Pan-Asian adapted ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for the management of patients with intermediate and advanced/relapsed hepatocellular carcinoma: a TOS-ESMO initiative endorsed by CSCO, ISMPO, JSMO, KSMO, MOS and SSO.

The most recent version of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Clinical Practice Guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was published in 2018, and covered the diagnosis, management, treatment and follow-up of early, intermediate and advanced disease. At the ESMO Asia Meeting in November 2018 it was decided by both the ESMO and the Taiwan Oncology Society (TOS) to convene a special guidelines meeting immediately after the Taiwan Joint Cancer Conference (TJCC) in May 2019 in Taipei. The aim was to adapt the ESMO 2018 guidelines to take into account both the ethnic and the geographic differences in practice associated with the treatment of HCC in Asian patients. These guidelines represent the consensus opinions reached by experts in the treatment of patients with intermediate and advanced/relapsed HCC representing the oncology societies of Taiwan (TOS), China (CSCO), India (ISMPO) Japan (JSMO), Korea (KSMO), Malaysia (MOS) and Singapore (SSO). The voting was based on scientific evidence, and was independent of the current treatment practices, the drug availability and reimbursement situations in the individual participating Asian countries.

Efficacy and safety findings from DREAM: a phase III study of DHP107 (oral paclitaxel) versus i.v. paclitaxel in patients with advanced gastric cancer after failure of first-line chemotherapy.

Background: Paclitaxel is currently only available as an intravenous (i.v.) formulation. DHP107 is a novel oral formulation of lipid ingredients and paclitaxel. DHP107 demonstrated comparable efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics to i.v. paclitaxel as a second-line therapy in patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC). DREAM is a multicenter, open-label, prospective, randomized phase III study of patients with histologically/cytologically confirmed, unresectable/recurrent AGC after first-line therapy failure. Methods and materials: Patients were randomized 1 : 1 to DHP107 (200 mg/m2 orally twice daily days 1, 8, 15 every 4 weeks) or i.v. paclitaxel (175 mg/m2 day 1 every 3 weeks). Patients were stratified by Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, disease status, and prior treatment; response was assessed (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors) every 6 weeks. Primary end point: non-inferiority of progression-free survival (PFS); secondary end points: overall response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS), and safety. For the efficacy analysis, sequential tests for non-inferiority were carried out, first with a non-inferiority margin of 1.48, then with a margin of 1.25. Results: Baseline characteristics were balanced in the 236 randomized patients (n = 118 per arm). Median PFS (per-protocol) was 3.0 (95% CI 1.7-4.0) months for DHP107 and 2.6 (95% CI 1.8-2.8) months for paclitaxel (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.85; 95% CI 0.64-1.13). A sensitivity analysis on PFS using independent central review showed similar results (HR = 0.93; 95% CI 0.70-1.24). Median OS (full analysis set) was 9.7 (95% CI 7.1 - 11.5) months for DHP107 versus 8.9 (95% CI 7.1-12.2) months for paclitaxel (HR = 1.04; 95% CI 0.76-1.41). ORR was 17.8% for DHP107 (CR 4.2%; PR 13.6%) versus 25.4% for paclitaxel (CR 3.4%; PR 22.0%). Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and mucositis were more common with DHP107; peripheral neuropathy was more common with paclitaxel. There were only few Grade≥3 adverse events, most commonly neutropenia (42% versus 53%); febrile neutropenia was reported infrequently (5.9% versus 2.5%). No hypersensitivity reactions occurred with DHP107 (paclitaxel 2.5%). Conclusions: DHP107 as a second-line treatment of AGC was non-inferior to paclitaxel for PFS; other efficacy and safety parameters were comparable. DHP107 is the first oral paclitaxel with proven efficacy/safety for the treatment of AGC. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01839773.

