Immune Activation following Irbesartan Treatment in a Colorectal Cancer Patient: A Case Study.

Colorectal cancers are one of the most prevalent tumour types worldwide and, despite the emergence of targeted and biologic therapies, have among the highest mortality rates. The Personalized OncoGenomics (POG) program at BC Cancer performs whole genome and transcriptome analysis (WGTA) to identify specific alterations in an individual's cancer that may be most effectively targeted. Informed using WGTA, a patient with advanced mismatch repair-deficient colorectal cancer was treated with the antihypertensive drug irbesartan and experienced a profound and durable response. We describe the subsequent relapse of this patient and potential mechanisms of response using WGTA and multiplex immunohistochemistry (m-IHC) profiling of biopsies before and after treatment from the same metastatic site of the L3 spine. We did not observe marked differences in the genomic landscape before and after treatment. Analyses revealed an increase in immune signalling and infiltrating immune cells, particularly CD8+ T cells, in the relapsed tumour. These results indicate that the observed anti-tumour response to irbesartan may have been due to an activated immune response. Determining whether there may be other cancer contexts in which irbesartan may be similarly valuable will require additional studies.

Whole-genome and transcriptome analysis enhances precision cancer treatment options.

BACKGROUND: Recent advances are enabling delivery of precision genomic medicine to cancer clinics. While the majority of approaches profile panels of selected genes or hotspot regions, comprehensive data provided by whole-genome and transcriptome sequencing and analysis (WGTA) present an opportunity to align a much larger proportion of patients to therapies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Samples from 570 patients with advanced or metastatic cancer of diverse types enrolled in the Personalized OncoGenomics (POG) program underwent WGTA. DNA-based data, including mutations, copy number and mutation signatures, were combined with RNA-based data, including gene expression and fusions, to generate comprehensive WGTA profiles. A multidisciplinary molecular tumour board used WGTA profiles to identify and prioritize clinically actionable alterations and inform therapy. Patient responses to WGTA-informed therapies were collected. RESULTS: Clinically actionable targets were identified for 83% of patients, of which 37% of patients received WGTA-informed treatments. RNA expression data were particularly informative, contributing to 67% of WGTA-informed treatments; 25% of treatments were informed by RNA expression alone. Of a total 248 WGTA-informed treatments, 46% resulted in clinical benefit. RNA expression data were comparable to DNA-based mutation and copy number data in aligning to clinically beneficial treatments. Genome signatures also guided therapeutics including platinum, poly-ADP ribose polymerase inhibitors and immunotherapies. Patients accessed WGTA-informed treatments through clinical trials (19%), off-label use (35%) and as standard therapies (46%) including those which would not otherwise have been the next choice of therapy, demonstrating the utility of genomic information to direct use of chemotherapies as well as targeted therapies. CONCLUSIONS: Integrating RNA expression and genome data illuminated treatment options that resulted in 46% of treated patients experiencing positive clinical benefit, supporting the use of comprehensive WGTA profiling in clinical cancer care.

NRG1 fusion-driven tumors: biology, detection, and the therapeutic role of afatinib and other ErbB-targeting agents.

Oncogenic gene fusions are hybrid genes that result from structural DNA rearrangements, leading to deregulated activity. Fusions involving the neuregulin-1 gene (NRG1) result in ErbB-mediated pathway activation and therefore present a rational candidate for targeted treatment. The most frequently reported NRG1 fusion is CD74-NRG1, which most commonly occurs in patients with invasive mucinous adenocarcinomas (IMAs) of the lung, although several other NRG1 fusion partners have been identified in patients with lung cancer, including ATP1B1, SDC4, and RBPMS. NRG1 fusions are also present in patients with other solid tumors, such as pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. In general, NRG1 fusions are rare across different types of cancer, with a reported incidence of <1%, with the notable exception of IMA, which represents ≈2%-10% of lung adenocarcinomas and has a reported incidence of ≈10%-30% for NRG1 fusions. A substantial proportion (≈20%) of NRG1 fusion-positive non-small-cell lung cancer cases are nonmucinous adenocarcinomas. ErbB-targeted treatments, such as afatinib, a pan-ErbB tyrosine kinase inhibitor, are potential therapeutic strategies to address unmet treatment needs in patients harboring NRG1 fusions.

Osimertinib versus platinum-pemetrexed for patients with EGFR T790M advanced NSCLC and progression on a prior EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor: AURA3 overall survival analysis.

