EORTC 2238 "De-Escalate": a pragmatic trial to revisit intermittent androgen deprivation therapy in the era of new androgen receptor pathway inhibitors.

The landscape of treating metastatic prostate cancer has evolved with the addition of Androgen Receptor pathway inhibitor (ARPI) to Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT), significantly improving survival rates. However, prolonged use of these therapies introduces notable side effects, prompting a need to revisit intermittent treatment duration. The EORTC 2238 De-Escalate trial is a pragmatic trial seeking to reassess the role of intermittent therapy in patients undergoing maximal androgen blockade (MAB) for metastatic hormone naïve prostate cancer (mHNPC), i.e., the combination of ADT with an ARPI, with the aims of reducing side effects, enhancing Quality of Life (QoL) and optimizing resource usage, while maintaining oncological benefits.

Stereotactic body radiotherapy for centrally located inoperable early-stage NSCLC: EORTC 22113-08113 LungTech phase II trial results.

BACKGROUND: The international EORTC phase II single-arm LungTech trial 22113-08113 assessed safety and efficacy of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) in patients with centrally located early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with inoperable non-metastatic central NSCLC (T1-T3 N0 M0, ≤7cm) were included. After prospective central imaging review and radiation therapy quality assurance (RTQA) for any eligible patient, SBRT (8x7.5 Gy, ICRU 83) was delivered. The primary endpoint was freedom from local progression probability at three years after start of SBRT. RESULTS: The trial was closed earlier due to poor accrual related to repeated safety-related pauses in recruitment. Between 08/2015 and 12/2017, 39 patients from 6 European countries were included and 31 were treated per protocol and analyzed. Patients were mainly male (58%) with a median age of 75 years. Baseline comorbidities were mainly respiratory (68%) and cardiac (48%). Median tumor size was 2.6 cm (range, 1.2-5.5) and most cancers were T1 (51.6%) or T2a (38.7%) N0 M0 and of squamous cell origin (48.4%). Median follow-up was 3.6 years. The 3-year freedom from local progression and overall survival rates were 81.5% (90% CI: 62.7-91.4%) and 61.1% (90%CI: 44.1-74.4%), respectively. Cumulative incidence rates of local, regional and distant progression at 3 years were 6.7% (90% CI: 1.6-17.1%), 3.3% (90% CI: 0.4 - 12.4%) and 29.8% (90% CI: 16.8 - 44.1%), respectively. SBRT-related acute and late AEs ≥ G3 were reported in 6.5% (n=2, including one G5 pneumonitis in a patient with prior interstitial lung disease) and 19.4 % (n=6, including one lethal hemoptysis after a lung biopsy in a patient receiving anticoagulants), respectively. CONCLUSION: The LungTech trial suggests that SBRT with 8×7.5Gy for central lung tumors in inoperable patients is associated with acceptable local control rates. However, late severe adverse events may occur after completion of treatment. This SBRT regimen is a viable treatment option after thorough risk-benefit discussion with patients. To minimize potentially fatal toxicity, careful management of dose constraints and post-SBRT interventions is crucial.

Radiotherapy Combined with a Radiosensitizer for Bacillus Calmette-Guérin-unresponsive Non-muscle-invasive Carcinoma In Situ Bladder Cancer: An Open-label, Single-arm, Multicenter, Phase 2 European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Trial.

Radical cystectomy with pelvic lymph node dissection and urinary diversion is the standard of care for patients with bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)-unresponsive non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). However, many patients are unwilling or unable to undergo such major surgery associated with high morbidity and a negative impact on quality of life. Chemoradiotherapy is an established treatment option for muscle-invasive bladder cancer. However, it has not been investigated adequately in NMIBC until now. The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) 2235 study (NCT06310369) is designed as a multicenter, prospective, international, phase 2 trial of moderate hypofractionated radiotherapy combined with a radiosensitizer in BCG-unresponsive NMIBC patients with carcinoma in situ (CIS) who are not eligible for or declined to undergo radical cystectomy. Patients who have received nadofaragene firadenovec or TAR-200 are eligible. The primary endpoint is the 6-mo complete response (CR) rate defined by the absence of CIS proven by a control biopsy of the bladder. The secondary endpoints include overall survival, progression-free survival, durability of CR, grade 3-4 adverse events rate, patients' quality of life, and organ preservation rate. PATIENT SUMMARY: Intravesical instillation of bacillus Calmette-Guérin is the standard treatment of non-muscle-invasive, also coined as superficial, bladder cancer. In case the cancer recurs, even superficially, there is no other proven treatment than a radical cystectomy-the surgical removal of the bladder. Although the surgical technique has improved dramatically over the past few years, it remains contraindicated in patients with severe comorbidities. In addition, because it affects the quality of life, patients may reject this option. This study will assess the efficacy of external beam radiotherapy, a robust alternative to surgery in muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Radiotherapy will be administered 5 d a week for 4 wk. It will be associated with a "radiosensitizer," an intravenous or oral drug, during the radiotherapy treatment. The study will measure the proportion of patients remaining recurrence free at 6 mo and thereafter. It will also evaluate the safety of the treatment and its impact on quality of life.

