The impact of sex on treatment and outcome in relation to histological subtype in patients with resectable gastric cancer: Results from the randomized CRITICS trial.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the impact of sex on outcome measures stratified by histological subtype in patients with resectable gastric cancer (GC). METHODS: A post-hoc analysis of the CRITICS-trial, in which patients with resectable GC were treated with perioperative therapy, was performed. Histopathological characteristics and survival were evaluated for males and females stratified for histological subtype (intestinal/diffuse). Additionally, therapy-related toxicity and compliance were compared. RESULTS: Data from 781 patients (523 males) were available for analyses. Female sex was associated with a distal tumor localization in intestinal (p = 0.014) and diffuse tumors (p < 0.001), and younger age in diffuse GC (p = 0.035). In diffuse GC, tumor-positive resection margins were also more common in females than males (21% vs. 10%; p = 0.020), specifically at the duodenal margin. During preoperative chemotherapy, severe toxicity occurred in 327 (63%) males and 184 (71%) females (p = 0.015). Notwithstanding this, relative dose intensities were not significantly different between sexes. CONCLUSIONS: Positive distal margin rates were higher in females with diffuse GC, predominantly at the duodenal site. Females also experience more toxicity, but this neither impacts dose intensities nor surgical resection rates. Clinicians should be aware of these different surgical outcomes when treating males and females with GC.

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in adjuvant therapy of early stage colon cancer: current status and future perspectives.

BACKGROUND: This article reviews the current knowledge on circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in early stage colon cancer and ongoing trials on ctDNA-guided treatment in the adjuvant setting. METHODS: A literature search of Pubmed was performed to identify studies on ctDNA in early stage colon cancer and neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment. For ongoing trials, we searched clinicaltrials.gov and the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR). RESULTS: Several studies show that ctDNA is a strong predictor for recurrence and survival after surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy. The specificity of this marker is extremely high, and the sensitivity is increasing with the development of technology. Recurrences can be detected very early and the analysis can potentially be used to guide neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment. Ongoing and planned studies are now looking into escalation and de-escalation of therapy according to ctDNA-status after surgery. CONCLUSION: Serial measurement of ctDNA shows great promise as a marker for both prognosis and response to treatment in early colon cancer. Future studies will show whether we can use this analysis for tailoring treatment for patients in the adjuvant and neoadjuvant setting. With improved technology, ctDNA has the potential of becoming a 'game-changer' in the treatment of early stage colon cancers.

Prognostic value of tumor markers and ctDNA in patients with resectable gastric cancer receiving perioperative treatment: results from the CRITICS trial.

AIM: To evaluate the prognostic value of tumor markers in a European cohort of patients with resectable gastric cancer. METHODS: We performed a post hoc analysis of the CRITICS trial, in which 788 patients received perioperative therapy. Association between survival and pretreatment CEA, CA 19-9, alkaline phosphatase, neutrophils, hemoglobin and lactate dehydrogenase were explored in uni- and multivariable Cox regression analyses. Likelihoods to receive potentially curative surgery were investigated for patients without elevated tumor markers versus one of the tumor markers elevated versus both tumor markers elevated. The association between tumor markers and the presence of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) was explored in 50 patients with available ctDNA data. RESULTS: In multivariable analysis, in which we corrected for allocated treatment and other baseline characteristics, elevated pretreatment CEA (HR 1.43; 95% CI 1.11-1.85, p < 0.001) and CA 19-9 (HR 1.79; 95% CI 1.42-2.25, p < 0.001) were associated with worse OS. Likelihoods to receive potentially curative surgery were 86%, 77% and 60% for patients without elevated tumor marker versus either elevated CEA or CA 19-9 versus both elevated, respectively (p < 0.001). Although both preoperative presence of ctDNA and tumor markers were prognostic for survival, no association was found between these two parameters. CONCLUSION: CEA and CA 19-9 were independent prognostic factors for survival in a large cohort of European patients with resectable gastric cancer. No relationship was found between tumor markers and ctDNA. These factors could potentially guide treatment choices and should be included in future trials to determine their definitive position. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrial.gov identifier: NCT00407186. EudraCT number: 2006-00413032.

Chemotherapy versus chemoradiotherapy after surgery and preoperative chemotherapy for resectable gastric cancer (CRITICS): an international, open-label, randomised phase 3 trial.

