Prognostic factors in Ewing's tumor of bone: analysis of 975 patients from the European Intergroup Cooperative Ewing's Sarcoma Study Group

PURPOSE

To further elaborate on prognostic factors for Ewing's sarcoma of bone and to document improvements in relapse-free survival (RFS) and trends in local therapy over the study period (1977 to 1993).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A retrospective analysis was performed on a combined Gesellschaft Für Pädiatrische Onkologie und Hämatologie/Cooperative Ewing Sarcoma Study and United Kingdom Children's Cancer Study Group/Medical Research Council data set of 975 patients registered with the respective trial offices before the current collaborative European Intergroup Cooperative Ewing's Sarcoma Study trial. Both groups independently undertook studies with similar chemotherapy during the period.

RESULTS

The key adverse prognostic factor is metastases at diagnosis (5-year RFS, 22% of patients with metastases at diagnosis v 55% of patients without metastases at diagnosis; P: <.0001). For the group with metastases, there was a trend for better survival for those with lung involvement compared with those with bone metastases or a combination of lung and bone metastases (P: <.0001). In the group of patients with no metastases at diagnosis, multivariate analysis demonstrated that site (axial v other), age-group (< 15 v > or = 15 years), and period of diagnosis had significant influence on RFS (all P: <.005). RFS was superior in the period after 1985 compared with the period before 1985 for nonmetastatic patients (45% v 60%, respectively; P: <.0001) and for metastatic patients (16% v 30%, respectively; P: =.016). Patients who relapsed within 2 years of diagnosis had a less favorable prognosis than patients who relapsed later (5-year survival after relapse, 4% v 23%, respectively; P: <. 0001). There were other changes over the period; in particular, radiotherapy or amputation were more common in the period before 1986, whereas endoprosthetic surgery was widely used in the later period.

CONCLUSION

Survival and RFS improved over the period. Prognostic factors are metastases at diagnosis, primary site, and age.

Sequence-specific knockdown of EWS-FLI1 by targeted, nonviral delivery of small interfering RNA inhibits tumor growth in a murine model of metastatic Ewing's sarcoma

The development of effective, systemic therapies for metastatic cancer is highly desired. We show here that the systemic delivery of sequence-specific small interfering RNA (siRNA) against the EWS-FLI1 gene product by a targeted, nonviral delivery system dramatically inhibits tumor growth in a murine model of metastatic Ewing's sarcoma. The nonviral delivery system uses a cyclodextrin-containing polycation to bind and protect siRNA and transferrin as a targeting ligand for delivery to transferrin receptor-expressing tumor cells. Removal of the targeting ligand or the use of a control siRNA sequence eliminates the antitumor effects. Additionally, no abnormalities in interleukin-12 and IFN-alpha, liver and kidney function tests, complete blood counts, or pathology of major organs are observed from long-term, low-pressure, low-volume tail-vein administrations. These data provide strong evidence for the safety and efficacy of this targeted, nonviral siRNA delivery system.

Multimodal therapy for the management of primary, nonmetastatic Ewing's sarcoma of bone: a long-term follow-up of the First Intergroup study

A total of 342 previously untreated eligible children were entered into the first Intergroup Ewing's Sarcoma Study (IESS) between May 1973 and November 1978. In group I institutions, patients were randomized between treatment 1 (radiotherapy to primary lesion plus cyclophosphamide, vincristine, dactinomycin, and Adriamycin [doxorubicin; Adria Laboratories, Columbus, OH] [VAC plus ADR]) or treatment 2 (same as treatment 1 without ADR), and group II institutions randomized patients between treatment 2 or treatment 3 (same as treatment 2 plus bilateral pulmonary radiotherapy [VAC plus BPR]). The percentages of patients relapse-free and surviving (RFS) at 5 years for treatments 1, 2, and 3 were 60%, 24%, and 44%, respectively. There was strong statistical evidence of a significant advantage in RFS for treatment 1 (VAC plus ADR) versus 2 (VAC alone) (P less than .001) and 3 (P less than .05) and also of treatment 3 versus 2 (P less than .001). Similar significant results were observed with respect to overall survival. Patients with disease at pelvic sites have significantly poorer survival at 5 years than those with disease at nonpelvic sites (34% v 57%; P less than .001). Among pelvic cases, there was no evidence of differing survival by treatment (P = .81), but among nonpelvic cases, there was strong evidence of differing survival by treatment (P less than .001). The overall percentage of patients developing metastatic disease was 44%; the percentages by treatments 1, 2, and 3 were 30%, 72%, and 42%, respectively. The overall incidence of local recurrence was 15%, and there was no evidence that local recurrence rate differed by treatment. Patient characteristics related to prognosis, both with respect to RFS and overall survival experience, were primary site (nonpelvic patients were most favorable) and patient age (younger patients were more favorable).

Osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, and Ewing's sarcoma: National Cancer Data Base Report

We summarize descriptive epidemiologic and survival data from the National Cancer Data Base of the American College of Surgeons for 26,437 cases of osteosarcoma (n = 11,961), chondrosarcoma (n = 9606), and Ewing's sarcoma (n = 4870) from 1985 to 2003. Survival data are reported on cases with a minimum 5-year followup from 1985 to 1998 (8,104 osteosarcomas, 6,476 chondrosarcomas, and 3,225 Ewing's sarcomas). The relative 5-year survival rate was 53.9% for osteosarcoma, 75.2% for chondrosarcoma, and 50.6% for Ewing's sarcoma. Survival rates did not change notably over the collection period. Within osteosarcomas, the relative 5-year survival rates were 52.6% for high grade, 85.9% for parosteal, and 17.8% for Paget's subtypes. For osteosarcoma patients, the relative 5-year survival rate was 60% for those younger than 30 years, 50% for those aged 30 to 49 years, and 30% for those aged 50 years or older. Within chondrosarcomas, the relative 5-year survival rate was 76% for conventional, 71% for myxoid, 87% for juxtacortical, and 52% for mesenchymal. While the National Cancer Data Base has limitations, the survival data and demographics for bone sarcomas are unprecedented in numbers and duration. Our report supports continued efforts to refine data collection and stimulate further data analysis.

Ewing's sarcoma family of tumors: current management

Ewing's sarcoma is the second most frequent primary bone cancer, with approximately 225 new cases diagnosed each year in patients less than 20 years of age in North America. It is one of the pediatric small round blue cell tumors, characterized by strong membrane expression of CD99 in a chain-mail pattern and negativity for lymphoid (CD45), rhabdomyosarcoma (myogenin, desmin, actin) and neuroblastoma (neurofilament protein) markers. Pathognomonic translocations involving the ews gene on chromosome 22 and an ets-type gene, most commonly the fli1 gene on chromosome 11, are implicated in the great majority of cases. Clinical presentation is usually dominated by local bone pain and a mass. Imaging reveals a technetium pyrophosphate avid lesion that, on plain radiograph, is destructive, diaphyseal and classically causes layered periosteal calcification. Magnetic resonance best defines the extent of the lesion. Biopsy should be undertaken by an experienced orthopedic oncologist. Approximately three quarters of patients have initially localized disease. About two thirds survive disease-free. Management, preferably at a specialist center with a multi-disciplinary team, includes both local control-either surgery, radiation or a combination-and systemic chemotherapy. Chemotherapy includes cyclic combinations, incorporating vincristine, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, etoposide, ifosfamide and occasionally actinomycin D. Topotecan in combination with cyclophosphamide has shown preliminary activity. Patients with initially metastatic disease fare less well, with about one quarter surviving. Studies incorporating intensive therapy followed by stem cell infusion show no clear benefit. New approaches include anti-angiogenic therapy, particularly since vascular endothelial growth factor is an apparent downstream target of the ews-fli1 oncogene.

Extraskeletal neoplasm resembling Ewing's sarcoma

This article reviews the pathologic features and the behavior of 39 small, round, or oval cell sarcomas occurring in the soft tissues and considered histologically indistinguishable from Ewing's sarcoma of bone. The tumors affected chiefly young adults (median age 20 years) and most commonly involved the soft tissues of the lower extremity and the paravertebral region. Microscopically, they consisted of solidly packed small, round, or ovoid cells of great uniformity, arranged in sheets or lobules separated by strands of fibrous connective tissue. The nucleus of the tumor cells contained finely divided chromatin, a distinct nuclear membrane, and frequently a minute nucleolus. The scanty ill-defined cytoplasm contained varying amounts of glycogen. Sometimes the histologic picture was dominated by a "peritheliomatous" pattern, or by large areas of necrosis or hemorrhage. Followup data ranging from 1 month to 14 years were available in 35 of the 39 cases (93%). Of these, 13 were alive and 22 had died. In the majority of the fatal cases, the clinical course was rapid; metastatic lesions developed within a few months after the primary tumor was excised. The lungs and the skeleton were the two most common sites of metastasis. Cure may be achieved by wide local excision of the tumor at an early stage of the disease, combined with radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

Radiotherapy, alkylating agents, and risk of bone cancer after childhood cancer

BACKGROUND

Individuals who had cancer in childhood are at higher risk of developing bone cancer than any other type of second primary cancer.

PURPOSE

Using the population-based National Registry of Childhood Tumours in Britain, we investigated the incidence and etiology of second primary bone cancer after childhood cancer in a cohort study and in a case-control study.

