Hong Kong consensus recommendations on the management of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

This project was undertaken to develop the first set of consensus statements regarding the management of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) in Hong Kong, with the goal of providing guidance to local clinicians. A multidisciplinary panel of experts discussed issues surrounding current PDAC management and reviewed evidence gathered in the local context to propose treatment recommendations. The experts used the Delphi approach to finalise management recommendations. Consensus was defined as ≥80% acceptance among all expert panel members. Thirty-nine consensus statements were established. These statements cover all aspects of PDAC management, including diagnosis, resectability criteria, treatment modalities according to resectability, personalised management based on molecular profiling, palliative care, and supportive care. This project fulfils the need for guidance regarding PDAC management in Hong Kong. To assist clinicians with treatment decisions based on varying levels of evidence and clinical experience, treatment options are listed in several consensus statements.

Cardiovascular diseases among diffuse large B-cell lymphoma long-term survivors in Asia: a multistate model study.

BACKGROUND: We modeled the clinical course of a cohort of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients with no prior cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) using a multistate modeling framework. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data on 2600 patients with DLBCL diagnosed between 2000 and 2018 and had received chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy were obtained from a population-wide electronic health database of Hong Kong. We used the Markov illness-death model to quantify the impact of doxorubicin and various risk factors (therapeutic exposure, demographic, comorbidities, cardiovascular risk factors, and lifestyle factors which included smoking) on the clinical course of DLBCL (transitions into incident CVD, lymphoma death, and other causes of death). RESULTS: A total of 613 (23.6%) and 230 (8.8%) of 2600 subjects died of lymphoma and developed incident CVD, respectively. Median follow-up was 7.0 years (interquartile range 3.8-10.8 years). Older ages [hazard ratio (HR) for >75 versus ≤60 years 1.88; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.25-2.82 and HR for 61-75 versus ≤60 years 1.60; 95% CI 1.12-2.30], hypertension (HR 4.92; 95% CI 2.61-9.26), diabetes (HR 1.43; 95% CI 1.09-1.87), and baseline use of aspirin (HR 5.30; 95% CI 3.93-7.16) were associated with an increased risk of incident CVD. In a subgroup of anticipated higher-risk patients (aged 61-75 years, smoked, had diabetes, and received doxorubicin), we found that they remained on average 7.9 (95% CI 7.2-8.8) years in the DLBCL state and 0.1 (95% CI 0.0-0.4) years in the CVD state, if they could be followed up for 10 years. The brief time in the CVD state is consistent with the high chance of death in patients who developed CVD. Other causes of death have overtaken DLBCL-related death after about 5 years. CONCLUSIONS: In this Asian population-based cohort, we found that incident CVDs can occur soon after DLBCL treatment and continued to occur throughout survivorship. Clinicians are advised to balance the risks and benefits of treatment choices to minimize the risk of CVD.

Combination atezolizumab, bevacizumab, pemetrexed and carboplatin for metastatic EGFR mutated NSCLC after TKI failure.

INTRODUCTION: Acquired resistance to TKI is an important unmet need in the management of EGFR mutated lung cancer. Recent clinical trial IMPower150 suggested that combination approach with VEGF inhibitor, check point inhibitor immunotherapy and platinum-based chemotherapy was effective in oncogene driven lung cancer. The current trial examined the efficacy of a modified regimen in an EGFR mutated cohort. METHODS: An open-labelled, single arm, phase II study was conducted in patients with EGFR mutated NSCLC who had progressed on at least one EGFR TKI. For those with T790M mutation, radiological progression on osimertinib was required for enrolment. Patients were treated with combination atezolizumab (1200 mg), bevacizumab (7.5 mg/kg), pemetrexed (500 mg/m2) and carboplatin (AUC 5) given once every 3 weeks until progression. RESULTS: Forty patients were enrolled. Median age was 62 (range 45-76) years. More than one half (23/40, 57.5%) had progressed on osimertinib. PD-L1 expression was < 1% in 52.5%. Median follow-up time was 17.8 months. ORR was 62.5%. Median PFS was 9.4 months (95% CI: 7.6 - 12.1). One year OS was 72.5% (95% CI: 0.56-0.83). Treatment related grade 3 or above adverse events (AE) occurred in 37.5% (15/40). Immune-related AE occurred in 32.5% (13/40) patients. Quality of life measures of function and symptoms did not change significantly throughout the course of treatments. Post-trial rechallenge with EGFR TKI containing regimen resulted in PFS of 5.8 months (95% CI 3.9-10.0 months). CONCLUSION: Combination approach of atezolizumab, bevacizumab, pemetrexed and carboplatin achieved promising efficacy in metastatic EGFR mutated NSCLC after TKI failure. The results were comparable with taxane based regimen of IMPower150 while toxicity profile was improved.