BACKGROUND: In AURA3 (NCT02151981), osimertinib, a third-generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), significantly prolonged progression-free survival and improved response in patients with EGFR T790M advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and progression on prior EGFR-TKI treatment. We report the final AURA3 overall survival (OS) analysis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Adult patients were randomized 2 : 1 to osimertinib (80 mg orally, once daily) or pemetrexed plus carboplatin/cisplatin (platinum-pemetrexed) intravenously, every 3 weeks (≤6 cycles). Patients could crossover to osimertinib on progression confirmed by blinded independent central review. OS and safety were secondary end points. RESULTS: A total of 279 patients were randomly assigned to receive osimertinib and 140 to platinum-pemetrexed (136 received treatment). At data cut-off (DCO; 15 March 2019), 188 patients (67%) receiving osimertinib versus 93 (66%) receiving platinum-pemetrexed had died. The hazard ratio (HR) for OS was 0.87 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.67-1.12; P = 0.277]; the median OS was 26.8 months (95% CI 23.5-31.5) versus 22.5 months (95% CI 20.2-28.8) for osimertinib and platinum-pemetrexed, respectively. The estimated 24- and 36-month survival was 55% versus 43% and 37% versus 30%, respectively. After crossover adjustment, there was an HR of 0.54 (95% CI 0.18-1.6). Time to first subsequent therapy or death showed a clinically meaningful advantage toward osimertinib (HR 0.21, 95% CI 0.16-0.28; P < 0.001). At DCO, 99/136 (73%) patients in the platinum-pemetrexed arm had crossed over to osimertinib, 66/99 (67%) of whom had died. The most common adverse events possibly related to study treatment were diarrhea (32%; grade ≥3, 1%) and rash (grouped term; 32%; grade ≥3, <1%) in the osimertinib arm, versus nausea (47%; grade ≥3, 3%) in the platinum-pemetrexed arm. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with T790M advanced NSCLC, no statistically significant benefit in OS was observed for osimertinib versus platinum-pemetrexed, which possibly reflects the high crossover rate of patients from platinum-pemetrexed to osimertinib. CLINICAL TRIALS NUMBER: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02151981; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02151981.

Association between walking 5000 step/day and fall incidence over six months in urban community-dwelling older people.

BACKGROUND: Walking is the most common population-wide campaign for health promotion in older people. However, the cutoff threshold for walking steps/day to identify the older people who are at risk of falling is not recommended. Therefore, the objectives were to investigate the association between all possible risk factors including physical performance, physical activity and fall incidence over the six-month in community-dwelling older people who had low-risk of falling and to identify walking threshold (steps/day) for reducing risk of fall. METHODS: The older people who aged ≥60 years and had free of falling for 1 year were invited to participate in this study. They lived in five communities in Bangkok Thailand. Demographics and physical performances were collected at baseline. Walking (step/day) and 24-h physical activity (PA) were monitored for 5 consecutive days by the Actical® accelerometer wrapped on non-dominant wrists. The Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) questionnaire was used to record activities in the past 7 days by interview. A monthly calendar was used to record fall incidence over the 6 months. Unadjusted and adjusted hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were analyzed using the Cox's proportional hazard regression. The Kaplan Meier curve illustrated the probability to survive from fall over the 6 months. RESULTS: Of 255, 33 older people (12.94%) reported first-fall incidence over the 6 months. Fall incidence density rate was 0.79 per 1000 person-day. Our findings showed that significant association between fall incidence and behavioral risk factors including PASE scores < 100 (HR = 3.53; 95% CI: 1.24-10.04), walking < 5000 steps/day (HR = 3.6; 95% CI: 1.76-7.31) and moderate to vigorous intensity of PA at < 60 min/week (HR = 3.66; 95% CI: 1.12-12.01). Fall incidence were related to the following risk factors: age (HR = 3.54; 95% CI: 1.37-9.11), took polypharmacy/antipsychotics (HR = 4.32; 95% CI: 2.12-8.79), presence of urinary incontinence (HR = 2.87; 95% CI: 1.45-5.68), low functional mobility by Timed Up and Go ≥13.5 s (HR = 6.43; 95% CI: 2.65-15.57). CONCLUSIONS: This study proposed walking ≥5000 steps/day as a cutoff threshold to recommend for reducing risk of falling in community-dwelling older people who had low-risk of falling.

