Free Interval Research Articles

PAXIP1-AS1 is associated with immune infiltration and predicts poor prognosis in ovarian cancer.

The long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) PAXIP1 antisense RNA 1 (PAXIP1-AS1) was found to promote proliferation, migration, EMT, and apoptosis of ovarian cancer (OC) cells in OC cell lines, but the relationship between PAXIP1-AS1 expression and clinical characteristics, prognosis, and immune infiltration of OC patients and its regulatory network are unclear. 379 OC tissues were collected from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. 427 OC tissues and 88 normal ovarian tissues were collected from GTEx combined TCGA database. 130 OC samples were collected from GSE138866. Kruskal-Wallis test, Wilcoxon sign-rank test, logistic regression, Kaplan-Meier method, Cox regression analysis, Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), and immuno-infiltration analysis were used to evaluate the relationship between clinical characteristics and PAXIP1-AS1 expression, prognostic factors, and determine the significant involvement of PAXIP1-AS1 in function. QRT-PCR was used to validate the expression of PAXIP1-AS1 in OC cell lines. Low PAXIP1-AS1 expression in OC was associated with age (P = 0.045), histological grade (P = 0.011), and lymphatic invasion (P = 0.004). Low PAXIP1-AS1 expression predicted a poorer overall survival (OS) (HR: 0.71; 95% CI: 0.55-0.92; P = 0.009), progression free interval (PFS) (HR: 1.776; 95% CI: 1.067-2.955; P = 0.001) and disease specific survival (DSS) (HR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.51-0.89; P = 0.006). PAXIP1-AS1 expression (HR: 0.711; 95% CI: 0.542-0.934; P = 0.014) was independently correlated with PFS in OC patients. GSEA demonstrated that neutrophil degranulation, signaling by Interleukins, GPCR-ligand binding, G alpha I signaling events, VEGFAVEGFR-2 signaling pathway, naba secreted factors, Class A 1 Rhodopsin-Like Receptors, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, and Focal Adhesion-PI3K-Akt-mTOR-signaling pathway were differentially enriched in PAXIP1-AS1 high expression phenotype. PAXIP1-AS1 was significantly downregulated in OC cell lines compared with IOSE29 cell line. The expression of PAXIP1-AS1 was associated with immune infiltration. low expression of PAXIP1-AS1 was correlated with poor OS (HR: 0.52; 95% CI: 0.34-0.80; P = 0.003) from GSE138866. There were some genomic variations between the PAXIP1-AS1 high and low expression groups. Low expression of PAXIP1-AS1 was significantly associated with poor survival and immune infiltration in OC. PAXIP1-AS1 could be a promising prognosis biomarker and response to immunotherapy for OC.

A novel microRNA panel exhibited significant potential in evaluating the progression of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

BackgroundLaryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is a common cancer of the head and neck in humans. The 5-years survival rate of patients with LSCC have declined in the past four decades. microRNAs (miRNAs) has been reported to be capable of predicting the prognosis outcomes of patients with different cancers. However, there are no reports on the usage of multi-miRNAs model as signature for the diagnosis or prognosis of LSCC. MethodsTo establish the miRNAs expression-associated model for diagnosis, prognosis prediction and aided therapy of patients with LSCC, the present study enrolled 107 patients with LSCC in clinic and obtained 117 LSCC samples data from TCGA database for evaluation, respectively. Next generation sequencing (NGS), raw data processing, the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator algorithm, Cox regression analysis, construction of nomogram and cell function assays (including proliferation, migration and invasion assays) were sequentially performed. ResultsThere were massively dysregulated miRNAs in the LSCC compared to normal tissues. A six-miRNAs signature consists of miR-137–3p, miR-3934–5p, miR-1276, miR-129–5p, miR-7-5p and miR-105–5p was built for prognosis prediction of LSCC patients. The six-miRNAs signature is strongly associated with the poor overall survival (OS, p = 2.5e-05, HR: 4.30 [2.20–8.50]), progression free interval (PFI, p = 0.025, HR: 1.94 [1.08–3.46]) and disease specific survival (DSS, p = 1.1e-05, HR: 5.00 [2.50–10.00]). A nomogram for prediction of 2-, 3- and 5-years OS was also developed based on the six-miRNAs signature and clinical features. Furthermore, blocking the function of each of the six miRNAs inhibited proliferation, invasion and migration of LSCC cells. ConclusionsThe performance of six-miRNAs signature described in the current study demonstrated remarkable potential for progression assessment of LSCC. Moreover, the six-miRNAs signature may serve as predictive tool for prognosis and therapeutic targets of LSCC in clinic.

Diagnosis of epigastric pain: a case report

Epigastric pain is the most significant symptom and a major clinical challenge in chronic pancreatitis. Pancreatic pain is characteristically described as a constant, severe, dull, epigastric pain that often radiates to the back and typically worsens after high-fat meals. However, many different pain patterns have been described, ranging from no pain to recurrent episodes of pain and pain free intervals, to constant pain with clusters of severe exacerbations. A 30-years old female inpatient with complaints of abdominal pain located on epigastric since 7 days ago. Patients also complain of nausea and vomiting, decreased appetite. The patient has a history of acute pancreatitis and was treated 6 months ago and is hyperthyroid. Physical examination within normal limits. On abdominal examination, there was tenderness in the epigastric part. Abdomen ultrasound examination revealed widening of the pancreatic duct. While hospitalized the patient was treated with meropenem 1 gram IV every 8 hours, pantoprazole 40 mg IV every 12 hours, ondansetron 8 mg IV every 12 hours, Kaltrofen supp if needed, Propranolol 5 mg PO every 12 hours and thyrozol 10 mg PO every 12 hours. Acute pancreatitis is an acute, non-bacterial inflammation of the pancreas organ. Radiographic examination must be done to establish diagnose beside anamnesis and laboratorium examination. To diagnose acute pancreatitis, at least 2 of 3 criteria must be met. Management of patients with acute pancreatitis includes non-operative and surgical. Antibiotics therapy in management of acute pancreatitis in the early stages is still controversial.

