The efficacy of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) blockade in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is low
, highlighting a need for strategies that render the tumor microenvironment ...more sensitive to PD-1 blockade. Preclinical research has suggested immunomodulatory properties for chemotherapy and irradiation
. In the first stage of this adaptive, non-comparative phase 2 trial, 67 patients with metastatic TNBC were randomized to nivolumab (1) without induction or with 2-week low-dose induction, or with (2) irradiation (3 × 8 Gy), (3) cyclophosphamide, (4) cisplatin or (5) doxorubicin, all followed by nivolumab. In the overall cohort, the objective response rate (ORR; iRECIST
) was 20%. The majority of responses were observed in the cisplatin (ORR 23%) and doxorubicin (ORR 35%) cohorts. After doxorubicin and cisplatin induction, we detected an upregulation of immune-related genes involved in PD-1-PD-L1 (programmed death ligand 1) and T cell cytotoxicity pathways. This was further supported by enrichment among upregulated genes related to inflammation, JAK-STAT and TNF-α signaling after doxorubicin. Together, the clinical and translational data of this study indicate that short-term doxorubicin and cisplatin may induce a more favorable tumor microenvironment and increase the likelihood of response to PD-1 blockade in TNBC. These data warrant confirmation in TNBC and exploration of induction treatments prior to PD-1 blockade in other cancer types.
Summary Background Most patients with extensive stage small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) who undergo chemotherapy, and prophylactic cranial irradiation, have persistent intrathoracic disease. We ...assessed thoracic radiotherapy for treatment of this patient group. Methods We did this phase 3 randomised controlled trial at 42 hospitals: 16 in Netherlands, 22 in the UK, three in Norway, and one in Belgium. We enrolled patients with WHO performance score 0–2 and confirmed ES-SCLC who responded to chemotherapy. They were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either thoracic radiotherapy (30 Gy in ten fractions) or no thoracic radiotherapy. All underwent prophylactic cranial irradiation. The primary endpoint was overall survival at 1 year in the intention-to-treat population. Secondary endpoints included progression-free survival. This study is registered with the Nederlands Trial Register, number NTR1527. Findings We randomly assigned 498 patients between Feb 18, 2009, and Dec 21, 2012. Three withdrew informed consent, leaving 247 patients in the thoracic radiotherapy group and 248 in the control group. Mean interval between diagnosis and randomisation was 17 weeks. Median follow-up was 24 months. Overall survival at 1 year was not significantly different between groups: 33% (95% CI 27–39) for the thoracic radiotherapy group versus 28% (95% CI 22–34) for the control group (hazard ratio HR 0·84, 95% CI 0·69–1·01; p=0·066). However, in a secondary analysis, 2-year overall survival was 13% (95% CI 9–19) versus 3% (95% CI 2–8; p=0·004). Progression was less likely in the thoracic radiotherapy group than in the control group (HR 0·73, 95% CI 0·61–0·87; p=0·001). At 6 months, progression-free survival was 24% (95% CI 19–30) versus 7% (95% CI 4–11; p=0·001). We recorded no severe toxic effects. The most common grade 3 or higher toxic effects were fatigue (11 vs 9) and dyspnoea (three vs four). Interpretation Thoracic radiotherapy in addition to prophylactic cranial irradiation should be considered for all patients with ES-SCLC who respond to chemotherapy. Funding Dutch Cancer Society (CKTO), Dutch Lung Cancer Research Group, Cancer Research UK, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre Trials Coordination Unit, and the UK National Cancer Research Network.
Introduction
Preoperative chemotherapy is recommended for children with Wilms tumour with intravascular extension. Extended chemotherapy may improve resectability, but increase tumour adherence to ...vascular endothelium, precluding complete resection. To evaluate the optimal length of preoperative treatment, we report a two‐part review comprising systematic review of the literature and investigation of patients treated in the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) WT 2001 trial.
Methods
Studies were identified using Medline and Embase databases from 1996 to present. English language titles reporting management of intravascular Wilms tumour were analysed. Patients with Wilms tumour and thrombus were identified from the SIOP WT 2001 trial. Overall survival (OS) and event‐free survival (EFS), tumour regression, completeness of resection and cavectomy were investigated.