Phase III randomized study of second line ADI-PEG 20 plus best supportive care versus placebo plus best supportive care in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Arginine depletion is a putative target in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HCC often lacks argininosuccinate synthetase, a citrulline to arginine-repleting enzyme. ADI-PEG 20 is a cloned arginine degrading enzyme-arginine deiminase-conjugated with polyethylene glycol. The goal of this study was to evaluate this agent as a potential novel therapeutic for HCC after first line systemic therapy. Methods and patients: Patients with histologically proven advanced HCC and Child-Pugh up to B7 with prior systemic therapy, were randomized 2 : 1 to ADI-PEG 20 18 mg/m2 versus placebo intramuscular injection weekly. The primary end point was overall survival (OS), with 93% power to detect a 4-5.6 months increase in median OS (one-sided α = 0.025). Secondary end points included progression-free survival, safety, and arginine correlatives. Results: A total of 635 patients were enrolled: median age 61, 82% male, 60% Asian, 52% hepatitis B, 26% hepatitis C, 76% stage IV, 91% Child-Pugh A, 70% progressed on sorafenib and 16% were intolerant. Median OS was 7.8 months for ADI-PEG 20 versus 7.4 for placebo (P = 0.88, HR = 1.02) and median progression-free survival 2.6 months versus 2.6 (P = 0.07, HR = 1.17). Grade 3 fatigue and decreased appetite occurred in <5% of patients. Two patients on ADI-PEG 20 had ≥grade 3 anaphylactic reaction. Death rate within 30 days of end of treatment was 15.2% on ADI-PEG 20 versus 10.4% on placebo, none related to therapy. Post hoc analyses of arginine assessment at 4, 8, 12 and 16 weeks, demonstrated a trend of improved OS for those with more prolonged arginine depletion. Conclusion: ADI-PEG 20 monotherapy did not demonstrate an OS benefit in second line setting for HCC. It was well tolerated. Strategies to enhance prolonged arginine depletion and synergize the effect of ADI-PEG 20 are underway. Clinical Trial number: www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT 01287585).

Comparison of two different S-1 plus cisplatin dosing schedules as first-line chemotherapy for metastatic and/or recurrent gastric cancer: a multicenter, randomized phase III trial (SOS).

BACKGROUND: Five-weekly S-1 plus cisplatin (SP5) is one of the standard first-line regimens for advanced gastric cancer (GC), proven in a Japanese phase III study. To enhance the dose intensity of cisplatin, 3-weekly S-1 plus cisplatin (SP3) was developed. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This multicenter, randomized, open-label, phase III study evaluated whether SP3 (S-1 80 mg/m(2)/day on days 1-14 and cisplatin 60 mg/m(2) on day 1) was noninferior/superior to SP5 (S-1 80-120 mg/day on days 1-21 and cisplatin 60 mg/m(2) on day 1 or 8) in terms of progression-free survival (PFS). Chemotherapy-naive patients with metastatic, recurrent gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma were randomized 1 : 1 to receive either SP3 or SP5. The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT00915382). RESULTS: Between February 2009 and January 2012, 625 patients were randomized at 42 sites in Korea and Japan. With a median follow-up duration of 32.4 months (range, 13.3-48.6 months) in surviving patients, SP3 was not only noninferior but also superior to SP5 in terms of PFS [median 5.5 versus 4.9 months; hazard ratio (HR) = 0.82; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.68-0.99; P = 0.0418 for superiority). There was no difference in overall survival (OS) between the groups (median 14.1 versus 13.9 months; HR = 0.99; 95% CI 0.81-1.21; P = 0.9068). In patients with measurable disease, the response rates were 60% in the SP3 arm and 50% in the SP5 arm (P = 0.065). Both regimens were generally well tolerated, but grade 3 or higher anemia (19% versus 9%) and neutropenia (39% versus 9%) were more frequent in SP3. CONCLUSIONS: SP3 is superior to SP5 in terms of PFS. However, since the improvement in PFS was only slight and there was no difference in OS, both SP3 and SP5 can be recommended as first-line treatments for patients with advanced GC.

