Abstract
BACKGROUND
Clinical outcome assessments (COAs) are a key component of patient-centered assessment of net clinical benefit in trials. In neuro-oncology, unique symptoms, treatment-related ...toxicities, and overall poor prognosis further necessitate a focus on symptom management and quality of life. We conducted a computational survey of trends of COA use in past and ongoing neuro-oncology trials.
METHODS
Neuro-oncology trials on ClinicalTrials.gov were identified using primary malignant CNS tumor terms. Instrument names from PROQOLID (n= 2695) were used to determine COA use. Regression and interrupted time-series analyses assessed chronological and design-related trends.
RESULTS
Among 3584 adult neuro-oncology studies, 20% reported using a specific COA instrument: 21% among (n= 3038) interventional and 16% among (n= 524) observational trials. Among interventional studies, most trials used one instrument (91%) as a secondary outcome (81%). 269 unique COAs were reported overall, most frequently patient-reported (72%) and clinician-reported outcomes (44%) indicated for general neoplasms (59%), all conditions (30%), and brain tumors (21%). Most commonly used instruments among treatment-focused trials (n= 523 reporting COAs) included Performance Status (KPS 18%, ECOG 9%), EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BN20 (9%), and MMSE (7%). Among supportive care studies (n= 47), HADS (13%), FACT-Br (11%), and KPS (11%) were most frequent. COAs use was more likely in phase 3 versus early phase 1 and phase 1 (OR= 0.12 (95% CI:) 0.02-0.42; OR= 0.22 0.09-0.52) but not versus phase 2 (OR= 0.60 0.26-1.36), and was more likely in supportive care trials (versus diagnostics and prevention: OR= 0.10 0.01-0.65; OR= 0.05 0.00-0.79). The rate of COA use increased linearly over time (1998-2020; β= 1.1 0.8–1.4), with no significant changes surrounding individual regulatory events.
CONCLUSION
A growing proportion of neuro-oncology trials specified COA use, reflecting positive changes toward patient-centered drug evaluation. Further investigation of COA use by phase and trial focus may inform future trial design.
Abstract
We utilized the longitudinal clinical outcomes registry XCELSIOR (NCT03793088) to understand real world outcomes and treatment patterns among patients with diffuse midline glioma. A total of ...74 patients were identified with a diagnosis of diffuse midline glioma by pathology or imaging (36 pediatric and 38 adult patients). Median age at diagnosis was 20 years. As of 6/1/2022, 45 patients had expired. Median overall survival (mOS) of the entire cohort was 16.2 months. Cox proportional hazard ratio analysis identified age as the only significant covariate for OS (pediatric HR = 1.59, p=0.04). Pediatric patients had a mOS of 12.9 months and adult patients a mOS of 18.9 months from diagnosis. Frequency of primary tumor location in this dataset was brainstem (35%), thalamus (23%), and pons (20%). Pons location was associated with worst survival (mOS 11.4 months, n=15 patients). The most common anti-cancer interventions among all patients were ONC201 (39 patients), temozolomide (37 patients), bevacizumab (23 patients), panobinostat (8 patients), and immune checkpoint inhibitors (3 patients each, pembrolizumab and nivolumab). In this dataset, no interventions were statistically significant in a Cox proportional hazard model, but both immune checkpoint inhibitors (HR = -1.24, p=0.11) and ONC201 (HR = -0.38, p=0.27) trended toward benefit in the entire population. The subpopulation of patients treated with ONC201 whose tumor also harbored a TP53 mutation displayed a tendency toward activity (n=8); TP53-mutant patients treated with ONC201 had a mOS of 25.0 months vs. TP53 wild-type patients treated with ONC201 had a mOS of 20.3 months. Annotation of data for additional patients is ongoing and updated analyses will be presented at the meeting.
