E2 decay strength of the M1 scissors mode of ^{156}Gd and its first excited rotational state

The E2/M1 multipole mixing ratio δ_{1→2} of the 1_{sc}^{+}→2_{1}^{+} γ-ray decay in ^{156}Gd and hence the isovector E2 transition rate of the scissors mode of a well-deformed rotational nucleus has been measured for the first time. It has been obtained from the angular distribution of an artificial quasimonochromatic linearly polarized γ-ray beam of energy 3.07(6) MeV scattered inelastically off an isotopically highly enriched ^{156}Gd target. The data yield first direct support for the deformation dependence of effective proton and neutron quadrupole boson charges in the framework of algebraic nuclear models. First evidence for a low-lying J^{π}=2^{+} member of the rotational band of states on top of the 1^{+} band head is obtained, too, indicating a significant signature splitting in the K=1 scissors mode rotational band.

Whole-Body Diffusion Imaging Applying Simultaneous Multi-Slice Excitation

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility of a fast protocol for whole-body diffusion-weighted imaging (WB-DWI) using a slice-accelerated echo-planar sequence, which, when using comparable image acquisition parameters, noticeably reduces measurement time compared to a conventional WB-DWI protocol.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A single-shot echo-planar imaging sequence capable of simultaneous slice excitation and acquisition was optimized for WB-DWI on a 3 T MR scanner, with a comparable conventional WB-DWI protocol serving as the reference standard. Eight healthy individuals and one oncologic patient underwent WB-DWI. Quantitative analysis was carried out by measuring the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and its coefficient of variation (CV) in different organs. Image quality was assessed qualitatively by two independent radiologists using a 4-point Likert scale.

RESULTS

Using our proposed protocol, the scan time of the WB-DWI measurement was reduced by up to 25.9 %. Both protocols, the slice-accelerated protocol and the conventional protocol, showed comparable image quality without statistically significant differences in the reader scores. Similarly, no significant differences of the ADC values of parenchymal organs were found, whereas ADC values of brain tissue were slightly higher in the slice-accelerated protocol.

CONCLUSION

It was demonstrated that slice-accelerated DWI can be applied to WB-DWI protocols with the potential to greatly reduce the required measurement time, thereby substantially increasing clinical applicability.

KEY POINTS

•Whole-body diffusion-weighted imaging (WB-DWI) using simultaneous multi-slice and blipped-CAIPIRINHA reduces the measurement time strongly without having a significant impact on image quality. •The reduction in measurement time might strongly contribute to the clinical applicability of WB-DWI. •However, further refinement of the slice-accelerated EPI sequence, and the WB-DWI protocol applying this sequence type seems necessary; and the value of such WB-DWI protocols for assessment of systemic oncological diseases needs to be investigated in further clinical studies.

Overview of the ARGOS X-ray framing camera for Laser MegaJoule

Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives has developed the ARGOS X-ray framing camera to perform two-dimensional, high-timing resolution imaging of an imploding target on the French high-power laser facility Laser MegaJoule. The main features of this camera are: a microchannel plate gated X-ray detector, a spring-loaded CCD camera that maintains proximity focus in any orientation, and electronics packages that provide remotely-selectable high-voltages to modify the exposure-time of the camera. These components are integrated into an "air-box" that protects them from the harsh environmental conditions. A miniaturized X-ray generator is also part of the device for in situ self-testing purposes.

Survival after neoadjuvant chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab or everolimus for HER2-negative primary breast cancer (GBG 44-GeparQuinto)†

BACKGROUND

The GeparQuinto study showed that adding bevacizumab to 24 weeks of anthracycline-taxane-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy increases pathological complete response (pCR) rates overall and specifically in patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). No difference in pCR rate was observed for adding everolimus to paclitaxel in nonearly responding patients. Here, we present disease-free (DFS) and overall survival (OS) analyses.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients (n = 1948) with HER2-negative tumors of a median tumor size of 4 cm were randomly assigned to neoadjuvant treatment with epirubicin/cyclophosphamide followed by docetaxel (EC-T) with or without eight infusions of bevacizumab every 3 weeks before surgery. Patients without clinical response to EC ± Bevacizumab were randomized to 12 weekly cycles paclitaxel with or without everolimus 5 mg/day. To detect a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.75 (α = 0.05, β = 0.8) 379 events had to be observed in the bevacizumab arms.