Analysis of serum protein biomarkers, circulating tumor DNA, and dovitinib activity in patients with tyrosine kinase inhibitor-refractory gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

BACKGROUND: An exploratory translational analysis was conducted as part of a phase II study of dovitinib to assess the relevance of soluble serum proteins and circulating tumor (ct) DNA (ctDNA) as biomarkers in patients with tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)-refractory gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Predose serum samples were collected from 30 patients on day 1 of cycle 1 and cycle 2. Serum levels of angiogenesis-related proteins were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and Beads, emulsions, amplification, and magnetics (BEAMing) assays were carried out to detect mutations in serum ctDNA. RESULTS: Dovitinib increased vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)165 (1.26-fold, P = 0.006), VEGF-A (1.27-fold, P = 0.004), placental growth factor (6.0-fold, P = 0.002), fibroblast growth factor 23 (1.45-fold, P = 0.02), and interleukin 8 (1.75-fold, P = 0.04) levels, and decreased soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (sVEGFR)-2 levels (0.8-fold, P = 0.001). The changes in sVEGFR-2 were significantly associated with metabolic response determined by positron emission tomography (P = 0.02) and progression-free survival (PFS; P = 0.02). Secondary kinase mutations were identified in the ctDNA of 11 patients (41%), and these patients all had mutations involving KIT exon 17. Patients with secondary KIT mutations had significantly worse overall survival {median, 5.5 months [95% confidence interval (CI) 3.8-7.2 months]} than those with no detectable secondary mutations [9.8 months (95% CI 9.6-10.0 months); hazard ratio = 2.7 (95% CI 1.0-7.3); P = 0.047]. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in sVEGFR-2 levels were associated with dovitinib-mediated antitumor activity. Genotyping of serum ctDNA with BEAMing is useful for the identification of resistant mutations potentially associated with poor prognosis in patients with GISTs.

Phase II study of dovitinib in patients with metastatic and/or unresectable gastrointestinal stromal tumours after failure of imatinib and sunitinib.

BACKGROUND: This prospective, phase II trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of dovitinib in patients with metastatic and/or unresectable gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) after failure of at least imatinib and sunitinib. METHODS: Patients received oral dovitinib, 500 mg once daily, for 5 consecutive days, followed by a 2-day rest, every 28 days. The primary endpoint was disease control rate (DCR; objective response+stable disease (SD)) at 24 weeks, assessed by computed tomography (CT) scan according to RECIST v1.0. Metabolic response was evaluated by positron emission tomography (PET)-CT scans performed at baseline and after 4 weeks of treatment. RESULTS: Between September 2011 and April 2012, 30 patients were enrolled. DCR at 24 weeks by RECIST v1.0 was 13% and one patient (3%) had a partial response. Based on the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer PET response criteria, four patients (13%) had a metabolic partial response after 4 weeks of treatment. At a median follow-up of 8.3 months (range, 6.3-12.2 months), median progression-free survival (PFS) was 3.6 months (95% confidence interval (CI), 3.5-3.7 months) and median overall survival was 9.7 months (95% CI, 6.0-13.4 months). Metabolic progressive disease at Week 4 was significantly associated with shorter PFS (P=0.03). Grade 3/4 adverse events included asthenia (20%), neutropenia (13%), thrombocytopenia (10%), and hypertriglyceridaemia (10%). Most toxicities were manageable by dose modification. CONCLUSION: Dovitinib showed modest antitumour activity with manageable toxicities in heavily pretreated patients with advanced GISTs.

Phase II study of everolimus with biomarker exploration in patients with advanced gastric cancer refractory to chemotherapy including fluoropyrimidine and platinum.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the activity and safety of everolimus and identify potential biomarkers for efficacy of everolimus in patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC), who failed both fluoropyrimidine and platinum. METHODS: Fifty-four patients received everolimus (10 mg day(-1)). The primary objective was to determine the 4-month progression-free survival (PFS) rate, assumed to be 30%. We additionally investigated the potential biomarkers for everolimus as an exploratory endpoint in those who underwent tumour biopsies. RESULTS: Two patients (3.7%) achieved partial response and the disease control rate (DCR) was 38.9%. At a median follow-up duration of 8.7 months, the 4-month PFS rate was 18.4%, not fulfilling the primary hypothesis, with a median PFS of 1.7 months and a median overall survival of 8.3 months. The high expression of pS6(Ser240/4) at baseline was significantly associated with higher DCR (P=0.043) and prolonged PFS (P=0.001). Grade 1/2 asthenia (96.3%) recorded as the leading toxicity and hyperglycaemia (20.4%) was the most common non-hematological grade 3/4 toxicity. Three patients experienced grade 3/4 pneumonitis. Notably, two experienced treatment-related deaths. CONCLUSION: Everolimus is active against a limited number of patients with AGC. pS6(Ser240/4) may be a potential predictive biomarker for everolimus, which requires validation. Careful monitoring is necessary despite generally favourable toxicity profile.