Cancer-specific dose and fractionation schedules in stereotactic body radiotherapy for oligometastatic disease: An interim analysis of the EORTC-ESTRO E2-RADIatE OligoCare study.

BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION: Optimal dose and fractionation in stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for oligometastatic cancer patients remain unknown. In this interim analysis of OligoCare, we analyzed factors associated with SBRT dose and fractionation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Analysis was based on the first 1,099 registered patients. SBRT doses were converted to biological effective doses (BED) using α/ß of 10 Gy for all primaries, and cancer-specific α/ß of 10 Gy for non-small cell lung and colorectal cancer (NSCLC, CRC), 2.5 Gy for breast cancer (BC), or 1.5 Gy for prostate cancer (PC). RESULTS: Of the interim analysis population of 1,099 patients, 999 (99.5 %) fulfilled inclusion criteria and received metastasis-directed SBRT for NSCLC (n = 195; 19.5 %), BC (n = 163; 16.3 %), CRC (n = 184; 18.4 %), or PC (n = 457; 47.5 %). Two thirds of patients were treated for single metastasis. Median number of fractions was 5 (IQR, 3-5) and median dose per fraction was 9.7 (IQR, 7.7-12.4) Gy. The most frequently treated sites were non-vertebral bone (22.8 %), lung (21.0 %), and distant lymph node metastases (19.0 %). On multivariate analysis, the dose varied significantly for primary cancer type (BC: 237.3 Gy BED, PC 300.6 Gy BED, and CRC 84.3 Gy BED), and metastatic sites, with higher doses for lung and liver lesions. CONCLUSION: This real-world analysis suggests that SBRT doses are adjusted to the primary cancers and oligometastasis location. Future analysis will address safety and efficacy of this site- and disease-adapted SBRT fractionation approach (NCT03818503).

A Phase 2 Randomized Open-label Study of Oral Darolutamide Monotherapy Versus Androgen Deprivation Therapy in Men with Hormone-sensitive Prostate Cancer (EORTC-GUCG 1532).

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Darolutamide is an androgen receptor inhibitor that increases overall survival in combination with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive and nonmetastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (PCa). This phase 2 study assessed the efficacy and safety of darolutamide as monotherapy without ADT in patients with eugonadal testosterone levels. METHODS: This was a 24-wk, open-label, randomized study of patients with hormone-sensitive, histologically confirmed PCa requiring gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH); an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status score of 0/1; and life expectancy >1 yr. All patients received darolutamide 600 mg bid or a commercially available GnRH analog. The primary endpoint is a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response, defined as a ≥80% decline at week 24 relative to baseline in the darolutamide study arm. The GnRH arm is used as an internal control. The secondary endpoints included changes in T levels, safety/tolerability, and quality of life. KEY FINDINGS AND LIMITATIONS: Among 61 men enrolled, the median (range) age was 72 yr (53-86 yr); 42.6% of them had metastases. In the darolutamide arm, the evaluable population with available PSA values at baseline and week 24 consisted of 23 patients. Twenty-three (100%) evaluable darolutamide patients achieved a PSA decline of >80% at week 24 (primary endpoint), with a median (range) decrease of -99.1% (-91.9%, -100%). Serum T levels increased by a median (range) of 44.3 (5.7-144.0) at week 24, compared with baseline. In the darolutamide arm, 48.4% of men reported drug-related adverse events (AEs; mostly grade 1 or 2). The most frequent treatment-emergent AEs included gynecomastia (35.5%), fatigue (12.9%), hot flush (12.9%), and hypertension (12.9%). Health-related quality of life measures are descriptive, and GnRH arm results will be presented as an internal reference. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Darolutamide monotherapy was associated with a significant PSA response in nearly all men with hormone-naïve PCa. Testosterone-level changes and most common AEs (gynecomastia, fatigue, hypertension, and hot flush) were consistent with potent androgen receptor inhibition. PATIENT SUMMARY: In this study, we report the first use of darolutamide, a novel antiandrogen, as monotherapy without androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). The study shows that darolutamide induce a profound suppression of prostate-specific antigen in all patients, with a safety profile different from that of ADT.

