Patients' perception of the benefits of palliative systemic therapy for advanced cancer.

BACKGROUND: Patients with advanced cancer who misunderstand their prognosis and chance of cure tend to overestimate the likely benefits of palliative systemic therapy. AIM: To determine patient perceptions of palliative systemic therapy benefits in advanced cancer. METHODS: We surveyed 104 outpatients with advanced cancer receiving systemic anticancer therapy and their treating oncologists. Patients recorded their understanding of treatment impact on chance of cure and symptoms. Life expectancy was estimated by patients and oncologists. A visual analogue scale (0-10) was used to record how patients and oncologists valued quality of life (QOL) and length of life (LOL) (<4 QOL most important; 4-7 QOL and LOL equal; >7 LOL most important). Patient-oncologist discordance was defined as a ≥4-point difference. RESULTS: The main reasons patients selected for receiving treatment were to live longer (54%) and cure their cancer (36%). Most patients reported treatment was very/somewhat likely to prolong life (84%) and improve symptoms (76%), whereas 20% reported treatment was very/somewhat likely to cure their cancer. 42% of patients selected a timeframe for life expectancy (choice of four timeframes between <1 year and ≥5 years); of these, 62% selected a longer timeframe than their oncologist. When making treatment decisions, 71% of patients (52% of oncologists) valued QOL and LOL equally. Patient-oncologist discordance was 21%, mostly because of oncologists valuing QOL more than their patients (70%). CONCLUSION: At least 20% of patients receiving systemic therapy for advanced cancer reported an expectation of cure. Most patients and oncologists value QOL and LOL equally when making treatment decisions.

Aberrant Expression of RAD52, Its Prognostic Impact in Rectal Cancer and Association with Poor Survival of Patients.

The DNA damage response enables cells to survive and maintain genome integrity. RAD52 is a DNA-binding protein involved in the homologous recombination in DNA repair, and is important for the maintenance of tumour genome integrity. We investigated possible correlations between RAD52 expression and cancer survival and response to preoperative radiotherapy. RAD52 expression was examined in tumour samples from 179 patients who underwent surgery for rectal cancer, including a sub-cohort of 40 patients who were treated with neoadjuvant therapy. A high score for RAD52 expression in the tumour centre was significantly associated with worse disease-free survival (DFS; p = 0.045). In contrast, reduced RAD52 expression in tumour centre samples from patients treated with neoadjuvant therapy (n = 40) significantly correlated with poor DFS (p = 0.025) and overall survival (OS; p = 0.048). Our results suggested that RAD52 may have clinical value as a prognostic marker of tumour response to neoadjuvant radiation and both disease-free status and overall survival in patients with rectal cancer.

Overexpression of the MRE11-RAD50-NBS1 (MRN) complex in rectal cancer correlates with poor response to neoadjuvant radiotherapy and prognosis.

BACKGROUND: The MRE11/RAD50/NBS1 (MRN) complex plays an essential role in detecting and repairing double-stranded breaks, and thus the potential roles of MRE11, RAD50 and NBS1 proteins in the pathogenesis of various cancers is the subject of investigation. This study was aimed at assessing the three-protein panel of MRN complex subunits as a potential radiosensitivity marker and evaluating the prognostic and clinicopathological implications of MRN expression in rectal cancer. METHODS: Samples from 265 rectal cancer patients treated with surgery and adjuvant chemoradiotherapy, including samples from 55 patients who were treated with neoadjuvant radiotherapy between 2000 and 2011, were analyzed. Expression of MRN complex proteins in tissue samples was determined by immunohistochemistry. Univariate and multivariate analyses were carried out to identify clinicopathological characteristics that are associated with the MRN three-protein panel expression in rectal cancer samples. RESULTS: In Kaplan-Meier survival analyses, we found that high level expression of MRN complex proteins in postoperative samples was associated with poor disease-free (p = 0.021) and overall (P = 0.002) survival. Interestingly, high MRN expression also correlated with poor disease-free (P = 0.047) and overall (P = 0.024) survival in the neoadjuvant radiotherapy subgroup. In multivariate analysis, combined MRN expression (hazard ratio = 2.114, 95% confidence interval 1.096-4.078, P = 0.026) and perineural invasion (hazard ratio = 2.160, 95% confidence interval 1.209-3.859, P = 0.009) were significantly associated with a worse disease-free survival. CONCLUSIONS: Expression levels of MRN complex proteins significantly predict disease-free survival in rectal cancer patients, including those treated with neoadjuvant radiotherapy, and may have value in the management of these patients.

