Lomustine with or without reirradiation for first progression of glioblastoma, LEGATO, EORTC-2227-BTG: study protocol for a randomized phase III study.

BACKGROUND: Chemotherapy with lomustine is widely considered as standard treatment option for progressive glioblastoma. The value of adding radiotherapy to second-line chemotherapy is not known. METHODS: EORTC-2227-BTG (LEGATO, NCT05904119) is an investigator-initiated, pragmatic (PRECIS-2 score: 34 out of 45), randomized, multicenter phase III trial in patients with first progression of glioblastoma. A total of 411 patients will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to lomustine (110 mg/m2 every 6 weeks) or lomustine (110 mg/m2 every 6weeks) plus radiotherapy (35 Gy in 10 fractions). Main eligibility criteria include histologic confirmation of glioblastoma, isocitrate dehydrogenase gene (IDH) wild-type per WHO 2021 classification, first progression at least 6 months after the end of prior radiotherapy, radiologically measurable disease according to RANO criteria with a maximum tumor diameter of 5 cm, and WHO performance status of 0-2. The primary efficacy endpoint is overall survival (OS) and secondary endpoints include progression-free survival, response rate, neurocognitive function, health-related quality of life, and health economic parameters. LEGATO is funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe Research program, was activated in March 2024 and will enroll patients in 43 sites in 11 countries across Europe with study completion projected in 2028. DISCUSSION: EORTC-2227-BTG (LEGATO) is a publicly funded pragmatic phase III trial designed to clarify the efficacy of adding reirradiation to chemotherapy with lomustine for the treatment of patients with first progression of glioblastoma. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05904119. Registered before start of inclusion, 23 May 2023.

Evaluation of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in pediatric patients with high-grade glioma treated with lomustine-a case series.

PURPOSE: Although lomustine has been used as a chemotherapeutic agent for decades, no recommendation on appropriate chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) prophylaxis is available. As CINV is considered one of the most bothersome side effects of chemotherapy, adequate prophylaxis is of relevance to improve quality of life during cancer treatment. The aim of this retrospective case series was to report the incidence and severity of CINV in pediatric patients with high-grade glioma treated with lomustine and to formulate recommendations for appropriate CINV prophylaxis. METHODS: Pediatric patients treated with lomustine for high-grade glioma according to the ACNS 0423 protocol were identified retrospectively. Two researchers independently reviewed and classified complaints of CINV and administered CINV prophylaxis. Treatment details, tumor localization, and response to therapy were systematically extracted from the patients' files. RESULTS: Seventeen children aged 8-18 years received a median of four cycles of lomustine. CINV complaints and administered prophylaxis were evaluable in all patients. Moderate or severe CINV was observed in 13/17 (76%) patients. Administered prophylactic CINV regimens varied from no prophylaxis to triple-agent combinations. CONCLUSION: In this case series, we identified lomustine as a highly emetogenic chemotherapeutic agent. According to the current guidelines, CINV prophylaxis with a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist in combination with dexamethasone and (fos)aprepitant is recommended.

T2-Fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) pseudoprogression in patients with anaplastic oligodendrogliomas treated with procarbazine, lomustine and vincristine (PCV) chemotherapy alone.

BACKGROUND: Pseudoprogression in gliomas has been extensively described after radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy, but not after chemotherapy alone. Here we describe the occurrence of pseudoprogression in patients with anaplastic oligodendrogliomas treated with postoperative procarbazine, lomustine and vincristine (PCV) chemotherapy alone. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical and radiological files of patients with 1p/19q codeleted, IDH-mutant anaplastic oligodendrogliomas treated with PCV chemotherapy alone who presented magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) modifications suggestive of tumour progression and in whom the final diagnosis was a pseudoprogression. RESULTS: We identified six patients. All patients underwent a surgical resection and were treated with PCV chemotherapy without radiotherapy. After a median of 11 months following the initiation of chemotherapy (range: 3-49 months), the patients developed asymptomatic white matter MRI modifications around the surgical cavity leading to the suspicion of a tumour progression. These modifications appeared as hyperintense on T2-fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequence, hypointense on T1 sequence, and lacked mass effect (0/6), contrast enhancement (0/6), restriction on diffusion-weighted imaging (0/4), relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) increase on perfusion MRI (0/4), and hypermetabolism on 18 F-fluoro-L-dopa positron emission tomography (18 F-DOPA PET) scan (0/3). One patient underwent a surgical resection demonstrating no tumour recurrence; the five other patients were considered as having post-therapeutic modifications based on imaging characteristics. After a median follow-up of 4 years all patients were progression-free. CONCLUSIONS: Anaplastic oligodendroglioma patients treated with postoperative PCV chemotherapy alone occasionally develop T2/FLAIR hyperintensities around the surgical cavity that can wrongly suggest tumour progression. Multimodal imaging and close follow-up should be considered in this situation.