BACKGROUND: Both perioperative chemotherapy and postoperative chemoradiotherapy improve survival in patients with resectable gastric cancer from Europe and North America. To our knowledge, these treatment strategies have not been investigated in a head to head comparison. We aimed to compare perioperative chemotherapy with preoperative chemotherapy and postoperative chemoradiotherapy in patients with resectable gastric adenocarcinoma. METHODS: In this investigator-initiated, open-label, randomised phase 3 trial, we enrolled patients aged 18 years or older who had stage IB- IVA resectable gastric or gastro-oesophageal adenocarcinoma (as defined by the American Joint Committee on Cancer, sixth edition), with a WHO performance status of 0 or 1, and adequate cardiac, bone marrow, liver, and kidney function. Patients were enrolled from 56 hospitals in the Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark, and were randomly assigned (1:1) with a computerised minimisation programme with a random element to either perioperative chemotherapy (chemotherapy group) or preoperative chemotherapy with postoperative chemoradiotherapy (chemoradiotherapy group). Randomisation was done before patients were given any preoperative chemotherapy treatment and was stratified by histological subtype, tumour localisation, and hospital. Patients and investigators were not masked to treatment allocation. Surgery consisted of a radical resection of the primary tumour and at least a D1+ lymph node dissection. Postoperative treatment started within 4-12 weeks after surgery. Chemotherapy consisted of three preoperative 21-day cycles and three postoperative cycles of intravenous epirubicin (50 mg/m2 on day 1), cisplatin (60 mg/m2 on day 1) or oxaliplatin (130 mg/m2 on day 1), and capecitabine (1000 mg/m2 orally as tablets twice daily for 14 days in combination with epirubicin and cisplatin, or 625 mg/m2 orally as tablets twice daily for 21 days in combination with epirubicin and oxaliplatin), received once every three weeks. Chemoradiotherapy consisted of 45 Gy in 25 fractions of 1·8 Gy, for 5 weeks, five daily fractions per week, combined with capecitabine (575 mg/m2 orally twice daily on radiotherapy days) and cisplatin (20 mg/m2 intravenously on day 1 of each 5 weeks of radiation treatment). The primary endpoint was overall survival, analysed by intention-to-treat. The CRITICS trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00407186; EudraCT, number 2006-004130-32; and CKTO, 2006-02. FINDINGS: Between Jan 11, 2007, and April 17, 2015, 788 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to chemotherapy (n=393) or chemoradiotherapy (n=395). After preoperative chemotherapy, 372 (95%) of 393 patients in the chemotherapy group and 369 (93%) of 395 patients in the chemoradiotherapy group proceeded to surgery, with a potentially curative resection done in 310 (79%) of 393 patients in the chemotherapy group and 326 (83%) of 395 in the chemoradiotherapy group. Postoperatively, 233 (59%) of 393 patients started chemotherapy and 245 (62%) of 395 started chemoradiotherapy. At a median follow-up of 61·4 months (IQR 43·3-82·8), median overall survival was 43 months (95% CI 31-57) in the chemotherapy group and 37 months (30-48) in the chemoradiotherapy group (hazard ratio from stratified analysis 1·01 (95% CI 0·84-1·22; p=0·90). After preoperative chemotherapy, in the total safety population of 781 patients (assessed together), there were 368 (47%) grade 3 adverse events; 130 (17%) grade 4 adverse events, and 13 (2%) deaths. Causes of death during preoperative treatment were diarrhoea (n=2), dihydropyrimidine deficiency (n=1), sudden death (n=1), cardiovascular events (n=8), and functional bowel obstruction (n=1). During postoperative treatment, grade 3 and 4 adverse events occurred in 113 (48%) and 22 (9%) of 233 patients in the chemotherapy group, respectively, and in 101 (41%) and ten (4%) of 245 patients in the chemoradiotherapy group, respectively. Non-febrile neutropenia occurred more frequently during postoperative chemotherapy (79 [34%] of 233) than during postoperative chemoradiotherapy (11 [4%] of 245). No deaths were observed during postoperative treatment. INTERPRETATION: Postoperative chemoradiotherapy did not improve overall survival compared with postoperative chemotherapy in patients with resectable gastric cancer treated with adequate preoperative chemotherapy and surgery. In view of the poor postoperative patient compliance in both treatment groups, future studies should focus on optimising preoperative treatment strategies. FUNDING: Dutch Cancer Society, Dutch Colorectal Cancer Group, and Hoffmann-La Roche.