A Canadian cancer trials group phase IB study of durvalumab (anti-PD-L1) plus tremelimumab (anti-CTLA-4) given concurrently or sequentially in patients with advanced, incurable solid malignancies.

Background The IND.226 study was a phase Ib study to determine the recommended phase II dose of durvalumab + tremelimumab in combination with standard platinum-doublet chemotherapy. Sequential administration of multiple agents increases total chair time adding costs overall and inconvenience for patients. This cohort of the IND.226 study evaluated the safety and tolerability of durvalumab + tremelimumab given either sequentially (SEQ) or concurrently (CON). Methods Patients with advanced solid tumours were enrolled and randomised to either SEQ tremelimumab 75 mg IV over 1 h followed by durvalumab 1500 mg IV over 1 h q4wks on the same day, or CON administration over 1 h. The serum pharmacokinetic profile of SEQ versus CON of durvalumab and tremelimumab administration was also evaluated. Results 14 patients either received SEQ (n = 7pts) or CON (n = 7 pts). There were no infusion related reactions. Drug related adverse events (AEs) were mainly low grade and manageable, and comparable in frequency between SEQ/CON- fatigue (43%/57%), rash (43%/43%), pruritus (43%/29%) and nausea (14%/29%). One patient in each cohort discontinued treatment due to toxicity. The PK profiles of durvalumab and tremelimumab were similar between CON and SEQ, and to historical reference data. Conclusions Concurrent administration of durvalumab and tremelimumab over 1 h is safe with a comparable PK profile to sequential administration.

Canadian consensus: oligoprogressive, pseudoprogressive, and oligometastatic non-small-cell lung cancer.

Background: Little evidence has been generated for how best to manage patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (nsclc) presenting with rarer clinical scenarios, including oligometastases, oligoprogression, and pseudoprogression. In each of those scenarios, oncologists have to consider how best to balance efficacy with quality of life, while maximizing the duration of each line of therapy and ensuring that patients are still eligible for later options, including clinical trial enrolment. Methods: An expert panel was convened to define the clinical questions. Using case-based presentations, consensus practice recommendations for each clinical scenario were generated through focused, evidence-based discussions. Results: Treatment strategies and best-practice or consensus recommendations are presented, with areas of consensus and areas of uncertainty identified. Conclusions: In each situation, treatment has to be tailored to suit the individual patient, but with the intent of extending and maximizing the use of each line of treatment, while keeping treatment options in reserve for later lines of therapy. Patient participation in clinical trials examining these issues should be encouraged.

Successful targeting of the NRG1 pathway indicates novel treatment strategy for metastatic cancer.

BACKGROUND: NRG1 fusion-positive lung cancers have emerged as potentially actionable events in lung cancer, but clinical support is currently limited and no evidence of efficacy of this approach in cancers beyond lung has been shown. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Here, we describe two patients with advanced cancers refractory to standard therapies. Patient 1 had lung adenocarcinoma and patient 2 cholangiocarcinoma. Whole-genome and transcriptome sequencing were carried out for these cases with select findings validated by fluorescence in situ hybridization. RESULTS: Both tumors were found to be positive for NRG1 gene fusions. In patient 1, an SDC4-NRG1 gene fusion was detected, similar gene fusions having been described in lung cancers previously. In patient 2, a novel ATP1B1-NRG1 gene fusion was detected. Cholangiocarcinoma is not a disease type in which NRG1 fusions had been described previously. Integrative genome analysis was used to assess the potential functional significance of the detected genomic events including the gene fusions, prioritizing therapeutic strategies targeting the HER-family of growth factor receptors. Both patients were treated with the pan HER-family kinase inhibitor afatinib and both displayed significant and durable response to treatment. Upon progression sites of disease were sequenced. The lack of obvious genomic events to describe the disease progression indicated that broad transcriptomic or epigenetic mechanisms could be attributed to the lack of prolonged response to afatinib. CONCLUSION: These observations lend further support to the use of pan HER-tyrosine kinase inhibitors for the treatment of NRG1 fusion-positive in both cancers of lung and hepatocellular origin and indicate more broadly that cancers found to be NRG1 fusion-positive may benefit from such a clinical approach regardless of their site of origin. CLINICAL TRIAL INFORMATION: Personalized Oncogenomics (POG) Program of British Columbia: Utilization of Genomic Analysis to Better Understand Tumour Heterogeneity and Evolution (NCT02155621).

Carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma: case report and options for systemic therapy.

