Management of patients with rare adult solid cancers: objectives and evaluation of European reference networks (ERN) EURACAN.

About 500,000 patients with rare adult solid cancers (RASC) are diagnosed yearly in Europe. Delays and unequal quality of management impact negatively their survival. Since 2017, European reference networks (ERN) aim to improve the quality of care of patients with rare disease. The steering committee of EURACAN, including physicians, researchers and patients review here the previous actions, present objectives of the ERN EURACAN dedicated to RASC. EURACAN promoted management in reference centres, and equal implementation of excellence and innovation in Europe and developed 22 clinical practice guidelines (CPGs). Additionally, fourteen information brochures translated in 24 EU languages were developed in collaboration with patient advocacy groups (ePAGs) and seventeen training session were organized. Nevertheless, connections to national networks in the 26 participating countries (106 centres), simplification of cross-border healthcare, international multidisciplinary tumour boards, registries and monitoring of the quality of care are still required. In this Health Policy, evaluation criteria of the performances of the network and of health care providers are proposed.

Pattern of Care and Outcomes of Adolescent and Young Adults with Lymphoma Treated in the Rhône-Alpes Region.

Background: Management of adolescent and young adults (AYAs) cancer is very heterogeneous. In the case of lymphomas, outcomes are mostly favorable but there is still room for improvement. Design: We retrospectively collected the pattern of care of all institutional 13- to 25-year-old AYAs patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) or non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) diagnosed in the Rhône-Alpes region between the years 2000 and 2005. Management, including adherence to Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs), and long-term survival were analyzed by comparing adult units (AU) and pediatric units (PU). Results: 278 patients were included: 198 treated for HL (median age of 19 years), 80 treated for NHL (median age of 20 years). Among them, 74% were managed in AU and 26% in PU. The median time between diagnosis and starting treatment was significantly lower in PU than in AU. Sixty-five patients (23%) were included in clinical trials, mostly in AU. Five-year overall survival was 96% for HL [14 deaths, median follow-up 91 months (9-180)] and 90% for NHL [nine deaths, median follow-up 80 months (3-180)]. Secondary cancers occurred for 2% (n = 3) of HL patients and for none in NHL. Other major late complications included cardiovascular accidents in two patients and fatal pulmonary fibrosis in one patient. Major differences in chemotherapy and radiotherapy use are emphasized. Global management conformed to CPGs by 56%. Conclusions: Important differences between adult and pediatric management were reported, without any impact on survival. A few patients can be included in clinical trials: Homogeneity in management could improve specific care for AYAs.

Compliance to regional recommendations for molecular analyses and management of advanced lung cancer patients.

Aim: We performed a clinical audit of the management of patients with EGFR mutations, 1 year after the introduction of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) in first-line treatment. Methods: Compliance was defined by tumor molecular profiling for stage IIIB and IV non-small-cell lung cancer and first-line treatment as recommended by the French guidelines. Results: Among the 169 EGFR-mutated patients, compliance was 76.4%. The most common noncompliance criterion was chemotherapy given in first-line treatment instead of EGFR-TKI. No dedicated multidisciplinary meeting and type of institutions were independent unfavorable predictors for compliance. Compliance to guidelines was significantly correlated with time-to-first subsequent treatment improvement (2.5 vs 9.1 months; p < 0.0001). Conclusion: Implementation of new standards of care is challenging. Our results reinforce the role of multidisciplinary meetings to provide a better access to innovating therapeutics.

Uveal Melanoma: A European Network to Face the Many Challenges of a Rare Cancer.

Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most frequent primary ocular cancer in adults, accounting for 5% of all melanomas. Despite effective treatments for the primary tumour, up to 50% of UM patients will develop metastasis, leading to a very poor prognosis and a median overall survival of 6 to 12 months, with no major improvements in the last 30 years. There is no standard oncological treatment available for metastatic UM patients, and BRAF/MEK and immune checkpoint inhibitors show disappointing results when compared to cutaneous melanoma (CM). Recent advances in biology, however, identified specific gene and chromosome alterations, potentially permitting an actively tailored surveillance strategy, and dedicated clinical studies. Being a rare cancer, UM patients have to overcome issues such as identifying referral centres, having access to information, and partnering with oncologists for specific management strategies and research priorities. Here, we describe how the EUropean Rare Adult solid CAacer Network (EURACAN) will help in addressing these challenges and accelerating international collaborations to enhance the development of innovative treatments in UM.

A comparison of Australian and French families affected by sarcoma: perceptions of genetics and incidental findings.

AIM: To compare Australian and French perceptions of genetics and preferences regarding the return of incidental findings. METHODS: Participants from the International Sarcoma Kindred Study received a survey at intake to cancer referral units. A total of 1442 Australian and 479 French individuals affected by sarcoma and their unaffected family members responded to four hypothetical scenarios depicting hereditary conditions of varying treatability and severity. RESULTS: Australians' preference for the return of incidental findings was consistently higher than French for all scenarios. Country group differences were significant for two scenarios when individual characteristics were controlled through multivariable analyses. CONCLUSION: Findings support the need for guidelines that are sensitive to sociocultural context and promote autonomous decision-making.

Off-label use of targeted therapies in osteosarcomas: data from the French registry OUTC'S (Observatoire de l'Utilisation des Thérapies Ciblées dans les Sarcomes).

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study is to explore the off-label use of targeted therapies (TTs) for patients with osteosarcoma registered within the French Sarcoma Group--Bone Tumor Study Group (GSF-GETO) national registry. METHODS: All patients with an osteosarcoma, registered between January 1, 2009 and July 15, 2013 were analyzed. RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients with refractory relapsed osteosarcomas received 33 treatment lines of TTs. The median age at the beginning of treatment was 19 years (range 9-72). The median number of previous lines of chemotherapy was 3 (range 1-8). Before inclusion, 3 patients were in second complete remission, 26 were in progression for metastatic relapse. Twenty-three patients received sirolimus (in combination with cyclophosphamide for 18); 5, sunitinib; 4, sorafenib; and one, pazopanib. Stable disease was observed for 45.5% of patients (95% Confidence Interval (CI) [20-52.8]). The median Progression-Free Survival (PFS) was 3 months (95% CI [2-5.4]) for patients treated by sirolimus and 1.8 months (95% CI [1.3-2.8]) for patients receiving multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors; 6-month PFS 15%. The median Overall Survival (OS) was 6.8 months (95% CI [4.7-12.1]), and one-year OS was 24%. In a multivariate analysis, PFS was superior for patients receiving sirolimus compared to other TTs (Hazard Ratio (HR) = 2.7, 95% CI [1.05-7.1]). No toxic death was reported. Grade 3 and 4 toxicities were observed in 27 and 6% of cases respectively. CONCLUSION: Off-label TTs, especially sirolimus, reported benefit in the treatment of refractory osteosarcomas with an acceptable toxicity profile, including in pediatric population.