Correlation of RECIST, Computed Tomography Morphological Response, and Pathological Regression in Hepatic Metastasis Secondary to Colorectal Cancer: The AVAMET Study

Background: The prospective phase IV AVAMET study was undertaken to correlate response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (RECIST)-defined response rates with computed tomography-based morphological criteria (CTMC) and pathological response after liver resection of colorectal cancer metastases. Methods: Eligible patients were aged ≥18 years, with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0/1 and histologically-confirmed colon or rectal adenocarcinoma with measurable liver metastases. Preoperative treatment was bevacizumab (7.5 mg on day 1) + XELOX (oxaliplatin 130 mg/m², capecitabine 1000 mg/m² bid on days 1–14 q3w). After three cycles, response was evaluated by a multidisciplinary team. Patients who were progression-free and metastasectomy candidates received one cycle of XELOX before undergoing surgery 3–5 weeks later, followed by four cycles of bevacizumab + XELOX. Results: A total of 83 patients entered the study; 68 were eligible for RECIST, 67 for CTMC, and 51 for pathological response evaluation. Of these patients, 49% had a complete or partial RECIST response, 91% had an optimal or incomplete CTMC response, and 81% had a complete or major pathological response. CTMC response predicted 37 of 41 pathological responses versus 23 of 41 responses predicted using RECIST (p = 0.008). Kappa coefficients indicated a lack of correlation between the results of RECIST and morphological responses and between morphological and pathological response rates. Conclusion: CTMC may represent a better marker of pathological response to bevacizumab + XELOX than RECIST in patients with potentially-resectable CRC liver metastases.

Role of 3D printing for the protection of surgical and critical care professionals in the COVID-19 pandemic

Antecedentes y objetivo

Durante la pandemia de COVID-19 se produce una reducción del material para la protección de los profesionales. La impresión 3D ofrece la posibilidad de compensar la escasez de algunos de los suministros. El objetivo es describir el papel de la impresión 3D en un servicio de salud durante la pandemia de COVID-19, con énfasis en proceso para desarrollar un producto final listo para ser implementado en el entorno clínico.

Materiales y métodos

Se formó un grupo de trabajo entre la administración sanitaria, clínicos y otras instituciones público-privadas de Cantabria coordinado en el Hospital virtual Valdecilla. El proceso incluyó la recepción de las propuestas de impresión, el conocimiento de los recursos de impresión en la región, la selección de los dispositivos, la creación de un equipo para cada proyecto, diseño de prototipos, evaluación y rediseño, fabricación montaje y distribución.

Resultados

Se producen 1) dispositivos que ayudan a prevenir el contagio de los profesionales: pantallas de protección facial (2.400 unidades), accesorios personalizados para fotóforos (20 unidades) y horquillas salvaorejas para mascarillas (1.200 unidades); 2) productos relacionados con la ventilación de pacientes infectados: conectores de sistemas de ventilación no invasiva entre tubuladura y mascarilla; y 3) hisopos oro y nasofaríngeos (7.500 unidades) para la identificación de portadoras del coronavirus con el objetivo de diseñar protocolos de actuación en las área clínicas.

Conclusiones

La impresión 3D es un recurso válido para la producción de material de protección de los profesionales cuyo suministro está reducido durante una pandemia.

Patterns of relapse and treatment outcome after active surveillance or adjuvant carboplatin for stage I seminoma: a retrospective study of the Spanish Germ Cell Cancer Group

PURPOSE

Active surveillance (AS) and adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) with carboplatin are valid alternatives for managing stage I seminoma, and most relapses can be cured with cisplatin-based chemotherapy. However, some reports suggest that AC may modify the classical pattern of recurrences.

METHODS

We analyzed all relapses observed in a series of 879 patients with stage I seminoma included in 4 consecutive studies of the Spanish Germ Cell Cancer Group. After a median follow-up of 67 months, recurrences were detected in 56/467 (12%) low-risk cases on AS and 13/412 (3%) high-risk cases after AC (p < 0.001). The objective was to describe clinical features, treatment and outcome. Univariate comparisons were performed between both groups.