Toxicity outcome of endorectal brachytherapy boost in medically inoperable patients.

AIM: This communication reviews results and toxicity of image-guided high-dose-rate endorectal brachytherapy (HDREBT) boost after external beam radiotherapy (ERT) in medically inoperable patients with rectal cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 18 patients with rectal cancer and clinical stage T2-4N0­2 treated with HDREBT boost after ERT were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Following treatment with a median total dose (EQD2, α/ß = 10) of 66 Gy (range 48-92 Gy), the incidence of early and late rectal grade 3 toxicity was 11% and 19%, respectively. There was no correlation between the occurrence of acute and late toxicity. CONCLUSION: With proper technique, a combined approach using EBRT and HDREBT was associated with acceptable toxicity in medically inoperable rectal cancer patients.

Palliative Liver Radiotherapy (RT) for Symptomatic Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC).

This study aims at evaluating the symptom response, response duration, and toxicity of single dose palliative liver radiotherapy (RT) for symptomatic HCC patients. We reviewed unresectable HCC patients treated with palliative RT in our institution. Eligible patients were unsuitable or refractory to trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), with an index symptom of pain or abdominal discomfort. The primary outcome was the percentage of patients with clinical improvement of index symptom at 1 month. Secondary outcomes were response duration, toxicities, alpha-feto protein (AFP) response, and radiological response. Fifty-two patients were included in the study. The index symptom was pain in 34 patients (65.4%), and abdominal discomfort (34.6%) in 18 patients. At 1 month, 51.9% of patients had improvement of symptoms. Median time to symptom progression was 89 days (range: 12-392 days). Treatment was well tolerated with only 2 patients (3.8%) developing grade 3 GI toxicities. AFP response, radiological response rate, and disease control rate at 3 months were 48.6%, 15.1%, and 54.5% respectively. Half of the patients had improvement of index symptoms after receiving palliative liver RT with median response duration of 3 months. The treatment was well tolerated with minimal toxicities.

Contrasting Some Differences in Managing Advanced Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma Between the East and the West.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignancy worldwide, although its aetiologies vary significantly between the East and the West. About a half of HCC cases present with advanced unresectable HCC at the time of diagnosis, leading to a worse prognosis. Over the past 20 years, the treatment paradigm for advanced unresectable HCC has shifted from an entirely palliative approach to a multidisciplinary treatment, with continuous reassessment and possible repeat treatment attributed to the advent of novel and improved local, regional and systemic therapeutic options, contributed by both the East and the West. An individualised treatment plan should be determined for each patient, as there can be substantial differences in the decision-making and treatment response to the same treatment for different patients and different patient populations. This review provides a summary of the recent advances in management and compares Eastern and Western strategies for HCC.

Real-world treatment patterns and outcomes in refractory metastatic colorectal cancer.

