Patient-reported Outcomes from JAVELIN Bladder 100: Avelumab First-line Maintenance Plus Best Supportive Care Versus Best Supportive Care Alone for Advanced Urothelial Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: In JAVELIN Bladder 100, avelumab first-line maintenance plus best supportive care (BSC) significantly prolonged overall survival (OS; primary endpoint) versus BSC alone in patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma (aUC) without disease progression with first-line platinum-containing chemotherapy. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate patient-reported outcomes (PROs) with avelumab plus BSC versus BSC alone. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A randomized phase 3 trial (NCT02603432) was conducted in 700 patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma that had not progressed with first-line gemcitabine plus cisplatin or carboplatin. PROs were a secondary endpoint. INTERVENTION: Avelumab plus BSC (n = 350) or BSC alone (n = 350). OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: National Comprehensive Cancer Network/Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Bladder Symptom Index-18 (FBlSI-18) and EuroQol five-level EQ-5D (EQ-5D-5L) assessments were analyzed using descriptive statistics and mixed-effect models. Time to deterioration (TTD; prespecified definition: a ≥3-point decrease from baseline in the FBlSI-18 disease-related symptoms-physical subscale for two consecutive assessments) was evaluated via Kaplan-Meier analyses. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: Completion rates for scheduled on-treatment PRO assessments were >90% (overall and average per assessment). Results from descriptive analyses and mixed-effect or repeated-measures models of FBlSI-18 and EQ-5D-5L were similar between arms. TTD was also similar, both in the prespecified analysis (hazard ratio 1.26 [95% confidence interval: 0.90, 1.77]) and in the post hoc analyses including off-treatment assessments and different event definitions. Limitations included the open-label design and limited numbers of evaluable patients at later time points. CONCLUSIONS: Addition of avelumab first-line maintenance to BSC in patients with aUC that had not progressed with first-line platinum-containing chemotherapy prolonged OS, with a relatively minimal effect on quality of life. PATIENT SUMMARY: In this trial of people with advanced urothelial carcinoma who had benefited from first-line chemotherapy (ie, had stable disease or reduced tumor size), treatment with avelumab maintenance plus best supportive care (BSC) versus BSC alone improved survival significantly, without compromising quality of life, as reported by the patients themselves.

Extended Anticoagulant Treatment with Full- or Reduced-Dose Apixaban in Patients with Cancer-Associated Venous Thromboembolism: Rationale and Design of the API-CAT Study.

Cancer-associated thrombosis (CT) is associated with a high risk of recurrent venous thromboembolic (VTE) events that require extended anticoagulation in patients with active cancer, putting them at risk of bleeding. The aim of the API-CAT study (NCT03692065) is to assess whether a reduced-dose regimen of apixaban (2.5 mg twice daily [bid]) is noninferior to a full-dose regimen of apixaban (5 mg bid) for the prevention of recurrent VTE in patients with active cancer who have completed ≥6 months of anticoagulant therapy for a documented index event of proximal deep-vein thrombosis and/or pulmonary embolism. API-CAT is an international, randomized, parallel-group, double-blind, noninferiority trial with blinded adjudication of outcome events. Consecutive patients are randomized to receive apixaban 2.5 or 5 mg bid for 12 months. The primary efficacy outcome is a composite of recurrent symptomatic or incidental VTE during the treatment period. The principal safety endpoint is clinically relevant bleeding, defined as a composite of major bleeding or nonmajor clinically relevant bleeding. Assuming a 12-month incidence of the primary outcome of 4% with apixaban and an upper limit of the two-sided 95% confidence interval of the hazard ratio <2.0, 1,722 patients will be randomized, assuming an up to 10% loss in total patient-years (ß = 80%; α one-sided = 0.025). This trial has the potential to demonstrate that a regimen of extended treatment for patients with CT beyond an initial 6 months, with a reduced apixaban dose, has an acceptable risk of recurrent VTE recurrence and decreases the risk of bleeding.

The combination of bevacizumab/temsirolimus after first-line anti-VEGF therapy in advanced renal-cell carcinoma: a clinical and biomarker study.

BACKGROUND: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) targeting represents the standard first-line therapy for metastatic renal-cell carcinoma (mRCC), while blocking the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is effective in relapsed disease. Since continuing blockade of VEGF may be of value, we studied the combination of bevacizumab with temsirolimus in mRCC patients relapsing after first-line treatment. METHODS: A prospective, phase II study of the combination of bevacizumab (10 mg/kg, every 2 weeks) with temsirolimus (25 mg weekly) in patients with mRCC who failed first-line anti-VEGF treatment. 6-month progression-free survival (PFS) rate was the primary end point. The association of VEGFa, VEGFR2, fibroblast growth factor (FGF) b, platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) a and PDGFRb with prognostic factors and outcomes were also studied. RESULTS: 39 patients were enrolled. First-line therapy included: sunitinib (n = 16), bevacizumab/interferon (n = 12), pazopanib (n = 10), sorafenib (n = 1). After a median follow-up of 37 months, 6-month PFS rate was 50.9% [95% confidence interval (CI) 33.8-65.7], median time to progression 6.8 months (95% CI 5.5-9.2) and median overall survival (OS) 18.2 months (95% CI 12.9-27.2). Objective response rate was 27%. The most common AEs were metabolic (33%), renal (8%) and gastrointestinal (GI) (7%). The most common grade 3-5 AEs were GI (18%), infections (14%) and metabolic (25%). Toxicity was the most frequent cause of treatment discontinuation (40%). FGFb levels were associated with OS. CONCLUSIONS: In concert with recent data, our study confirms the efficacy of anti-VEGF/anti-mTOR combination in mRCC relapsing after anti-VEGF therapy. Toxicity was considerable leading to high rate of treatment discontinuations. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01264341.