RESULTS

No significant differences were found between relapses on AS and those after AC in terms of time to relapse (13 vs 17 months), size (26 vs 27 mm), location (retroperitoneum in 88% vs 85%), and method of detection (computed tomography in 77% vs 69%). Treatment consisted of chemotherapy (etoposide + cisplatin ± bleomycin) in 89% and 92%, respectively. Late relapses (after > 3 years) were seen in 11% vs 7.7% (p = NS) and second or successive recurrences in 1.8 vs 23% (p < 0.05). With a median follow-up of 130 moths, two patients died of seminoma-unrelated causes (AS group) and the rest are alive and disease-free.

CONCLUSION

In the setting of a risk-adapted treatment of stage I seminoma, the administration of two courses of AC in patients with tumor size > 4 cm and/or rete testis invasion is associated with a higher incidence of second recurrences but does not significantly modify the pattern of relapses or their outcome.

Gliomatosis cerebri and Rasmussen's encephalitis: Two different entities causing refractory epilepsy. Comparison through two clinical cases

BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE

Rasmussen's Encephalitis (RE) is a chronic and progressive childhood disease caused by an inflammatory disorder that affects a cerebral hemisphere. On the other hand, Gliomatosis Cerebri (GC) is a rare primary neoplastic glial process with a diffuse and infiltrative growth.

CLINICAL PRESENTATION

We present two clinical cases with a history of continuous focal epilepsy refractory to antiepileptic drugs. They share similar clinical and radiologic features, but a different histopathological diagnosis. A brain biopsy was needed to distinguish GC from a RE.

CONCLUSION

The debut of a drug-resistant epilepsy with focal seizures and an ipsilateral progressive hemiparesis suggests the diagnosis of RE. However, there are other entities such as GC, which, despite its rarity, should be considered in the differential diagnosis. So, in some cases, histological diagnosis is needed.

Human chorionic gonadotropin-positive seminoma patients: A registry compiled by the global germ cell tumor collaborative group (G3)

BACKGROUND

The prognostic role of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) serum levels in seminoma patients remains uncertain. This observational study evaluates the prognostic impact of tumour marker levels, and other clinicopathological findings, in hCG-positive seminoma patients.

METHODS

Seminoma patients with serum hCG levels above normal at first diagnosis were eligible for recruitment. Statistical analysis, including multivariate regression, was performed to identify risk factors. Primary end-points were overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS).

RESULTS

We recruited 1031 hCG-positive patients (stage I: n = 586; stage II + III: n = 427) diagnosed between 1981 and 2018. In metastatic disease, LDH levels ≥3 above upper normal limit (UNL) pre- (n = 109) or post-orchiectomy (n = 73) and patients aged ≥40 years (n = 187) were associated with poor prognosis: 5-year OS rates of 84% (LDH ≥3 UNL pre-orchiectomy) versus 92% (<3 UNL pre-orchiectomy) (hazard ratio [HR]: 3.155, [95% confidence interval {CI}: 1.28-7.75], P = 0.012), 82% (≥3 UNL post-orchiectomy) versus 92% (<3 UNL post-orchiectomy) (HR: 6.877, [95% CI: 1.61-29.34]; P = 0.009) and 86% (≥40 years) versus 91% (<40 years) (HR: 6.870, [95% CI: 1.45-13.37], P = 0.009), respectively. A subset of patients with hCG levels ≥2000 IU/l pre-orchiectomy (n = 17) exhibited a poor prognosis, with 5-year OS rates of 73% (≥2000 IU/l) versus 94% (<2000 IU/l) (HR: 3.936, [95% CI: 1.02-12.61], P = 0.047).

CONCLUSIONS

Age and LDH levels are significantly associated with poor prognosis in hCG-positive seminoma patients. A small number of patients, with levels of hCG ≥2000 IU/l, may represent a separate prognostic subgroup associated with impaired survival rates.

