Assessing the effectiveness and safety of lenvatinib and everolimus in advanced renal cell carcinoma: insights from the RELIEVE study's analysis of heavily pretreated patients.

Background: The treatment of heavily pretreated patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) represents an unmet medical need and is still challenging. Objectives: The primary objective was to assess the effectiveness of the lenvatinib plus everolimus combination and the secondary objective was the toxicity profile of this combination. Design: We conducted a longitudinal retrospective study examining mRCC patients pre-treated with one or more lines of therapy among different cancer centers in Italy. Methods: The study included patients who received the combination of lenvatinib plus everolimus as either a second-line treatment or beyond. We assessed progression-free survival (PFS), time to treatment failure (TTF), overall survival (OS), response rate (RR), and toxicity profile. In addition, we explored the potential relationship between treatment effectiveness and clinical and laboratory parameters. Results: In all, 33 patients were assessed, the median age was 60 years, 57% had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 1-2 and. 63% received ⩾ 3 prior lines of therapy. 62% were 'intermediate risk' according to the International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium and 30% were 'poor risk'. The RR was 42% (no complete response), 18% stable disease. Median OS was 11.2 months (95% CI 6.8-19.9), median PFS was 6.7 months (95% CI 0.6-30.8), and median TTF was 6.7 months (95% CI 4.8-16.6). A shorter OS was significantly associated with lymph node metastases (p = 0.043, 95% CI), neutrophils/ lymphocytes ratio (NLR) ⩾ 3 (p = 0.007), hemoglobin/red cell distribution width ratio cutoff value <0.7 was significant (p = 0.03) while a shorter PFS was associated with lung (p = 0.048) and brain metastases (p = 0.023). The most frequent G1 toxicity was diarrhea (24%), G2 was fatigue (30%), and hypertension and skin toxicity (6%) for G3. Conclusion: Our findings suggest a clinically relevant effectiveness of lenvatinib plus everolimus combination with an acceptable toxicity profile for heavily pretreated patients with mRCC.

Instrumental activities of daily living in older patients with metastatic prostate cancer: results from the meet-URO network ADHERE prospective study.

Instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) are significant health indicators closely related to executive functions and able to detect mild cognitive impairment. A decline in IADL usually precedes ADL limitation, including taking medications, and may therefore predict a cognitive decline. We aimed to investigate the association of patients' IADL score with other clinical factors, with a particular focus on the presence of a caregiver, and the impact on adherence to androgen receptor pathway inhibitors (ARPIs) and survival outcomes within the Meet-URO 5-ADHERE study. It was a large prospective multicentre observational cohort study monitoring adherence to ARPIs in 234 metastatic castrate-resistant PC (mCRPC) patients aged ≥ 70. We observed an association between impaired IADL and lower geriatric G8 scores (p < 0.01), and lower adherence to ARPIs whether assessed by pill counting (p = 0.01) or self-reported by the patient himself (p = 0.03). The combination of an IADL < 6 and the absence of a caregiver resulted in a significantly high risk of non-adherence to the ARPIs at the multivariable analysis (HR 9.23, 95% confidence interval 2.28-37.43, p = 0.01). IADL alongside the geriatric G8 scales represent essential tools to identify frail and less auto-sufficient patients who are extremely vulnerable particularly if not supported by a caregiver and have the highest risk of nonadherence to ARPIs.

The role of the caregiver in older patients with advanced prostate cancer: results from the ADHERE Prospective Study of the Meet-URO network.

PURPOSE: To assess caregivers' characteristics and influence of the presence or absence of the caregiver on clinical outcomes of older (≥70 years) metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients treated with abiraterone (ABI) or enzalutamide (ENZ). METHODS: Patients from the Meet-URO 5 ADHERE study were assessed with a 5-item caregiver evaluation questionnaire focusing on the presence, age, degree of kinship, working status and qualification of the caregiver. We investigated the association between the presence of a caregiver and the clinical characteristics and outcomes of enrolled patients. RESULTS: No differences were found in the main clinical characteristics between patients with or without a caregiver, except for a lower median G8 score (p = 0.0453) in the caregiver group. A longer radiographic PFS (rPFS) was observed in the group without a caregiver, with a trend towards more prolonged overall survival (OS) in the same group. CONCLUSION: Our work suggests a detrimental effect of caregivers in managing older mCRPC patients treated with ABI or ENZ, especially those identified as frail by the geriatric G8 screening score. Further work is needed to identify and address patients' vulnerability areas, which could have a detrimental effect on prognosis.