Results
The search retrieved 43 articles documenting 498 children. Note that 72% of the patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy: 101 received standard course (4‐6 weeks, standard course neoadjuvant chemotherapy StC) and 62 extended course (> 6 weeks, extended course neoadjuvant chemotherapy EC). There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of thrombus regression or completeness of resection. EFS was greater in the StC group (78 vs 54%; P = .04). Of 4511 patients registered in the SIOP WT 2001 trial, 166 had thrombus. Note that 97% of the patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy: 63 StC and 67 EC. There was no significant difference between the groups with regard to tumour regression, complete resection, or cavectomy. Survival was significantly higher in those receiving StC than EC (OS: 95% vs 82%, P = .025; EFS: 88% vs 72%, P = .047).
Conclusion
There is no evidence that prolonged courses of neoadjuvant chemotherapy beyond the recommended protocols confer any additional benefit in treating intravascular extension of Wilms tumour.
Background
Completely necrotic Wilms tumor (CN‐WT) following preoperative chemotherapy has been regarded as low‐risk WT since the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) 93‐01 study, and ...patients have been treated with reduced postoperative therapy. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether the omission of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with localized CN‐WT stage I and radiotherapy in stage III was safe.
Patients and methods
The retrospective observational study of outcomes of patients diagnosed with localized CN‐WT on central pathology review and treated according to the SIOP 93‐01 and SIOP‐WT‐2001 protocols (1993–2022).
Results
There were 125 patients with localized CN‐WT: 90 with stage I, 10 with stage II, and 25 with stage III. Sixty‐two of 125 (49.6%) patients had a discrepant diagnosis and/or staging between the institutional pathologist and central pathology review. In the group of 90 patients with stage I, postoperative chemotherapy was not given to 41 (46%) patients, whereas 49 patients received postoperative chemotherapy—in the latter group, two patients relapsed, and one of them died. One stage I and one stage II patient developed chemotherapy‐induced toxicity and died. Nineteen of 25 patients with stage III received no flank radiotherapy. No stage III patient relapsed or died. The overall 5‐year event‐free survival (EFS) estimate for the entire cohort (stages I–III) was 96.8% 95% confidence interval, CI: 93.6%–99.6% and the overall survival (OS) was 97.6% 95% CI: 95.0–100%. The EFS and OS were 97% and 98%, respectively, for stage I, and 100% for stage III.
Conclusion
Omission of postoperative chemotherapy for patients with CN‐WT stage I, and radiotherapy for stage III is safe. Rapid central pathology review is required to assign appropriate treatment and avoid treatment‐related side effects.
The Renal Tumour Study Group of the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP-RTSG) has developed a new protocol for the diagnosis and treatment of childhood renal tumours, the UMBRELLA ...SIOP-RTSG 2016 (the UMBRELLA protocol), to continue international collaboration in the treatment of childhood renal tumours. This protocol will support integrated biomarker and imaging research, focussing on assessing the independent prognostic value of genomic changes within the tumour and the volume of the blastemal component that survives preoperative chemotherapy. Treatment guidelines for Wilms tumours in the UMBRELLA protocol include recommendations for localized, metastatic, and bilateral disease, for all age groups, and for relapsed disease. These recommendations have been established by a multidisciplinary panel of leading experts on renal tumours within the SIOP-RTSG. The UMBRELLA protocol should promote international collaboration and research and serve as the SIOP-RTSG best available treatment standard.
