Single-arm phase II trial to evaluate efficacy and tolerance of regorafenib monotherapy in patients over 70 with previously treated metastatic colorectal adenocarcinoma FFCD 1404 - REGOLD.

BACKGROUND: Regorafenib significantly increases overall survival (OS) in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer previously treated but gives toxicities. OBJECTIVES: to assess the efficacy and safety of regorafenib at it's approved dose in the older population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This multicenter single-arm phase II enrolled patients ≥70 years old after the failure of fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy, anti-VEGF, and anti-EGFR treatment. The primary endpoint was disease control rate (DCR) 2 months after initiation of regorafenib (160 mg/day, 3 weeks on/1 week off). RESULTS: Forty-three patients were enrolled, with a median age of 77 years. The 2 months DCR was 31.4% in the 35 evaluable patients. For the 42 patients that received at least one dose of regorafenib, median progression-free survival and OS were 2.2 and 7.5 months. The median time to autonomy degradation and quality of life degradation was 3.1 and 3.2 months, respectively. A grade 3-4 treatment-related adverse events was observed in 35/42 patients, notably: fatigue (45.2%), hand-foot skin reaction (19.0%), hypertension (21.4%), and diarrhea (7.1%). There is a trend to achieve DCR in patients ≤80 years and a trend to discontinue the study due to toxicity in patients with ECOG ≥1, over 80 years and with impaired baseline autonomy. CONCLUSION: Treatment with regorafenib in pretreated patients ≥70 years is feasible and demonstrate similar efficacy that was observed in previous studies in young patients. Fatigue is the most frequent severe adverse event. However, caution should be taken for older patients with ECOG ≥1, over 80 years, and with impaired baseline autonomy.

NutriCancer: A French observational multicentre cross-sectional study of malnutrition in elderly patients with cancer.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the prevalence of malnutrition and nutritional management between elderly (≥70years old) and younger patients (<70years) with cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a post-hoc analysis of NutriCancer 2012 study; a one-day cross-sectional nationwide survey conducted to assess malnutrition in adult patients with cancer in France. Patients diagnosed with cancer at the study date in both inpatient and outpatient settings were included. Data collection was performed by means of questionnaires completed by the physician, the patient and the caregiver. RESULTS: This post-hoc analysis compared 578 elderly patients (27.6%) vs. 1517 younger patients (72.4%). There were significant differences in cancer localization between the groups particularly in gastrointestinal cancer (27% in younger patients vs. 42% in elderly), breast cancer (17% vs 8% in elderly) and oropharyngeal (15% vs. 9% in elderly). Weight loss was significantly more reported in the elderly than in younger patients (73.6% vs. 67.6%, p=0.009). Elderly patients were more frequently malnourished than younger patients (44.9% vs. 36.7%, p=0.0006). Food intake was comparable between the groups; however, physicians overestimated the food intake, particularly in the elderly. The malnutrition management was more frequently proposed in elderly, as dietary advice and oral nutritional supplements, than in younger patients; however, enteral nutrition was significantly less undertaken in the elderly. CONCLUSION: Malnutrition is prevalent in elderly patients with cancer, and more frequent than in younger patients. There is a need for an early integration of the nutritional counselling in patients with cancer, and particularly in the elderly.

Influence of infusion method on gemcitabine pharmacokinetics: a controlled randomized multicenter trial.