METHODS

A cohort study of 13,175 3-year survivors of childhood cancer diagnosed in Britain between 1940 and 1983 revealed 55 subsequent bone cancers. A largely nested case-control study comprised 59 case subjects developing second primary bone cancer, and 220 control subjects were selected and matched for sex, type of first cancer, age at first cancer, and interval between diagnosis of first cancer and subsequent bone cancer. Outcome measures were the incidence of bone cancer after childhood cancer, the cumulative dose of radiation received at the site of the second cancer in the case subject and at the corresponding anatomic site in the matched control subjects, and the cumulative dose of alkylating agents and vinca alkaloids received by case and control subjects.

RESULTS

The percentage of 3-year survivors developing bone cancer within 20 years did not exceed 0.9%, except following heritable retinoblastoma (7.2%), Ewing's sarcoma (5.4%), and other malignant bone tumors (2.4%). The risk of bone cancer increased substantially with increased cumulative dose of radiation to the bone (P< .001, linear trend). At the highest levels of exposure, however, the risk appeared to decline somewhat (P=.065, nonlinearity). Exposure to less than 10 Gy was at worst, associated with only a small increased relative risk (RR) of bone cancer (RR= 0.7; 95% confidence interval = 0.2-2.2). The risk of bone cancer increased linearly (P= .04, one-tailed test) with increased cumulative dose of alkylating agents.

IMPLICATIONS

This population-based study provides grounds for reassurance of the majority of survivors in that their risk of developing bone cancer within 20 years of 3-year survival did not exceed 0.9%. The higher risks found for bone cancer following the other specific rare types of childhood cancer provide a rational basis for surveillance. The RRs reported for bone cancer after specified levels of exposure to radiation should help in making decisions concerning future treatment protocols.

Multidisciplinary treatment of primary Ewing's sarcoma of bone. A 6-year experience of a European Cooperative Trial

The German Society of Pediatric Oncology in 1981 initiated the Cooperative Ewing's Sarcoma Study (CESS 81) using a four-drug combination of chemotherapy prior to definitive local control with surgery and/or radiation. From January 1, 1981 until February 28, 1985, 93 patients were registered at the trial office from 54 participating institutions in West Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. On February 1, 1987, 54 of 93 patients were disease-free. Using the Kaplan-Meier life table analysis, the estimated disease-free survival (DFS) rate was 60% at 36 months and 55% at 69 months. The median period of observation was 29 months, ranging from 22 months to 69 months. Twenty-one of 93 patients (23%) had local failure, 18 of 93 patients (19%) developed systemic metastases. The local failure rate was particularly high in patients treated with radiation and was reduced when radiation planning was centralized within the study based upon the extent of disease at diagnosis. Cox regression analysis of prognostic factors showed that tumor volume was a significant factor influencing prognosis. The estimated 3-year DFS rate was 80% for patients with small tumors (volume less than 100 ml) compared to 31% for patients with large tumors (volume greater than or equal to 100 ml). In patients who had surgery for local control, the histologic response to chemotherapy was analyzed on the surgical specimen and had a strong influence on survival: 79% DFS at 3 years for patients with less than 10% viable tumor (good responders) compared to 31% DFS for patients with more than 10% viable tumor (poor responders). Tumor load and responsiveness to chemotherapy are the two major factors influencing prognosis in patients with primary Ewing's sarcoma of bone.

[18F]Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography predicts outcome for Ewing sarcoma family of tumors

PURPOSE

Response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy is a significant prognostic factor for the Ewing sarcoma family of tumors (ESFTs). [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) is a noninvasive imaging modality that accurately predicts histopathologic response in several malignancies. To determine the prognostic value of FDG PET response for progression-free survival (PFS) in ESFTs, we reviewed the University of Washington Medical Center experience.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Thirty-six patients with ESFTs were evaluated by FDG PET. All patients received neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy. FDG PET standard uptake values before (SUV1) and after (SUV2) chemotherapy were analyzed and correlated with chemotherapy response, as assessed by histopathology in surgically excised tumors. Thirty-four patients had both SUV1 and SUV2.

RESULTS

The mean SUV1, SUV2, and ratio of SUV2 to SUV1 (SUV2:1) were 7.9 (range, 2.3 to 32.8), 2.1 (range, 0 to 4.3), and 0.36 (range, 0.00 to 1.00), respectively. Good FDG PET response was defined as SUV2 less than 2.5 or SUV2:1 < or = 0.5. FDG PET response by SUV2 or SUV2:1 was concordant with histologic response in 68% and 69% of patients, respectively. SUV2 was associated with outcome (4-year PFS 72% for SUV2 < 2.5 v 27% for SUV2 > or = 2.5, P = .01 for all patients; 80% for SUV2 < 2.5 v 33% for SUV2 > or = 2.5, P = .036 for localized at diagnosis patients). SUV2:1 < or = 0.5 was not predictive of PFS.

