Induction EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors prior to definitive chemoradiotherapy in unresectable stage III EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer

INTRODUCTION: Increasing evidence suggests that consolidation durvalumab confers limited benefits for patients with stage III EGFR-mutated NSCLC. Induction or maintenance EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) added to concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) may optimize definitive treatment, but there are limited data supporting an induction TKI strategy. METHODS: We evaluated the efficacy and safety of induction EGFR TKIs administered before concurrent CRT in a retrospective series of patients with unresectable locally advanced EGFR-mutated NSCLC. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis was performed on a patient subset using CAPP-seq and correlated with outcomes. RESULTS: Of six patients, three received erlotinib and three osimertinib as induction therapy before CRT. Induction TKIs were administered for a median of 2.5 months. The objective response rate after induction TKI was 83%. One patient had a complete response to induction erlotinib and continued erlotinib for 4 years until local progression, which was treated with CRT. Two patients completed maintenance erlotinib after CRT, and another received consolidation durvalumab. After a median follow-up of 20.5 months, only one patient developed disease recurrence, with rising ctDNA coinciding with recurrence. ctDNA remained undetectable in patients without recurrence, or low-level in a patient receiving maintenance erlotinib. Adverse events were mild and expected, and none developed pneumonitis. CONCLUSION: Induction EGFR TKI before CRT may achieve high disease control rates with promising signs of durability in patients with locally advanced EGFR-mutated NSCLC. ctDNA analysis after CRT can correlate well with clinical outcomes. Prospective studies are needed to define the role of induction EGFR TKIs in this setting

Poverty and trade liberalization: empirical evidence from 21 African countries

The study investigated the possible nexus between trade liberalization and poverty in 21 African countries covering the period 2005–2014. The study deployed the following econometric tests: descriptive statistics; the correlation matrix and variance inflator; the panel unit root test; the pooled OLS technique; and the panel co-integration test (Johansen co-integration test). In order to confirm the robustness and validity of the regression model result, Ramsey RESET, cross dependence, autocorrelation and heteroscedasticity tests were conducted. The findings reveal that foreign direct investment and inflation rate had a positive relationship with the human development index while exchange rates and trade openness were negatively related to poverty level at the 5 percent level. The study recommended urgent policy measures aimed at revamping the poverty alleviation programmes. The study recommended that in a bid to diversify export market, developing countries should target other developing countries in the spirit of South–South cooperation. Such countries should also consider the joining or strengthening of regional economic integration. Incentives for production and human capacity building in the export-oriented sector should be emplaced. Social and economic policies are required to protect any country against the adverse effects of lowered trade barriers

A comparative analysis of rainfed and irrigated agricultural production in Ethiopia

Ethiopia's economy is dependent on agriculture which contributes more than 50% to GDP, about 60% to foreign exchange earning and provides livelihood to more than 85% of the population. Ethiopia has a large potential of water resources that could be developed for irrigation. Despite the large water resources, Ethiopia continues to receive food aid to about 10% of the population who are at risk annually, out of a total of more than 67 million. The government of Ethiopia is committed to solving this paradox through an agricultural led development program that includes irrigation development as one of the strategies. This paper compares rainfed and irrigated agricultural production in Ethiopia. Using the stochastic production frontier approach, the study concludes that irrigation development in Ethiopia is a viable development strategy but attention needs to be paid to improving the technology available to farmers under both rainfed and irrigated production

Customary land rights in Africa: a survey and selected case studies from East Africa

Land right, particularly in the context of Africa, is inextricably linked with the right to food and other basic necessities. However, an aspect of land rights, i.e., customary land rights, has remained little understood, misconceived, and largely neglected by researchers and development actors. In the conventional literature, customary rights are often associated with the so-called “tragedy of the common” and with inefficiency in the uses of agricultural land. This paper critically investigates the conventional concept of customary rights, discusses alternative approaches to our understanding of these rights, and reviews the dynamism and resilience of customary institutions under pressure from internal and external forces of change. The survey reinforces the argument that customary land laws be recognized and scaled up so that they operate side-by-side with statutory laws. What emerges from the survey is that legal pluralism be put in place to accommodate the diverse interests of marginalized peoples, minorities, and the poor. Ethiopian Journal of Development Research Vol. 27 (2) 2005: pp. 1-4