Thrombocytopenia limits the feasibility of salvage lomustine chemotherapy in recurrent glioblastoma: a secondary analysis of EORTC 26101.

BACKGROUND: Thrombocytopenia represents the main cause of stopping alkylating chemotherapy for toxicity. Here, we explored the incidence, and the consequences for treatment exposure and survival, of thrombocytopenia induced by lomustine in recurrent glioblastoma. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of the associations of thrombocytopenia with treatment delivery and outcome in EORTC 26101, a randomised trial designed to define the role of lomustine versus bevacizumab versus their combination in recurrent glioblastoma. RESULTS: A total of 225 patients were treated with lomustine alone (median 1 cycle) (group 1) and 283 patients were treated with lomustine plus bevacizumab (median 3 lomustine cycles) (group 2). Among cycle delays and dose reductions of lomustine for toxicity, thrombocytopenia was the leading cause. Among 129 patients (57%) of group 1 and 187 patients (66%) of group 2 experiencing at least one episode of thrombocytopenia, 36 patients (16%) in group 1 and 93 (33%) in group 2 had their treatment modified because of thrombocytopenia. Lomustine was discontinued for thrombocytopenia in 16 patients (7.1%) in group 1 and in 38 patients (13.4%) in group 2. On adjusted analysis accounting for major prognostic factors, dose modification induced by thrombocytopenia was associated with inferior progression-free survival in patients with MGMT promoter-methylated tumours in groups 1 and 2. This effect was noted for overall survival, too, but only for group 2 patients. CONCLUSION: Drug-induced thrombocytopenia is a major limitation to adequate exposure to lomustine chemotherapy in recurrent glioblastoma. Mitigating thrombocytopenia to enhance lomustine exposure might improve outcome in patients with MGMT promoter-methylated tumours.

The Efficacy and Safety of Adjuvant Lomustine to Chemotherapy for Recurrent Glioblastoma: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Studies.

INTRODUCTION: Lomustine is regarded as 1 common anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agent. The efficacy of adjuvant lomustine to chemotherapy remains controversial for recurrent glioblastoma. We conduct this meta-analysis to explore the influence of adjuvant lomustine on treatment efficacy of recurrent glioblastoma. METHODS: We have searched PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, EBSCO, and Cochrane library databases through August 2019 and included randomized controlled trials assessing the efficacy and safety of adjuvant lomustine for recurrent glioblastoma. RESULTS: Four randomized controlled trials are included in the meta-analysis. Overall, compared with the control group for recurrent glioblastoma, adjuvant lomustine has no substantial effect on objective response (risk ratio [RR], 1.32; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.91 to 1.93; P = 0.15), complete response (RR, 1.76; 95% CI, 0.26-11.90; P = 0.56), progressive response (RR, 1.32; 95% CI, 0.88-1.99; P = 0.18), median progression-free survival (standard mean difference [SMD], 0.73; 95% CI, -0.65 to 2.11; P = 0.30), or median overall survival (SMD, 0.26; 95% CI, -0.30-0.83; P = 0.36), but results in the increase in 6-month progression-free survival (SMD, 1.71; 95% CI, 0.38-3.04; P = 0.01). There is no increase in grade ≥3 adverse events after adjuvant lomustine treatment (RR, 1.55; 95% CI, 0.84-2.89; P = 0.16) compared with control intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Adjuvant lomustine to other chemotherapy may provide no obvious benefits for the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma.