Rare and Insidious Toxicities from New Combination Therapies in Metastatic Renal Cell Cancer: Lessons Learned from Real-Practice.

The advent of immune checkpoint inhibitors in combination with multitarget tyrosine kinase inhibitors has become a standard first-line treatment for metastatic renal cell cancer. Along with survival improvement, new toxicities have emerged. Such adverse events are still complex to be managed and some of them are rare and could be insidious or even fatal. Medical oncologists dispose of guidelines about the management of toxicities from immune checkpoint inhibitors but not for combinations. Therefore, it is still difficult to properly attribute and manage additive or overlapping adverse events. We report two clinical cases regarding rare treatment-related endocrine toxicities-hypophysitis and thyroiditis-with particular focus on their management. To this purpose, immune checkpoint-related toxicities guidelines represent the starting point. However, their implementation with additional measures is needed, considering the increasing complexity of current clinical scenarios. The goal is to correctly recognize adverse events and address side effects, so as not to discontinue effective treatments. We, therefore, aim at discussing the points of proper management of toxicities and individuating potential areas of improvement.

The Geriatric G8 Score Is Associated with Survival Outcomes in Older Patients with Advanced Prostate Cancer in the ADHERE Prospective Study of the Meet-URO Network.

Introduction: Androgen receptor pathway inhibitors (ARPIs) have been increasingly offered to older patients with prostate cancer (PC). However, prognostic factors relevant to their outcome with ARPIs are still little investigated. Methods and Materials: The Meet-URO network ADHERE was a prospective multicentre observational cohort study evaluating and monitoring adherence to ARPIs metastatic castrate-resistant PC (mCRPC) patients aged ≥70. Cox regression univariable and multivariable analyses for radiographic progression-free (rPFS) and overall survival (OS) were performed. Unsupervised median values and literature-based thresholds where available were used as cut-offs for quantitative variables. Results: Overall, 234 patients were enrolled with a median age of 78 years (73-82); 86 were treated with abiraterone (ABI) and 148 with enzalutamide (ENZ). With a median follow-up of 15.4 months (mo.), the median rPFS was 26.0 mo. (95% CI, 22.8-29.3) and OS 48.8 mo. (95% CI, 36.8-60.8). At the MVA, independent prognostic factors for both worse rPFS and OS were Geriatric G8 assessment ≤ 14 (p < 0.001 and p = 0.004) and PSA decline ≥50% (p < 0.001 for both); time to castration resistance ≥ 31 mo. and setting of treatment (i.e., post-ABI/ENZ) for rPFS only (p < 0.001 and p = 0.01, respectively); age ≥78 years for OS only (p = 0.008). Conclusions: Baseline G8 screening is recommended for mCRPC patients aged ≥70 to optimise ARPIs in vulnerable individuals, including early introduction of palliative care.

Effects of the androgen receptor inhibitor enzalutamide on the pharmacokinetics of dolutegravir and tenofovir: a case report.

ABSTRACT: Enzalutamide is an androgen receptor inhibitor used for the treatment of prostate cancer. Although enzalutamide causes a favorable adverse effect profile, it might cause drug-drug interactions with some antiretrovirals. No major differences on the main dolutegravir and tenofovir pharmokinetocs were observed in this case report when comparing baseline assessments with those following the introduction of enzalutamide, also when given at higher doses, in a 63-year-old male living with HIV and prostate cancer.

Adherence to Oral Treatments in Older Patients with Advanced Prostate Cancer, the ADHERE Study: A Prospective Trial of the Meet-URO Network.

