International multicenter study comparing COVID-19 in patients with cancer to patients without cancer: Impact of risk factors and treatment modalities on survivorship.

Background: In this international multicenter study, we aimed to determine the independent risk factors associated with increased 30 day mortality and the impact of cancer and novel treatment modalities in a large group of patients with and without cancer with COVID-19 from multiple countries. Methods: We retrospectively collected de-identified data on a cohort of patients with and without cancer diagnosed with COVID-19 between January and November 2020 from 16 international centers. Results: We analyzed 3966 COVID-19 confirmed patients, 1115 with cancer and 2851 without cancer patients. Patients with cancer were more likely to be pancytopenic and have a smoking history, pulmonary disorders, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and corticosteroid use in the preceding 2 wk (p≤0.01). In addition, they were more likely to present with higher inflammatory biomarkers (D-dimer, ferritin, and procalcitonin) but were less likely to present with clinical symptoms (p≤0.01). By country-adjusted multivariable logistic regression analyses, cancer was not found to be an independent risk factor for 30 day mortality (p=0.18), whereas lymphopenia was independently associated with increased mortality in all patients and in patients with cancer. Older age (≥65y) was the strongest predictor of 30 day mortality in all patients (OR = 4.47, p<0.0001). Remdesivir was the only therapeutic agent independently associated with decreased 30 day mortality (OR = 0.64, p=0.036). Among patients on low-flow oxygen at admission, patients who received remdesivir had a lower 30 day mortality rate than those who did not (5.9 vs 17.6%; p=0.03). Conclusions: Increased 30 day all-cause mortality from COVID-19 was not independently associated with cancer but was independently associated with lymphopenia often observed in hematolgic malignancy. Remdesivir, particularly in patients with cancer receiving low-flow oxygen, can reduce 30 day all-cause mortality. Funding: National Cancer Institute and National Institutes of Health.

International Multicenter Study Comparing Cancer to Non-Cancer Patients with COVID-19: Impact of Risk Factors and Treatment Modalities on Survivorship.

Background: In this international multicenter study we aimed to determine the independent risk factors associated with increased 30-day mortality and the impact of novel treatment modalities in a large group of cancer and non-cancer patients with COVID-19 from multiple countries. Methods: We retrospectively collected de-identified data on a cohort of cancer and non-cancer patients diagnosed with COVID-19 between January and November 2020, from 16 international centers. Results: We analyzed 3966 COVID-19 confirmed patients, 1115 cancer and 2851 non-cancer patients. Cancer patients were more likely to be pancytopenic, and have a smoking history, pulmonary disorders, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and corticosteroid use in the preceding two weeks (p≤0.01). In addition, they were more likely to present with higher inflammatory biomarkers (D-dimer, ferritin and procalcitonin), but were less likely to present with clinical symptoms (p≤0.01). By multivariable logistic regression analysis, cancer was an independent risk factor for 30-day mortality (OR 1.46; 95% CI 1.03 to 2.07; p=0.035). Older age (≥65 years) was the strongest predictor of 30-day mortality in all patients (OR 4.55; 95% CI 3.34 to6.20; p< 0.0001). Remdesivir was the only therapeutic agent independently associated with decreased 30-day mortality (OR 0.58; CI 0.39-0.88; p=0.009). Among patients on low-flow oxygen at admission, patients who received remdesivir had a lower 30-day mortality rate than those who did not (5.9% vs 17.6%; p=0.03). Conclusions: Cancer is an independent risk factor for increased 30-day all-cause mortality from COVID-19. Remdesivir, particularly in patients receiving low-flow oxygen, can reduce 30-day all-cause mortality. Condensed Abstract: In this large multicenter worldwide study of 4015 patients with COVID-19 that included 1115 patients with cancer, we found that cancer is an independent risk factor for increased 30-day all-cause mortality. Remdesivir is a promising treatment modality to reduce 30-day all-cause mortality.

Detecting Prostate Cancer Using Pattern Recognition Neural Networks With Flow Cytometry-Based Immunophenotyping in At-Risk Men.