New frontiers in circulating tumor cell analysis: A reference guide for biomolecular profiling toward translational clinical use.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are now routinely isolated from blood, and measurement of CTC concentrations appears to correlate well with survival in patients with cancer. Interrogation of the molecular profile of CTCs for expression of protein biomarkers, genetic variants and gene expression provides opportunities to use this information to guide personalized treatment, monitor therapy and detect emerging resistance. However, successful application of profiling techniques requires analyses that deliver a reliable and clinically relevant representation of a patient's cancer as it changes with time. Here, we comprehensively review the current knowledge of therapeutically relevant biomarkers in isolated CTCs obtained by fluorescence imaging and genomic profiling approaches. The reviewed data support the notion that molecular profiling of CTCs will provide a reliable representation or surrogate index of tumor burden. Large-scale translational trials, many currently in progress, will provide critical data to progress CTC analysis toward wider clinical use in personalized treatment.

Microsatellite Instability Testing and Prognostic Implications in Colorectal Cancer.

Given the crucial predictive implications of microsatellite instability (MSI) in colorectal cancer (CRC), MSI screening is commonly performed in those with and at risk for CRC. Here, we compared results from immunohistochemistry (IHC) and the droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) MSI assay on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor samples from 48 patients who underwent surgery for colon and rectal cancer by calculating Cohen's kappa measurement (k), revealing high agreement between the methods (k = 0.915). We performed Kaplan-Meier survival analyses and univariate and multivariate Cox regression to assess the prognostic significance of ddPCR-based MSI and to identify clinicopathological features associated with CRC outcome. Patients with MSI-high had better overall survival (OS; p = 0.038) and disease-free survival (DFS; p = 0.049) than those with microsatellite stability (MSS). When stratified by primary tumor location, right-sided CRC patients with MSI-high showed improved DFS, relative to those with MSS (p < 0.001), but left-sided CRC patients did not. In multivariate analyses, MSI-high was associated with improved OS (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.221, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.026-0.870, p = 0.042), whereas the loss of DNA mismatch repair protein MutL homolog 1 (MLH1) expression was associated with worse OS (HR = 0.133, 95% CI: 0.001-1.152, p = 0.049). Our results suggest ddPCR is a promising tool for MSI detection. Given the opposing effects of MSI-high and MLH1 loss on OS, both ddPCR and IHC may be complementary for the prognostic assessment of CRC.

Circulating Tumour Cell Associated MicroRNA Profiles Change during Chemoradiation and Are Predictive of Response in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer.

Locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) has traditionally been treated with trimodality therapy consisting of neoadjuvant radiation +/- chemotherapy, surgery, and adjuvant chemotherapy. There is currently a clinical need for biomarkers to predict treatment response and outcomes, especially during neoadjuvant therapy. Liquid biopsies in the form of circulating tumour cells (CTCs) and circulating nucleic acids in particular microRNAs (miRNA) are novel, the latter also being highly stable and clinically relevant regulators of disease. We studied a prospective cohort of 52 patients with LARC, and obtained samples at baseline, during treatment, and post-treatment. We enumerated CTCs during chemoradiation at these three time-points, using the IsofluxTM (Fluxion Biosciences Inc., Alameda, CA, USA) CTC Isolation and detection platform. We then subjected the isolated CTCs to miRNA expression analyses, using a panel of 106 miRNA candidates. We identified CTCs in 73% of patients at baseline; numbers fell and miRNA expression profiles also changed during treatment. Between baseline and during treatment (week 3) time-points, three microRNAs (hsa-miR-95, hsa-miR-10a, and hsa-miR-16-1*) were highly differentially expressed. Importantly, hsa-miR-19b-3p and hsa-miR-483-5p were found to correlate with good response to treatment. The latter (hsa-miR-483-5p) was also found to be differentially expressed between good responders and poor responders. These miRNAs represent potential predictive biomarkers, and thus a potential miRNA-based treatment strategy. In this study, we demonstrate that CTCs are present and can be isolated in the non-metastatic early-stage cancer setting, and their associated miRNA profiles can potentially be utilized to predict treatment response.

Prognostic Significance of MRE11 Overexpression in Colorectal Cancer Patients.