Comparison of adjuvant gemcitabine and capecitabine with gemcitabine monotherapy in patients with resected pancreatic cancer (ESPAC-4): a multicentre, open-label, randomised, phase 3 trial.

BACKGROUND: The ESPAC-3 trial showed that adjuvant gemcitabine is the standard of care based on similar survival to and less toxicity than adjuvant 5-fluorouracil/folinic acid in patients with resected pancreatic cancer. Other clinical trials have shown better survival and tumour response with gemcitabine and capecitabine than with gemcitabine alone in advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer. We aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of gemcitabine and capecitabine compared with gemcitabine monotherapy for resected pancreatic cancer. METHODS: We did a phase 3, two-group, open-label, multicentre, randomised clinical trial at 92 hospitals in England, Scotland, Wales, Germany, France, and Sweden. Eligible patients were aged 18 years or older and had undergone complete macroscopic resection for ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreas (R0 or R1 resection). We randomly assigned patients (1:1) within 12 weeks of surgery to receive six cycles of either 1000 mg/m2 gemcitabine alone administered once a week for three of every 4 weeks (one cycle) or with 1660 mg/m2 oral capecitabine administered for 21 days followed by 7 days' rest (one cycle). Randomisation was based on a minimisation routine, and country was used as a stratification factor. The primary endpoint was overall survival, measured as the time from randomisation until death from any cause, and assessed in the intention-to-treat population. Toxicity was analysed in all patients who received trial treatment. This trial was registered with the EudraCT, number 2007-004299-38, and ISRCTN, number ISRCTN96397434. FINDINGS: Of 732 patients enrolled, 730 were included in the final analysis. Of these, 366 were randomly assigned to receive gemcitabine and 364 to gemcitabine plus capecitabine. The Independent Data and Safety Monitoring Committee requested reporting of the results after there were 458 (95%) of a target of 480 deaths. The median overall survival for patients in the gemcitabine plus capecitabine group was 28·0 months (95% CI 23·5-31·5) compared with 25·5 months (22·7-27·9) in the gemcitabine group (hazard ratio 0·82 [95% CI 0·68-0·98], p=0·032). 608 grade 3-4 adverse events were reported by 226 of 359 patients in the gemcitabine plus capecitabine group compared with 481 grade 3-4 adverse events in 196 of 366 patients in the gemcitabine group. INTERPRETATION: The adjuvant combination of gemcitabine and capecitabine should be the new standard of care following resection for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. FUNDING: Cancer Research UK.

Comparison of gastric-cancer radiotherapy performed with volumetric modulated arc therapy or single-field uniform-dose proton therapy.

BACKGROUND: Proton-beam therapy of large abdominal cancers has been questioned due to the large variations in tissue density in the abdomen. The aim of this study was to evaluate the importance of these variations for the dose distributions produced in adjuvant radiotherapy of gastric cancer (GC), implemented with photon-based volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) or with proton-beam single-field uniform-dose (SFUD) method. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eight GC patients were included in this study. For each patient, a VMAT- and an SFUD-plan were created. The prescription dose was 45 Gy (IsoE) given in 25 fractions. The plans were prepared on the original CT studies and the doses were thereafter recalculated on two modified CT studies (one with extra water filling and the other with expanded abdominal air-cavity volumes). RESULTS: Compared to the original VMAT plans, the SFUD plans resulted in reduced median values for the V18 of the left kidney (26%), the liver mean dose (14.8 Gy (IsoE)) and the maximum dose given to the spinal cord (26.6 Gy (IsoE)). However, the PTV coverage decreased when the SFUD plans were recalculated on CT sets with extra air- (86%) and water-filling (87%). The added water filling only led to minor dosimetric changes for the OARs, but the extra air caused significant increases of the median values of V18 for the right and left kidneys (10% and 12%, respectively) and of V10 for the liver (12%). The density changes influenced the dose distributions in the VMAT plans to a minor extent. CONCLUSIONS: SFUD was found to be superior to VMAT for the plans prepared on the original CT sets. However, SFUD was inferior to VMAT for the modified CT sets.

