The GETUG SEMITEP Trial: De-escalating Chemotherapy in Good-prognosis Seminoma Based on Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography.

BACKGROUND: In metastatic seminoma, a strategy is needed for selecting patients for less intensive chemotherapy, to limit toxicities. OBJECTIVE: To assess whether men with good-prognosis metastatic seminoma could be treated with two cycles of etoposide-cisplatin (EP) followed by only one cycle of carboplatin (CARBO) based on negative interim fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET)/computed tomography (CT). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A nonrandomised, multicentre, phase 2 trial was conducted (NCT01887340). INTERVENTION: All patients with baseline-positive FDG-PET/CT received EP for two cycles. After completing the first two cycles, the patients underwent a second FDG-PET/CT to assess the response. Patients with positive FDG-PET/CT proceeded directly to two additional EP cycles; those who achieved FDG-PET/CT negativity received one cycle of CARBO. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The proportion of patients with negative interim FDG-PET/CT who received carboplatin was determined. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: Between 2013 and 2017, 102 patients were enrolled. After the first two EP cycles, FDG-PET/CT was available in 98 patients. Overall, 67 patients (68.4%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 58.2-77.4) had negative FDG-PET/CT and proceeded to a single CARBO cycle. Twenty-seven patients (27.6%; 95% CI: 19.0-37.5) had positive FDG-PET/CT after two EP cycles. The 3-yr progression-free survival rate was 90.0% (95% CI: 74.4-96.5) in the EP group and 90.8% (95% CI: 81.4-95.7) in the CARBO group. The cumulative incidences of peripheral neuropathy and ototoxicity were significantly higher in the EP group. CONCLUSIONS: Omission of two cycles of EP based on negative FDG-PET/CT after two cycles of chemotherapy appears to be feasible. However, the absence of consensus criteria for FDG-PET/CT interpretation and the short follow-up need additional studies. This strategy does not warrant routine integration yet. PATIENT SUMMARY: Men with good-prognosis metastatic seminoma were treated with fewer cycles of chemotherapy based on interim fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT). Omission of two cycles of chemotherapy based on negative FDG-PET/CT after two initial cycles appears to be feasible, thereby limiting the burden of treatment and toxicity.

Clinical Benefit of Pembrolizumab in Advanced Urothelial Cancer Patients in Real-Life Setting: An Efficacy and Safety Monocentric Study.

BACKGROUND: Pembrolizumab is approved for patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma (UC) who progressed under platinum therapy. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab in a cohort of real-life UC patients. METHODS: This retrospective, observational study included advanced UC patients treated with pembrolizumab in a single institution in France. The co-primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) at 6 months. Secondary endpoints were objective response rate (ORR), duration of response (DOR), disease control rate (DCR) and safety. RESULTS: 78 patients were included in the study. The median OS was 7.3 months (3.8-12.2). The estimated OS rate at 6 months was 61.5% (50.5-72.6). The median PFS was 3.1 months (1.4-7.2). The estimated PFS rate at 6 months was 42.3% (31.1-53.5). The best ORR was 35.9%. The mean DOR was 95.5 days. The DCR was 30.8%. The most common treatment-related adverse events (AEs) of any grade were fatigue (46.2%), diarrhea (11.5%), pruritus (10.3%) and nausea (9.0%). There were no grade 3 AEs that occurred with an incidence of 5% or more. CONCLUSION: Our results confirmed those of randomized clinical trials concerning the treatment with pembrolizumab in patients with advanced UC that progressed after platinum-based chemotherapy.

Effect of Adding Docetaxel to Androgen-Deprivation Therapy in Patients With High-Risk Prostate Cancer With Rising Prostate-Specific Antigen Levels After Primary Local Therapy: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