CONCLUSION

FDG PET imaging of ESFTs correlates with histologic response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. SUV2 less than 2.5 is predictive of PFS independent of initial disease stage.

Second malignancies after Ewing's sarcoma: radiation dose-dependency of secondary sarcomas

BACKGROUND

An excess risk of second malignancies has been reported in survivors of Ewing's sarcoma. We examined a multiinstitutional data base to reevaluate the risk among survivors of Ewing's sarcoma and to identify possible causal factors.

METHODS

Information was derived from a data base that included 266 survivors of Ewing's sarcoma. Cumulative incidence rates of second malignancies were calculated. Contributions of clinical features, type and dose of chemotherapy, and cumulative radiation dose to the risk of second malignancies were evaluated.

RESULTS

After a median follow-up duration of 9.5 years (range, 3.0 to 30), 16 patients have developed second malignancies, which included 10 sarcomas (five osteosarcomas, three fibrosarcomas, and two malignant fibrous histiocytomas) and six other malignancies (acute myeloblastic leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, meningioma, bronchioalveolar carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, and carcinoma-in-situ of the cervix). The median latency to the diagnosis of the second malignancy was 7.6 years (range, 3.5 to 25.7). The estimated cumulative incidence rates at 20 years for any second malignancy and for secondary sarcoma were 9.2% (SD = 2.7%) and 6.5% (SD = 2.4%), respectively. The cumulative incidence rate of secondary sarcoma was radiation dose-dependent (P = .002). No secondary sarcomas developed among patients who had received less than 48 Gy, while the absolute risk of secondary sarcoma was 130 cases per 10,000 person-years of observation among patients who had received > or = 60 Gy.

CONCLUSION

The overall risk of second malignancies after Ewing's sarcomas is similar to that associated with treatment for other childhood cancers. The radiation dose-dependency of secondary sarcomas justifies modification in therapy to reduce radiation doses.

Common musculoskeletal tumors of childhood and adolescence

Osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, and rhabdomyosarcoma are the most common malignant musculoskeletal tumors in children and adolescents. Today, most patients can be cured. Numerous factors have contributed to improved outcome for these patients over the past several decades. These include multidisciplinary care involving oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgeons, pathologists, and radiologists and enrollment of patients in clinical trials. Better understanding of molecular mechanisms of disease have resulted in studies using molecular targets in addition to standard chemotherapeutic agents, which hopefully will lead to better outcomes in the future. Moreover, new orthopedic techniques and devices as well as new technologies in radiation oncology hold promise for better local control of primary tumors and the potential for fewer late adverse effects. Despite this progress, patients must undergo lifelong follow-up for possible late effects of intense chemotherapy and radiation therapy. We review the diagnosis, prognosis, staging, multidisciplinary therapy, new directions in therapy, and long-term complications of treatment for these tumors. For this review, we searched MEDLINE using the terms rhabdomyosarcoma, osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, biology, and humans and limited the search to articles from 2000 to September 2011. Additional references found in these articles were utilized as appropriate, as well as references from the background information in current therapeutic studies of the Children's Oncology Group. The same database and time frame were searched for articles written by leading authorities in the field.

The Ewing family of tumors. Ewing's sarcoma and primitive neuroectodermal tumors

There has been an explosion of new knowledge regarding the Ewing family of tumors over the past 5 to 10 years. Classical Ewing's sarcoma and PNET are now known to be the same tumor with variable differentiation, defined by a translocation between the EWS gene on chromosome 22 with one of three ETS-like genes, especially the FLI-1 gene on chromosome 11. Molecular techniques used to identify this translocation along with the knowledge that the protein product of the MIC2 gene is highly expressed on the cell surface have greatly improved our diagnostic abilities in this family of tumors. Controversy still exists as to whether surgery improves event-free survival when compared with radiotherapy in Ewing's sarcoma. The high second tumor rate, if nothing else, has started moving many physicians to preferentially use surgery when the functional results are predicted to be reasonable. The addition of ifosfamide and etoposide to standard therapy in Ewing's sarcoma has improved survival for patients without metastases at presentation. However, outcome for patients with metastases or who develop metastases while on therapy or shortly thereafter remains poor. Preliminary reports of better outcome with megatherapy are interesting but not yet definitive. The decades ahead will probably see marked changes in therapy for Ewing's sarcoma. The unique translocation seen in virtually all of these tumors is a potential target for a "magic bullet" therapy, because the protein product of this translocation is present only in the malignant cells. Hopefully either immune modulation against this unique protein or further knowledge of how to use antisense genes will move us toward exquisitely targeted therapy in the Ewing family of tumors.

