Vulvar Cancer, Version 1.2017, NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology.

Vulvar cancer is a rare gynecologic malignancy. Ninety percent of vulvar cancers are predominantly squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), which can arise through human papilloma virus (HPV)-dependent and HPV-independent pathways. The NCCN Vulvar Cancer panel is an interdisciplinary group of representatives from NCCN Member Institutions consisting of specialists in gynecological oncology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, and pathology. The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) for Vulvar Cancer provide an evidence- and consensus-based approach for the management of patients with vulvar SCC. This manuscript discusses the recommendations outlined in the NCCN Guidelines for diagnosis, staging, treatment, and follow-up.

New NCCN Guidelines for Vulvar Cancer.

For the first time, NCCN Guidelines are available for vulvar cancer, a rare gynecologic cancer. Early-stage cancers can be managed by surgery and observation, and many of these patients can be cured. Lymph node status drives treatment and correlates with survival. Positive groinal nodes require additional therapy, including radiation plus chemotherapy, depending on stage. Sentinel lymph node biopsy is recommended in selected patients.

NCCN Framework for Resource Stratification: A Framework for Providing and Improving Global Quality Oncology Care.

More than 14 million new cancer cases and 8.2 million cancer deaths are estimated to occur worldwide on an annual basis. Of these, 57% of new cancer cases and 65% of cancer deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. Disparities in available resources for health care are enormous and staggering. The WHO estimates that the United States and Canada have 10% of the global burden of disease, 37% of the world's health workers, and more than 50% of the world's financial resources for health; by contrast, the African region has 24% of the global burden of disease, 3% of health workers, and less than 1% of the world's financial resources for health. This disparity is even more extreme with cancer. NCCN has developed a framework for stratifying the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) to help health care systems in providing optimal care for patients with cancer with varying available resources. This framework is modified from a method developed by the Breast Health Global Initiative. The NCCN Framework for Resource Stratification (NCCN Framework) identifies 4 resource environments: basic resources, core resources, enhanced resources, and NCCN Guidelines, and presents the recommendations in a graphic format that always maintains the context of the NCCN Guidelines. This article describes the rationale for resource-stratified guidelines and the methodology for developing the NCCN Framework, using a portion of the NCCN Cervical Cancer Guideline as an example.

Ascites predicts treatment benefit of bevacizumab in front-line therapy of advanced epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube and peritoneal cancers: an NRG Oncology/GOG study.

OBJECTIVES: Predictive factors for efficacy of bevacizumab in advanced ovarian cancer have remained elusive. We investigated ascites both as a prognostic factor and as a predictor of efficacy for bevacizumab. METHODS: Using data from GOG 0218, patients receiving cytotoxic therapy plus concurrent and maintenance bevacizumab were compared to those receiving cytotoxic therapy plus placebo. The presence of ascites was determined prospectively. Chi-square and Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney tests compared baseline variables between subgroups. Survival was estimated by Kaplan-Meier method, and Cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate independent prognostic factors and estimate their covariate-adjusted effects on survival. RESULTS: Treatment arms were balanced with respect to ascites and other prognostic factors. Overall, 886 (80%) women had ascites, 221 (20%) did not. Those with ascites were more likely to have: poorer performance status (p<0.001); serous histology (p=0.012); higher baseline CA125 (p<0.001); and suboptimal cytoreduction (p=0.004). In multivariate survival analysis, ascites was prognostic of poor OS (Adjusted HR 1.22, 95% CI 1.00-1.48, p=0.045), but not PFS. In predictive analysis, patients without ascites treated with bevacizumab had no significant improvement in either PFS (AHR 0.81, 95% CI 0.59-1.10, p=0.18) or OS (AHR 0.94, 95% CI 0.65-1.36, p=0.76). Patients with ascites treated with bevacizumab had significantly improved PFS (AHR 0.71, 95% CI 0.62-0.81, p<0.001) and OS (AHR 0.82, 95% CI 0.70-0.96, p=0.014). CONCLUSIONS: Ascites in women with advanced ovarian cancer is prognostic of poor overall survival. Ascites may predict the population of women more likely to derive long-term benefit from bevacizumab.