Current screening methods for prostate cancer (PCa) result in a large number of false positives making it difficult for clinicians to assess disease status, thus warranting advancements in screening and early detection methods. The goal of this study was to design a liquid biopsy test that uses flow cytometry-based immunophenotyping and artificial neural network (ANN) analysis to detect PCa. Numerous myeloid and lymphoid cell populations, including myeloid-derived suppressor cells, were measured from 156 patients with PCa, 123 with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and 99 male healthy donor (HD) controls. Using pattern recognition neural network (PRNN) analysis, a type of ANN, PCa detection compared against HD resulted in 96.6% sensitivity, 87.5% specificity, and an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.97. Detecting patients with higher risk disease (⩾Gleason 7) against lower risk disease (BPH/Gleason 6) resulted in 92.0% sensitivity, 42.7% specificity, and an AUC of 0.72. This study suggests that analyzing flow cytometry immunophenotyping data with PRNNs may prove to be a useful tool to improve PCa detection and reduce the number of unnecessary prostate biopsies performed each year.

Next-Generation Sequencing in 305 Consecutive Patients: Clinical Outcomes and Management Changes.

PURPOSE: Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is increasingly used to identify actionable mutations for oncology treatment. We examined the results and use of NGS assays at our institution. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 305 consecutive patients who had NGS testing of tumor samples from March 2014 to April 2017. NGS was performed by FoundationOne. RESULTS: Of the 305 tissue samples sent to FoundationOne, 189 reports were potentially usable. Of these reports, 76 (40.21%) demonstrated an aberration targetable by on-label therapies and 126 (66.67%) by off-label therapies, and 170 (89.94%) revealed actionable aberrations via all potential avenues, including clinical trials; 21 of these 189 potentially usable reports (11.1%) yielded a change in management, including use of on-label therapies (n = 7), use of off-label therapies (n = 6), enrollment in a clinical trial (n = 6), and discontinuation of a medication with a predicted poor response (n = 3; one report was used twice). For the six patients with off-label use, median duration of treatment was 46 days and discontinued after death (n = 3) or progression (n = 3). CONCLUSION: Only a minority of NGS assay results (6.9% percent of all tests ordered and 11.1% of useable tests) resulted in a management change. A small minority of patients started off-label therapy on the basis of NSG assay results and overall had poor responses to off-label treatment. Although in theory NGS assays may improve oncologic outcomes, the results of our initial 305 patients showed low clinical utility.

Efficacy of Split Schedule Versus Conventional Schedule Neoadjuvant Cisplatin-Based Chemotherapy for Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer.

Neoadjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy (NAC; 70 mg/m2) is standard of care for muscle-invasive bladder carcinoma (MIBC). Many patients (pts) cannot receive cisplatin because of renal impairment, and administration of cisplatin 35 mg/m2 on day 1 + 8 or 1 + 2 (i.e., split schedule) is a commonly used alternative. In this retrospective analysis, we compared complete (pT0) and partial (

Avelumab, an anti-PD-L1 antibody, in patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer: a phase 1b JAVELIN Solid Tumor study.

PURPOSE: Agents targeting programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1) or its ligand (PD-L1) have shown antitumor activity in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer (MBC). The aim of this study was to assess the activity of avelumab, a PD-L1 inhibitor, in patients with MBC. METHODS: In a phase 1 trial (JAVELIN Solid Tumor; NCT01772004), patients with MBC refractory to or progressing after standard-of-care therapy received avelumab intravenously 10 mg/kg every 2 weeks. Tumors were assessed every 6 weeks by RECIST v1.1. Adverse events (AEs) were graded by NCI-CTCAE v4.0. Membrane PD-L1 expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry (Dako PD-L1 IHC 73-10 pharmDx). RESULTS: A total of 168 patients with MBC, including 58 patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), were treated with avelumab for 2-50 weeks and followed for 6-15 months. Patients were heavily pretreated with a median of three prior therapies for metastatic or locally advanced disease. Grade ≥ 3 treatment-related AEs occurred in 13.7% of patients, including two treatment-related deaths. The confirmed objective response rate (ORR) was 3.0% overall (one complete response and four partial responses) and 5.2% in patients with TNBC. A trend toward a higher ORR was seen in patients with PD-L1+ versus PD-L1- tumor-associated immune cells in the overall population (16.7% vs. 1.6%) and in the TNBC subgroup (22.2% vs. 2.6%). CONCLUSION: Avelumab showed an acceptable safety profile and clinical activity in a subset of patients with MBC. PD-L1 expression in tumor-associated immune cells may be associated with a higher probability of clinical response to avelumab in MBC.