Single-center study on clinicopathological and typical molecular pathologic features of metastatic brain tumor.

The metastatic brain tumor is the most common brain tumor. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the clinicopathological and molecular pathologic features of brain metastases (BM). A total of 269 patients were diagnosed with BM through surgical resection at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital from January 2010 to March 2020. We reviewed the clinicopathological features and molecular status of primary and metastatic brain tissues using immunohistochemistry and molecular pathology results. Among 269 patients, 139 males and 130 females were included. The median age of primary tumor was 58 years (range, 13 to 87 years) and 86 patients (32.0%) had BM at initial presentation. Median BM free interval was 28.0 months (range, 1 to 286 months). The most frequent primary site was lung 46.5% (125/269), and followed by breast 15.6% (42/269), colorectum 10.0% (27/269). Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation was found in 50.8% (32/63) and 58.0% (40/69) of lung primary and BM, respectively. In both breast primary and breast cancer with BM, luminal B was the most frequent subtype at 37.9% (11/29) and 42.9% (18/42), respectively, followed by human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 with 31.0% (9/29) and 33.3% (14/42). Triple-negative was 20.7% (6/29) and 16.7% (7/42), and luminal A was 10.3% (3/29) and 7.1% (3/42) of breast primary and BM, respectively. In colorectal primary and colorectal cancer with BM, KRAS mutation was found in 76.9% (10/13) and 66.7% (2/3), respectively. We report the clinicopathological and molecular pathologic features of BM that can provide useful information for understanding the pathogenesis of metastasis and for clinical trials based on the tumor's molecular pathology.

Comparison of the cytokine responses to acute strength exercise between oral contraceptive users and naturally cycling women

PurposeCytokines are released as part of an inflammatory reaction in response to strength exercise to initiate muscle repair and morphological adaptations. Whether hormonal fluctuations induced by the menstrual cycle or oral contraceptives affect inflammatory responses to strength exercise remains unknown. Therefore, we aimed to compare the response of cytokines after acute strength exercise in naturally menstruating women and oral contraceptive users.MethodsNaturally menstruating women (MC, n = 13, 24 ± 4 years, weekly strength training: 4.3 ± 1.7 h) and women using a monophasic combined pill (> 9 months) (OC, n = 8, 22 ± 3 years, weekly strength training: 4.5 ± 1.9 h) were recruited. A one-repetition-maximum (1RM) test and strength exercise in the squat (4 × 10 repetitions, 70%1RM) was performed in the early follicular phase or pill free interval. Concentrations of oestradiol, IL-1β, IL-1ra, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 were assessed before (pre), directly after (post) and 24 h after (post24) strength exercise.ResultsIL-1ra increased from pre to post (+ 51.1 ± 59.4%, p = 0.189) and statistically decreased from post to post24 (– 20.5 ± 13.5%, p = 0.011) only in OC. Additionally, IL-1β statistically decreased from post to post24 (– 39.6 ± 23.0%, p = 0.044) only in OC. There was an interaction effect for IL-1β (p = 0.038) and concentrations were statistically decreased at post24 in OC compared to MC (p = 0.05). IL-8 increased across both groups from post to post24 (+ 66.6 ± 96.3%, p = 0.004).ConclusionWe showed a differential regulation of IL-1β and IL-1ra between OC users in the pill-free interval and naturally cycling women 24 h after strength exercise, while there was no effect on other cytokines. Whether this is associated with previously shown compromised morphological adaptations remains to be investigated.

Retrospective analysis of serum free light chain reference intervals and risk for monoclonal gammopathy suggests different limits than those in international guidelines

ObjectivesRecent reference interval studies of the serum free light chain (FLC) test using contemporary instruments display divergence with the diagnostic range generally adopted as the international standard. In this study, we perform a retrospective reference interval analysis with risk predictions for monoclonal gammopathy. MethodsRetrospective laboratory and clinical data for 8,986 patients were included in the study. Reference intervals were generated against a set of inclusion/exclusion criteria for two time periods representing the use of different instruments. The presence of monoclonal gammopathy was established from diagnostic test interpretations and EHR diagnosis codes in the patient problem lists and medical history. ResultsThe 95% FLC ratio reference intervals were 0.76–2.38 for SPAPLUS®, and 0.68–1.82 for Optilite® instruments. These intervals varied considerably from the current diagnostic range of 0.26–1.65 and mapped approximately to the FLC ratios beyond which risk of monoclonal gammopathy substantially increased. ConclusionsThese findings corroborate recent reference interval studies and support recommendations for independent re-evaluation of intervals by institutions as well as an update of international guidelines.