Cervical Cancer, Version 2.2015.

The NCCN Guidelines for Cervical Cancer provide interdisciplinary recommendations for treating cervical cancer. These NCCN Guidelines Insights summarize the NCCN Cervical Cancer Panel's discussion and major guideline updates from 2014 and 2015. The recommended systemic therapy options for recurrent and metastatic cervical cancer were amended upon panel review of new survival data and the FDA's approval of bevacizumab for treating late-stage cervical cancer. This article outlines relevant data and provides insight into panel decisions regarding various combination regimens. Additionally, a new section was added to provide additional guidance on key principles of evaluation and surgical staging in cervical cancer. This article highlights 2 areas of active investigation and debate from this new section: sentinel lymph node mapping and fertility-sparing treatment approaches.

Uterine Sarcoma, Version 1.2016: Featured Updates to the NCCN Guidelines.

The NCCN Guidelines for Uterine Neoplasms provide interdisciplinary recommendations for treating endometrial carcinoma and uterine sarcomas. These NCCN Guidelines Insights summarize the NCCN Uterine Neoplasms Panel's 2016 discussions and major guideline updates for treating uterine sarcomas. During this most recent update, the panel updated the mesenchymal tumor classification to correspond with recent updates to the WHO tumor classification system. Additionally, the panel revised its systemic therapy recommendations to reflect new data and collective clinical experience. These NCCN Guidelines Insights elaborate on the rationale behind these recent changes.

Incorporation of bevacizumab in the primary treatment of ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND: Vascular endothelial growth factor is a key promoter of angiogenesis and disease progression in epithelial ovarian cancer. Bevacizumab, a humanized anti-vascular endothelial growth factor monoclonal antibody, has shown single-agent activity in women with recurrent tumors. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the addition of bevacizumab to standard front-line therapy. METHODS: In our double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial, we randomly assigned eligible patients with newly diagnosed stage III (incompletely resectable) or stage IV epithelial ovarian cancer who had undergone debulking surgery to receive one of three treatments. All three included chemotherapy consisting of intravenous paclitaxel at a dose of 175 mg per square meter of body-surface area, plus carboplatin at an area under the curve of 6, for cycles 1 through 6, plus a study treatment for cycles 2 through 22, each cycle of 3 weeks' duration. The control treatment was chemotherapy with placebo added in cycles 2 through 22; bevacizumab-initiation treatment was chemotherapy with bevacizumab (15 mg per kilogram of body weight) added in cycles 2 through 6 and placebo added in cycles 7 through 22. Bevacizumab-throughout treatment was chemotherapy with bevacizumab added in cycles 2 through 22. The primary end point was progression-free survival. RESULTS: Overall, 1873 women were enrolled. The median progression-free survival was 10.3 months in the control group, 11.2 in the bevacizumab-initiation group, and 14.1 in the bevacizumab-throughout group. Relative to control treatment, the hazard ratio for progression or death was 0.908 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.795 to 1.040; P=0.16) with bevacizumab initiation and 0.717 (95% CI, 0.625 to 0.824; P<0.001) with bevacizumab throughout. At the time of analysis, 76.3% of patients were alive, with no significant differences in overall survival among the three groups. The rate of hypertension requiring medical therapy was higher in the bevacizumab-initiation group (16.5%) and the bevacizumab-throughout group (22.9%) than in the control group (7.2%). Gastrointestinal-wall disruption requiring medical intervention occurred in 1.2%, 2.8%, and 2.6% of patients in the control group, the bevacizumab-initiation group, and the bevacizumab-throughout group, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The use of bevacizumab during and up to 10 months after carboplatin and paclitaxel chemotherapy prolongs the median progression-free survival by about 4 months in patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer. (Funded by the National Cancer Institute and Genentech; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00262847.).

