Brain metastases in adult patients with melanoma of unknown primary in the Netherlands (2011-2020).

BACKGROUND: Although patients with melanoma of unknown primary (MUP) have a better prognosis than similar-staged melanoma patients with known primary, the occurrence of brain metastases (BM) entails a serious complication. This study provides an overview of the incidence, treatment patterns, and overall survival (OS) of adult patients with BM-MUP in the Netherlands. METHODS: BM-MUP cases were retrieved from the Netherlands Cancer Registry. Patient, disease and treatment-related characteristics were summarised using descriptive statistics. Overall survival (OS) was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method, and the impact of prognostic factors on OS was assessed using Cox proportional hazard regression analyses. RESULTS: Among 1779 MUP patients, 450 were identified as BM-MUP (25.3%). Of these patients, 381 (84.7%) presented with BM along with other metastases, while 69 (15.3%) had BM only. BM-MUP patients were predominantly male (68.2%), and had a median age of 64 years at diagnosis (interquartile range 54-71 years). Over time, the proportion of BM along other metastatic sites increased, and the occurrence of BM decreased (p = 0.01). 1-Year OS improved for the total population, from 30.0% (95% confidence interval (CI): 19.8-40.9%) in 2011-2012 to 43.6% (95%CI: 34.5-52.3%) in 2019-2020, and median OS more than doubled from 4.2 months (95%CI: 3.3-6.2 months) to 9.8 months (95%CI: 7.0-13.2 months). Patient's age, localisation of BM, presence of synchronous liver metastasis and treatment were identified as independent predictors of OS. CONCLUSION: Notwithstanding the progress made in OS for patients with BM-MUP in the past decade, their overall prognosis remains poor, and further efforts are needed to improve outcomes.

Blended online learning for oncologists to improve skills in shared decision making about palliative chemotherapy: a pre-posttest evaluation.

PURPOSE: To improve shared decision making (SDM) with advanced cancer patients, communication skills training for oncologists is needed. The purpose was to examine the effects of a blended online learning (i.e. e-learning and online training session) for oncologists about SDM in palliative oncological care and to compare this blended format with a more extensive, fully in-person face-to-face training format. METHODS: A one-group pre-posttest design was adopted. Before (T0) and after (T2) training, participants conducted simulated consultations (SPAs) and surveys; after the e-learning (T1), an additional survey was filled out. The primary outcome was observed SDM (OPTION12 and 4SDM). Secondary outcomes included observed SDM per stage, SPA duration and decision made as well as oncologists' self-reported knowledge, clinical behavioural intentions, satisfaction with the communication and evaluation of the training. Additionally, outcomes of the blended learning were compared with those of the face-to-face training cohort. Analyses were conducted in SPSS by linear mixed models. RESULTS: Oncologists (n = 17) showed significantly higher SDM scores after the blended online learning. The individual stages of SDM and the number of times the decision was postponed as well as oncologists' beliefs about capabilities, knowledge and satisfaction increased after the blended learning. Consultation duration was unchanged. The training was evaluated as satisfactory. When compared with the face-to-face training, the blended learning effects were smaller. CONCLUSION: Blended online SDM training for oncologists was effective. However, the effects were smaller compared to face-to-face training. The availability of different training formats provides opportunities for tailoring training to the wishes and needs of learners.

Prognostic factors among patients with brain metastases from cancer of unknown primary site.

PURPOSE: Cancers of an unknown primary site (CUPs) have a dismal prognosis, and the situation is even worse for CUPs patients with brain metastases (BM-CUPs). This study aims to give better insight into the occurrence and survival of BM-CUPs patients. METHODS: Cases were selected from the Netherlands Cancer Registry (1,430 BM-CUPs/17,140 CUPs). Baseline characteristics between CUPs patients with and without BM were tested using chi-square tests and Mann-Whitney U tests. Patients' overall survival (OS) times were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method and prognostic factors on OS was assessed using Cox proportional hazards regression analyses. RESULTS: The proportion of BM-CUPs patients among CUPs increased from 8% in 2009-2010 to 10% in 2017-2018 (p < 0.001). Most patients presented with multiple brain lesions (53%). Survival of BM-CUPs improved over time: one-year OS increased from 10% for patients diagnosed in 2009-2010 to 17% (2017- 2018) (p < 0.01), and median survival times increased from 1.8 months to 2.2 months. Independent predictors of poor survival were multiple (HR 1.25; p < 0.01) or unknown (HR 1.48; p < 0.01) locations of BM, unknown/poorly/undifferentiated carcinoma histology (HR 1.53; p < 0.01), or clinical symptoms of BM (HR 1.74; p < 0.01), accompanying liver metastasis (HR 1.43; p < 0.01) and more than one metastatic site outside the brain compared to none (HR 1.52; p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The incidence of patients with BM-CUPs is steadily increasing over time and overall prognosis remains dismal. Our results, however, show distinct patient subgroups that exhibit comparatively better outcomes, and more predictors may likely still be identified.