Sorafenib in patients with metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumors who failed two or more prior tyrosine kinase inhibitors: a phase II study of Korean gastrointestinal stromal tumors study group.

PURPOSE: To evaluated the efficacy and safety of sorafenib in patients with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) who failed to previous standard treatments. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Thirty-one patients with measurable metastatic GIST who failed both imatinib and sunitinib were accrued. Sorafenib was administered orally at 400 mg twice daily until disease progression or development of intolerance. The primary endpoint was disease control rate (response + stable disease, DCR) at 24 weeks. RESULTS: Sorafenib was well tolerated, with hand-foot skin reaction, fatigue, hypertension, and abdominal pain being the most frequent adverse events. The relative dose intensity of sorafenib during the first 6 months was >80%. Four patients achieved partial response (response rate 13%, 95% CI 1-25%), and 16 (52%) had stable disease. DCR at 24 weeks was measured as 36% (95% CI 19-52%). Median progression-free and overall survivals were 4.9 and 9.7 months, respectively. Progression-free survival of patients with prior use of nilotinib (P = .0085) and with primary genotypes other than KIT exon 11 mutation (P = .0341) was significantly shorter than that of patients without. CONCLUSIONS: Sorafenib showed antitumor activity in this population of imatinib and sunitinib pretreated GIST. With sorafenib, about one third of patients can maintain disease control for more than 24 weeks.

Tumor immune-gene expression profiles and peripheral immune phenotypes associated with clinical outcomes of locally advanced pancreatic cancer following FOLFIRINOX.

BACKGROUND: A comprehensive analysis of peripheral immune cell phenotypes and tumor immune-gene expression profiles in locally advanced pancreatic cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy in a phase II clinical trial was carried out. METHODS: Patients were treated with neoadjuvant modified folinic acid, fluorouracil, irinotecan hydrochloride, oxaliplatin (mFOLFIRINOX) followed by surgery and adjuvant gemcitabine at the Asan Medical Center. Correlations between survival outcomes and baseline peripheral immune cells and their changes during preoperative chemotherapy were analyzed. Patients who had surgery were divided into two groups according to achievement of disease-free survival >10 months (achieved versus failed). Differential expression and pathway analysis of immune-related genes were carried out using the Nanostring platform, and immune cells within the tumor microenvironment were compared by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Forty-four patients were treated in the phase II clinical trial. Higher baseline CD14+CD11c+HLA-DR+ monocytes (P = 0.044) and lower Foxp3+CD4+ T cells (P = 0.02) were associated with poor progression-free survival of neoadjuvant mFOLFIRINOX. During the preoperative chemotherapy, PD-1 T cells significantly decreased (P = 0.0110). Differential expression and pathway analysis of immune-genes from the resected tumor after neoadjuvant treatment revealed transforming growth factor-ß pathway enrichment and higher expression of MARCO (adjusted P < 0.05) associated with early recurrence. Enrichment of the Th1 pathway and higher peritumoral CD8+ T cells (P = 0.0103) were associated with durable disease-free survival from surgery (>10 months) following neoadjuvant mFOLFIRINOX. CONCLUSIONS: Our results identify potential immune biomarkers for locally advanced pancreatic cancer and provide insights into pancreatic cancer immunity.

Atezolizumab plus bevacizumab versus lenvatinib or sorafenib in non-viral unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: an international propensity score matching analysis.

