Long-Term Follow-Up of Bridging Therapies Prior to CAR T-Cell Therapy for Relapsed/Refractory Large B Cell Lymphoma.

BACKGROUND: Bridging therapy (BT) with systemic therapy (ST), radiation therapy (RT), or combined-modality therapy (CMT) is increasingly being utilized prior to chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy for large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL). We report the long-term outcomes of the patients who received commercial CAR T-cell therapy with or without BT. METHODS: The patients with LBCL who underwent infusion of a commercial CD19 CAR T product were eligible. The radiation was stratified as comprehensive or focal. The efficacy outcomes and toxicity were analyzed. RESULTS: In total, 156 patients were included and, of them, 52.5% of the patients received BT. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 0.65 years in the BT cohort compared to 1.45 years in the non-BT cohort. The median overall survival (OS) was 3.16 years in the BT cohort and was not reached in the non-BT cohort. The patients who received comprehensive radiation (versus focal) had significantly improved PFS and OS, achieving a 1-year PFS of 100% vs. 9.1% and 1-year OS of 100% vs. 45.5%. There was no difference in the severe toxicity between any of the nonbridging or BT cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: BT did not appear to compromise outcomes with respect to response rates, disease control, survival, and toxicity. The patients with limited disease treated with RT had favorable outcomes.

Polyethylene glycol hydrogel rectal spacer implantation in patients with prostate cancer undergoing combination high-dose-rate brachytherapy and external beam radiotherapy.

PURPOSE: To present rectal toxicity rates in patients administered a polyethylene glycol (PEG) hydrogel rectal spacer in conjunction with combination high-dose-rate brachytherapy and external beam radiotherapy. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Between February 2010 and April 2015, 326 prostate carcinoma patients underwent combination high-dose-rate brachytherapy of 16 Gy (average dose 15.5 Gy; standard deviation [SD] = 1.6 Gy) and external beam radiotherapy of 59.4 Gy (average dose 60.2 Gy; SD = 2.9 Gy). In conjunction with the radiation therapy regimen, each patient was injected with 10 mL of a PEG hydrogel in the anterior perirectal fat space. The injectable spacer (rectal spacer) creates a gap between the prostate and the rectum. The rectum is displaced from the radiation field, and rectal dose is substantially reduced. The goal is a reduction in rectal radiation toxicity. Clinical efficacy was determined by measuring acute and chronic rectal toxicity using the National Cancer Center Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v4.0 grading scheme. RESULTS: Median followup was 16 months. The mean anterior-posterior separation achieved was 1.6 cm (SD = 0.4 cm). Rates of acute Grade 1 and 2 rectal toxicity were 37.4% and 2.8%, respectively. There were no acute Grade 3/4 toxicities. Rates of late Grade 1, 2, and 3 rectal toxicity were 12.7%, 1.4%, and 0.7%, respectively. There were no late Grade 4 toxicities. CONCLUSIONS: PEG rectal spacer implantation is safe and well tolerated. Acute and chronic rectal toxicities are low despite aggressive dose escalation.

Elderly patients with glioblastoma multiforme treated with concurrent temozolomide and standard- versus abbreviated-course radiotherapy.

CONTEXT: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is an aggressive neoplasm, with controversy regarding treatment in elderly patients. OBJECTIVE: To review outcomes of elderly patients aged ≥ 65 with newly diagnosed GBM treated with concurrent temozolomide and either standard-course radiotherapy (SRT) or abbreviated-course radiotherapy (ART). DESIGN: Retrospective review from 2003 to 2012. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Survival, comparing treatment regimens. One hundred patients received SRT (median dose = 60 Gy), and 29 received ART (median dose = 35 Gy). O6- methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) status was available for 26 SRT and 13 ART recipients. RESULTS: Median age was 70 years. Median follow-up was 11 months. At analysis, 3 patients were alive. Multivariate analysis of the entire cohort found SRT (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.421, p = 0.0001), Karnofsky Performance Score of 70 or higher (HR = 1.894, p = 0.0031), and more extensive surgery (HR = 0.466, p = 0.0023) were associated with longer survival time, but age was not. Median time to death with SRT was 13 months versus 5.4 months with ART, but the latter had worse prognostic factors, including lower Karnofsky Performance Scores, fewer gross total resections, and higher recursive partitioning analysis class. Recipients of SRT with methylated MGMT promoter had a trend toward longer survival compared with unmethylated MGMT (p = 0.06), but ART recipients had shorter survival with MGMT methylation (p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Elderly patients with multiple poor prognostic factors given ART had short survival times. Relative to other variables, MGMT status may not predict outcome for these patients.