Rituximab, methotrexate, procarbazine and lomustine (R-MPL) for the treatment of primary Central nervous system lymphoma.

The optimal high-dose methotrexate (HDMTX)-based combination therapy for primary central nervous system lymphoma is unknown. We report our experience with rituximab, HDMTX, procarbazine and lomustine (R-MPL) given as first-line treatment in our center. Fifty-two patients between 2006 and 2019 were included. Eighteen patients proceeded to autologous transplant or two cycles of intermediate-dose cytarabine. The median age was 62 y (range 28-94) and the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG-PS) was ≥2 in 62% (32/52). The overall/complete response rates were 79% (41/52) and 52% (27/52), respectively. The median progression-free/overall survival was 19 m/84m, respectively. Grade 3-4 adverse events included infections (17%) and kidney injury (13%). Ten patients (19%) discontinued therapy for toxicity. There were no treatment-related deaths. In summary, in a cohort enriched in frail patients, R-MPL achieved good responses and OS and was safe for all ages. The PFS was sub-optimal, possibly explained by a low proportion of consolidation. This regimen should be evaluated prospectively.

Risk factors associated with the onset of lomustine-induced neutropenia in tumour-bearing dogs.

Lomustine (1-[2-chloroethyl]3-cyclohexyl-1-nitrosurea, CCNU) is an oral alkylating agent in the nitrosourea subclass that can cause myelosuppression, with neutropenia being the main dose-limiting toxicity. The aim of this study was to define the frequency of neutropenic events and to identify predisposing risk factors in tumour-bearing dogs treated with CCNU. Dogs receiving CCNU for various malignancies were identified following a search of hospital databases. Variables analysed for correlation with neutropenia included signalment, body weight, tumour type, CCNU total dose, steroid use, protocol type, use of L-asparaginase, previous anthracycline administration and use of the drug as first-line or in the rescue setting. One-hundred and fifteen cases were included; median age was 7 years (range 1-14 years) and median body weight 27.6 kg (range 3-74 kg). The median CCNU dose was 63.5 mg/m2 (range 27.7-84.9 mg/m2 ). Neutropenia occurred in 75 cases (65%) and was comprised of grade 1 (28%), 2 (16%), 3 (29.3%) and 4 (26.7%) events. Tumour type (histiocytic sarcoma [HS]), use of CCNU first line, dose >70 mg/m2 , absence of co-morbidities and previous anthracycline administration, were significantly associated with an increased risk of developing neutropenia, including high-grade events. There was a 1.7% reported mortality rate. When CCNU is used in dogs with HS, first-line, at a starting dosage >70 mg/m2 , in patients with no co-morbidities or with a history of previous anthracycline administration, there may be an increased risk of developing neutropenia. These data may help guide treatment decisions and minimize treatment delays or potentially life-threatening complications.

Retrospective evaluation of nimustine use in the treatment of feline lymphoma.

BACKGROUND: Nimustine, similar to lomustine, is an alkylating agent from the nitrosourea family. There have been some reports regarding lomustine treatment for tumour-bearing cats. However, information regarding nimustine treatment for tumour-bearing cats is limited. OBJECTIVES: To retrospectively evaluate adverse events and clinical outcomes in tumour-bearing cats receiving nimustine. METHODS: Information regarding diagnosis, treatment condition, adverse events, and clinical outcomes was collected in tumour-bearing cats receiving nimustine through reviews of medical records. RESULTS: Nine cats with lymphoma were treated with nimustine in the primary therapy (n = 2) and in the rescue therapy (n = 7). Median starting dose of nimustine was 25 mg/m2 (range: 20-30 mg/m2 ) with dosing interval of three weeks and 1-11 administrations. Adverse events were mild gastrointestinal toxicity (grade 1) including diarrhoea (n = 2) and vomiting (n = 2) and mild myelosuppression (grade 1 or 2) including thrombocytopenia (n = 3) and neutropenia (n = 1). No severe adverse events were observed. Progression-free survival durations among cats receiving nimustine in the primary therapy and in the rescue therapy were 274-688 days (median: 481 days) and 9-671 days (median: 102 days), respectively. Overall survival durations among cats receiving nimustine in the primary therapy and in the rescue therapy were 275-745 days (median: 510 days) and 14-671 days (median: 109 days), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Nimustine was well tolerated and showed clinical outcomes similar to lomustine in cats with lymphoma. These findings suggest that nimustine might be an alternative to lomustine in the treatment of feline lymphoma.

