Cellular and transcriptional dynamics of human neutrophils at steady state and upon stress.

Traditionally viewed as poorly plastic, neutrophils are now recognized as functionally diverse; however, the extent and determinants of neutrophil heterogeneity in humans remain unclear. We performed a comprehensive immunophenotypic and transcriptome analysis, at a bulk and single-cell level, of neutrophils from healthy donors and patients undergoing stress myelopoiesis upon exposure to growth factors, transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC-T), development of pancreatic cancer and viral infection. We uncover an extreme diversity of human neutrophils in vivo, reflecting the rates of cell mobilization, differentiation and exposure to environmental signals. Integrated control of developmental and inducible transcriptional programs linked flexible granulopoietic outputs with elicitation of stimulus-specific functional responses. In this context, we detected an acute interferon (IFN) response in the blood of patients receiving HSC-T that was mirrored by marked upregulation of IFN-stimulated genes in neutrophils but not in monocytes. Systematic characterization of human neutrophil plasticity may uncover clinically relevant biomarkers and support the development of diagnostic and therapeutic tools.

Long-term responders to nivolumab in previously treated advanced renal cell carcinoma: a sub-analysis of meet-URO15 study.

BACKGROUND: Although nivolumab prolongs overall survival (OS) in pretreated patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), underlining clinical and biological features of long-term responses are still to be determined. This study aims to investigate clinical and pathological characteristics of mRCC patients who achieved long-term responses during nivolumab treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on mRCC patients receiving nivolumab as second or further therapy line between May 2016 and January 2019 in 34 Italian Oncology Centres. Outcome assessments and logistic regression were performed to evaluate factors influencing long-term responses. RESULTS: A total of 571 patients with a median age of 61 years (range 17-85) were included in the analysis. With a median follow-up of 22.1 (1.0-89.0) months, 23.1% of patients were 2-year progression-free on treatment with nivolumab, hence they were categorized as long-term responders. Baseline characteristics, including age, gender, and histology, were similar between long- and short-term responders. Karnofsky Performance Status ≥ 80% was significantly associated with long-term response (p = 0.02), while bone metastases (p = 0.03), International mRCC Database Consortium intermediate-poor risk (p < 0.01) and Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio ≥ 3.2 (p = 0.02) were associate with short-term responses. Long-term responders exhibited a median progression-free survival of 55.0 months versus 4.0 months of the short-term responders. The median OS was not reached in long-term responders while it was 17.0 months for short*term responders. CONCLUSION: This retrospective analysis sheds light on factors associated with long-term response to nivolumab in mRCC. Understanding these clinical features will be essential for selecting patients who may mostly benefit from immunotherapy.

International multicenter real-world REGistry for patients with metastatic renAL cell carcinoma - Meet-URO 33 study (REGAL study).

BACKGROUND: Nowadays, different therapeutic options are available for the first-line treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). Immuno-combinations are the standard first-line therapy in all mRCC patients regardless of the International Metastatic RCC Database Consortium (IMDC) risk category, even though TKI monotherapy is still a therapeutic option in selected patients. However, comparisons between the different first-line treatment strategies are lacking and few real-world data are available in this setting. For this reason, the regimen choice represents an important issue in clinical practice and the optimal treatment sequence remains unclear. METHODS: The REGAL study is a multicentric prospective observational study enrolling mRCC patients treated with first-line systemic therapy according to clinical practice in a real-world setting. A retrospective cohort of mRCC patients who received first-line systemic therapy from the 1st of January 2021 will also be included. The primary objective is to identify potential prognostic and predictive factors that could help guide the treatment choice; secondary objectives included the assessment of the prognostic performance of the novel prognostic Meet-URO score (IMDC score + neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio + bone metastases) compared with the IMDC score and the comparison between treatment strategies according to response and survival outcomes and toxicity profile. DISCUSSION: Considering the high number of therapeutic first-line strategies available for mRCC, the identification of clinical prognostic and predictive factors to candidate patients to a preferable systemic therapy is still an unmet clinical need. The Meet-URO 33 study aims to provide a large-scale real-world database on mRCC patients, to identify the clinical predictive and prognostic factors and the different performances between the ICI-based combinations according to response, survival and toxicity. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CESC IOV 2023-78.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors plus chemotherapy in first-line endometrial cancer treatment: Still the era of microsatellites?

