N-methylformamide: cytotoxic, radiosensitizer, or chemosensitizer

N-methylformamide (NMF), a polar solvent, is currently being evaluated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as an antineoplastic agent because of its activity against colon, mammary, and lung tumor xenografts. Results from preclinical studies suggest that it has radiosensitizing, chemosensitizing, and differentiating activity. Its mechanism of action remains unknown, but may involve cellular depletion of glutathione, cell membrane changes, or modulation of proto-oncogene expression. Preclinical toxicology studies conducted in mice, rats, and beagle dogs showed reversible hepatotoxicity to be dose-limiting. Clinically, NMF is administered both orally and by intravenous (IV) injection. The bioavailability with oral administration is 90% to 95%. The highest reported plasma concentration of NMF is approximately 4 mmol/L in a patient who received a dose of 2,000 mg/m2 of IV NMF. Biphasic elimination with IV NMF is seen on both the daily for five days and weekly for 3 weeks schedule. Approximately 5% to 7% of the total administered IV dose is excreted in the urine. In phase I studies, dose-limiting toxicities included reversible hepatotoxicity, a generalized malaise syndrome, and nausea and vomiting. One partial response has been reported in the 111 patients treated on phase II trials in colorectal, head and neck, and renal carcinomas. Suggestions for the future development of this drug are presented.     

Checkpoint Inhibitors,Palliative Care,or Hospice

Purpose

Checkpoint (CTLA-4, PD-1, and PD-L1) inhibitors have changed the face of oncology. A subset of patients enjoys long, gratifying treatment responses. Unfortunately, most patients do not respond even when expressing favorably markers such as PD-L1. Checkpoint inhibitors are largely palliative (though a subset have long-term cancer responses) and as such patient-related outcome measures should be included when evaluating benefits. The purpose of this review is to place checkpoint inhibitor trials within a palliation context. Included is a discussion on potential adverse effects on end-of-life care.

Recent Findings

Pivotal studies have presented efficacy and safety data but we have little published data on quality of life or symptom responses. Extension of life is approximately 2–3 months with some long-term responses in a minority of patients. The cost of checkpoint inhibitors is high for utility (as measured by quality-adjusted life-year saved) and ranges from 81,000 to over 200,000 USD for quality-adjusted life-year saved. Adverse effects were suboptimally reported in multiple studies. Meaningful responses in many trials as defined by the European Society of Medical Oncology are modest.

Summary

Because at least for now, checkpoint inhibitors are used in advanced cancer and largely palliative patients should be seen by palliative specialists, symptoms related to cancer assessed, and advanced directives addressed. Treatment-related autoimmune diseases represent toxicities which oncologists and palliative specialists must understand. This means that palliative care specialists should know about the benefits and adverse effects of these agents. Whether checkpoint inhibitors increase or decrease aggressive care, hospice referrals, and costs at the end of life is yet to be determined.

     

Stereotactic radiosurgery of residual or recurrent craniopharyngioma, after surgery, with or without radiation therapy

This study evaluated the role of stereotactic radiosurgery in the multimodality management of craniopharyngioma patients whose prior therapies failed. Ten consecutive patients (3 males and 7 females) had radiosurgery for craniopharyngioma during a 10-year interval. Their ages ranged from 9 to 64 years (median, 14.5 years). The median interval between diagnosis and radiosurgery was 46.5 months. In total, 12 stereotactic radiosurgical procedures were performed to control the solid component of the tumor (2 intrasellar and 10 suprasellar tumors). The median tumor volume was 1.35 cm3. One to 9 isocenters with different beam diameters were used; the median marginal dose was 16.4 Gy; and the dose to the optic apparatus was limited to less than 8 Gy. Clinical and imaging follow-up data were obtained at a median of 63 months (range, 13-150 months) from radiosurgery. Overall, 7 of 12 tumors became smaller or vanished within a median of 8.5 months. Prior visual defects objectively improved in 6 patients. One patient with prior visual defect deteriorated further and lost vision 9 months after radiosurgery. Multimodality therapy is often necessary for patients with refractory solid and cystic craniopharyngiomas. Stereotactic radiosurgery is a reasonable option in select patients with small recurrent or residual craniopharyngioma.     