Characterisation and classification of oligometastatic disease: a European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology and European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer consensus recommendation.

Oligometastatic disease has been proposed as an intermediate state between localised and systemically metastasised disease. In the absence of randomised phase 3 trials, early clinical studies show improved survival when radical local therapy is added to standard systemic therapy for oligometastatic disease. However, since no biomarker for the identification of patients with true oligometastatic disease is clinically available, the diagnosis of oligometastatic disease is based solely on imaging findings. A small number of metastases on imaging could represent different clinical scenarios, which are associated with different prognoses and might require different treatment strategies. 20 international experts including 19 members of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology and European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer OligoCare project developed a comprehensive system for characterisation and classification of oligometastatic disease. We first did a systematic review of the literature to identify inclusion and exclusion criteria of prospective interventional oligometastatic disease clinical trials. Next, we used a Delphi consensus process to select a total of 17 oligometastatic disease characterisation factors that should be assessed in all patients treated with radical local therapy for oligometastatic disease, both within and outside of clinical trials. Using a second round of the Delphi method, we established a decision tree for oligometastatic disease classification together with a nomenclature. We agreed oligometastatic disease as the overall umbrella term. A history of polymetastatic disease before diagnosis of oligometastatic disease was used as the criterion to differentiate between induced oligometastatic disease (previous history of polymetastatic disease) and genuine oligometastatic disease (no history of polymetastatic disease). We further subclassified genuine oligometastatic disease into repeat oligometastatic disease (previous history of oligometastatic disease) and de-novo oligometastatic disease (first time diagnosis of oligometastatic disease). In de-novo oligometastatic disease, we differentiated between synchronous and metachronous oligometastatic disease. We did a final subclassification into oligorecurrence, oligoprogression, and oligopersistence, considering whether oligometastatic disease is diagnosed during a treatment-free interval or during active systemic therapy and whether or not an oligometastatic lesion is progressing on current imaging. This oligometastatic disease classification and nomenclature needs to be prospectively evaluated by the OligoCare study.

A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial on the Effects of a Progressive Exercise Program on the Range of Motion and Upper Extremity Grip Strength in Young Adults With Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of breast cancer in young women (aged 18-45 years) has been increasing. Women are commonly left coping with treatment-related disabilities of the upper limb that can persist for > 2 years postoperatively. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 59 young breast cancer patients (29 in the intervention group and 30 in the control group) participated in a pilot prospective randomized controlled trial to determine whether a 12-week postradiation exercise program would improve long-term arm mobility, pain, and handgrip strength. During an 18-month period, range of motion, handgrip strength, and pain with shoulder movements were evaluated at 6 points. RESULTS: Although the differences were not statistically significant, external rotation and horizontal abduction of the shoulder improved in the intervention group immediately after the exercise intervention (3 months) and showed a trend toward less pain on movement. However, at 18 months after radiation the control and intervention groups both retained a residual loss of range and persistent pain with movement. Radiation to the axilla and/or chest wall yielded long-term (18 months) limitations in flexion and horizontal abduction compared with hypofractionation, which resulted in greater flexion and external rotation at 18 months. The median grip strength of the study participants corresponded to the 10th percentile of healthy aged-matched white women. CONCLUSION: The exercise intervention timed shortly after radiation improved short-term shoulder mobility and pain; however, these gains were not sustained at 18 months after radiation.

Time course of upper limb function and return-to-work post-radiotherapy in young adults with breast cancer: a pilot randomized control trial on effects of targeted exercise program.