Prognostic impact of LDH and HCG levels in marker-positive seminomas

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Background: The prognostic impact of LDH and HCG serum levels in marker positive metastatic seminoma patients is uncertain. This analysis evaluated the association between LDH and HCG levels with oncological outcomes in this patient population. Methods: Seminoma patients with elevated HCG levels were retrospectively analyzed. After stratification according to tumor marker levels pre- and post-orchiectomy, outcomes of subgroups were compared using log-rank test and cox-regression analysis. Study endpoints were cancer specific- (CSS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS). Results: In total, 429 HCG-positive metastatic seminoma patients (stage II n=291; stage III n=138) diagnosed between 1981 and 2018 were included. LDH + HCG levels ranged from 124 U/l to 8833 U/l (median: 619; IQR: 955) + 2 IU/l to 283,782 IU/l (median: 20; IQR: 63) pre- and from 107 U/l to 8650 U/l (median: 324; IQR: 481) + 0 IU/l to 36700 IU/l post-orchiectomy (median: 30; IQR: 121), respectively. Five-year CSS and RFS rates were 90% and 79%, respectively. Patients with LDH levels pre-orchiectomy <1.5 UNL (n=142) had a 5-year CSS (RFS) rate of 97% (88%), compared to 86% (81%) for ≥1.5 to 3 UNL (n=40), 83% (77%) for >3 to 5 UNL (n=44) and 83% (72%) for >5 UNL (n=44) (CSS p <0.001; RFS p=0.142). Concerning LDH levels post-orchiectomy this stratification was not significant but patients with LDH levels ≥3 UNL (n=77) displayed an impaired prognosis associated with a 5-year CSS (RFS) rate of 85% (79%) compared to 94% (82%) for levels <3 UNL (n=186) (CSS p=0.025; RFS p=0.447). Patients with HCG levels ≥2000 IU/l (n=17) pre- but not post-orchiectomy had a 5-year CSS (RFS) rate of 73% (60%) compared to 94% (79%) for patients with HCG levels <2000 IU/l (n=855) (CSS p=0.09; RFS p=0.04). In cox-regression analysis LDH ≥1.5 UNL (p=0.037; HR 3.32, CI95%1.08-10.26) and HCG levels ≥2000 IU/l (p=0.044; HR 3.69, 95%CI1.04-13.13) pre-orchiectomy were confirmed as prognostic factors for CSS. Conclusions: LDH levels inversely correlate with survival outcomes, suggesting ≥1.5 UNL pre- and ≥3 UNL post-orchiectomy as potential cut-off values for further risk assessment. Patients with extensive HCG elevations may represent an unfavorable subgroup concerning RFS and CSS, but only few patients were affected.

[The role of eslicarbazepine acetate in the treatment of focal-onset epilepsy in pediatric age: practical issues]

Eslicarbazepine acetate (ESL) is a third-generation antiepileptic drug (AED) of the carboxamide family and structurally related to carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine, although it has pharmacological differences that may have relevant implications of clinical utility. Since 2009 in Europe, ESL has been indicated for use in adults as adjuvant therapy in patients with partial-onset seizures (currently called focal-onset), with or without secondary generalization (with or without evolution to bilateral tonic-clonic, in current terminology). In 2017, the indication for adjunctive therapy of patients with partial-onset seizures with or without secondary generalization was extended to its use as monotherapy in adults and as adjuvant therapy in adolescents and children older than 6 years. A group of experts carried out this review aimed at the aspects of most interest in the clinical practice of the use of ESL in the pediatric population, including differential aspects from other AEDs. Aspects such as efficacy, dosage, clinical response depending on age, tolerability and its management, neurocognitive and behavioral profile, need for monitoring of any analytical parameter, role of plasma level monitoring, possible added value of the once-daily administration, clinical situations in which the addition of ESL would be recommended, use with other sodium channel blockers, how to switch from carbamazepine/oxcarbazepine, potential interactions with other AEDs, potential interactions with drugs other than AEDs, and some practical issues that require additional research.

Outcome of Men With Relapses After Adjuvant Bleomycin, Etoposide, and Cisplatin for Clinical Stage I Nonseminoma

PURPOSE

Clinical stage I (CSI) nonseminoma (NS) is a disease limited to the testis without metastases. One treatment strategy after orchiectomy is adjuvant chemotherapy. Little is known about the outcome of patients who experience relapse after such treatment.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Data from 51 patients with CSI NS who experienced a relapse after adjuvant bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin (BEP) from 18 centers/11 countries were collected and retrospectively analyzed. Primary outcomes were overall and progression-free survivals calculated from day 1 of treatment at first relapse. Secondary outcomes were time to, stage at, and treatment of relapse and rate of subsequent relapses.