The ability to write a scientific paper (WASP) is becoming progressively more critical because the “publish or perish” mantra is increasingly valid in today's world where success is judged by number ...of publications and quality of publications based on journals which publish the researcher's work. These metrics are used to gauge applicants in often cut-throat competitions for jobs and/or career advancement. However, the science and art of paper-writing comprise a vast panoply of different skills, from writing a proposal, to ethics and data protection applications, to data collection and analysis, to writing and dealing with editors and authors, and so on. Over the next few issues, Early Human Development will embark on a series of Best Practice Guidelines that will outline and explain the various requisite WASP skills while providing practical guidelines for paper writing. The purpose is to impart the authors' collective experience to trainees in this crucial aspect of career progress. This first set of WASP papers will mainly focus on statistical analysis using Excel™.
Simulation studies are computer experiments that involve creating data by pseudo‐random sampling. A key strength of simulation studies is the ability to understand the behavior of statistical methods ...because some “truth” (usually some parameter/s of interest) is known from the process of generating the data. This allows us to consider properties of methods, such as bias. While widely used, simulation studies are often poorly designed, analyzed, and reported. This tutorial outlines the rationale for using simulation studies and offers guidance for design, execution, analysis, reporting, and presentation. In particular, this tutorial provides a structured approach for planning and reporting simulation studies, which involves defining aims, data‐generating mechanisms, estimands, methods, and performance measures (“ADEMP”); coherent terminology for simulation studies; guidance on coding simulation studies; a critical discussion of key performance measures and their estimation; guidance on structuring tabular and graphical presentation of results; and new graphical presentations. With a view to describing recent practice, we review 100 articles taken from Volume 34 of Statistics in Medicine, which included at least one simulation study and identify areas for improvement.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES
To investigate the long-term survival rates and the related predictors in patients with glioblastoma (GBM) using NCDB.
METHODS
A total of 51570 GBM patients were derived from the ...NCDB from 2004 to 2011. Three long-term survival measures were defined as patients who lived for at least 3-year, 5-year, or 10-year after diagnosis, respectively. Multivariable binary logistic regressions were performed to identify predictors in relation to 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year survival rates. The relative importance of each survival predictors was calculated, and random forest method was performed to validate the variable importance and decision tree as well.
RESULTS
A total of 4782 (9.3%), 1481 (3.9%), and 51 (0.9%) GBM patients survived at least 3-year, 5-year, and 10-years, respectively. Significant predictors related to both 3-year and 5-year survival rates from multivariable logistic regression included tumor resection, recent year of diagnosis, age < 65 years, private insurance, adjuvant therapy, non-whites, female, treatment at facility located in South regions or academic facilities, higher income, and non-comorbidity. Moreover, patients who traveled >50 miles for treatment and received care transition were significantly more likely to survival at least 3 years. However, only five predictors were associated with 10-year survivorship: residence-hospital distance >20 miles, non-whites, age < 65 years, resection, and higher income. Based on the calculations of relative importance and random forest method, the most important five factors to predict long-term survival were age, tumor resection, year of diagnosis, comorbidity, and adjuvant therapy (3-year survival); age, tumor resection, comorbidity, gender, and insurance (5-year survival); and age, race, residence-hospital distance, income, and comorbidity (10-year survival), respectively.
CONCLUSIONS
This study identifies non-molecular factors predicting long-term survivorship among GBM patients using NCDB dataset. Our findings suggested that 3-year and 5-year survivors share similar determinants, while 10-year survivors could be more different in socio-demographics and clinical features.
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Disparities in healthcare delivery in the United States based on race and socioeconomic status are well-documented. Our study examined these disparities along with demographic ...differences in patients with gliomas.
METHODS
Data was collected retrospectively from an NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center between 2008–2020; 163 African-American patients and 1207 non-Hispanic white patients were included. Demographic variables were entered as predictors of tumor grade and type in an ANOVA model and multinomial logistic regression, respectively. A MANOVA model was used to assess differences in treatments received. Predictors of outcome were determined using cox regression.