IMPORTANCE: Androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) plus docetaxel is the standard of care in hormone-naive metastatic prostate cancer but is of uncertain benefit in a nonmetastatic, high-risk prostate cancer setting. OBJECTIVE: To assess the benefit of ADT plus docetaxel in patients presenting with rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels after primary local therapy and high-risk factors but no evidence of metastatic disease. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This open-label, phase 3, randomized superiority trial comparing ADT plus docetaxel vs ADT alone enrolled patients from 28 centers in France between June 4, 2003, and September 25, 2007; final follow-up was conducted April 12, 2017, and analysis was performed May 2 to July 31, 2017. Patients had undergone primary local therapy for prostate cancer, were experiencing rising PSA levels, and were considered to be at high risk of metastatic disease. Stratification was by prior local therapy and PSA-level doubling time (≤6 vs >6 months), and intention-to-treat analysis was used. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomly assigned to receive ADT (1 year) plus docetaxel, 70 mg/m2 (every 3 weeks [6 cycles]), or ADT alone (1 year). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome was PSA progression-free survival (PSA-PFS). Secondary end points were PSA response, radiologic PFS, overall survival, safety, and quality of life. RESULTS: Overall, 254 patients were randomized (1:1) to the trial; median age, 64 years in the ADT plus docetaxel arm, 66 years in the ADT alone arm. At a median follow-up of 30.0 months, the median PSA-PFS was 20.3 (95% CI, 19.0-21.6) months in the ADT plus docetaxel arm vs 19.3 (95% CI, 18.2-20.8) months in the ADT alone arm (hazard ratio [HR], 0.85; 95% CI, 0.62-1.16; P = .31). At a median follow-up of 10.5 years, there was no significant between-arm difference in radiologic PFS (HR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.74-1.43; P = .88). Overall survival data were not mature. The most common grade 3 or 4 hematologic toxic effects in the ADT plus docetaxel arm were neutropenia (60 of 125 patients [48.0%]), febrile neutropenia (10 [8.0%]), and thrombocytopenia (4 [3.0%]). There was no significant between-arm difference in overall quality of life. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Compared with ADT alone, combined ADT plus docetaxel therapy with curative intent did not significantly improve PSA-PFS in patients with high-risk prostate cancer and rising PSA levels and no evidence of metastatic disease. TRIAL REGISTRATION: French Health Products Safety Agency identifier: 030591; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00764166.

Changes in chondrolabral mechanics, coverage, and congruency following peri-acetabular osteotomy for treatment of acetabular retroversion: A patient-specific finite element study.

Using a validated finite element (FE) protocol, we quantified cartilage and labrum mechanics, congruency, and femoral coverage in five male patients before and after they were treated for acetabular retroversion with peri-acetabular osteotomy (PAO). Three-dimensional models of bone, cartilage, and labrum were generated from computed tomography (CT) arthrography images, acquired before and after PAO. Walking, stair-ascent, stair-descent, and rising from a chair were simulated. Cartilage and labrum contact stress, contact area, and femoral coverage were calculated overall and regionally. Mean congruency (average of local congruency values for FE nodes in contact) and peak congruency (most incongruent node in contact) were calculated overall and regionally. Load supported by the labrum was represented as a raw change in the ratio of the applied force transferred through the labrum and percent change following surgery (calculated overall only). Considering all activities, following PAO, mean acetabular cartilage contact stress increased medially, superiorly, and posteriorly; peak stress increased medially and posteriorly. Peak labrum stresses decreased overall and superiorly. Acetabular contact area decreased overall and laterally, and increased medially. Labral contact area decreased overall, but not regionally. Load to the labrum decreased. Femoral head coverage increased overall, anterolaterally, and posterolaterally, but decreased anteromedially. Mean congruency indicated the hip became less congruent overall, anteriorly, and posteriorly; peak congruency indicated a less congruent joint posteriorly. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Medialization of contact and reductions in labral loading following PAO may prevent osteoarthritis, but this procedure increases cartilage stresses, decreases contact area, and makes the hip less congruent, which may overload cartilage. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 35:2567-2576, 2017.

Clinical Significance of Pain at Hospital Discharge Following Traumatic Orthopedic Injury: General Health, Depression, and PTSD Outcomes at 1 Year.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine whether pain at hospital discharge is associated with general health and depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at 1 year following traumatic orthopedic injury. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study prospectively enrolled 213 patients, 19 to 86 years of age, admitted to an academic level 1 trauma center for surgical treatment of a traumatic lower-extremity or upper-extremity orthopedic injury. Pain at hospital discharge was measured with the Brief Pain Inventory. At 1-year follow-up, physical and mental health was assessed with the SF-12 and depressive and PTSD symptoms with the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C), respectively. Cut-off scores of 10 on the PHQ-9 and 44 on the PCL-C classified patients as having depression or PTSD. RESULTS: A total of 133 patients (62%) completed follow-up at 1 year. Responders and nonresponders did not differ significantly on baseline characteristics. Multivariable regression found that increased pain at discharge was significantly associated with depression (odds ratio=3.3; P<0.001) and PTSD (odds ratio=1.4; P=0.03) at 1 year, after controlling for age, education, injury severity score, and either depressive or PTSD symptoms at hospital discharge. Early postoperative pain was not a significant risk factor for long-term physical and mental health. DISCUSSION: Findings highlight the importance of early screening for uncontrolled postoperative pain to identify patients at high risk for poor psychological outcomes and who could benefit from more aggressive pain management. Results suggest early interventions are needed to address pain severity in patients with orthopedic trauma.