Effect of Vocimagene Amiretrorepvec in Combination With Flucytosine vs Standard of Care on Survival Following Tumor Resection in Patients With Recurrent High-Grade Glioma: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: New treatments are needed to improve the prognosis of patients with recurrent high-grade glioma. Objective: To compare overall survival for patients receiving tumor resection followed by vocimagene amiretrorepvec (Toca 511) with flucytosine (Toca FC) vs standard of care (SOC). Design, Setting, and Participants: A randomized, open-label phase 2/3 trial (TOCA 5) in 58 centers in the US, Canada, Israel, and South Korea, comparing posttumor resection treatment with Toca 511 followed by Toca FC vs a defined single choice of approved (SOC) therapies was conducted from November 30, 2015, to December 20, 2019. Patients received tumor resection for first or second recurrence of glioblastoma or anaplastic astrocytoma. Interventions: Patients were randomized 1:1 to receive Toca 511/FC (n = 201) or SOC control (n = 202). For the Toca 511/FC group, patients received Toca 511 injected into the resection cavity wall at the time of surgery, followed by cycles of oral Toca FC 6 weeks after surgery. For the SOC control group, patients received investigators' choice of single therapy: lomustine, temozolomide, or bevacizumab. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was overall survival (OS) in time from randomization date to death due to any cause. Secondary outcomes reported in this study included safety, durable response rate (DRR), duration of DRR, durable clinical benefit rate, OS and DRR by IDH1 variant status, and 12-month OS. Results: All 403 randomized patients (median [SD] age: 56 [11.46] years; 62.5% [252] men) were included in the efficacy analysis, and 400 patients were included in the safety analysis (3 patients on the SOC group did not receive resection). Final analysis included 271 deaths (141 deaths in the Toca 511/FC group and 130 deaths in the SOC control group). The median follow-up was 22.8 months. The median OS was 11.10 months for the Toca 511/FC group and 12.22 months for the control group (hazard ratio, 1.06; 95% CI 0.83, 1.35; P = .62). The secondary end points did not demonstrate statistically significant differences. The rates of adverse events were similar in the Toca 511/FC group and the SOC control group. Conclusions and Relevance: Among patients who underwent tumor resection for first or second recurrence of glioblastoma or anaplastic astrocytoma, administration of Toca 511 and Toca FC, compared with SOC, did not improve overall survival or other efficacy end points. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02414165.

A comparative study of the effectiveness and safety of combined procarbazine, lomustine, and vincristine as a therapeutic method for recurrent high-grade glioma: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Systematic evaluation of the effectiveness and safety of combined procarbazine, lomustine, and vincristine for treating recurrent high-grade glioma. METHODS: Electronic databases including PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library Central Register of Controlled Trials, WanFang, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) were used to search for studies related to the utilization of combined procarbazine, lomustine, and vincristine as a therapeutic method for recurrent high-grade glioma. Literature screening, extraction of data, and evaluation of high standard studies were conducted by 2 independent researchers. The robustness and strength of the effectiveness and safety of combined procarbazine, lomustine, and vincristine as a therapeutic methodology for recurrent high-grade glioma was assessed based on the odds ratio (OR), mean differences (MDs), and 95% confidence interval (CI). RevMan 5.3 software was used for carrying out the statistical analysis. RESULTS: These results obtained in this study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. CONCLUSION: Evidently, the conclusion of this study will provide an assessment on whether combined procarbazine, lomustine, and vincristine provides an effective and safe form of treatment for recurrent high-grade glioma. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY202080078.