PURPOSE: Ensuring the correct administration of antineoplastic drugs is a constantly challenging task. Nowadays, several specific infusion devices have been marketed to decrease occupational exposure to these drugs through a post-administration rinsing step. As their impact on drug pharmacokinetics has never been evaluated, the objective of this study was to assess how the infusion process may alter the pharmacokinetics of antineoplastic drugs. METHODS: We developed a prospective randomized multicenter pharmacokinetic study (ONCOPERF01) to compare the influence of three infusion techniques (gravity-fed infusion-GFI, infusion pump-IP, and gravity-fed infusion with post-administration rinsing-PAR) to assess the impact of both flow rate and post-administration rinsing on gemcitabine pharmacokinetics during three consecutive administrations. Gemcitabine pharmacokinetics was determined with a two-compartment model after plasma dosing with an HPLC-UV method. Statistical comparisons of the three groups were made using repeated-measure analysis of variance (PROC MIXED). RESULTS: Patients received gemcitabine by gravity-fed infusion (GFI, n = 9; IP, n = 9; PAR, n = 7). Significant differences were noted between infusion duration (GFI = 30.0 ± 2.6 min, IP = 29.1 ± 1.2 min, PAR = 33.7 ± 3.5 min; p = 0.003) and AUCt (GFI = 23.5 ± 8.2 µM h, IP = 25.4 ± 9.1 µM h, PAR = 28.5 ± 6.3 µM h; p = 0.0009), which was significantly higher in the infusion group with post-administration rinsing than in the other groups. CONCLUSIONS: The ONCOPERF01 study indicates that post-administration rinsing leads to a significant increase in patient exposure to gemcitabine, whereas controlling flow rate has no significance. Further surveys are required to assess the impact of such infusion techniques on other antineoplastic drugs.

Economic Impact of Gene Expression Profiling in Patients with Early-Stage Breast Cancer in France.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The heterogeneous nature of breast cancer can make decisions on adjuvant chemotherapy following surgical resection challenging. Oncotype DX is a validated gene expression profiling test that predicts the likelihood of adjuvant chemotherapy benefit in early-stage breast cancer. The aim of this study is to determine the costs of chemotherapy in private hospitals in France, and evaluate the cost-effectiveness of Oncotype DX from national insurance and societal perspectives. METHODS: A multicenter study was conducted in seven French private hospitals, capturing retrospective data from 106 patient files. Cost estimates were used in conjunction with a published Markov model to assess the cost-effectiveness of using Oncotype DX to inform chemotherapy decision making versus standard care. Sensitivity analyses were performed. RESULTS: The cost of adjuvant chemotherapy in private hospitals was estimated at EUR 8,218 per patient from a national insurance perspective and EUR 10,305 from a societal perspective. Cost-effectiveness analysis indicated that introducing Oncotype DX improved life expectancy (+0.18 years) and quality-adjusted life expectancy (+0.17 QALYs) versus standard care. Oncotype DX was found cost-effective from a national insurance perspective (EUR 2,134 per QALY gained) and cost saving from a societal perspective versus standard care. Inclusion of lost productivity costs in the modeling analysis meant that costs for eligible patients undergoing Oncotype DX testing were on average EUR 602 lower than costs for those receiving standard care. CONCLUSIONS: As Oncotype DX was found both cost and life-saving from a societal perspective, the test was considered to be dominant to standard care. However, the delay in coverage has the potential to erode the quality of the French healthcare system, thus depriving patients of technologies that could improve clinical outcomes and allow healthcare professionals to better allocate hospital resources to improve the standard of care for all patients.

Clinical complete responders to definite chemoradiation or radiation therapy for oesophageal cancer: predictors of outcome.

BACKGROUND: To identify predictors of long-term outcome for patients with clinical complete response (cCR) after definite chemoradiotherapy (CRT) or radiation therapy (RT) for oesophageal cancer (EC). METHODS: In this retrospective study, we reviewed the files of all patients from our institution that underwent definitive RCT or RT for EC, from January 1998 to December 2003. Among 402 consecutive patients with EC, 110 cCR responses were observed, i.e. without evidence of tumour on morphological examination of the biopsy specimens, 8 to 10 weeks after radiation. Baseline patient and tumour characteristics were as follows: male = 98/110, median age = 60, squamous histology = 103/110, tumour site (upper/middle/lower third) = 41/50/19, weight loss none/<10%/≥10% = 36/45/29, dysphagia grade 1/2/≥3 = 30/14/66. Patients were staged according to endosonography and/or computed tomography. There were 9 stage I, 31 stage IIA, 15 stage IIB, 41 stage III, 6 stage IV. Post treatment nutritional characteristics were as follows: weight loss during treatment none/<10% ≥ 10% = 35/38/37, remaining dysphagia grade 1/2/≥3 = 54/24/32. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using log-rank and Cox proportional hazards models, and survival curves were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: During follow up (median: 6 [0.4-9.8] years), 16 patients had salvage surgery. Median OS was 2.5 years, and 5-year OS was 33.5%. Histological type, stage, age, gender, and treatment characteristics had no significant impact on outcome. The risk of death was increased two-fold for patients with grade ≥ 3 dysphagia after treatment (HR = 1.9 [1.2-3.1], p = 0.007). Weight loss ≥10% during treatment also negatively affected outcome (HR = 1.8 [1.0-3.2], p = 0.040). CONCLUSION: One EC patient among 3 with cCR after definite CRT/RT is still alive at 5 years. Variables related to reduced OS were: remaining significant dysphagia after treatment and weight loss ≥10% during treatment.

