Synchronous versus metachronous brain metastasis from testicular germ cell tumors (TGCT): an analysis from the Spanish Germ Cell Cancer Group data base.

BACKGROUND: Brain metastases of testicular germ cell tumor (TGCT) are a rare event. Prognostic is poor and there is not much evidence on optimal management of these patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A review of case records of germ cell tumor patients within the Spanish Germ Cell Cancer Group data base from 1994 to 2012 was conducted. RESULTS: Thirty-three out of 6,200 cases (0.5 %). Nineteen patients (57 %) group 1: synchronous, 13 (40 %) group 2: metachronous and only one developed brain metastasis during cisplatin-based chemotherapy (excluded from the analysis). Median serum BHCG levels at initial diagnosis was higher in group 1, whereas elevated AFP serum levels were more common in group 2. Histology in the primary tumor: chorionic carcinoma for group 1 versus embryonal carcinoma for group 2. Mainly solitary brain metastasis in group 2 (54 versus 21 %, respectively). The median overall survival from the diagnosis of central nervous system involvement was 16 months for group 1 (CI 95 % 13.9-18) and 23 months (95 % CI 0-165) for group 2 (log rank p = 0.84). Long-term survivors were practically identical in the two groups (38.9 % group 1 versus 38.5 % group 2). Regardless of the timing of brain metastasis, those patients that achieved complete response to the treatment had better survival (log rank p 0.003). CONCLUSION: Although some distinctive clinical characteristics have been found between patients with synchronous versus metachronous brain metastasis from TGCT, the timing of brain metastasis did not seem to have prognostic influence, but due to the retrospective nature of the analysis and the results should be interpreted with caution.

Cost-effectiveness evaluation of sunitinib as first-line targeted therapy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma in Spain.

INTRODUCTION Sunitinib, an oral, multitargeted receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, delays disease progression, with a median overall survival (OS) of more than 2 years, improves quality of life and is becoming the first-line standard of care for metastatic renal carcinoma (mRCC). PURPOSE To assess the economic value of sunitinib as fi rst-line therapy in mRCC within the Spanish healthcare system. METHODS An adapted Markov model with a 10-year time horizon was used to analyse the cost effectiveness of sunitinib vs. sorafenib (SFN) and bevacizumab/interferon-α (BEV/IFN) as first-line mRCC therapy from the Spanish third-party payer perspective. Progression-free survival (PFS) and OS data from sunitinib, SFN and BEV/IFN pivotal trials were extrapolated to project survival and costs in 6-week cycles. Results, in progression-free life-years (PFLY), life years (LY) and quality-adjusted life-years (QALY) gained, expressed as incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER) with costs and benefits discounted annually at 3%, were obtained using deterministic and probabilistic analyses. RESULTS Sunitinib was more effective and less costly than both SFN (gains of 0.52 PFLY, 0.16 LY, 0.17 QALY) and BEV/IFN (gains of 0.19 PFLY, 0.23 LY, 0.16 QALY) with average cost savings/patients of €1,124 and €23,218, respectively. Using a willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold of €50,000/QALY, sunitinib achieved an incremental net benefit (INB) of €9,717 and €31,211 compared with SFN and BEV/IFN, respectively. At this WTP, the probability of sunitinib providing the highest INB was 75%. CONCLUSION Our analysis suggests that sunitinib is a costeffective alternative to other targeted therapies as first-line mRCC therapy in the Spanish healthcare setting.

SEOM guidelines for the management of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Lung cancer is currently the most common malignancy and also the leading cause of mortality related to cancer in the world [1]. The crude incidence of lung cancer in the EU is 52.5/100,000/year, while the mortality 48.7/100,000/year. Among men the rates are 82.5 and 77.0/100,000/year, and among women 23.9 and 22.3/100,000/year, respectively. Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for 80% of all cases. In Spain, there were 16,879 deaths in men, with a mean age of 68 years, and 2634 deaths in women, with a mean age of 66 years. The incidence of lung cancer in Spain was 68.3/100,000 among men and 13.8/100,000 among women, according to the latest data published in the year 2006 by the Instituto Nacional de Estadística. About 90% of lung cancer mortality among men (and 80% among women) is attributable to smoking.