High-Dose Chemotherapy with Stem Cell Rescue in the Primary Treatment of Metastatic and Pelvic Osteosarcoma: Final Results of the ISG/SSG II Study

BackgroundPatients with metastatic osteosarcoma at diagnosis or axial primary tumors have a poor prognosis. The aim of the study was to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of intensified treatment with high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) and stem cell rescue in this group. MethodsFrom May 1996 to August 2004, 71 patients were included in a Scandinavian-Italian single arm phase II study. Preoperative chemotherapy included methotrexate, doxorubicin, cisplatin and ifosfamide, and postoperative treatment consisted of two cycles of doxorubicin, one cycle of cyclophosphamide and etoposide and two courses of high-dose etoposide and carboplatin with stem cell rescue. ResultsTwenty-nine patients (43%) received two courses and 10 patients (15%) received one course of HDCT. HDCT was associated with significant toxicity, but no treatment-related deaths were recorded. Fourteen patients (20%) had disease progression before completion of the study protocol, and only 29/71 patients (41%) received the full planned treatment. Median event-free survival (EFS) was 18 months, and estimated 5-year EFS was 27%. Median overall survival (OS) was 34 months, and estimated 5-year OS was 31%. When patients who did not receive HDCT due to disease progression were excluded, there was no difference in EFS (P=0.72) or OS (P=0.49) between patients who did or did not receive HDCT. ConclusionsThe administration of high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell rescue was feasible, but associated with significant toxicity. Patient outcome seemed comparable to previous studies using conventional chemotherapy. We conclude that HDCT with carboplatin and etoposide should not be further explored as a treatment strategy in high-risk osteosarcoma. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2014;61:840-845. (c) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Impact of body mass index (BMI) on the prognosis of high-risk early breast cancer (EBC) patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy

The association between obesity and prognosis in early breast cancer (EBC) is unclear, especially when aggressive phenotypes are considered. We evaluated the influence of BMI on the prognosis of women with high-risk EBC enrolled in a phase III trial of adjuvant chemotherapy (CT). The association was assessed in 1066 patients with rapidly proliferating tumors, randomized to receive adjuvant CT with or without anthracyclines. Disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated by Kaplan-Meier; multivariate analysis was performed according to age, tumor size, nodal, estrogen receptor (ER), and HER2 status and type of CT. Information on BMI was available for 959 women. Of these, 529 (55.2 %) were overweight or obese. Median age was 52 years. A total of 457 (47.7 %) patients had nodal involvement. Centralized pathology was performed in 850 cases: 522 (61.4 %) were ER positive, and 194 (22.8 %) were HER-2 positive. At a median follow-up of 103 months (range 1-188), 5-year DFS was 81 % (95 % CI 77-85), 82 % (95 % CI 77-86), and 76 % (95 % CI 70-83), in normal, overweight, and obese women, respectively (p = 0.44). Five-year OS was 92 % (95 % CI 89-95), 94 % (95 % CI 91-96), and 89 % (95 % CI 84-93), respectively (p = 0.60). BMI was not associated by multivariate analysis with differences in DFS or OS. Higher BMI had no influence on prognosis in high-risk EBC patients treated with CT. These data are consistent with prior observations and suggest that in aggressive biological subtypes, the impact of host factors on patient prognosis is minor

Post-Relapse Survival in Patients With Ewing Sarcoma

BackgroundPost-relapse survival (PRS) was evaluated in patients with Ewing sarcoma (EWS) enrolled in chemotherapy protocols based on the use of high-dose chemotherapy with busulfan and melfalan (HDT) as a first-line consolidation treatment in high-risk patients. ProcedureEWS patients enrolled in ISG/SSG III and IV trials who relapsed after complete remission were included in the analysis. At recurrence, chemotherapy based on high-dose ifosfamide was foreseen, and patients who responded but had not received HDT underwent consolidation therapy with HDT. ResultsData from 107 EWS patients were included in the analysis. Median time to recurrence (RFI) was 18 months, and 45 (42%) patients had multiple sites of recurrence. Patients who had previously been treated with HDT had a significantly (P=0.02) shorter RFI and were less likely to achieve a second complete remission (CR2). CR2 status was achieved by 42 (39%) patients. Fifty patients received high-dose IFO (20 went to consolidation HDT). The 5-year PRS was 19% (95% CI 11 to 27%). With CR2, the 5-year PRS was 48% (95% CI 31 to 64%). Without CR2, median time to death was six months (range 1-45 months). According to the multivariate analysis, patients younger than 15 years, recurrence to the lung only, and RFI longer than 24 months significantly influenced the probability of PRS. ConclusionsAge, pattern of recurrence, RFI, and response to second-line chemotherapy influence post-relapse survival in patients with recurrent Ewing sarcoma. No survival advantage was observed from chemotherapy consolidation with HDT. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2015;62:994-999. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Time to initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with rapidly proliferating early breast cancer