Is it the right moment to include hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy as standard in ovarian cancer management? A reappraisal.

Ovarian cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death in women and often is diagnosed at an advanced stage with diffuse peritoneal carcinomatosis. Since it is mainly confined to the peritoneal cavity, even after recurrence, it is an ideal target for loco-regional therapy. The standard therapeutic strategy of advanced ovarian cancer is cytoreductive surgery followed by systemic chemotherapy. Intraperitoneal chemotherapy used as adjuvant therapy has shown a survival benefit in ovarian cancer. Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) has several advantages over simple intraperitoneal chemotherapy. This has prompted the use of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) followed by HIPEC in the management of ovarian cancer as a part of first and second line treatment for recurrent disease.

A retrospective analysis of two different sequences of therapy lines for advanced kidney cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIM: the ideal sequence of targeted agents for advanced kidney cancer is still unknown. In the present study we assessed the clinical benefit of two different sequential approaches, namely sorafenib, an inhibitor of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTORi) and sunitinib, or sunitinib (an mTORi) and sorafenib. PATIENTS AND METHODS: we retrospectively reviewed the outcome of 40 advanced kidney cancer patients treated with one of the two above sequences. RESULTS: a total of 26 patients were treated with the sequence sorafenib-mTORi-sunitinib and 14 with the sequence sunitinib-mTORi-sorafenib. The actuarial overall median progression-free survival (PFS) in the sorafenib-mTORi-sunitinib group and in the sunitinib-mTORi-sorafenib group were 21.9 and 22.8 months, respectively (log-rank test: p=0.928). In the sorafenib-mTORi-sunitinib group, patients in first-, second- and third-line therapy experienced PFS of 11.7, 5.1 and 9.1 months, respectively, while in the sunitinib-mTORi-sorafenib group PFS was 14.4, 4.3, and 3.9 months, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest there is no significant difference between the two sequence modalities.

Sequential treatment with sorafenib and sunitinib in metastatic renal cell carcinoma: clinical outcomes from a retrospective clinical study.

Sorafenib and sunitinib are inhibitors of receptor protein tyrosine kinases (TKIs) and are approved for the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). Although the mTOR inhibitor everolimus is effective for the treatment of patients who have failed TKI therapy, it is important to consider all available treatment options before switching therapy mode of action. Herein, we report outcomes in patients with mRCC switched to sorafenib following disease progression on sunitinib treatment. The medical records of 35 patients treated between November 2006 and November 2009 at two large referral centers in Greece were retrospectively analyzed for time-to-progression (TTP), overall survival (OS), and tolerability of sorafenib after sunitinib. Median TTP and OS on sorafenib were 4.9 and 11.5 months, respectively. Among 33 patients evaluable for tumor response, three had a partial response and 17 achieved disease stabilization (objective response rate 8.5%; total clinical benefit rate 57%). Sorafenib was well tolerated, with mostly grade 1/2 adverse events and no treatment-related deaths. Sorafenib was effective and well tolerated in this group of patients. The TTP with sorafenib following sunitinib was comparable to outcomes reported previously, providing further support that TKIs should be used in sequence before switching to an mTOR inhibitor.

A randomized phase III trial of adjuvant chemotherapy with irinotecan, leucovorin and fluorouracil versus leucovorin and fluorouracil for stage II and III colon cancer: a Hellenic Cooperative Oncology Group study.

