Preventive Effects of Bexarotene and Budesonide in a Genetically Engineered Mouse Model of Small Cell Lung Cancer

摘要

In the present study, we examined the effect of bexarotene (Targretin) and budesonide in chemoprevention of small cell lung carcinoma (mSCLC) using a lung specific knockout model of Rb1 and p53. Upon treatment with bexarotene, tumor incidence, number, and load were significantly reduced (p < 0.05). Budesonide treatment trended to inhibition, but the effect was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Immunohistochemical staining indicated that bexarotene treatment decreased cell proliferation and increased apoptosis in tumors. The Rb1/p53 gene targeted mouse appears to be a valuable model for chemopreventive studies on human small cell lung cancer (hSCLC). Our results indicate that the retinoid X receptor (RXR) agonist bexarotene may be a potent chemopreventive agent in this cancer type.