Primary metastatic (stage IV) Ewing tumor: survival analysis of 171 patients from the EICESS studies. European Intergroup Cooperative Ewing Sarcoma Studies

BACKGROUND

In the multicenter European Intergroup Cooperative Ewing's Sarcoma Studies, localized Ewing tumors of bone were treated by combination chemotherapy with surgery and/or radiotherapy. Patients with primary metastases (pm-pts) were treated in high risk protocols.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

One hundred seventy-seven pm-pts were registered from January 1990 to December 1995, 171 were evaluable for survival analyses. Thirty-six pm-pts received myeloablative megatherapy with stem cell rescue following conventional treatment. Bilateral whole lung irradiation (WLI) was administered in 57 pm-pts with pulmonary involvement. Event-free survival (EFS) rates were estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Prognostic factors were identified by log-rank statistics, Cox procedures and logistic regression.

RESULTS

Eighty-nine deaths were recorded by 1 February 1997, EFS four years after diagnosis for all 171 pm-pts was 0.27. EFS for isolated lung metastases was 0.34, for bone/bone marrow (BM) metastases, 0.28, and for combined lung plus bone/BM metastases, 0.14 (P < 0.005). WLI improved outcome in case of isolated pulmonary involvement (0.40 vs. 0.19, P < 0.05). In pm-pts with combined pulmonary/skeletal metastases, intensification by megatherapy and/or WLI improved EFS from 0.00 to 0.27 (P = 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

EFS four years after diagnosis in patients with disseminated Ewing tumors is 0.27. Whole lung irradiation and megatherapy improve outcome in subgroups of patients with disseminated Ewing tumors is 0.27. Whole lung irradiation and megatherapy improve outcome in subgroups of patients with disseminated Ewing disease.

The Biology of Ewing sarcoma

Sarcomas account for less than 10% of all human malignancies that are believed to originate from as yet poorly defined mesenchymal progenitor cells. They constitute some of the most aggressive adult and childhood cancers in that they have a high metastatic proclivity and are typically refractory to conventional chemo- and radiation therapy. Ewing's sarcoma is a member of Ewing's family tumors (ESFT) and the second most common solid bone and soft tissue malignancy of children and young adults. It is associated in 85% of cases with the t(11;22)(q24:q12) chromosomal translocation that generates fusion of the 5' segment of the EWS gene with the 3' segment of the ETS family gene FLI-1. The resulting EWS-FLI-1 fusion protein is believed to behave as an aberrant transcriptional activator that contributes to ESFT development by altering the expression of its target genes in a permissive cellular environment. Although ESFTs are among the best studied sarcomas, the mechanisms involved in EWS-FLI-1-induced transformation require further elucidation and the primary cells from which ESFTs originate need to be identified. This review will highlight some of the most recent discoveries in the field of Ewing sarcoma biology and origins.

Ewing's tumors with primary lung metastases: survival analysis of 114 (European Intergroup) Cooperative Ewing's Sarcoma Studies patients

PURPOSE

To analyze event-free survival (EFS) and prognostic factors in patients who present with Ewing's tumors (ET) of bone and synchronous pulmonary and/or pleural metastases (ppm).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Of 1,270 patients (pts) registered at the continental office of the German/European Intergroup Cooperative Ewing's Sarcoma Studies (CESS81, CESS86, EICESS92), 114 were diagnosed ET with ppm. Patients underwent neoadjuvant therapy and local treatment of the primary tumor. Whole-lung irradiation 15 to 18 Gy was applied to 75 ppm-pts. EFS and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated according to the Kaplan-Meier method, and prognostic factors were analyzed by log-rank tests and Cox and logistic regression procedures.

RESULTS

On November 1, 1997, at a median time under study of 5.9 years, the 5-year EFS was 0.36 (95% CI, 0.26 to 0.46) and the 10-year EFS was 0.30 (95% CI, 0.19 to 0.41). Thirty-seven of 59 (63%) first relapses involved lung and/or pleura, and the lungs were the only site of relapse in 26 of 59 (44%) ppm-pts. Risk factors identified in univariate and multivariate tests were poor response of the primary tumor toward chemotherapy, metastatic lesions in both lungs, and treatment without additional lung irradiation.

CONCLUSION

Chemotherapy response of the primary tumor is a prognostic factor in patients with ET with ppm. Strategies of treatment intensification warrant further evaluation.

Analysis of prognostic factors in ewing sarcoma family of tumors: review of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital studies

BACKGROUND

Advances in systemic and local therapies have improved outcomes for patients with the Ewing sarcoma family of tumors (ESFT). As new treatments are developed, a critical review of data from past treatment eras is needed to identify clinically relevant risk groups.