OBJECTIVE: The combination of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) plus chemotherapy is currently being tested as the first-line treatment of advanced endometrial. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of this combination. DESIGN: We performed a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. POPULATION AND SETTING: Patients with advanced endometrial carcinoma receiving ICIs plus chemotherapy in the experimental arm, compared with chemotherapy plus placebo in the control arm, were included. METHODS AND OUTCOMES: We evaluated the progression-free survival (PFS) as an efficacy outcome and the number and grades of adverse events (AEs) for safety. Hazard ratios (HR) for PFS and risk ratios (RR) for AEs, with 95% confidence intervals (CI), were calculated. RESULTS: 1303 patients were treated in the included studies. Adding ICIs to chemotherapy significantly improved PFS in mismatch repair deficient (dMMR-HR 0.29; 95% CI, 0.20-0.42; p < 0.00001) and in mismatch repair proficient (pMMR-HR 0.64; 95% CI, 0.46-0.90; p = 0.01) patients. No difference emerged for all-grades AEs (RR 1.00; p = 0.98), but the risk of ≥G3 AEs was increased in the ICIs + chemotherapy group (RR 1.22; 95% CI, 1.11-1.34; p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Adding ICIs to chemotherapy significantly improves PFS in first-line endometrial cancer, regardless of MMR status.

Second-Line Chemotherapy in Elderly Patients with Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer: A Multicenter Real-World Study.

Objectives: The ABC-06 and the NIFTY trials recently established the role of second-line chemotherapy (2L) in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC). Our real-world study aimed to explore 2L in BTC patients aged ≥ 70 years old and to compare their outcomes with younger subjects. Methods: Institutional registries across three academic medical centers were retrospectively reviewed. The Kaplan−Meier methods were used to estimate survival, and the log-rank test was used to make comparisons. Results: A total of 190 BTC patients treated with 2L were identified and included in the analysis. Among them, 52 (27.3%) were aged ≥ 70 years (range 70−87 years). No statistically significant differences in both median overall survival (mOS) and median progression-free survival (mPFS) were recorded between the elderly and younger patients. Absolute lymphocyte count < 1000/mmc (p < 0.001) and albumin level < 3 g/dL (p < 0.001) were independently associated with worse prognoses. Conclusions: The results of this real-world study suggest that for patients aged ≥ 70 years, 2L could be equally effective for younger patients with survival outcomes aligned to those from the ABC-06 and NIFTY trials. The delivery of 2L should be carefully evaluated and monitored in this patient subset.

Management of Germ Cell Tumors During the Outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus Disease-19 Pandemic: A Survey of International Expertise Centers.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has become a public health emergency affecting frail populations, including patients with cancer. This poses the question of whether cancer treatments can be postponed or modified without compromising their efficacy, especially for highly curable cancers such as germ cell tumors (GCTs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: To depict the state-of-the-art management of GCTs during the COVID-19 pandemic, a survey including 26 questions was circulated by e-mail among the physicians belonging to three cooperative groups: (a) Italian Germ Cell Cancer Group; (b) European Reference Network-Rare Adult Solid Cancers, Domain G3 (rare male genitourinary cancers); and (c) Genitourinary Medical Oncologists of Canada. Percentages of agreement between Italian respondents (I) versus Canadian respondents (C), I versus European respondents (E), and E versus C were compared by using Fisher's exact tests for dichotomous answers and chi square test for trends for the questions with three or more options. RESULTS: Fifty-three GCT experts responded to the survey: 20 Italian, 6 in other European countries, and 27 from Canada. Telemedicine was broadly used; there was high consensus to interrupt chemotherapy in COVID-19-positive patients (I = 75%, C = 55%, and E = 83.3%) and for use of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor primary prophylaxis for neutropenia (I = 65%, C = 62.9%, and E = 50%). The main differences emerged regarding the management of stage I and stage IIA disease, likely because of cultural and geographical differences. CONCLUSION: Our study highlights the common efforts of GCT experts in Europe and Canada to maintain high standards of treatment for patients with GCT with few changes in their management during the COVID-19 pandemic. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Despite the chaos, disruptions, and fears fomented by the COVID-19 illness, oncology care teams in Italy, other European countries, and Canada are delivering the enormous promise of curative management strategies for patients with testicular cancer and other germ cell tumors. At the same time, these teams are applying safe and innovative solutions and sharing best practices to minimize frequency and intensity of patient contacts with thinly stretched health care capacity.

