Early Metabolic Flare in Squamous Cell Carcinoma after Chemotherapy is a Marker of Treatment Sensitivity In Vitro

PURPOSE: Early metabolic response with a decrease in glucose demand after cytotoxic treatment has been reported to precede tumor volume shrinkage. However, preclinical studies report of a very early rise in metabolism, a flare, following treatment. To elucidate these observations, we performed an experimental study on early metabolic response with sequential analysis of metabolic changes. METHODS: Three squamous cell carcinoma cell lines and one nontumorigenic cell line were exposed to cisplatin. The uptake of the fluorescent glucose analogue 2-NBDG was examined at days 1-6 using fluorescence microscopy. The relation between 2-NBDG-uptake and cell survival was evaluated. RESULTS: The tumor cells exhibited a high uptake of 2-NBDG, whereas the uptake in the nonmalignant cells was low. The more cisplatin sensitive cell lines exhibited a more pronounced metabolic flare than the less sensitive cell line. CONCLUSION: A metabolic flare was a very early sign of treatment response and potentially it could be used as an early marker of treatment sensitivity

Are fewer circumference measurements reliable to determine volume measurements in lower limb lymphedema compared to every 4th cm?

Objective: In lymphedema management, lower limb volume is commonly assessed by circumference measurementevery 4th cm which is however time-consuming. The aim of this study is to evaluate the agreement between volumemeasurements derived from circumference measurements every 4th cm (V4) with every 8th cm (V8) and every 12th cm(V12) in patients with lower limb lymphedema (LLL) and to determine the test-retest reliability of these methods.Material-Method: Thirty women with unilateral or bilateral LLL were measured twice, two weeks apart usingcircumference measurements every 4th cm. Inclusion criteria: (i) primary or secondary LLL; (ii) persistent lymphedemafor the past 6 months; (iii) daily treatment with compression stockings. Exclusion criteria: (i) ongoing LE treatment; (ii)comorbidity affecting lower limb volume. Volume was calculated using the truncated cone formulae. Statistics: Intraclasscorrelation coefficient (ICC), Bland-Altman plots with limits of agreement, standard error of measurement (SEM%) and thesmallest real difference (SRD%).Results (preliminary): Overall, there are high agreement between the V4 and the V8 and V12 methods (ICCs 0.99).Also, the test-retest reliability is high for all three methods (ICC 0.99 for V4, V8 and V12, respectively) and the measurementerror low both for a group of subjects (SEM%: 1.2%-1.5%) and a single subject (SRD%: 3.4%-4.1%).Conclusions: The V8 and V12 methods agree sufficiently with the V4 gold standard method. All three methods are reliablewith small measurement errors indicating that real clinical changes can be detected over time. Fewer circumferencemeasurements can therefore be recommended in the management of LL

Risk factors for lymph node metastases in women with endometrial cancer : A population-based, nation-wide register study—On behalf of the Swedish Gynecological Cancer Group

The role of lymphadenectomy in the management of early endometrial cancer remains controversial. In the recent ESMO-ESGO-ESTRO guidelines, lymphadenectomy is recommended for patients with endometrioid adenocarcinoma Grade 3 with deep myometrial invasion, but complete agreement was not achieved. In Sweden, DNA aneuploidy has been included as a high-risk factor. The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of tumor histology, FIGO grade, DNA ploidy and myometrial invasion (MI) on occurrence of lymph node metastasis (LNM) in patients with endometrial cancer. The study design is a retrospective cohort study based on prospectively recorded register data. Endometrial cancer patients registered in the Swedish Quality Registry for Gynecologic Cancer 2010–2015 with FIGO Stages I–III and verified nodal status were included. Data on DNA ploidy, histology, FIGO grade and MI were included in multivariable log-binomial regression analyses with LNM as dependent variable. 1,165 cases fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The multivariable analyses revealed increased risk of LNM in patients with tumors with MI ≥ 50% (risk ratio [RR] = 4.1; 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.0–5.6), nonendometrioid compared to endometrioid histology (RR 1.8; CI 1.4–2.4) and FIGO Grade 3 compared to Grade 1–2 tumors (RR 1.5; CI 1.1–2.0). No statistically significant association between DNA ploidy status and LNM was detected. This population-based, nation-wide study in women with endometrial cancer confirms a strong association between MI ≥ 50%, nonendometrioid histology and FIGO Grade 3, respectively, and LNM. DNA ploidy should not be included in the preoperative decision making of removing nodes or not

