Zhi Hong Chi

BACKGROUND: Mutations of NRAS and BRAF have been described in Caucasian melanomas. However, the status and the clinical significance of BRAF and NRAS mutations in the Asian population have not been investigated on a large scale.

METHODS: Melanoma samples (n=432) were analysed for mutations in exons 11 and 15 of the BRAF gene, and exons 1 and 2 of the NRAS gene in genomic DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and Sanger sequencing. Mutations of BRAF and NRAS genes were ...

PURPOSE: KIT aberrations were described in acral and mucosal melanomas in largely Caucasian populations. Asian populations are more prone to develop acral and mucosal than cutaneous melanomas, and may harbor a high frequency of KIT aberrations.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Melanoma subtypes (n = 502) were analyzed histologically to determine melanoma subtype. Tissue samples were analyzed for mutations in exons 9, 11, 13, 17, and 18 of KIT gene in genomic DNA by PCR amplification and Sanger ...

PURPOSE: Metastatic mucosal melanoma responds poorly to anti-programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) monotherapy. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been shown to play an important immunosuppressive role in the tumor microenvironment. The combination of VEGF inhibition and PD-1 blockade provides therapeutic opportunities for patients refractory to either therapy alone.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a single-center, phase IB trial evaluating the safety and preliminary efficacy of ...

BACKGROUND: To compare the efficacy of sorafenib and sunitinib with regard to overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) in Chinese patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC).

METHODS: A multicenter, retrospective study was performed to elucidate the relationship between clinical variables and prognosis comparing sorafenib and sunitinib as first-line treatment agents in Chinese patients with mRCC. Between September 2006 and December 2014, 845 patients received ...

Purpose: Effective therapies for the majority of metastatic acral melanoma patients have not been established. Thus, we investigated genetic aberrations of CDK4 pathway in acral melanoma and evaluated the efficacy of CDK4/6 inhibitors in targeted therapy of acral melanoma.Experimental Design: A total of 514 primary acral melanoma samples were examined for the copy number variations (CNV) of CDK4 pathway-related genes, including Cdk4, Ccnd1, and P16INK4a , by QuantiGenePlex DNA Assay. The ...

BACKGROUND: Malignant melanoma is a rare disease in Asia, and knowledge on its characteristics and clinical outcome in Asian patients is limited. The purpose of this observational study was to determine the clinical presentation and outcome of patients with melanoma in China.

METHODS: A database was prospectively established for the purpose of this analysis. The elements of the database included basic demographic data of patients and prognosticators previously reported in literature, as ...

Purpose: Ethnic differences are conspicuous in melanoma. This study is to obtain a comprehensive view of a genomic landscape and a better understanding of the correlations of gene mutation status with clinicopathologic characteristics and disease prognosis in the Asian population.Experimental Design: A total of 2,793 melanoma patient samples were retrospectively collected and analyzed for mutations in C-KIT, BRAF, NRAS, and PDGFRA coding regions and telomerase reverse transcriptase ...

PURPOSE: Platelet-derived growth factor receptor α (PDGFRA) is a target for tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)-based targeted therapy. Dysregulation of PDGFRA has been reported in many cancers. However, PDGFRA mutations in melanomas have not been well studied. We analyzed the genetic mutations of PDGFRA in Chinese patients with melanoma and determined the inhibitory potency of TKIs, such as imatinib and crenolanib, on mutant PDGFRA.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Of note, 351 melanoma tissue samples ...

PURPOSE: Melanomas harbor aberrations in the c-Kit gene. We tested the efficiency of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib in selected patients with metastatic melanoma harboring c-Kit mutations or amplifications.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-three patients with metastatic melanoma harboring c-Kit aberrations were enrolled on this phase II trial. Each patient received a continuous dose of imatinib 400 mg/d unless intolerable toxicities or disease progression occurred. Fifteen patients ...

PURPOSE: Mucosal melanoma is rare and associated with extremely poor prognosis. However, standard adjuvant therapy for mucosal melanoma has not been established. We conducted a randomized phase II clinical trial in patients with resected mucosal melanoma to compare the efficacy and safety of high-dose IFN-α2b (HDI) and temozolomide-based chemotherapy as adjuvant therapy.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Patients with mucosal melanoma in stage II/III after surgery were randomized into three groups: ...

PURPOSE: mTOR is a validated target in cancer. It remains to be determined whether melanoma patients bearing mTOR mutation could be selected for treatment with PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway inhibitors.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: A total of 412 melanoma samples were included. Gene aberrations in all exons of mTOR were detected by Sanger sequencing and confirmed by using Agilent's SureSelect Target Enrichment System. HEK293T cells stably expressing mTOR mutants were constructed by using transcription ...

PURPOSE: In contrast to the predominant chronic UV exposure-induced cutaneous melanoma in Caucasians, acral and mucosal comprise the majority of melanomas in Asia and respond less effectively to established treatments. The clinical application of PD-1 blockade is yet to be explored in metastatic melanoma in China.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: This phase II study was to evaluate safety and efficacy of toripalimab in advanced Chinese patients with melanoma who had failed in systemic treatments. ...

BACKGROUND: The incidence of renal cell cancer (RCC) has been increasing for the past decade, and the 5-year survival for patients with metastatic RCC (mRCC) is rather low. Everolimus (RAD001), a new inhibitor for mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), is generally well tolerated, and demonstrates clinical benefit to patients with anti-VEGF-refractory mRCC. However, factors for selection of patients who may benefit from everolimus remain largely unknown. Here we aimed to explore potential ...

BACKGROUND: Mucosal melanoma (MM) is a rare subtype of melanoma in Caucasians with extremely poor prognosis, and therapy strategy has not been clearly established for MM. We aimed to investigate the genetic aberrations possibly applicable in targeted therapy of MM. We examined the somatic mutations of GNAQ and GNA11 (GNAQ/11, encoding the guanine nucleotide-binding alpha subunits) in MM and evaluated their correlation to clinicopathologic features of MM.

METHODS: This study collected ...