Biochemical, functional, and histopathologic characterization of lomustine-induced liver injury in dogs.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the biochemical, functional, and histopathologic changes associated with lomustine-induced liver injury in dogs. ANIMALS: I0 healthy purpose-bred sexually intact female hounds. PROCEDURES: Dogs were randomly assigned to receive lomustine (approx 75 mg/m2, PO, q 21 d for 5 doses) alone (n = 5) or with prednisone (approx 1.5 mg/kg, PO, q 24 h for 12 weeks; 5). For each dog, a CBC, serum biochemical analysis, liver function testing, urinalysis, and ultrasonographic examination of the liver with acquisition of liver biopsy specimens were performed before and at predetermined times during and after lomustine administration. Results were compared between dogs that did and did not receive prednisone. RESULTS: 7 of the I0 dogs developed clinical signs of liver failure. For all dogs, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities, bile acid concentrations, and liver histologic score increased and hepatic reduced glutathione content decreased over time. Peak serum ALT (r = 0.79) and ALP (r = 0.90) activities and bile acid concentration (r = 0.68) were positively correlated with the final histologic score. Prednisone did not appear to have a protective effect on histologic score. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In dogs, liver enzyme activities, particularly ALT and ALP activities, should be closely monitored during lomustine treatment and acute increases in those activities may warrant discontinuation of lomustine to mitigate liver injury. Nonspecific ultrasonographic findings and abnormal increases in liver function tests were not detected until the onset of clinical liver failure. Glutathione depletion may have a role in lomustine-induced hepatopathy and warrants further investigation.

Phosphorylated Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase Is Associated with Clinical Benefit with Regorafenib in Relapsed Glioblastoma: REGOMA Trial Biomarker Analysis.

PURPOSE: Preclinical studies show that antiangiogenic therapy exacerbates tumor glycolysis and activates liver kinase B1/AMP kinase (AMPK), a pathway involved in the regulation of tumor metabolism. We investigated whether certain metabolism-related in situ biomarkers could predict benefit to regorafenib in the phase II randomized REGOMA trial. PATIENTS AND METHODS: IHC and digital pathology analysis were used to investigate the expression in glioblastoma (GBM) sections of monocarboxylate transporter 1 and 4 (MCT1 and MCT4), associated with OXPHOS and glycolysis, respectively, phosphorylated AMPK (pAMPK), and phosphorylated acetyl-CoA carboxylase (pACC), a canonical target of AMPK activity. The status of each biomarker was associated with clinical endpoints, including overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with relapsed GBM treated either with regorafenib or lomustine. RESULTS: Between November 2015 and February 2017, 119 patients were enrolled (n = 59 regorafenib and n = 60 lomustine) and stratified for surgery at recurrence, and baseline characteristics were balanced. Biomarker analysis was performed in 84 patients (71%), including 42 patients of the regorafenib arm and 42 patients of the lomustine arm. Among all markers analyzed, only pACC showed predictive value in terms of OS. In fact, median OS was 9.3 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 5.6-13.2] for regorafenib and 5.5 months (95% CI, 4.2-6.6) for lomustine for pACC-positive patients, HR, 0.37 (95% CI, 0.20-0.70); log rank P = 0.0013; test for interaction = 0.0453. No statistically significant difference was demonstrated for PFS according to pACC status. CONCLUSIONS: We found that AMPK pathway activation is associated with clinical benefit from treatment with regorafenib in relapsed GBM.

Risk Factors for Small Adult Height in Childhood Cancer Survivors.