Meiotic recombination 11 (MRE11) plays a critical role in the DNA damage response and maintenance of genome stability and is associated with the prognosis for numerous malignancies. Here, we explored the clinicopathological significance and prognostic value of MRE11 expression in colorectal cancer (CRC), a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Samples from 408 patients who underwent surgery for colon and rectal cancer between 2006 and 2011, including a sub-cohort of 127 (31%) patients treated with adjuvant therapy, were analyzed. In Kaplan-Meier survival analyses, we found that high MRE11 expression in the tumor center (TC) was significantly associated with poor disease-free survival (DFS; p = 0.045) and overall survival (OS; p = 0.039). Intriguingly, high MRE11 expression in the TC was also significantly correlated with reduced DFS (p = 0.005) and OS (p = 0.010) in the subgroup with right-sided primary CRC. In multivariate analyses, high MRE11 expression (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.697, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.034-2.785; p = 0.036) and lymphovascular/perineural invasion (LVI/PNI; HR = 1.922, 95% CI 1.122-3.293; p = 0.017) showed significant association with worse OS in patients with right-sided tumors but not those with left-sided tumors. Moreover, in patients with right-sided tumors, high MRE11 was associated with worse OS for those with lymph node involvement (p = 0.006) and LVI/PNI (p = 0.049). Collectively, our results suggest that MRE11 may serve as an independent prognostic marker in those with right-sided severe CRC, with clinical value in the management of these patients.

Treatment and Outcomes of Oligometastatic Colorectal Cancer Limited to Lymph Node Metastases.

INTRODUCTION: The optimal management of isolated distant lymph node metastases (IDLNM) from a colorectal primary, is not clearly established. We aimed to analyze the outcomes of patients with IDLNM treated with systemic therapies plus locoregional therapy with curative intent versus systemic therapies with palliative intent. MATERIALS & METHODS: Clinical data were collected and reviewed from the Treatment of Recurrent and Advanced Colorectal Cancer registry, a prospective, comprehensive registry for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) treated at multiple tertiary hospitals across Australia. Clinicopathological characteristics, treatment modalities and survival outcomes were analyzed in patients with IDLNM and compared to patients with disease at other sites. RESULTS: Of 3408 mCRC patients diagnosed 2009 to 2020, with median follow-up of 38.0 months, 93 (2.7%) were found to have IDLNM. Compared to mCRC at other sites, patients with IDLNM were younger (mean age: 62.1 vs. 65.6 years, P = .02), more likely to have metachronous disease (57.0% vs. 38.9%, P < .01), be KRAS wild-type (74.6% vs. 53.9%, P< .01) and BRAF mutant (12.9% vs. 6.2%, P = .01). Amongst mCRC patients with IDLNM, 24 (25.8%) received treatment with curative intent and had a significantly better overall median survival than those treated with palliative intent (73.5 months vs. 23.2 months, P = .01). These 24 patients had an overall median survival similar (62.7 months, P = .82) to patients with isolated liver or lung metastases also treated with curative intent. CONCLUSION: Curative treatment strategies (radiotherapy or surgery), with or without systemic therapy, should be considered for mCRC patients with IDLNM where appropriate as assessed by the multidisciplinary team.

Association Between Microsatellite Instability Status and Peri-Operative Release of Circulating Tumour Cells in Colorectal Cancer.

Microsatellite instability (MSI) in colorectal cancer (CRC) is a marker of immunogenicity and is associated with an increased abundance of tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). In this subgroup of colorectal cancer, it is unknown if these characteristics translate into a measurable difference in circulating tumour cell (CTC) release into peripheral circulation. This is the first study to compare MSI status with the prevalence of circulating CTCs in the peri-operative colorectal surgery setting. For this purpose, 20 patients who underwent CRC surgery with curative intent were enrolled in the study, and peripheral venous blood was collected at pre- (t1), intra- (t2), immediately post-operative (t3), and 14-16 h post-operative (t4) time points. Of these, one patient was excluded due to insufficient blood sample. CTCs were isolated from 19 patients using the IsofluxTM system, and the data were analysed using the STATA statistical package. CTC number was presented as the mean values, and comparisons were made using the Student t-test. There was a trend toward increased CTC presence in the MSI-high (H) CRC group, but this was not statistically significant. In addition, a Poisson regression was performed adjusting for stage (I-IV). This demonstrated no significant difference between the two MSI groups for pre-operative time point t1. However, time points t2, t3, and t4 were associated with increased CTC presence for MSI-H CRCs. In conclusion, there was a trend toward increased CTC release pre-, intra-, and post-operatively in MSI-H CRCs, but this was only statistically significant intra-operatively. When adjusting for stage, MSI-H was associated with an increase in CTC numbers intra-operatively and post-operatively, but not pre-operatively.