BACKGROUND: A growing body of evidence suggests that non-viral hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) might benefit less from immunotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We carried out a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from consecutive patients with non-viral advanced HCC, treated with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab, lenvatinib, or sorafenib, in 36 centers in 4 countries (Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, and UK). The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS) with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab versus lenvatinib. Secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS) with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab versus lenvatinib, and OS and PFS with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab versus sorafenib. For the primary and secondary endpoints, we carried out the analysis on the whole population first, and then we divided the cohort into two groups: non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)/non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) population and non-NAFLD/NASH population. RESULTS: One hundred and ninety patients received atezolizumab plus bevacizumab, 569 patients received lenvatinib, and 210 patients received sorafenib. In the whole population, multivariate analysis showed that treatment with lenvatinib was associated with a longer OS [hazard ratio (HR) 0.65; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.44-0.95; P = 0.0268] and PFS (HR 0.67; 95% CI 0.51-0.86; P = 0.002) compared to atezolizumab plus bevacizumab. In the NAFLD/NASH population, multivariate analysis confirmed that lenvatinib treatment was associated with a longer OS (HR 0.46; 95% CI 0.26-0.84; P = 0.0110) and PFS (HR 0.55; 95% CI 0.38-0.82; P = 0.031) compared to atezolizumab plus bevacizumab. In the subgroup of non-NAFLD/NASH patients, no difference in OS or PFS was observed between patients treated with lenvatinib and those treated with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab. All these results were confirmed following propensity score matching analysis. By comparing patients receiving atezolizumab plus bevacizumab versus sorafenib, no statistically significant difference in survival was observed. CONCLUSIONS: The present analysis conducted on a large number of advanced non-viral HCC patients showed for the first time that treatment with lenvatinib is associated with a significant survival benefit compared to atezolizumab plus bevacizumab, in particular in patients with NAFLD/NASH-related HCC.

Capecitabine plus temozolomide in patients with grade 3 unresectable or metastatic gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms with Ki-67 index <55%: single-arm phase II study.

BACKGROUND: Grade 3 neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) of gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) origin with Ki-67 indices <55% do not respond well to platinum-based chemotherapy. The combination of capecitabine and temozolomide (CAPTEM) has shown favorable responses in grade 1-2 NENs, but has rarely been studied in patients with grade 3 NENs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This open-label, single-arm phase II trial included patients with unresectable or metastatic grade 3 NENs of GEP origin with Ki-67 indices <55% enrolled between June 2017 and July 2020. Patients received oral capecitabine 750 mg/m2 twice daily on days 1 to 14 and oral temozolomide 200 mg/m2 once daily on days 10 to 14 every 4 weeks. Histologic findings were centrally reviewed after the completion of enrollment. The primary endpoint was overall response rate, and the secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and adverse events. RESULTS: Of the 30 patients included in the full analysis set, 1 (3.3%) achieved complete response, 8 (26.7%) had partial responses, and 14 (46.7%) had stable disease, making the overall response rate 30.0%. At a median follow-up of 19.2 months, the median PFS was 5.9 months and the median OS was not reached. Patients with well-differentiated NENs showed significantly better median PFS (9.3 months versus 3.5 months, P = 0.005) and median OS (not reached versus 6.2 months, P = 0.004) than patients with poorly differentiated tumors. Expression of O6-methyl-guanine methyltransferase protein did not correlate with clinical outcomes. The most common grade 3-4 adverse events were thrombocytopenia (10%), anemia (6.7%), and nausea (6.7%). CONCLUSIONS: CAPTEM was effective and well tolerated in patients with grade 3 GEP-NENs with Ki-67 indices <55%, with superior efficacy outcomes compared with the historical controls receiving platinum-based chemotherapy.

A randomised multicentre phase II trial of capecitabine vs S-1 as first-line treatment in elderly patients with metastatic or recurrent unresectable gastric cancer.