A mass mimicking primary pancreatic malignancy

Colorectal cancer ranks third among all cancers in terms of prevalence. It is the second most common cause of death overall. The patterns of spread are lymphatic, hematogenous, and direct invasion. Lymph node involvement is a prognostic factor and has a strong correlation with survival and disease free interval. Regional lymph nodes are frequently the first structures to get affected. Metastatic disease (stage IV) is defined as the spread of disease to lymph nodes other than regional ones. Because of this, the type of treatment that is administered and the patient's survival rate are both affected when the cancer spreads to non-regional lymph nodes. In this particular instance, we report a patient who had results that were consistent with having a pancreatic tumor. Nevertheless, with the aid of endoscopic ultrasonography, we determined that the patient had metastatic colon cancer. And the patient's trajectory takes a dramatic turn for the worse, shifting from resectable pancreatic cancer to metastatic colon cancer.

First-line (1L) nivolumab (N) + ipilimumab (I) + chemotherapy (C) vs C alone in patients (pts) with metastatic NSCLC (mNSCLC) from CheckMate 9LA: 4-y clinical update and outcomes by tumor histologic subtype (THS).

LBA9023 Background: In CheckMate 9LA (NCT03215706), 1L N + I + C demonstrated durable survival benefit in pts with mNSCLC vs C alone. Here, we report updated efficacy and safety with a 4-y minimum (min) follow-up (f/u) as well as exploratory analyses of efficacy by THS, a known prognostic indicator for NSCLC. Methods: Adults with stage IV/recurrent NSCLC (no known sensitizing EGFR/ALK alterations) and ECOG PS ≤ 1 were randomized 1:1 to N 360 mg Q3W + I 1 mg/kg Q6W + 2 cycles of C (n = 361) or 4 cycles of C alone (n = 358). Pts were stratified by sex, PD-L1 (< 1% vs ≥ 1%), and histology (squamous [SQ] vs non-squamous [NSQ]). Maintenance pemetrexed was allowed in the C arm (NSQ NSCLC). Assessments included OS, PFS, ORR, safety, treatment (tx)-free interval (TFI; time from last study dose to start of first subsequent systemic tx or death), and efficacy by THS (solid, acinar, or other, per modified WHO classification). Results: At a min f/u of 47.9 mo (database lock, Feb 2023; median f/u, 54.5 mo), N + I + C continued to provide long-term, durable OS benefit vs C in all randomized pts (HR, 0.74 [95% CI 0.63–0.87]; 4-y OS rates, 21% vs 16%, respectively). Similar clinical benefit was seen for N + I + C vs C across tumor PD-L1 or histology subgroups (table). In all pts treated with N + I + C (n = 358), median TFI was 2.2 mo, with 11% remaining tx-free and alive at 4y. In pts who discontinued all components of N + I + C due to tx-related adverse events (n = 61), 4-y OS rate was 41%; median TFI was 10.6 mo, with a 4-y TFI rate of 27%. In an exploratory analysis in pts with evaluable NSQ NSCLC tissue (n = 310; min f/u 36.1 mo), median OS was longer with N + I + C vs C in both solid (16.6 vs 9.3 mo) and acinar (18.7 vs 12.9 mo) THS. Updated efficacy by THS will be presented. No new safety signals were identified with longer f/u. Conclusions: With a 4-y min f/u, pts treated with N + I + C continued to derive long-term, durable efficacy benefit vs C regardless of tumor PD-L1 expression or histology, with greater magnitude of benefit in pts with tumor PD-L1 < 1% or SQ histology. Exploratory analyses suggested OS benefit with N + I + C vs C in both solid and acinar subtypes. Together, these data further reinforce the use of N + I + C as an efficacious 1L tx option for pts with mNSCLC. Clinical trial information: NCT03215706 . [Table: see text]

Long-term Outcomes of Bevacizumab and Chemoradiation for Locoregionally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