Summary Background Before this study started, the standard postoperative chemotherapy regimen for stage II–III Wilms' tumour pretreated with chemotherapy was to include doxorubicin. However, ...avoidance of doxorubicin-related cardiotoxicity effects is important to improve long-term outcomes for childhood cancers that have excellent prognosis. We aimed to assess whether doxorubicin can be omitted safely from chemotherapy for stage II–III, histological intermediate-risk Wilms' tumour when a newly defined high-risk blastemal subtype was excluded from randomisation. Methods For this international, multicentre, open-label, non-inferiority, phase 3, randomised SIOP WT 2001 trial, we recruited children aged 6 months to 18 years at the time of diagnosis of a primary renal tumour from 251 hospitals in 26 countries who had received 4 weeks of preoperative chemotherapy with vincristine and actinomycin D. Children with stage II–III intermediate-risk Wilms' tumours assessed after delayed nephrectomy were randomly assigned (1:1) by a minimisation technique to receive vincristine 1·5 mg/m2 at weeks 1–8, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21, 23, 24, 26, and 27, plus actinomycin D 45 μg/kg every 3 weeks from week 2, either with five doses of doxorubicin 50 mg/m2 given every 6 weeks from week 2 (standard treatment) or without doxorubicin (experimental treatment). The primary endpoint was non-inferiority of event-free survival at 2 years, analysed by intention to treat and a margin of 10%. Assessment of safety and adverse events included systematic monitoring of hepatic toxicity and cardiotoxicity. This trial is registered with EudraCT, number 2007-004591-39, and is closed to new participants. Findings Between Nov 1, 2001, and Dec 16, 2009, we recruited 583 patients, 341 with stage II and 242 with stage III tumours, and randomly assigned 291 children to treatment including doxorubicin, and 292 children to treatment excluding doxorubicin. Median follow-up was 60·8 months (IQR 40·8–79·8). 2 year event-free survival was 92·6% (95% CI 89·6–95·7) for treatment including doxorubicin and 88·2% (84·5–92·1) for treatment excluding doxorubicin, a difference of 4·4% (95% CI 0·4–9·3) that did not exceed the predefined 10% margin. 5 year overall survival was 96·5% (94·3–98·8) for treatment including doxorubicin and 95·8% (93·3–98·4) for treatment excluding doxorubicin. Four children died from a treatment-related toxic effect; one (<1%) of 291 receiving treatment including doxorubicin died of sepsis, three (1%) of 292 receiving treatment excluding doxorubicin died of varicella, metabolic seizure, and sepsis during treatment for relapse. 17 patients (3%) had hepatic veno-occlusive disease. Cardiotoxic effects were reported in 15 (5%) of 291 children receiving treatment including doxorubicin. 12 children receiving treatment including doxorubicin, and ten children receiving treatment excluding doxorubicin, died, with the remaining deaths from tumour recurrence. Interpretation Doxorubicin does not need to be included in treatment of stage II–III intermediate risk Wilms' tumour when the histological response to preoperative chemotherapy is incorporated into the risk stratification. Funding See Acknowledgments for funders.
The UK has a longstanding system of general practice which provides the vast majority of primary care, including that for children. It acts as a 'gatekeeper' to more specialist care. Parents may also ...use accident and emergency departments as their first point of medical contact for their children. Outcomes in the UK for many conditions in children appear to be worse than in comparable European countries where there is direct access to care by paediatricians. We have therefore looked at pathways to diagnosis and compared outcomes in the childhood kidney cancer, Wilms' tumour, which has been treated in the UK and Germany within the same clinical trial for over a decade. We find that Wilms' tumours are significantly larger in volume and have a more advanced tumour stage at diagnosis in the UK compared to Germany. There is a small (∼3%) difference in event free and overall survival between the two countries. Our data suggest that the system of primary care for children in the UK is less likely to result in the incidental finding of an abdominal mass in a child with no or vague symptoms. This may be a reason for the poorer outcome.
Wilms' tumour is the most common renal cancer in childhood and about 15% of patients will relapse. There is scarce evidence about optimal surveillance schedules and methods for detection of tumour ...relapse after therapy.
The Renal Tumour Study Group–International Society of Paediatric Oncology (RTSG–SIOP) Wilms' tumour 2001 trial and study is an international, multicentre, prospective registration, biological study with an embedded randomised clinical trial for children with renal tumours aged between 6 months and 18 years. The study covers 243 different centres in 27 countries grouped into five consortia. The current protocol of SIOP surveillance for Wilms' tumour recommends that abdominal ultrasound and chest x-ray should be done every 3 months for the first 2 years after treatment and be repeated every 4–6 months in the third and fourth year and annually in the fifth year. In this retrospective cohort study of the protocol database, we analysed data from participating institutions on timing, anatomical site, and mode of detection of all first relapses of Wilms' tumour. The primary outcomes were how relapse of Wilms' tumour was detected (ie, at or between scheduled surveillance and with or without clinical symptoms, scan modality, and physical examination) and to estimate the number of scans needed to capture one subclinical relapse. The RTSG–SIOP study is registered with Eudra-CT, number 2007-004591-39.