METHODS

The authors reviewed the records of 220 patients with ESFT who were treated on protocols at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital from 1979 to 2004. Two treatment eras were defined. Factors predictive of outcome were analyzed to identify distinct risk groups.

RESULTS

The median age at diagnosis was 13.7 years (range, 1.1-25.2 years). Metastatic disease was associated with tumors measuring >8 cm (P = .002) and axial location (P = .014). The 5-year overall survival (OS) estimate (63.5% +/- 3.5%) did not appear to differ by protocol. Tumor stage and size were found to be the only independent predictors of outcome. Treatment era and type of local control therapy were found to influence the outcome of patients with localized disease. Four risk groups were defined: favorable risk (age <14 years with localized, nonpelvic tumors), intermediate risk (localized, age >/=14 years, or pelvic tumors), unfavorable-pulmonary (isolated lung metastases), and unfavorable-extrapulmonary (extrapulmonary metastases). The 5-year OS estimates for these groups were 88.1% +/- 4.4%, 64.9% +/- 5.2%, 53.8% +/- 9.4%, and 27.2% +/- 7.3%, respectively (P < .001). The incidence of therapy-related leukemia was significantly higher during the second treatment era, when more intensified regimens were used (6.1% +/- 2.7% vs 0% +/- 0%; P = .005).

CONCLUSIONS

Risk stratification schemes such as this should be used to prospectively evaluate novel risk-based therapies. Studies of biologic pathways may help to refine this model.

High-dose melphalan, etoposide, total-body irradiation, and autologous stem-cell reconstitution as consolidation therapy for high-risk Ewing's sarcoma does not improve prognosis

PURPOSE

To determine whether consolidation therapy with high-dose melphalan, etoposide, and total-body irradiation (TBI) with autologous stem-cell support would improve the prognosis for patients with newly diagnosed metastatic Ewing's sarcoma (ES).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Thirty-two eligible patients with newly diagnosed ES metastatic to bone and/or bone marrow were enrolled onto this study. Treatment was initially comprised of five cycles of induction chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and vincristine alternating with ifosfamide and etoposide) and local control. Peripheral-blood stem-cell collection was performed after the second cycle of chemotherapy, with delay if the bone marrow was persistently involved. If patients had a good response to initial therapy, they proceeded to consolidation therapy with melphalan, etoposide, TBI, and stem-cell support.

RESULTS

Of the 32 eligible patients, 23 proceeded to high-dose therapy consolidation. Of the nine patients who did not proceed to consolidation, four were secondary to progressive disease and two were secondary to toxicity. Three patients died from toxicity during the high-dose phase of the therapy. The majority of the patients who underwent high-dose consolidation therapy experienced relapse and died with progressive disease. Two-year event-free survival (EFS) for all eligible patients is 20%. The 2-year post-stem-cell reconstitution EFS for the subset of 23 patients who received consolidation therapy is 24%. Analysis of peripheral-blood stem-cell collections by molecular techniques for minimal residual disease showed contamination of at least some samples by tumor cells in all three patients with available data.

CONCLUSION

Consolidation with high-dose melphalan, etoposide, TBI, and autologous stem-cell support failed to improve the probability of EFS in this cohort of patients with newly diagnosed metastatic ES.

Myeloablative radiochemotherapy and hematopoietic stem-cell rescue in poor-prognosis Ewing's sarcoma

PURPOSE

The prognosis of patients with multifocal primary and early or multiple relapsed Ewing's sarcoma is poor with conventional chemoradiotherapy and surgery. We evaluated the efficacy and feasibility of a myeloablative regimen administered as consolidation treatment for these patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The ablative regimens consisted of simultaneous radiochemotherapy: 12 Gy hyperfractionated total-body irradiation (TBI; two doses of 1.5 Gy for 4 days) plus fractionated high-dose melphalan (30 to 45 mg/m2 for 4 days) followed by high-dose etoposide (40 to 60 mg/kg) with or without carboplatin (900 to 1,500 mg/m2) (hyper-ME +/- C). These regimens were applied in a dose-escalation study that included 17 patients. All patients underwent remission induction chemotherapy and local treatment before myeloablative therapy. Seven patients had multifocal primary Ewing's sarcoma, and 10 had early or multiple relapse. We performed a matched-cohort analysis of the 17 grafted patients with 41 historic controls matched for sex, age, diagnosis, extent of disease, interval from diagnosis to transplant in the transplant group, and interval from diagnosis to relapse in the control group.

RESULTS

The probability of relapse in the study patients is 52% at 6 years after the last event before transplantation. In the control group, the probability of relapse at 6 years was 98%. Eight of 17 treated patients are alive in complete remission at a median observation time of 49 months (range, 19 to 76) from the last event before transplantation. Probability of relapse-free survival in the study patients is 45% +/- 12% at 6 years after the last event before transplant, compared with 2% +/- 2% for the historic control group.