Organoid models of human and mouse ductal pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal malignancies due to its late diagnosis and limited response to treatment. Tractable methods to identify and interrogate pathways involved in pancreatic tumorigenesis are urgently needed. We established organoid models from normal and neoplastic murine and human pancreas tissues. Pancreatic organoids can be rapidly generated from resected tumors and biopsies, survive cryopreservation, and exhibit ductal- and disease-stage-specific characteristics. Orthotopically transplanted neoplastic organoids recapitulate the full spectrum of tumor development by forming early-grade neoplasms that progress to locally invasive and metastatic carcinomas. Due to their ability to be genetically manipulated, organoids are a platform to probe genetic cooperation. Comprehensive transcriptional and proteomic analyses of murine pancreatic organoids revealed genes and pathways altered during disease progression. The confirmation of many of these protein changes in human tissues demonstrates that organoids are a facile model system to discover characteristics of this deadly malignancy.

Identification of novel vascular projections with cellular trafficking abilities on the microvasculature of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a nearly lethal neoplasm. It is a remarkably stroma-rich, vascular-poor and hypo-perfused tumour, which prevents efficient drug delivery. Paradoxically, the neoplastic cells have robust glucose uptake, suggesting that the microvasculature has adopted an alternative method for nutrient uptake and cellular trafficking. Using adapted thick tumour section immunostaining and three-dimensional (3D) construction imaging in human tissue samples, we identified an undiscovered feature of the mature microvasculature in advanced PDAC tumours; long, hair-like projections on the basal surface of microvessels that we refer to as 'basal microvilli'. Functionally, these basal microvilli have an actin-rich cytoskeleton and endocytic and exocytic properties, and contain glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1)-positive vesicles. Clinically, as demonstrated by PET-CT, the tumour microvasculature with the longest and most abundant basal microvilli correlated with high glucose uptake of the PDAC tumour itself. In addition, these basal microvilli were found in regions of the tumour with low GLUT-1 expression, suggesting that their presence could be dependent upon the glucose concentration in the tumour milieu. Similar microvasculature features were also observed in a K-Ras-driven model of murine PDAC. Altogether, these basal microvilli mark a novel pathological feature of PDAC microvasculature. Because basal microvilli are pathological features with endo- and exocytic properties, they may provide a non-conventional method for cellular trafficking in PDAC tumours.

Cognitive-behavioral-based physical therapy to improve surgical spine outcomes: a case series.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Fear of movement is a risk factor for poor postoperative outcomes in patients following spine surgery. The purposes of this case series were: (1) to describe the effects of a cognitive-behavioral-based physical therapy (CBPT) intervention in patients with high fear of movement following lumbar spine surgery and (2) to assess the feasibility of physical therapists delivering cognitive-behavioral techniques over the telephone. CASE DESCRIPTION: Eight patients who underwent surgery for a lumbar degenerative condition completed the 6-session CBPT intervention. The intervention included empirically supported behavioral self-management, problem solving, and cognitive restructuring and relaxation strategies and was conducted in person and then weekly over the phone. Patient-reported outcomes of pain and disability were assessed at baseline (6 weeks after surgery), postintervention (3 months after surgery), and at follow-up (6 months after surgery). Performance-based outcomes were tested at baseline and postintervention. The outcome measures were the Brief Pain Inventory, Oswestry Disability Index, 5-Chair Stand Test, and 10-Meter Walk Test. OUTCOMES: Seven of the patients demonstrated a clinically significant reduction in pain, and all 8 of the patients had a clinically significant reduction in disability at 6-month follow-up. Improvement on the performance-based tests also was noted postintervention, with 5 patients demonstrating clinically meaningful change on the 10-Meter Walk Test. DISCUSSION: The findings suggest that physical therapists can feasibly implement cognitive-behavioral skills over the telephone and may positively affect outcomes after spine surgery. However, a randomized clinical trial is needed to confirm the results of this case series and the efficacy of the CBPT intervention. Clinical implications include broadening the availability of well-accepted cognitive-behavioral strategies by expanding implementation to physical therapists and through a telephone delivery model.

A new discrete element analysis method for predicting hip joint contact stresses.