Reduced dose of cabazitaxel in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: from PROSELICA trial to the real life: A single institution experience.

The phase III PROSELICA trial showed that cabazitaxel 20 mg/m (C20) was not inferior and better tolerated compared to cabazitaxel 25 mg/m (C25) in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) who had progressed during or after docetaxel. Here, we report on a real-world retrospective analysis concerning the safety and the activity of C20 schedule in patients with mCRPC treated at our Institution. We identified 35 patients with mCRPC who received C20 as baseline dose treatment because they were frail or experienced serious toxicities to previous treatments. Adverse events assessment was performed at each visit during the treatment. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) curves were obtained using the Kaplan-Meyer product-limit estimator. Median age was 71 years. All patients received a previous treatment with docetaxel; 19 patients (54%) received one additional line of therapy and 9 (26%) two or more. Patients received a median of 4 cycles (range: 2-10). Only one patient experienced grade 3 neutropenia (3%), two patients grade 3 anemia (6%), and one patient grade 3 fatigue (3%); three patients were treated with prophylactic Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (9%). The most frequent adverse events of all grades were: anemia (39%), fatigue (33%), and diarrhea (15%). Median PFS was 3.7 months [95% confidence interval (CI): 3.31-4.09]; median OS was 10.3 months (95% CI: 4.63-15.97). Our real-world analysis confirms that C20 is a feasible option for elderly and heavily pretreated patients with mCRPC, showing activity and good tolerability.

Sequencing strategies in the new treatment landscape of prostate cancer.

Over the last 10 years, a number of new agents approved for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer have led to a significant improvement in overall survival. The addition of new agents to androgen deprivation therapy has also allowed a paradigmatic change in the treatment of metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer by improving overall survival in comparison with androgen deprivation therapy alone. Furthermore, recent data concerning the efficacy of three different androgen receptor-targeting agents in patients with nonmetastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer have opened up new scenarios for future patients' management. Defining the best sequencing strategies for men with prostate cancer is a currently unmet medical need, and choosing treatment is often challenging for clinicians because of the lack of direct comparisons of the available agents. The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of the literature concerning current sequencing strategies for prostate cancer patients.

Correction to: One shot NEPA plus dexamethasone to prevent chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in sarcoma patients receiving multiple-day chemotherapy.

The title of the original paper is incorrect and is now corrected in this aticle.

One shot NEPA plus dexamethasone to prevent multiple-day chemotherapy in sarcoma patients.

PURPOSE: Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is one of the most feared and disturbing adverse events of cancer treatment associated with decreased adherence to effective chemotherapy regimens. For high-risk soft tissue sarcoma patients, receiving multiple-day chemotherapy (MD-CT), antiemetic guidelines recommend a combination of an NK1 receptor antagonist (NK1-RA), a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist (5HT3-RA), and dexamethasone on each day of the antineoplastic treatment. NEPA is the first oral fixed-dose combination of a highly selective NK1-RA, netupitant, and second-generation 5HT3-RA, palonosetron. So far, no data has been published in literature about the efficacy of a single dose of NEPA in MD-CT. METHODS: We performed a prospective, non-comparative study to assess the efficacy of one shot of NEPA plus dexamethasone in sarcoma patients receiving MD-CT. The primary efficacy endpoint was a complete response (CR: no emesis, no rescue medication) during the overall phase (0-120 h) in cycle 1. The main secondary endpoints were CR during the overall phase of cycles 2 and 3. RESULTS: The primary endpoint was reached in 88.9% of patients. Cycles 2 and 3 overall CR rates were 88.9% and 82.4%, respectively. The antiemetic regimen was well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study showed the benefit of one shot of NEPA to prevent CINV in sarcoma patients receiving MD-chemotherapy.

Soft tissue sarcomas in the precision medicine era: new advances in clinical practice and future perspectives.

Soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) represent a rare and heterogeneous group of solid tumours derived from mesenchymal progenitors and account for 1% of all adult malignancies. Although in the last decade anthracycline-based chemotherapy single agent or in combinations has been able to improve clinical benefits, prognosis is still poor and STSs represent an important unmet medical need. Continuous advances in cancer genetics and genomics have contributed to change management paradigms of STSs as it occurred for other solid tumours. Several treatments have been recently developed with the specific aim of targeting different cell pathways and immune-checkpoints that have been recognized to drive tumour progression. The following attempts to provide a review of literature focusing on the available data concerning novel treatments and future prospective for the management of metastatic STSs.