The long-term outcomes associated with adding bevacizumab, a vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor, to standard chemoradiation have continued to be favorable for a group of patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). To assess long-term toxic effects and clinical outcomes associated with chemotherapy, radiation therapy (RT), and bevacizumab for NPC. This single-arm phase II nonrandomized controlled trial was conducted by the National Cancer Trials Network group and NRG Oncology (formerly Radiation Therapy Oncology Group), with accrual from December 13, 2006, to February 5, 2009, and data analysis from June 26 to July 1, 2019. The study was conducted at 19 cancer centers with a median (IQR) follow-up of 9.0 (7.7-9.3) years. Included patients were adults (aged ≥18 years) with NPC that was World Health Organization (WHO) histologic grade I to IIb or III, American Joint Committee on Cancer stage IIB or greater, and with or without lymph node involvement. Patients received 3 cycles of bevacizumab (15 mg/kg) concurrently with standard cisplatin (100 mg/m2) and RT (69.96 Gy) followed by 3 cycles of adjuvant bevacizumab (15 mg/kg) given concurrently with cisplatin (80 mg/m2) and fluorouracil (1000 mg/m2/d). The primary end point was grade 4 hemorrhage or grade 5 adverse events in the first year. Secondary end points were locoregional progression-free (LRPF) interval, distant metastasis-free (DMF) interval, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and other adverse events. Long-term toxic effects and clinical outcomes were reported due to the limited follow-up in the initial report for this trial and the importance of long-term outcomes when combining bevacizumab with chemoradiation. Among 46 patients with NPC who were enrolled, 44 patients were analyzed (29 males [65.9%]; 23 Asian [52.3%], 2 Black [4.5%], and 16 White [36.4%]; 38 not Hispanic [86.4%]; median [IQR] age, 48.5 [39.0-56.0] years). There were 33 patients with a Zubrod performance status of 0, indicating that they were fully functional and asymptomatic (75.0%); 32 patients with a WHO histologic grade of IIb or III (72.7%); and 39 patients with stage III or IVB disease (88.6%). Among analyzed patients, 42 individuals received radiation therapy of 69.96 Gy or greater (95.5%; dose range, 65.72-70.00 Gy); 30 patients received 3 cycles of cisplatin (68.2%) with RT, and 31 patients received 3 cycles of bevacizumab with RT (70.5%); this was followed by 3 cycles of adjuvant cisplatin in 21 patients (47.7%), fluorouracil in 24 patients (54.5%), and bevacizumab in 23 patients (52.3%). No grade 4 hemorrhage or grade 5 AEs were reported in the first year or thereafter. Late grade 3 AEs occurred in 16 patients (36.4%), including 7 patients with dysphagia (15.9%), 6 patients with hearing impairment (13.6%), and 2 patients with dry mouth (4.5%). The 1- and 5-year rates of feeding tube use were 5 of 41 patients (12.2%) and 0 of 27 patients, respectively. There were 19 patients (43.2%) who progressed or died without disease progression (6 patients with locoregional progression [13.6%], 8 patients with distant progression [18.2%], and 5 patients who died without progression [11.4%]). The 5- and 7-year rates were 79.5% (95% CI, 67.6%-91.5%) and 69.7% (95% CI, 55.9%-83.5%) for OS, 61.2% (95% CI, 46.8%-75.6%) and 56.3% (95% CI, 41.5%-71.1%) for PFS, 74.9% (95% CI, 61.4%-86.6%) and 72.3% (95% CI, 58.4%-84.7%) for LRPF interval, and 79.5% (95% CI,66.4%-90.0%) for both times for DMF interval. Among 13 patients who died, death was due to disease in 8 patients (61.5%). In this nonrandomized controlled trial, no grade 4 hemorrhage or grade 5 AEs were reported in the first year or thereafter among patients with NPC receiving bevacizumab combined with chemoradiation. The rate of distant metastasis was low although 89% of patients had stage III to IVB disease, suggesting that further investigation may be warranted. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00408694.

Retreatment and rechallenge with BRAF/MEK inhibitors in patients with metastatic melanoma: Results from the observational study GEM1801.

9547 Background: Most patients with BRAF-mutant melanoma eventually develop resistance to therapy with BRAF/MEK inhibitors and immune-checkpoint blockade. Alternative treatment strategies are required in these patients since further therapy options lack survival benefit. Small series have shown promising activity from re-exposure to BRAF/MEK inhibitors after a treatment free interval of targeted therapy (TT), probably due to regression of resistant tumors and proliferation of clones that maintain sensitivity to BRAF/MEKi. However, prospective evidence for this approach is limited. Here we report the results of 30 patients who received a second course of TT at relapse after adjuvant therapy (retreatment) or after first progression on TT in the advanced setting (rechallenge). Methods: GEM1801 is a prospective observational study from the Spanish Melanoma Group (GEM) including 893 patients with melanoma treated in 37 centers. This is a descriptive analysis of basal characteristics, response rates (RR), progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) from 30 patients that received retreatment or rechallenge with BRAF/MEKi in GEM1801 study. Results: 4 patients received retreatment and 26 rechallenge. For retreatment, BRAF/MEKi median free interval from end of adjuvant TT to subsequent retreatment was 17.8 months (range: 12.4 - 57.7). RR with retreatment were 25%, with a median PFS and OS of 5.7 and 8.5 months. For rechallenge, RR was 38.5% and median PFS and OS 11.1 and 22.2 months respectively. Patients who were selected for rechallenge had higher complete response (CR) rates to first TT (26.9% vs 20.3%; p= 0.026). Patients who experimented deeper responses with 1st TT in the metastatic setting showed a correlation to longer PFS to 2nd TT with 12-m PFS rates of 66.7% versus 35.7% (HR 9.09 [95%CI: 1.42-58]; p= 0.02). OS showed a not statistically significant improvement in patients who reported CR to first TD (24-m OS rate of 75% versus 40.7% respectively). BRAF/MEKi free interval since first progression and retreatment or rechallenge was not associated with prognosis. Prognostic factors as LDH and number of metastatic sites did not correlate with the efficacy of retreatment. Conclusions: Retreatment or rechallenge with BRAF/MEKi in the metastatic setting achieved encouraging efficacy and may be a valid therapeutic strategy in a selected group of patients. Response to first treatment, retreatment and rechallenge with BRAF/MEKi. Clinical trial information: NCT03605771 . [Table: see text]

Recommandations pour la pratique clinique Nice/Saint-Paul-de-Vence 2022–2023 : Prise en charge du cancer de l'endomètre métastatique et/ou en rechute

Recommendations for clinical practice Nice/Saint-Paul-de-Vence 2022-2023 : Management of advanced/relapsing endometrial cancer Since the first recommendations in 2020 concerning metastatic and/or relapsed endometrial cancer, new treatment options have shown a benefit on patients' life expectancy, justifying their update. In first line, the choice will be made between chemotherapy with carboplatin/paclitaxel or hormone therapy with progestin, depending on tumor characteristics (histological type, grade, expression of hormone receptors, rate of progression). In case of a dMMR tumors, the use of immunotherapy within the framework of a therapeutic trial is an option. Beyond first-line chemotherapy, current standard treatment consists of the combination of pembrolizumab and lenvatinib, regardless of MMR status. Close clinical and biological monitoring is however necessary given the potential toxicity. Chemotherapy retains its place either as monotherapy (paclitaxel or doxorubicin) in the event of failure or contraindication to pembrolizumab-lenvatinib, or in combination with carboplatin in the event of a long free interval and pMMR tumor. The numerous ongoing clinical trials evaluating new therapeutic targets or strategies adapted to molecular or histological types should allow further improvements the prognosis of patients with metastatic endometrial cancer.