Quantifying cartilage contact stress is paramount to understanding hip osteoarthritis. Discrete element analysis (DEA) is a computationally efficient method to estimate cartilage contact stresses. Previous applications of DEA have underestimated cartilage stresses and yielded unrealistic contact patterns because they assumed constant cartilage thickness and/or concentric joint geometry. The study objectives were to: (1) develop a DEA model of the hip joint with subject-specific bone and cartilage geometry, (2) validate the DEA model by comparing DEA predictions to those of a validated finite element analysis (FEA) model, and (3) verify both the DEA and FEA models with a linear-elastic boundary value problem. Springs representing cartilage in the DEA model were given lengths equivalent to the sum of acetabular and femoral cartilage thickness and gap distance in the FEA model. Material properties and boundary/loading conditions were equivalent. Walking, descending, and ascending stairs were simulated. Solution times for DEA and FEA models were ~7 s and ~65 min, respectively. Irregular, complex contact patterns predicted by DEA were in excellent agreement with FEA. DEA contact areas were 7.5%, 9.7% and 3.7% less than FEA for walking, descending stairs, and ascending stairs, respectively. DEA models predicted higher peak contact stresses (9.8-13.6 MPa) and average contact stresses (3.0-3.7 MPa) than FEA (6.2-9.8 and 2.0-2.5 MPa, respectively). DEA overestimated stresses due to the absence of the Poisson's effect and a direct contact interface between cartilage layers. Nevertheless, DEA predicted realistic contact patterns when subject-specific bone geometry and cartilage thickness were used. This DEA method may have application as an alternative to FEA for pre-operative planning of joint-preserving surgery such as acetabular reorientation during peri-acetabular osteotomy.

Anatomic changes in the inguinal region after hip arthroscopy: implications for femoral nerve block.

Patients may experience significant pain after hip arthroscopy. Two patients who experienced severe pain after arthroscopic hip surgery, despite receiving multimodal pharmacologic therapy, are presented. In both cases, ultrasound-guided femoral nerve block provided excellent analgesia. However, during ultrasound, significant anatomic changes were noted in the inguinal region. In this report, we describe anatomic changes in the inguinal region that are visible with ultrasound after hip arthroscopy.

Pain and satisfaction in hospitalized trauma patients: the importance of self-efficacy and psychological distress.

BACKGROUND: Unmanaged pain has been found to predict delayed return to work, psychologic distress, and chronic pain and disability in patients with traumatic injury. However, little is known about the pain experience during hospitalization. The primary objective of this study was to determine pain intensity, pain interference, and satisfaction with pain treatment in orthopedic trauma patients at hospital discharge. A secondary objective was to examine whether patient self-efficacy and psychologic distress were associated with pain and satisfaction. METHODS: Two hundred thirty-three orthopedic trauma patients were enrolled and completed a discharge assessment at a Level I trauma center. Pain was measured with the Brief Pain Inventory and satisfaction with the American Pain Society Patient Outcome Questionnaire. RESULTS: Ninety-seven percent of patients reported pain at the time of hospital discharge, with 59% and 73% reporting moderate to severe pain intensity and interference, respectively. Overall, 86% of patients were satisfied with pain treatment. Multivariable regression analyses demonstrated that decreased self-efficacy was associated with moderate to severe pain intensity, increased depression was associated with moderate to severe pain intensity and interference, and increased pain intensity was associated with decreased satisfaction (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that orthopedic trauma patients have a significant pain burden but are satisfied with pain treatment during the hospital stay. Efforts are needed to improve pain assessment and management and findings imply that addressing self-efficacy and depressive symptoms may decrease pain and increase satisfaction at hospital discharge. Brief educational interventions that incorporate pain coping skills and self-management techniques may be a feasible approach to improving self-efficacy in the acute care setting. Additional recommendations include routine hospital screening for depression and increased communication between surgeons and mental health providers to identify patients at high risk for unmanaged pain and facilitate provision of early mental health services.

Cognitive-behavioral determinants of pain and disability two years after traumatic injury: A cross-sectional survey study.

BACKGROUND: Approximately, 2.5 million trauma survivors are hospitalized each year, with the majority experiencing prolonged and profound pain-related disability. The present study investigated the association between fear of movement and pain catastrophizing and pain and physical health 2 years after high-energy trauma. METHODS: One hundred eight adult patients admitted to a Level I trauma intensive care unit, between July 2006 and July 2007, were contacted by phone 2 years after multiple trauma. Eighty-four (78%) participants completed measures of fear of movement, pain catastrophizing, pain intensity and interference with activity, and physical health. Patient and injury characteristics were abstracted from the medical record and a research database. Hierarchical multivariable linear regression analyses examined the unique contribution of fear of movement and pain catastrophizing to pain and physical health outcomes. RESULTS: Fear of movement and catastrophizing explained a significant proportion of variance in pain intensity (29%), pain interference (34%), and physical health (19%), after controlling for age, sex, intensive care unit stay, and depression. Fear of movement and pain catastrophizing were independently associated with pain intensity and physical health, but only pain catastrophizing was associated with pain interference (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that fear of movement and catastrophizing are risk factors for poor long-term outcomes after traumatic injury. Prospective studies are warranted to test the fear-avoidance model and determine whether the model may be relevant for explaining the development of chronic pain and disability in trauma survivors. The identification of subgroups based on negative pain beliefs may have the potential to improve outcomes after traumatic injury.