Uterine neoplasms, version 1.2014.

Adenocarcinoma of the endometrium (also known as endometrial cancer or more broadly as uterine cancer or carcinoma of the uterine corpus) is the most common malignancy of the female genital tract in the United States. An estimated 49,560 new uterine cancer cases will occur in 2013, with 8190 deaths resulting from the disease. Uterine sarcomas (stromal/mesenchymal tumors) are uncommon malignancies, accounting for approximately 3% of all uterine cancers. The NCCN Guidelines for Uterine Neoplasms describe malignant epithelial carcinomas and uterine sarcomas; each of these major categories contains specific histologic groups that require different management. This excerpt of these guidelines focuses on early-stage disease.

Patient reported outcomes of a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of bevacizumab in the front-line treatment of ovarian cancer: a Gynecologic Oncology Group Study.

PURPOSE: To analyze quality of life (QOL) in a randomized, placebo-controlled phase III trial concluding that the addition of concurrent and maintenance bevacizumab (Arm 3) to carboplatin and paclitaxel prolongs progression-free survival in front-line treatment of advanced ovarian cancer compared to chemotherapy alone (Arm 1) or chemotherapy with bevacizumab in cycles 2-6 only (Arm 2). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The Trial Outcome Index of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Ovary (FACT-O TOI) was used to assess QOL before cycles 1, 4, 7, 13, and 21; and 6months after completing study therapy. Differences in QOL scores were assessed using a linear mixed model, adjusting for baseline score, and age. The significance level was set at 0.0167 to account for multiple comparisons. RESULTS: 1693 patients were queried. Arm 2 (p<0.001) and Arm 3 (p<0.001) reported lower QOL scores than those in Arm 1. The treatment differences were observed mainly at cycle 4, when the patients receiving bevacizumab (Arm 2 and Arm 3) reported 2.72 points (98.3% CI: 0.88-4.57; effect size=0.18) and 2.96 points (98.3% CI: 1.13-4.78; effect size=0.20) lower QOL respectively, than those in Arm 1. The difference in QOL scores between Arm 1 and Arm 3 remained statistically significant up to cycle 7. The percentage of patients who reported abdominal discomfort dropped over time, without significant differences among study arms. CONCLUSION: The small QOL difference observed during chemotherapy did not persist during maintenance bevacizumab.

Cervical cancer.

These NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology for Cervical Cancer focus on early-stage disease, because it occurs more frequently in the United States. After careful clinical evaluation and staging, the primary treatment of early-stage cervical cancer is either surgery or radiotherapy. These guidelines include fertility-sparing and non-fertility-sparing treatment for those with early-stage disease, which is disease confined to the uterus. A new fertility-sparing algorithm was added for select patients with stage IA and IB1 disease..

Phase III Trial of Carboplatin and Paclitaxel Compared With Cisplatin and Paclitaxel in Patients With Optimally Resected Stage III Ovarian Cancer: A Gynecologic Oncology Group Study.

Purpose: In randomized trials the combination of cisplatin and paclitaxel was superior to cisplatin and cyclophosphamide in advanced-stage epithelial ovarian cancer. Although in nonrandomized trials, carboplatin and paclitaxel was a less toxic and highly active combination regimen, there remained concern regarding its efficacy in patients with small-volume, resected, stage III disease. Thus, we conducted a noninferiority trial of cisplatin and paclitaxel versus carboplatin and paclitaxel in this population.Patients and Methods: Patients with advanced ovarian cancer and no residual mass greater than 1.0 cm after surgery were randomly assigned to receive cisplatin 75 mg/m2 plus a 24-hour infusion of paclitaxel 135 mg/m2 (arm I), or carboplatin area under the curve 7.5 intravenously plus paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 over 3 hours (arm II).Results: Seven hundred ninety-two eligible patients were enrolled onto the study. Prognostic factors were similar in the two treatment groups. Gastrointestinal, renal, and metabolic toxicity, as well as grade 4 leukopenia, were significantly more frequent in arm I. Grade 2 or greater thrombocytopenia was more common in arm II. Neurologic toxicity was similar in both regimens. Median progression-free survival and overall survival were 19.4 and 48.7 months, respectively, for arm I compared with 20.7 and 57.4 months, respectively, for arm II. The relative risk (RR) of progression for the carboplatin plus paclitaxel group was 0.88 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.75 to 1.03) and the RR of death was 0.84 (95% CI, 0.70 to 1.02).Conclusion: In patients with advanced ovarian cancer, a chemotherapy regimen consisting of carboplatin plus paclitaxel results in less toxicity, is easier to administer, and is not inferior, when compared with cisplatin plus paclitaxel.

