Clinical observation of apatinib in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Abstract

Objective To observe and evaluate the efficacy and adverse reactions of apatinib for advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Methods A total of 49 patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer were randomly divided into experimental group and control group from June 2016 to June 2018. The patients in the experimental group received docetaxel 60 mg/m2, d1, and apatinib 500 mg/d, d1-21, 3 weeks as a cycle; the patients in the control group received docetaxel chemotherapy only. The levels of cytokeratin 19 fragment (CYFRA21-1), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), vascular endothelial grow factor (VEGF) were recorded in the two groups. Disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), and the incidence of adverse events were compared between the two groups. Results After treatment, CEA, CYFRA21-1 values in the experimental group were (15.20±1.65), (4.02±0.74) ng/ml, significantly better than those in the control group [(18.09±1.89), (5.85±0.62) ng/ml], with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). VEGF and MMP-9 values in the experimental group were (275.23±38.98), (1 009.75±179.28) ng/L, better than those in the control group [(486.26±48.38), (1 379.05±179.62) ng/L], with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). The disease control rate (DCR) were 64.0% and 33.3% respectively in the experimental group and the control group; the median PFS were 5.3 months and 3.1 months in the experimental group and the control group, with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). The experimental group experienced many grade 3-4 hematologic adverse events. Conclusion Apatinib was reliable, and the adverse reactions were mild and well tolerated for advanced non-small cell lung cancer. This treatment could significantly improve the DCR and PFS. Key words: Apatinib; Advanced non-small cell lung cancer; Clinical effect; Adverse effects