The 5-aminosalicylic acid antineoplastic effect in the intestine is mediated by PPARγ.

Epidemiological evidences suggested that 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) therapy may prevent the development of colorectal cancer in inflammatory bowel disease patients. Our aim is to investigate whether peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) mediates the antineoplastic effects of 5-ASA. HT-29 and Caco-2 cells were treated by 5-ASA, rosiglitazone (PPARγ ligand) or etoposide (anticarcinogenic drug). Epithelial cell growth, proliferation and apoptosis were assessed by cell count, Ki-67 staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling assay, respectively. The antineoplastic effect of 5-ASA was evaluated in a xenograft tumor model in SCID mice and in azoxymethane (AOM)-induced colon carcinogenesis in A/JOlaHsd mice. The role of PPARγ was examined by administration of PPARγ antagonist, GW9662 and in PPAR knockdown cells. Compared with untreated cells, treatment of HT-29 cells by 5-ASA inhibited significantly cell growth and cell proliferation (respectively, 60% and 63%) and induced apoptosis in 75% of cells. These effects were abolished by co-treatment with GW9662 and blunted in PPAR knockdown cells. Contrarily to etoposide, similar inhibitory effects of GW9662 were obtained in HT-29 cells treated with rosiglitazone. In the xenograft model, GW9662 abolished the therapeutic effect of 5-ASA, which decreased tumor weight and volume by 80% in SCID mice compared with untreated mice. In A/JOlaHsd mice, 5-ASA suppressed colon carcinogenesis by decreasing the number of aberrant crypt foci (75%) and aberrant crypts (22%) induced by AOM treatment with an absence of 5-ASA response after GW9662 administration. In conclusion, 5-ASA exerts potent antineoplastic effects that are mediated through PPARγ. These data provide new rational for designing more effective and safe antineoplastic PPARγ ligands with topical effects.

Experience of gemcitabine plus oxaliplatin chemotherapy in patients with advanced biliary tract carcinoma.

BACKGROUNDS: The combination gemcitabine-oxaliplatin (GEMOX) is frequently used in patients with advanced biliary tract carcinoma (BTC). However, this is only based on phase II studies performed in selected patients.We assessed the efficacy and safety of the GEMOX regimen in non-selected patients with advanced BTC. METHODS: All consecutive patients with advanced BTC received the GEMOX regimen in a setting outside a study: gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m(2) on day 1, and oxaliplatin 100 mg/m(2) on day 2, treatment repeated every 2 weeks until progression or unacceptable toxicity. RESULTS: Forty-four patients were enrolled. EFFICACY: 1 complete and 6 partial responses (objective response rate = 16.3%), 18 tumour stabilizations (41.9%, disease control rate = 58.1%), median progression-free survival was 5.0 months and median overall survival was 11.0 months. TOXICITY: grade 3 neuropathy in 4 patients, grade 3 asthenia in 5 patients. CONCLUSION: The GEMOX combination was well tolerated, with a modest activity in non-selected patients with advanced BTC. This regimen should be compared to the new standard gemcitabine-cisplatin combination.