The most common benign salivary tumour is a pleomorphic adenoma. Transformation to malignancy, carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma (cxpa), occurs in 6% of cases. Management focuses on surgical resection and radiotherapy; however, rare cases require systemic management. We present the case of a 60-year-old woman with a cxpa of the left parotid gland who required systemic therapy for locally recurrent disease. Treatment options were guided by the literature concerning malignant salivary gland tumour and by whole-genome and transcriptome sequencing of the tumour. The patient received multiple systemic agents during the course of her disease, with cyclophosphamide-doxorubicin-cisplatin providing the best control (partial response). Genomeand transcriptome-directed therapy, including sorafenib and vismodegib, were utilized with limited clinical benefit. Malignant transformation in cxpa is a complex process, and therapy directed at a single tumour pathway might not be sufficient to control disease.

Afatinib versus gefitinib in patients with EGFR mutation-positive advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: overall survival data from the phase IIb LUX-Lung 7 trial.

Background: In LUX-Lung 7, the irreversible ErbB family blocker, afatinib, significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS), time-to-treatment failure (TTF) and objective response rate (ORR) versus gefitinib in patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Here, we present primary analysis of mature overall survival (OS) data. Patients and methods: LUX-Lung 7 assessed afatinib 40 mg/day versus gefitinib 250 mg/day in treatment-naïve patients with stage IIIb/IV NSCLC and a common EGFR mutation (exon 19 deletion/L858R). Primary OS analysis was planned after ∼213 OS events and ≥32-month follow-up. OS was analysed by a Cox proportional hazards model, stratified by EGFR mutation type and baseline brain metastases. Results: Two-hundred and twenty-six OS events had occurred at the data cut-off (8 April 2016). After a median follow-up of 42.6 months, median OS (afatinib versus gefitinib) was 27.9 versus 24.5 months [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.86, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.66‒1.12, P = 0.2580]. Prespecified subgroup analyses showed similar OS trends (afatinib versus gefitinib) in patients with exon 19 deletion (30.7 versus 26.4 months; HR, 0.83, 95% CI 0.58‒1.17, P = 0.2841) and L858R (25.0 versus 21.2 months; HR 0.91, 95% CI 0.62‒1.36, P = 0.6585) mutations. Most patients (afatinib, 72.6%; gefitinib, 76.8%) had at least one subsequent systemic anti-cancer treatment following discontinuation of afatinib/gefitinib; 20 (13.7%) and 23 (15.2%) patients received a third-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Updated PFS (independent review), TTF and ORR data were significantly improved with afatinib. Conclusion: In LUX-Lung 7, there was no significant difference in OS with afatinib versus gefitinib. Updated PFS (independent review), TTF and ORR data were significantly improved with afatinib. Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT01466660.

Integration of a nurse navigator into the triage process for patients with non-small-cell lung cancer: creating systematic improvements in patient care.

Nurse navigation is a developing facet of oncology care. The concept of patient navigation was originally created in 1990 at the Harlem Hospital Center in New York City as a strategy to assist vulnerable and socially disadvantaged populations with timely access to breast cancer care. Since the mid-1990s, navigation programs have expanded to include many patient populations that require specialized management and prompt access to diagnostic and clinical resources. Advanced non-small-cell lung cancer is ideally suited for navigation to facilitate efficient assessment in this fragile patient population and to ensure timely results of molecular tests for first-line therapy with appropriately targeted agents. At the BC Cancer Agency, nurse navigator involvement with thoracic oncology triage has been demonstrated to increase the proportion of patients receiving systemic treatment, to shorten the time to delivery of systemic treatment, and to increase the rate of molecular testing and the number of patients with molecular testing results available at time of initial consultation. Insights gained through the start-up process are briefly discussed, and a framework for implementation at other institutions is outlined.

Response to angiotensin blockade with irbesartan in a patient with metastatic colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: A patient suffering from metastatic colorectal cancer, treatment-related toxicity and resistance to standard chemotherapy and radiation was assessed as part of a personalized oncogenomics initiative to derive potential alternative therapeutic strategies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Whole-genome and transcriptome sequencing was used to interrogate a metastatic tumor refractory to standard treatments of a patient with mismatch repair-deficient metastatic colorectal cancer. RESULTS: Integrative genomic analysis indicated overexpression of the AP-1 transcriptional complex suggesting experimental therapeutic rationales, including blockade of the renin-angiotensin system. This led to the repurposing of the angiotensin II receptor antagonist, irbesartan, as an anticancer therapy, resulting in the patient experiencing a dramatic and durable response. CONCLUSIONS: This case highlights the utility of comprehensive integrative genomic profiling and bioinformatics analysis to provide hypothetical rationales for personalized treatment options.