CDK4/6 inhibitors in advanced hormone receptor-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials.

PURPOSE: Combining CDK4/6 inhibitors and endocrine therapy (ET) improved outcomes for the treatment of metastatic HR+/HER2- breast cancers. Here, we performed a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) to better define the benefit and the risk of CDK4/6 inhibitors plus ET for endocrine-sensitive or endocrine-resistant population in metastatic HR+/HER2- breast cancer. METHOD: A systematic literature search of Pubmed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library was carried out up to 30 June 2018. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for progression-free survival (PFS), as well as odds ratios (ORs) for objective response rates, ≥ G3-G4 adverse events (AEs), and G3-G4 neutropenia were calculated for each trial. A meta-analysis was carried out using the random-effects model. RESULTS: Eight RCTs were eligible including 4578 breast cancer patients. Adding CDK4/6 inhibitors to ET in endocrine-sensitive (HR 0.55, 95% CI 0.50-0.62) or endocrine-resistant setting (HR 0.51, 95% CI 0.43-0.61) significantly improved the PFS of metastatic HR+/HER2- breast cancers regardless of menopausal status and site of metastasis. Moreover, CDK4/6 inhibitors plus ET meaningfully improved objective response rate in endocrine-sensitive (ORs 0.62, 95% CI 0.52-0.73) or endocrine-resistant setting (ORs 0.33, 95% CI 0.24-0.47). The use of these drugs was characterized by a significant increase of G3-G4 AEs (OR 10.88, 95% CI 6.53-18.14). CONCLUSION: Emerging data provide a new standard treatment for advanced HR+/HER2- breast cancer, regardless of menopausal status, prior hormonal/chemotherapy treatments delivered, sites of metastasis. However, benefits should be balanced with longer treatment duration, toxicities, and costs.

Genitourinary tumours in the targeted therapies era: new advances in clinical practice and future perspectives.

Genitourinary cancers represent a heterogeneous group of malignancies arising from genitourinary tract, and are responsible for almost 359 000 newly diagnosed cases and 58 420 related deaths in USA. Continuous advances in cancer genetics and genomics have contributed towards changing the management paradigms of these neoplasms. Neoangiogenesis, through the activation of the tyrosine-kinase receptors signalling pathways, represents the key mediator event in promoting tumour proliferation, differentiation, invasiveness and motility. In the last decade, several treatments have been developed with the specific aim of targeting different cell pathways that have been recognized to drive tumour progression. The following review attempts to provide a comprehensive overview of the literature, focusing on new advances in targeted therapies for genitourinary tumours. Furthermore, the promising results of the latest clinical trials and future perspectives will be discussed.

Immunotherapy for genitourinary cancer: state of the art and new perspectives.

In the last few years, cancer immunotherapy has changed the natural history and treatment strategies of a number of solid tumors, including melanoma and lung cancer. The anti-PD-1 nivolumab showed a survival benefit compared with everolimus in the second-line treatment of renal cell carcinoma, resulting in a radical shift in perspective in the treatment of this neoplasia and suggesting a new scenario beyond tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Checkpoint inhibitors might also improve the treatment of urothelial cancer, considering the promising results achieved so far and the relatively low efficacy of currently available treatments. Sipuleucel-T was the first approved immunotherapy for prostate cancer, showing a clear benefit in overall survival, and paved the way for the clinical testing of other novel cancer vaccines. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge and new perspectives of immunotherapy in the treatment of urogenital malignancies.

High rate of hematological responses to sorafenib in FLT3-ITD acute myeloid leukemia relapsed after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Relapse represents the most significant cause of failure of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for FLT3-ITD-positive acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and available therapies are largely unsatisfactory. In this study, we retrospectively collected data on the off-label use of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor sorafenib, either alone or in association with hypomethylating agents and adoptive immunotherapy, in 13 patients with post-transplantation FLT3-ITD-positive AML relapses. Hematological response was documented in 12 of 13 patients (92%), and five of 13 (38%) achieved complete bone marrow remission. Treatment was overall manageable in the outpatient setting, although all patients experienced significant adverse events, especially severe cytopenias (requiring a donor stem cell boost in five patients) and typical hand-foot syndrome. None of the patients developed graft-vs.-host disease following sorafenib alone, whereas this was frequently observed when this was given in association with donor T-cell infusions. Six patients are alive and in remission at the last follow-up, and four could be bridged to a second allogeneic HSCT, configuring a 65 ± 14% overall survival at 100 d from relapse. Taken together, our data suggest that sorafenib might represent a valid treatment option for patients with FLT3-ITD-positive post-transplantation relapses, manageable also in combination with other therapeutic strategies.