Aim: To evaluate the optimal time interval from definitive surgery to commencing chemotherapy in early breast cancer (EBC).Patients and methods: The relationship between time to initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy (TTC), calculated in weeks, and disease-free (DFS) or overall survival (OS), was assessed in 921 EBC patients with rapidly proliferating tumours (thymidine labelling index > 3% or G3 or Ki67 > 20%), randomised in a phase III clinical trial (NCT01031030) to receive chemotherapy with or without anthracyclines (epirubicin -> cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and fluorouracil (CMF) versus CMF -> epirubicin versus CMF). DFS, OS and 95% confidence intervals (95% confidence interval (CI)) were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Multivariate Cox analysis was performed in relation with nodal involvement, oestrogen receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status, Ki67 value, type of adjuvant chemotherapy, menopausal status and tumour size.Results: At a median follow-up of 105 months (range 2-188), a prolonged TTC resulted in a significant increase in the risk of relapse: hazard ratio (HR) 1.15 (95% CI 1.02-1.30, p = 0.019). Using a backward elimination procedure, TTC, tumour size and nodal involvement remained significantly associated with DFS. A time-dependent receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was subsequently utilised to evaluate the best cut-off for TTC, identifying 7 weeks as the best threshold for longer OS (p = 0.043): 8-year OS 88% (95% CI 85-90) for patients with a TTC < 7 weeks and 78% (95% CI 68-87) for the other group.Conclusions: Our results confirm that a shorter TTC may reduce relapses and possibly also improve clinical outcome in patients with highly proliferating EBC. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Randomized phase III trial of adjuvant epirubicin followed by cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and 5-fluorouracil (CMF) versus CMF followed by epirubicin in patients with node-negative or 1-3 node-positive rapidly proliferating breast cancer

20Adjuvant cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and 5-fluorouracil (CMF) have proven highly effective in rapidly proliferating breast cancer (RPBC). It has also been seen that sequential administration of doxorubicin and CMF is superior to their alternation, especially in indolent tumors. In a phase III study, we evaluated whether adjuvant epirubicin (E) followed by CMF is superior to the inverse sequence in RPBC. Patients with node-negative or 1-3 node-positive RPBC (Thymidine Labeling Index > 3% or histological grade 3 or S-phase > 10% or Ki67 > 20%) were randomized to receive E (100 mg/m(2) i.v. d1, q21 days for 4 cycles) followed by CMF (600, 40, 600 mg/m(2) i.v. d1 and 8, q28 days for 4 cycles) (E → CMF) or CMF followed by E (CMF → E) or CMF for 6 cycles. From November 1997 to December 2004, 1066 patients were enrolled: E → CMF 440, CMF → E 438, and CMF 188. At a median follow-up of 69 months, 5-year OS was 91% (95% CI 88-94) for E → CMF and 93% (95% CI 90-95) for CMF → E, with adjusted hazard ratio of 0.88 (95% CI 0.58-1.35), and DFS was 80% in both arms, with adjusted hazard ratio of 0.99 (95% CI 0.73-1.33, Cox model). Adverse events were similar, apart from a higher rate of neutropenia in the CMF → E arm. No important differences in clinical outcome were observed between the two different sequences, making both a valid option in early breast cancer. Further molecular characterization of the tumors might help to identify subgroups achieving higher benefit from either sequence.nonemixedAmadori D; Silvestrini R; De Lena M; Boccardo F; Rocca A; Scarpi E; Schittulli F; Brandi M; Maltoni R; Serra P; Ponzone R; Biglia N; Gianni L; Tienghi A; Valerio MR; Bonginelli P; Amaducci L; Faedi M; Baldini E; Paradiso A.Amadori, D; Silvestrini, R; De Lena, M; Boccardo, F; Rocca, A; Scarpi, E; Schittulli, F; Brandi, M; Maltoni, R; Serra, P; Ponzone, R; Biglia, N; Gianni, L; Tienghi, A; Valerio, Mr; Bonginelli, P; Amaducci, L; Faedi, M; Baldini, E; Paradiso, A