RESULTS

With a median follow-up of 3.8 years, 3-year DFS was 80.8% and 3-year OS was 89.7%. Outcome was not different for patients receiving bevacizumab (HR 1.03; P = 0.784 for DFS and HR 0.974; P = 0.842 for OS) compared with patients receiving chemotherapy alone. Patients with TNBC similarly showed no improvement in DFS (HR = 0.99; P = 0.941) and OS (HR = 1.02; P = 0.891) when treated with bevacizumab. No other predefined subgroup (HR+/HER2-; locally advanced (cT4 or cN3) or not; cT1-3 or cT4; pCR or not) showed a significant benefit. No difference in DFS (HR 0.997; P = 0.987) and OS (HR 1.11; P = 0.658) was observed for nonearly responding patients receiving paclitaxel with or without everolimus overall as well as in subgroups.

CONCLUSIONS

Long-term results, in opposite to the results of pCR, do not support the neoadjuvant use of bevacizumab in addition to an anthracycline-taxane-based chemotherapy or everolimus in addition to paclitaxel for nonearly responding patients.

CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER

NCT 00567554, www.clinicaltrials.gov.

Medical preparedness, incidents, and group dynamics during the analog MARS2013 mission

Participants on spaceflights and international scientific analog Mars missions can encounter medical incidents (accidents, illnesses) and psychological issues (e.g., stress, group interaction, sleep disturbance, emotions). The aim of this study was to examine these parameters in a field crew living in a desert environment similar to Mars (Group 1) and in Mission Support Center (MSC) personnel on "Earth" (Group 2) during a 4-week mission. Of the 107 medical interventions in the field, 73 mainly minor incidents together with four near accidents and 29 medical checkup interventions were recorded. Of the 32 medical interventions, medical treatments for 23 incidents of minor severity were necessary in Group 2. Injuries (Group 1: 1.4/100 h, Group 2: 0.1/100 h) were significantly increased in the field, and illnesses (Group 1: 0.3/100 h, Group 2: 3.0/100 h) in the MSC personnel. Causes of accidents and illnesses are described. Psychological results show that emotions and stress remained stable in both groups. Sympathy, social competence, teamwork, and leadership showed high scores. These scores were lower on "Earth" but significantly increased in the last weeks. The Sahara's nighttime coldness was reflected in an increased wake-up frequency, and a longer sleeping time peaked in the third week, probably as a result of overfatigue. MARS2013 was a successful mission with highly motivated participants and minor medical incidents. For future analog missions and possibly long-distance open-space missions, some recommendations in terms of medical and psychological preparedness are made to reduce risks for field crew members and MSC personnel.

Opioid maintenance therapy in Switzerland: an overview of the Swiss IMPROVE study

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Switzerland's drug policy model has always been unique and progressive, but there is a need to reassess this system in a rapidly changing world. The IMPROVE study was conducted to gain understanding of the attitudes and beliefs towards opioid maintenance therapy (OMT) in Switzerland with regards to quality and access to treatment. To obtain a "real-world" view on OMT, the study approached its goals from two different angles: from the perspectives of the OMT patients and of the physicians who treat patients with maintenance therapy. The IMPROVE study collected a large body of data on OMT in Switzerland. This paper presents a small subset of the dataset, focusing on the research design and methodology, the profile of the participants and the responses to several key questions addressed by the questionnaires.

METHODS

IMPROVE was an observational, questionnaire-based cross-sectional study on OMT conducted in Switzerland. Respondents consisted of OMT patients and treating physicians from various regions of the country. Data were collected using questionnaires in German and French. Physicians were interviewed by phone with a computer-based questionnaire. Patients self-completed a paper-based questionnaire at the physicians' offices or OMT treatment centres.

