Diversity of symptom phenotypes in SARS-CoV-2 community infections observed in multiple large datasets.

Variability in case severity and in the range of symptoms experienced has been apparent from the earliest months of the COVID-19 pandemic. From a clinical perspective, symptom variability might indicate various routes/mechanisms by which infection leads to disease, with different routes requiring potentially different treatment approaches. For public health and control of transmission, symptoms in community cases were the prompt upon which action such as PCR testing and isolation was taken. However, interpreting symptoms presents challenges, for instance, in balancing the sensitivity and specificity of individual symptoms with the need to maximise case finding, whilst managing demand for limited resources such as testing. For both clinical and transmission control reasons, we require an approach that allows for the possibility of distinct symptom phenotypes, rather than assuming variability along a single dimension. Here we address this problem by bringing together four large and diverse datasets deriving from routine testing, a population-representative household survey and participatory smartphone surveillance in the United Kingdom. Through the use of cutting-edge unsupervised classification techniques from statistics and machine learning, we characterise symptom phenotypes among symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive community cases. We first analyse each dataset in isolation and across age bands, before using methods that allow us to compare multiple datasets. While we observe separation due to the total number of symptoms experienced by cases, we also see a separation of symptoms into gastrointestinal, respiratory and other types, and different symptom co-occurrence patterns at the extremes of age. In this way, we are able to demonstrate the deep structure of symptoms of COVID-19 without usual biases due to study design. This is expected to have implications for the identification and management of community SARS-CoV-2 cases and could be further applied to symptom-based management of other diseases and syndromes.

Impact of tumour histology on survival in advanced cervical carcinoma: an NRG Oncology/Gynaecologic Oncology Group Study.

BACKGROUND: Based primarily on studies concerning early-stage tumours (treated surgically), and locally advanced disease (treated with chemoradiation), the prognosis for women with adenocarcinoma (AC) or adenosquamous (AS) carcinoma has been reported to be poorer than those with squamous cell carcinoma (SCCA) of the cervix. It is unclear whether differences in prognosis also persist in the setting of recurrent or metastatic disease treated using chemotherapy doublets with or without bevacizumab. METHODS: Cases were pooled from three Gynaecologic Oncology Group randomised phase III trials of chemotherapy doublets. Pearson's test was used to evaluate response rate (RR) of AC/AS vs SCCA, Kaplan-Meier method to estimate progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), and Cox proportional hazards model to estimate the impact of histology on PFS and OS. RESULTS: Of 781 evaluable patients, 77% (N=599) had SCCA and 23% (N=182) AC/AS. There were no significant differences in RRs between histologic subgroups. The adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for death for SCCA vs AC/AS was 1.13 (95% CI 0.93, 1.38 P=0.23). When comparing SC/AS (N=661, 85%) to AC alone (N=120, 15%), the adjusted HR for death was 1.23 (95% CI 0.97, 1.57, P=0.09). CONCLUSIONS: AC/AS and SCCA have similar survival in recurrent or metastatic cervical carcinoma when treated with chemotherapy doublets.

A Phase I Clinical Trial of the Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase Inhibitor Veliparib and Weekly Topotecan in Patients with Solid Tumors.

Purpose: To determine the dose limiting toxicities (DLT), maximum tolerated dose (MTD), and recommended phase II dose (RP2D) of veliparib in combination with weekly topotecan in patients with solid tumors. Correlative studies were included to assess the impact of topotecan and veliparib on poly(ADP-ribose) levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, serum pharmacokinetics of both agents, and potential association of germline repair gene mutations with outcome.Experimental Design: Eligible patients had metastatic nonhematologic malignancies with measurable disease. Using a 3 + 3 design, patients were treated with veliparib orally twice daily on days 1-3, 8-10, and 15-17 and topotecan intravenously on days 2, 9, and 16 every 28 days. Tumor responses were assessed by RECIST.Results: Of 58 patients enrolled, 51 were evaluable for the primary endpoint. The MTD and RP2D was veliparib 300 mg twice daily on days 1-3, 8-10, and 15-17 along with topotecan 3 mg/m2 on days 2, 9, and 16 of a 28-day cycle. DLTs were grade 4 neutropenia lasting >5 days. The median number of cycles was 2 (1-26). The objective response rate was 10%, with 1 complete and 4 partial responses. Twenty-two patients (42%) had stable disease ranging from 4 to 26 cycles. Patients with germline BRCA1, BRCA2, or RAD51D mutations remained on study longer than those without homologous recombination repair (HRR) gene mutations (median 4 vs. 2 cycles).Conclusions: Weekly topotecan in combination with veliparib has a manageable safety profile and appears to warrant further investigation. Clin Cancer Res; 24(4); 744-52. ©2017 AACR.

