Prospective feasibility study of neoadjuvant dose-dense paclitaxel plus carboplatin with bevacizumab therapy followed by interval debulking surgery for advanced ovarian,fallopian tube,and primary peritoneal cancer patients

International Journal of Clinical Oncology - This study aimed to investigate the clinical benefit of dose-dense paclitaxel plus carboplatin (TC) with bevacizumab therapy for advanced ovarian,...     

Changes of cancer diagnosis disclosure to children in Japan in the last 20 years

International Journal of Clinical Oncology - The practice of cancer diagnosis disclosure to children has been changed with the times. The regulations of clinical trials in the 2000s might change...     

Phase II Study of Panitumumab Monotherapy in Chemotherapy‐Naïve Frail or Elderly Patients with Unresectable RAS Wild‐Type Colorectal Cancer: OGSG 1602

Lessons Learned

• Panitumumab monotherapy showed favorable efficacy and feasibility in the treatment of frail or elderly patients with RAS wild‐type unresectable colorectal cancer.
• It is especially effective for left‐sided tumors; therefore, panitumumab as first‐line treatment could be an additional therapeutic option for frail elderly patients, particularly in those who are unsuitable for upfront oxaliplatin‐based or irinotecan‐based combination regimens.

BackgroundFirst‐line panitumumab monotherapy is expected to be well tolerated and improve survival in patients ineligible for intensive chemotherapy. However, its safety and efficacy in chemotherapy‐naïve frail or elderly patients with unresectable RAS wild‐type (WT) colorectal cancer (CRC) have not been studied. The aim of this phase II trial was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of panitumumab as first‐line treatment.MethodsWe conducted a multicenter phase II study on patients aged ≥76 years or ≥65 years considered unsuitable for intensive chemotherapy. Panitumumab 6 mg/kg of intravenous infusion was administered every 2 weeks. The primary endpoint was disease control rate (DCR). Secondary endpoints included progression‐free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), response rate (RR), time to treatment failure (TTF), and incidence of grade 3 or 4 toxicities.ResultsThirty‐six patients (median age: 81 [range, 67–88] years) were enrolled between February 2017 and August 2018. Two patients were excluded from the analysis of efficacy: one from lack of image examination at baseline and the other from lack of a measurable lesion. Thirty‐three (91.6%) patients had a performance status (PS) of 0 or 1, whereas two (5.6%) patients and one (2.8%) patient had a PS of 2 and 3, respectively. Twenty‐eight patients (77.8%) had left‐sided CRC, whereas eight (22.2%) had right‐sided CRC. The RR was 50.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 32.4–67.6), including three patients (8.8%) who had complete responses. A total of 26.5% had stable diseases, resulting in a DCR of 76.5% (90% CI, 61.5–87.7). The RR of patients with left‐ and right‐sided tumors was 65.4% (95% CI, 44.3–82.8) and 0.0% (95% CI, 0.0–36.9), respectively. Major grade 3 or 4 nonhematologic toxicities were rash (n = 6, 16.7%), hypomagnesemia (n = 4, 11.1%), fatigue (n = 3, 8.3%), paronychia (n = 2, 5.6%), and hyponatremia (n = 2, 5.6%). The only grade 3 hematologic toxicity was neutropenia (n = 1, 2.8%).ConclusionPanitumumab monotherapy showed favorable efficacy and feasibility in frail or elderly patients with RAS WT unresectable CRC. Survival analysis including OS, PFS, and TTF is currently in progress.     

Changes in knee extensor strengths before and after medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction

Objective: Quadriceps dysfunction has been suggested as a complication after medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction. The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in knee extensor strength before and after MPFL reconstruction.

Methods: Twenty patients who underwent MPFL reconstruction for unilateral recurrent patellar dislocation (18 females and 2 males; mean age 20.8 ± 7.6 years) were examined. The peak isometric torque at 60° and 90° of knee flexion and isokinetic knee extensor strength at speeds of 60°/s and 90°/s in operated and non-operated legs were measured using a dynamometer preoperatively and 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years postoperatively. The following parameters were evaluated: (1) body weight-adjusted muscle strength, (2) improvement index (post-/preoperative value × 100) (%), and (3) extensor strength ratio (operated/non-operated value × 100) (%).

Results: The mean knee extensor strength in both operated and non-operated legs significantly increased 2 years after surgery compared with that before surgery. At 2 years postoperatively, the improvement indexes of the isometric knee extensor strength at 60° and 90° and of the isokinetic knee extensor strength at 60°/s and 90°/s were 237%, 192%, 318%, and 186%, respectively, in the operated legs and 144%, 124%, 140%, and 140%, respectively, in the non-operated legs. At 2 years postoperatively, the mean isometric knee extensor strength ratios at 60° and 90° and the isokinetic knee extensor strength ratios at 60°/s and 180°/s were 81%, 84%, 81%, and 82%, respectively.

Conclusions: Knee extensor strength was improved in most patients after MPFL reconstruction, at least compared with that before surgery, although an approximately 20% deficit against the non-operated legs remained even 2 years after surgery.     

MicroRNA‐361‐3p is a potent therapeutic target for oral squamous cell carcinoma

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) can act not only as tumor suppressor genes but also as oncogenes. Oncogenic miRNAs (oncomiRs) could therefore provide opportunities for the treatment of human malignancies. Here, we aimed to identify oncomiRs present in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and addressed whether targeting these miRNAs might be useful in treatment for cancer. Functional screening for oncomiRs in a human OSCC cell line (GFP‐SAS) was carried out using the miRCURY LNA microRNA Knockdown Library – Human version 12.0. We identified a locked nucleic acid (LNA)/DNA antisense oligonucleotide against miR‐361‐3p (LNA‐miR‐361‐3p) which showed the largest degree of growth inhibition of GFP‐SAS cells. Transfection with a synthetic mimic of mature miR‐361‐3p resulted in an approximately 20% increase in the growth of GFP‐SAS cells. We identified odd‐skipped related 2 (OSR2) as a miR‐361‐3p target gene. Transfection of GFP‐SAS cells with LNA‐miR‐361‐3p caused a significant increase in the expression levels of OSR2. Cotransfection of a OSR2 3′‐UTR luciferase reporter plasmid and LNA‐miR‐361‐3p into GFP‐SAS cells produced higher levels of luciferase activity than in cells cotransfected with the LNA‐nontarget. We assessed the effect of LNA‐miR‐361‐3p on the in vivo growth of GFP‐SAS cells. We found that LNA‐miR‐361‐3p significantly reduced the size of s.c. xenografted GFP‐SAS tumors, compared to the control group treated with LNA‐NT. Finally, we observed that miR‐361‐3p is overexpressed in OSCC tissues. These results suggest that miR‐361‐3p supports the growth of human OSCC cells both in vitro and in vivo and that targeting miR‐361‐3p could be a useful therapeutic approach for patients with OSCC.     

Changes in the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio during nivolumab monotherapy are associated with gastric cancer survival

Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology - In the ATTRACTION-2 trial, nivolumab significantly improved the survival of advanced gastric cancer patients. The pretreatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio...     

Preoperative predictive factors affecting return to work in patients with gliomas undergoing awake brain mapping

Journal of Neuro-Oncology - This study aimed to investigate the preoperative predictive factors affecting return to work in patients with gliomas in the left cerebral hemisphere undergoing awake...