BACKGROUND: Novel androgen receptor signaling inhibitors for prostate cancer (PC) impose the burden of self-administration on older patients overwhelmed by the requirement of many other concomitant medications. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study evaluated the proportion of non-adherence in a 12-month follow-up period and the first 3 months to abiraterone (ABI) or enzalutamide (ENZ). In a prospective multicenter observational cohort study, patients with metastatic castration-resistant PC (mCRPC) aged ≥70 years receiving ABI or ENZ pre- or post-docetaxel were enrolled. Treatment monitoring included pill counting, a self-assessment questionnaire, and clinical diaries at each clinical visit. Non-adherence rates were based on proportions of missed/prescribed pills ratios by pill counting. RESULTS: Overall, 234 patients were recruited with median age of 78 years (range, 73-82); 86 (37%) were treated with ABI, and 148 (63%) with ENZ. The median follow-up for adherence was seven monthly cycles (IQR: 4-12). The two cohorts were well balanced for baseline characteristics. The percentage of non-adherence by pill counting was slightly higher for ABI than ENZ (5.2% vs. 4.2%, P < .001). By self-reporting, patients on ENZ tended to report more frequently than those with ABI forgetfulness as the reason for missing events (42% vs. 17%, P < .001). A lower Geriatric G8 score correlated with non-adherence (P = .004). Overall survival (OS) was 48.8 months. Patients on ABI had radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS) of 28.4 [24.2-32.5], while for ENZ patients, we reported a median rPFS of 23.1 [18.2-28.1] months. CONCLUSION: Physicians tend to treat older mCRPC patients with ENZ. Non-adherence rate is relatively low overall but can be higher with ABI than with ENZ and correlates with the Geriatric G8 score. Forgetfulness is a potential barrier for ENZ.

Reduced-dose of doublet chemotherapy combined with anti-EGFR antibodies in vulnerable older patients with metastatic colorectal cancer: Data from the REVOLT study.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the toxicity patterns and effectiveness of doublet chemotherapy when administered at reduced doses of 20% (FOLFOX or FOLFIRI) in combination with anti-EGFR antibodies (cetuximab or panitumumab) in old, vulnerable patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective observational study of RAS and BRAF wild-type, vulnerable patients aged ≥70 years with previously untreated mCRC. The primary endpoint was safety, and secondary endpoints were overall response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: One hundred and eighteen patients were collected from 14 selected Italian centres. The median age was 75 (range, 70-85). Geriatric screening by G8 tool gave a score ≤ 14 in all patients. In total, 75 and 43 patients received FOLFOX or FOLFIRI, respectively, in combination with panitumumab (53%) or cetuximab (47%). The overall incidence of grade (G) 3-4 neutropenia was 11.8%, and for skin rash 11%. The most frequent adverse events were G1-2 skin rash (49.1%), G1-2 diarrhea (21.1%) and G1-2 nausea (17.7%). The ORR was 57.3%. Stable disease was observed in 29.1% of patients, with a disease control rate of 86.4%. With a median follow-up of 18 months, the median PFS was 10.0 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 8.5-11.4), while the median OS was 18.0 months (95% CI: 16.0-19.9). No statistically significant difference was observed between the regimens in terms of ORR, PFS (p = 0.908), and OS (p = 0.832). CONCLUSION: This study shows that with an appropriate design, including reduced doses, vulnerable older patients best tolerate chemotherapy when combined with anti-EGFR antibodies.

First- and second-line treatment strategies for hormone-receptor (HR)-positive HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer: A real-world study.