PURPOSE: Between 10% and 20% of childhood cancer survivors (CCS) experience impaired growth, leading to small adult height (SAH). Our study aimed to quantify risk factors for SAH or growth hormone deficiency among CCS. METHODS: The French CCS Study holds data on 7,670 cancer survivors treated before 2001. We analyzed self-administered questionnaire data from 2,965 CCS with clinical, chemo/radiotherapy data from medical records. SAH was defined as an adult height ≤ 2 standard deviation scores of control values obtained from a French population health study. RESULTS: After exclusion of 189 CCS treated with growth hormone, 9.2% (254 of 2,776) had a SAH. Being young at the time of cancer treatment (relative risk [RR], 0.91 [95% CI, 0.88 to 0.95] by year of age), small height at diagnosis (≤ 2 standard deviation scores; RR, 6.74 [95% CI, 4.61 to 9.86]), pituitary irradiation (5-20 Gy: RR, 4.24 [95% CI, 1.98 to 9.06]; 20-40 Gy: RR, 10.16 [95% CI, 5.18 to 19.94]; and ≥ 40 Gy: RR, 19.48 [95% CI, 8.73 to 43.48]), having received busulfan (RR, 4.53 [95% CI, 2.10 to 9.77]), or > 300 mg/m2 of lomustine (300-600 mg/m2: RR, 4.21 [95% CI, 1.61 to 11.01] and ≥ 600 mg/m2: RR, 9.12 [95% CI, 2.75 to 30.24]) were all independent risk factors for SAH. Irradiation of ≥ 7 vertebrae (≥ 15 Gy on ≥ 90% of their volume) without pituitary irradiation increased the RR of SAH by 4.62 (95% CI, 2.77 to 7.72). If patients had also received pituitary irradiation, this increased the RR by an additional factor of 1.3 to 2.4. CONCLUSION: CCS are at a high risk of SAH. CCS treated with radiotherapy, busulfan, or lomustine should be closely monitored for growth, puberty onset, and potential pituitary deficiency.

Hemorrhagic diathesis and bone marrow aplasia secondary to lomustine overdose in a dog.

A 9-year-old mixed breed 13 kg spayed female dog was presented for evaluation of two masses in the right abdominal mammary gland region. Surgery was conducted to excise the masses. A grade I complex mammary gland carcinoma and high grade (grade III) mast cell tumor with an inguinal lymph node metastasis were diagnosed. Forty-seven days after the surgical procedure, the mast cell tumor relapsed, and neoadjuvant treatment with lomustine (81 mg/m2 ) was prescribed. Thirteen days from initiation of lomustine therapy, the dog was re-presented to the hospital with bloody diarrhea, hematemesis, epistaxis, an elevated rectal temperature, depression, severe dehydration, and marked dyspnea. The CBC showed severe thrombocytopenia and leukopenia. According to the owner, lomustine (45mg per os [PO]) was mistakenly administered daily for 10 consecutive days (total dose, 810 mg/m2 ). The dog died and a necropsy was performed. The main gross lesions consisted of severe multifocal hemorrhages in multiple organs, especially in the digestive system. Histopathologic evaluation revealed disseminated hemorrhages, as well as marked bone marrow aplasia. This report describes the clinical, hematologic, gross, and histologic findings in a fatal case of lomustine overdose in a dog.

Regorafenib compared with lomustine in patients with relapsed glioblastoma (REGOMA): a multicentre, open-label, randomised, controlled, phase 2 trial.

BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma is a highly vascularised tumour and there are few treatment options after disease recurrence. Regorafenib is an oral multikinase inhibitor of angiogenic, stromal, and oncogenic receptor tyrosine kinases. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of regorafenib in the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma. METHODS: REGOMA is a randomised, multicentre, open-label phase 2 trial done in ten centres in Italy. Eligible patients (aged ≥18 years) with histologically confirmed glioblastoma, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0 or 1, and documented disease progression after surgery followed by radiotherapy and temozolomide chemoradiotherapy were randomly assigned (1:1) by a web-based system, stratified by centre and surgery at recurrence (yes vs no), to receive regorafenib 160 mg once daily for the first 3 weeks of each 4-week cycle or lomustine 110 mg/m2 once every 6 weeks until disease progression, death, unacceptable toxicity, or consent withdrawal. The primary endpoint was overall survival in the intention-to-treat population. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02926222, and is currently in follow-up. FINDINGS: Between Nov 27, 2015, and Feb 23, 2017, 124 patients were screened and 119 eligible patients were randomly assigned to receive regorafenib (n=59) or lomustine (n=60). Median follow-up was 15·4 months (IQR 13·8-18·1). At the analysis cutoff date, 99 (83%) of 119 patients had died: 42 (71%) of 59 in the regorafenib group and 57 (95%) of 60 in the lomustine group. Overall survival was significantly improved in the regorafenib group compared with the lomustine group, with a median overall survival of 7·4 months (95% CI 5·8-12·0) in the regorafenib group and 5·6 months (4·7-7·3) in the lomustine group (hazard ratio 0·50, 95% CI 0·33-0·75; log-rank p=0·0009). Grade 3-4 treatment-related adverse events occurred in 33 (56%) of 59 patients treated with regorafenib and 24 (40%) of 60 with lomustine. The most frequent grade 3 or 4 adverse events related to regorafenib were hand-foot skin reaction, increased lipase, and blood bilirubin increased (in six [10%] of 59 patients each). In the lomustine group, the most common grade 3 or 4 adverse events were decreased platelet count (eight [13%] of 60 patients), decreased lymphocyte count (eight [13%]), and neutropenia (seven [12%]). No death was considered by the investigators to be drug related. INTERPRETATION: REGOMA showed an encouraging overall survival benefit of regorafenib in recurrent glioblastoma. This drug might be a new potential treatment for these patients and should be investigated in an adequately powered phase 3 study. FUNDING: Veneto Institute of Oncology and Bayer Italy.

