ABSTRACT
Background: The outcome of patients with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) treated with trifluridine/tipiracil (FTD/TPI) beyond the second-line has not been studied in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, this multicenter retrospective analysis was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of FTD/TPI. Methods: This multicenter retrospective analysis included five centers in Saudi Arabia. FTD/TPI was administered to all the patients beyond the oxaliplatin- and irinotecan-based chemotherapy regimens. The electronic medical records were reviewed, and progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were determined. Results: The study included 100 patients with a mean age of 55.4 ± 11.8 years. The overall response to FTD/TPI was 4%. The median PFS was 4 months (95% confidence interval (CI) 3.487-4.513), and the median OS was 11 months (95% CI, 9.226-12.771). In a Cox regression analysis of the independent predictors for PFS, advanced stage of the disease (P = 0.037; HR, 2.614; and CI, 1.102-7.524), presence of lymph node metastasis (P = 0.018; HR, 3.664; and 95% CI, 1.187-8.650), and >2 metastatic sites (P = 0.020; HR, 1.723; and 95% CI, 1.089-2.727) were independent factors predicting disease progression. The Cox regression analysis confirmed that age ≥ 55 years (P = 0.046; HR, 1.667; and 95%, 1.097-3.100), advanced disease stage (P = 0.044; HR, 1.283; and 95% CI, 1.035-2.940), prior use of adjuvant chemotherapy (P = 0.037; HR, 0.892; and 95% CI, 0.481-0.994), liver metastasis (P = 0.025; HR, 2.015; and 95% CI, 1.091-3.720), >2 metastatic sites (P = 0.038; HR, 1.248; and 95% CI, 1.036-1.846), development of neutropenia after receiving first cycle of FTD/TPI (P = 0.042; HR, 1.505; and 95% CI, 1.064-2.167), and increased number of FTD/TPI cycles (P = 0.002; HR, 0.769; and 95% CI, 0.664-0.891) were independent variables for OS. Conclusion: Treatment with FTD/TPI is feasible and effective in daily clinical practice in Saudi Arabian patients. The risk of progression increased with advanced disease stage, lymph node metastasis, bone metastasis, and metastasis to >2 sites. Age ≥ 55 years, advanced disease stage, liver metastasis, metastasis to >2 sites, neutropenia after the first cycle of FTD/TPI, and increased number of FTD/TPI cycles were independent factors predicting mortality.
ABSTRACT
Checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs), such as nivolumab, have transformed the treatment paradigm for patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC) and metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). The combination of CPIs and radiotherapy (RT) constitutes a multimodal treatment approach that may work synergistically and facilitate augmented systemic responses. The aim of the present retrospective study was to assess the efficacy and safety of continuation of nivolumab treatment with the addition of RT in patients with mNSCLC and mRCC who develop oligometastatic disease progression on single-agent nivolumab. All patients with mNSCLC and mRCC who received nivolumab at the Department of Oncology, Prince Sultan Military Medical City (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) between November 2016 and April 2018 were identified. The records of patients who developed oligometastatic disease progression during nivolumab treatment and were subsequently treated with RT, with nivolumab continued beyond disease progression, were retrospectively reviewed. Details of RT, clinical outcomes and toxicity data were collected. Of the 96 patients who received nivolumab, 22 received multiple courses of RT. A total of 39 sites were irradiated: Bone (n=15), lung (n=9), brain (n=8), adrenal gland (n=2), renal bed (n=2), skin (n=1), ethmoid sinus (n=1) and scalp (n=1). Partial response and complete response were noted at 25 (64%) and 3 (8%) sites, respectively. Stable disease was noted at 6 sites (15%) and disease progression was noted at 5 sites (13%). The median time on nivolumab from the date of the first fraction of RT was 4.5 months (range, 1.5-29 months) for patients with mNSCLC and 5 months (range, 1-38.5 months) for patients with mRCC. No patients developed grade 3-4 toxicities. Grade 2 pneumonitis was noted in 3 patients receiving lung RT. The addition of RT appeared to initiate a response and prolong the duration of nivolumab treatment. Therefore, the combination of nivolumab and RT was found to be well tolerated, with response rates exceeding those in published studies of nivolumab monotherapy.
ABSTRACT
The 5G technology is a promising technology to cope with the increasing demand for higher data rate and quality of service. In this paper, two proposed techniques are implemented for multiple input multiple output (MIMO) self-heterodyne OFDM system to enhance data rate and minimize the bit error rate (BER). In both of the two proposed techniques, Band Selection (BS) approach is used, once with Space Time Block Coded (STBC) for the first proposed technique (BS- STBC), and once again with Frequency Space Time Block Coded (FSTBC) for the second proposed technique (BS-FSTBC). The use of the BS in the proposed techniques helps to choose the sub-band with better subchannels gains for sending the information and consequently, minimize the BER. Moreover, the use of the FSTBC instead of STBC helps to use the spectral efficiently and hence increase data rate. The simulation results show that the proposed techniques BS-STBC and BS-FSTBC, for the MIMO self-heterodyne OFDM system, provide a great enhancement in the BER performance when compared to the conventional techniques. Moreover, the simulation results show that the first proposed technique BS-FSTBC outperform the second propose technique BS-STBC in term of the BER performance.
ABSTRACT
Intracardiac metastases in the absence of inferior vena cava involvement is a rare occurrence in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). There is limited evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of standard treatment modalities for mRCC patients with intracardiac metastases. Presence of intracardiac metastases is known to indicate poor prognosis and may potentially increase risk of treatment-related complications. Recent advances in RCC management have integrated nivolumab, a programmed death-1 (PD-1) receptor inhibitor, as a preferred treatment option in the second-line setting after failure of prior anti-angiogenic therapy; or in combination with ipilimumab, an anti-Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 antibody as first-line therapy for intermediate to poor risk patients with mRCC. The efficacy and toxicity of nivolumab in patients with mRCC and intracardiac metastases has never been reported previously. We herein present the first reported case of mRCC with intracardiac metastasis and a resultant excellent response to nivolumab treatment and discuss the imaging techniques and treatment options for this rare presentation.