A phase II study of durvalumab re-treatment +/- prednisone in patients who discontinued prior checkpoint therapy due to immune related toxicity (CCTG IND.238A).

TPS2673 Background: Up to 18% of patients permanently discontinue immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy following G3/G4 immune-related adverse events (irAEs) even if reversible / easily managed with replacement therapy or steroids. Safety concerns exist with ICB re-treatment. Given the potential benefit of ICB and evidence that patients with irAEs may exhibit greater efficacy, there is interest in ICB rechallenge following successful management of G3/G4 irAEs in patients who have had benefit, and trials to prospectively investigate ways to prevent irAE recurrence are needed. Durvalumab is a human monoclonal antibody of IgG1κ subclass that binds to PD-L1. Canadian Cancer Trials Group (CCTG) IND.238A is a phase 2, open label, multicentre study of durvalumab +/- prednisone rechallenge in patients who were benefitting from prior ICB but discontinued due to irAEs. Methods: Eligible patients have received prior anti-PD-(L)1 ICB alone or in combination with anti-CTLA-4 ICB, with or without chemotherapy/targeted therapy, and experienced either: 1) G3 or selected G4 irAEs (i.e. endocrinopathies manageable with replacement therapy; hematologic toxicity) that required drug discontinuation; 2) prolonged G2 irAEs where therapy was discontinued due to poor tolerability. Prior irAE must have resolved to ≤G1, patients must have completed steroid therapy and have documented RECIST 1.1 CR, PR, or prolonged SD (≥8 weeks) to initial ICB. Patients with prior (neo)adjuvant/consolidation ICB are eligible provided there has been ≥6-month treatment free interval before enrollment. Based on prior irAE, patients are allocated into either: 1) the High Risk cohort, receiving durvalumab (1500mg IV Q4W in all cohorts) + prednisone 0.5mg/kg/day for C1-2, or; 2) the Standard Risk cohort, where they are randomized to receive either durvalumab + prednisone 10mg/day for C1-2 (Cohort 2A) or durvalumab alone (Cohort 2B). Three to 6 patients are enrolled into each cohort initially, then each cohort expands up to a total of 60 evaluable patients (20 per cohort). Safety review takes place following enrollment of the 1st, 3rd, 6th and 10th patient in each cohort. Safety review occurs 4 weeks after the 1st patient treated on each cohort and subsequently once the last patient has been followed for at least 4 weeks. The primary endpoint is the incidence of treatment-related AEs (CTCAE v5.0), estimated as percentages of patients with each AE (90% exact CI will be calculated). Secondary objectives are ORR (RECIST 1.1 and iRECIST) and efficacy of corticosteroids in preventing recurrent or new ≥G2 irAEs (90% exact CI will be calculated). Exploratory endpoints include PFS / iPFS by Kaplan-Meier method, exploration of blood- and stool-based irAE biomarkers and PD-L1 expression. As of January 30, 2023, 12 of planned 60 patients have been enrolled. Clinical trial information: NCT03847649 .

Indian oncologists’ perception of the benefit of antiestrogen therapy in premenopausal women with hormone receptor positive non-metastatic breast cancer: An implementation science study.

e18726 Background: The findings of SOFT and the TEXT trials confirm the significant benefit of deeper estrogen deprivation via ovarian function suppression (OFS) with tamoxifen (T) or aromatase inhibitors (AI) in reducing risk of recurrence in premenopausal women with hormone receptor (HR) positive breast cancer when compared with the use of tamoxifen alone. However, the decision to treat with a less or more intensive regimen is subjective to the oncologists' perception of benefit or risk. We aimed to investigate Indian oncologists' perception of benefit of various anti-estrogen therapy options in premenopausal women with high risk of recurrence. Methods: We surveyed practicing oncologists in India who treat breast cancer using a cross-sectional survey study design. We asked participants to review a clinical vignette of a young lady who was expected to have a high risk for breast cancer recurrence. We used breast cancer free interval (BCFI) as the outcome in order to compare the results of our study with the clinical trial data from SOFT and TEXT. BCFI was defined as the first occurrence of invasive loco-regional, distant or contralateral breast cancer. Oncologists were asked to designate a number between 0-100 to represent their estimation of 5-year BCFI for women with similar characteristics if they were to receive adjuvant tamoxifen with or without OFS or aromatase inhibitor with OFS. Results: 74 oncologists completed the survey. Indian oncologists estimated the 5-year BCFI for the patient in the vignette at 75.7% with the combined use of aromatase inhibitors and OFS against 64.6% with tamoxifen alone regimen. The 5 years BCFI with the combined use of tamoxifen and OFS was estimated at 71.6% (Table 1). Conclusions: The estimated absolute benefit was much lower than what was found from the two adjuvant OFS trials. An analysis of these trials have shown that patients with high recurrence risk may have an absolute benefit of 10-15% on 5-year BCFI with the use of aromatase inhibitor and OFS compared with tamoxifen alone. The oncologists in our study underestimated the benefit of such an approach. Oncologists' underestimation of the benefit of antiestrogen therapy can have significant detrimental outcomes in the management of young women diagnosed with breast cancer. We believe that such implementation science studies will help close the gap between 'what we know' and 'what we do' as physicians. [Table: see text]

Deoxythymidylate kinase (DTYMK) participates in cell cycle arrest to promote pancreatic adenocarcinoma progression regulated by miR-491-5p through TP53 and is associated with tumor immune infiltration.