RESULTS

Median time to relapse was 13 months, with the earliest relapse 2 months after start of adjuvant treatment and the latest after 25 years. With a median follow-up of 96 months, the 5-year PFS was 67% (95% CI, 54% to 82%) and the 5-year OS was 81% (95% CI, 70% to 94%). Overall, 19 (37%) of 51 relapses occurred later than 2 years. Late relapses were associated with a significantly higher risk of death from NS (hazard ratio, 1.10 per year; P = .01). Treatment upon relapse was diverse: the majority of patients received a combination of chemotherapy and surgery. Twenty-nine percent of patients experienced a subsequent relapse. At last follow-up, 41 patients (80%) were alive and disease-free, eight (16%) had died of progressive disease, and one patient (2%) each had died from therapy-related or other causes.

CONCLUSION

Outcomes of patients with relapse after adjuvant BEP seem better compared with patients who experience relapse after treatment of metastatic disease but worse compared with those who have de-novo metastatic disease. We found a substantial rate of late and subsequent relapses. There seem to be three patterns of relapse with different outcomes: pure teratoma, early viable NS relapse (< 2 years), and late viable NS relapse (> 2 years).

ESMO Consensus Conference on testicular germ cell cancer: diagnosis, treatment and follow-up

The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) consensus conference on testicular cancer was held on 3-5 November 2016 in Paris, France. The conference included a multidisciplinary panel of 36 leading experts in the diagnosis and treatment of testicular cancer (34 panel members attended the conference; an additional two panel members [CB and K-PD] participated in all preparatory work and subsequent manuscript development). The aim of the conference was to develop detailed recommendations on topics relating to testicular cancer that are not covered in detail in the current ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) and where the available level of evidence is insufficient. The main topics identified for discussion related to: (1) diagnostic work-up and patient assessment; (2) stage I disease; (3) stage II-III disease; (4) post-chemotherapy surgery, salvage chemotherapy, salvage and desperation surgery and special topics; and (5) survivorship and follow-up schemes. The experts addressed questions relating to one of the five topics within five working groups. Relevant scientific literature was reviewed in advance. Recommendations were developed by the working groups and then presented to the entire panel. A consensus vote was obtained following whole-panel discussions, and the consensus recommendations were then further developed in post-meeting discussions in written form. This manuscript presents the results of the expert panel discussions, including the consensus recommendations and a summary of evidence supporting each recommendation. All participants approved the final manuscript.

Clinical Impact of Circulating Tumor RAS and BRAF Mutation Dynamics in Patients With Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Treated With First-Line Chemotherapy Plus Anti-Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Therapy

PURPOSE

RAS and BRAF mutations can be detected as a mechanism of acquired resistance in circulating tumor (ct) DNA in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer treated with anti-epidermal growth factor receptor therapy.

METHODS

RAS and BRAF mutational status was assessed in ctDNA in a baseline plasma sample and a serum sample collected at the time of the last available determination (named secondary extraction) from patients with KRAS exon 2 wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer treated in two first-line prospective biomarker-designed clinical trials (PULSE, ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01288339; and POSIBA, ClincialTrials.gov identifier: NCT01276379).

RESULTS

Analysis of extended RAS and BRAF in tissue and plasma from 178 patients with KRAS exon 2 wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer showed a sensitivity of 64.1% and a specificity of 90%. The median overall survival (OS) of baseline patients with RAS and BRAF mutations in ctDNA was 22.3 months (95% CI, 15.6 to 29 months) and 8.9 months (95% CI, 6.3 to 11.4 months), respectively, which was significantly inferior to the median OS of 40.4 months (95% CI, 35.9 to 44.9 months) in two patients with wild-type disease (P < .001). Acquisition of RAS/BRAF mutations occurred in nine of 63 patients (14%) with progressive disease (PD; ie, blood draw within 1 month before PD or after PD) compared with six of 73 patients (8%) with no PD or blood extraction for ctDNA analysis before 1 month of PD (P = .47). Median OS in patients with RAS/BRAF acquisition was 23.9 months (95% CI, 19.7 to 27.9 months) compared with 40.6 months (95% CI, not reached to not reached) in patients who remained free of mutations (P = .016).