Brain tumour diagnostics using a DNA methylation-based classifier as a diagnostic support tool.

AIMS: Methylation profiling (MP) is increasingly incorporated in the diagnostic process of central nervous system (CNS) tumours at our centres in The Netherlands and Scandinavia. We aimed to identify the benefits and challenges of MP as a support tool for CNS tumour diagnostics. METHODS: About 502 CNS tumour samples were analysed using (850 k) MP. Profiles were matched with the DKFZ/Heidelberg CNS Tumour Classifier. For each case, the final pathological diagnosis was compared to the diagnosis before MP. RESULTS: In 54.4% (273/502) of all analysed cases, the suggested methylation class (calibrated score ≥0.9) corresponded with the initial pathological diagnosis. The diagnosis of 24.5% of these cases (67/273) was more refined after incorporation of the MP result. In 9.8% of cases (49/502), the MP result led to a new diagnosis, resulting in an altered WHO grade in 71.4% of these cases (35/49). In 1% of cases (5/502), the suggested class based on MP was initially disregarded/interpreted as misleading, but in retrospect, the MP result predicted the right diagnosis for three of these cases. In six cases, the suggested class was interpreted as 'discrepant but noncontributory'. The remaining 33.7% of cases (169/502) had a calibrated score <0.9, including 7.8% (39/502) for which no class indication was given at all (calibrated score <0.3). CONCLUSIONS: MP is a powerful tool to confirm and fine-tune the pathological diagnosis of CNS tumours, and to avoid misdiagnoses. However, it is crucial to interpret the results in the context of clinical, radiological, histopathological and other molecular information.

Successful treatment of leptomeningeally metastasised pituitary carcinoma with temozolomide.

A 69-year-old man presented with leptomeningeally metastasised pituitary carcinoma, rapidly progressing despite previous treatment with resection, radiotherapy and cabergoline. The patient received temozolomide chemotherapy, resulting in a complete clinical, radiological and biochemical response after 14 cycles, which has been maintained since then. This case lends further support to the role of temozolomide in refractory pituitary tumours.

Prognostic value and kinetics of circulating endothelial cells in patients with recurrent glioblastoma randomised to bevacizumab plus lomustine, bevacizumab single agent or lomustine single agent. A report from the Dutch Neuro-Oncology Group BELOB trial.

BACKGROUND: Angiogenesis is crucial for glioblastoma growth, and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agents are widely used in recurrent glioblastoma patients. The number of circulating endothelial cells (CECs) is a surrogate marker for endothelial damage. We assessed their kinetics and explored their prognostic value in patients with recurrent glioblastoma. METHODS: In this side study of the BELOB trial, 141 patients with recurrent glioblastoma were randomised to receive single-agent bevacizumab or lomustine, or bevacizumab plus lomustine. Before treatment, after 4 weeks and after 6 weeks of treatment, CECs were enumerated. RESULTS: The number of CECs increased during treatment with bevacizumab plus lomustine, but not during treatment in the single-agent arms. In patients treated with lomustine single agent, higher absolute CEC numbers after 4 weeks (log10CEC hazard ratio (HR) 0.41, 95% CI 0.18-0.91) and 6 weeks (log10CEC HR 0.16, 95% CI 0.05-0.56) of treatment were associated with improved overall survival (OS). Absolute CEC numbers in patients receiving bevacizumab plus lomustine or bevacizumab single agent were not associated with OS. CONCLUSION: CEC numbers increased during treatment with bevacizumab plus lomustine but not during treatment with either agent alone, suggesting that this combination induced the greatest vascular damage. Although the absolute number of CECs was not associated with OS in patients treated with bevacizumab either alone or in combination, they could serve as a marker in glioblastoma patients receiving lomustine single agent.

Menopausal status and adjuvant hormonal therapy for breast cancer patients: a practical guideline.

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy amongst women in the developed world. For patients with hormone-sensitive breast cancer eligible for adjuvant hormonal therapy, it is important to know if the ovaries are (still) functional or not. Indeed, the choice for a specific adjuvant hormonal treatment depends on the menopausal status of an individual woman. The currently available measures to determine the menopausal status are conflicting. Until better measures become available, we propose a practical guideline enabling an optimal choice of adjuvant hormonal therapy for women with a hormone receptor positive breast cancer taking into account uncertainties about their menopausal status.

Choosing chemotherapy in patients with advanced urothelial cell cancer who are unfit to receive cisplatin-based chemotherapy.