Prospective Validation of Pooled Prognostic Factors in Women with Advanced Cervical Cancer Treated with Chemotherapy with/without Bevacizumab: NRG Oncology/GOG Study.

PURPOSE: In the randomized phase III trial, Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) protocol 240, the incorporation of bevacizumab with chemotherapy significantly increased overall survival (OS) in women with advanced cervical cancer. A major objective of GOG-240 was to prospectively analyze previously identified pooled clinical prognostic factors known as the Moore criteria. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Potential negative factors included black race, performance status 1, pelvic disease, prior cisplatin, and progression-free interval <365 days. Risk categories included low-risk (0-1 factor), mid-risk (2-3 factors), and high-risk (4-5 factors). Each test of association was conducted at the 5% level of significance. Logistic regression and survival analysis was used to determine whether factors were prognostic or could be used to guide therapy. RESULTS: For the entire population (n = 452), high-risk patients had significantly worse OS (P < 0.0001). The HRs of death for treating with topotecan in low-risk, mid-risk, and high-risk subsets are 1.18 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.63-2.24], 1.11 (95% CI, 0.82-1.5), and 0.84 (95% CI, 0.50-1.42), respectively. The HRs of death for treating with bevacizumab in low-risk, mid-risk, and high-risk subsets are 0.96 (95% CI, 0.51-1.83; P = 0.9087), 0.673 (95% CI, 0.5-0.91; P = 0.0094), and 0.536 (95% CI, 0.32-0.905; P = 0.0196), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first prospectively validated scoring system in cervical cancer. The Moore criteria have real-world clinical applicability. Toxicity concerns may justify omission of bevacizumab in some low-risk patients where survival benefit is small. The benefit to receiving bevacizumab appears to be greatest in the moderate- and high-risk subgroups (5.8-month increase in median OS). Clin Cancer Res; 21(24); 5480-7. ©2015 AACR.

Bevacizumab for advanced cervical cancer: patient-reported outcomes of a randomised, phase 3 trial (NRG Oncology-Gynecologic Oncology Group protocol 240).

BACKGROUND: GOG 240 was a practice-changing randomised phase 3 trial that concluded that chemotherapy plus bevacizumab for advanced cervical cancer significantly improves overall and progression-free survival, and the proportion of patients achieving an overall objective response, compared with chemotherapy alone. In this study, we aimed to analyse patient-reported outcomes in GOG 240. METHODS: Eligible adult participants (aged ≥18 years) had primary stage IVB or recurrent or persistent carcinoma of the cervix with measurable disease and GOG performance status of 0-1. Participants were randomly assigned by web-based permuted block randomisation (block size 4) in a 1:1:1:1 ratio to the four treatment groups: cisplatin (50 mg/m(2) intravenously on day 1 or 2 of the treatment cycle) and paclitaxel (135 mg/m(2) intravenously over 24 h or 175 mg/m(2) intravenously over 3 h on day 1), with or without bevacizumab (15 mg/kg intravenously on day 1 or 2), or paclitaxel (175 mg/m(2) over 3 h on day 1) and topotecan (0·75 mg/m(2) for 30 min on days 1-3) with or without bevacizumab (15 mg/kg intravenously on day 1). Treatment assignment was concealed at randomisation (everyone was masked to treatment assignment, achieved by the use of a computer encrypted numbering system at the National Cancer Institute) and became open-label when each patient was registered to the trial. Treatment cycles were repeated every 21 days until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity, whichever occurred first. The coprimary endpoints of the trial were overall survival and safety; the primary quality-of-life endpoint was the score on the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cervix Trial Outcome Index (FACT-Cx TOI). For our analysis of patient-reported outcomes, participants were assessed before treatment cycles 1, 2, and 5, and at 6 and 9 months after the start of cycle 1, with the FACT-Cx TOI, items from the FACT-GOG-Neurotoxicity subscale, and a worst pain item from the Brief Pain Inventory. All patients who completed baseline quality-of-life assessments and at least one further follow-up assessment were evaluable for quality-of-life outcomes. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00803062. FINDINGS: Between April 6, 2009, and Jan 3, 2012, a total of 452 patients were enrolled in the trial, of whom 390 completed baseline quality-of-life assessment and at least one further assessment and were therefore evaluable for quality-of-life outcomes. In these patients, patient-reported outcome completion declined from 426 (94%) of 452 (at baseline) to 193 (63%) of 307 (9 months post-cycle 1), but completion rates did not differ significantly between treatment regimens (p=0·78). The baseline FACT-Cx TOI scores did not differ significantly between patients who received bevacizumab versus those who did not (p=0·27). Compared with patients who received chemotherapy alone, patients who received chemotherapy plus bevacizumab reported FACT-Cx TOI scores that were an average of 1·2 points lower (98·75% CI -4·1 to 1·7; p=0·30). INTERPRETATION: Improvements in overall survival and progression-free survival attributed to the incorporation of bevacizumab into the treatment of advanced cervical cancer were not accompanied by any significant deterioration in health-related quality of life. Patients responding to anti-angiogenesis therapy who maintain an acceptable quality of life could be suitable at progression for treatment with other novel therapies that might confer additional benefit. FUNDING: National Institutes of Health.