CONCLUSION

Our results confirm that baseline RAS and BRAF testing in ctDNA discriminates survival. The emergence of RAS/BRAF mutations has limited relevance for the time to progression to anti-epidermal growth factor receptor therapy.

Development, Implementation and Assessment of Molecular Diagnostics by Next Generation Sequencing in Personalized Treatment of Cancer: Experience of a Public Reference Healthcare Hospital

The establishment of precision medicine in cancer patients requires the study of several biomarkers. Single-gene testing approaches are limited by sample availability and turnaround time. Next generation sequencing (NGS) provides an alternative for detecting genetic alterations in several genes with low sample requirements. Here we show the implementation to routine diagnostics of a NGS assay under International Organization for Standardization (UNE-EN ISO 15189:2013) accreditation. For this purpose, 106 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and 102 metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) specimens were selected for NGS analysis with Oncomine Solid Tumor (ThermoFisher). In NSCLC the most prevalently mutated gene was TP53 (49%), followed by KRAS (31%) and EGFR (13%); in mCRC, TP53 (50%), KRAS (48%) and PIK3CA (16%) were the most frequently mutated genes. Moreover, NGS identified actionable genetic alterations in 58% of NSCLC patients, and 49% of mCRC patients did not harbor primary resistance mechanisms to anti-EGFR treatment. Validation with conventional approaches showed an overall agreement >90%. Turnaround time and cost analysis revealed that NGS implementation is feasible in the public healthcare context. Therefore, NGS is a multiplexed molecular diagnostic tool able to overcome the limitations of current molecular diagnosis in advanced cancer, allowing an improved and economically sustainable molecular profiling.

Aflibercept Plus FOLFIRI for Second-line Treatment of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: Observations from the Global Aflibercept Safety and Health-Related Quality-of-Life Program (ASQoP)

BACKGROUND

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the safety profile of aflibercept and health-related quality of life (HRQL) in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) provided with aflibercept access before marketing authorization.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients received aflibercept followed by FOLFIRI (fluorouracil, leucovorin, irinotecan) on day 1 of a 2-week cycle until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, death, or patient/investigator decision to discontinue. Treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were evaluated, and HRQL was assessed at baseline, cycle 3, and every other cycle using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30, EORTC QLQ-CR29, and EuroQol 5-Dimensions 3-Levels questionnaires (NCT01571284).

RESULTS

Overall, 779 adult patients with mCRC, who received ≥ 1 prior oxaliplatin-based regimen and had disease progression during or following their last administration of oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy, were enrolled. At data cutoff, all patients had discontinued treatment, mainly owing to disease progression (51.7%). The most common TEAEs of any grade were diarrhea (61.6%), hypertension (48.4%), and nausea (43.3%). The most common grade 3/4 TEAEs were hypertension (24.1%), neutropenia (23.1%), and diarrhea (15.3%). Clinically meaningful changes in HRQL were reported for all measures. Most patients either had an improvement in their HRQL scores or remained stable during the treatment period based on patient-reported outcomes.

CONCLUSION

The data from this study support the tolerability of the combination of aflibercept and FOLFIRI in a setting that more closely approximates real life in patients with mCRC who failed to respond to oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy, and also suggest an improvement in HRQL.