Early Postoperative Low Expression of RAD50 in Rectal Cancer Patients Associates with Disease-Free Survival.

BACKGROUND: Molecular biomarkers have the potential to predict response to the treatment of rectal cancer. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the prognostic and clinicopathological implication of RAD50 (DNA repair protein RAD50 homolog) expression in rectal cancer. METHODS: A total of 266 rectal cancer patients who underwent surgery and received chemo- and radiotherapy between 2000 and 2011 were involved in the study. Postoperative RAD50 expression was determined by immunohistochemistry in surgical samples (n = 266). RESULTS: Using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, we found that low RAD50 expression in postoperative samples was associated with worse disease free survival (p = 0.001) and overall survival (p < 0.001) in early stage/low-grade tumors. In a comparison of patients with low vs. high RAD50 expression, we found that low levels of postoperative RAD50 expression in rectal cancer tissues were significantly associated with perineural invasion (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Expression of RAD50 in rectal cancer may serve as a prognostic biomarker for long-term survival of patients with perineural invasion-positive tumors and for potential use in early stage and low-grade rectal cancer assessment.

The Potential Value of Immunotherapy in Colorectal Cancers: Review of the Evidence for Programmed Death-1 Inhibitor Therapy.

Colorectal cancers (CRCs) have been identified as potential targets for immunotherapy with programmed cell death (PD)-1 inhibitors. English-language publications from MedLine and Embase that evaluated PD-1/PD ligand 1 (PD-L1) in the CRC tumor microenvironment and clinical trials that assessed PD-1 inhibitors were included. Sixteen abstracts were screened. Fifteen met the inclusion criteria. After review of the full texts, this resulted in a final reference list of 8 studies eligible for review. Five studies that assessed PD-1/PD-L1 in CRC and 3 trials that assessed PD-1 inhibitors were included. PD-1-positive (PD-1+) tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and PD-L1+ cancer cells featured more prominently in high-level microsatellite instability (MSI-H) CRCs compared with microsatellite stable (MSS) CRCs, except in 1 study in which PD-L1 expression was higher in MSS CRCs. In the 3 trials that assessed PD-1 inhibitor, all 3 studies recruited patients with metastatic CRC (mCRC). One study also included patients with recurrent CRC. The objective response according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors criteria was 0% (19 CRC patients with unknown microsatellite instability status) in the nivolumab study. In the pembrolizumab study, the objective response to PD-1 inhibitor was 40% and 0% in patients with MSI-H and MSS mCRC, respectively (10 patients in the MSI-H group, 18 patients in the MSS group). Seventy-eight percent of the patients in the MSI-H mCRC group compared with 11% in the MSS mCRC group (P < .005) showed no further disease progression at 12 weeks. In the nivolumab with or without ipilimumab study, objective partial response at 12 weeks to PD-1 inhibitor with or without cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 inhibitor was 25.5% to 33.3% and 5% in the MSI-H and MSS groups, respectively (100 patients in the MSI-H group, 20 patients in the MSS group). Clinical trials that assessed PD-1 inhibitor immunotherapy in patients with CRC have recruited only small cohorts of patients with mCRC. Studies on the tumor microenvironment have been on the basis of archival specimens with different antibody PD-1 and PD-L1 preparations for immunohistochemistry, independent from immunotherapy trials. Immunotherapy with PD-1 therapy has potential benefit for immunogenic MSI-H CRCs whereas there is no evidence to date to suggest immunotherapy benefit in MSS CRCs. The available data are limited, and there is no information on non-mCRCs. Future trials are under way to determine its benefits.

MRE11 and ATM Expression Levels Predict Rectal Cancer Survival and Their Association with Radiotherapy Response.