Early treatment response evaluation using FET PET compared to MRI in glioblastoma patients at first progression treated with bevacizumab plus lomustine.

BACKGROUND: The goal of this prospective study was to compare the value of both conventional MRI and O-(2-18F-fluoroethyl)-L-tyrosine (FET) PET for response evaluation in glioblastoma patients treated with bevacizumab plus lomustine (BEV/LOM) at first progression. METHODS: After chemoradiation with concomitant and adjuvant temozolomide, 21 IDH wild-type glioblastoma patients at first progression (age range, 33-75 years; MGMT promoter unmethylated, 81%) were treated with BEV/LOM. Contrast-enhanced MRI and FET-PET scans were performed at baseline and after 8-10 weeks. We obtained FET metabolic tumor volumes (MTV) and tumor/brain ratios. Threshold values of FET-PET parameters for treatment response were established by ROC analyses using the post-progression overall survival (OS) ≤/>9 months as the reference. MRI response assessment was based on RANO criteria. The predictive ability of FET-PET thresholds and MRI changes on early response assessment was evaluated subsequently concerning OS using uni- and multivariate survival estimates. RESULTS: Early treatment response as assessed by RANO criteria was not predictive for an OS>9 months (P = 0.203), whereas relative reductions of all FET-PET parameters significantly predicted an OS>9 months (P < 0.05). The absolute MTV at follow-up enabled the most significant OS prediction (sensitivity, 85%; specificity, 88%; P = 0.001). Patients with an absolute MTV below 5 ml at follow-up survived significantly longer (12 vs. 6 months, P < 0.001), whereas early responders defined by RANO criteria lived only insignificantly longer (9 vs. 6 months; P = 0.072). The absolute MTV at follow-up remained significant in the multivariate survival analysis (P = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: FET-PET appears to be useful for identifying responders to BEV/LOM early after treatment initiation.

Hepatotoxicidad colestásica asociada al uso de quimioterapia en esquema con lomustina: reporte de un caso y revisión de la literatura / Colestasic hepatotoxicity associated with the use of chemotherapy in scheme with lomustine: case report and literature review

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a rare entity associated with high morbidity and mortality. It includes a broad spectrum of clinical patterns, from acute hepatitis to cirrhosis. Among the common associated drugs are antimicrobial like anti-TBC, antineoplastic, CNS agents and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Establishing causality between DILI and a certain drug is a challenge. Some scoring systems have been evaluated, considering RUCAM score as the gold standard. We present the case of a 35-year-old woman with a history of a high-grade glioma treated with surgery and chemotherapy with lomustine, procarbazine and vincristine. She evolved with altered liver tests, predominantly cholestatic pattern, but asymptomatic. Etiologic study negative and abdominal imaging were normal. The liver biopsy was compatible with 40% ductopenia, without inflammatory elements. We consider DILI associated with the use of lomustine, with RUCAM score suggesting. After discontinuing chemotherapy and using ursodeoxycholic acid for the treatment of cholestasis there was an improvement in liver tests. There is limited evidence in the literature regarding hepatotoxicity associated with lomustine, mainly in experimental animal models. Cases of cholestatic hepatotoxicity have been described with the use of other similar nitrosureas. In relation to procarbazine and vincristine, DILI is reported mainly reversible and predominantly with hepatocellular pattern, not consistent with our case. We find it interesting to communicate with review of the literature about it.