This study aimed to understand the mechanism of action of deoxythymidylate kinase (DTYMK) and its effect on the prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer. So as to provide better reference value for improving the clinical management of pancreatic cancer patients. First, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database was employed to identify DTYMK as a differentially expressed gene and to further confirm its expression and its association with the prognosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) patients. Furthermore, Cox Law of Return is used for multi factor analysis. By constructing a multi factor regression model, a nomogram is constructed according to the contribution of each influencing factor in the model to the outcome variables, The GeneMania and STRING databases served as the basis for investigating the protein-gene interaction network. Moreover, to understand the correlation between DTYMK and immune cells, the TIMER and TCGA databases were explored. Then, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was performed to investigate potential mechanisms of action. TargetScan was used to identify the miRNAs binding to the 3'UTR of DTYMK mRNA, and starBase was used to verify a possible link between candidate miRNAs and DTYMK. In parallel, the expression of these potential miRNAs in PAAD and their correlation with prognosis was validated through the TCGA database. PAAD patients were observed to have high overall survival (OS), progression free interval (PFI), and disease-specific survival (DSS) with reduced DTYMK expression. Data from the TIMER database show that DTYMK expression inversely correlated with the infiltration levels of most immune cells. GSEA results suggested that DTYMK has a role in cell senescence, DNA repair, pyrimidine metabolism, MYC activation, TP53 control of cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and the MAPK6/MAPK4 pathway, all of which might influence the biological processes of PAAD. Reduced DTYMK expression may be considered a novel prognostic biomarker for PAAD patients, associated with improved OS, DSS, and PFI. Immune escape may play an important facilitative role. Moreover, we found that miR-491-5p may negatively regulate DTYMK and participate in cell cycle arrest through TP53 to promote pancreatic cancer progression.

Clinical meaning of stromal tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (sTIL) in luminal early breast cancer.

572 Background: Luminal breast cancer (BC) is associated with lower immune activation. Although stromal tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (sTIL) are a marker of better prognosis and response in hormone receptor (HR) negative tumors, sTIL predictive and prognostic implications are less clear in luminal BC. Further insights on the clinical correlations of immune microenvironment in luminal disease may facilitate therapeutic improvement and prognostic stratification in these patients. Methods: Observational and single-center cohort of 345 women with early luminal (HR positive, HER2 negative) BC (2012-2020) treated with chemotherapy. Pre-treatment sTIL were determined in the diagnostic biopsy following validated standard methods. The correlation between sTIL and other tumor characteristics were analyzed (Spearman's Rho and Chi-squared tests). Association of sTIL with pathologic complete response (pCR) in patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (nCT) was evaluated with logistic regression models. Prognostic value of sTIL for overall (OS) or relapse free interval (RFI) was analyzed by Cox regression models. Results: Median age: 50 (range: 24-89); 48.1% premenopausal; 91.3% infiltrating ductal carcinoma; 30.1% grade 3; 87.2% progesterone receptor (PgR)+; 67.5% treated with nCT and 32.8% with adjuvant CT (aCT); 47.6% N0, 32.8% N1, 19.6% N2-3; median ki67: 30% (82.7% >10%). A 29% of patients showed sTIL=0%. Median sTIL infiltration was 5 (Q1-Q3 range [IQR], 0-10), with higher values in premenopausal (p<0.001), grade 3 (p<0.001), N+ (p<0.001) and luminal B tumors (defined as PgR- and/or grade 3 and/or Ki67>15%) (p<0.001). Ki67 was significantly correlated with sTIL (ρ:0.39; p<0.001). The percentage of sTIL was associated with pCR after nCT (OR: 1.045, 95%Ci 1.02-1.07, p=0.001). No prognostic impact of sTIL for OS or RFI was found in luminal A tumors. In luminal B cases (n=286), any grade of lymphocytic infiltration (defined as sTIL > 0%) was associated with a shorter RFI both in univariate (p=0.01) and multivariate Cox models (HR: 4.83, 95%CI 1.28-18.21, p=0.02), with a non-significant trend for poorer OS (p=0.06). Conclusions: In luminal BC, an increased level of sTIL is associated with luminal B subtype characteristics such as higher proliferation, higher tumor grade and nodal involvement. Lymphocytic infiltration has been found to be a predictor of pCR after nCT, but, in contrast with hormone receptor-negative BC, it is also associated with a poorer prognosis for recurrence and a trend towards worse overall survival in luminal B tumors. [Table: see text]

Balloon dilatation versus CO2 laser surgery in subglottic stenosis, a retrospective analysis of therapeutic approaches