BACKGROUND: Aberrant expression of DNA repair proteins is associated with poor survival in cancer patients. We investigated the combined expression of MRE11 and ATM as a predictive marker of response to radiotherapy in rectal cancer. METHODS: MRE11 and ATM expression were examined in tumor samples from 262 rectal cancer patients who underwent surgery for rectal cancer, including a sub-cohort of 54 patients who were treated with neoadjuvant radiotherapy. The relationship between expression of the two-protein panel and tumor regression grade (TRG) was assessed by Mann-Whitney U test and receiver operating characteristics area under curve (ROC-AUC) analysis. The association between expression of the two-protein panel and clinicopathologic variables and survival was examined by Kaplan-Meier methods and Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: A high score for two-protein combined expression in the tumor center (TC) was significantly associated with worse disease-free survival (DFS) (P = 0.035) and overall survival (OS) (P = 0.003) in the whole cohort, and with DFS (P = 0.028) and OS (P = 0.024) in the neoadjuvant subgroup (n = 54). In multivariate analysis, the two-protein combination panel (HR = 2.178, 95% CI 1.115-4.256, P = 0.023) and perineural invasion (HR = 2.183, 95% CI 1.222-3.899, P = 0.008) were significantly associated with DFS. Using ROC-AUC analysis of good versus poor histological tumor response among patients treated preoperatively with radiotherapy, the average ROC-AUC was 0.745 for the combined panel, 0.618 for ATM alone, and 0.711 for MRE11 alone. CONCLUSIONS: The MRE11/ATM two-protein panel developed in this study may have clinical value as a predictive marker of tumor response to neoadjuvant radiotherapy, and a prognostic marker for disease-free and overall survival.

Predictive and prognostic value of circulating tumor cell detection in lung cancer: a clinician's perspective.

There is increasing evidence for the use of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) as a "liquid biopsy" for early detection of lung cancer recurrence, prognosticating disease and monitoring treatment response. Further, CTC molecular analysis and interrogation of single cells hold significant potential in providing insights into tumor biology and the metastatic process. Ongoing research will likely see the translation of CTCs as a prognostic and predictive biomarker in both small cell, and non-small cell, lung cancer to routine clinical practice.

Outcomes of ethnic minority groups with node-positive, non-metastatic breast cancer in two tertiary referral centers in Sydney, Australia.

PURPOSE: There is a lack of information in ethnic minority groups with regard to presentation and treatment of early node-positive breast cancer. We carried out a retrospective study of patients referred to two tertiary cancer centers in South Western Sydney, both of which serve a high proportion of this ethnic minority population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Women who had pathologically node-positive non-metastatic breast cancer (T1-3, N1-3, M0) diagnosed between 2003 and 2006 were studied, with variables of interest being tumor size, number of positive nodes, histological grade, hormone receptor status, age at diagnosis, country of birth and treatment. We compared the Asian and Western subgroups with regard to tumor characteristics, treatment and clinical outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 652 eligible patients were identified, with a median follow-up of 6.1 years. Women with Asian backgrounds (n = 125, 20%) were significantly younger at presentation (48 years versus 55 years, p-value <0.0001) and more likely to undergo mastectomy (53% versus 39%, p-value 0.0009) and chemotherapy (86% versus 72%, p-value 0.0063) than their non-Asian counterparts. Tumor stage, grade and receptor status were not statistically different between these two groups. There were also no differences in disease-free survival and overall survival, with medians of 12.7 and 14.8 years respectively. CONCLUSION: Women of Asian background are younger at diagnosis, which may reflect population epidemiology and likely results in higher uptake of chemotherapy. Higher mastectomy rates may be influenced by cultural factors. Future research is warranted to investigate potential differences in tumor biology, psychosocial, economic and cultural factors.

Effect of neoadjuvant chemoradiation on tumor-infiltrating/associated lymphocytes in locally advanced rectal cancers.

BACKGROUND: Lymphocytes and natural killer cells (NK) appear to be important in colorectal cancer. Their role in chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancers is unclear. We evaluated T-lymphocytes (CD3), sub-groups CD4 and CD8, and NK cells (CD56+CD57) in normal and rectal tumor tissues pre- and post-chemoradiotherapy, and investigated their relationship to tumor regression grade, disease-free survival and pathological stage. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tissue microarrays from colonoscopic biopsies, resection specimens and normal tissues, from 52 patients, were immunostained. RESULTS: NK cell counts were significantly lower in tumor samples compared to normal tissues (p=0.007). T-lymphocyte counts were higher in post-treatment compared to pre-treatment samples (p=0.025), specifically in the CD8 subgroup after long-course treatment. The results suggested an association between post-treatment CD8 and NK cell counts with higher tumor regression. No associations were found with regard to stage or disease-free survival. CONCLUSION: NK cell counts were significantly reduced in rectal cancers compared to normal tissues, while total T-lymphocyte counts increased post-chemoradiotherapy. Both appeared important in tumor regression.