BACKGROUND: Endocrine therapy (ET) plus cyclin-dependent-kinases 4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) represents the standard treatment for luminal-metastatic breast cancer (MBC). However, prospective head-to-head comparisons are still lacking for 1st line (L) options, and it is still crucial to define the best strategy between 1st and 2nd L. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 717 consecutive luminal-MBC pts treated between 2008 and 2020 were analyzed at the Oncology Department of Aviano and Udine, Italy. Differences about survival outcomes (OS, PFS and PPS) were tested by log-rank test. The attrition rate (AR) between 1st and 2ndL was calculated. RESULTS: At 1stL, pts were treated with ET (49%), chemotherapy (CT) (31%) and ET-CDKi (20%) while, at 2ndL, 33% received ET, 33% CT and 8% ET-CDKi. Overall AR was 10%, 7% for CT, 8% for ET and 17% for ET-CDKi. By multivariate analysis, 1stL ET-CDK4/6i showed a better mPFS1 and OS. Moreover, 2ndL ET-CDK4/6i demonstrated better mPFS2 compared to ET and CT. Notably, 1stL ET-CDKi resulted in higher mPFS than 2ndL ET-CDKi. Intriguingly, 1stL ET-CDK4/6i was associated with worse mPPS compared to CT and ET. Secondarily, 1stL ET-CDK4/6i followed by CT had worse OS compared to 1stL ET-CDK4/6i followed by ET. Notably, none of baseline characteristics at 2ndL influenced 2ndL treatment choice (ET vs. CT) after ET-CDKi. CONCLUSION: Our real-world data demonstrated that ET-CDKi represents the best option for 1stL luminal-MBC compared to ET and CT. Also, the present study pointed out that 2ndL ET, potentially combined with other molecules, could be a feasible option after CDK4/6i failure, postponing CT on later lines.

Impact of Baseline and On-Treatment Glycemia on Everolimus-Exemestane Efficacy in Patients with Hormone Receptor-Positive Advanced Breast Cancer (EVERMET).

PURPOSE: The mTOR complex C1 (mTORC1) inhibitor everolimus in combination with the aromatase inhibitor exemestane is an effective treatment for patients with hormone receptor-positive (HR+), HER2-negative (HER2-), advanced breast cancer (HR+/HER2- aBC). However, everolimus can cause hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia, which could reactivate the PI3K/protein kinase B (AKT)/mTORC1 pathway and induce tumor resistance to everolimus. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We conducted a multicenter, retrospective, Italian study to investigate the impact of baseline and on-treatment (i.e., during first 3 months of therapy) blood glucose levels on progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with HR+/HER2- aBC treated with everolimus-exemestane. RESULTS: We evaluated 809 patients with HR+/HER2- aBC treated with everolimus-exemestane as any line of therapy for advanced disease. When evaluated as dichotomous variables, baseline and on-treatment glycemia were not significantly associated with PFS. However, when blood glucose concentration was evaluated as a continuous variable, a multivariable model accounting for clinically relevant patient- and tumor-related variables revealed that both baseline and on-treatment glycemia are associated with PFS, and this association is largely attributable to their interaction. In particular, patients who are normoglycemic at baseline and experience on-treatment diabetes have lower PFS compared with patients who are already hyperglycemic at baseline and experience diabetes during everolimus-exemestane therapy (median PFS, 6.34 vs. 10.32 months; HR, 1.76; 95% confidence interval, 1.15-2.69; P = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: The impact of on-treatment glycemia on the efficacy of everolimus-exemestane therapy in patients with HR+/HER2- aBC depends on baseline glycemia. This study lays the foundations for investigating novel therapeutic approaches to target the glucose/insulin axis in combination with PI3K/AKT/mTORC1 inhibitors in patients with HR+/HER2- aBC.

Immunotherapy for older patients with melanoma: From darkness to light?

Approximately 40% of malignant melanomas are diagnosed in patients older than 65 years. Elderly patients with melanoma present clinicopathological features related to a more aggressive biology, and they are often diagnosed with advanced stage of disease. Interestingly, in older patients the immune system can be altered with changes both in the innate system and in the adaptive immune system with the acquisition of a pro-inflammatory and immune suppressive phenotype. Immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors has reshaped the treatment strategies and prognosis of patients with melanoma, and particularly, older age should not be considered a contraindication for immunotherapy. However, data regarding efficacy and safety of immunotherapy in elderly population are still limited because frail older patients are generally excluded from clinical trials. Recently, real-world data have shed light on similar efficacy and safety of immunotherapy in older population compared with younger counterpart. The aim of the present review was to summarize the available knowledge on the underlying immune system in older patients with a diagnosis of melanoma and the immunotherapeutic approaches in this population.