El daño hepático inducido por drogas (DILI) es una entidad poco frecuente, con alta morbimortalidad asociada. Incluye un amplio espectro de patrones clínicos, desde hepatitis aguda a cirrosis. Dentro de los fármacos frecuentemente asociados se encuentran antibióticos como anti-TBC, agentes antineoplásicos, de acción en el SNC y anti-inflamatorios no esteroidales. Establecer una causalidad entre DILI y una determinada droga constituye un desafío. Para ello, se han evaluado diversos sistemas de puntuación, considerándose gold estándar el RUCAM score. Se presenta el caso de una mujer de 35 años de edad con antecedentes de glioma de alto grado operado y en quimioterapia con lomustina, procarbazina y vincristina. En su evolución presenta alteración de pruebas hepáticas de predominio colestásico de manera asintomática, con estudio etiológico causal negativo e imagenológico normal. La biopsia hepática fue compatible con ductopenia de 40% sin elementos inflamatorios. Se plantea DILI asociado al uso de lomustina con un score de RUCAM sugerente, decidiéndose interrumpir sus ciclos de quimioterapia e inicia tratamiento con ácido ursodesoxicólico, presentando mejoría progresiva de pruebas hepáticas. Existe evidencia limitada en la literatura en relación a hepatotoxicidad asociada a este fármaco, principalmente en modelos experimentales, y con el uso de otras nitrosureas similares se han descrito casos de hepatotoxicidad de predominio colestásico. En relación con procarbazina y vincristina existen reportes de DILI principalmente reversible y con patrón de predominio hepatocelular, lo que no es concordante con nuestro caso, por lo cual nos parece de interés comunicarlo con revisión de la literatura al respecto.

Lomustine and Bevacizumab in Progressive Glioblastoma.

BACKGROUND: Bevacizumab is approved for the treatment of patients with progressive glioblastoma on the basis of uncontrolled data. Data from a phase 2 trial suggested that the addition of bevacizumab to lomustine might improve overall survival as compared with monotherapies. We sought to determine whether the combination would result in longer overall survival than lomustine alone among patients at first progression of glioblastoma. METHODS: We randomly assigned patients with progression after chemoradiation in a 2:1 ratio to receive lomustine plus bevacizumab (combination group, 288 patients) or lomustine alone (monotherapy group, 149 patients). The methylation status of the promoter of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) was assessed. Health-related quality of life and neurocognitive function were evaluated at baseline and every 12 weeks. The primary end point of the trial was overall survival. RESULTS: A total of 437 patients underwent randomization. The median number of 6-week treatment cycles was three in the combination group and one in the monotherapy group. With 329 overall survival events (75.3%), the combination therapy did not provide a survival advantage; the median overall survival was 9.1 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 8.1 to 10.1) in the combination group and 8.6 months (95% CI, 7.6 to 10.4) in the monotherapy group (hazard ratio for death, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.74 to 1.21; P=0.65). Locally assessed progression-free survival was 2.7 months longer in the combination group than in the monotherapy group: 4.2 months versus 1.5 months (hazard ratio for disease progression or death, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.39 to 0.61; P<0.001). Grade 3 to 5 adverse events occurred in 63.6% of the patients in the combination group and 38.1% of the patients in the monotherapy group. The addition of bevacizumab to lomustine affected neither health-related quality of life nor neurocognitive function. The MGMT status was prognostic. CONCLUSIONS: Despite somewhat prolonged progression-free survival, treatment with lomustine plus bevacizumab did not confer a survival advantage over treatment with lomustine alone in patients with progressive glioblastoma. (Funded by an unrestricted educational grant from F. Hoffmann-La Roche and by the EORTC Cancer Research Fund; EORTC 26101 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01290939 ; Eudra-CT number, 2010-023218-30 .).