Multicenter Database of Patients with Germ-Cell Tumors: A Latin American Cooperative Oncology Group Registry (LACOG 0515).

INTRODUCTION: Germ-cell tumors (GCTs) are the most common malignancy in young men. There is a paucity of data on GCTs in developing countries. LACOG 0515 study aimed to evaluate clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes in patients with GCTs from Brazilian cancer centers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study evaluating male patients diagnosed with GCTs from 2000 to 2018 in 13 Brazilian hospitals. We described baseline characteristics, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: A total of 1232 patients were included, with a median age of 30 years. Histology was seminoma in 47.1% and non-seminoma GCT (NSGCT) in 52.9%. The primary tumor site was testis in 96.5%. At diagnosis, clinical stage I was present in 68.1% and 34.7% and clinical stages IS/II/III in 31.9% and 65.2% of patients with seminoma and NSCGT, respectively. Following orchiectomy, 55.2% of patients with clinical stage I were managed with surveillance. The 5-year disease-free survival rates among patients with stage I were 98.0% in seminoma and 92.3% in NSGCT, with 5-year OS of 99.6% and 97.6%, respectively. Among patients with advanced disease (IS, II, and III), the 5-year PFS were 88.7% in seminoma and 68.7% in NSGCT, with 5y-OS of 97.6% and 82.8%, respectively. CONCLUSION: This is the largest Brazilian cohort of GCTs. Our results show a high rate of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with clinical stage I. Although our data demonstrate slightly inferior PFS compared with the International Germ Cell Cancer Collaborative Group and other contemporary series, the OS rates were similar.

Real-world Data for High-risk Stage II Colorectal Cancer - The Role of Tumor Side in the Adjuvant Setting.

BACKGROUND: The impact of sidedness in the high-risk stage II colorectal cancer (CRC) setting is uncertain. Although controversial, available data suggest a possible modest benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy (CT) in the adjuvant scenario. The aim of this study is to analyze the overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) according to the tumor side. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this single-center retrospective cohort, we analyzed patients treated between January 2011 and December 2018. We evaluated OS and RFS of high-risk patients according to the tumor side and considering adjuvant CT exposure and clinical and molecular features. RESULTS: A total of 1047 patients with stage II CRC were evaluated. Of these, 540 had high-risk criteria and microsatellite stability (MSS) or unknown status. One hundred fifty-seven (29%) patients had right-sided tumors, and 352 (65.2%) had left-sided tumors. Most patients received adjuvant CT, and the majority of them had T3 stage tumors, ≥ 12 lymph node resection, left tumor, MSS, and moderate differentiation. OS did not differ according to tumor side (5-year OS rates: 81.9% for right-sided tumors vs. 83% for left-sided tumors; hazard ratio, 0.91; 95% confidence interval, 0.55-1.53; P = .744). Adjuvant CT was associated with a superior RFS and OS, with 5-year OS rates of 87.7% versus 76.1% in the no-adjuvant group (hazard ratio, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.28-0.73; P = .001). CONCLUSION: The tumor side did not influence the outcomes in this study. Adjuvant CT was associated with improved RFS and OS in patients with high-risk stage II CRC, with a total gain of 11.6% in 5-year OS.

Outcomes and Prognostic Factors in a Large Cohort of Hospitalized Cancer Patients With COVID-19.

PURPOSE: Patients with cancer are at increased risk for unfavorable outcomes from COVID-19. Knowledge about the outcome determinants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection in this population is essential for risk stratification and definition of appropriate management. Our objective was to evaluate prognostic factors for all-cause mortality in patients diagnosed with both cancer and COVID-19. METHODS: All consecutive patients with cancer hospitalized at our institution with COVID-19 were included. Electronic medical records were reviewed for clinical and laboratory characteristics potentially associated with outcomes. RESULTS: Five hundred seventy-six consecutive patients with cancer and COVID-19 were included in the present study. An overall in-hospital mortality rate of 49.3% was demonstrated. Clinical factors associated with increased risk of death because of COVID-19 were age over 65 years, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status > 0 zero, best supportive care, primary lung cancer, and the presence of lung metastases. Laboratory findings associated with a higher risk of unfavorable outcomes were neutrophilia, lymphopenia, and elevated levels of D-dimer, creatinine, C-reactive protein, or AST. CONCLUSION: A high mortality rate in patients with cancer who were diagnosed with COVID-19 was demonstrated in the present study, emphasizing the need for close surveillance in this group of patients, especially in those with unfavorable prognostic characteristics.

Clinical Characteristics and Treatment Outcomes of Patients With Advanced Germ Cell Tumor Treated at a Tertiary Cancer Center in Brazil.

PURPOSE: Reported treatment outcomes for patients with advanced germ cell tumors (aGCT) are based mainly on series from developed nations. Data from low- and middle-income countries are underrepresented. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From 2000 to 2015, a retrospective analysis identified 300 patients with aGCT treated at our institution. Kaplan-Meier methods were used for analysis of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) according to the International Germ Cell Consensus Classification Group (IGCCCG). RESULTS: Patients' median age was 28 years. According to the IGCCCG, 57% had good-, 18.3% intermediate-, and 24.7% poor-risk disease. Median α-fetoprotein levels were 2.9, 243, and 3,998 ng/mL, and those of human chorionic gonadotropin were 0.4, 113, and 301.5 mUI/mL in IGCCCG good-, intermediate-, and poor-risk groups, respectively. At a median 46 months of follow-up, 93 PFS events and 45 deaths had occurred and estimated 5-year PFS and OS were 69% and 85%, respectively, including 83% and 95.3% in good-risk, 70.9% and 83.6% in intermediate-risk, and 35.1% and 62.2% in poor-risk patients, respectively. In multivariable analysis, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≥ 2 was a significant independent prognostic factor with a hazard ratio of 2.58 (95% CI, 1.55 to 4.29; P < .001) and 6.20 (95% CI, 2.97 to 12.92; P < .001) for PFS and OS, respectively. CONCLUSION: Brazilian patients with aGCT in this cohort had similar outcomes as patients in the IGCCCG database. In comparison with contemporary series, patients with intermediate- and poor-risk aGCT had slightly inferior PFS and OS, possibly due to a high percentage of patients with poor performance status and less use of high-dose chemotherapy.