Radiotherapy or surgery of the axilla after a positive sentinel node in breast cancer (EORTC 10981-22023 AMAROS): a randomised, multicentre, open-label, phase 3 non-inferiority trial.

BACKGROUND: If treatment of the axilla is indicated in patients with breast cancer who have a positive sentinel node, axillary lymph node dissection is the present standard. Although axillary lymph node dissection provides excellent regional control, it is associated with harmful side-effects. We aimed to assess whether axillary radiotherapy provides comparable regional control with fewer side-effects. METHODS: Patients with T1-2 primary breast cancer and no palpable lymphadenopathy were enrolled in the randomised, multicentre, open-label, phase 3 non-inferiority EORTC 10981-22023 AMAROS trial. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) by a computer-generated allocation schedule to receive either axillary lymph node dissection or axillary radiotherapy in case of a positive sentinel node, stratified by institution. The primary endpoint was non-inferiority of 5-year axillary recurrence, considered to be not more than 4% for the axillary radiotherapy group compared with an expected 2% in the axillary lymph node dissection group. Analyses were by intention to treat and per protocol. The AMAROS trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00014612. FINDINGS: Between Feb 19, 2001, and April 29, 2010, 4823 patients were enrolled at 34 centres from nine European countries, of whom 4806 were eligible for randomisation. 2402 patients were randomly assigned to receive axillary lymph node dissection and 2404 to receive axillary radiotherapy. Of the 1425 patients with a positive sentinel node, 744 had been randomly assigned to axillary lymph node dissection and 681 to axillary radiotherapy; these patients constituted the intention-to-treat population. Median follow-up was 6·1 years (IQR 4·1-8·0) for the patients with positive sentinel lymph nodes. In the axillary lymph node dissection group, 220 (33%) of 672 patients who underwent axillary lymph node dissection had additional positive nodes. Axillary recurrence occurred in four of 744 patients in the axillary lymph node dissection group and seven of 681 in the axillary radiotherapy group. 5-year axillary recurrence was 0·43% (95% CI 0·00-0·92) after axillary lymph node dissection versus 1·19% (0·31-2·08) after axillary radiotherapy. The planned non-inferiority test was underpowered because of the low number of events. The one-sided 95% CI for the underpowered non-inferiority test on the hazard ratio was 0·00-5·27, with a non-inferiority margin of 2. Lymphoedema in the ipsilateral arm was noted significantly more often after axillary lymph node dissection than after axillary radiotherapy at 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years. INTERPRETATION: Axillary lymph node dissection and axillary radiotherapy after a positive sentinel node provide excellent and comparable axillary control for patients with T1-2 primary breast cancer and no palpable lymphadenopathy. Axillary radiotherapy results in significantly less morbidity. FUNDING: EORTC Charitable Trust.

Clinical application of circulating tumor cells in breast cancer: overview of the current interventional trials.

In 2004, circulating tumor cells (CTC) enumeration by the CellSearch® technique at baseline and during treatment was reported to be associated with prognosis in metastatic breast cancer patients. In 2008, the first evidence of the impact of CTC detection by this technique on survival of cM0(i+) patients were reported. These findings were confirmed by other non-interventional studies, whereas CTC were also investigated as a surrogate for tumor biology, mainly for HER2 expression/amplification. The aim of this report is to present the current prospective large interventional studies that have been specifically designed to demonstrate that CTC enumeration/characterization may improve the management of breast cancer patients: STIC CTC METABREAST (France) and Endocrine Therapy Index (USA) assess the CTC-guided hormone therapy vs chemotherapy decision in M1 patients; SWOG0500 (USA) and CirCe01 (France) assess the CTC count changes during treatment in metastatic patients; DETECT III (M1 patients, Germany) and Treat CTC (cM0(i+) patients, European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer/Breast International Group) assess the use of anti-HER2 treatments in HER2-negative breast cancer patients selected on the basis of CTC detection/characterization. These trials have different designs in various patient populations but are expected to be the pivotal trials for CTC implementation in the routine management of breast cancer patients.