This randomised multicentre phase II study was conducted to investigate the activity and safety of two oral fluoropyrimidines, capecitabine or S-1, in elderly patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC). Elderly (>or=65 years) chemo-naive patients with AGC were randomly assigned to receive capecitabine 1250 mg m(-2) two times daily on days 1-14 every 3 weeks or S-1 40-60 mg two times daily according to body surface area on days 1-28 every 6 weeks. Ninety-six patients were enrolled and 91 patients were randomised to capecitabine (N=46) or S-1 (N=45). Overall response rate, the primary end point, was 27.2% (95% CI, 14.1-40.4, 12 of 44 assessable patients) with capecitabine and 28.9% (95% CI, 15.6-42.1, 13 of 45) with S-1. Median times to progression and overall survival in the capecitabine arm (4.7 and 9.5 months, respectively) were similar to those in the S-1 arm (4.2 and 8.2 months, respectively). The incidence of grade 3-4 granulocytopenia was 6.8% with capecitabine and 4.8% with S-1. Grade 3-4 nonhaematologic toxicities were: asthenia (9.1% with capecitabine vs 7.1% with S-1), anorexia (6.8 vs 9.5%), diarrhoea (2.3 vs 0%), and hand-foot syndrome (6.8 vs 0%). Both capecitabine and S-1 monotherapies were active and tolerable as first-line treatment for elderly patients with AGC.

Phase I study of proteasome inhibitor bortezomib plus CHOP in patients with advanced, aggressive T-cell or NK/T-cell lymphoma.

The aim of the study was to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and safety of the combination of bortezomib and cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone (CHOP) as first-line therapy in advanced, aggressive T-cell lymphoma. Patients received increasing doses of bortezomib on days 1 and 8 (weekly schedule, 1.0, 1.3, and 1.6 mg/m(2)/dose) in addition to 750 mg/m(2) cyclophosphamide, 50 mg/m(2) doxorubicin, 1.4 mg/m(2) vincristine on day 1 and 100 mg/day prednisolone on days 1 to 5, every 3 weeks. Six cycles of therapy administered every 21 days were planned. Thirteen patients, who had stage III/IV chemonaive aggressive T-cell lymphoma, received a total of 55 cycles of treatment. One patient experienced hematologic dose-limiting toxicity (grade 4 neutropenia associated with febrile episode) at the 1.0 mg/m(2)/dose of bortezomib. There was no dose-limiting non-hematologic toxicity. The MTD was not reached at 1.6 mg/m(2) dose level of bortezomib. The overall complete remission rate in all patients was 61.5% (95% confidence interval = 31.6-86.1). Bortezomib can be safely combined with CHOP chemotherapy and constitutes an active regimen in advanced-stage, aggressive T-cell lymphoma patients. The recommended dose for subsequent phase II studies of bortezomib plus CHOP is 1.6 mg/m(2)/dose of bortezomib on days 1 and 8 every 3 weeks as first-line treatment.

Belotecan, new camptothecin analogue, is active in patients with small-cell lung cancer: results of a multicenter early phase II study.

BACKGROUND: Belotecan (Camtobell, Chong Keun Dang Corp, Seoul, Korea; CKD602) is a new camptothecin analogue. This study aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of single-agent belotecan for small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-seven patients with chemotherapy-naive or chemosensitive SCLC were treated with belotecan 0.5 mg/m(2)/day on days 1-5 of a 3-week cycle. All 27 patients were assessable for toxicity, and 21 patients assessable for response. RESULTS: Nine patients (42.9%) showed objective tumor responses including one complete response; seven (63.6%) in 11 chemotherapy-naive patients; and two (20.0%) in 10 chemosensitive patients. With a median follow-up of 5 years, median progression-free and survival time for chemotherapy-naive patients were 4.8 months and 11.9 months, respectively, while the corresponding values for chemosensitive patients were 3.3 months and 10.5 months, respectively. The most common toxicity was neutropenia. CONCLUSION: Belotecan was active in SCLC patients as a single agent, warranting further investigations of belotecan in combination with platinum or other active agents.

Clinical heterogeneity of extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type: a national survey of the Korean Cancer Study Group.