Oncolytic measles virus expressing the sodium iodide symporter to treat drug-resistant ovarian cancer.

Edmonston vaccine strains of measles virus (MV) have significant antitumor activity in mouse xenograft models of ovarian cancer. MV engineered to express the sodium iodide symporter gene (MV-NIS) facilitates localization of viral gene expression and offers a tool for tumor radiovirotherapy. Here, we report results from a clinical evaluation of MV-NIS in patients with taxol- and platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. MV-NIS was given intraperitoneally every 4 weeks for up to 6 cycles. Treatment was well tolerated and associated with promising median overall survival in these patients with heavily pretreated ovarian cancer; no dose-limiting toxicity was observed in 16 patients treated at high-dose levels (10(8)-10(9) TCID50), and their median overall survival of 26.5 months compared favorably with other contemporary series. MV receptor CD46 and nectin-4 expression was confirmed by immunohistochemistry in patient tumors. Sodium iodide symporter expression in patient tumors after treatment was confirmed in three patients by (123)I uptake on SPECT/CTs and was associated with long progression-free survival. Immune monitoring posttreatment showed an increase in effector T cells recognizing the tumor antigens IGFBP2 and FRα, indicating that MV-NIS treatment triggered cellular immunity against the patients' tumor and suggesting that an immune mechanism mediating the observed antitumor effect. Our findings support further clinical evaluation of MV-NIS as an effective immunovirotherapy.

Factors associated with grade 3 or 4 treatment-related toxicity in women with advanced or recurrent cervical cancer: an exploratory analysis of NRG Oncology/Gynecologic Oncology Group trials 179 and 204.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to describe pretreatment patient characteristics and baseline quality-of-life scores as they relate to the development of grade 3 or 4 toxicity in patients receiving chemotherapy for advanced/recurrent cervical cancer. METHODS: The study sample was drawn from Gynecologic Oncology Group protocols 179 and 204. Grade 3 or 4 toxicities were considered in 4 specified categories as follows: peripheral neuropathy, fatigue, hematological, and gastrointestinal (GI). The data variables explored included age, stage, pretreatment radiation, performance status (PS) at treatment initiation, and baseline Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cervix (FACT-Cx) score. A logistic regression model was developed with various adverse events as binary (0/1) outcomes. RESULTS: Six hundred seventy-three patient-reported questionnaires were used in the analyses. At baseline, pain was the most severe patient-reported symptom. Baseline line-item patient concerns did demonstrate specific correlations with the development of individual toxicities. In 401 patients who were enrolled on Gynecologic Oncology Group 204 (fatigue not measured on 179), a worse PS predicted the development of grade 3 or 4 fatigue (odds ratio, 2.78; 95% confidence interval, 1.66-4.68). Exposure to previous radiation, treatment regimen, and a worse FACT-Cx score were associated with the reporting of both grade 3 or 4 leukopenia (P < 0.05) and anemia (P < 0.0005). Performance status and treatment regimen (P < 0.05) were associated with the development of grade 3 or 4 thrombocytopenia. Age and treatment regimen (P < 0.05) were associated with the development of grade 3 or 4 neutropenia. The FACT-Cx score (P = 0.0016) predicted grade 3 or 4 GI toxicity. CONCLUSIONS: The development of fatigue, hematological, and GI toxicity might be predictable based on factors other than treatment assignment such as age, PS, and patient-reported quality-of-life measurement.

