Re-treatment with radium-223: first experience from an international, open-label, phase I/II study in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer and bone metastases.

BACKGROUND: Six radium-223 injections at 4-week intervals is indicated for patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer and symptomatic bone metastases. However, patients usually develop disease progression after initial treatment. This prospective phase I/II study assessed re-treatment safety and efficacy of up to six additional radium-223 injections. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients had castration-resistant prostate cancer and bone metastases and six initial radium-223 injections with no on-treatment bone progression; all had subsequent radiologic or clinical progression. Concomitant agents were allowed at investigator discretion, excluding chemotherapy and initiation of new abiraterone or enzalutamide. The primary endpoint was safety; additional exploratory endpoints included time to radiographic bone progression, time to total alkaline phosphatase and prostate-specific antigen progression, radiographic progression-free survival, overall survival, time to first symptomatic skeletal event (SSE), SSE-free survival, and time to pain progression. RESULTS: Among 44 patients, 29 (66%) received all six re-treatment injections. Median time from end of initial radium-223 treatment was 6 months. Forty-one (93%) reported ≥1 treatment-emergent adverse event. No grade 4-5 hematologic treatment-emergent adverse events occurred. Only one (2%) patient had radiographic bone progression; eight (18%) had radiographic soft tissue tumor progression (three lymph node and five visceral metastases). Median times to total alkaline phosphatase and prostate-specific antigen progression were not reached and 2.2 months, respectively. Median radiographic progression-free survival was 9.9 months (12.8-month maximum follow-up). Five (11%) patients died and eight (18%) experienced first SSEs. Median overall survival, time to first SSE, and SSE-free survival were not reached. Five (14%) of 36 evaluable patients (baseline worst pain score ≤7) had pain progression. After 2 years of follow-up, 28 (64%) patients died, and the median overall survival was 24.4 months. CONCLUSIONS: Re-treatment with a second course of six radium-223 injections after disease progression is well tolerated, with minimal hematologic toxicity and low radiographic bone progression rates in this small study with limited follow-up. Favorable safety and early effects on disease progression indicate that radium-223 re-treatment is feasible and warrants further evaluation in larger prospective trials.

Clinical variables associated with PSA response to abiraterone acetate in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: Abiraterone acetate (abiraterone) prolongs overall survival (OS) in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). This study's objective was to retrospectively identify factors associated with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response to abiraterone and validate them in an independent cohort. We hypothesized that the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), thought to be an indirect manifestation of tumor-promoting inflammation, may be associated with response to abiraterone. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All patients receiving abiraterone at the Princess Margaret (PM) Cancer Centre up to March 2013 were reviewed. The primary end point was confirmed PSA response defined as PSA decline ≥50% below baseline maintained for ≥3 weeks. Potential factors associated with PSA response were analyzed using univariate and multivariable analyses to generate a score, which was then evaluated in an independent cohort from Royal Marsden (RM) NHS foundation. RESULTS: A confirmed PSA response was observed in 44 out of 108 assessable patients (41%, 95% confidence interval 31%-50%). In univariate analysis, lower pre-abiraterone baseline levels of lactate dehydrogenase, an NLR ≤ 5 and restricted metastatic spread to either bone or lymph nodes were each associated with PSA response. In multivariable analysis, only low NLR and restricted metastatic spread remained statistically significant. A score derived as the sum of these two categorical variables was associated with response to abiraterone (P = 0.007). Logistic regression analysis on an independent validation cohort of 245 patients verified that this score was associated with response to abiraterone (P = 0.003). It was also associated with OS in an exploratory analysis. CONCLUSIONS: A composite score of baseline NLR and extent of metastatic spread is associated with PSA response to abiraterone and OS. Our data may help understand the role of systemic inflammation in mCRPC and warrant further research.

Low-grade systemic inflammation in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: To prospectively determine the intensity of systemic low-grade inflammation in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with ALS and matched healthy controls underwent blood tests for inflammation-sensitive biomarkers: erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), quantitative fibrinogen, wide-range C-reactive protein (wrCRP) concentrations, leukocyte count and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR). The correlation between these inflammatory biomarkers and disability status of the patients, expressed by the ALS Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS-R), was evaluated. RESULTS: Eighty patients with ALS and 80 matched controls were included. wrCRP, fibrinogen, ESR and NLR values were significantly elevated in patients compared with controls. There was a significant correlation between the ALSFRS-R score and wrCRP, ESR and fibrinogen levels. This correlation persisted on sequential examinations. CONCLUSIONS: A systemic low-grade inflammation was detected in patients with ALS and correlated with their degree of disability. A heightened systemic inflammatory state is apparently associated with a negative prognosis in ALS.

The clinical significance of bile duct sludge: is it different from bile duct stones?