Surgical management of breast cancer in BRCA-mutation carriers: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

This meta-analysis investigates the oncological safety of breast-conserving therapy BCT in BRCA-mutation carriers and the risk for contralateral breast cancer (CBC) compared with non-carriers, potential risk factors for ipsilateral breast recurrence (IBR) or CBC and grades these factors based on the level of evidence. A PubMed search was conducted through April 2013 to identify studies that described the risk for IBR and CBC after BCT in BRCA-mutation carriers versus non-carriers as well as studies that investigated risk factors for IBR and CBC in BRCA-mutation carriers. Results were summarized using meta-analysis when sufficient studies were available. Ten studies investigated the oncological safety of BCT in BRCA-mutation carriers versus non-carriers. There was no significant difference in IBR between carriers and controls (RR 1.45, 95 % CI 0.98-2.14). However, a significant higher risk for IBR in BRCA-mutation carriers was observed in studies with a median follow-up ≥7 years (RR 1.51, 95 % CI 1.15-1.98). CBCs were significantly greater in carriers versus controls (RR 3.56, 95 % CI 2.50-5.08). Use of adjuvant chemotherapy and oophorectomy were associated with a significantly lower risk for IBR in BRCA-mutation carriers. Three factors were associated with a lower risk for CBC in BRCA-mutation carriers: oophorectomy, use of tamoxifen, and age at first breast cancer. Based on current evidence, the use of BCT in BRCA-mutation carriers can be considered a reasonable option since it does not seem to increase the risk for IBR. However, several aspects should be taken into account before the final decision-making.

Long-term functional and radiological pulmonary changes after radiation therapy for breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: We assessed late functional and radiological pulmonary changes in breast cancer patients after a median of 11 years following radiotherapy (RT). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Seventy women who received adjuvant loco-regional RT for breast cancer during November 1994-May 1998 accepted to participate in this follow-up study. Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) (n = 56) were compared to pre-RT examinations and diagnostic computer tomography (CT) of the lungs (n = 70) were performed and compared to four months post-RT examinations. RESULT: The median-matched vital capacity (VC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), and total lung capacity (TLC) were reduced 15%, 9%, and 7%, respectively, at the long-term follow-up (p < 0.001). We could not, however, detect a correlation between ipsilateral V20 and VC-changes. Diffusion capacity (DLCO) appeared to improve compared with the pre-RT baseline level probably due to transient chemotherapy-induced toxicity. The median-matched percentage of the predicted DLCO 11 years after RT was, however, only 86%, indicating a chronic therapy-induced reduction also of this metric. According to the Arriagada classification, ipsilateral V20 and long-term CT-changes showed a significant correlation (rs: 0. 57; p < 0.001) in a small subset of the women. CONCLUSION: A chronic clinically significant reduction of PFTs compared to pre-RT values and CT-changes four months after RT were still detectable after a median follow-up of 11 years. There was a statistical correlation between V20 and abnormalities on CT but no statistical correlation between V20 and VC-changes.

Cardiac toxicity in breast cancer patients treated with dual HER2 blockade.

Although dual HER2 blockade shows promising results in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer it is unclear whether this treatment strategy increases the risk for cardiac adverse events. We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized trials to investigate the risk of cardiac adverse events when a combination of anti-HER2 therapies compared to anti-HER2 monotherapy. We searched Medline, the Cochrane library, as well as the electronic abstract databases of the major international congresses' proceedings to identify randomized trials that evaluated the administration of anti-HER2 monotherapy (lapatinib or trastuzumab or pertuzumab) versus anti-HER2 combination (pertuzumab plus trastuzumab or trastuzumab plus lapatinib) therapy in breast cancer. The trials were considered eligible if the only systematic difference between the study arms was the type of anti-HER2 therapy used. Study outcomes were the congestive heart failure (CHF) grade ≥3 and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) decline <50% or more than 10% from baseline. Six trials were considered eligible. Overall incidence results for CHF in the combined anti-HER2 therapy and the anti-HER2 monotherapy were 0.88% (95% CI: 0.47-1.64%) and 1.49% (95% CI: 0.98-2.23%). The incidence of LVEF decline was 3.1% (95% CI: 2.2-4.4%) and 2.9% (95% CI: 2.1-4.1%), respectively. The OR of CHF between anti-HER2 combination and monotherapy was 0.58 (95% CI: 0.26-1.27, p-value= 0.17) while the OR of LVEF decline was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.53-1.48, p-value= 0.64). This meta-analysis provides evidence supporting comparable cardiac toxicity between anti-HER2 combination therapy and anti-HER2 monotherapy.