CONCLUSION

Myeloblative therapy with hyper-ME +/- C radiochemotherapy can improve the prognosis of multifocal primary and early or multiple relapsing Ewing's sarcoma.

Primary Ewing's sarcoma/primitive neuroectodermal tumor of the kidney: a clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical analysis of 11 cases

Ewing's sarcoma/primitive neuroectodermal tumor (ES/PNET) is an extraordinarily rare primary tumor in the kidney and can be mistaken for a variety of other round cell tumors, including blastema-predominant Wilms' tumor (WT). Approximately 90% of ES/PNET have a specific t(11;22), which results in a chimeric EWS-FLI-1 protein. Immunohistochemistry for the carboxy-terminus of FLI-1 is sensitive and highly specific for the diagnosis of ES/PNET. WT-1, the WT-associated tumor suppressor gene, is overexpressed in WT but not in ES/PNET. No study has examined FLI-1 or WT-1 expression in renal ES/PNET. The clinicopathologic features of 11 renal ES/PNET were studied along with immunohistochemistry for cytokeratin, desmin, CD99, FLI-1, and WT-1. WT were also immunostained for CD99 (5 cases), FLI-1 (10 cases), and WT-1 (9 cases). The patients (6 men, 5 women) ranged from 18 to 49 years of age (mean, 34 yr). The mean tumor size was 11.8 +/- 3.8 cm (mean +/- standard deviation). Presenting symptoms included abdominal/flank pain and/or hematuria. Grossly, all tumors showed necrosis and hemorrhage, and 4 had cystic change. Microscopically, all tumors showed vaguely lobular growth, primitive round cells, and variable rosette formation. Epithelial, myogenous, or cartilaginous differentiation was not seen. Immunohistochemical results on the renal ES/PNET were cytokeratin (2/8 focal), desmin (0/9), CD99 (8/8), FLI-1 (5/8), and WT-1 (0/8). In comparison, the WT only rarely expressed CD99 (1/5) and did not express FLI-1 (0/10), but were usually WT-1-positive (7/9). Follow-up on 8 cases (mean, 28 mo; range, 6-64 mo) showed 4 lung and pleural metastases, 1 bone metastasis, liver metastasis, 2 local recurrences, and 5 deaths from disease (median time to death, 16.8 mo). No case had distant metastatic disease at presentation. Adjuvant therapy included chemotherapy (8 cases), radiation (3 cases), and bone marrow transplantation (1 case). Our study affirms a unique proclivity of renal ES/PNET for young adults and that it is a highly aggressive neoplasm, with rapid death in many cases, usually after the development of treatment-resistant lung metastases. These tumors must be distinguished from blastema-predominant WT and other primitive renal tumors that require different therapy. FLI-1 and WT-1 immunohistochemistry may be valuable in this differential diagnosis, given the known immunophenotypic overlap between ES/PNET and blastema-predominant WT with regard to CD99, cytokeratin, and desmin. The accurate distinction between these two entities has clear prognostic and therapeutic implications.

Ewing's sarcoma of soft tissues in childhood: a report from the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study, 1972 to 1991

PURPOSE

One hundred thirty of 2,792 patients (5%) registered on three Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study clinical trials (IRS-I, -II, and -III) from 1972 to 1991 had an extraosseous Ewing's sarcoma (EOE). We report here the results of multimodality therapy for this tumor.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The 130 patients were less than 21 years of age; 70 (54%) were males. Primary tumor sites were on the trunk in 41 patients, an extremity in 34, the head/neck in 23, the retroperitoneum/pelvis in 21, and other sites in 11. One hundred fourteen patients had no metastases at diagnosis. In 21 patients, the tumor was completely resected; in 30, the localized or regional tumor was grossly resected, and in 63 patients, grossly visible sarcoma was left behind. Sixteen patients (12%) had distant metastases at diagnosis. All patients were given multiagent chemotherapy and most received irradiation (XRT); none were treated with bone marrow transplantation.

RESULTS

One hundred seven patients (82%) achieved a complete response. At 10 years, 62%, 61%, and 77% of the patients were alive after treatment on IRS-I, IRS-II, or IRS-III therapeutic protocols, respectively, similar to figures obtained in all IRS patients. At last follow-up evaluation, 42 patients had died of progressive tumor and one of infection. Survival at 10 years was most likely for patients with tumor that arose in the head and neck, extremities, and trunk, and for those who underwent grossly complete tumor removal before initiation of chemotherapy. For patients with localized, gross residual tumor, adding doxorubicin (DOX) to the combination of vincristine, dactinomycin, cyclophosphamide (VAC), and XRT did not significantly improve survival in 39 patients (62% alive at 10 years) compared with that of 24 patients treated with VAC and XRT without DOX (65% alive at 10 years, P = .93).