Background Subglottic stenosis (SGS) is a narrowing of the airway just below the vocal folds. The cause of SGS and the optimal care for these patients, have remained elusive. Endoscopic surgery of SGS using either balloon or CO2 laser is associated with recurrence. Aims and objectives Our aim is to compare surgery free intervals (SFI) between these two methods applied in two different timeframes. The knowledge gained from this project can support decision-making regarding surgical method choice. Material and methods Participants were retrospectively identified using medical records between 1999 – 2021. We used pre-defined broad inclusion criteria to identify cases using the International Classification of Disease (ICD-10). Primary outcome was surgery free intervals. Results 141 patients were identified, 63 met the criteria for SGS, and were included in the analysis. Results show no significant difference in SFI, comparing balloon dilatation and CO2 laser. Conclusion These findings demonstrate no detected difference in treatment intervals (SFI) when comparing these two commonly used surgical alternatives for SGS. Significance The outcome of this report supports surgical freedom of choice based on the surgeon’s experience and skill and ushes for further studies on patient experience regarding these two therapeutic approaches.

Isolated lymph node recurrence in epithelial ovarian cancer-management and outcome.

The aim of our study was to assess the clinical outcome of isolated lymph node recurrence in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer treated by surgery and to analyze the impact of various clinico-pathological factors on prognosis. We conducted a retrospective analysis of all the epithelial ovarian cancer patients who underwent secondary lymphadenectomy surgery for isolated lymph node recurrence at our institute from 2013 to 2020. Univariate analysis of various factors influencing the post-recurrence disease free survival and post-recurrence survival was done using Kaplan-Meier for categorical variables and cox-proportional hazard progression for continuous variables. A total of 21 patients of isolated lymph node recurrence were treated surgically during the study period. The median disease free interval to develop lymph nodal recurrence was 13 months. All the patients achieved complete resection to no gross residual disease without any significant morbidity associated with the procedure. The median post-recurrence disease free survival after treatment of lymph node recurrence was 25 months with 3-year post-recurrence survival of 72% and 3-year overall survival of 85%. Amongst the factors influencing post-recurrence disease free survival, young age (<50 years), para-aortic lymph node dissection at initial surgery and single site of lymph node recurrence were significantly associated with better prognosis. A single site of lymph node recurrence was associated with significantly better post-recurrence survival. Complete resection is feasible for epithelial ovarian cancer patients presenting with isolated lymph node recurrence, without any significant perioperative morbidity. When combined with postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy, complete resection is associated with favourable survival outcomes. Young age, para-aortic lymph node dissection during primary surgery and single site of lymph node recurrence are associated with better prognosis.

Effect of urokinase-type plasminogen activator combined with clinical stage and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage on the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

The aim of this investigation is to evaluate the association and potential mechanism between plasminogen activator urokinase (PLAU) and the prognosis of patients with liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC). We verified PLAU expression and its correlation with LIHC patients' prognosis in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The interaction network for protein-gene was established in the GeneMania database and the STRING database, and the association between PLAU and immune cells was assessed in Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) and TCGA databases. The potential physiological mechanism was elucidated by the Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) enrichment assessment. Finally, the individual clinical data of 100 LIHC patients were retrospectively evaluated to further analyze the clinical value of PLAU. The PLAU expression in LIHC tissues was greater than in paracancerous tissues, and LIHC patients with low PLAU expression had better disease-specific survival (DSS), overall survival (OS), and progression free interval (PFI) than those with high PLAU expression. In the TIMER database, the PLAU expression was positively associated with six kinds of infiltrating immune cells: CD4+ T, neutrophils, CD8+ T, macrophages, B, and dendritic cells, while GSEA enrichment analysis indicated PLAU may impact the biological activities of LIHC by taking part in MAPK and JAK_STAT signaling pathways, angiogenesis, and P53. There were statistically significant differences in T-stage and Edmondson grading between the two groups of patients with high and low expression of PLAU (P<0.05). The tumor progression rates were 88% (44/50) and 92% (46/50) respectively in the low and high PLAU groups, with early recurrence rates of 60% (30/50) and 72% (36/50), and median PFS of 29.5 and 23 months, respectively. The COX regression analysis showed PLAU expression and CS and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stages were independent prognostic factors affecting tumor progression in LIHC patients. The decreased expression of PLAU can prolong the DSS, OS, and PFI in LIHC patients, and can be utilized as a novel predictive index. PLAU combined with CS staging and BCLC staging has good clinical value in the early screening and prognosis of LIHC. These results reveal an efficient approach for developing anticancer strategies against LIHC.

Intermittent or continuous panitumumab plus FOLFIRI (FOLFIRI/PANI) for first-line treatment of patients (pts) with RAS/BRAF wild-type (wt) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC): An update of survival/toxicity and preliminary results of genomic alterations from IMPROVE study.

