The primary treatment modality for patients with carcinoma of the esophagus or gastroesophageal junction has been surgery, although primary radiation therapy with concurrent chemotherapy produces ...similar results. As both have curative potential, there has been great interest in the use of trimodality therapy. To this end, we compared survival, response, and patterns of failure of trimodality therapy to esophagectomy alone in patients with nonmetastatic esophageal cancer.
Four hundred seventy-five eligible patients were planned for enrollment. Patients were randomly assigned to either esophagectomy with node dissection alone or cisplatin 100 mg/m(2) and fluorouracil 1,000 mg/m(2)/d for 4 days on weeks 1 and 5 concurrent with radiation therapy (50.4 Gy total: 1.8 Gy/fraction over 5.6 weeks) followed by esophagectomy with node dissection.
Fifty-six patients were enrolled between October 1997 and March 2000, when the trial was closed due to poor accrual. Thirty patients were randomly assigned to trimodality therapy and 26 were assigned to surgery alone. Patient and tumor characteristics were similar between groups. Treatment was generally well tolerated. Median follow-up was 6 years. An intent-to-treat analysis showed a median survival of 4.48 v 1.79 years in favor of trimodality therapy (exact stratified log-rank, P = .002). Five-year survival was 39% (95% CI, 21% to 57%) v 16% (95% CI, 5% to 33%) in favor of trimodality therapy.
The results from this trial reflect a long-term survival advantage with the use of chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery in the treatment of esophageal cancer, and support trimodality therapy as a standard of care for patients with this disease.
The combination of gemcitabine plus bevacizumab produced a 21% response rate and a median survival of 8.8 months in a multicenter phase II trial in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. These ...encouraging data led Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) to conduct a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized phase III trial of gemcitabine/bevacizumab versus gemcitabine/placebo in advanced pancreatic cancer patients.
Eligible patients had no prior therapy for advanced disease, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0 to 2, no tumor invasion of adjacent organs, and no increased bleeding risk. The primary end point was overall survival. Patients were stratified by performance status, extent of disease, and prior radiotherapy. Patients received gemcitabine at 1,000 mg/m(2) over 30 minutes on days 1, 8, and 15 every 28 days and bevacizumab at 10 mg/kg or placebo on days 1 and 15 every 28 days.
Between June 2004 and April 2006, 602 patients were enrolled onto the study and 535 were treated. Median overall survival was 5.8 months for gemcitabine/bevacizumab and 5.9 months for gemcitabine/placebo (P = .95). Median progression-free survival was 3.8 and 2.9 months, respectively (P = .07). Overall response rates were 13% and 10%, respectively. Patients with a performance status of 0, 1, and 2 survived a median of 7.9, 4.8, and 2.4 months, respectively. The only statistically significant differences in grades 3 and 4 toxicity occurred for hypertension (10% v 3%; P < .001) and proteinuria (5% v 1%; P = .002); venous thrombosis grade > or = 3 was equivalent in both arms (14% and 15%, respectively).
The addition of bevacizumab to gemcitabine does not improve survival in advanced pancreatic cancer patients.
Randomized studies have shown that irinotecan (CPT-11) extends survival in metastatic colorectal cancer patients when administered in second-line and when added to fluorouracil (FU) plus leucovorin ...(LV) in first-line therapy of metastatic colorectal cancer. When this study was initiated, FU plus LV was standard adjuvant treatment for stage III colon cancer. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of weekly bolus CPT-11 plus FU plus LV in the treatment of patients with completely resected stage III colon cancer.
A total of 1,264 patients were randomly assigned to receive either standard weekly bolus FU plus LV regimen or weekly bolus CPT-11 plus FU plus LV. The primary end points of the study were overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS).
Treatment arms were well-balanced for patient characteristics and prognostic variables. There were no differences in either DFS or OS between the two treatment arms. Toxicity, including lethal toxicity, was significantly higher on the CPT-11 plus FU plus LV arm.
The addition of CPT-11 to weekly bolus FU plus LV did not result in improvement in DFS or OS in stage III disease, but did increase both lethal and nonlethal toxicity. This trial demonstrates that advances in the treatment of metastatic disease do not necessarily translate into advances in adjuvant treatment, and it reinforces the need for randomized controlled adjuvant studies.
Hepatic metastases derive most of their blood supply from the hepatic artery; therefore, for patients with hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer, hepatic arterial infusion (HAI) of chemotherapy ...may improve outcome.
In a multi-institutional trial, 135 patients were randomly assigned to receive HAI versus systemic bolus fluorouracil and leucovorin. The primary end point was survival; secondary end points were response, recurrence, toxicity, quality of life, cost, and the influence of molecular markers.