Phase II study of copanlisib,a PI3K inhibitor,in relapsed or refractory,indolent or aggressive lymphoma

BackgroundCopanlisib is a pan-class I phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor with predominant activity against the α- and δ-isoforms.Patients and methodsThis phase II study evaluated the response rate of copanlisib administered intravenously on days 1, 8, and 15 of a 28-day cycle, in patients with indolent or aggressive malignant lymphoma. Archival tumor tissues were used for immunohistochemistry, gene-expression profiling, and mutation analysis.ResultsThirty-three patients with indolent lymphoma and 51 with aggressive lymphoma received copanlisib. Follicular lymphoma (48.5%) and peripheral T-cell lymphoma (33.3%) were the most common histologic subtypes. Most patients (78.6%) had received prior rituximab and 54.8% were rituximab-refractory. Median duration of treatment was 23 and 8 weeks in the indolent and aggressive cohorts, respectively (overall range 2–138). Eighty patients were evaluated for efficacy. The objective response rate was 43.7% (14/32) in the indolent cohort and 27.1% (13/48) in the aggressive cohort; median progression-free survival was 294 days (range 0–874) and 70 days (range 0–897), respectively; median duration of response was 390 days (range 0–825) and 166 days (range 0–786), respectively. Common adverse events included hyperglycemia (57.1%; grade ≥3, 23.8%), hypertension (54.8%; grade ≥3, 40.5%), and diarrhea (40.5%; grade ≥3, 4.8%), all generally manageable. Neutropenia occurred in 28.6% of patients (grade 4, 11.9%). Molecular analyses showed enhanced antitumor activity in tumors with upregulated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway gene expression.ConclusionIntravenous copanlisib demonstrated promising efficacy and manageable toxicity in heavily pretreated patients with various subtypes of indolent and aggressive malignant lymphoma. Subtype-specific studies of copanlisib in patients with follicular, peripheral T-cell, and mantle cell lymphomas are ongoing.This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT01660451 (Part A).     

Colorectal cancer prevention: Diet, drugs, or nothing

Colorectal cancer (CRC), one of the leading causes of cancer death worldwide, is now considered the most preventable malignancy. Although an estimated 145,290 Americans were diagnosed and approximately 56,290 died of the disease, CRC death could be prevented in 28,145 cases if the American Cancer Society’s screening recommendations were followed. By virtue of endoscopic and imaging accessibility of the colorectum, along with its well-characterized pathogenesis, CRC prevention and early detection have become a reality that could significantly diminish death and suffering from cancer. Unfortunately, widespread application of current screening technologies has been difficult; progress continues as visualization of and access to the colorectum enable researchers to evaluate the activity of dietary changes, nutritional supplementation, and chemoprevention agents on genetic, molecular, and histologic colorectal carcinogenesis.     

Outcome after breast-conserving therapy for patients with stage I or II mucinous, medullary, or tubular breast carcinoma

PURPOSE: To evaluate the site of first failure of patients with early-stage tubular, mucinous, and medullary breast carcinoma after breast-conserving therapy and compare their results with those of patients with infiltrating ductal carcinoma (IDC). METHODS AND MATERIALS: Twenty clinical Stage I and II patients with mucinous carcinoma, 27 with medullary carcinoma, 28 with tubular carcinoma, and 1055 with IDC were identified. The minimal potential follow-up was 10 years. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference (p = 0.15) was seen in the site of first failure between the four histologic types within the first 10 years after treatment. When the IDC tumors were omitted from the comparison, the failure patterns of the remaining three histologic types were not significantly different (p = 0.31). In a polychotomous logistic model, histologic type was not significantly associated with the site of first failure (all p >0.17). Local failure was significantly associated with age <50 years (p = 0.04), positive surgical margins (p = 0.007), lymphovascular invasion (p = 0.04), and tumors with an extensive intraductal component (p <0.001). Regional/distant/opposite breast failure was significantly associated with clinical Stage T2 tumors (p <0.001), four or more positive lymph nodes (p = 0.004), and lymphovascular invasion-positive tumors (p <0.001). Second malignancy or death was significantly associated with age at diagnosis >60 years (p <0.001) and lymphovascular invasion-positive tumors (p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: No statistically significant difference was noted in the site of first failure between patients with medullary, mucinous, or tubular carcinoma and patients with IDC. Although not statistically significant, we did note a trend toward a lower long-term rate of disease-free survival in patients with IDC.     

Results of irradiation or chemoirradiation for primary unresectable, locally recurrent, or grossly incomplete resection of gastric adenocarcinoma

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the results of irradiation +/- chemotherapy for patients with unresectable gastric carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The records of 60 patients with a gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma and a locally advanced unresectable primary (n = 28), a local or regional recurrence (n = 21), or gross residual disease following incomplete resection (n = 11) were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were treated with external beam irradiation (EBRT) alone or external beam plus intraoperative irradiation (IOERT), and 55 of the 60 (92%) patients received 5-FU based chemotherapy. RESULTS: The median survival for the entire cohort was 11.6 months. There was no significant difference in median survival between each of the three treatment groups. In examining the extent of disease there was a significant difference in survival based on the number of sites involved. Nine patients with disease limited to a single non-nodal site appeared to represent a favorable subgroup compared to the rest of the patients (median survival of 21.8 months vs. 10.2 months,p = 0.03). In the patients with recurrent disease, the number of sites involved (p = 0.05), and total dose adding external beam dose to IOERT dose (> 54 Gy vs. < or =54 Gy, p = 0.06) were of borderline significance in regard to survival. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with either primary unresectable, locally or regionally recurrent, or incompletely resected gastric carcinoma, the overall survival is similar, and related to the extent of disease based on the number of regional sites involved. The patients with a single non-nodal site of disease represent a favorable subgroup and patients with recurrent disease may benefit from total irradiation doses > 54 Gy.     

