This activity was concentration dependent and was stable to acid. Growth factors in A549-1 conditioned medium (CM) supported culture of solid lung tumors; primary cell cultures were obtained from nine of 10 solid lung tumors of non-small cell origin and from one small cell tumor using A549-1 CM. In addition, three cell lines have been established to date from these primary cultures. Gel filtration of concentrated A549-1 CM on Biogel P-10 separated the growth promoting activity into four regions of apparent Mr 70,000, 12,000, 8,000, and 6,000, and two broad regions of apparent Mr 3000-5000. All but the 12,000 Mr fraction contained activity which competed for specific binding of epidermal growth factor (EGF) to A431 cell membranes. CM was superior to both EGF and TGF alpha in stimulating growth of normal and neoplastic lung cells. EGF also was inhibitory to tumor cells while TGF alpha stimulated both normal and tumor cell growth. TGF beta was also found in CM but inhibited normal and neoplastic lung epithelial cell growth. Of other substances tested, ILGF-I stimulated colony formation. The results suggest that autocrine factors may be important in non-small cell lung tumor cell growth and that differences in response to EGF and TGF alpha may provide the basis for selective culturing of normal and neoplastic lung epithelial cells.

Topics: Adenocarcinoma, Bronchiolo-Alveolar; Bronchi; Cell Line; Culture Media; Epidermal Growth Factor; Epithelial Cells; ErbB Receptors; Growth Substances; Humans; Lung Neoplasms; Molecular Weight; Peptides; Transforming Growth Factors