Intratumor Heterogeneity: Novel Approaches for Resolving Genomic Architecture and Clonal Evolution.

High-throughput genomic technologies have revealed a remarkably complex portrait of intratumor heterogeneity in cancer and have shown that tumors evolve through a reiterative process of genetic diversification and clonal selection. This discovery has challenged the classical paradigm of clonal dominance and brought attention to subclonal tumor cell populations that contribute to the cancer phenotype. Dynamic evolutionary models may explain how these populations grow within the ecosystem of tissues, including linear, branching, neutral, and punctuated patterns. Recent evidence in breast cancer favors branching and punctuated evolution driven by genome instability as well as nongenetic sources of heterogeneity, such as epigenetic variation, hierarchal tumor cell organization, and subclonal cell-cell interactions. Resolution of the full mutational landscape of tumors could help reconstruct their phylogenetic trees and trace the subclonal origins of therapeutic resistance, relapsed disease, and distant metastases, the major causes of cancer-related mortality. Real-time assessment of the tumor subclonal architecture, however, remains limited by the high rate of errors produced by most genome-wide sequencing methods as well as the practical difficulties associated with serial tumor genotyping in patients. This review focuses on novel approaches to mitigate these challenges using bulk tumor, liquid biopsies, single-cell analysis, and deep sequencing techniques. The origins of intratumor heterogeneity and the clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic consequences in breast cancer are also explored. Mol Cancer Res; 15(9); 1127-37. ©2017 AACR.

Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma to Jejunum: An Unusual Case Presentation.

The small intestine is a very uncommon and peculiar site for metastasis from renal cell carcinoma (RCC). We present a clinical presentation of insidious and unusual development of a jejunal metastasis while having stable disease in a remainder of metastatic sites, in a patient undergoing immunotherapy with nivolumab. Due to the extreme rarity of metastatic renal cell carcinoma to the lumen of the small bowel, it is easy to overlook and misdiagnose symptoms of this pathologic entity, particularly when the remainder of metastatic disease responds well to ongoing therapy.

Perceptions of Primary Care Among Breast Cancer Survivors: The Effects of Weight Status.

BACKGROUND: Obese breast cancer survivors (BCSs) are impacted by diminished quality of life (QOL), multiple comorbid conditions, and poor disease outcomes. Despite national guidelines recommending a healthy weight to improve QOL and outcomes posttreatment, support and education are not routinely provided to BCSs in primary care. To fill this gap, we assessed perceptions of primary care received among BCSs by weight status. METHODS: Cross-sectional surveys were administered to early-stage BCSs (N = 188) from 2 New Jersey cancer centers between May 2012 and July 2013. Sociodemographics, medical history, functional health status, perceived satisfaction with one's primary care provider (PCP), and PCP involvement in follow-up care were assessed. RESULTS: In total, 82% of overweight BCSs and 30% of obese BCSs reported not being told by their doctor that they were overweight or obese, despite these conditions being highly prevalent (35% and 35%, respectively). Obese BCSs were more likely than healthy weight BCSs to be African American, have a higher comorbidity score, poorer functional health, and greater satisfaction with their PCPs. CONCLUSION: The PCP-patient encounter may represent an opportunity for PCPs to correct misperceptions and promote weight reduction efforts among BCSs, thus improving QOL and disease outcomes.