Adjuvant therapy with zoledronic acid in patients with breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the study was to estimate the impact on survival and fracture rates of the use of zoledronic acid versus no use (or delayed use) in the adjuvant treatment of patients with early-stage (stages I-III) breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Trials were located through PubMed, ISI, Cochrane Library, and major cancer scientific meeting searches. All trials that randomized patients with primary breast cancer to undergo adjuvant treatment with zoledronic acid versus nonuse, placebo, or delayed use of zoledronic acid as treatment to individuals who develop osteoporosis were considered eligible. Standard meta-analytic procedures were used to analyze the study outcomes. RESULTS: Fifteen studies were considered eligible and were further analyzed. The use of zoledronic acid resulted in a statistically significant better overall survival outcome (five studies, 6,414 patients; hazard ratio [HR], 0.81; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.70-0.94). No significant differences were found for the disease-free survival outcome (seven studies, 7,541 patients; HR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.70-1.06) or incidence of bone metastases (seven studies, 7,543 patients; odds ratio [OR], 0.94; 95% CI, 0.64-1.37). Treatment with zoledronic acid led to a significantly lower overall fracture rate (OR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.63-0.96). Finally, the rate of osteonecrosis of the jaw was 0.52%. CONCLUSION: Zoledronic acid as adjuvant therapy in breast cancer patients appears to not only reduce the fracture risk but also offer a survival benefit over placebo or no treatment.

Phase II study of patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis from gastric cancer treated with preoperative systemic chemotherapy followed by peritonectomy and intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: The aim was to evaluate the feasibility and the effectiveness of neoadjuvant systemic chemotherapy followed by cytoreductive surgery (CRS), hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) and early postoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy (EPIC) in patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) from gastric cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eighteen patients (median age 57 years, range 38-74) were scheduled for three months' neoadjuvant systemic chemotherapy followed by CRS + HIPEC + EPIC. RESULTS: At the time of surgery, the peritoneal tumor burden was extensive with tumor growth on the entire peritoneal cavity. Only eight patients received the entire treatment and OS was 14.3 months (range 6.1-34.3, 95% CI 6.6-20.3). Six patients had macroscopically radical (CC0) surgery and for this subgroup OS was 19.1 months (range 6.1-34.3, 95% CI 6.9-27.1). Postoperative 90-day mortality was 10% (one patient) and the perioperative grades II-IV adverse events (AE) rate was 62.5%. DISCUSSION: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by CRS + HIPEC + EPIC does not seem to be associated with prolonged OS in patients with extensive PC growth from gastric cancer unless macroscopically radical surgery is achieved. However, morbidity from this treatment is considerable and it cannot be recommended for routine care until a prospective randomized trial has been performed.

Dosimetric Comparison of Conventional Radiotherapy, Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy, and Proton Beam Therapy for Palliation of Thoracic Spine Metastases Secondary to Breast or Prostate Cancer.

The aim of this planning study was to compare the dosimetric outcomes of Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT), Proton Beam Therapy (PBT), and conventional External Beam Radiation Therapy (cEBRT) in the treatment of thoracic spinal metastases originating from breast or prostate cancer. Our study utilized data from 30 different treatment plans and evaluated target coverage and doses to vital organs at risk (OARs), such as the spinal cord, heart, esophagus, and lungs. The results showed that VMAT and PBT achieved superior target coverage and significantly lower doses to the spinal cord compared to cEBRT (target: median PTVD95%: 75.2 for cEBRT vs. 92.9 and 91.7 for VMAT (p < 0.001) and PBT (p < 0.001), respectively; spinal cord: median Dmax%: 105.1 for cEBRT vs. 100.4 and 103.6 for VMAT (p < 0.001) and PBT (p = 0.002), respectively). Specifically, VMAT was notable for its superior target coverage and PBT for significantly lower doses to heart, lungs, and esophagus. However, VMAT resulted in higher lung doses, indicating potential trade-offs among different techniques. The study demonstrated the relative advantages of VMAT and PBT over traditional RT in the palliative treatment of spinal metastases using conventional fractionation. These findings underscore the potential of VMAT and PBT to improve dosimetric outcomes, suggesting that they may be more suitable for certain patient groups for whom the sparing of specific OARs is especially important.

Lapatinib, trastuzumab or the combination added to preoperative chemotherapy for breast cancer: a meta-analysis of randomized evidence.

We compared the efficacy and safety of the addition of lapatinib versus trastuzumab or their combination to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in HER2-positive breast cancer. Potentially eligible trials were located through PubMed and Cochrane Library searches and abstracts of major international conferences. The endpoints that we assessed were pathologic complete response (pCR) rate, and toxicity. Pooled risk ratios (RR) were estimated for each endpoint with fixed or random effects models, depending on between studies heterogeneity. Six trials were identified with 1,494 eligible patients. The probability to achieve pCR was higher for the trastuzumab plus chemotherapy arm versus lapatinib plus chemotherapy (RR 1.25, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.08-1.43; p = 0.003) (6 trials; 1,494 patients). Probability to pCR was significantly higher in the group receiving lapatinib and trastuzumab than in the group with trastuzumab alone (RR 1.39, 95 % CI 1.20-1.63; p < 0.001) (4 trials; 779 patients). Grade III-IV diarrhea and dermatologic toxicities were statistically more frequent in patients receiving lapatinib. No differences were observed regarding cardiac adverse events among patients receiving trastuzumab, lapatinib, or their combination. These data supports the superiority of a dual-HER2 inhibition for the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer in the neoadjuvant setting. The direct comparison of trastuzumab and lapatinib showed that lapatinib is inferior in terms of pCR and associated with a higher risk for toxicity.

Triplet Chemotherapy with Cisplatin versus Oxaliplatin in the CRITICS Trial: Treatment Compliance, Toxicity, Outcomes and Quality of Life in Patients with Resectable Gastric Cancer.

(1) Background: Perioperative chemotherapy is the current standard treatment for patients with resectable gastric cancer. Based on studies in patients with metastatic gastric cancer, oxaliplatin has replaced cisplatin in the curative setting as well. However, evidence to prefer oxaliplatin over cisplatin in the curative setting is limited. (2) Methods: We compared patient-related and tumor-related outcomes for cisplatin versus oxaliplatin in patients with resectable gastric cancer treated with perioperative chemotherapy in the CRITICS trial. (3) Results: Preoperatively, 632 patients received cisplatin and 149 patients received oxaliplatin. Preoperative severe toxicity was encountered in 422 (67%) patients who received cisplatin versus 89 (60%) patients who received oxaliplatin (p = 0.105). Severe neuropathy was observed in 5 (1%) versus 6 (4%; p = 0.009) patients, respectively. Postoperative severe toxicity occurred in 109 (60%) versus 26 (51%) (p = 0.266) patients; severe neuropathy in 2 (1%) versus 2 (4%; p = 0.209) for patients who received cisplatin or oxaliplatin, respectively. Diarrhea impacted the quality of life more frequently in patients who received oxaliplatin compared to cisplatin. Complete or near-complete pathological response was achieved in 94 (21%) versus 16 (15%; p = 0.126) patients who received cisplatin or oxaliplatin, respectively. Overall survival was not significantly different in both groups (p = 0.300). (4) Conclusions: Both cisplatin and oxaliplatin are legitimate options as part of systemic treatment in patients with resectable gastric cancer.

Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery and chemotherapy or by surgery and chemoradiotherapy for patients with resectable gastric cancer (CRITICS).

BACKGROUND: Radical surgery is the cornerstone in the treatment of resectable gastric cancer. The Intergroup 0116 and MAGIC trials have shown benefit of postoperative chemoradiation and perioperative chemotherapy, respectively. Since these trials cannot be compared directly, both regimens are evaluated prospectively in the CRITICS trial. This study aims to obtain an improved overall survival for patients treated with preoperative chemotherapy and surgery by incorporating radiotherapy concurrently with chemotherapy postoperatively. METHODS/DESIGN: In this phase III multicentre study, patients with resectable gastric cancer are treated with three cycles of preoperative ECC (epirubicin, cisplatin and capecitabine), followed by surgery with adequate lymph node dissection, and then either another three cycles of ECC or concurrent chemoradiation (45 Gy, cisplatin and capecitabine). Surgical, pathological, and radiotherapeutic quality control is performed. The primary endpoint is overall survival, secondary endpoints are disease-free survival (DFS), toxicity, health-related quality of life (HRQL), prediction of response, and recurrence risk assessed by genomic and expression profiling. Accrual for the CRITICS trial is from the Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark, and more countries are invited to participate. CONCLUSION: Results of this study will demonstrate whether the combination of preoperative chemotherapy and postoperative chemoradiotherapy will improve the clinical outcome of the current European standard of perioperative chemotherapy, and will therefore play a key role in the future management of patients with resectable gastric cancer. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov NCT00407186.

Estimated Risk of Radiation-Induced Cancer after Thymoma Treatments with Proton- or X-ray Beams.

We compared the calculated risks of radiation-induced secondary malignant neoplasms (SMNs) for patients treated for thymic tumors with 3D-CRT, IMRT, or single-field uniform dose (SFUD) proton beam therapy (PBT) using the pencil beam scanning (PBS) technique. A cancer-induction model based on the organ equivalent dose (OED) concept was used. For twelve patients, treated with 3D-CRT for thymic tumors, alternative IMRT and SFUD plans were retrospectively prepared. The resulting DVHs for organs at risk (OARs) were extracted and used to estimate the risk of SMNs. The OED was calculated using a mechanistic model for carcinoma induction. Two limit cases were considered; the linear-exponential model, in which the repopulation/repair of the cells is neglected, and the plateau model, in which full repopulation/repair of the irradiated cells is assumed. The calculated risks for SMNs for the different radiation modalities and dose-relation models were used to calculate relative risks, which were compared pairwise. The risks for developing SMNs were reduced for all OARs, and for both dose-relation models, if SFUD was used, compared to 3D-CRT and IMRT. In conclusion, PBS shows a potential benefit to reduce the risk of SMNs compared to 3D-CRT and IMRT in the treatment of thymic tumors.

Risk Factors for Metachronous Isolated Peritoneal Metastasis after Preoperative Chemotherapy and Potentially Curative Gastric Cancer Resection: Results from the CRITICS Trial.

Gastric cancer (GC) patients at high risk of developing peritoneal metastasis (PM) as a single site of metastasis after curative treatment may be candidates for adjuvant prophylactic strategies. Here we investigated risk factors for metachronous isolated PM in patients who were treated in the CRITICS trial (NCT00407186). Univariable and multivariable analyses on both metachronous isolated PM and 'other events', i.e., (concurrent) distant metastasis, locoregional recurrence or death, were performed using a competing risk model and summarized by cumulative incidences. Isolated PM occurred in 64 of the 606 (11%) included patients. Diffuse or mixed histological subtype, ypT4 tumor stage and LNhigh (ypN3 lymph node stage or a lymph node ratio >20%) were independent risk factors for isolated PM in both univariable and multivariable analyses. Likewise, LNhigh was an independent risk factor for 'other events'. Patients with tumors who were positive for all three independent risk factors had the highest two-year cumulative incidence of 43% for isolated PM development. In conclusion, diffuse or mixed histological subtype, ypT4 and LNhigh were identified as independent risk factors for isolated PM in patients treated with preoperative chemotherapy followed by surgical resection. The combination of these factors may identify a subgroup that may benefit from PM-preventing treatment strategies.

Randomized phase II study of sequential docetaxel and irinotecan with 5-fluorouracil/folinic acid (leucovorin) in patients with advanced gastric cancer: the GATAC trial.

BACKGROUND: The optimal chemotherapy in patients with advanced gastric carcinoma (GC) is yet to be determined. We compared sequential administration of docetaxel and irinotecan, both in combination with infused 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin (5-Fu/Lv), and randomly assigned patients to start with either of the two. METHODS: Patients with previously untreated locally advanced or metastatic GC and with measurable lesions (response evaluation criteria in solid tumors; RECIST) were randomly assigned to start with docetaxel 45 mg/m(2) (arm T) or irinotecan 180 mg/m(2) (arm C) with bolus/44-h infusion of 5-Fu/Lv (day 1 every 2 weeks). After four courses, there was a prescheduled crossover to the alternative regimen for four additional courses. RESULTS: Eighty-one patients were randomized and 78 started treatment. Complete and partial responses were seen in 31 (40%) patients after 8 weeks and in 32 (41%) after 16 weeks, with similar results in both study arms. The median overall survival (OS) was 11.5 and 10.6 months in arms T and C, respectively (P = 0.3). The two schedules were feasible and did not differ in the overall rate of severe adverse events (SAEs). CONCLUSION: This is the first randomized comparison of two of the newer cytostatic drugs in GC therapy. No differences favoring either arm T or arm C were found with respect to response rate, OS, or toxicity. The median OS of 11 months indicates that sequential administration of the two combinations is effective and is similar to triple combinations. Thus, comparable efficacy to platinum combinations appears to be obtained with newer, less toxic regimens when given sequentially.