CONCLUSION

This series indicated that EOE in children is similar to rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) in its response to multimodal treatment. No benefit was apparent from the addition of DOX to VAC chemotherapy in patients with gross residual EOE.

Monitoring therapeutic responses of primary bone tumors by diffusion-weighted image: Initial results

The purpose of our study was to investigate whether quantitative diffusion-weighted images (DWI) were useful for monitoring the therapeutic response of primary bone tumors. We encountered 18 osteogenic and Ewing sarcomas. Magnetic resonance (MR) images were performed in all patients before and after therapy. We measured the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and tumor volume of the bone tumors pre- and posttreatment. We determined change in ADC value, change in CNR on T2-weighted images (T2WI), change in CNR on gadopentetate dimeglumine (Gd)-T1-weighted images (Gd-T1WI), and change in tumor volume. The bone tumors were divided into two groups: group A was comprised of tumors with less than 90% necrosis after treatment and group B of tumors at least with 90%. Changes in ADC value, tumor volume, and CNR were compared between the groups. Change in the ADC value was statistically greater in group B than that in the group A (p = 0.003). There was no significant difference in the changes in CNR on T2WI (p = 0.683), in CNR on Gd-T1WI (p = 0.763), and tumor volume (p = 0.065). The ADC value on DWI is a promising tool for monitoring the therapeutic response of primary bone sarcomas.

Long-term results in 144 localized Ewing's sarcoma patients treated with combined therapy

The results of 144 previously untreated cases of primary Ewing's sarcoma of bone are reported with a minimum follow-up of 5 years. This series was treated between 1972 and 1982 at Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli with a combined therapy. The local control of the disease consisted of amputation (ten cases), resection followed by radiation therapy (35-45 Gy) (48 cases) and radiation therapy alone (40-60 Gy) (86 cases). Adjuvant chemotherapy, rigorously standardized, was performed according two different protocols: the first (85 cases treated in the period 1972-1978) consisted of vincristine (VCR) Adriamycin (doxorubicin) (ADM), and cyclophosphamide (EDX); the second (59 cases treated in the period 1979-1982) of VCR, ADM, EDX and dactinomycin (DACT). At a follow-up of 5 to 16 years (median, 9), 59 patients (41%) are continuously disease-free (CDF), 81 (56%) developed metastatic disease and/or local recurrence, and four (3%) had a second malignancy. Three factors seem to be correlated to prognosis: the site of the initial lesion (only 23% of the pelvic lesions are represented in the CDF group versus 46% of the other locations); the chemotherapy protocol (32% of the cases in the first protocol are CDF versus 54% in the second); the type of local treatment (60% of the patients treated with amputation or resection plus radiotherapy versus 28% of those treated with radiation therapy alone are CDF). A local recurrence was observed in 24% of the patients (8% in the group locally treated with surgery or surgery plus radiation therapy versus 36% in the group treated with radiation therapy alone). These data suggest that even though adjuvant chemotherapy can improve the long-term results in localized Ewing's sarcoma patients, this disease still represents, in a high percentage of cases, a lethal process whose final prognosis widely depends on the local control of the lesion. Due to the questionable effect of the radiation therapy alone in controlling the primary lesion and its important side effects, the role of surgery in treating Ewing's sarcoma of bone should be extended.

IGF-1R as an anti-cancer target--trials and tribulations

Type I insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-1R) has long been recognized for its role in tumorigenesis and growth, but only recently have the tools for targeting the IGF pathway become available. More than 10 IGF/IGF-1R inhibitors have entered clinical trials, and these belong to three main classes: (1) monoclonal antibodies against IGF-1R, (2) monoclonal antibodies against IGF-1R ligands (IGF-1 and IGF-2), and (3) IGF-1R tyrosine kinase inhibitors. These IGF-1R-targeting agents share common effects on IGF-1R signaling but differ in mechanisms of action, spectrum of target inhibition, and pharmacological features. Clinical activity of IGF-1R inhibitors has been demonstrated with sustained responses in a small number of patients with select tumor types, such as Ewing sarcoma and thymoma. However, many large clinical trials involving patients with adult tumors, including non-small cell lung cancer, breast cancer, and pancreatic cancer, failed to show clinical benefit in the overall patient population. Possible reasons for failure include the complexity of the IGF-1R/insulin receptor system and parallel growth and survival pathways, as well as a lack of patient selection markers. While IGF-1R remains a valid target for selected tumor types, identification of predictive markers and rational combinations will be critical to success in future development.