AIM: To investigate treatment patterns and outcomes of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients beyond second progression (PD2) since regorafenib and TAS-102 became available in Hong Kong. METHODS: The clinical records of consecutive mCRC patients who were treated beyond PD2 at Department of Clinical Oncology, Queen Mary Hospital between June 2013 and February 2018, were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Of 176 PD2 patients (76.7% Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0/1 and a median follow-up time of 6.6 [range, 0.4-37.2] months), 104 (59%) underwent palliative care only and 72 (41%) received active third-line (3L) treatment: regorafenib (n = 22), TAS-102 (n = 6), chemotherapy + antiepidermal growth factor receptor (n = 12), chemotherapy + antivascular endothelial growth factor (n = 28) or clinical trials (n = 4). Patients on active 3L treatment had significantly longer OS than those on palliative care only: 11.7 versus 5.5 months (adjusted hazard ratio = 0.41, 95% confidence interval: 0.28-0.61, P < 0.001). For those on active treatment, OS was significantly associated with the time from diagnosis of metastasis to PD2 (P < 0.001) and post-3L treatments (P = 0.009). When analyzing treatment eligibility according to trial criteria, half of the eligible patients (54/109) did not receive active treatment, but both eligible and ineligible patients achieved better OS when receiving active 3L treatment versus palliative care only (P < 0.001 and P = 0.002). No unexpected toxicity was reported. CONCLUSION: Active 3L and beyond treatment significantly prolonged OS versus palliative care, even in selected "trial ineligible" patients. Given a high rate of palliation only care in eligible patients, improved patient access to medicine and counseling may be needed to maximize outcomes.

Combined stereotactic body radiotherapy and trans-arterial chemoembolization as initial treatment in BCLC stage B-C hepatocellular carcinoma.

PURPOSE: We retrospectively evaluated the efficacy and safety of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) combined with trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE) as initial therapy in Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) system stage B-C hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Seventy-two patients received a single dose of TACE followed by SBRT 4 weeks later. All patients had tumor sizes ≥5 cm, at least 700 ml of disease-free liver, Child-Pugh (CP) score ≤ B7 and tumor nodules ≤5. SBRT dose, ranging from 6â€¯× 5-8 Gy or 5-10â€¯× 4 Gy, was individualized according to normal tissue constraints. No subsequent scheduled treatment was delivered unless disease progression was observed. Local control (LC), overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), response rate (RR), and toxicity were evaluated. RESULTS: The patients' characteristics were: median age 60 years (range 28-87 years); CP score A/B (n = 68/4); BCLC stage B/C (n = 51/21); solitary/multifocal (n = 37/35); portal vein invasion (n = 18). The median tumor size and GTV were 11.2 cm (range 5.0-23.6 cm) and 751 cm3 (range 41-4009 cm3), respectively. The median equivalent dose in 2 Gy per fraction (EQD2, α/ß = 10) was 37.3 Gy2 (range, 28-72 Gy2). The median follow-up time was 16.8 months (range, 3-96 months). The objective RR was 68% and the 1­year LC rate was 93.6% (95% CI, 87.6-100%). The median OS was 19.8 months (95% CI, 11.6-30.6 months). SBRT-related grade 3 or higher adverse gastrointestinal events and treatment-related death occurred in three (2.8%) and one patient (1.4%) respectively. No patient developed classical radiation-induced liver injury. CONCLUSION: Our experience suggests that combined TACE and SBRT can be a safe and effective initial therapy for BCLC stage B-C HCC with appropriate patient selection. Further prospective trials are warranted.

To use or not to use? Compulsive behavior and its role in smartphone addiction.

Global smartphone penetration has led to unprecedented addictive behaviors. To develop a smartphone use/non-use pattern by mobile application (App) in order to identify problematic smartphone use, a total of 79 college students were monitored by the App for 1 month. The App-generated parameters included the daily use/non-use frequency, the total duration and the daily median of the duration per epoch. We introduced two other parameters, the root mean square of the successive differences (RMSSD) and the Similarity Index, in order to explore the similarity in use and non-use between participants. The non-use frequency, non-use duration and non-use-median parameters were able to significantly predict problematic smartphone use. A lower value for the RMSSD and Similarity Index, which represent a higher use/non-use similarity, were also associated with the problematic smartphone use. The use/non-use similarity is able to predict problematic smartphone use and reach beyond just determining whether a person shows excessive use.

Chronologic changes in serum hepatitis B virus DNA, genotypes, surface antigen mutants and reverse transcriptase mutants during 25-year nationwide immunization in Taiwan.