Integration of neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with resectable liver metastases from colorectal cancer.

The liver is the primary metastatic site in patients with colorectal cancer, and the only hope for a cure or prolonged survival in patients with liver metastases is provided by surgical resection. Advances obtained in non-resectable metastatic disease using new chemotherapeutic agents raise important questions about the use of neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with resectable liver metastases. Two major randomized studies have yielded positive results. First, a combined intra-arterial plus systemic fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy regimen demonstrated a relapse-free survival benefit when compared to systemic 5-fluorouracil-leucovorin therapy alone. This approach is still restricted to specialized centres, however, due to technical limitations and locoregional toxicities. Secondly, an EORTC trial demonstrated the superiority of peri-operative FOLFOX-4 chemotherapy in comparison to surgery alone. Oxaliplatin and irinotecan can induce substantial liver damage, especially steatohepatitis and vascular lesions, but the impact of these lesions on postoperative morbidity and survival remains unclear. Ongoing and planned trials will assess the addition of anti-angiogenic and anti-epidermal growth factor receptor agents to chemotherapy regimens.

E-selectin gene S128R polymorphism is associated with poor prognosis in patients with stage II or III colorectal cancer.

Some host-related factors may predict the risk of metastasis after surgery of colorectal cancer (CRC). The endothelial adhesion molecule E-selectin is implicated in the metastatic spread of CRC. We postulated that some polymorphisms within the E-selectin gene, especially the S128R polymorphism, may increase the risk of metastases by facilitating adhesion of tumour cells to the endothelium. We collected blood samples for DNA extraction from 264 patients treated for stage II or III CRC and from 310 healthy controls in order to assess three polymorphisms within the E-selectin gene (S128R, G98T and L554F) and one within the P-selectin gene (V640L). Genotypes were analysed by the allelic discrimination TaqMan real-time PCR assay. The S128R polymorphism was detected in 59 patients (22.3%) and was strictly correlated with the G98T polymorphism. In multivariate analysis, the S128R polymorphism was associated with shorter event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) in the whole population (EFS: P=.003, HR 1.82, 95% CI 1.23-2.70; OS: P<10(-4), HR 4.31, 95% CI 2.46-10.99), in patients with stage II CRC(EFS: P=.04, HR 1.92, 95% CI 1.02-3.60; OS: P=.02, HR 4.44, 95% CI 1.16-17.03), and in patients with stage III CRC (EFS: P=.04, HR 1.68, 95% CI 1.01-2.80; OS: P=.001, HR 4.04, 95% CI 1.73-9.46). L554F and V640L polymorphisms had no prognostic value. The S128R polymorphism is a constitutional factor associated with a higher risk of relapse and death in patients treated for CRC. This polymorphism detection may permit better selection of patients suitable for adjuvant therapy, especially among those with stage II disease.

Gemcitabine plus oxaliplatin (GEMOX) combined with cetuximab in patients with progressive advanced stage hepatocellular carcinoma: results of a multicenter phase 2 study.

BACKGROUND: The authors conducted a phase 2 trial of the antiepidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) monoclonal antibody cetuximab in combination with the gemcitabine plus oxaliplatin (GEMOX) regimen in patients with documented progressive hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: Forty-five untreated patients with advanced-stage progressive HCC were prospectively enrolled. Treatment consisted of cetuximab at a dose of 400 mg/m2 initially then 250 mg/m2 weekly, plus gemcitabine at a dose of 1000 mg/m2 on Day 1 and oxaliplatin at a dose of 100 mg/m2 on Day 2, every 2 weeks. Treatment was continued until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or patient refusal. RESULTS: Overall, 306 cycles were administered. Grade 3 to 4 hematologic toxicity consisted of thrombocytopenia (24%), neutropenia (20%), and anemia (4%). Grade 3 oxaliplatin-induced neurotoxicity occurred in 5 patients (11%) and grade 3 cutaneous toxicity in 7 patients (16%). There were no treatment-related deaths. The confirmed response rate was 20% and disease stabilization was obtained in 40% of patients. The median progression-free and overall survival times were 4.7 months and 9.5 months, respectively. The 1-year survival rate was 40%. CONCLUSIONS: In poor-prognosis patients with progressive advanced-stage HCC, the GEMOX-cetuximab combination appears to be active and to have manageable toxicity. A comparative randomized trial is now being planned.