Combined weekly topotecan and biweekly bevacizumab in women with platinum-resistant ovarian, peritoneal, or fallopian tube cancer: results of a phase 2 study.

BACKGROUND: A phase 2 trial was conducted to determine the toxicity and efficacy of combined weekly topotecan and biweekly bevacizumab in patients with primary or secondary platinum-resistant ovarian, peritoneal, or fallopian tube cancer (OC). METHODS: Patients were treated with bevacizumab 10 mg/kg on days 1 and 15 and topotecan 4 mg/m(2) on days 1, 8, and 15 of a 28-day cycle until progressive disease (PD) or excessive toxicity. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS); secondary objectives included overall survival (OS), objective response, and toxicity. RESULTS: Patients (N = 40) received a median of 8 treatment cycles. Toxicity was generally mild or moderate, with neutropenia (18%), hypertension (20%), gastrointestinal toxicity (18%), pain (13%), metabolic toxicity (15%), bowel obstruction (10%), and cardiotoxicity (8%) being the most common grade 3 and 4 adverse events. No bowel perforations, febrile neutropenia, or treatment-related deaths occurred. Median PFS and OS were 7.8 (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.0-9.4) and 16.6 months (95% CI, 12.8-22.9), with 22 (55%) patients progression-free for ≥6 months. Ten (25%) patients had partial response (PR), 14 (35%) had stable disease (SD), and 16 (40%) had PD. Patients treated with 2 prior regimens received greater benefit than patients treated with 1: PR/SD, 78.9% versus 42.9% (P = .03); median PFS, 10.9 versus 2.8 months (P = .08); median OS, 22.9 versus 12.8 months (P = .02). CONCLUSIONS: A weekly topotecan and biweekly bevacizumab combination demonstrates acceptable toxicity and encouraging efficacy in patients with platinum-resistant OC; further study is warranted.

Predictive and prognostic angiogenic markers in a gynecologic oncology group phase II trial of bevacizumab in recurrent and persistent ovarian or peritoneal cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Potential predictive/prognostic angiogenic markers were prospectively examined in a phase II trial of bevacizumab in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC)/primary peritoneal cancer (PPC). METHODS: Recurrent/persistent EOC/PPC patients were treated with bevacizumab (15 mg/kg IV q21days) until disease progression. Validated-immunohistochemistry (IHC) assays were performed on pre-cycle 1/4 tumor biopsies for CD31-microvessel density (MVD), VEGF-histoscore (HS), p53-HS, and TSP1 image analysis score (IA). Pre-cycle 1/4 serum and plasma VEGF were quantified using a validated-ELISA. RESULTS: CD31-MVD and serum VEGF, evaluated pre-cycle 1 in 41/61 and 51/61 eligible patients, respectively, did not appear to be correlated. High CD31-MVD, categorized at the median, appeared to be associated with tumor response, a 13-month shorter median survival, and an increased risk of death (unadjusted hazard ratio [HR] = 2.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.067-4.467). In addition, each standard deviation (SD) increase in CD31-MVD appeared to be associated with worse survival in unadjusted and adjusted analyses. IHC and plasma biomarkers did not change with bevacizumab treatment except for serum VEGF, which appeared to decrease during bevacizumab treatment. This decrease was not associated with response. High pre-cycle 1 serum VEGF, categorized at the median, was associated with 22-month shorter median survival and an increased risk of death (unadjusted HR = 2.7, 95% CI = 1.369-5.191). Categorized p53 appeared to be associated with unadjusted survival and each SD increase in TSP1-IA appeared to be associated with a decreased risk of progression in unadjusted and adjusted analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the limitations in sample size and exploratory nature of the study, angiogenic markers in tumor and serum may provide prognostic value in recurrent/persistent EOC/PPC, and are being prospectively evaluated in the GOG phase III trial of carboplatin, paclitaxel and bevacizumab/placebo in previously untreated EOC/PPC.