Personalized oncogenomics in the management of gastrointestinal carcinomas-early experiences from a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal carcinomas are genomically complex cancers that are lethal in the metastatic setting. Whole-genome and transcriptome sequencing allow for the simultaneous characterization of multiple oncogenic pathways. METHODS: We report 3 cases of metastatic gastrointestinal carcinoma in patients enrolled in the Personalized Onco-Genomics program at the BC Cancer Agency. Real-time genomic profiling was combined with clinical expertise to diagnose a carcinoma of unknown primary, to explore treatment response to bevacizumab in a colorectal cancer, and to characterize an appendiceal adenocarcinoma. RESULTS: In the first case, genomic profiling revealed an IDH1 somatic mutation, supporting the diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma in a malignancy of unknown origin, and further guided therapy by identifying epidermal growth factor receptor amplification. In the second case, a BRAF V600E mutation and wild-type KRAS profile justified the use of targeted therapies to treat a colonic adenocarcinoma. The third case was an appendiceal adenocarcinoma defined by a p53 inactivation; Ras/raf/mek, Akt/mtor, Wnt, and notch pathway activation; and overexpression of ret, erbb2 (her2), erbb3, met, and cell cycle regulators. SUMMARY: We show that whole-genome and transcriptome sequencing can be achieved within clinically effective timelines, yielding clinically useful and actionable information.

Histologic classification of non-small-cell lung cancer over time: reducing the rates of not-otherwise-specified.

BACKGROUND: The importance of histologic classification in selecting the appropriate systemic therapy for non-small-cell lung cancer (nsclc) came to attention in 2007. In British Columbia, that information was communicated through international and national meetings, our centralized cancer care program, and to the medical community at large in multidisciplinary forums. We examined the effects of those education programs on the categorization of nsclc and associated systemic treatment practices. METHODS: The BC Cancer Agency provides cancer care to 4.6 million residents of British Columbia. A retrospective review of all stage iiib and ivnsclc patients referred in 2007 and 2011 collected baseline characteristics, treatment, and outcomes. Histology was classified using the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology, 3rd edition, for the Canadian Cancer Registry. RESULTS: In 2007, 671 patients were referred, and 170 received chemotherapy; in 2011, the relevant figures were 680 and 197 respectively. Baseline characteristics in the cohorts were not statistically significantly different in 2007 and 2011. Histologic classifications in 2007 were 41% nonsquamous, 13% squamous, and 46% not otherwise specified (nos); in 2011, they were 63%, 17%, and 20% respectively. Exposure to pemetrexed in any line of therapy in 2007 was 22% for nonsquamous, 17% for squamous, and 10% for nos; in 2011, exposure was 39%, 3%, and 37% respectively. Exposure to epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (egfrtki) in 2007 was 36%, 22%, and 33%; in 2011, it was 64%, 60%, and 63%. Median overall survival duration, 2007 versus 2011, was 3.25 months versus 3.57 months with best supportive care, and 11.31 months versus 11.54 months with chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: The specificity of nsclc histologic categorization improved in 2011 compared with 2007, with a reduction of 26 percentage points in the rate of nos disease. The proportion of patients treated with chemotherapy over time remained the same, but the use of pemetrexed and egfrtki increased. The increased accuracy in histologic classification resulted in more appropriate utilization of systemic drugs.

Evaluation of a 'Watch and Wait' Approach for Chemotherapy in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer from a Diverse Community Population.