The SENECA study: Prognostic role of serum biomarkers in older patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Aging induces meaningful changes in the immune system and inflammation response with increase in monocyte-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) and serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels. Aim of this study was to explore the prognostic role of MLR and LDH levels in older patients (pts) with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of a consecutive cohort of 168 older (>70 years) patients with mCRC. The prognostic impact of MLR and LDH levels on overall survival (OS) was investigated through uni-and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Moreover, we categorized patients into three groups according to MLR and LDH levels (group 1: MLR-low and LDH-low; group 2: MLR-high or LDH-high; group 3: MLR-high and LDH-high). RESULTS: By univariate analysis, high LDH level (HR 1.74, 95% CI 1.05-2.90) and high MLR level (HR 2.19, 95% CI 1.48-3.44) were significantly associated with a worse OS. Conversely, primary tumor resection and left-sidedness were significantly associated with a longer OS. By multivariate analysis, high LDH level (HR 2.00, 95% CI 1.13-3.55) and high MLR level (HR 2.99, 95% CI 1.68-5.33) were independent prognostic factors of worse prognosis. Compared to group 1, a shorter survival was reported for patients included in group 2 (HR 1.97, 95% CI 1.21-3.23 in univariate; HR 2.54, 95% CI 1.43-4.51 in multivariate) or in group 3 (HR 2.42, 95% CI 24-4.74, p = .010 in univariate; HR 5.59, 95% CI 2.15-14.54 in multivariate) CONCLUSIONS: High baseline levels of LDH, MLR or both are independent unfavorable prognostic factors in older patients treated with first-line chemotherapy for mCRC.

KRAS and ERBB-family genetic alterations affect response to PD-1 inhibitors in metastatic nonsquamous NSCLC.

BACKGROUND: Programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) and PD-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors represent novel therapeutic options for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, approximately 50% of patients do not benefit from therapy and experience rapid disease progression. PD-L1 expression is the only approved biomarker of benefit to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy. However, its weakness has been evidenced in many studies. More recently, tumor mutational burden (TMB) has proved to be a suitable biomarker, but its calculation is difficult to obtain for all patients. METHODS: We tested specific NSCLC genetic alterations as potential immunotherapy biomarkers. Tumor DNA was obtained from advanced NSCLC patients treated with anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody nivolumab (n = 44) or pembrolizumab (n = 3). The mutational status of 22 genes was assessed by targeted next-generation sequencing and the association with survival was tested in uni- and multivariate models. The association between gene mutations and clinical benefit was also investigated. RESULTS: The most frequently mutated genes were TP53 (49%), KRAS (43%), ERBB2 (13%), SMAD4 (13%), DDR2 (13%), STK11 (9%), ERBB4 (6%), EGFR (6%), BRAF (6%), and MET (6%). We confirmed that KRAS mut patients have a better response to PD-1 inhibitors, showing a longer progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) than KRAS wt patients. In addition, we observed that patients with ERBB-family mutations, including EGFR, ERBB2, and ERBB4 all failed to respond to PD-1 antibodies, independently of KRAS status. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the analysis of KRAS and ERBB-family gene mutational status is valuable when assessing the clinical practice for the selection of NSCLC patients to treat with PD-1 inhibitors.

Emerging therapies in malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare cancer of the pleural surfaces frequently related to asbestos exposure. It is characterized by a poor prognosis even for patients treated with trimodality therapy, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Moreover, the majority of patients are not candidates for surgery due to disease advanced stage or medical comorbidities. For these patients, the survival rate is even lower and few therapeutic options are currently available. Nevertheless, many interesting novel approaches are under investigation, among which immunotherapy represents one of the most promising emerging strategies. In this review, we will discuss the role of new therapeutic options, particularly immunotherapy, and present the results of the most important and promising clinical trials.

Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) Response to First-Line Treatment Predicts Survival in Metastatic Breast Cancer: First Clues for A Cost-Effective and Dynamic Biomarker.