RESULTS

A total of 200 physicians and 207 patients participated in the study. Liquid methadone and methadone tablets or capsules were the medications most commonly prescribed by physicians (60% and 20% of patient load, respectively) whereas buprenorphine use was less frequent. Patients (88%) and physicians (83%) were generally satisfied with the OMT currently offered. The current political framework and lack of training or information were cited as determining factors that deter physicians from engaging in OMT. About 31% of OMT physicians interviewed were ≥60 years old, indicating an ageing population. Diversion and misuse were considered a significant problem in Switzerland by 45% of the physicians.

CONCLUSION

The subset of IMPROVE data presented gives a present-day, real-life overview of the OMT landscape in Switzerland. It represents a valuable resource for policy makers, key opinion leaders and drug addiction researchers and will be a useful basis for improving the current Swiss OMT model.

PointBreak: a randomized phase III study of pemetrexed plus carboplatin and bevacizumab followed by maintenance pemetrexed and bevacizumab versus paclitaxel plus carboplatin and bevacizumab followed by maintenance bevacizumab in patients with stage IIIB or IV nonsquamous non-small-cell lung cancer

PURPOSE

PointBreak (A Study of Pemetrexed, Carboplatin and Bevacizumab in Patients With Nonsquamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer) compared the efficacy and safety of pemetrexed (Pem) plus carboplatin (C) plus bevacizumab (Bev) followed by pemetrexed plus bevacizumab (PemCBev) with paclitaxel (Pac) plus carboplatin (C) plus bevacizumab (Bev) followed by bevacizumab (PacCBev) in patients with advanced nonsquamous non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients with previously untreated stage IIIB or IV nonsquamous NSCLC and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 to 1 were randomly assigned to receive pemetrexed 500 mg/m(2) or paclitaxel 200 mg/m(2) combined with carboplatin area under the curve 6 and bevacizumab 15 mg/kg every 3 weeks for up to four cycles. Eligible patients received maintenance until disease progression: pemetrexed plus bevacizumab (for the PemCBev group) or bevacizumab (for the PacCBev group). The primary end point of this superiority study was overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

Patients were randomly assigned to PemCBev (n = 472) or PacCBev (n = 467). For PemCBev versus PacCBev, OS hazard ratio (HR) was 1.00 (median OS, 12.6 v 13.4 months; P = .949); progression-free survival (PFS) HR was 0.83 (median PFS, 6.0 v 5.6 months; P = .012); overall response rate was 34.1% versus 33.0%; and disease control rate was 65.9% versus 69.8%. Significantly more study drug-related grade 3 or 4 anemia (14.5% v 2.7%), thrombocytopenia (23.3% v 5.6%), and fatigue (10.9% v 5.0%) occurred with PemCBev; significantly more grade 3 or 4 neutropenia (40.6% v 25.8%), febrile neutropenia (4.1% v 1.4%), sensory neuropathy (4.1% v 0%), and alopecia (grade 1 or 2; 36.8% v 6.6%) occurred with PacCBev.

CONCLUSION

OS did not improve with the PemCBev regimen compared with the PacCBev regimen, although PFS was significantly improved with PemCBev. Toxicity profiles differed; both regimens demonstrated tolerability.

Long-term management of a patient with well-differentiated pulmonary neuroendocrine carcinoma: a case report

Pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors (NET) are rare, and very few published reports have described the long-term treatment of patients with this disease. Current treatment options for patients with metastatic well-differentiated pulmonary NET are limited. This case report details the long-term treatment of a 62-year-old female patient with well-differentiated pulmonary NET and multiple liver metastases. The heavily pretreated patient achieved radiographic stability in measurable disease, improvement in nonmeasurable disease, and symptomatic improvement over 3 years while receiving the combination of everolimus and octreotide long-acting repeatable (LAR). Treatment was well tolerated without mucositis, rash, or pneumonitis. This case report suggests that the combination of everolimus and octreotide LAR may be a novel treatment option for heavily pretreated patients with metastatic well-differentiated pulmonary NET, but these findings require further analysis in clinical trials.