Olaparib maintenance monotherapy in platinum-sensitive relapsed ovarian cancer patients without a germline BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation : OPINION primary analysis

Objective: The phase IIIb OPINION trial (NCT03402841) investigated olaparib maintenance monotherapy in patients without a deleterious or suspected deleterious germline BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation (gBRCAm) who had platinum-sensitive relapsed ovarian cancer (PSROC) and had received ≥2 previous lines of platinum-based chemotherapy. Methods: In this single-arm, open-label, international study, patients who had responded to platinum-based chemotherapy received maintenance olaparib tablets (300 mg twice daily) until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary endpoint was investigator-assessed progression-free survival (PFS) (modified RECIST version 1.1). A key secondary endpoint was PFS by homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) and somatic BRCAm (sBRCAm) status. The primary analysis of PFS was planned for 18 months after the last patient received their first dose. Results: Two hundred and seventy-nine patients were enrolled and received olaparib. At data cutoff (October 2, 2020), 210 PFS events had occurred (75.3% maturity) and median PFS was 9.2 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 7.6–10.9) in the overall population. At 12 and 18 months, 38.5% and 24.3% of patients were progression-free, respectively. In the predefined biomarker subgroups, median PFS was 16.4, 11.1, 9.7, and 7.3 months in sBRCAm, HRD-positive including sBRCAm, HRD-positive excluding sBRCAm, and HRD-negative patients, respectively. The most common treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were nausea (48.4%) and fatigue/asthenia (44.1%). TEAEs led to dose interruption, dose reduction, and treatment discontinuation in 47.0%, 22.6%, and 7.5% of patients, respectively. Conclusion: Maintenance olaparib demonstrated clinical benefit in patients without a gBRCAm, and across all subgroups, compared with historical placebo controls. There were no new safety signals

Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Phase III Trial Evaluating Pertuzumab Combined With Chemotherapy for Low Tumor Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 3 mRNA-Expressing Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer (PENELOPE)

The AGO-OVAR 2.29/ENGOT-ov14/PENELOPE prospectively randomized phase III trial evaluated the addition of pertuzumab to chemotherapy in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian carcinoma with low tumor human epidermal growth factor receptor 3 (HER3) mRNA expression. We report the results of the primary efficacy analysis.status: publishe

Double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized phase III trial evaluating pertuzumab combined with chemotherapy for low tumor human epidermal growth factor receptor 3 mRNA-Expressing platinum-resistant ovarian Cancer (PENELOPE)

Purpose The AGO-OVAR 2.29/ENGOT-ov14/PENELOPE prospectively randomized phase III trial evaluated the addition of pertuzumab to chemotherapy in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian carcinoma with low tumor human epidermal growth factor receptor 3 (HER3)mRNA expression. We report the results of the primary efficacy analysis. Patients and Methods Eligible patients had ovarian carcinoma that progressed during or within 6 months of completing four or more platinum cycles, centrally tested low tumor HER3 mRNA expression (concentration ratio # 2.81 by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction on cobas z480 [Roche Molecular Diagnostics, Pleasanton, CA]), and no more than two prior lines of chemotherapy. After investigators selection of the chemotherapy backbone (single-agent topotecan, weekly paclitaxel, or gemcitabine), patientswere randomly assigned to also receive either placebo or pertuzumab (840-mg loading dose followed by 420 mg every 3 weeks). Stratification factors were selected chemotherapy, prior antiangiogenic therapy, and platinum-free interval. The primary end point was independent review committee-assessed progression-free survival (PFS). Additional end points included overall survival, investigator-assessed PFS, objective response rate, safety, patient-reported outcomes, and translational research. Results Overall, 156 patientswere randomly assigned. Adding pertuzumab to chemotherapy did not significantly improve independent review committee-assessed PFS for the primary analysis (stratified hazard ratio, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.50 to 1.11; P = .14; median PFS, 4.3 months for pertuzumab plus chemotherapy v 2.6 months for placebo plus chemotherapy). Sensitivity analyses and secondary efficacy end point results were consistent with the primary analysis. The effect on PFS favoring pertuzumab was more pronounced in the gemcitabine and paclitaxel cohorts. No new safety signals were seen. Conclusion Although the primary objective was not met, subgroup analyses showed trends in PFS favoring pertuzumab in the gemcitabine and paclitaxel cohorts, meriting further exploration of pertuzumab in ovarian cancer