BACKGROUND: This national survey was undertaken to propose the classification of extranodal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma (NTCL) subtypes and to clarify a clinical heterogeneity. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two hundred and eighty patients newly diagnosed as NTCL were enrolled from 22 Korean medical centers. Two subsets were compared: one involving the upper aerodigestive tract (UAT) and another involving the non-upper aerodigestive tract (NUAT) region, which comprises the skin, gastrointestinal tract, and liver or soft tissues. Clinical prognostic factors, survival outcomes, and independent predictors for survival were compared between each subset. RESULTS: NUAT-NTCL (59 patients) had significantly higher proportions of disseminated disease, aggressive biologic features, and unfavorable host reactions compared with UAT-NTCL (221 patients). NUAT-NTCL had shortened 5-year overall survival (OS) (22% versus 41%, P = 0.001). Ann Arbor staging, the International Prognostic Index, and the NTCL prognostic index failed to predict the OS of NUAT-NTCL, but did predict the OS in UAT-NTCL. Independent predictors for OS by multivariate analyses differed between each subset. In the NUAT subset, extranodal sites and regional nodes predicted the OS, while Ann Arbor staging, age, performance status, and lactate dehydrogenase level predicted the OS in the UAT subset. CONCLUSION: NUAT-NTCL may represent a distinctive disease entity in terms of clinical factors, independent predictors, and survival outcomes.

High-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell transplantation in extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma: a retrospective comparison with non-transplantation cases.

To determine the role of high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation (HDC/ASCT) in extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma patients, we conducted a retrospective analysis. In our previous study, we searched for patients who had received HDC/ASCT and identified 16 eligible patients and compared the treatment outcome with historical control group (n=246). Nine patients received HDC/ASCT in the first (CR1) or second complete remission (CR2), while seven patients received HDC/ASCT as salvage. Twelve of 16 patients achieved or maintained CR after HDC/ASCT. Among the 12 patients, five patients relapsed. Estimated 2-year overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) rates were 71.3+/-12.4% and 25.8+/-14.3%, respectively. There was a tendency of better survival in patients who received HDC/ASCT as compared to those who did not (P=0.091). In subset analysis, patients who underwent HDC/ASCT at CR (P=0.049) and patients with stage III or IV (P=0.001) had a favorable outcome. Patients with NKIPI 3,4 or EUNKTL, who underwent HDC/ASCT had more prolonged survival without statistical significance (P=0.055 and 0.056). In conclusion, HDC/ASCT may be considered as a treatment option for patients with extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, especially those in CR, with advanced disease (stage III/IV or EUNKTL) and high NKIPI scores.

A phase II trial of DA-125, a novel anthracycline, in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE: DA-125 is a novel anthracycline derivative developed by Dong-A Pharmaceutical Company, Korea. Preclinical studies have suggested that DA-125 has greater efficacy and less toxicity than doxorubicin. The maximum tolerable dose has been shown to be 100 mg/m(2 )in a phase I trial. The purpose of this phase II study was to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of DA-125 in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: Chemotherapy-naive patients with histologically confirmed measurable NSCLC which was not curable by surgery or radiation therapy because of metastasis, local invasion, or recurrence were eligible for this trial. Between May 1996 and April 1997, 20 patients entered into this trial and were treated with DA-125 administered as a 5-min intravenous infusion every 3 weeks. The dose of DA-125 was 80 mg/m(2 )during the first cycle, and was adjusted to between 60 and 100 mg/m(2) according to the observed toxicities during subsequent cycles. RESULTS: Among 19 evaluable patients, there was no objective response to DA-125. Anemia, leukopenia and granulocytopenia of grade 3 or over were observed in 4%, 6% and 12% of chemotherapy cycles, respectively. There were no treatment-related deaths. With regard to nonhematologic toxicities, diarrhea, infection and elevated serum alkaline phosphatase of grade 3 or over were observed in 2% of cycles, but were tolerable and reversible. CONCLUSION: DA-125 at these doses and in this schedule was highly tolerable, but was not active in patients with advanced NSCLC.

Adjuvant (cisplatin, etoposide, and 5-fluorouracil) chemotherapy after curative resection of gastric adenocarcinomas involving the esophagogastric junction.