Improved survival with bevacizumab in advanced cervical cancer.

BACKGROUND: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) promotes angiogenesis, a mediator of disease progression in cervical cancer. Bevacizumab, a humanized anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody, has single-agent activity in previously treated, recurrent disease. Most patients in whom recurrent cervical cancer develops have previously received cisplatin with radiation therapy, which reduces the effectiveness of cisplatin at the time of recurrence. We evaluated the effectiveness of bevacizumab and nonplatinum combination chemotherapy in patients with recurrent, persistent, or metastatic cervical cancer. METHODS: Using a 2-by-2 factorial design, we randomly assigned 452 patients to chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab at a dose of 15 mg per kilogram of body weight. Chemotherapy consisted of cisplatin at a dose of 50 mg per square meter of body-surface area, plus paclitaxel at a dose of 135 or 175 mg per square meter or topotecan at a dose of 0.75 mg per square meter on days 1 to 3, plus paclitaxel at a dose of 175 mg per square meter on day 1. Cycles were repeated every 21 days until disease progression, the development of unacceptable toxic effects, or a complete response was documented. The primary end point was overall survival; a reduction of 30% in the hazard ratio for death was considered clinically important. RESULTS: Groups were well balanced with respect to age, histologic findings, performance status, previous use or nonuse of a radiosensitizing platinum agent, and disease status. Topotecan-paclitaxel was not superior to cisplatin-paclitaxel (hazard ratio for death, 1.20). With the data for the two chemotherapy regimens combined, the addition of bevacizumab to chemotherapy was associated with increased overall survival (17.0 months vs. 13.3 months; hazard ratio for death, 0.71; 98% confidence interval, 0.54 to 0.95; P=0.004 in a one-sided test) and higher response rates (48% vs. 36%, P=0.008). Bevacizumab, as compared with chemotherapy alone, was associated with an increased incidence of hypertension of grade 2 or higher (25% vs. 2%), thromboembolic events of grade 3 or higher (8% vs. 1%), and gastrointestinal fistulas of grade 3 or higher (3% vs. 0%). CONCLUSIONS: The addition of bevacizumab to combination chemotherapy in patients with recurrent, persistent, or metastatic cervical cancer was associated with an improvement of 3.7 months in median overall survival. (Funded by the National Cancer Institute; GOG 240 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00803062.).

A predictable approach to an all-ceramic full-arch restoration.

This mandibular restoration case using e.max® demonstrates a predictable approach to placing an all-ceramic full-arch restoration. The case also discusses the advantages of using full-contour zirconia (FCZ) for its beauty as well as its resistance to breakage, in light of the current trend towards better tooth morphology and color with FCZ restorations. An additional benefit of FCZ is that the soft-tissue response around units using this highly biocompatible material is much like that at the margins of natural teeth, making it an ideal restorative option, especially when the patient's bite is being opened.

Comparative outcomes assessment of uterine grade 3 endometrioid, serous, and clear cell carcinomas.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to assess effects of clinicopathologic risk factors and contemporary therapeutic interventions on high-risk uterine epithelial carcinoma outcomes. METHODS: Patient-, disease-, and treatment-specific variables were annotated. Survival was estimated via the Kaplan-Meier method. Associations were evaluated with Cox proportional hazard regression and summarized using hazard ratios. RESULTS: From 1999 through 2008, therapy with curative intent was initiated for 119 grade 3 endometrioid (G3EC), 211 serous (USC), and 40 clear cell (CCC) carcinomas. Although clinicopathologic risk factors varied among the histologic subtypes, overall survival (OS) did not differ statistically between subtypes (P=.10) or in stage-for-stage comparative analyses (stage I/II, P=.45; stage III, P=.46; stage IV, P=.65). The 5-year cause-specific survival in stage I/II was 84.8%, 89.8%, and 83.9% for G3EC, USC, and CCC, respectively; multivariable modeling identified lymphovascular space involvement (LVSI) as the only independent prognostic factor (P=.02). For stage III, 5-year OS was 49.2% and 40.0% for G3EC and USC, respectively; multivariable modeling identified age (P<.001), LVSI (P<.001), unresectable nodal disease (P=.03), and regional radiotherapy (P=.01) as independent prognostic factors. For stage IV, 5-year OS was 8.7% and 12.1% for G3EC and USC, respectively; multivariable modeling identified LVSI (P=.002), cervical stromal invasion (P=.02), and adjuvant chemotherapy (P=.02) but not residual disease as independent prognostic factors. CONCLUSIONS: When controlled for disease stage, outcomes did not differ among high-risk histologic subtypes. LVSI was a significant adverse prognostic factor within all stages. The lack of improved outcomes with contemporary therapy suggests that more innovative therapeutic approaches should be given higher priority.