Outcome of men with relapses after adjuvant BEP for clinical stage I nonseminoma

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Background: Clin. stage I (CSI) non-seminoma (NS) is disease limited to the testis without metastases. One treatment strategy after orchiectomy is adjuvant (adjuv) chemotherapy with BEP after which relapses are rare. Little is known about the outcome of patients (pts) relapsing after such treatment. Methods: Data from 51 pts with CSI NS and relapse after adjuv BEP from 18 centers/11 countries was collected and retrospectively analyzed. Primary endpoints were OS and PFS calculated from start of treatment of relapse. Secondary outcomes were time to, stage at, and treatment of relapse as well as rate of subsequent relapses. Results: 23 pts received one cycle adjuv BEP and 28 pts two. Median time to relapse was 13 months, with the earliest relapse two months after start of adjuv BEP and the latest relapse recorded after 26 years. According to IGCCCG, 84% of pts classified as good prognosis at relapse. With a median follow up of 50 months 5y PFS was 64% (95% CI 52-80%) and 5y OS 79% (95% CI 68-92%). Treatment upon relapse was diverse, the majority of pts received combination- chemotherapy and surgery. 10 pts (20%) had pure mature teratoma at relapse treated with surgery alone. None of these pts experienced a second relapse. If teratoma relapses were excluded, 5y PFS dropped to 58% (44-77%) and 5y OS to 76% (63-92%). Relapses later than three years after adjuv therapy occured in 15/51 pts. (29%) and were associated with a statistically significant higher risk of death from germ-cell cancer (p=0.02). 15/51 pts (29%) experienced a subsequent relapse. Excluding pts with teratoma only, subsequent relapses occured in 15 of the remaining 41 pts (37%). At last follow-up, 41/51 (80%) pts were alive and disease-free, 8/51 (16%) had died from progressive disease and one pt each had died from therapy-related or other causes. Conclusions: Outcome of pts with relapse after adjuv BEP seems to be better compared to pts with relapse after metastatic disease, but worse compared to de novo metastatic pts. There is a substantial rate of late and subsequent relapses. Pts and care-takers need to be informed about this and therapy intensification at first relapse might be considered. However, considering the low rate of relapses, OS in general for CSI NS pts receiving adjuv BEP is excellent.

SEOM clinical guidelines to primary prevention of cancer (2018)

Cancer is the leading social and healthcare problem of the twenty-first century. The aim of primary prevention is to decrease the incidence of cancer by avoiding the known causes and risk factors. Nevertheless, it has been estimated that cancer diagnoses could be halved through primary prevention measures. A comprehensive review of the scientific evidence regarding the main carcinogens and risk factors and primary prevention recommendations have been put forth based on this evidence. The GRADE scale has been used to classify the grade of evidence. We present the scientific evidence and recommendations for primary prevention of the major modifiable risk factors: smoking, alcohol, diet, obesity, physical activity, occupational and environmental factors, ultraviolet radiation, infections, and socioeconomic factors. Primary prevention is a simple, effective means to lower the incidence of cancer. Preventive measures must be circulated in the fight against cancer.

SEOM clinical guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (2018)

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second cause of cancer death in Spain, the objective of this guide published by the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology is to develop a consensus for the diagnosis and management of metastatic disease. The optimal treatment strategy for patients with metastatic CRC should be discussed in a multidisciplinary expert team to select the most appropriate treatment, and integrate systemic treatment and other options such as surgery and ablative techniques depending on the characteristics of the tumour, the patient and the location of the disease and metastases.

Retrospective study of perampanel efficacy and tolerability in myoclonic seizures

OBJECTIVES

Perampanel is an antiepileptic drug (AED) approved for add-on treatment of focal seizures (with or without generalization) and primary generalized tonic-clonic (GTC) seizures. Our objective was to explore the effectiveness and tolerability of adjunctive perampanel in patients with drug-resistant myoclonic seizures, after failure of other AEDs.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Retrospective, multicenter, observational study. Data were collected from individual patient clinical files and analysed using appropriate descriptive statistics and inferential analyses.

RESULTS

Data are reported for 31 patients with mean age 36.4 years, who had an average epilepsy duration of 18 years, previously taken an average of 5.03 AEDs, and were taking an average of 2.4 AEDs on perampanel initiation. Patients exhibited myoclonic, GTC, absence, tonic and focal seizures, and most had associated cognitive decline and/or ataxia. Median time on perampanel was 6 months, most common dose was 6 mg, and overall retention rate was 84%. The responder rate for myoclonic seizures was defined via reduction of days with myoclonic seizures per month. At 6 months, 15 (48.4%) of the 31 patients were classed as myoclonic seizure responders, 10 (32.3%) were myoclonic seizure free, and 39% saw improvements in functional ability. Of 17 patients with GTC seizures at baseline, 9 (53%) were responders at 6 months, and 8 (47.1%) were seizure free. The most frequent side effects were psychiatric disorders, instability, dizziness and irritability, and mostly resolved with dose reduction. Five patients discontinued perampanel due to side effects.

CONCLUSIONS

Perampanel caused clinically meaningful improvements in patients with drug-resistant myoclonic seizures. It was generally well tolerated, but psychiatric and neurological side effects sometimes required follow-up and dose reduction.