BACKGROUND: Colon cancer is a public health problem worldwide. Adjuvant chemotherapy after surgical resection for stage III colon cancer has been shown to improve both progression-free and overall survival, and is currently recommended as standard therapy. However, its value for patients with stage II disease remains controversial. When this study was designed 5-fluorouracil (5FU) plus leucovorin (LV) was standard adjuvant treatment for colon cancer. Irinotecan (CPT-11) is a topoisomerase I inhibitor with activity in metastatic disease. In this multicenter adjuvant phase III trial, we evaluated the addition of irinotecan to weekly 5FU plus LV in patients with stage II or III colon cancer. METHODS: The study included 873 eligible patients. The treatment consisted of weekly administration of irinotecan 80 mg/m2 intravenously (i.v.), LV 200 mg/m2 and 5FU 450 mg/m2 bolus (Arm A) versus LV 200 mg/m2 and 5FU 500 mg/m2 i.v. bolus (Arm B). In Arm A, treatments were administered weekly for four consecutive weeks, followed by a two-week rest, for a total of six cycles, while in Arm B treatments were administered weekly for six consecutive weeks, followed by a two-week rest, for a total of four cycles. The primary end-point was disease-free survival (DFS) at three years. RESULTS: The probability of overall survival (OS) at three years was 0.88 for patients in Arm A and 0.86 for those in Arm B, while the five-year OS probability was 0.78 and 0.76 for patients in Arm A and Arm B, respectively (P = 0.436). Furthermore, the probability of DFS at three years was 0.78 and 0.76 for patients in Arm A and Arm B, respectively (P = 0.334). With the exception of leucopenia and neutropenia, which were higher in patients in Arm A, there were no significant differences in Grades 3 and 4 toxicities between the two regimens. The most frequently recorded Grade 3/4 toxicity was diarrhea in both treatment arms. CONCLUSIONS: Irinotecan added to weekly bolus 5FU plus LV did not result in improvement in disease-free or overall survival in stage II or III colon cancer, but did increase toxicity. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12610000148077.

Paclitaxel- and platinum-based postoperative chemotherapy for primary fallopian tube carcinoma: a single institution experience.

BACKGROUND: Primary fallopian tube carcinoma (PFTC) is a rare gynecologic malignancy with very few data existing on the activity of the combination of paclitaxel with a platinum analogue as adjuvant chemotherapy. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 41 consecutive patients with PFTC who were treated postoperatively with paclitaxel- and platinum-containing chemotherapy regimens. RESULTS: We observed 12 (63.2%) complete and 6 (31.6%) partial responses among 19 patients with measurable disease. The median time to disease progression (TTP) for all patients was 68 months. The median overall survival (OS) for all patients has not been reached yet. The median TTP was 84 months for patients with stage I/II disease and 34 months for patients with advanced disease (p = 0.017). Median OS has not been reached yet for patients with stage I/II PFTC, while it was 63.8 months for patients with stage III/IV disease (p = 0.002). Furthermore, OS has not been reached yet for patients with optimally debulked tumors, while it was 34.1 months for patients with residual disease >2 cm (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Adjuvant platinum- and paclitaxel-based chemotherapy should be regarded as the standard treatment in patients with PFTC. Early stage disease and optimal debulking are associated with improved TTP and OS.

Adjuvant dose-dense sequential chemotherapy with epirubicin, CMF and weekly paclitaxel in patients with resected high-risk breast cancer: a Hellenic Cooperative Oncology Group (HeCOG) study.

Randomized phase III trials have demonstrated that the addition of paclitaxel is effective in the adjuvant treatment of breast cancer. Forty-five patients with high-risk resected breast cancer entered this study. They were treated with three cycles of epirubicin every 2 weeks, followed by three cycles of intensified CMF, every 2 weeks, followed 3 weeks later by nine weekly cycles of paclitaxel (E-CMF-T). Forty patients (89%) received all cycles of chemotherapy and dose intensity was sufficiently maintained for all drugs. Toxicity was generally mild to moderate. Two cases of febrile neutropenia were reported. The E-CMF-T regimen is feasible and well tolerated.

Adjuvant chemotherapy using CPT-11, leucovorin plus bolus 5-fluorouracil and radiotherapy in patients with rectal cancer. A feasibility study.

BACKGROUND: The addition of CPT-11 to 5FU/leucovorin resulted in survival benefit in patients with advanced colorectal cancer suggesting that this combination could be used successfully in the adjuvant setting. We studied the toxicity profile of postoperatively administered CPT-11 plus leucovorin (LV)-modulated 5FU and radiotherapy in patients with rectal cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-seven patients with Dukes' B2 and C rectal adenocarcinoma were treated with CPT-11, 80 mg/m2 ii.v. over 90 minutes followed by LV 200 mg/m2 over 2 hours and 5FU 450 mg/m2 i.v.-bolus weekly for 4 weeks followed by a 2-week rest period. One cycle included 4 infusions. The first cycle of chemotherapy was followed by pelvic radiation to a total dose of 45 Gy to the whole pelvis and a boost of 5 Gy to the tumor bed. 5FU was administered daily as a rapid infusion during the first 3 as well as the last 3 days of radiotherapy. CPT-11 plus LV-modulated 5FU was continued for a total of 6 cycles or consent withdrawal. RESULTS: The main toxicity was reversible diarrhea (grade 3 and 4) in 9 (26%) patients during chemotherapy and in 3 (9%) patients during chemoradiotherapy. Furthermore, grade 3 leucopenia in 2 (6%) and 1 (3%) patient was observed during chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence that adjuvant therapy using CPT-11 plus LV modulated 5FU and radiotherapy can be used in patients with rectal cancer.