Overall survival was significantly longer for HAI versus systemic treatment (median, 24.4 v 20 months; P = .0034), as were response rates (47% and 24%; P = .012) and time to hepatic progression (THP; 9.8 v 7.3 months; P = .034). Time to extrahepatic progression (7.7 v 14.8 months; P = .029) was significantly shorter in the HAI group. Quality-of-life measurements showed improved physical functioning in the HAI group at the 3- and 6-month follow-up assessments. Toxicity included grade > or = 3 neutropenia (2% and 45%; P < .01), stomatitis (0% and 24%; P < .01), and bilirubin elevation (18.6% and 0; P < .01) in the HAI and systemic treatment groups, respectively. A greater proportion of men versus women receiving HAI experienced biliary toxicity (37% and 15%, respectively; P = .05). For HAI patients with thymidylate synthase levels in tumor less than or > or = 4, the median survival was 24 and 14 months, respectively (P = .17).
HAI therapy increased overall survival, response rate, THP, and was associated with better physical functioning compared with systemic therapy. Additional studies need to address the overall benefit and cost of new chemotherapy agents versus HAI alone or the combination of HAI with new agents.
Obesity is a risk factor for the development of colon cancer. However, the influence of body mass index (BMI) on the outcome of patients with established colon cancer remains uncertain. Moreover, the ...impact of change in body habitus after diagnosis has not been studied.
We conducted a prospective, observational study of 1,053 patients who had stage III colon cancer and who were enrolled on a randomized trial of adjuvant chemotherapy. Patients reported on height and weight during and 6 months after adjuvant chemotherapy. Patients were observed for cancer recurrence or death.
In this cohort of patients with stage III cancer, 35% of patients were overweight (BMI, 25 to 29.9 kg/m(2)), and 34% were obese (BMI >or= 30 kg/m(2)). Increased BMI was not significantly associated with a higher risk of colon cancer recurrence or death (P trend = .54). Compared with normal-weight patients (BMI, 21 to 24.9 kg/m(2)), the multivariate hazard ratio for disease-free survival was 1.00 (95% CI, 0.72 to 1.40) for patients with class I obesity (BMI, 30 to 34.9 kg/m(2)) and 1.24 (95% CI, 0.84 to 1.83) for those with class II to III obesity (BMI >or= 35 kg/m(2)) after analysis was adjusted for tumor-related prognostic factors, physical activity, tobacco history, performance status, age, and sex. Similarly, after analysis was controlled for BMI, weight change (either loss or gain) during the time period between ongoing adjuvant therapy and 6 months after completion of therapy did not significantly impact on cancer recurrence and/or mortality.
Neither BMI nor weight change was significantly associated with an increased risk of cancer recurrence and death in patients with colon cancer.
We sought to characterize the pharmacokinetics (PK) and determine a tolerable dose of oral sorafenib in patients with hepatic or renal dysfunction.
Patients were assigned to one of nine cohorts: ...cohort 1, bilirubin < or = upper limit of normal (ULN) and AST < or = ULN and creatinine clearance (CC) > or = 60 mL/min; cohort 2, bilirubin more than ULN but < or = 1.5x ULN and/or AST more than ULN; cohort 3, CC between 40 and 59 mL/min; cohort 4, bilirubin more than 1.5x ULN to < or = 3x ULN (any AST); cohort 5, CC between 20 and 39 mL/min; cohort 6, bilirubin more than 3x ULN to 10x ULN (any AST); cohort 7, CC less than 20 mL/min; cohort 8, albumin less than 2.5 mg/dL (any bilirubin/AST); and cohort 9, hemodialysis. Sorafenib was administered as a 400-mg dose on day 1 for PK, and continuous daily dosing started on day 8.
Of 150 registered patients, 138 patients were treated. With the exception of cohorts 6 and 7, at least 12 patients per cohort were assessable, and the dose level with prospectively defined dose-limiting toxicity in less than one third of patients by day 29 was considered tolerable. No significant associations between the sorafenib PK and cohort were found.
We recommend the following empiric sorafenib starting doses by cohort: cohort 1, 400 mg twice a day; cohort 2, 400 mg twice a day; cohort 3, 400 mg twice a day; cohort 4, 200 mg twice a day; cohort 5, 200 mg twice a day; cohort 6, not even 200 mg every third day tolerable; cohort 7, not defined; cohort 8, 200 mg each day; and cohort 9, 200 mg each day.
Imatinib mesylate is standard treatment for patients who have advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), but not all patients benefit equally. In previous studies, GIST genotype correlated with ...treatment outcome and optimal imatinib dosing.
We examined the relationship between kinase genotype and treatment outcome for 428 patients enrolled on the North American phase III study SWOG S0033/CALGB 150105 and treated with either 400 mg or 800 mg daily doses of imatinib.
The presence of KIT exon 11-mutant genotype (n = 283) correlated with improved treatment outcome when compared with KIT exon 9-mutant (n = 32) and wild-type (WT; n = 67) genotypes for objective response (complete response CR/partial response PR, 71.7% v 44.4% P = .007; and 44.6% P = .0002, respectively); time to tumor progression (TTP; median 24.7 months v 16.7 and 12.8 months, respectively); and overall survival (OS; median 60.0 months v 38.4 and 49.0 months, respectively). The survival outcomes for patients with exon 9-mutant, exon 11-mutant or WT GIST were not affected by imatinib dose. However, there was evidence of improved response rates for patients with exon 9-mutant tumors treated with imatinib 800 mg versus 400 mg (CR/PR, 67% v 17%; P = .02). Patients who had CD117-negative GIST had similar TTP but inferior OS compared with patients who had CD117-positive disease, which suggests that patients who have CD117-negative GIST may benefit from imatinib treatment. In addition, we identified novel but rare mutations of the KIT extracellular domain (exons 8 and 9).