RESULTS
Significant differences (p< 0.05) were found between African-American and non-Hispanic white patient groups in; age at diagnosis (48.68 vs 56.12 years, respectively), male/female gender ratio (0.75 vs 1.22), annual household income ($29,442 vs $40,028), insurance type (53.1% private and 42% public vs 63.4% private and 33.6% public) and marital status (43% married vs 74.1%). When controlling for these, there were no significant differences in tumor grade, type, MGMT methylation or IDH1 alteration statuses. Race alone did not predict treatment received, however, two-way interactions between race and other variables did. While gender differences in resection were small for non-Hispanic white controls, resection took place more often in African-American females than males (F = 4.779, p = 0.029). The deleterious effect of increased age on overall survival was diminished in African-Americans (B = -0.033, p < 0.001), while the effect of tumor grade was more pronounced (B = 0.595, p < 0.001).
DISCUSSION
This study suggests that disparities in outcomes are identified when race is considered within the context of other demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical factors. Moreover, these observations demonstrate the need for further studies into intersectional effects on treatment access and clinical outcomes, along with aggressive countermeasures to ensure equity of care.
Abstract
BACKGROUND
PCNSL is a rare diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) confined to the central nervous system accounting for approximately 2–5% of all primary brain tumors. Although there is no ...standard combination of chemotherapy, high-dose methotrexate is considered the backbone of all PCNSL chemotherapy regimens. Rituximab, an anti-CD20 antibody, has been a standard component of DLBCL combinations since it improves progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS). However, the role of Rituximab in the treatment of PCNSL has been controversial with contradictory RESULTS: A small meta-analysis conducted in 2019 found no associated survival advantage for Rituximab when added to chemotherapy. However, this meta-analysis was small and included only 2 studies. The purpose of this updated meta-analysis is to evaluate in a more comprehensive way the impact of Rituximab combination chemotherapy on the clinical outcomes of patients with PCNSL incorporating all available comparative studies.
METHODS
A review of the medical literature was conducted using online databases. Inclusion criteria consisted of PCNSL diagnosis, English language, and studies reporting OS and PFS with hazard ratios (HR) or Kaplan-Meier curves that compared similar regimens with and without Rituximab. A meta-analysis using an inverse variance method with a random-effects model was conducted.
RESULTS
Four comparative studies with a total of 467 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Two of these studies were retrospective comparative studies and two were randomized phase II trials. When added to chemotherapy, Rituximab was found to significantly improve the OS and PFS (HROS 0.75, 95%CI: 0.59–0.96, p=0.02; HRPFS 0.67, 95%CI: 0.53–0.85, p=0.001) with a heterogeneity estimate, I2=0%.
CONCLUSIONS
This is the first meta-analysis to show that adding Rituximab to chemotherapy is associated with OS and PFS in patients with PCNSL. In the absence of randomized clinical trials, this meta-analysis represents the most compelling data supporting the routine use of Rituximab combinations in PCNSL.
Abstract
Changes in glioma patients’ immune profiles over the course of disease may predict outcomes. DNA based immunomethylomics quantifies blood immune cells based on cell specific DNA methylation ...signatures. To assess changes in immune profiles, we are longitudinally collecting blood samples from glioma patients pre-surgery and at other clinically relevant time points. Here we report patients’ pre-surgery immune profiles. All patients underwent biopsy or resection of a presumed new glioma or recurrent lower grade glioma. Blood DNA methylation was assessed with Illumina EPIC methylation arrays. Relative cell fractions of CD4, CD8, B-cells, natural killer cells, monocytes, and neutrophils, were estimated via our validated deconvolution algorithm. Total nucleated cell counts from Nexcelom cytometry were used to compute absolute cell counts. Other measures include total lymphocytes, CD4/CD8 ratio, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR)). The first 125 participants includes 56 newly diagnosed glioblastomas (GBM), 28 newly diagnosed grade II-III gliomas, and 41 recurrent grade II-III gliomas. Median patient age is 49 years. 53 (43%) had recent dexamethasone exposure. In overall non-parametric analyses, most cell subsets, especially CD4, differed across grade, diagnosis group, WHO classification and dexamethasone exposure. In post-hoc pairwise analyses, immune profiles of IDH wildtype GBM patients who had taken dexamethasone differed from patients with GBM or grade II-III glioma who had not taken dexamethasone; they had clinically relevant and statistically significantly lower absolute CD4 counts, total white cell counts, and percent of total lymphocytes, and higher absolute neutrophil counts, NLR and LMR. However, some dexamethasone naïve GBM patients also had altered immune profiles. Comparisons of relative immune cell fractions with those from 454 non-glioma controls from the UCSF Adult Glioma Study showed that across grade and WHO classification, for the most part, immune profiles of glioma patients not exposed to dexamethasone did not differ from controls.