Background: Elevated plasmatic lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels are associated with worse prognosis in various malignancies, including metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Nevertheless, no data are available on the prognostic role of LDH as a dynamic biomarker during first-line treatment in unselected MBC. Methods: We reviewed data of 392 women with MBC to evaluate the association between LDH variation after 12 weeks of first-line treatment and survival. The prognostic impact was tested by multivariate Cox regression analysis. Results: Plasmatic LDH was confirmed as an independent prognostic factor in MBC. Patients who maintained elevated LDH levels after 12 weeks of first-line treatment experienced worse progression-free survival (PFS, HR 2.88, 95% CI: 1.40-5.89, p = 0.0038) and overall survival (OS, HR 2.61, 95% CI 1.16-5.86, p = 0.02) compared to patients with stable normal LDH levels, even after adjustment for other prognostic factors. Notably, LDH low-to-high variation emerged as an unfavorable prognostic factor for PFS (HR 3.96, 95% CI 2.00-7.82, p = 0.0001). Conclusions: Plasmatic LDH and its variation during first-line treatment predict PFS and OS in MBC, providing independent prognostic information. It would be worthwhile to prospectively evaluate the association between LDH variation and therapeutic benefit in MBC, and explore how it may affect treatment strategies.

Prognostic role of disease extent and lymphocyte-monocyte ratio in advanced melanoma.

Advanced melanoma (AM) represents the leading cause of death from skin cancer. To date, the crucial role of the immune system in AM pathogenesis and progression is well known, but the prognostic value of clinicopathological characteristics remains unclear. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is an ascertained prognostic indicator and previous data showed that AM patients treated with BRAF and MEK inhibitors with normal LDH values and fewer than three metastatic sites achieved a better outcome. Moreover, the neutrophil-to-lymphocytes ratio and the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) have been suggested as other potential prognostic factors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of LMR together with other clinical biomarkers in patients with AM. We retrospectively analyzed 162 consecutive patients with AM treated between January 2010 and March 2016. Outcome was measured in terms of overall survival (OS). In our cohort, the BRAF mutation was present in 74 (46%) patients. Overall, 42 and 26% of the patients received targeted therapy and immunotherapy, respectively. After 48 months of follow-up, 129 (78%) patients died; the median OS was 12.8 months. High LMR was associated with the following clinicopathological characteristics: absence of central nervous system localization (P = 0.011), fewer than three metastatic sites (P = 0.014), and normal LDH (P = 0.006). In multivariate analysis, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status >1 [hazard ratio (HR) 7.87, P = 0.001], high LDH (HR 2.76, P = 0.006), and high LMR (HR 0.76, P = 0.033) were associated significantly with OS. In conclusion, LMR seems to be associated with OS. Further prospective investigations are needed to confirm these data and introduce peripheral blood cell count in daily clinical use.

A New Genetic Risk Score to Predict the Outcome of Locally Advanced or Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients Treated With First-Line Exemestane: Results From a Prospective Study.

INTRODUCTION: Approximately 50% of locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients treated with first-line exemestane do not show objective response and currently there are no reliable biomarkers to predict the outcome of patients using this therapy. The constitutive genetic background might be responsible for differences in the outcome of exemestane-treated patients. We designed a prospective study to investigate the role of germ line polymorphisms as biomarkers of survival. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Three hundred two locally advanced or MBC patients treated with first-line exemestane were genotyped for 74 germ line polymorphisms in 39 candidate genes involved in drug activity, hormone balance, DNA replication and repair, and cell signaling pathways. Associations with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were tested with multivariate Cox regression. Bootstrap resampling was used as an internal assessment of results reproducibility. RESULTS: Cytochrome P450 19A1-rs10046TC/CC, solute carrier organic anion transporter 1B1-rs4149056TT, adenosine triphosphate binding cassette subfamily G member 2-rs2046134GG, fibroblast growth factor receptor-4-rs351855TT, and X-ray repair cross complementing 3-rs861539TT were significantly associated with PFS and then combined into a risk score (0-1, 2, 3, or 4-6 risk points). Patients with the highest risk score (4-6 risk points) compared with ones with the lowest score (0-1 risk points) had a median PFS of 10 months versus 26.3 months (adjusted hazard ratio [AdjHR], 3.12 [95% confidence interval (CI), 2.18-4.48]; P < .001) and a median OS of 38.9 months versus 63.0 months (AdjHR, 2.41 [95% CI, 1.22-4.79], P = .012), respectively. CONCLUSION: In this study we defined a score including 5 polymorphisms to stratify patients for PFS and OS. This score, if validated, might be translated to personalize locally advanced or MBC patient treatment and management.

Tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes, programmed death ligand 1 and cyclooxygenase-2 expression in skin melanoma of elderly patients: clinicopathological correlations.

Age is an important prognostic factor in melanoma; notably, elderly patients tend to present with advanced stage skin melanoma (SM) and worse outcome. Moreover, SM is an immunogenic cancer, and its interaction with the aging immune system could have an effect on biologic behaviour of this disease. Tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) could represent the host response in SM; it has been shown that higher grade of TILs is associated with better survival. Moreover, programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) are potential markers of host immune response and inflammation. We retrospectively reviewed 113 consecutive cases of early-stage SM that occurred in patients aged greater than or equal to 65 years at the time of diagnosis, followed between January 2010 and March 2014 at the University and General Hospital of Udine, Italy. The aim of this study was to evaluate TILs grade, PD-L1 expression on TILs and tumour expression of PD-L1 and COX-2 and their prognostic value in elderly patients with early SM. A better disease-free survival as well as melanoma-specific survival (MSS) was significantly associated with TILs [hazard ratios (HR): 0.41, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.20-0.84, P=0.02 and HR: 0.37, 95% CI: 0.17-0.82, P=0.01, respectively]. PD-L1 positivity on TILs was associated with a better MSS (HR: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.17-0.97, P=0.04). Moreover, among patients with TILs, those showing COX-2 positivity on tumour cells and no PD-L1 expression on TILs had a worse disease-free survival and MSS (HR: 5.18, 95% CI: 1.33-20.23, P=0.018; HR: 6.21, 95% CI: 1.20-32.24, P=0.03; respectively). Immune and inflammatory markers deserve further investigation in aging patients with melanoma.

Atezolizumab for the treatment of breast cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer diagnosed among women. The development of new personalized therapeutic strategies has reshaped the landscape in this field. However, BC is still the first cause of death among women. Interestingly, several preclinical studies and some clinical evidences are focused their attention on the role of immune system and immunotherapy on cancer control, also in BC. Areas covered: Usually, BC has been considered a not immunogenic tumor for its low mutational load. However, recent studies have evidenced that some subtypes, triple negative and HER-2 positive BC, are 'hot' tumors, thus more immunogenic. Moreover, the presence of immune infiltrate is positively associated with favorable prognosis. Therefore, the use of immune-checkpoint inhibitors seems to be an encouraging treatment option also in BC. Among these drugs, atezolizumab is an anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody with a particular structure that reduce antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity against T cells, increasing quantitatively and qualitatively the effective response. Expert opinion: The use of immunotherapy is a promising option for BC. However, at the same time it still raises many doubts. Surely, the research and the validation of immune biomarkers can permit to identify patients who more benefit from these drugs.

Chemotherapy treatment in malignant pleural mesothelioma: a difficult history.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare neoplasm that typically arises from mesothelial surfaces of the pleural cavity. Despite treatment improvements, it carries a dismal prognosis. The majority of patients either have unresectable disease or are not candidates for surgery due to medical comorbidities or old age. For such patients, chemotherapy (CT) represents the gold-standard treatment. To date, combination CT with cisplatin plus pemetrexed represents the most widely used regimen in first-line setting for patients with unresectable MPM. Other first-line options are currently available, including the use of raltitrexed instead of pemetrexed combined with platinum. In this review, we discuss the role of CT in MPM mainly focusing on the results of the trials conducted in first-line setting.