Feasibility and effectiveness of trifluridine/tipiracil in metastatic colorectal cancer: real-life data from The Netherlands

Background: The RECOURSE trial showed clinical efficacy for trifluridine/tipiracil for refractory metastatic colorectal cancer patients. We assessed the feasibility and effectiveness of trifluridine/tipiracil in daily clinical practice in The Netherlands. Methods: Medical records of patients from 17 centers treated in the trifluridine/tipiracil compassionate use program were reviewed and checked for RECOURSE eligibility criteria. Baseline characteristics, safety, and survival times were compared, and prespecified baseline characteristics were tested in multivariate analyses for prognostic significance on overall survival (OS). Results: A total of 136 patients with a median age of 62 years were analyzed. Forty-three patients (32%) did not meet the RECOURSE eligibility criteria for not having received all prior standard treatments (n = 35, 26%) and/or ECOG performance status (PS) 2 (n = 12, 9%). The most common grade ≥3 toxicities were neutropenia (n = 44, 32%), leukopenia (n = 8, 6%), anemia (n = 7, 5%), and fatigue (n = 7, 5%). Median progression-free survival (PFS) and median OS were 2.1 (95% CI, 1.8–2.3) and 5.4 months (95% CI, 4.0–6.9), respectively. Patients with ECOG PS 2 had a worse median OS (3.2 months) compared to patients with ECOG PS 0–1 (5.9 months). ECOG PS, KRAS-mutation status, white blood cell count, serum lactate dehydrogenase, and alkaline phosphatase were prognostic factors for OS. Conclusions: Our data show that treatment with trifluridine/tipiracil in daily clinical practice is feasible and safe. Differences in patient characteristics between our population and the RECOURSE study population should be taken into account in the interpretation of survival data. Our results argue against the use of trifluridine/tipiracil in patients with ECOG PS 2. Funding: Johannes J.M. Kwakman received an unrestricted research grant from Servier

Local strain measurements in shallow trench insulator structures using near-ultraviolet Raman spectroscopy: Simulation and experiment

National audienceShallow trench insulator (STI) stress induced in active lines has been investigated both by near-ultraviolet (UV) Raman spectroscopy and mechanical modelization. Two different STI processes have been compared. The influence of the linewidth is also studied. After adjusting some instrumental and material parameters, all components of the stress tensors have been determined accurately. The polarization of the incoming light is discussed, showing that the selection rules are no longer respected at the edges of the STIs. Some of the limitations in spatial resolution of the Raman spectroscopy have been overcome, making use of the mechanical model and taking benefit from the higher spatial resolution of the UV excitation. In turn, the mechanical model has been refined from comparisons with experiments. It is therefore suggested that coupling these techniques may provide a relevant method to measure stress in the silicon for the integrated circuit industry. From a practical viewpoint, it is demonstrated that the use of the subatmospheric chemical vapor deposition process allows significant reduction of the compressive stress in the center of the active lines

Surface contamination and electrical damage by focused ion beam: conditions applicable to the extraction of TEM lamellae from nano-electronic devices

status: publishe