AIMS: Systemic therapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the standard of care. The time of treatment administration has not been examined in the metastatic setting. A 'watch and wait' approach for the initiation of chemotherapy is sometimes used in clinical practice, either because of patient preference, presumed indolent disease behaviour, upfront radiotherapy or other interventions. We propose to evaluate the effect of a watch and wait approach on systemic treatment deliverability and patients' outcomes in a population-based study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of stage IIIB/IV NSCLC patients referred to medical oncology at the British Columbia Cancer Agency in 2009 was conducted. We defined the following: immediate chemotherapy (ICT) - chemotherapy ≤ 8 weeks from medical oncology consult; watch and wait chemotherapy (WWC) - initial observation with chemotherapy > 8 weeks from medical oncology consultation; watch and wait missed (WWM) - watch and wait patients who did not receive chemotherapy; best supportive care (BSC) - patients deemed chemotherapy ineligible. Statistical methods included Kaplan-Meier analysis, Log-rank tests and Cox proportional hazards modelling. RESULTS: In total, 744 patients were seen by medical oncology; 355 (48%) received ICT, 173 (23%) watch and wait and 216 (29%) BSC. Of the 173 patients on a watch and wait approach, 42% missed an opportunity for chemotherapy due to poor performance status (50%), death (49%) and comorbidity (1%). The median overall survival was as follows: watch and wait 11.5 months, ICT 12.8 months and BSC 4.3 months (P < 0.0001). Controlling for confounding factors (age, gender, performance status), overall survival was longer in WWC (hazard ratio 0.73, confidence interval 0.81-1.07, P = 0.023) and lower in WWM (hazard ratio 1.68, 95% confidence interval 1.27-2.22, P < 0.0001), compared with ICT. CONCLUSIONS: A significant proportion of watch and wait patients never receive systemic therapy, predominantly due to a decline in performance status. Patients in the ICT group were younger, had a better performance status and had non-squamous histology compared with the watch and wait group. The overall survival was longer in the patients who received ICT versus watch and wait. The watch and wait strategy is associated with a high risk of missing the opportunity for any chemotherapy and should be judiciously implemented only in carefully selected patients.

Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Resected Stage II Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: Evaluating the Impact of Dose Intensity and Time to Treatment.

AIMS: Platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy is the standard of care for resected stage II non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The purpose of this population-based study was to identify factors that predict for receiving adjuvant therapy and to assess the effect of delayed administration and dose reduction on survival. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The British Columbia Cancer Agency provides cancer care to 4.6 million individuals across a large and varied geographical area. A retrospective review was conducted of all referred patients with resected stage II NSCLC between 2005 and 2010. Baseline characteristics, systemic therapy details and outcomes were recorded. RESULTS: Of 258 stage II NSCLC patients, 158 received adjuvant chemotherapy (61%). No-adjuvant versus adjuvant population: men 52%/57%, median age 67/62, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) ≤ 1 55%/75%, Charlson comorbidity score (CCS) ≤ 1 61%/74%, pneumonectomy 11%/26%. In patients who received chemotherapy, treatment details were: cisplatin/carboplatin based 81%/19%, median cycles delivered 4, median time from surgery to adjuvant chemotherapy 8 weeks, 72% received ≥ 80% (cisplatin < 256 mg/m(2) and carboplatin < AUC 19.2) total planned dose. On multivariate analysis younger age, better ECOG and pneumonectomy were predictive of adjuvant treatment. Overall survival of adjuvant-treated patients was inferior for those with CCS ≥ 2, age ≥ 70 and reduced dose intensity on multivariate analysis. The surgery to chemotherapy interval did not affect overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: Pneumonectomy and factors associated with better functional status predicted for receiving adjuvant chemotherapy. For patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy the total platinum dose given affected survival but time from surgery did not. A higher platinum dose delivery was important in maintaining the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy for resected stage II NSCLC in this retrospective population-based study.

A randomized, phase II trial of cetuximab with or without PX-866, an irreversible oral phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor, in patients with relapsed or metastatic head and neck squamous cell cancer.

BACKGROUND: The phosphotidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K)/serine-threonine kinase/mammalian target of rapamycin signaling pathway is frequently altered in head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC). PX-866 is an oral, irreversible, pan-isoform inhibitor of PI3K. A phase I trial demonstrated tolerability of this combination. This randomized phase II study evaluated PX-866 combined with cetuximab in patients with advanced, refractory HNSCC. METHODS: Patients with recurrent or metastatic HNSCC who had received at least one and no more than two prior systemic treatment regimens were randomized (1 : 1) to cetuximab with or without PX-866 (8 mg p.o. daily; arms A and B, respectively). The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary end points included objective response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS), toxicity, and correlation of key biomarkers with efficacy outcomes. RESULTS: Eighty-three patients were enrolled. There was a similar response rate between arms (10% versus 7%). Of patients for whom tissue was assessable, 57% were human papillomavirus (HPV) positive. Median PFS was 80 days in both arms and there was no difference in OS between the two arms (211 versus 256 days). Overall toxicity was higher in arm A compared with arm B, especially in terms of nausea (53% versus 23%), vomiting (45% versus 15%), fatigue (43% versus 23%), diarrhea (40% versus 21%), and hypokalemia (25% versus 10%). Grade 3 or higher adverse events were infrequent, but more common in the combination arm although without a specific pattern. PIK3CA mutations were observed in 17% of the cases assessed, and PTEN loss was infrequently observed. CONCLUSION: The addition of PX-866 to cetuximab did not improve PFS, RR, or OS in patients with advanced, refractory HNSCC enrolled without molecular preselection. In this contemporary cohort, HPV-positive patients comprised the majority, and neither HPV-positive nor HPV-negative patients derived clinical benefit for the addition of cetuximab plus PX-866.