PURPOSE: Breast cancer (BC) diagnosis in young adults (YA) is rising, and both disease and treatments are aggressive in this population. Evidence supports the use of physical activity in reducing shoulder dysfunction, which is common among BC survivors. A pilot randomized clinical trial was performed to determine the effectiveness of a 12-week post-radiation exercise program in minimizing upper extremity dysfunction in YA with BC. METHODS: Participants were randomized to either an exercise arm or a control arm receiving standard care. Data was collected over six time points using: the Disability of Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH); the Metabolic Equivalent of Task-hours per week (MET-hours/week), and a post hoc questionnaire on return to work. RESULTS: In total, 59 young women participated in the study (n = 29 exercise; n = 30 control). No statistically significant differences were found in overall DASH results between groups; however, those who underwent total mastectomy had residual upper limb dysfunction (p < 0.05). Both groups returned to pre-diagnosis activity levels by 18 months. Final evaluation showed that 86% of the women returned to work, and 89% resumed prior work activities with a decrease of 8.5 h/week. CONCLUSION: Although the short-term targeted exercise program had no effect on long-term upper limb function post-radiation, timing and program specificity may require consideration of tissue healing post-radiation and surgery type. The majority of participants returned to work, however not returning to pre-diagnosis work hours. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: Exercise interventions alone may not reverse the long-term sequelae of breast cancer treatment and allow young adult patients to return to work.

Characterization of S628N: a novel KIT mutation found in a metastatic melanoma.

IMPORTANCE The KIT receptor is mutated in approximately 15%of acral, mucosal, and chronic, sun-damaged melanomas. The status of KIT mutations is of interest because they usually are mutually exclusive with N-RAS and B-RAF mutations and because of the availability of KIT kinase inhibitors in the clinic. Some recurrent KIT mutations are well characterized; others are poorly described.OBSERVATIONS We describe a novel KIT mutation in a patient with metastatic melanoma. The mutation, located in exon 13, resulted in S628N substitution in the KIT receptor. Using all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, biochemical assays, and cell-based assays, we showed that the mutation is a bona fide gain-of-function oncogenic mutation. Furthermore,we evaluated the sensitivity of the mutant to imatinib and dasatinib.CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE We report a novel KIT gain-of-function mutation with S628N substitution (exon 13) and show that it is sensitive to imatinib in vitro. Therefore, patients with this mutation may be eligible for KIT kinase inhibitor­based therapy. Further studies are needed to evaluate the clinical benefit of such therapy.

[Dermatitis and arthropods (Anobium punctatum and Cimex lectularius) in summer: three case reports]. / Dermatites et arthropodes (Anobium punctatum et Cimex lectularius) en période estivale : à propos de trois cas.

We report three cases of pruritic dermatitis with erythematous maculopapules, having a similar clinical presentation, in summer, and caused by two different arthropods. In wandering diagnosis since sometimes several months, patients have made entomologic investigations in their home. Two of three samples, have shown an infestation by Anobium punctatum, the common furniture beetle, a xylophagous beetle (usually harmless for human). It may be parasited by Pyemotes ventricosus, a mite known since the 19th century to cause this type of hurt. The third sample contained Cimex lectularius or bedbug, haematophagous insect, classically looked for in endemic zone.

Islet autotransplantation after left pancreatectomy for non-enucleable insulinoma.

Insulinoma is a rare, almost always benign endocrine tumor of the pancreas, clinically characterized by hyperinsulinemic, hypoglycemic episodes. Surgical excision is the therapy of choice, which may lead to postpancreatectomy diabetes mellitus in the case of extensive pancreatic resection. We present the cases and the metabolic follow up of two patients, 81 and 73 years old, with insulinoma localized close to the main duct in the pancreatic neck. Both patients underwent an 80% left pancreatectomy, avoiding a pancreatico-enteric anastomosis. In order to prevent postpancreatectomy diabetes, the islets from the tumor-free part of the resected pancreas were isolated and injected via a right colic vein into the portal system. After a follow up of 6 and 3 years respectively, both patients remained insulin-independent without any dietary restrictions. Fasting and glucagon-stimulated C-peptide-levels and glycosylated hemoglobin remained within normal range. There were no signs of recurrent insulinoma. Liver biopsy performed in one patient at 1 year after autotransplantation, showed intact, insulin-producing islets within the portal spaces. In conclusion, autologous islet transplantation can preserve the insulin secretory reserve after extended left pancreatectomy for the treatment of benign tumors in the pancreatic neck.