Niraparib in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and DNA repair gene defects (GALAHAD): a multicentre, open-label, phase 2 trial

Background Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancers are enriched for DNA repair gene defects (DRDs) that can be susceptible to synthetic lethality through inhibition of PARP proteins. We evaluated the anti-tumour activity and safety of the PARP inhibitor niraparib in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancers and DRDs who progressed on previous treatment with an androgen signalling inhibitor and a taxane. Methods In this multicentre, open-label, single-arm, phase 2 study, patients aged at least 18 years with histologically confirmed metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mixed histology accepted, with the exception of the small cell pure phenotype) and DRDs (assessed in blood, tumour tissue, or saliva), with progression on a previous next-generation androgen signalling inhibitor and a taxane per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors 1.1 or Prostate Cancer Working Group 3 criteria and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0–2, were eligible. Enrolled patients received niraparib 300 mg orally once daily until treatment discontinuation, death, or study termination. For the final study analysis, all patients who received at least one dose of study drug were included in the safety analysis population; patients with germline pathogenic or somatic biallelic pathogenic alterations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 (BRCA cohort) or biallelic alterations in other prespecified DRDs (non-BRCA cohort) were included in the efficacy analysis population. The primary endpoint was objective response rate in patients with BRCA alterations and measurable disease (measurable BRCA cohort). This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02854436. Findings Between Sept 28, 2016, and June 26, 2020, 289 patients were enrolled, of whom 182 (63%) had received three or more systemic therapies for prostate cancer. 223 (77%) of 289 patients were included in the overall efficacy analysis population, which included BRCA (n=142) and non-BRCA (n=81) cohorts. At final analysis, with a median follow-up of 10·0 months (IQR 6·6–13·3), the objective response rate in the measurable BRCA cohort (n=76) was 34·2% (95% CI 23·7–46·0). In the safety analysis population, the most common treatment-emergent adverse events of any grade were nausea (169 [58%] of 289), anaemia (156 [54%]), and vomiting (111 [38%]); the most common grade 3 or worse events were haematological (anaemia in 95 [33%] of 289; thrombocytopenia in 47 [16%]; and neutropenia in 28 [10%]). Of 134 (46%) of 289 patients with at least one serious treatment-emergent adverse event, the most common were also haematological (thrombocytopenia in 17 [6%] and anaemia in 13 [4%]). Two adverse events with fatal outcome (one patient with urosepsis in the BRCA cohort and one patient with sepsis in the non-BRCA cohort) were deemed possibly related to niraparib treatment. Interpretation Niraparib is tolerable and shows anti-tumour activity in heavily pretreated patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and DRDs, particularly in those with BRCA alterations

Metastatic signet-ring cell carcinoma of unknown primary origin

About 3-5% of metastatic cancers originate from an unknown primary origin. Some have a signet-ring cell (SRC) component. We report the medical history of three patients with SRC carcinoma expressing both the oestrogen (ER) and progesterone receptors (PR). Although no primary breast cancer could be identified, we considered these three patients as having metastatic breast cancer. All of them were therefore treated with standard breast anti-hormonal therapies and all demonstrated benefit. The pitfalls of clinical presentation, diagnostic work-up, and treatment are discussed

Unreliability of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in detecting contaminating breast cancer cells in peripheral blood stem cells due to induction of CEA by growth factors.

RT-PCR is increasingly used for the detection of minimal residual disease in solid tumors. Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) RT-PCR seemed to be highly specific for detection of tumor cells when tested on PBMC. A very high frequency of RT-PCR amplification product for CEA in PBSC from breast cancer patients mobilized with G-CSF was found. However, this result contrasted with tumor cell detection by immunocytochemistry (ICC) which showed no correlation with RT-PCR results. In addition, CEA mRNA was amplified in most G-CSF-mobilized PBSC samples derived from patients with hematological malignancies and from healthy donors of allogeneic stem cells, although no circulating epithelial cells could be demonstrated by ICC. CEA RT-PCR expression was observed in PBMC from healthy individuals incubated in vitro with G-CSF. These data suggest that CEA transcription can be induced by G-CSF, resulting in a loss of specificity of CEA RT-PCR for tumor cell detection in PBMC. We conclude, CEA RT-PCR may not be recommended to detect tumor cell contamination in peripheral blood from patients treated with G-CSF. This may have implications on tumor cell detection by RT-PCR in tissues where endogenous or exogenous growth factors may induce the transcription of CEA or other genes

Malignant pericardial effusion complicated by cardiac tamponade under atezolizumab.