Quality of life and survival in advanced cervical cancer: a Gynecologic Oncology Group study.

PURPOSE: To determine associations between pretreatment health-related quality of life subscales with progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in advanced and recurrent cervical cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients included those participating in Gynecologic Oncology Group advanced or recurrent cervical cancer phase III treatment trials who completed the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy for patients with cervical cancer (FACT-Cx) and a single-item pain scale at study entry. The FACT-Cx includes five domains: physical (PWB), emotional (EWB), social (SWB), functional well being (FWB), and cervix cancer subscale (CCS). A high quality of life (QoL) score reflects better QoL. After stratifying by protocol and adjusting for patient and disease characteristics, a Cox proportional hazards model was fitted for each subscale as a continuous variable. If statistically significant, (p<0.05), an analysis on mean item scores (MIS) was performed. RESULTS: Nine-hundred-ninety-one patients were enrolled from 1997 to 2007. The majority (87%) had recurrent disease. After adjustment for covariates and predictors, only the PWB domain (better physical QoL) was associated with improved OS [HR 0.96 95% CI 0.95-0.98; p<0.001]. When classifying patients based on the MIS of each subscale, the patients with the lowest risk of death were likely to report less compromised QoL (MIS>3) for PWB [HR 0.44 (0.33-0.58) P<0.001], FWB [0.49 (0.38-0.62) P<0.001], and CCS [0.48 (0.38-0.61) P<0.001]. CONCLUSION: The pretreatment patient-reported PWB as measured by the PWB subscale of the FACT-Cx, is significantly associated with survival in advanced cervical cancer trials, even after controlling for known prognostic factors.

International brachytherapy practice patterns: a survey of the Gynecologic Cancer Intergroup (GCIG).

PURPOSE: To determine current practice patterns with regard to gynecologic high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy among international members of the Gynecologic Cancer Intergroup (GCIG) in Japan/Korea (Asia), Australia/New Zealand (ANZ), Europe (E), and North America (NAm). METHODS AND MATERIALS: A 32-item survey was developed requesting information on brachytherapy practice patterns and standard management for Stage IB-IVA cervical cancer. The chair of each GCIG member cooperative group selected radiation oncology members to receive the survey. RESULTS: A total of 72 responses were analyzed; 61 respondents (85%) used HDR. The three most common HDR brachytherapy fractionation regimens for Stage IB-IIA patients were 6 Gy for five fractions (18%), 6 Gy for four fractions (15%), and 7 Gy for three fractions (11%); for Stage IIB-IVA patients they were 6 Gy for five fractions (19%), 7 Gy for four fractions (8%), and 7 Gy for three fractions (8%). Overall, the mean combined external-beam and brachytherapy equivalent dose (EQD2) was 81.1 (standard deviation [SD] 10.16). The mean EQD2 recommended for Stage IB-IIA patients was 78.9 Gy (SD 10.7) and for Stage IIB-IVA was 83.3 Gy (SD 11.2) (p = 0.02). By region, the mean combined EQD2 was as follows: Asia, 71.2 Gy (SD 12.65); ANZ, 81.18 (SD 4.96); E, 83.24 (SD 10.75); and NAm, 81.66 (SD, 6.05; p = 0.02 for Asia vs. other regions).The ratio of brachytherapy to total prescribed dose was significantly higher for Japan (p = 0.0002). CONCLUSION: Although fractionation patterns may vary, the overall mean doses administered for cervical cancer are similar in Australia/New Zealand, Europe, and North America, with practitioners in Japan administering a significantly lower external-beam dose but higher brachytherapy dose to the cervix. Given common goals, standardization should be possible in future clinical trials.

Aromatase inhibitors in the treatment of recurrent ovarian granulosa cell tumors: brief report and review of the literature.