Gastric adenocarcinomas involving the esophagogastric junction represent a particular therapeutic problem because they lie in the border area between two body cavities: the thorax and the abdomen. The prognosis of gastric adenocarcinomas involving esophagogastric junction is poor because there is widespread lymphatic metastasis, making curative resection difficult. Even in patients with localized disease who are potentially curable, the 5-year survival rate is approximately 20% with curative resection only, somewhat lower than for those with cancer elsewhere in the stomach. The authors conducted a pilot study to evaluate the safety and possible efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy with cisplatin, etoposide, and 5-fluorouracil (PEF) after curative resection of gastric adenocarcinoma involving esophagogastric junction. Three cycles of adjuvant PEF chemotherapy with cisplatin (20 mg/m2/day intravenously on days 1-5), etoposide (100 mg/m2/day intravenously on days 1, 3, and 5), and 5-fluorouracil (800 mg/m2/day continuous intravenous infusion on days 1-5) were given every 3 weeks after curative resection of gastric adenocarcinoma involving the esophagogastric junction. Between November 1989 and June 1995, a total of 50 patients with postoperative stage II, IIIA, or IIIB disease entered this trial. In 14 of 50 patients (28%), the disease recurred during the follow-up of 4-83 months (median 26 months). Disease-free survival was 4-83+ months (median 48 months), and the actuarial 5-year disease-free survival rate was 48% (95% CI: 41% to 55%). Overall survival was 4-83+ months (median 62 months), and the actuarial 5-year survival rate was 54% (95% CI: 40% to 68%). The prognostic factor analysis showed that the postoperative N stage and the interval between surgery and chemotherapy affected disease-free survival and overall survival. The toxicities of PEF adjuvant chemotherapy were leukopenia, nausea/vomiting, and alopecia, but they were mostly mild and reversible except in one patient who died because of treatment-related sepsis. Adjuvant chemotherapy with three cycles of PEF regimen was well tolerated and seems to be a promising treatment for gastric adenocarcinoma involving the esophagopstric junction, in comparison with previous treatments. To define the efficacy of adjuvant PEF chemotherapy for gastric adenocarcinoma involving esophagogastric junction, prospective randomized trials are warranted.

Ramosetron for the prevention of cisplatin-induced acute emesis: a prospective randomized comparison with granisetron.

Control of nausea and vomiting is very important in determining patient compliance with cisplatin chemotherapy. A multicentre, randomized, single-blind study was conducted to compare the tolerability and efficacy of ramosetron with those of granisetron over 24 h following cisplatin administration to cancer patients. In eight study centres, a total of 194 adult patients were randomly assigned to receive either intravenous ramosetron 0.3 mg or intravenous granisetron 3.0 mg. The anti-emetic effect of ramosetron determined from the no-vomiting rate lasted longer, but there was no significant difference in the number of acute vomiting episodes or the severity of nausea between the two groups. In the tolerability evaluation, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups, except for a higher incidence of dull headache in the granisetron group. Ramosetron and granisetron appear to have equivalent efficacy and tolerability profiles, but the effects of ramosetron on the prevention of acute vomiting in patients undergoing cisplatin chemotherapy were longer lasting.

Prognostic significance of p53 gene mutations and protein overexpression in localized gastrointestinal stromal tumours.

AIMS: Mutation of c-kit is a relatively early event in the tumorigenesis of gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs). The aim was to determine the prognostic significance of p53 alterations as an additional genetic change in GISTs. METHODS AND RESULTS: We reviewed 125 patients with localized GISTs subjected to complete resection between 1990 and 2002. Mutational analyses of c-kit exons 9, 11, 13 and 17, p53 exons 4-8 and immunohistochemistry for p53 protein were conducted using paraffin-embedded tissues. Alterations of p53 were observed in 50 patients (40.0%). Based on the National Institutes of Health's risk category, p53 alterations were noted more frequently in the higher risk categories (P = 0.041). With a median follow-up of 56.5 months (range: 2.3-126.8), 5-year relapse-free survival (RFS) rates were 61.7% without p53 alterations, compared with only 40.2% with p53 alterations (P = 0.009). Multivariate analysis indicated that p53 alterations comprised an independent, poor prognostic factor for RFS, in addition to c-kit mutations, large size, a high mitotic count and non-gastric primary sites. CONCLUSIONS: Alterations in p53 were more commonly observed in localized GISTs at higher risk of relapse. This suggests that they are significant as an independent, poor prognostic factor.