An open-label safety study of lapatinib plus trastuzumab plus paclitaxel in first-line HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Recent data support the hypothesis that combining lapatinib and trastuzumab with taxane chemotherapy may offer added clinical benefit to patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC). This study examined the safety of the triplet combination in first-line HER2-positive MBC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients were enrolled into three sequential cohorts; the last two cohorts were added by protocol amendment following review of safety data from cohort 1. Patients in cohort 1 received lapatinib (1000 mg/day) plus paclitaxel (80 mg/m(2) per week, 3 of every 4 weeks); cohort 2 received lapatinib (1000 mg/day) plus paclitaxel (70 mg/m(2) per week, 3 of every 4 weeks); and cohort 3 received lapatinib (750 mg/day) plus paclitaxel (80 mg/m(2) per week, 3 of every 4 weeks). All received standard trastuzumab dosing. The primary objective was assessment of dose-limiting toxicities, safety, and tolerability of this combination. RESULTS: The most frequent adverse events (AEs) for all cohorts were diarrhea (89%), rash (79%), fatigue (73%), alopecia (63%), nausea (63%), and vomiting (40%). In cohorts 1 and 2, the incidence of grade 3 diarrhea was 62% and 50%, respectively; in cohort 3, the incidence was 25% (with prophylactic loperamide). Dehydration was the most frequent serious AE (10%). Across cohorts, overall response rate was 75%. CONCLUSIONS: The dose-limiting toxicity of paclitaxel, trastuzumab, and lapatinib in first-line HER2-positive MBC was diarrhea. Of the triplet combinations tested, the cohort receiving 750 mg/day dose of lapatinib had the lowest incidence of diarrhea; therefore, this dose should be used in further studies on the treatment of MBC.

Maternal and neonatal outcomes of dose-dense chemotherapy for breast cancer in pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the effect of dose-dense chemotherapy during pregnancy on maternal and neonatal outcomes. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study in which women were identified from the international Cancer and Pregnancy Registry at Cooper Medical School at Rowan University in Camden, New Jersey. A chart analysis was completed and Fisher's exact test and independent t test were used in comparing patient outcomes. RESULTS: Ten women received dose-dense chemotherapy, received every 2 weeks, and 99 women received conventional chemotherapy, received with at least 3-week intervals, for breast cancer during pregnancy. Birth weight, gestational age at delivery, rate of growth restriction, congenital anomalies, and incidence of maternal and neonatal neutropenia were not statistically different between the two groups. CONCLUSION: In the small cohort of women in our registry, dose-dense chemotherapy does not appear to increase the risk of fetal or maternal complications.

Phase 2 trial of maintenance bevacizumab alone after bevacizumab plus pemetrexed and carboplatin in advanced, nonsquamous nonsmall cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: The authors performed a phase 2 study of bevacizumab plus pemetrexed and carboplatin followed by maintenance bevacizumab in patients with advanced, nonsquamous nonsmall cell lung cancer. METHODS: Previously untreated patients with advanced, nonsquamous nonsmall cell lung cancer and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1 received bevacizumab 15 mg/kg, pemetrexed 500 mg/m(2) and carboplatin at an area under the concentration-time curve of 6 intravenously on day 1 every 21 days. Responding or stable patients who completed 6 cycles then received bevacizumab maintenance every 21 days until disease progression. RESULTS: In total, 43 patients (40 who were evaluable for response) were entered on the study. Treatment-related grade 3/4 toxicities were low and included febrile neutropenia (2%), neutropenia (28%), anemia (18%), thrombocytopenia (11%), hypertension (7%), epistaxis (5%), venous thrombosis (8%), dyspnea (7%), rectovaginal fistula (2.3%), infusion reaction (2%), and cerebrovascular event (2%). One patient died from complications of venous thromboembolism and cerebrovascular accident after Cycle 2. Minimal clinically significant toxicity occurred during maintenance bevacizumab. Two complete responses (5%) were observed, and 17 patients (42%) had a partial response. Fifteen patients (38%) displayed disease stability. The overall disease control rate was 85%. At a median follow-up of 15.8 months, the median progression-free survival was 7.1 months (95% confidence interval, 5.9-8.3 months), and the median overall survival was 17.1 months (95% confidence interval, 8.8-25.5 months). CONCLUSIONS: Combined bevacizumab, pemetrexed, and carboplatin followed by maintenance bevacizumab was well tolerated and displayed remarkable activity in patients with previously untreated, advanced, nonsquamous nonsmall cell lung cancer.