Using pet-ct to reduce futile thoracotomy rates in non-small-cell lung cancer: a population-based review.

BACKGROUND: Combined positron-emission tomography and computed tomography (pet-ct) reduces futile thoracotomy (ft) rates in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (nsclc). We sought to identify preoperative risk factors for ft in patients staged with pet-ct. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed all patients referred to the BC Cancer Agency during 2009-2010 who underwent pet-ct and thoracotomy for nsclc. Patients with clinical N2 disease were excluded. An ft was defined as any of a benign lesion; an exploratory thoracotomy; pathologic N2 or N3, stage iiib or iv, or inoperable T3 or T4 disease; and recurrence or death within 1 year of surgery. RESULTS: Of the 108 patients who met the inclusion criteria, ft occurred in 27. The main reason for ft was recurrence within 1 year (14 patients) and pathologic N2 disease (10 patients). On multivariate analysis, an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status greater than 1, a pet-ct positive N1 status, a primary tumour larger than 3 cm, and a period of more than 16 weeks from pet-ct to surgery were associated with ft. N2 disease that had been negative on pet-ct occurred in 21% of patients with a pet-ct positive N1 status and in 20% of patients with tumours larger than 3 cm and non-biopsy mediastinal staging only. The combination of pet-ct positive N1 status and a primary larger than 3 cm had 85% specificity, and the presence of either risk factor had 100% sensitivity, for ft attributable to N2 disease. CONCLUSIONS: To reduce ft attributable to N2 disease, tissue biopsy for mediastinal staging should be considered for patients with pet-ct positive N1 status and with tumours larger than 3 cm even with a pet-ct negative mediastinum.

Complex refractive indices in the near-ultraviolet spectral region of biogenic secondary organic aerosol aged with ammonia.

Atmospheric absorption by brown carbon aerosol may play an important role in global radiative forcing. Brown carbon arises from both primary and secondary sources, but the mechanisms and reactions of the latter are highly uncertain. One proposed mechanism is the reaction of ammonia or amino acids with carbonyl products in secondary organic aerosol (SOA). We generated SOA in situ by reacting biogenic alkenes (α-pinene, limonene, and α-humulene) with excess ozone, humidifying the resulting aerosol, and reacting the humidified aerosol with gaseous ammonia. We determined the complex refractive indices (RI) in the 360-420 nm range for these aerosols using broadband cavity enhanced spectroscopy (BBCES). The average real part (n) of the measured spectral range of the NH3-aged α-pinene SOA increased from n = 1.50 (±0.01) for the unreacted SOA to n = 1.57 (±0.01) after 1.5 h of exposure to 1.9 ppm NH3, whereas the imaginary component (k) remained below k < 0.001((+0.002)(-0.001)). For the limonene and α-humulene SOA the real part did not change significantly, and we observed a small change in the imaginary component of the RI. The imaginary component increased from k = 0.000 to an average k = 0.029 (±0.021) for α-humulene SOA, and from k < 0.001((+0.002)(-0.001)) to an average k = 0.032 (±0.019) for limonene SOA after 1.5 h of exposure to 1.3 and 1.9 ppm of NH3, respectively. Collected filter samples of the aged and unreacted α-pinene SOA and limonene SOA were analyzed off-line by nanospray desorption electrospray ionization high resolution mass spectrometry (nano-DESI/HR-MS), and in situ using a Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (ToF-AMS), confirming that the SOA reacted and that various nitrogen-containing reaction products formed. If we assume that NH3 aging reactions scale linearly with time and concentration, which will not necessarily be the case in the atmosphere, then a 1.5 h reaction with 1 ppm NH3 in the laboratory is equivalent to 24 h reaction with 63 ppbv NH3, indicating that the observed aerosol absorption will be limited to atmospheric regions with high NH3 concentrations.