Crizotinib induces apoptosis and gene expression changes in ALK+ anaplastic large cell lymphoma cell lines; brentuximab synergizes and doxorubicin antagonizes.

Background: Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) shows 60-70% event free survival with standard treatments. Targeted therapies are being tested for increased benefit and/or reduced toxicity, but interactions with standard agents are not well known.

Methods: We exposed four ALCL cell lines to two targeted agents, crizotinib and brentuximab vedotin, and to two standard agents, doxorubicin and vinblastine.

Microarray determination of Bcl-2 family protein inhibition sensitivity in breast cancer cells.

This study tests the hypothesis that reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) microarrays can be used to predict the relative sensitivity to induction of apoptosis in breast cancer cells exposed to inhibitors of antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins. Four cell lines, MDA-MB-231 (MDA-231) and MDA-MB-468 (MDA-468), BT-20 and T47-D were screened for relative expression of Bcl-2 family members A1, Mcl-1, Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and Bcl-w mRNA by RT-PCR microarrays and Western analysis. The four cell lines were treated with 1 μmol/L obatoclax (GX15-070) and/or 2 Gy radiation (RT) and monitored for apoptosis after 48 h.

ALK+ anaplastic large cell lymphoma exhibits phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase/Akt activity with retained but inactivated PTEN--a report from the Children's Oncology Group.

Background: ALK+ anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) is usually a disease of young patients. We investigated phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway-associated factors in pediatric cases and cell lines.

Procedure: Patient materials consisted of tissue slides of ALK+/CD30+ ALCL from 33 patients treated on Pediatric Oncology Group protocols (9219, n = 8 and 9315, n = 25).