Ten-year analysis of the prospective multicentre Chemo-N0 trial validates American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)-recommended biomarkers uPA and PAI-1 for therapy decision making in node-negative breast cancer patients

AIM

Final 10-year analysis of the prospective randomised Chemo-N0 trial is presented. Based on the Chemo-N0 interim results and an European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) pooled analysis (n=8377), American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and Arbeitsgemeinschaft Gynäkologische Onkologie (AGO) guidelines recommend invasion and metastasis markers urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA)/plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) for risk assessment and treatment decision in node-negative (N0) breast cancer (BC).

METHODS

The final Chemo-N0 trial analysis (recruitment 1993-1998; n=647; 12 centres) comprises 113 (5-167) months of median follow-up. Patients with low-uPA and PAI-1 tumour tissue levels (n=283) were observed. External quality assurance guaranteed uPA/PAI-1 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) standardisation. Of 364 high uPA and/or PAI-1 patients, 242 agreed to randomisation for CMF chemotherapy (n=117) versus observation (n=125).

RESULTS

Actuarial 10-year recurrence rate (without any adjuvant systemic therapy) for high-uPA/PAI-1 observation group patients (randomised and non-randomised) was 23.0%, in contrast to only 12.9% for low-uPA/PAI-1 patients (plog-rank=0.011). High-risk patients randomised to cyclophosphamide-methotrexate-5-fluorouracil (CMF) therapy had a 26.0% lower estimated probability of disease recurrence than those randomised for observation (intention-to-treat (ITT)-analysis: hazard ratio (HR) 0.74 (0.44-1.27); plog-rank=0.28). Per-protocol analysis demonstrated significant treatment benefit: HR 0.48 (0.26-0.88), p=0.019, disease-free survival (DFS) Cox regression, adjusted for tumour stage and grade.

CONCLUSIONS

Chemo-N0 is the first prospective biomarker-based therapy trial in early BC defining patients reaching good long-term DFS without adjuvant systemic therapy. Using a standardised uPA/PAI-1 ELISA, almost half of N0-patients could be spared chemotherapy, while high-risk patients benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. These 10-year results validate the long-term prognostic impact of uPA/PAI-1 and the benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy in the high-uPA/PAI-1 group at highest level of evidence. They thus support the guideline-based routine use of uPA/PAI-1 for risk-adapted individualised therapy decisions in N0 breast cancer.

Abstract P2-10-25: Prognostic value of relative change in tumor marker CA 27.29 in early stage breast cancer – The SUCCESS trial

Background: MUC1 based tumor markers like CA27.29 (TM) in breast cancer are routinely used in metastatic disease as early marker for treatment efficacy. However, in early stage disease data is sparse. In this analysis, we looked at the impact of individual change in CA27.29 on prognosis instead of using a threshold.

Methods: The SUCCESS Trial compares FEC-docetaxel (Doc) vs. FEC-Doc-Gemcitabine (Doc-G) regime and two vs. five year treatment with Zoledronat in 3754 patients (pts) with primary breast cancer (N+ or high risk N0). We measured CA27.29 after surgery but before chemotherapy (CHT) as baseline and compared it to CA27.29 levels 2 years thereafter with the ST AIA-PACK Ca27.29 reagent using MUC-1 for AIA-600II (Tosoh Bioscience, Tessenderlo, Belgium).

Results: CA27.29 data is available of 2,015 pts. 119 pts (5.9%) had TM over the threshold of 32U/ml before CHT and 56 (2.8%) 2years thereafter. To examine the relative change of tumor marker, pts were divided into 3 groups:

increase: change >=5 U/ml; stable: change <±5U/ml; decrease: change > = −5 U/ml.