Associations between ERBB2 amplification and progression-free survival and overall survival in advanced stage, suboptimally-resected epithelial ovarian cancers: a Gynecologic Oncology Group Study.

OBJECTIVE(S): The Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) examined the association between ERBB2 amplification and clinical covariates, tumor response, disease status post-chemotherapy, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). METHODS: Women with suboptimally-resected, advanced stage EOC who participated in GOG-111, a multi-center randomized phase III trial of cyclophosphamide+cisplatin versus paclitaxel+cisplatin, and provided a tumor block through the companion protocol GOG-9404 were eligible. ERBB2 amplification was examined using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with probes for ERBB2 and the centromere of chromosome 17 (CEP17). RESULTS: ERBB2 amplification, defined as >2 copies of ERBB2/CEP17, was a rare event in EOC with 7% (9/133) of women exhibiting between 2.2 and 33.7 copies of ERBB2/CEP17, and was not associated with patient age, race, GOG performance status, stage, cell type, grade, measurable disease status, volume of ascites, tumor response or disease status post-chemotherapy. Women with >2 verses < or =2 copies of ERBB2/CEP17 did not have a reduced risk of disease progression (hazard ratio [HR]=0.56; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.27-1.16; p=0.120) or death (HR=0.57; 95% CI=0.26-1.23; p=0.152), and ERBB2 amplification was not an independent prognostic factor for PFS or OS. ERBB2 amplification, defined as >4 copies of ERBB2/nuclei, was observed in 9% (12/133) of women with levels ranging from 4.2 to 49.2 copies of ERBB2/nuclei, and was associated with older age and volume of ascites, but not with the other clinical covariates or outcome. CONCLUSION(S): ERBB2 amplification is a rare event and has no predictive or prognostic value in suboptimally-resected, advanced stage EOC treated with platinum-based combination chemotherapy.

Final Overall Survival of a Randomized Trial of Bevacizumab for Primary Treatment of Ovarian Cancer.

PURPOSE: We report the final, protocol-specified analysis of overall survival (OS) in GOG-0218, a phase III, randomized trial of bevacizumab in women with newly diagnosed ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal carcinoma. METHODS: A total of 1,873 women with incompletely resected stage III to IV disease were randomly assigned 1:1:1 to six 21-day cycles of intravenous carboplatin (area under the concentration v time curve 6) and paclitaxel (175 mg/m2) versus chemotherapy plus concurrent bevacizumab (15 mg/kg, cycles 2 to 6) versus chemotherapy plus concurrent and maintenance bevacizumab (cycles 2 to 22). Inclusion criteria included a Gynecologic Oncology Group performance status of 0 to 2 and no history of clinically significant vascular events or evidence of intestinal obstruction. OS was analyzed in the intention-to-treat population. A total of 1,195 serum and/or tumor specimens were sequenced for BRCA1/2 and damaging mutations in homologous recombination repair (HRR) genes. Intratumoral microvessel density was studied using CD31 immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 102.9 months. Relative to control (n = 625), for patients receiving bevacizumab-concurrent (n = 625), the hazard ratio (HR) of death was 1.06 (95% CI, 0.94 to 1.20); for bevacizumab-concurrent plus maintenance (n = 623), the HR was 0.96 (95% CI, 0.85 to 1.09). Disease-specific survival was not improved in any arm. No survival advantage was observed after censoring patients who received bevacizumab at crossover or as second line. Median OS for stage IV bevacizumab-concurrent plus maintenance was 42.8 v 32.6 months for stage IV control (HR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.59 to 0.95). Relative to wild type, the HR for death for BRCA1/2 mutated carcinomas was 0.62 (95% CI, 0.52 to 0.73), and for non-BRCA1/2 HRR, the HR was 0.65 (95% CI, 0.51 to 0.85). BRCA1/2, HRR, and CD31 were not predictive of bevacizumab activity. CONCLUSION: No survival differences were observed for patients who received bevacizumab compared with chemotherapy alone. Testing for BRCA1/2 mutations and homologous recombination deficiency is essential.