Transitional cell carcinoma of the urothelial tract is the second most common cancer of the genitourinary system and the fifth most common cancer in Western countries with more than 300,000 new cases per year worldwide. Following the introduction of cisplatin-based chemotherapy, median overall survival in patients with metastatic disease has doubled, demonstrating chemotherapy as an important treatment modality in advanced or metastatic disease. Patients 'unfit' to receive cisplatin-based chemotherapy are characterized by impaired renal function, impaired performance status, and/or comorbidity that preclude the use of cisplatin. In this review we summarize the different chemotherapeutic schemes, focusing on treatment options in cisplatin 'unfit' patients.

A phase I study assessing the safety and pharmacokinetics of the thrombospondin-1-mimetic angiogenesis inhibitor ABT-510 with gemcitabine and cisplatin in patients with solid tumors.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to determine the safety profile, pharmacokinetics and potential drug interactions of the angiogenesis inhibitor ABT-510 combined with gemcitabine-cisplatin chemotherapy in patients with solid tumors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with advanced solid tumors received gemcitabine 1250 mg/m2 intravenously (i.v.) on days 1 and 8 and cisplatin 80 mg/m2 on day 1 of a 3-week cycle in combination with ABT-510. ABT-510 was administered subcutaneously twice daily at doses of 50 mg or 100 mg. Plasma samples for pharmacokinetics were obtained on days 1 (gemcitabine, cisplatin as single agents), 15 (ABT-510 as single agent) and 22 (gemcitabine, cisplatin and ABT-510 as combination). RESULTS: Thirteen patients received ABT-510 as either 50 mg b.i.d. (seven patients) or 100 mg b.i.d. (six patients) in combination with gemcitabine-cisplatin. The most common reported adverse events reflected the known toxicity profile induced by gemcitabine-cisplatin without ABT-510. One episode of hemoptysis occurred in a patient with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after 13 days of treatment. No clinically significant pharmacokinetic interactions between ABT-510, gemcitabine and platinum were observed. Three partial responses were observed in 12 evaluable patients (one head and neck cancer, one melanoma and one NSCLC). CONCLUSIONS: Combining ABT-510 at doses of 50 mg and 100 mg with gemcitabine-cisplatin is feasible. Pharmacokinetic interactions were not observed and adding ABT-510 does not appear to increase toxicity.

Phase I study of the thrombospondin-1-mimetic angiogenesis inhibitor ABT-510 with 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin: a safe combination.

We performed a phase I study with the thrombospondin-1-mimetic angiogenesis inhibitor ABT-510 combined with 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin (5-FU/LV) to determine safety profile and assess pharmacokinetic interactions. Patients with advanced solid malignancies received LV 20 mg/m(2) followed by 5-FU 425 mg/m(2) both administered intravenously in 15 min daily for 5 days every 4 weeks. ABT-510 was administered subcutaneously twice daily continuously from day 2 onwards. Blood and urine samples for pharmacokinetic analyses were collected at days 1, 5 and 22. Twelve patients received a total of 45 cycles of 5-FU/LV combined with ABT-510. ABT-510 dose levels studied were 50 and 100 mg. The combination was well tolerated, with a toxicity profile comparable to that of 5-FU/LV alone. At the dose levels studied no significant pharmacokinetic interactions were observed. These data indicate that ABT-510 administered twice daily subcutaneously can be safely combined with 5-FU/LV administered daily for 5 days, every 4 weeks.

A phase I study of intraperitoneal topotecan in combination with intravenous carboplatin and paclitaxel in advanced ovarian cancer.

The aim of this study was to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of intraperitoneal (i.p.) topotecan combined with standard doses of intravenous (i.v.) carboplatin and paclitaxel and to investigate its pharmacokinetics. Women with primary ovarian cancer stage IIb - IV received six cycles of i.v. carboplatin and paclitaxel with escalating topotecan doses i.p. of 10, 15, 20 and 25 mg/m(2). Twenty-one patients entered this trial. Febrile neutropenia, thrombocytopenia requiring platelet transfusion and fatigue grade 3 were dose-limiting toxicities (DLT) at 25 mg/m(2) i.p. and 20 mg/m(2) i.p. of topotecan was considered to be the MTD. The mean plasma t(1/2) was 3.8 +/- 2.3 h for total topotecan and 4.4 +/- 3.9 h for active lactone. The area under the curve (AUC) was proportional with dose, R = 0.54, p < 0.05 for total topotecan and the peritoneal / plasma AUC ratio was 46 +/- 30. Fifteen patients who completed treatment had a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 27 months. In this setting the MTD of topotecan is 20 mg/m(2) i.p. The efficacy of this regimen should be explored further in a formal phase III study.