We confirmed the favorable impact of KIT exon 11 genotype when compared with KIT exon 9 and wild-type genotype for patients with advanced GIST who are treated with imatinib.
Alterations in the RAS and RAF pathway relate to epigenetic and epigenomic aberrations, and are important in colorectal carcinogenesis. KRAS mutation in metastatic colorectal cancer predicts ...resistance to anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted therapy (cetuximab or panitumumab). It remains uncertain, however, whether KRAS mutation predicts prognosis or clinical outcome of colon cancer patients independent of anti-EGFR therapy.
We conducted a study of 508 cases identified among 1,264 patients with stage III colon cancer who enrolled in a randomized adjuvant chemotherapy trial (5-fluorouracil, leucovorin with or without irinotecan) in 1999-2001 (CALGB 89803). KRAS mutations were detected in 178 tumors (35%) by pyrosequencing. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazard models assessed the prognostic significance of KRAS mutation and adjusted for potential confounders including age, sex, tumor location, tumor/node stage, performance status, adjuvant chemotherapy arm, and microsatellite instability status.
Compared with patients with KRAS-wild-type tumors, patients with KRAS-mutated tumors did not experience any difference in disease-free, recurrence-free, or overall survival. The 5-year disease-free, recurrence-free, and overall survival rates (KRAS-mutated versus KRAS-wild-type patients) were 62% versus 63% (log-rank P = 0.89), 64% versus 66% (P = 0.84), and 75% versus 73% (P = 0.56), respectively. The effect of KRAS mutation on patient survival did not significantly differ according to clinical features, chemotherapy arm, or microsatellite instability status, and the effect of adjuvant chemotherapy assignment on outcome did not differ according to KRAS status.
In this large trial of chemotherapy in stage III colon cancer patients, KRAS mutational status was not associated with any significant influence on disease-free or overall survival.
The relative value of gemcitabine-based combination chemotherapy therapy and prolonged infusions of gemcitabine in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer remains controversial. We explored the ...efficacy and toxicity of gemcitabine administered at a fixed dose rate or in combination with cisplatin, docetaxel, or irinotecan in a multi-institutional, randomized, phase II study.
Patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer were randomly assigned to one of the following four regimens: gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m(2) on days 1, 8, and 15 with cisplatin 50 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 15 (arm A); gemcitabine 1,500 mg/m(2) at a rate of 10 mg/m(2)/min on days 1, 8, and 15 (arm B); gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m(2) with docetaxel 40 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 8 (arm C); or gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m(2) with irinotecan 100 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 8 (arm D). Patients were observed for response, toxicity, and survival. Results Two hundred fifty-nine patients were enrolled onto the study, of whom 245 were eligible and received treatment. Anticipated rates of myelosuppression, fatigue, and expected regimen-specific toxicities were observed. The overall tumor response rates were 12% to 14%, and the median overall survival times were 6.4 to 7.1 months among the four regimens.
Gemcitabine/cisplatin, fixed dose rate gemcitabine, gemcitabine/docetaxel, and gemcitabine/irinotecan have similar antitumor activity in metastatic pancreatic cancer. In light of recent negative randomized studies directly comparing several of these regimens with standard gemcitabine, none of these approaches can be recommended for routine use in patients with this disease.
To study the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and rates of sphincter-preserving operations, overall survival, cancer recurrence, and treatment-related toxicities in patients with rectal ...cancer.
We evaluated a nested cohort of 1,688 patients with stage II and III rectal cancer participating in a randomized trial of postoperative fluorouracil-based chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Obese patients were more likely to undergo an abdominoperineal resection (APR) than normal-weight patients (odds ratio, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.27 to 2.46). When analyzed by sex, increasing adiposity in men was a strong predictor of having an APR (P <.0001). Obese men with rectal cancer were also more likely than normal-weight men to have a local recurrence (hazard ratio HR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.00 to 2.59). In contrast, obesity was not predictive of cancer recurrence in women, nor was BMI predictive of overall mortality in either men or women. Underweight patients had an increased risk of death (HR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.08 to 1.89) compared with normal-weight patients but no increase in cancer recurrences. Among all study participants, obese patients had a significantly lower rate of grade 3 to 4 leukopenia, neutropenia, and stomatitis and a lower rate of any grade 3 or worse toxicity when compared with normal-weight individuals.
Increasing BMI in male patients with rectal cancer is associated with a decreased likelihood of sphincter preservation and a higher chance of local recurrence. For both men and women, overweight and obese patients experience less toxicity associated with adjuvant chemoradiotherapy, suggesting that actual body weight dosing of fluorouracil for obese patients is justified.
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