Phase III trial of carboplatin and paclitaxel compared with cisplatin and paclitaxel in patients with optimally resected stage III ovarian cancer: a Gynecologic Oncology Group study.

PURPOSE: In randomized trials the combination of cisplatin and paclitaxel was superior to cisplatin and cyclophosphamide in advanced-stage epithelial ovarian cancer. Although in nonrandomized trials, carboplatin and paclitaxel was a less toxic and highly active combination regimen, there remained concern regarding its efficacy in patients with small-volume, resected, stage III disease. Thus, we conducted a noninferiority trial of cisplatin and paclitaxel versus carboplatin and paclitaxel in this population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with advanced ovarian cancer and no residual mass greater than 1.0 cm after surgery were randomly assigned to receive cisplatin 75 mg/m2 plus a 24-hour infusion of paclitaxel 135 mg/m2 (arm I), or carboplatin area under the curve 7.5 intravenously plus paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 over 3 hours (arm II). RESULTS: Seven hundred ninety-two eligible patients were enrolled onto the study. Prognostic factors were similar in the two treatment groups. Gastrointestinal, renal, and metabolic toxicity, as well as grade 4 leukopenia, were significantly more frequent in arm I. Grade 2 or greater thrombocytopenia was more common in arm II. Neurologic toxicity was similar in both regimens. Median progression-free survival and overall survival were 19.4 and 48.7 months, respectively, for arm I compared with 20.7 and 57.4 months, respectively, for arm II. The relative risk (RR) of progression for the carboplatin plus paclitaxel group was 0.88 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.75 to 1.03) and the RR of death was 0.84 (95% CI, 0.70 to 1.02). CONCLUSION: In patients with advanced ovarian cancer, a chemotherapy regimen consisting of carboplatin plus paclitaxel results in less toxicity, is easier to administer, and is not inferior, when compared with cisplatin plus paclitaxel.

Risk factors for GI adverse events in a phase III randomized trial of bevacizumab in first-line therapy of advanced ovarian cancer: A Gynecologic Oncology Group Study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate risk factors for GI adverse events (AEs) within a phase III trial of bevacizumab in first-line ovarian cancer therapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Women with previously untreated advanced disease after surgery were randomly allocated to six cycles of platinum-taxane chemotherapy plus placebo cycles (C)2 to C22 (R1); chemotherapy plus bevacizumab C2 to C6 plus placebo C7 to C22 (R2); or chemotherapy plus bevacizumab C2 to C22 (R3). Patients were evaluated for history or on-study development of potential risk factors for GI AEs defined as grade ≥ 2 perforation, fistula, necrosis, or hemorrhage. RESULTS: Of 1,873 patients enrolled, 1,759 (94%) were evaluable, and 2.8% (50 of 1,759) experienced a GI AE: 10 of 587 (1.7%, R1), 20 of 587 (3.4%, R2), and 20 of 585 (3.4%, R3). Univariable analyses indicated that previous treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD; P = .005) and small bowel resection (SBR; P = .032) or large bowel resection (LBR; P = .012) at primary surgery were significantly associated with a GI AE. The multivariable estimated relative odds of a GI AE were 13.4 (95% CI, 3.44 to 52.3; P < .001) for IBD; 2.05 (95% CI, 1.09 to 3.88; P = .026) for LBR; 1.95 (95% CI, 0.894 to 4.25; P = .093) for SBR; and 2.15 for bevacizumab exposure (aggregated 95% CI, 1.05 to 4.40; P = .036). CONCLUSION: History of treatment for IBD, and bowel resection at primary surgery, increase the odds of GI AEs in patients receiving first-line platinum-taxane chemotherapy for advanced ovarian cancer. After accounting for these risk factors, concurrent bevacizumab doubles the odds of a GI AE, but is not appreciably increased by continuation beyond chemotherapy.