Metastatic renal cell carcinoma to the phalanx.

A 79-year-old man presented with a history of clear cell carcinoma of the right kidney, Fuhrman grade 2, 12 years after nephrectomy, and a history of low-risk prostate adenocarcinoma 11 years after brachytherapy. One year before presentation, the renal cell carcinoma had metastasized to his axial skeleton, and temsirolimus was started. Approximately 1 year later, he presented with a new, painful, lytic lesion in a rare site, his middle phalanx, which was biopsy proven to be clear cell carcinoma.

Maintenance therapy for metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer - the role of pemetrexed.

Over the last several years, we have greatly enhanced our understanding of tumor biology and have now integrated novel and molecular-targeted therapies into front-line treatment for locally advanced and metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Despite all the recent advances, the improvement in survival outcomes for these patients has been measured in weeks compared to historical controls. Clinical researchers continue to search for the silver bullet that will allow oncologists to treat lung cancer as a chronic illness and prolong life well beyond the statistical barrier of 1 year for these patients. In that vein, maintenance therapy is emerging as a new treatment option in the metastatic setting. However, there is much controversy over the validity and cost-effectiveness of this modality. Recently, a phase III trial of pemetrexed maintenance versus best supportive care in the setting of metastatic NSCLC following non-progression after 4 cycles of platinum-based doublet therapy showed significant survival outcomes of the treatment group. This article will review the current available treatment options in metastatic NSCLC, including maintenance regimens, with particular attention paid to the recent pemetrexed study.

Restrictive eligibility limits access to newer therapies in non-small-cell lung cancer: the implications of Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group 4599.

BACKGROUND: In a previous randomized phase II trial evaluating carboplatin and paclitaxel with or without bevacizumab in patients naive to chemotherapy with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), median survival ranged from 53 weeks to 76 weeks. Sudden life-threatening hemoptysis occurred in 6 of 66 patients receiving chemotherapy and bevacizumab; 4 episodes were fatal, all in patients with squamous cell histology. Squamous histology and bevacizumab therapy were the only factors associated with life-threatening hemorrhage. ECOG 4599 (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group 4599), a randomized phase III trial of paclitaxel and carboplatin with or without bevacizumab ultimately excluded patients with squamous histology as well as brain metastases, ongoing therapeutic anticoagulation/nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antecedent hemoptysis, and performance status (PS) of 2. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis during a defined period to determine the proportion of patients with newly evaluated advanced NSCLC seen at Fox Chase Cancer Center (FCCC) who would have been eligible for ECOG 4599. We reviewed new thoracic oncology patient visits (n = 260) at FCCC scheduled with 6 medical oncologists from March 1, 2002, through August 8, 2002. RESULTS: Forty-five patients had histology that made them ineligible (8 mesothelioma, 6 small-cell, 5 mixed histology, and 26 non-lung cancers). Of the remaining 215 patients with NSCLC, 8 had incomplete charts for review and 7 had stage I, 8 stage II, and 43 stage III NSCLC. Of the remaining 149 patients, 33 had received chemotherapy previously. Of the remaining 116, only 34 (29.3%) were eligible. Of 82 ineligible patients, 21 (25.6%) had PS > or = 2, 20 (24.3%) had central nervous system (CNS) metastases, 11 (13.4%) had squamous histology, 9 (10.9%) had therapeutic anticoagulation, and 21 (25.6%) had > or = 2 criteria (11 PS > or = 2/squamous histology; 3 PS > or = 2/CNS involvement; 2 PS > or = 2/anticoagulation, 2 CNS metastasis/anticoagulation, 2 PS > or = 2/squamous histology/anticoagulation, 1 PS > or = 2/squamous histology/CNS metastasis). Of 34 eligible patients, only 6 (17.6%) enrolled in the trial. CONCLUSION: Based on the data reviewed, > 70% of patients who might otherwise have been eligible for standard advanced NSCLC trials were not candidates for ECOG 4599. Outcome with respect to this study must be interpreted in the context of eligibility restrictions.