BACKGROUND: Some patients with suspected common bile duct (CBD) stones are found to have sludge and no stones. Although sludge in the gallbladder is a precursor of gallbladder stones, the significance of bile duct sludge (BDS) is poorly defined. This study aimed to compare BDS with bile duct stones in terms of frequency, associated risk factors, and clinical outcome after endoscopic therapy. METHODS: The study enrolled 228 patients who underwent therapeutic endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for suspected choledocholithiasis. The patients were divided into two groups: patients with BDS but no stones on ERCP and patients with CBD stones. The presence of risk factors for bile duct stones (age, periampullary diverticulum, ductal dilation or angulation, previous open cholecystectomy) were assessed at ERCP. Follow-up data (36 +/- 19 months) were obtained from medical records and by patient questioning. RESULTS: Bile duct sludge occurred in 14% (31/228) of patients and was more common in females. After endoscopic clearance, CBD stones recurred in 17% (33/197) of the patients with CBD stones, and in 16% (5/31) of the patients with BDS (p = 0.99). Common bile duct dilation was less common in the sludge group. The other known risk factors for recurrent CBD stones (age, previous open cholecystectomy, bile duct angulation, and the presence of a peripampullary diverticulum) were not statistically different between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that the clinical significance of symptomatic BDS is similar to that of CBD stones. Bile duct sludge seems to be an early stage of choledocholithiasis.

Imaging response during therapy with radium-223 for castration-resistant prostate cancer with bone metastases-analysis of an international multicenter database.

BACKGROUND: The imaging response to radium-223 therapy is at present poorly described. We aimed to describe the imaging response to radium-223 treatment. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated the computed tomography (CT) and bone scintigraphy response of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) patients treated with radium-223, in eight centers in three countries. RESULTS: A total of 130 patients were included, the majority (n=84, 65%) received radium-223 post docetaxel. Thirty-four of 99 patients with available data (34%) received concomitant abiraterone or enzalutamide. A total of 54% (n=70) patients completed the planned six injections of radium-223. In patients with available data, a transient increase in bone metastases-related pain was observed in 27% (n=33/124) and an improvement of bone metastases-related pain on treatment with radium-223 was noted in 49% of patients (n=61/124). At 3 and 6 months of treatment with radium-223, bone imaging showed stable disease in 74% (n=84/113) and 94% of patients (n=93/99) with available data, respectively. An increase in the number of bone lesions was documented at 3 months compared with baseline in 26% (n=29/113) and at 6 months compared with 3 months in 6% of patients (n=6/99), respectively. Radiological extraskeletal disease progression occurred in 46% of patients (n=57/124) with available CT data at 3 and/or 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: Progression of bone metastases during radium-223 therapy is uncommon. A bone flare (pain and/or radiological) may be noted during the first 3 months, and should not be confused with progression. Imaging by CT scan should be considered after three and six doses of radium-223 to rule out extraskeletal disease progression.

An angulated common bile duct predisposes to recurrent symptomatic bile duct stones after endoscopic stone extraction.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic sphincterotomy and stone extraction are standard procedures for the removal of bile duct stones. Stone recurrence can, however, occur in up to 25% of cases. Risk factors have been poorly defined, but are believed to be related to bile stasis. This study investigated whether an angulated common bile duct (CBD) that may predispose to bile stasis influences symptomatic stone recurrence after successful endoscopic therapy. METHODS: This study included 232 consecutive patients (mean age, 64.1 years; 86 men) who had undergone therapeutic endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography for bile duct stones. Data from the follow-up period (36 +/- 17 months) were obtained from medical records and patient questioning. Common bile duct angulation and diameter were measured from the cholangiogram after stone removal. RESULTS: Symptomatic bile duct stones recurred in 16% of the patients (36/232). Three independent risk factors were identified by multivariate analysis: an angulated CBD (angle, < or = 145 degrees; relative risk [RR], 5.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.2-12.5; p = 0.0002), a dilated CBD (diameter, > or = 13 mm; RR, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.2-5.7; p = 0.017), and a previous open cholecystectomy (RR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.3-5.9; p = 0.0117). Gender, age, urgency of procedure, or a periampullary diverticulum did not influence the recurrence rate. CONCLUSIONS: Angulation of the CBD (< or = 145 degrees) on endoscopic cholangiography, a dilated CBD, and a previous open cholecystectomy are independent risk factors for symptomatic recurrence of bile duct stones. The findings support the role of bile stasis in stone recurrence. Further studies using these data prospectively to identify high-risk patients are warranted.

Low uric acid levels in serum of patients with ALS: further evidence for oxidative stress?

BACKGROUND: The exact cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is unknown. Oxidative stress is one of the factors implicated in the etiology of ALS as well as in that of other neurodegenerative diseases. Uric acid is an important natural antioxidant that may reduce oxidative stress. The objective of this study was to prospectively determine the serum uric acid levels in ALS patients and allegedly healthy individuals and to correlate those values with measures of ALS disease progression among the patients. METHODS: The ALS patients and well-matched controls underwent blood tests for serum uric acid levels which were then correlated with the patients' disability status, as expressed by the ALS Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS-R). RESULTS: Eighty-six ALS patients and 86 well-matched controls participated. The ALS patients' mean+/-SD uric acid level was significantly lower (4.78+/-1.3 mg/dl) than that of the controls (5.76+/-1.26 mg/dl) (p<0.0001). The findings were similar for a second examination performed after an interval of at least 6 months. There was a correlation between the relative decrease of serum uric acid levels among patients (the difference between the patients' level and the controls' level) and the rate of disease progression (ALSFRS-R decline) (p<0.0001, r=0.624). CONCLUSIONS: ALS patients had lower serum uric acid levels than healthy individuals. The decreased uric acid levels were correlated to the rate of disease progression (ALSFRS-R decline), further demonstrating the possible role of oxidative stress in the induction and propagation of the disease.