3571 Background: IMPROVE is a randomized, non-comparative multicenter, phase 2 study which evaluated continuous, until progressive disease (PD), or intermittent FOLFIRI/PANI, in pts with unresectable and previously untreated RAS/BRAF wt mCRC. In the intermittent schedule 8 cycles were followed by a treatment free interval lasting until PD when another 8 cycles were restarted, continuing this strategy until PD occurred on treatment. Primary endpoints was progression-free survival on treatment (PFSOT) at 1 year. In a previous analysis the primary endpoint of the study was met and a reduced skin toxicity was observed in the intermittent arm. Here we report an updated analysis. Methods: Updated analysis includes PFSOT and toxicity with 9 months (mo) of additional follow-up. Moreover we report overall survival (OS), skin toxicity burden (STB) score and preliminary data on genomic alterations (GAs) in 46 pts with PD. STB score, incorporating both the frequency and the severity of skin toxicity, was obtained by summing all grades that the pts experienced across all treatment cycles. GAs were performed by NGS on circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) from paired plasma samples (baseline and progression), focusing specifically on RAS, BRAF and PI3K mutations. Results: Pts received FOLFIRI/PANI continuously (arm A, 69 pts) or intermittently (arm B, 67 pts). Median number of FOLFIRI/PANI cycles administered per pt were (arm A/B) 13/16. In arm B, after induction treatment, 24/53 pts (45%) without PD had ≥ 2 rounds of 8 FOLFIRI/PANI cycles. ORR (arm A/B) was 63/57%. At a median follow-up of 28 mo (IQR: 21-37), median PFSOT (77% of events) was 11.4 mo (95% CI: 9.1-13.7) in arm A, and 18.1 mo (95% CI: 6.8-29.3) in arm B. Median PFSOT in left sided tumors was 11.7 mo (95% CI: 9.1-14.3) in arm A and 23.9 mo (95% CI: 15.0-32.9) in arm B, compared with 10.7 mo (95% CI: 7.3-14.1) and 7.9 mo (95% CI: 5.7-10.1) in right sided pts, respectively. OS (46% of events) was 31.0 mo (95% CI: 24.7-37.2) in arm A and 32.2 mo (95% CI: 23.6-40.8) in arm B. Main grade ≥ 3 toxicities were (arm A/B): skin 30/18%, neutropenia 25/24%; diarrhea 13/15%. Median STB score was 0.77/cycle (IQR: 0.20-1.06) in arm A and 0.36/cycle (IQR: 0-0.77) in arm B. GAs in baseline ctDNA were evidenced in 12/46 (26%) pts, persisting to PD in all but one pt. Among the 34 pts without baseline GAs, only 8 (23%) developed ≥ 1 acquired GAs (Acq-GAs) to PD. Conclusions: Updated analyses confirmed that intermittent FOLFIRI/PANI strategy produces a long PFSOT and a reduced skin severe and skin burden toxicity without any detrimental effect on OS. Preliminary data on Acq-GAs suggest that classical mutations associated with anti-EGFR resistance are infrequent with up-front use of anti-EGFR/chemotherapy. Clinical trial information: NCT04425239 .

Randomized phase 2 study of gemcitabine with or without ATR inhibitor berzosertib in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer: Final overall survival (OS) and biomarker analyses.

5512 Background: The multicenter, open-label, randomized phase 2 NCI-9944 study (NCT02595892) demonstrated that addition of ATR inhibitor (ATRi) berzosertib to gemcitabine increased progression-free survival (PFS) compared to gemcitabine alone (HR = 0.57, one-sided log-rank p = 0.044, which met the one-sided significance level of 0.1 used for sample size calculation). Final overall survival (OS) and corresponding biomarker analyses are reported here. Methods: Patients (pts) with platinum-resistant high-grade serous ovarian cancer and unlimited previous lines of cytotoxic therapy in the platinum-sensitive setting but no more than one line of cytotoxic therapy in the platinum-resistant setting, were randomized 1:1 to gemcitabine/berzosertib versus gemcitabine alone. Randomization was stratified based on platinum free interval (PFI), PFI≤3 months versus &gt; 3 months. Crossover from gemcitabine to gemcitabine/berzosertib was allowed upon disease progression by RECIST 1.1. OS was a secondary endpoint while preplanned exploratory correlative studies included assessment of DNA repair pathways and replication stress (RS) alterations by targeted gene sequencing and/or immunohistochemistry (IHC). Results: Seventy pts were randomly assigned to treatment with gemcitabine/berzosertib (34 pts) or gemcitabine alone (36 pts); 15 pts crossed over from gemcitabine to gemcitabine/berzosertib. At the final OS analysis (92.9% maturity), median follow-up was 53.2 weeks in the gemcitabine/berzosertib and 43 weeks in the gemcitabine alone groups. Median OS in the intent-to-treat (ITT) population was 59.4 weeks in the gemcitabine/berzosertib group versus 43.0 weeks in the gemcitabine alone group (HR 0.79, 90% CI 0.52-1.2, one-sided p = 0.18). However, when patients who crossed over to gemcitabine/berzosertib were excluded from analysis, a significant OS benefit was observed with gemcitabine/berzosertib (HR 0.60, 90%CI 0.37−0.97); HR was 0.26 (90% CI 0.1−0.7) in pts with PFI≤3 months and 0.89 (90%CI 0.50−1.59) in pts with PFI &gt; 3 months. Furthermore, significant OS benefit was observed in pts with RS-low tumors (HR 0.39, 90%CI 0.17−0.91, defined as tumors harboring no genomic RS alterations related to loss of RB pathway regulation and/or oncogene-induced RS) but not in pts with RS-high tumors (HR 0.74, 90%CI 0.35−1.56). Additional targeted gene sequencing and IHC analyses as well as analyses adjusting for patient crossover will be reported at the meeting. Conclusions: In the ITT population, gemcitabine/berzosertib did not significantly improve OS versus gemcitabine alone. Pts with PFI≤3 months and pts with RS-low tumors may derive a survival advantage from addition of berzosertib to gemcitabine in the platinum-resistant setting. Clinical trial information: NCT02595892 .