123 (6.1%) pts had increasing (>=5 U/ml), 1419 (70.4%) had stable, 473 (23.5%) had decreasing TM levels from before CHT to 2 years thereafter. The majority of pts with increasing TM (86 pts; 69.9%) had levels below the usual threshold of 32U/ml at all times. Patients with an increase >=5 U/ml had an 81% increased risk for recurrence (HR = 1.810 [CI: 1.111–2.948]) and reduced overall survival (HR = 1.020 [CI: 1.004–1.037]). In the multivariate analysis taking into account tumor size, nodal status, grading, age, hormonal and HER2/neu receptor status increasing CA27.29 levels were an independent prognostic marker.

Conclusions: An increase of the tumor marker CA27.29 2 years after CHT compared to pre-chemotherapy baseline was associated with a worse prognosis. By using this approach, more patients at risk for recurrence were detected than with the standard threshold approach. Therefore, the use of relative change could help to identify more patients at risk for relapse who might benefit from an intensified follow up.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2012;72(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-10-25.

P4-07-06: Correlation of Two Analytical Methods for Circulating Tumor Cells in Peripheral Blood of Patients with Primary Breast Cancer

Background

While the evidence for circulating tumor cells (CTCs) as a prognostic marker in metastatic breast cancer has been well established, there is still a lack of data in primary disease. In the SUCCESS A trial two different techniques for the detection of CTCs in early breast cancer were prospectively evaluated.

Material and Methods: SUCCESS A compared FEC-Docetaxel vs. FEC-Docetaxel-Gemcitabine and 5 vs. 2 years of treatment with zoledronic acid in primary breast cancer patients and node positive or high-risk node negative disease. Two different techniques to detect CTCs were prospectively evaluated in two consecutive, but comparable subgroups of the whole study population.

In 3515 samples the CellSearch® System (Veridex, Warren, USA) was used for CTC detection. Immunomagnetic enrichment with an EPCAM-antibody was followed by labeling with monoclonal antibodies specific for cytokeratin (8, 18, 19) and leukocytes (CD45). 2165 samples were evaluated with a manual immunocytochemistry (MICC) protocol. Cytospins were prepared after mononuclear cell enrichment based on Oncoquick® centrifugation (greiner bio-one, Frickenhausen, Germany). Staining was performed with the monoclonal pancytokeratin antibody A45-B/B3 (Micromet, Munich, Germany) and the APAAP technique. Conventional light field microscopy (Axiophot; Zeiss, Oberkochen, Germany) was used for the detection of stained cells.

For both methods, the cut-off value for positivity was ≥ 1 CTC. All events were evaluated by two independent observers.

Results: CTCs were examined in a total number of 3243 patients before and after chemotherapy (CHT). The two subgroups evaluated with one or the other method were well-balanced regarding clinical parameters as tumor size, grading, lymph node-status, hormone receptors and Her2. Furthermore there was no significant correlation between the CTC positivity and one of these clinical parameters using CellSearch or the MICC, respectively (p > 0,05 using the chi square test each time).

Before adjuvant CHT 21. 3% (424 out of 1994) and 21.1 % (264 out of 1249) of the patients were found positive for CTCs using CellSearch® or the MICC respectively, with a mean CTC level of 5.9 (range: 1 to 827) and 3.1 (range: 1 to 256).

Immediately after CHT 21.9% (333 out of 1521) and 16.5% (151 out of 916) of the patients were positive for CTCs using CellSearch® or the MICC. The mean CTC level decreased to 3.0 (range: 1 to 124) and 2.1 (range: 1 to 23) in both analytical methods.

Using CellSearch® there was a significant correlation between the presence of CTCs before CHT and disease progression (p = 0.0044), as well as survival (p = 0.0001), whereas the MICC did not predict any of these (p = 0.3143 and p = 0.0801 respectively; the chi-square test was used each time).

Conclusion: We found comparable prevalence of CTCs before and after adjuvant chemotherapy both with the CellSearch® System or the MICC. However, prognostic relevance could only be shown for CTCs detected with the CellSearch® System. This may be attributed to the high standardization and reproducibility of the automated system, as well as the additional CD45 counterstaining. According to our findings, the FDA approved CellSearch® System should be used as gold standard for CTC detection in future clinical trials.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-07-06.