Between June 26, 2001, and May 8, 2015, of 4271 eligible patients in the 2001 RTSG–SIOP Wilms' tumour database, 538 (13%) relapsed. Median follow-up from surgery was 62 months (IQR 32–93). The method used to detect relapse was registered for 410 (76%) of 538 relapses. Planned surveillance imaging captured 289 (70%) of these 410 relapses. The primary imaging modality used to detect relapse was reported for 251 patients, among which relapse was identified by abdominal ultrasound (80 32% patients), chest x-ray (78 31%), CT scan of the chest (64 25%) or abdomen (20 8%), and abdominal MRI (nine 4%). 279 (68%) of 410 relapses were not detectable by physical examination and 261 (64%) patients did not have clinical symptoms at relapse. The estimated number of scans needed to detect one subclinical relapse during the first 2 years after nephrectomy was 112 (95% CI 106–119) and, for 2–5 years after nephrectomy, 500 (416–588).
Planned surveillance imaging captured more than two-thirds of predominantly asymptomatic relapses of Wilms' tumours, with most detected by abdominal ultrasound, chest x-ray, or chest CT scan. Beyond 2 years post-nephrectomy, a substantial number of surveillance scans are needed to capture one relapse, which places a burden on families and health-care systems.
Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity, the European Expert Paediatric Oncology Reference Network for Diagnostics and Treatment, The Danish Childhood Cancer Foundation, Cancer Research UK, the UK National Cancer Research Network and Children's Cancer and Leukaemia Group, Société Française des Cancers de l'Enfant and Association Leon Berard Enfant Cancéreux and Enfant et Santé, Gesellschaft für Pädiatrische Onkologie und Hämatologie and Deutsche Krebshilfe, Grupo Cooperativo Brasileiro para o Tratamento do Tumor de Wilms and Sociedade Brasileira de Oncologia Pediátrica, the Spanish Society of Pediatric Haematology and Oncology and the Spanish Association Against Cancer, and SIOP–Netherlands.
Pediatric renal tumors account for 3%–11% of childhood cancers, the most common of which is Wilms tumor or nephroblastoma. Epidemiology plays a key role in cancer prevention and control by describing ...the distribution of cancer and discovering risk factors for cancer. Large pediatric research consortium trials have led to a clearer understanding of pediatric renal tumors, identification of risk factors, and development of more risk‐adapted therapies. These therapies have improved event‐free and overall survival for children. However, several challenges remain and not all children have benefited from the improved outcomes. In this article, we review the global epidemiology of pediatric renal tumors, including key consortium and global studies. We identify current knowledge gaps and challenges facing both high and low middle‐incomes countries.
The purpose of this study was to determine the outcome of children with nephroblastoma and pulmonary metastases (PM) treated according to International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP) 93-01 ...recommendations using pulmonary radiotherapy (RT) in selected patients.
Patients (6 months to 18 years) were treated with preoperative chemotherapy consisting of 6 weeks of vincristine, dactinomycin, and epirubicin or doxorubicin. If pulmonary complete remission (CR) was not obtained, metastasectomy was considered. Patients in CR received three-drug postoperative chemotherapy, whereas patients not in CR were switched to a high-risk (HR) regimen with an assessment at week 11. If CR was not obtained, pulmonary RT was mandatory.
Two hundred thirty-four of 1,770 patients had PM. Patients with PM were older (P < .001) and had larger tumor volumes compared with nonmetastatic patients (P < .001). Eighty-four percent of patients were in CR postoperatively, with 17% requiring metastasectomy. Thirty-five patients (16%) had multiple inoperable PM and required the HR protocol. Only 14% of patients received pulmonary RT during first-line treatment. For patients with PM, 5-year event-free survival rate was 73% (95% CI, 68% to 79%), and 5-year overall survival (OS) rate was 82% (95% CI, 77% to 88%). Five-year OS was similar for patients with local stage I and II disease (92% and 90%, respectively) but lower for patients with local stage III disease (68%; P < .001). Patients in CR after chemotherapy only and patients in CR after chemotherapy and metastasectomy had a better outcome than patients with multiple unresectable PM (5-year OS, 88%, 92%, and 48%, respectively; P < .001).
Following the SIOP protocol, pulmonary RT can be omitted for a majority of patients with PM and results in a relatively good outcome.
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