Given the abundance of new research, it can be challenging to stay current on the latest advancements and findings. Oncology Times is here to help with summaries of the newest studies to ensure you are up-to-date on the latest innovations in oncology practice.
Mediating effect of postsurgical chemotherapy on presence of dementia and survival among patients 65 and older with stage III colon cancer
COLON CANCER
Pre-existing dementia was associated with increased risk of death for older patients with advanced colon cancer in a new study; however, some of the effects of dementia on survival could be mediated by chemotherapy (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2017; doi:10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-17-0277). Researchers performed a retrospective cohort study utilizing SEER-Medicare data to identify 4,573 patients diagnosed with stage III colon cancer between 2007 and 2009. Of these patients, 60.9 percent were women, and 79.7 percent were white. Data showed that a pre-existing dementia diagnosis was associated with an increased risk of death by 45 percent. According to researchers, the average mean survival time for patients with stage III colon cancer and pre-existing dementia was only 57 percent that of their cognitively healthy counterparts. Results confirmed that chemotherapy mediated the effect of pre-existing dementia by 13 percent. Researchers concluded, "Preexisting dementia is significantly associated with worse survival for stage III colon cancer patients, and its deleterious effect is partially explained by decreased likelihood of postoperative chemotherapy receipt."
Rituximab after autologous stem-cell transplantation in mantle cell lymphoma
MANTLE CELL LYMPHOMA
Based on results from a phase III trial, researchers found rituximab maintenance therapy after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation prolonged event-free survival (EFS), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) among patients who were diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma at age 66 years or younger (N Engl J Med 2017; doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1701769). Researchers randomly assigned 240 patients to receive rituximab maintenance therapy (120 patients) or to undergo observation after autologous stem-cell transplantation (120 patients). Median follow-up was 50.2 months from the time of randomization. Four-year EFS was 79 percent (95% CI, 70-86) in the rituximab group compared with 61 percent (95% CI, 51-70) in the observation group (P = .001). Additionally, a greater number of patients in the rituximab group achieved 4-year PFS (83% vs. 64%; HR for disease progression, relapse, or death = 0.4; 95% CI, 0.23-0.68) and OS (89% vs. 80%; HR for mortality = 0.5; 95% CI, 0.26-0.99).
Hypermutated circulating tumor DNA: correlation with response to checkpoint inhibitor-based immunotherapy
IMMUNOTHERAPY
New data revealed that the number of alterations detected in the DNA collected from liquid biopsies of cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors was associated with response to the treatment (Clin Can Res 2017; doi:10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-17-1439). Researchers assessed 69 patients with different types of cancer who were treated with immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy and underwent blood-derived circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) next generation sequencing testing (54-70 genes). They counted the number of variants of unknown significance (VUS). Of the 69 patients, 29 percent had more than three VUS alterations and 71 percent had three or fewer VUS in their ctDNA. Following treatment with an immune checkpoint inhibitor, patients with more than three VUS in their ctDNA had significantly higher response rates (45%) compared with those who had three or fewer VUS (15%). "Given the association of alteration number on liquid biopsy and checkpoint inhibitor-based immunotherapy outcomes, further investigation of hypermutated ctDNA as a predictive biomarker is warranted," investigators concluded.
BMTP-11 is active in preclinical models of human osteosarcoma and a candidate targeted drug for clinical translation
OSTEOSARCOMA
A recent study found bone metastasis-targeting peptidomimetic (BMTP-11) has potential as a new therapeutic strategy for osteosarcoma (Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017;114(30):8065-8070). Researchers identified the IL-11 receptor [alpha] subunit (IL-11R[alpha]) as a "cell surface marker of tumor progression that correlates with poor prognosis in patients with osteosarcoma." They also showed that IL-11R[alpha] and its ligand, IL-11, are specifically up-regulated in human metastatic osteosarcoma cell lines. The IL-11R[alpha]-targeted proapoptotic agent BMTP-11 was evaluated in preclinical models of primary intratibial osteosarcomas and researchers observed significant inhibition of both tumor growth and lung metastases. The impact increased when combined with chemotherapy. "Our combined data support the development of approaches targeting IL-11R[alpha], and establish BMTP-11 as a leading drug candidate for clinical translation in patients with high-risk osteosarcoma," study authors wrote.
Breast cancer statistics, 2017, racial disparity in mortality by state
BREAST CANCER
Breast cancer death rates in the U.S. declined by 39 percent between 1989 and 2015, according to recently release data (CA Cancer J Clin 2017; doi:10.3322/caac.21412). Additionally, the study found that while nationwide breast cancer death rates remain higher among black women compared to white women, the mortality rates for the two cohorts are now statistically equivalent in seven states. Trends in breast cancer incidence, mortality, survival, and screening overtime were identified utilizing SEER and National Program of Cancer Registries data. Researchers also used this data to project the number of new breast cancer cases for 2017. According to investigators, 252,710 new cases of invasive breast cancer and 40,610 breast cancer deaths are expected to occur among U.S. women this year. While the results revealed that incidence rates between 2005 and 2014 remained consistent among non-Hispanic white women and American Indian/Alaska Native women, rates increased among Asian/Pacific Islander women (1.7% per year), non-Hispanic black women (0.4% per year), and Hispanic women (0.3% per year). Investigators noted that these increases were linked to a greater incidence of hormone receptor-positive breast cancers. "Improving access to care for all populations could eliminate the racial disparity in breast cancer mortality and accelerate the reduction in deaths from this malignancy nationwide," researchers concluded.
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