Granulosa cell tumors are ovarian sex cord stromal cancers that are unique for their indolent nature and late recurrence. Standard treatment regimens utilized include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. However, hormonal suppression with aromatase inhibitors, which have shown promising results, may be a viable alternative to these modalities. We present a heavily pre-treated, multi-operated patient who experienced significant tumor shrinkage following treatment with an aromatase inhibitor for her recurrent granulosa cell tumor.

An unusual presentation of breast cancer in a very young woman.

A healthy 27-year-old woman presented to an outside institution with unilateral nipple pruritus and a slight brown discolouration. When her symptoms failed to respond to topical therapy, nipple biopsy revealed Paget's disease of the nipple. The patient sought further evaluation and care at our institution. Further investigation revealed multifocal breast cancer and the patient underwent bilateral mastectomies with sentinel lymph node biopsy followed by adjuvant systemic therapy. She is currently more than 4 years out from surgery and chemotherapy and has had no evidence of breast cancer recurrence.

Efficacy and safety of imatinib mesylate (Gleevec) and immunohistochemical expression of c-Kit and PDGFR-beta in a Gynecologic Oncology Group Phase Il Trial in women with recurrent or persistent carcinosarcomas of the uterus.

PURPOSE: This multi-institutional phase II trial assessed the activity and toxicity of imatinib mesylate and explored c-Kit and platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR)-beta in recurrent or persistent uterine carcinosarcoma. METHODS: Women with measurable uterine carcinosarcoma, who had a performance status of 0, 1, or 2 and had received up to two prior treatment regimens, were eligible and treated with a 600-mg daily oral dose of imatinib mesylate until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS) >or=6 months, overall toxicity, PFS, overall survival (OS), and response. c-Kit and PDGFR-beta were evaluated by immunohistochemistry in archival tumor. RESULTS: Twenty-six women were enrolled, 23 were eligible/evaluable, 1 was ineligible (wrong primary), and 2 were inevaluable (never treated). One subject had a PFS time >or=6 months, yielding the only patient with stable disease. All other patients had progressive disease (n=17) or were inevaluable for tumor response (n=5). Adverse events included grade 4 hypocalcemia (n=1) and grade 3 fatigue, dehydration and anorexia, genitourinary/renal, lymphatic, metabolic, and ocular toxicity (n=1 each, 4%). Positive expression of c-Kit or PDGFR-beta was observed in 88% (14/16) or 40% (6/15) and in 56% (9/16) or 73% (11/15) of cases in the sarcoma and carcinoma component of the tumor, respectively. Expression of c-Kit in the carcinoma component appeared to be associated with worse OS. No other associations were notable. CONCLUSION: Imatinib mesylate was generally well tolerated but had minimal activity as a single agent in unscreened patients. The potential association between carcinomatous c-Kit and OS requires validation.

Phase I trial of intraperitoneal administration of an oncolytic measles virus strain engineered to express carcinoembryonic antigen for recurrent ovarian cancer.

Edmonston vaccine strains of measles virus (MV) have shown significant antitumor activity in preclinical models of ovarian cancer. We engineered MV to express the marker peptide carcinoembryonic antigen (MV-CEA virus) to also permit real-time monitoring of viral gene expression in tumors in the clinical setting. Patients with Taxol and platinum-refractory recurrent ovarian cancer and normal CEA levels were eligible for this phase I trial. Twenty-one patients were treated with MV-CEA i.p. every 4 weeks for up to 6 cycles at seven different dose levels (10(3)-10(9) TCID(50)). We observed no dose-limiting toxicity, treatment-induced immunosuppression, development of anti-CEA antibodies, increase in anti-MV antibody titers, or virus shedding in urine or saliva. Dose-dependent CEA elevation in peritoneal fluid and serum was observed. Immunohistochemical analysis of patient tumor specimens revealed overexpression of measles receptor CD46 in 13 of 15 patients. Best objective response was dose-dependent disease stabilization in 14 of 21 patients with a median duration of 92.5 days (range, 54-277 days). Five patients had significant decreases in CA-125 levels. Median survival of patients on study was 12.15 months (range, 1.3-38.4 months), comparing favorably to an expected median survival of 6 months in this patient population. Our findings indicate that i.p. administration of MV-CEA is well tolerated and results in dose-dependent biological activity in a cohort of heavily pretreated recurrent ovarian cancer patients.

Prognostic factors for response to cisplatin-based chemotherapy in advanced cervical carcinoma: a Gynecologic Oncology Group Study.