We investigated breakthrough infection and hepatitis B virus (HBV) genetic changes in immunized subjects after 25 years of a universal infant immunization. Specifically, serum HBV DNA, genotypes, surface antigen mutants and nucleoside analog-resistant (NAr) mutants were assessed in 2853 subjects (<25 years old) surveyed in 2009, and these data were compared with the data from previous serosurveys. A comparison across different age-stratified groups using the 2009 data revealed a significant increase in the seropositive rate of anti-HBc (5.51% vs 12.38%, P=.001) and HBV DNA (1.13% vs 3.96%, P=.007) between those 17-22 and 23-24 years of age, possibly due to selective infant immunization in 1984-1986. Well-characterized NAr mutants, potential NAr mutants and surface "a" determinant mutants were detected in none, 15 (45.5%) and nine (27.3%) of 33 HBV DNA-positive subjects, respectively. Of 15 immunized, HBV DNA-positive young adults (18-24 years), three (20%) carried "a" determinant mutants. Amongst 1176 HBsAg-negative subjects evaluated for occult HBV infection, those seropositive for anti-HBc had a higher seropositive rate for HBV DNA (10/110, 9.1% vs 7/1066, 0.66%; P<.001) and "a" determinant mutants (4/110, 3.6% vs 0/1066; P<.001) than those seronegative for anti-HBc. Overall, the HBsAg-positive subjects in six serosurveys showed no significant increase in genotype C frequency in the comparison between the vaccinated and unvaccinated cohorts (25/98, 25.5% versus 14/79, 17.7%, P=.188). Over the 25-year programme, there was no increase in the prevalence of genotype C in HBsAg carriers and no increase in breakthrough HBV infection or surface mutant prevalence beyond adolescence. Nucleic acid amplification should still be considered the primary screening method for occult hepatitis B detection in high-risk recipients.

Adjuvant S-1 chemotherapy after curative resection of gastric cancer in Chinese patients: assessment of treatment tolerability and associated risk factors.

INTRODUCTION: The use of adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1 (tegafur, gimeracil, and oteracil potassium) has been shown to improve the outcome of patients with gastric cancer. There are limited data on the tolerability of S-1 in Chinese patients. In this multicentre retrospective study, we assessed the toxicity profile in local patients. METHODS: Patients with stage II-IIIC gastric adenocarcinoma who had undergone curative resection and who had received S-1 adjuvant chemotherapy were included in the study. Patient demographics, tumour characteristics, chemotherapy records, as well as biochemical, haematological, and other toxicity profiles were extracted from medical charts. Potential factors associated with grade 2-4 toxicities were identified. RESULTS: Adjuvant S-1 was administered to 30 patients. Overall, 19 (63%) patients completed eight cycles. The most common grade 3-4 adverse events included neutropaenia (10%), anaemia (6.7%), septic episode (16.7%), diarrhoea (6.7%), hyperbilirubinaemia (6.7%), and syncope (6.7%). Dose reductions were made in 22 (73.3%) patients and 12 (40.0%) patients had dose delays. Univariate analyses showed that patients who underwent total gastrectomy were more likely to experience adverse haematological events (P=0.034). Patients with nodal involvement were more likely to report adverse non-haematological events (P=0.031). Patients with a history of regular alcohol intake were more likely to have earlier treatment withdrawal (P=0.044). Lower body weight (P=0.007) and lower body surface area (P=0.017) were associated with dose interruptions. CONCLUSIONS: The tolerability of adjuvant S-1 in our patient population was similar to that in other Asian patient populations. The awareness of S-1-related toxicities and increasing knowledge of potential associated factors may enable optimisation of S-1 therapy.