A randomized phase II study of paclitaxel with carboplatin +/- amifostine as first line treatment in advanced ovarian carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: Will amifostine (A) protect against chemotherapy-induced neuro- and myelotoxicity. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ninety ovarian cancer patients were randomized to receive standard paclitaxel + carboplatin without (PC) or preceded by amifostine 740 mg/m(2) (PC + A). RESULTS: The mean baseline values of hemoglobin, leukocyte, and platelets were slightly lower in the amifostine group, but the mean percentual decrease of these parameters after each treatment cycle showed no difference between both arms. Symptoms of neurotoxicity remained absent in 40% PC vs. 49% PC + A cycles; sensory neurotoxicity grade I occurred in 45% vs. 48% and grade II in 12% PC vs. 2% of PC + A cycles (overall P < 0.001). Nausea grade II was reported in 2% vs. 6% (P = 0.007) and vomiting grade II in 1% of PC vs. 8% PC + A cycles (P < 0.001). Amifostine was temporarily interrupted in five patients due to hypotension, but no dose reductions were indicated. Quality of life questionnaires showed no difference in neurotoxicity scores between both study arms at treatment completion. The median progression-free survival was 16 vs. 22 months (n.s.) for PC and PC + A patients. In a pooled analysis of four randomized studies, amifostine diminished the risk of developing neurotoxicity grade II-III (Odds Ratio 0.3, 95% confidence interval 0.15-0.63, P < 0.05), but had no effect on the risk for bone marrow toxicity. CONCLUSION: Amifostine shows only minor but significant activity in diminishing neurotoxicity without preventing paclitaxel + carboplatin-induced bone marrow toxicity.

Endothelial cell effects of cytotoxics: balance between desired and unwanted effects.

Since Folkman defined angiogenesis more than 25 years ago as the most important process in tumour growth and metastasis, specific anti-angiogenic agents have been developed. One obvious route to block this process was until recently overlooked, however. Tumour endothelial cells are different from normal endothelial cells and may respond differently to conventional cytotoxics. Chemotherapeutic-induced vascular toxicity has been observed in various clinical studies and seems to be based on endothelial cell damage as seen in vitro in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) models with protracted low-dose cytostatic exposure. Translated into the clinical setting, such "metronomically" administered chemotherapy could lead to anti-angiogenesis enhancing anti-tumour efficacy of cytostatic drugs. This paper reviews the desired anti-tumour endothelial activity versus the unwanted general vascular toxicity of cytostatic drugs. Several ways to enhance the anti-tumour activity and to circumvent the unwanted vascular toxicity of these "accidental" anti-angiogenic drugs will be discussed.

Paclitaxel and carboplatin concurrent with radiotherapy for primary cervical cancer.

BACKGROUND: Concurrent radiochemotherapy is currently considered the new standard treatment in locally advanced cervical cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eight women with cervical cancer stage IB2-IVA were treated with standard radiation therapy in combination with standard carboplatin (AUC=2, once weekly, x 6) and escalating doses of paclitaxel (60 mg/m2, once weekly, x 4, then x 5 and x 6). RESULTS: At the lowest dose level, four weekly paclitaxel cycles in six patients, three developed grade III diarrhoea and one severe radiation enteritis several weeks after radiotherapy. Two patients did not achieve complete remission and underwent additive salvage hysterectomy. All patients remained free of local recurrence, but one patient had distant metastases after 13 months. The median disease-free survival was 25 months with a median follow-up of 26 months. CONCLUSION: Standard pelvic radiotherapy in combination with weekly carboplatin and paclitaxel is poorly tolerated due to dose-limiting diarrhoea.

Long-term survivors of ovarian malignancies after cisplatin-based chemotherapy; cardiovascular risk factors and signs of vascular damage.

Male germ cell tumour patients treated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy frequently develop cardiovascular risk factors and disease, but sparse information is available about long-term complications of this type of chemotherapy in women. We investigated the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and vascular damage in 21 women (median age 39 years; range 26-57 years) with an epithelial or germ cell tumour of the ovary cured by cisplatin-based chemotherapy after a median follow-up of 14 years (range 3-21 years). Hypercholesterolaemia was present in 62%, obesity in 24%, hypertension in 14%, insulin resistance in 14%, and microalbuminuria in 24% of patients. Microalbuminuria was more frequent in long-term cancer survivors than in a female background population with a similar age (23.8 versus 3.2%; P<0.05). A substantial portion of young female patients cured by cisplatin-based chemotherapy are likely to develop cardiovascular risk factors and signs of endothelial damage at an early stage.

Successful treatment of metastatic esthesioneuroblastoma.

This case report describes a patient with a metastasised olfactorial esthesioneuroblastoma Hyams grade 4 who has been treated with debulking surgery and radiotherapy. After relapse in lymph node, lung and brain, he received additional irradiation and six cycles of carboplatin, vincristine and cyclophosphamide intravenously every three weeks. The patient has now been disease free for 7.8 years. Our data suggest that metastatic esthesioneuroblastoma is sensitive to platinum-based chemotherapy. This patient illustrates that this tumour is very sensitive to platinum-based chemotherapy and that durable complete response can be achieved, even in a metastatic ENB.