PURPOSE: Cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy is considered standard treatment for advanced/recurrent cervical carcinoma; however, the majority of patients do not respond. This study was undertaken to identify the prognostic factors and develop a model predictive of (non-) response to chemotherapy. METHODS: Four-hundred twenty-eight patients with advanced cervical cancer who received a cisplatin-containing combination in three Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) protocols (110, 169 and 179) were evaluated for baseline clinical characteristics and multivariate analysis was conducted to identify factors independently prognostic predictive of response using a Logistic regression model. A predictive model was developed and externally validated using an independent GOG protocol (149) data. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis identified five factors (African-American, performance status [PS] >0, pelvic disease, prior radiosensitizer and time interval from diagnosis to first recurrence <1 year) independently prognostic of poor response. A simple prognostic index was derived based on the total number of risk factors. When patients were classified into three risk groups (low risk: 0-1 factor; mid risk: 2-3 factors; high risk: 4-5 factors), patients with 4-5 risk factors were estimated to have a response rate of only 13%, and median progression-free and overall survival of 2.8 months and 5.5 months, respectively. The accuracy of the index was supported by both internal and external datasets. CONCLUSIONS: A simple index based on five prognostic factors may have utility in clinical practice to identify the women who are not likely to respond to the cisplatin-containing regimens. This subgroup of patients should be considered for non-cisplatin chemotherapy or investigational trials.

A randomized phase III trial in advanced endometrial carcinoma of surgery and volume directed radiation followed by cisplatin and doxorubicin with or without paclitaxel: A Gynecologic Oncology Group study.

OBJECTIVES: After surgical debulking and volume-directed irradiation of the pelvis/para-aortic lymph nodes, treatment was randomized to compare recurrence-free survival (RFS) and toxicity between two chemotherapy regimens for the treatment of women with advanced stage endometrial carcinoma. METHODS: Treatment was randomized between 6 cycles of cisplatin [C] (50 mg/m(2)) and doxorubicin [D] (45 mg/m(2)) with or without paclitaxel [P] (160 mg/m(2)). Initially in paclitaxel treated patients and, after May 2002, all patients received granulocyte growth factor with each cycle. RESULTS: Of 659 patients enrolled following surgery, 552 eligible patients were randomized to chemotherapy after irradiation. Accrual closed to Stage IV patients in June, 2003. Approximately 80% completed six cycles of chemotherapy. Three deaths resulted from bowel complications and one death was due to renal failure. Hematologic adverse events, sensory neuropathy and myalgia, were more frequent and severe in the paclitaxel arm (p<0.01) which was confirmed by Quality of Life assessments. Percentage of patients alive and recurrence-free at 36 months was 62% for CD vs. 64% for CDP. The hazard of recurrence or death relative to the CD arm stratified by stage is 0.90 (95% CI is 0.69 to 1.17, p=0.21, one-tail). However, in subgroup analysis, CDP was associated with a 50% reduction in the risk of recurrence or death among patients with gross residual disease (95% CI: 0.26 to 0.92). Stage, residual disease, histology/grade, positive para-aortic node and cytology, pelvic metastases and age were significantly associated with RFS. CONCLUSION: The addition of paclitaxel to cisplatin and doxorubicin following surgery and radiation was not associated with a significant improvement in RFS but was associated with increased toxicity.

Influence of race on tolerance of platinum-based chemotherapy and clinical outcomes in women with advanced and recurrent cervical cancer: a pooled analysis of 3 Gynecologic Oncology Group studies.

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to compare toxicity and outcomes from cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy for black and white women with advanced /recurrent cervical cancer. STUDY DESIGN: Frequencies of grade 3 and 4 toxicities, response, and survival were compared by race using data from 3 Gynecologic Oncology Group studies. RESULTS: Black women experienced significantly less grade 3 and 4 neutropenia (63% vs 82%), leukopenia (58% vs 79%), thrombocytopenia (10% vs 23%), and adverse events of any nature (84% vs 93%) compared with white women. Black patients were not at increased risk of disease progression (adjusted relative risk, 1.11; 95% confidence interval, 0.88-1.38; P = .382) or death (adjusted relative risk, 1.02; 95% confidence interval, 0.82-1.26; P = .893). CONCLUSION: Cisplatin-based chemotherapy delivered in a protocol setting for advanced/recurrent carcinoma of the cervix appears better tolerated by black women.