Immune-related adverse events including cardiac toxicity are increasingly described in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors. We described a malignant pericardial effusion complicated by a cardiac tamponade in an advanced non-small cell lung cancer patient who had received five infusions of atezolizumab, a PDL-1 monoclonal antibody, in combination with cabozantinib. The definitive diagnosis was quickly made by cytology examination showing typical cell abnormalities and high fluorescence cell information provided by the hematology analyzer. The administration of atezolizumab and cabozantinib was temporarily discontinued due to cardiogenic hepatic failure following cardiac tamponade. After the re-initiation of the treatment, pericardial effusion relapsed. In this patient, the analysis of the pericardial fluid led to the final diagnosis of pericardial tumor progression. This was afterwards confirmed by the finding of proliferating intrapericardial tissue by computed tomography scan and ultrasound. This report emphasizes the value of cytology analysis performed in a hematology laboratory as an accurate and immediate tool for malignancy detection in pericardial effusions

Bilateral granulomatous panuveitis as initial presentation of diffuse systemic T cell lymphoma.

A high-grade diffuse T cell lymphoma, initially simulating bilateral panuveitis, was diagnosed by analysis of a vitreous biopsy specimen and a breast tumor in a 57-year-old woman. It responded favorably to aggressive chemotherapy before it relapsed in leukemic transformation. This case emphasizes the misleading initial symptoms of primary intraocular lymphoma and the role of immunophenotyping in the diagnosis and classification of lymphoproliferative ocular disorders. The presentation and management of uveal lymphoid neoplasia are discussed

Panitumumab as a radiosensitizing agent in KRAS wild-type locally advanced rectal cancer

Our goal was to optimize the radiosensitizing potential of anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) monoclonal antibodies, when given concomitantly with preoperative radiotherapy in KRAS wild-type locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). Based on pre-clinical studies conducted by our group, we designed a phase II trial in which panitumumab (6 mg/kg/q2 weeks) was combined with preoperative radiotherapy (45 Gy in 25 fractions) to treat cT3-4/N + KRAS wild-type LARC. The primary endpoint was complete pathologic response (pCR) (H0 = 5 %, H1 = 17 %, α = 0.05, β = 0.2). From 19 enrolled patients, 17 (89 %) were evaluable for pathology assessment. Although no pCR was observed, seven patients (41 %) had grade 3 Dworak pathological tumor regression. The regimen was safe and was associated with 95 % of sphincter-preservation rate. No NRAS, BRAF, or PI3KCA mutation was found in this study, but one patient (5 %) showed loss of PTEN expression. The quantification of plasma EGFR ligands during treatment showed significant upregulation of plasma TGF-α and EGF following panitumumab administration (p < 0.05). At surgery, patients with important pathological regression (grade 3 Dworak) had higher plasma TGF-α (p = 0.03) but lower plasma EGF (p = 0.003) compared to those with grade 0-2 Dworak. Our study suggests that concomitant panitumumab and preoperative radiotherapy in KRAS wild-type LARC is feasible and results in some tumor regression. However, pCR rate remained modest. Given that the primary endpoint of our study was not reached, we remain unable to recommend the use of panitumumab as a radiosensitizer in KRAS wild-type LARC outside a research setting

Exploratory analysis based on tumor location of REACHIN, a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial of regorafenib after failure of gemcitabine and platinum-based chemotherapy for advanced/metastatic biliary tract tumors

SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe