Prognostic Factors in High-Grade Osteosarcoma of theExtremities or Trunk: An Analysis of 1,702 Patients Treatedon Neoadjuvant Cooperative Osteosarcoma Study GroupProtocols.

PURPOSE: To define prognostic factors for response and long-term outcome for a wide spectrum of osteosarcomas, extending well beyond those of the typical young patient with seemingly localized extremity disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 1,702 consecutive newly diagnosed patients with high-grade osteosarcoma of the trunk or limbs registered into the neoadjuvant studies of the Cooperative Osteosarcoma Study Group before July 1998 were entered into an analysis of demographic, tumor-related, and treatment-related variables, response, and survival. The intended therapeutic strategy included preoperative and postoperative chemotherapy with multiple agents as well as surgery of all operable lesions. RESULTS: Axial tumor site, male sex, and a long history of symptoms were associated with poor response to chemotherapy in univariate and multivariate analysis. Actuarial 10-year overall and event-free survival rates were 59.8% and 48.9%. Among the variables assessable at diagnosis, patient age (actuarial 10-year survival ≥ 40, 41.6%; < 40, 60.2%; P = .012), tumor site (axial, 29.2%; limb, 61.7%; P < .0001), and primary metastases (yes, 26.7%; no, 64.4%; P < .0001), and for extremity osteosarcomas, also size (≥ one third, 52.5%; < one third, 66.7%; P < .0001) and location within the limb (proximal, 49.3%; other, 63.9%; P < .0001), had significant influence on outcome. Two additional important prognostic factors were treatment related: response to chemotherapy (poor, 47.2%; good, 73.4%; P < .0001) and the extent of surgery (incomplete, 14.6%; macroscopically complete, 64.8%; P < .0001). All factors except age maintained their significance in multivariate testing, with surgical remission and histologic response emerging as the key prognostic factors. CONCLUSION: Tumor site and size, primary metastases, response to chemotherapy, and surgical remission are of independent prognostic value in osteosarcoma.

Novel Compound Heterozygous Mutations in Two Families With Bernard-Soulier Syndrome.

Background: Bernard-Soulier Syndrome (BSS) is a rare autosomal recessive bleeding disorder with large platelets and thrombocytopenia. It is caused by homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations in the GP1BA, GP1BB, or GP9 genes, which together encode the platelet surface receptor glycoprotein complex GPIb-IX-V. Objectives: We report two novel heterozygous mutations in the GP1BA and the GP9 genes, respectively. Patients/Methods: We analyzed the platelet glycoprotein expression by flow cytometry and screened the relevant genes for responsible mutations in two unrelated families. Results: Flow cytometric analyses revealed the absence of CD42a (GPIX) and CD42b (GPIb) on the platelets in the two affected siblings of family 1 and a significantly reduced expression of CD42b (GPIb) in the patient of family 2. In the two siblings, we identified a known frameshift (c.1601_1602delAT) and a novel nonsense mutation (c.1036C>T) in the GP1BA gene that abrogated the production of GP1bα. In the other patient, we found a novel missense mutation (c.112T>C) that was co-inherited with a common one (c.182A>G) in the GP9 gene, respectively. All analyzed heterozygous carriers were asymptomatic and had a normal GPIb-IX-V expression. Conclusions: The two novel GP1BA and GP9 mutations reported herein increment the number of causative genetic defects in BSS.

Multiple relapses in high-grade osteosarcoma: when to stop aggressive therapy?

The prognosis after relapse of high-grade osteosarcoma is poor and complete resection of all tumors is essential for survival. A 6-year old was diagnosed with high-grade osteosarcoma and treated according to the COSS-96 protocol. Within 5 years from initial diagnosis, five osteosarcoma relapses occurred and every time it was possible to achieve complete surgical remission. Additional treatments included chemotherapy and dendritic cell-based cancer immune therapy. Since the end of therapy of the 5th relapse, he is alive for 11½ years. Our experience further supports that aggressive surgery can help to achieve long-term survival even in patients with multiple osteosarcoma relapses.

Lessons learned from a double-blind randomised placebo-controlled study with a iota-carrageenan nasal spray as medical device in children with acute symptoms of common cold.

BACKGROUND: Common cold is caused by a variety of respiratory viruses. The prevalence in children is high, and it potentially contributes to significant morbidity. Iota-carragenan, a polymer derived from red seaweed, has reduced viral load in nasal secretions and alleviated symptoms in adults with common cold. METHODS: We have assessed the antiviral and therapeutic activity of a nasal spray containing iota-carrageenan in children with acute symptoms of common cold. A cohort of 153 children between 1-18 years (mean age 5 years), displaying acute symptoms of common cold were randomly assigned to treatment with a nasal spray containing iota-carrageenan (0.12%) as verum or 0.9% sodium chloride solution as placebo for seven days. Symptoms of common cold were recorded and the viral load of respiratory viruses in nasal secretions was determined at two consecutive visits. RESULTS: The results of the present study showed no significant difference between the iota carrageenan and the placebo group on the mean of TSS between study days 2-7. Secondary endpoints, such as reduced time to clearance of disease (7.6 vs 9.4 days; p = 0.038), reduction of viral load (p = 0.026), and lower incidence of secondary infections with other respiratory viruses (p = 0.046) indicated beneficial effects of iota-carrageenan in this population. The treatment was safe and well tolerated, with less side effects observed in the verum group compared to placebo. CONCLUSION: In this study iota-carrageenan did not alleviate symptoms in children with acute symptoms of common cold, but significantly reduced viral load in nasal secretions that may have important implications for future studies. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN52519535, http://www.controlled-trials.com/ISRCTN52519535/

Osteosarcoma in very young children: experience of the Cooperative Osteosarcoma Study Group.

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to investigate presentation, treatment, and outcome in very young children with osteosarcoma. METHODS: The authors retrospectively analyzed the data of 2706 consecutive COSS patients with newly diagnosed osteosarcoma and identified 28 (1.0%) patients aged younger than 5 years at diagnosis. Demographic, diagnostic, tumor, treatment-related variables, response, and survival data were analyzed. RESULTS: Of the 28 preschoolers, 27 presented with high-grade central osteosarcoma of an extremity, and 1 had a secondary osteosarcoma of the orbit. This analysis focused on the 27 patients with extremity tumors. The size of the primary was large (≥one-third of the involved bone) in 20 of 27 patients. Primary metastases were detected in 4 of 27 children. All patients received multiagent chemotherapy, and 11 of 18 analyzed tumors responded well (>90% necrosis) to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Limb-sparing surgery was performed in 9 cases, ablative procedures were performed in 15, and, in 3 cases, no local surgery was performed. With a median follow-up of 4 years (6.2 years for survivors), 13 patients were alive. Four patients never achieved a complete remission, and 11 developed recurrences; 14 of these 15 patients died. Five-year overall and event-free survival probabilities were 51% (standard error of the mean [SE], 10%) and 48% (SE, 10%). Better survival was correlated with good response to chemotherapy and later time period of diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Osteosarcoma is extremely rare in preschool children. These patients often have large tumors that may require mutilating resections. Prognosis is in the range of that reported for older patients.

Osteosarcoma: the COSS experience.

COSS, the interdisciplinary Cooperative German-Austrian-Swiss Osteosarcoma Study Group, was founded in 1977 and has since registered some 3,500 bone sarcoma patients from over 200 institutions. For the purpose of the Pediatric and Adolescent Osteosarcoma Conference in Houston, March 2008, the outcomes of 2,464 consecutive patients with high-grade central osteosarcoma, who had been diagnosed between 1980 and 2005 and had been treated on neoadjuvant COSS protocols, were reviewed. Intended treatment had included surgery and multidrug chemotherapy, with high-dose methotrexate, doxorubicin, cisplatin, and ifosfamide being used in most protocols. After a median follow-up of 7.31 years for 1,654 survivors, 5- and 10-year survival estimates were 0.748/0.695 for 2,017 patients with localized extremity tumors and 0.369/0.317 for 444 patients with axial tumors or/and primary metastases, respectively. Tumor response to preoperative chemotherapy was of independent prognostic significance. Over the years, there was a major shift from amputation towards limb-salvage. This development was least evident for patients below the age of 10. While survival expectancies improved from the first to the second half of the recruitment period, no further improvement was evident within the latter period. In the manuscript, the results described above are discussed based on the findings of the previous analyses of our group.

Second and subsequent recurrences of osteosarcoma: presentation, treatment, and outcomes of 249 consecutive cooperative osteosarcoma study group patients.

PURPOSE: To evaluate patient and tumor characteristics, treatment, and outcomes in a large cohort of unselected patients with second and subsequent recurrences of osteosarcoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two hundred forty-nine consecutive patients who had originally received combined-modality therapy on neoadjuvant Cooperative Osteosarcoma Study Group protocols and went on to develop a total of 409 second and subsequent osteosarcoma recurrences were analyzed for patient-, tumor-, and treatment-related factors and outcomes. RESULTS: Five-year overall and event-free survival rates were 16% and 9% for 249 second, 14% and 0% for 93 third, 13% and 6% for 38 fourth, and 18% and 0% for 14 fifth recurrences, respectively. The proportion of recurrences confined to the lungs decreased and the proportion of those with chest wall involvement increased with increasing numbers of recurrences. The duration of relapse-free intervals and the number of lesions at recurrence correlated with outcomes. While only one of 205 patients with rerecurrence survived past 5 years without surgical remission, 5-year overall and event-free survival rates were 32% and 18% for 119 second, 26% and 0% for 45 third, 28% and 13% for 20 fourth, and 53% and 0% for five fifth recurrences, respectively, in which a renewed surgical remission was achieved. The use of chemotherapy correlated with longer survival in patients without surgical remissions. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first report of survival estimates derived from large cohorts of unselected patients with second and subsequent osteosarcoma recurrences. It confirms the overwhelming importance of surgical clearance. Prognostic indicators after rerecurrences resemble those known from first recurrence. The exact role of re-treatment with chemotherapy, particularly in the adjuvant situation, remains to be defined.

Results of the EICESS-92 Study: two randomized trials of Ewing's sarcoma treatment--cyclophosphamide compared with ifosfamide in standard-risk patients and assessment of benefit of etoposide added to standard treatment in high-risk patients.

PURPOSE: The European Intergroup Cooperative Ewing's Sarcoma Study investigated whether cyclophosphamide has a similar efficacy as ifosfamide in standard-risk (SR) patients and whether the addition of etoposide improves survival in high-risk (HR) patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: SR patients (localized tumors, volume <100 mL) were randomly assigned to receive four courses of vincristine, dactinomycin, ifosfamide, and doxorubicin (VAIA) induction therapy followed by 10 courses of either VAIA or vincristine, dactinomycin, cyclophosphamide, and doxorubicin (VACA; cyclophosphamide replacing ifosfamide). HR patients (volume >or=100 mL or metastases) were randomly assigned to receive 14 courses of either VAIA or VAIA plus etoposide (EVAIA). Outcome measures were event-free survival (EFS; defined as the time to first recurrence, progression, second malignancy, or death) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: A total of 647 patients were randomly assigned: 79 SR patients were assigned to VAIA, 76 SR patients were assigned to VACA, 240 HR were assigned to VAIA, and 252 HR patients were assigned to EVAIA. The median follow-up was 8.5 years. In the SR group, the hazard ratios (VACA v VAIA) for EFS and OS were 0.91 (95% CI, 0.55 to 1.53) and 1.08 (95% CI, 0.58 to 2.03), respectively. There was a higher incidence of hematologic toxicities in the VACA arm. In the HR group, the EFS and OS hazard ratios (EVAIA v VAIA) indicated a 17% reduction in the risk of an event (95% CI, -35% to 5%; P = .12) and 15% reduction in dying (95% CI, -34% to 10%), respectively. The effect seemed greater among patients without metastases (hazard ratio = 0.79; P = .16) than among those with metastases (hazard ratio = 0.96; P = .84). CONCLUSION: Cyclophosphamide seemed to have a similar effect on EFS and OS as ifosfamide in SR patients but was associated with increased toxicity. In HR patients, the addition of etoposide seemed to be beneficial.

Outcome of relapses of nephroblastoma in patients registered in the SIOP/GPOH trials and studies.

We registered 170 relapses in 1392 children with nephroblastoma in the SIOP/GPOH trials. The study aimed to evaluate prognostic factors for outcome in relapsed patients. Age, gender, initial stage, metastatic disease, local stage, histology, time to relapse and tumour volume were analysed for their prognostic relevance. Overall survival after relapse was 48% (median follow-up 5 years). Relapses were local in 28%, metastatic in 57% and combined in 15%. The median age of the cohort was 4.5 years whereas patients in complete continuous remission were significantly younger (3.1 years, p=0.001). Patients with initial stage I and II showed a significantly better prognosis than children with stage III (57 vs. 31%, p=0.008). Patients with high-risk tumours had a much poorer prognosis than those with intermediate and low-risk tumours (58 vs. 31%, p=0.003). Children with recurrence within 6 months after diagnosis had a poorer outcome than children relapsing later on (54 vs. 22%, p=0.0001). The tumour volume initially and after preoperative chemotherapy did not have any influence on outcome. Patients with isolated distant metastasis had a significantly better outcome than those with local and combined relapses (p=0.001). In conclusion, factors for poor prognosis after relapse are early relapse, local stage III, high-risk histology and combined relapse.

Mesoblastic nephroma--a report from the Gesellschaft fur Pädiatrische Onkologie und Hämatologie (GPOH).

BACKGROUND: Surgery alone is the appropriate first-line treatment for patients with mesoblastic nephroma (MN). Nevertheless, there are reports of local recurrences and metastasis, especially in the cellular subtype. The authors evaluated the outcome of patients with MN who were enrolled in either the International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP) 93-01/GPOH or the SIOP 2001/GPOH Nephroblastoma Study and Trial. METHODS: In total, 50 patients with MN were analyzed. Eleven patients were suspected antenatally of having a renal tumor. The median age at diagnosis was 18.5 days. Central pathologic review was performed for all specimens. The median observation time was 4.2 years. RESULTS: Forty-five patients underwent initial surgery. Five patients older than 6 months received preoperative chemotherapy. Twenty-nine tumors were classic MN, and 21 tumors were cellular MN. Nine patients had a Stage III MN, 5 of those patients had tumor ruptures, and 8 had positive surgical margins. After they underwent nephrectomy, 40 patients received no further treatment. For the entire group, event-free survival (EFS) (94%) and overall survival (OS) (95%) were excellent. Patients with a cellular MN, patients with age 3 months or older, and patients with Stage III MN had lower EFS. Three patients developed recurrent disease, and 2 of those patients died. Metastases to the brain, lung, and liver were observed in 1 patient. CONCLUSIONS: Radical nephrectomy with accurate surgical-pathologic staging is the standard of care for children with MN. Nonetheless, a subgroup of patients with MN (Stage III cellular MN in patients age 3 months or older) tends to develop recurrences more often. Further prospective studies will be needed to verify this finding and should help determine whether these patients may benefit from adjuvant therapy.

Skip metastases in osteosarcoma: experience of the Cooperative Osteosarcoma Study Group.

PURPOSE: The outlook for patients with osteosarcoma who present with synchronous regional bone metastases (skip metastases), either in the primary bone site or transarticular, is considered to be extremely poor. This study was conducted to further investigate the prognostic implication of skip metastases in osteosarcoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The authors retrospectively analyzed the collected data of 1,765 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed high-grade osteosarcoma of bone who were registered in the neoadjuvant Cooperative Osteosarcoma Study Group studies and identified 24 patients (1.4%) with unequivocally proven skip metastases. All 24 patients were treated by an aggressive surgical approach coupled with polychemotherapy. Demographic, diagnostic, tumor, and treatment-related variables and response and survival data were analyzed. RESULTS: Skip metastases were identified preoperatively in 11 of 24 patients by bone scan, eight of 22 patients by plain x-ray, 15 of 18 patients by magnetic resonance imaging, and five of 10 patients by computed tomography. A complete surgical remission (CSR) of all clinically detectable tumor sites was achieved in 22 of 24 patients during front-line therapy. With a median follow-up time of 4.4 years (8 years for survivors) from diagnosis, 12 patients were alive, all of whom were in continuous CSR. Survival did correlate with location of skip metastases and histologic response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: Synchronous regional bone metastases are rare in osteosarcoma, and preoperative detection relies on appropriate diagnostic imaging. Aggressive multimodal therapy holds the promise to achieve prolonged survival, especially in patients in whom these metastases occur within the same bone as the primary lesion and whose tumors respond well to chemotherapy.

Safety assessment of intensive induction with vincristine, ifosfamide, doxorubicin, and etoposide (VIDE) in the treatment of Ewing tumors in the EURO-E.W.I.N.G. 99 clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: The EUROpean Ewing tumour Working Initiative of National Groups 1999 (EURO-E.W.I.N.G. 99) protocol prescribes six courses of vincristine, ifosfamide, doxorubicin, and etoposide (VIDE) as intensive induction chemotherapy for Ewing tumors (ET). Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) is recommended. Adverse reactions (AR) were evaluated; quality assurance of data collection reviewed. PROCEDURE: Safety data from 4,746 courses of VIDE in 851 patients less than 50 years with ET were collected using a checklist and evaluated using descriptive statistics with sub-groups including gender, age, and tumor volume, analyzed by Wilcoxon and Kruskal-Wallis tests. RESULTS: Myelosuppression and infections were the major AR but with appropriate supportive therapy targeted dose intensity was maintained. Five VIDE-related deaths with three due to sepsis were reported. Renal and cardiac toxicity were reflected by glomerular filtration rate (GFR) <39 ml/min/1.73 m2 in 0.1%, tubular phosphate reabsorption < or = 0.80 in 1.9%, and left ventricular shortening fracture <28% in 2.5% VIDE courses. Statistically significant gender-associated AR concerning hemoglobin and platelets were observed with females > males as were age-associated AR concerning hemoglobin, WBC, platelets, stomatitis, and vomiting with AR decreasing with age, that is, children > adolescents > adults. No association of AR to tumor volume was found. In VIDE courses with and without G-CSF, neutropenia-related fever in 60.8% and 65.8%, and infection in 54.7% and 61.0% courses, respectively, were recorded. CONCLUSIONS: AR under VIDE remained within the expected range. Some AR, for example, hematotoxicity were significantly influenced by age and gender but not by tumor volume. G-CSF did not significantly influence neutropenia-related fever and infection. Solicited safety collection with checklists adequately reflects the burden per course.

Dose intensity of chemotherapy for osteosarcoma and outcome in the Cooperative Osteosarcoma Study Group (COSS) trials.

BACKGROUND: The prognostic relevance of dose intensity in the treatment of osteosarcoma is still under discussion. The aim of this study was to investigate whether higher dose intensities of chemotherapy correlated with better outcomes. PROCEDURE: This study contains 917 consecutive Cooperative Osteosarcoma Study Group (COSS) patients <40 years with primary, high-grade central, nonmetastatic osteosarcoma of the extremities, who were in complete remission at least until day 200 after the start of chemotherapy. All COSS-protocols were based on a uniform treatment concept of aggressive polychemotherapy and definitive surgery. Chemotherapy dose intensity in the first 200 days of treatment (DI200) and possible correlations to overall and event-free survival were investigated. The study focused on methotrexate, doxorubicin, cisplatin, and ifosfamide, which are considered to be the most active drugs against osteosarcoma. Multivariate analyses including well-known prognostic factors were added to complete this investigation. RESULTS: Until day 200, patients received 80.7 +/- 26.1 g/m2 methotrexate (MTX); 242 +/- 69 mg/m2 doxorubicin (DOX); 324 +/- 133 mg/m2 cisplatin (DDP); and 13.9 +/- 9.8 g/m2 ifosfamide (IFO) (mean +/- SD). Median follow-up from day 200 was 6.6 (0.02-22.1) years. There was no correlation between a higher DI200 of any one drug and better outcomes in uni- or multi-variate analyses. Total treatment intensity did not show such correlations either. CONCLUSIONS: In an overall setting of intensive multidrug treatment of osteosarcoma, we could not prove that higher dose intensities correlate with better outcomes.

Extraskeletal osteosarcoma has a favourable prognosis when treated like conventional osteosarcoma.

PURPOSE: The aims of this analysis were to investigate the clinical features of extraskeletal osteosarcoma (ESOS) and examine the outcome after multi-modal therapy. METHODS: The co-operative osteosarcoma study-group database was searched for patients with extraskeletal osteosarcoma. Eligible patients were included in a retrospective analysis of patient, tumour and treatment related variables and outcome. As for conventional osteosarcoma, scheduled treatment included surgery and multi-agent chemotherapy. RESULTS: Seventeen eligible patients were identified with a median age of 44 years (range, 3-65 years). The thigh was the commonest tumour site. Two patients had a history of previous malignancies and two had primary metastases. Median follow-up was 3.2 years (range: 0.6-7.4 years) and at last follow-up, 11 patients were alive in complete remission, 3 patients were alive with disease and 3 patients had died of their disease. Three-year overall actuarial and event-free survival rates were 77% and 56%, respectively. Patients with macroscopically complete surgical remission had an improved overall survival (P = 0.0004). CONCLUSIONS: The patients in this retrospective study had a surprisingly good survival rate. This may be due to the combination of multi-agent chemotherapy with surgery, and we recommend this approach in the treatment of ESOS.

Osteosarcoma relapse after combined modality therapy: an analysis of unselected patients in the Cooperative Osteosarcoma Study Group (COSS).

PURPOSE: To evaluate the impact of patient, tumor, and treatment-related factors on outcome in unselected patients with recurrent osteosarcoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Five hundred seventy-six consecutive patients who had achieved a first complete surgical remission (CR) during combined-modality therapy on neoadjuvant Cooperative Osteosarcoma Study Group (COSS) protocols and then developed recurrent osteosarcoma were analyzed (median time from biopsy to relapse, 1.6 years; range, 0.1 to 14.3 years). There were 501 patients with metastases, 44 with local recurrences, and 31 with both. Metastases involved lungs (469 patients), bones (90 patients), and/or other sites (54 patients). RESULTS: After a median follow-up of 1.2 years for all patients and 4.2 years for survivors, actuarial overall survival (OS) rates at 2, 5, and 10 years were 0.38, 0.23, and 0.18, respectively. Five-year OS was 0.39 for 339 patients with and 0.00 for 229 patients without a second surgical CR (P < .0001). A long time to relapse, a solitary lesion, and, in the case of pulmonary metastases, unilateral disease and the absence of pleural disruption, were of positive prognostic value in uni- and multivariate analyses, as were a second surgical CR and the use of second-line chemotherapy. Radiotherapy was associated with moderately prolonged survival in patients without a second CR. The very limited prognostic differences associated with the use of second-line chemotherapy appeared to be more pronounced with polychemotherapy. CONCLUSION: Time to relapse and tumor burden correlate with postrelapse outcome in osteosarcoma. Complete surgery is an essential component of curative second-line therapy. Chemotherapy, particularly chemotherapy with more than one agent, may contribute to limited improvements in outcome.

Primary metastatic osteosarcoma: presentation and outcome of patients treated on neoadjuvant Cooperative Osteosarcoma Study Group protocols.

PURPOSE: To determine demographic data and define prognostic factors for long-term outcome in patients presenting with high-grade osteosarcoma of bone with clinically detectable metastases at initial presentation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Of 1,765 patients with newly diagnosed, previously untreated high-grade osteosarcomas of bone registered in the neoadjuvant Cooperative Osteosarcoma Study Group studies before 1999, 202 patients (11.4%) had proven metastases at diagnosis and therefore were enrolled onto an analysis of demographic-, tumor-, and treatment-related variables, response, and survival. The intended therapeutic strategy included pre- and postoperative multiagent chemotherapy as well as aggressive surgery of all resectable lesions. RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 1.9 years (5.5 years for survivors), 60 patients were alive, 37 of whom were in continuously complete surgical remission. Actuarial overall survival rates at 5 and 10 (same value for 15) years were 29% (SE = 3%) and 24% (SE = 4%), respectively. In univariate analysis, survival was significantly correlated with patient age, site of the primary tumor, number and location of metastases, number of involved organ systems, histologic response of the primary tumor to preoperative chemotherapy, and completeness and time point of surgical resection of all tumor sites. However, after multivariate Cox regression analysis, only multiple metastases at diagnosis (relative hazard rate [RHR] = 2.3) and macroscopically incomplete surgical resection (RHR = 2.4) remained significantly associated with inferior outcomes. CONCLUSION: The number of metastases at diagnosis and the completeness of surgical resection of all clinically detected tumor sites are of independent prognostic value in patients with proven primary metastatic osteosarcoma.

Absence of SV40 in Austrian tumors correlates with low incidence of mesotheliomas.

Between 1955 and 1963 millions of people were worldwide vaccinated with polio-vaccines that were contaminated with the simian virus 40 (SV40). This tumor-inducing virus has subsequently been detected in several human tumors. In Austria, polio mass vaccination started in winter 1961/62 with a presumably SV40-free British vaccine. Thus, we hypothesized that the Austrian population should be SV40-free. We used a polymerase chain reaction-based (PCR) method to search for SV40 sequences in DNA that was extracted from 14 giant cell tumors, ten osteosarcomas and eight mesotheliomas. SV40 was easily detected in two bone tumor DNAs from Italy, and one from the USA, and in one SV40 positive cell line. In parallel experiments all Austrian samples tested consistently negative. Our findings support the notion that: 1) polio vaccination is the main source for SV40 in human populations, 2) Austria was not exposed to SV40, and 3) its absence correlates with the low incidence of mesotheliomas in Austria.

Early epoetin alfa treatment in children with solid tumors.

BACKGROUND: Combination chemotherapy is often used for long periods in children with solid malignancies, leading to anemia and necessitating intervention with red blood cell (RBC) transfusions. Transfusions, however, are associated with a variety of adverse events and risks. Recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO, epoetin alfa) has been shown to reduce the need for transfusions and to ameliorate the symptoms of anemia in adults, but few studies have been conducted thus far in pediatric patients. PROCEDURE: Thirty-seven children with solid tumors receiving treatment with platinum- or nonplatinum-based chemotherapy were treated with epoetin alfa and supplemental iron in a single-center, open-label, 28-week, case-control study. RESULTS: Epoetin alfa significantly reduced the need for RBC (P = 0.007) and platelet (P = 0.01) transfusions, and prolonged the time to first RBC transfusion (P = 0.0004) as compared to the control group. Moreover, epoetin alfa was effective in maintaining mean hemoglobin levels during the course of the study, whereas they declined below baseline after week 9 in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Epoetin alfa is effective and safe in reducing transfusion requirements and maintaining adequate hemoglobin levels in children with solid tumors undergoing combination chemotherapy.

Genetic changes of two Wilms tumors with anaplasia and a review of the literature suggesting a marker profile for therapy resistance.

Cytogenetic data on Wilms tumors (WT) with anaplasia frequently associated with an unfavorable outcome are scarce. We present cytogenetic changes of two WT with anaplasia (primary tumor material) from nonresponders with a synopsis of the literature. The WT were investigated by cytogenetic analysis, comparative genomic hybridization, fluorescence in situ hybridization, immunofluorescence, and flow cytometric analyses. Both tumors exhibited characteristic genetic changes. One tumor was hypodiploid due to loss of entire chromosome 11; losses of 16p, 16q, 17p, chromosome 19 material, and loss of 22q12-qter. The other tumor was hyperdiploid and triploid, and displayed gain of 1q12-q23 and chromosome 9 material. Moreover, two morphological and genetically distinct cell lines have been established from both tumors, demonstrating underrepresentation of chromosomes 13, 14, 16, and 19. Karyotype descriptions of 120 WT with known clinical data together with data of this report confirm: (1) inter- and intratumor heterogeneity exists; (2) loss or underrepresentation of chromosome material at 11, 13, 14, 16, 17p, 19, and 22q in various combinations presents a new marker profile of resistance to cytotoxic agents regardless of the histological types; and (3) the prognostic impact of gain at 1q12-q23 sequences warrants further validation.