Comparison of two techniques of transarterial chemoembolization before liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma: a case-control study.

Supraselective transarterial chemoembolization (STACE) more efficiently targets chemotherapy delivered via the feeding arterial branches of the tumor than does conventional transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). However, the hypothesis of its greater efficacy compared with the latter is subject to controversy. The aim of the present study was to compare STACE to conventional TACE in a controlled study of candidates for liver transplantation (LT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Patients were matched for factors associated with HCC recurrence and survival. Sixty patients were included: 30 who were treated with STACE and 30 treated with conventional TACE. The 2 groups were similar in terms of matched criteria. In the overall population (uni- and multinodular HCC), there was no marked difference between the 2 groups in 5-year disease-free survival: 76.8% vs. 74.8%. In sensitivity analysis of patients considered to be the best candidates for TACE (uninodular HCC < or =5 cm), there was a trend toward significance between STACE and TACE in 5-year disease-free survival: 87% vs. 64% (P = 0.09). The only factor associated with complete tumor necrosis was STACE in the overall population (30.8% vs. 6.9%, P = 0.02), with a similar trend in the subgroup of patients with a single nodule (33.3% vs. 6.7%, P = 0.06), whereas the mean number of procedures was similar in the 2 groups (mean, 1.3 procedures; range 1-5 procedures; P = NS). STACE is more efficient at inducing complete tumor necrosis in the liver. This study observed trends toward improvement in the disease-free survival of patients with uninodular HCC < or =5 cm. Future studies focusing on such patients are warranted.

Lack of usefulness of epidermal growth factor receptor expression determination for cetuximab therapy in patients with colorectal cancer.

In patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, the use of cetuximab currently requires a documented tumoral epidermal growth factor receptor positivity. Responses to cetuximab, however, have been described in patients with epidermal growth factor receptor-negative tumors. We have used cetuximab in all eligible patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, whether their tumor expressed epidermal growth factor receptor or not. We assessed the cetuximab efficacy with regard to tumoral epidermal growth factor receptor expression. Twenty patients with metastatic colorectal cancer were treated off study with cetuximab and irinotecan after failure of oxaliplatin- and irinotecan-based regimens. Tumors were analyzed in all patients for epidermal growth factor receptor expression by immunohistochemistry. Tumors were positive for epidermal growth factor receptor in 12 cases and negative in eight cases. An objective response to cetuximab-based therapy was obtained in four patients (20%). Tumors of these four patients were negative for epidermal growth factor receptor expression. These results provide further evidence for the lack of usefulness of epidermal growth factor receptor detection by immunohistochemistry for cetuximab therapy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

Intestinal antiinflammatory effect of 5-aminosalicylic acid is dependent on peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma.

5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) is an antiinflammatory drug widely used in the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases. It is known to inhibit the production of cytokines and inflammatory mediators, but the mechanism underlying the intestinal effects of 5-ASA remains unknown. Based on the common activities of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma) ligands and 5-ASA, we hypothesized that this nuclear receptor mediates 5-ASA therapeutic action. To test this possibility, colitis was induced in heterozygous PPAR-gamma(+/-) mice and their wild-type littermates, which were then treated with 5-ASA. 5-ASA treatment had a beneficial effect on colitis only in wild-type and not in heterozygous mice. In epithelial cells, 5-ASA increased PPAR-gamma expression, promoted its translocation from the cytoplasm to the nucleus, and induced a modification of its conformation permitting the recruitment of coactivators and the activation of a peroxisome-proliferator response element-driven gene. Validation of these results was obtained with organ cultures of human colonic biopsies. These data identify PPAR-gamma as a target of 5-ASA underlying antiinflammatory effects in the colon.