Adjuvant chemotherapy with fluorouracil plus folinic acid vs gemcitabine following pancreatic cancer resection: a randomized controlled trial.

CONTEXT: Adjuvant fluorouracil has been shown to be of benefit for patients with resected pancreatic cancer. Gemcitabine is known to be the most effective agent in advanced disease as well as an effective agent in patients with resected pancreatic cancer. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether fluorouracil or gemcitabine is superior in terms of overall survival as adjuvant treatment following resection of pancreatic cancer. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: The European Study Group for Pancreatic Cancer (ESPAC)-3 trial, an open-label, phase 3, randomized controlled trial conducted in 159 pancreatic cancer centers in Europe, Australasia, Japan, and Canada. Included in ESPAC-3 version 2 were 1088 patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma who had undergone cancer resection; patients were randomized between July 2000 and January 2007 and underwent at least 2 years of follow-up. INTERVENTIONS: Patients received either fluorouracil plus folinic acid (folinic acid, 20 mg/m(2), intravenous bolus injection, followed by fluorouracil, 425 mg/m(2) intravenous bolus injection given 1-5 days every 28 days) (n = 551) or gemcitabine (1000 mg/m(2) intravenous infusion once a week for 3 of every 4 weeks) (n = 537) for 6 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcome measure was overall survival; secondary measures were toxicity, progression-free survival, and quality of life. RESULTS: Final analysis was carried out on an intention-to-treat basis after a median of 34.2 (interquartile range, 27.1-43.4) months' follow-up after 753 deaths (69%). Median survival was 23.0 (95% confidence interval [CI], 21.1-25.0) months for patients treated with fluorouracil plus folinic acid and 23.6 (95% CI, 21.4-26.4) months for those treated with gemcitabine (chi(1)(2) = 0.7; P = .39; hazard ratio, 0.94 [95% CI, 0.81-1.08]). Seventy-seven patients (14%) receiving fluorouracil plus folinic acid had 97 treatment-related serious adverse events, compared with 40 patients (7.5%) receiving gemcitabine, who had 52 events (P < .001). There were no significant differences in either progression-free survival or global quality-of-life scores between the treatment groups. CONCLUSION: Compared with the use of fluorouracil plus folinic acid, gemcitabine did not result in improved overall survival in patients with completely resected pancreatic cancer. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00058201.

Venous thromboembolism during preoperative chemotherapy in the CRITICS gastric cancer trial.

BACKGROUND: The occurrence of a venous thromboembolism (VTE) is common in patients with cancer. Gastric cancer has been associated with one of the highest risks for VTE. Chemotherapy, especially cisplatin has been associated with a high VTE risk. In this study, risk factors for VTE occurrence and their potential impact on subsequent therapeutic interventions were investigated in patients who underwent preoperative chemotherapy, in the CRITICS gastric cancer trial. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with resectable gastric cancer were preoperatively treated with three cycles of 3-weekly epirubicin, cisplatin or oxaliplatin, and capecitabine (ECC/EOC). VTE was defined as any thrombus in the venous system, excluding superficial and/or device related VTEs. Potential risk factors were analyzed in a multivariable regression model with age, gender, Body Mass Index (BMI), tumor localization, Lauren classification, type of chemotherapy (ECC/EOC), (cardiovascular) comorbidity, and previous VTE as independent risk factors. The impact of VTE on completion rate of preoperative chemotherapy, surgical resection rate, postoperative complications, and start of postoperative therapy were investigated. RESULTS: Of 781 patients, 78 (10%) of 781 patients developed a VTE during preoperative chemotherapy. On multivariable analysis, BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 and previous VTE were associated with VTE occurrence (reference BMI < 25 kg/m2 ; OR 2.190; 95% CI 1.152-4.164; P = .017/previous VTE; OR 3.617; 95% CI 1.201-10.890; P = .022). Treatment with cisplatin was, compared to oxaliplatin, not significantly associated with VTE occurrence (OR 1.535; 95% CI 0.761-3.094; P = .231). VTE occurrence did not affect completion of preoperative chemotherapy, surgical resection rate, postoperative complications, or start of postoperative therapy. CONCLUSION: High BMI and previous VTE were independent risk factors for VTE occurrence during preoperative chemotherapy in patients with resectable gastric cancer. VTE occurrence in the preoperative setting did not affect receipt of further treatment.