Early experiences in establishing a regional quantitative imaging network for PET/CT clinical trials.

The Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) is a Pacific Northwest regional network that enables patients from community cancer centers to participate in multicenter oncology clinical trials where patients can receive some trial-related procedures at their local center. Results of positron emission tomography (PET) scans performed at community cancer centers are not currently used in SCCA Network trials since clinical trials customarily accept results from only trial-accredited PET imaging centers located at academic and large hospitals. Oncologists would prefer the option of using standard clinical PET scans from Network sites in multicenter clinical trials to increase accrual of patients for whom additional travel requirements for imaging are a barrier to recruitment. In an effort to increase accrual of rural and other underserved populations to Network trials, researchers and clinicians at the University of Washington, SCCA and its Network are assessing the feasibility of using PET scans from all Network sites in their oncology clinical trials. A feasibility study is required because the reproducibility of multicenter PET measurements ranges from approximately 3% to 40% at national academic centers. Early experiences from both national and local PET phantom imaging trials are discussed, and next steps are proposed for including patient PET scans from the emerging regional quantitative imaging network in clinical trials. There are feasible methods to determine and characterize PET quantitation errors and improve data quality by either prospective scanner calibration or retrospective post hoc corrections. These methods should be developed and implemented in multicenter clinical trials employing quantitative PET imaging of patients.

Paclitaxel, carboplatin and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in ovarian and peritoneal carcinoma: a phase I study of the Gynecologic Oncology Group.

PURPOSE: Based on the activity and tolerability of liposomal doxorubicin in platinum- and paclitaxel-resistant ovarian carcinoma, we conducted a phase I trial of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin with paclitaxel and carboplatin to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) in chemotherapy naive ovarian, peritoneal and tubal carcinoma patients. METHODS: Three schedules were studied: paclitaxel, carboplatin and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin every 28 days; paclitaxel and carboplatin every 21 days with liposomal doxorubicin every 42 days; and weekly paclitaxel, carboplatin (AUC=5) every 21 days and liposomal doxorubicin every 42 days. The paclitaxel dose was 175 mg/m(2) over 3 h on an every 3-4 week schedule and 60 mg/m(2) when administered weekly. Based on the frequency of neutropenic sepsis, grade 4 thrombocytopenia and > or =grade 3 non-hematologic toxicity, the starting dose of liposomal doxorubicin of 20 mg/m(2) was escalated to determine the MTD. RESULTS: A total of 210 (21-day) cycles were administered to 37 patients. Dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) occurred when liposomal doxorubicin was administered at 40 mg/m(2). Because of treatment-related delays resulting in decreased paclitaxel/carboplatin dose intensity, administration was modified to be given every 21 days, with liposomal doxorubicin given every 42 days. Since neutropenia was the DLT of this schedule, the schema was further modified to administer paclitaxel weekly; however, weekly administration was inconsistent because of toxicity. CONCLUSION: Paclitaxel 175 mg/m(2), carboplatin (AUC=5) and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin 30 mg/m(2) are tolerable without supportive therapy. The usual dose intensity of paclitaxel/carboplatin was maintained by administering liposomal doxorubicin every other cycle.