Lipiodol versus diaphragm in 4D-CBCT-guided stereotactic radiotherapy of hepatocellular carcinomas.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this work was to investigate the potential of lipiodol as a direct tumor surrogate alternative to the diaphragm surrogate on four-dimensional cone-beam computed tomography (4D-CBCT) image guidance for stereotactic radiotherapy of hepatocellular carcinomas. METHODS: A total of 29 hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) patients treated by stereotactic radiotherapy following transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) with homogeneous or partial defective lipiodol retention were included. In all, 4-7 pretreatment 4D-CBCT scans were selected for each patient. For each scan, either lipiodol or the diaphragm was used for 4D registration. Resulting lipiodol/diaphragm motion ranges and position errors relative to the reconstructed midventilation images were analyzed to obtain the motion variations, and group mean (ΔM), systematic (Σ), and random (σ) errors of the treatment setup. RESULTS: Of the lipiodolized tumors, 55 % qualified for direct localization on the 4D-CBCT. Significant correlations of lipiodol and diaphragm positions were found in the left-right (LR), craniocaudal (CC), and anteroposterior (AP) directions. ΔM and σ obtained with lipiodol and diaphragm were similar, agreed to within 0.5 mm in the LR and AP, and 0.3 mm in the CC directions, and Σ differed by 1.4 (LR), 1.1 (CC), and 0.6 (AP) mm. Variations of diaphragm motion range > 5 mm were not observed with lipiodol and in one patient with diaphragm. The margin required for the tumor prediction error using the diaphragm surrogate was 6.7 (LR), 11.7 (CC), and 4.1 (AP) mm. CONCLUSION: Image-guidance combining lipiodol with 4D-CBCT enabled accurate localization of HCC and thus margin reduction. A major limitation was the degraded lipiodol contrast on 4D-CBCT.

Tumor antigen ROR1 targeted drug delivery mediated selective leukemic but not normal B-cell cytotoxicity in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Selective cytotoxicity to cancer cells without compromising their normal counterparts pose a huge challenge for traditional drug design. Here we developed a tumor antigen-targeted delivery of immunonanoparticle carrying a novel non-immunosuppressive FTY720 derivative OSU-2S with potent cytotoxicity against leukemic B cells. OSU-2S induces activation of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of SHP1(S591) and deregulation of multiple cellular processes in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) resulting in potent cytotoxicity. To preclude OSU-2S-mediated effects on these ubiquitous phosphatases in unintended cells and avoid potential adverse effects, we developed an OSU-2S-targeted delivery of immunonanoparticles (2A2-OSU-2S-ILP), that mediated selective cytotoxicity of CLL but not normal B cells through targeting receptor tyrosine kinase ROR1 expressed in leukemic but not normal B cells. Developing a novel spontaneous CLL mouse model expressing human ROR1 (hROR1) in all leukemic B cells, we demonstrate the therapeutic benefit of enhanced survival with 2A2-OSU-2S-ILP in vivo. The newly developed non-immunosuppressive OSU-2S, its delivery using human CLL directed immunonanoparticles and the novel transgenic (Tg) mouse model of CLL that expresses hROR1 exclusively in leukemic B cell surface are highly innovative and can be applied to CLL and other ROR1+ malignancies including mantle cell lymphoma and acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Klebsiella meningitis mimicking clinical deterioration from hemorrhage of a complex posterior fossa arteriovenous malformation.

We report a case of a 33-year-old male with a history of complex posterior fossa arteriovenous malformation (AVM) with partial resection done in China; at follow-up in our unit, he presented with a 1-day history of acute deterioration of consciousness level after minor head injury. The clinical and radiologic features were compatible with spontaneous hemorrhage from the AVM, and the patient died 1 day after admission. However, postmortem examination revealed the direct cause of death was due to Klebsiella meningitis. The clinical catch is highlighted, and the importance of early and prompt detection of this condition is emphasized.

Silibinin inhibits invasion of oral cancer cells by suppressing the MAPK pathway.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignancy of the oral cavity. Here, we provide molecular evidence associated with the anti-metastatic effect of silibinin by showing a marked inhibition of the invasion and motility of SCC-4 tongue cancer cells, with 89% and 66.4% of inhibition, respectively, by 100 microM of silibinin. This effect was associated with a reduced expression of MMP-2 and u-PA, together with an enhanced expression of TIMP-2 and PAI-1. Silibinin also exerted an inhibitory effect on the phosphorylation of ERK1/2. Additionally, pre-treatment of SCC-4 cancer cells with 10 and 20 microM of U0126, a specific MEK inhibitor, resulted in a reduced expression of MMP-2 (18.7 and 51.4%) and u-PA (19.2 and 48.9%) concomitantly with a marked inhibition of cell invasion (13.7 and 45.7%). Finally, silibinin was evidenced by its inhibition of the metastasis of Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cells in vivo. These results suggested that silibinin can reduce the invasion and metastasis of tumor cells, and such a characteristic may be of great value in the development of a potential cancer therapy.