Chemotherapy (gemcitabine,docetaxel plus gemcitabine,doxorubicin, or trabectedin) in inoperable,locally advanced,recurrent, or metastatic uterine leiomyosarcoma: a clinical practice guideline

Questions

Does chemotherapy—that is, gemcitabine, gemcitabine plus docetaxel, doxorubicin, or trabectedin—improve clinical outcomes in women with inoperable, locally advanced, recurrent, or metastatic uterine leiomyosarcoma (lms)?Is there a difference in the tumour response rate to chemotherapy between recurrent pelvic disease and extrapelvic metastases in the target patients?

Methods

This guideline was developed by Cancer Care Ontario’s Program in Evidence-Based Care, the Sarcoma Disease Site Group (dsg), and the Gynecologic Cancer dsg. The core methodology was the systematic review. The medline and embase databases (2004 to June 2011), the Cochrane Library, main guideline Web sites, and relevant annual meeting abstracts (2005–2010) were searched. Internal and external reviews were conducted, with final approval by the dsgs and the Program in Evidence-Based Care.

Clinical Practice Guideline

Based on currently available evidence from the medical literature (four single-arm phase ii studies, one arm of a randomized controlled trial, and one abstract), doxorubicin alone, gemcitabine alone, or gemcitabine plus docetaxel may be treatment options in first- or second-line therapy (or both) for women with inoperable, locally advanced, recurrent, or metastatic uterine lms.Hematologic toxicity is common and should be monitored, and granulocyte colony–stimulating factor should be considered when gemcitabine plus docetaxel is used. Other toxicities, such as neurotoxicity, pulmonary toxicity, and cardiovascular toxicity should be monitored.No recommendation is made for or against the use of trabectedin in the targeted patients.No data were available concerning differences in response in recurrent pelvic disease or extrapelvic metastases, or concerning quality of life.     

Total neoadjuvant therapy: Fact,fantasy, or fallacy?

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States for men and women, with an estimated 146,000 new cases per year - a staggering 53,000 patients die each year. Rectal cancer comprises a third of these patients, with a 5-year survival rate of 67%. Management of locally advanced rectal cancer in the U.S. had remained stagnant for more than a decade, with most of these patients being treated with long-course chemoradiotherapy, surgery, followed by adjuvant chemotherapy; adjuvant chemotherapy being administered despite lacking a high level of evidence. Over the past few years, with rectal cancer death rates exceeding 30% from metastatic disease, growing interest focused on the attributes of induction chemotherapy to eradicate minimal residual disease and purportedly increase survival. This led to the development of total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT). We now have high-quality data from randomized prospective trials to review the facts, fantasies, and fallacies of TNT.     

Metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer: Abiraterone,docetaxel, or…

For decades, the management of patients with advanced prostate cancer has been hormonal therapy, known as androgen deprivation therapy, which is intended to lower testosterone levels. Further incremental progress in the treatment of men with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) has come from the addition of docetaxel or abiraterone acetate to androgen deprivation therapy for more aggressive upfront treatment regimens. Other combinatorial regimens testing the addition of novel therapies currently are in the late stages of development and are expected to further improve the clinical outcomes of these patients. The emergence of new positron emission tomography tracers specifically for prostate cancer, particularly prostate-specific membrane antigen and fluciclovine, has increased the ability to detect metastatic disease earlier in the course of the disease and has helped to describe a new group of patients with mHSPC and oligometastatic disease. For this group of patients with mHSPC, the authors discuss the existing data with metastasis-directed therapy and primary tumor-directed therapy.     

Radiation therapy: neoadjuvant, adjuvant, or not at all

Clinical trial data show that radiation enhances local tumor control of extremity sarcomas with acceptable morbidity when sophisticated radiation techniques are combined with limb-sparing resections performed by oncologic surgeons with sarcoma expertise. Similar controlled data is not available for retroperitoneal sarcomas but some studies suggest a benefit for radiotherapy. Radiation can be delivered by external beam or brachytherapy; it can be given pre-operatively, post-operatively, or intra-operatively. Indications for and advances in radiation therapy are discussed in this article.