Abstract
BACKGROUND
H3 K27M glioblastoma is an aggressive grade IV tumor located in midline structures, added in 2016 by the WHO. Current outcomes are poor. The rarity of these tumors presents a ...challenge for definitive research on developing optimal treatments.
METHODS
We conducted a case series of 12 patients at the Barrow Neurological Institute who were diagnosed with biopsy-proven H3 K27M glioblastoma. The clinical status of these patients was followed from dates of first and last contact. Factors included first line treatment, best response to first line treatment, recurrences, second line treatments, response assessment criteria for all treatment rounds, any discovered metastases, and vital status by date of last contact.
RESULTS
Of the initial 12 patients, 5 were lost to follow-up before meaningful clinical outcomes could be recorded. Of the remaining 7, all underwent temozolomide and radiation as components of first-line treatment. After first-line treatment, 1/7 (14.2%) had partial response, 3/7 (42.8%) had stable disease, and 3/7 (42.8%) had progressive disease. 4 patients elected to undergo second line treatment: 2 underwent bevacizumab with lomustine, 1 underwent bevacizumab and irinotecan, and 1 underwent surgery with carmustine. Of the 2 who underwent bevacizumab and lomustine, 1 (50%) improved from progressive to stable disease and 1 (50%) stayed at stable disease. Of the 1 patient who underwent bevacizumab and lomustine, outcome worsened from stable to progressive disease. Of the 1 patient who underwent surgery and carmustine, outcome improved from progressive to stable disease.
CONCLUSIONS
H3 K27M is a highly aggressive tumor with poor outcomes. This case series demonstrates that multiple treatment rounds with chemotherapy and radiation therapy may benefit patients, with bevacizumab/lomustine and surgery/carmustine appearing to lead to promising outcomes. Further research is needed to establish evidence-based protocols so quality of life and survival time in these patients may improve.
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Prognostic significance of IDH-mutation in glioma is incompletely understood in children and adolescents/young adults (YAs). We compared the clinico-genomic features, outcomes and ...prognostic factors observed in IDH-mutant gliomas across age groups.
METHODS
Clinical, histologic and molecular data of patients with IDH-mutant gliomas from 8 pediatric institutions (spanning twenty years) and adult patients from two institutions (from 2013–2019) were identified. Patients were grouped as pediatric (< 19y), YA (19y to < 40y) or older adult (≥ 40y). Genomic alterations, including somatic mutations and copy number variants, were captured with institutional next generation sequencing. Factors were compared across age categories using Fisher’s exact test or analysis-of-variance. Cox proportional-hazards regression tested factors for association with overall (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS).
RESULTS
Of 379 patients, 48(13%) were pediatric, 204(54%) YA and 127(33%) older adult. Histological subtype differed significantly by age group (p< 0.0001). YAs had higher rates of malignant transformation (p=0.01) and shorter time-from-diagnosis-to-malignant transformation (p=0.01) compared to other age groups. Analysis of genomic alterations revealed an age-related difference in distribution in ATRX mutations only (p=0.0018). Median PFS and OS for the entire cohort were 4.62 and 17.19 years. In univariate models, PFS differed by age group (p=0.0012), with YAs having the worst outcomes. Lack of MGMT methylation (p=0.024) predicted poorer OS. Upfront observant management was predictive of poorer PFS. Gene mutations were not associated with PFS. In multi-variable models, YAs had shorter PFS compared to pediatric (hazard ratio HR=2.03, p=0.01) and older adults (HR=1.59, p=0.003) after adjusting for histology, extent of resection, and initial therapy. Age at diagnosis was not associated with OS in multi-variable analysis.
CONCLUSIONS
Within our cohort, YA with IDH-mutant tumors progressed more quickly compared to their pediatric counterparts. Further study of YA patients with IDH-mutant glioma is critical to better define best practices for this group.
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