Integrated Molecular Analysis Reveals 2 Distinct Subtypes of Pure Seminoma of the Testis

Objective:

Testicular germ cell tumors (TGCT) are the most common solid malignancy in adolescent and young men, with a rising incidence over the past 20 years. Overall, TGCTs are second in terms of the average life years lost per person dying of cancer, and clinical therapeutics without adverse long-term side effects are lacking. Platinum-based regimens for TGCTs have heterogeneous outcomes even within the same histotype that frequently leads to under- and over-treatment. Understanding of molecular differences that lead to diverse outcomes of TGCT patients may improve current treatment approaches. Seminoma is the most common subtype of TGCTs, which can either be pure or present in combination with other histotypes.

Methods:

Here we conducted a computational study of 64 pure seminoma samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas, applied consensus clustering approach to their transcriptomic data and revealed 2 clinically relevant seminoma subtypes: seminoma subtype 1 and 2.

Results:

Our analysis identified significant differences in pluripotency stage, activity of double stranded DNA breaks repair mechanisms, rates of loss of heterozygosity, and expression of lncRNA responsible for cisplatin resistance between the subtypes. Seminoma subtype 1 is characterized by higher pluripotency state, while subtype 2 showed attributes of reprograming into non-seminomatous TGCT. The seminoma subtypes we identified may provide a molecular underpinning for variable responses to chemotherapy and radiation.

Conclusion:

Translating our findings into clinical care may help improve risk stratification of seminoma, decrease overtreatment rates, and increase long-term quality of life for TGCT survivors.

Evaluation of miR-371a-3p to predict viable germ cell tumor in patients with pure seminoma receiving retroperitoneal lymph node dissection

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE

Conventional serum tumor markers (STMs) for testicular germ cell tumors (GCTs) offer limited performance with particularly poor sensitivity in cases of minimal residual disease and pure seminoma. While growing evidence has indicated miR-371a-3p to be a superior biomarker, its utility in detecting pure seminoma at recurrence has not been extensively explored. This study's objective was to explore miR-371a-3p's utility in detecting metastatic pure seminoma at retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND).

METHODS

RNA was isolated from patient serum samples collected pre-RPLND. Fifteen patients were assigned to our 'Benign' (n = 6) or 'Seminoma' (n = 9) group based on pathological confirmation of viable seminoma. Five of the patients received chemotherapy before RPLND (PC-RPLND) and ten were chemotherapy naïve. MiR-371a-3p expression was quantified via RT-qPCR. The Cq values were statistically evaluated to obtain performance measurements.

RESULTS

Median relative expression of miR-371a-3p was higher in the Seminoma group than the Benign, but this difference was not statistically significant (Rq = 3705 and 241, respectively, p = 0.2844). Of the 10 chemotherapy naïve patients, 9 had viable seminoma at RPLND and 7 had elevated miR-371a-3p expression. Among the 5 post-chemotherapy patients, 0 had viable GCT at RPLND and 2 had elevated miR-371a-3p expression. The primary RPLND group presented 78% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Specificity in the PC-RPLND group was 60%. An optimal Rq threshold of 28.62 was determined by Youden's J statistic, yielding 78% sensitivity and 67% specificity. ROC analysis provided an AUC of 0.704 (95% CI: 0.43-0.98, p = 0.1949). Despite modest performance, miR-371a-3p exhibited improved sensitivity and specificity compared with conventional STMs.

CONCLUSIONS

MiR-371a-3p outperformed STMs in the primary RPLND settings. However, miR-371a-3p was not a robust predictor of pathology in the post-chemotherapy setting. These results suggest that pure seminoma at RPLND is a clinical context wherein the miRNA assay may require further refinement. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Clinicopathologic predictors of outcomes in children with stage I testicular germ cell tumors: A pooled post hoc analysis of trials from the Children's Oncology Group

BACKGROUND

Patients with clinical stage I (CS I: cN0M0) testicular germ cell tumors (TGCT) exhibit favorable oncologic outcomes. While prognostic features can help inform treatment in adults with CS I TGCT, we lack reliable means to predict relapse among pediatric and adolescent patients.

OBJECTIVE

We sought to identify predictors of relapse in children with CS I TGCT.

STUDY DESIGN

We performed a pooled post hoc analysis on pediatric and adolescent AJCC CS I TGCT patients enrolled in 3 prospective trials: INT-0097 (phase II), INT-0106 (phase III), and AGCT0132 (phase III). Pathology was centrally reviewed. Patient demographics, pT stage, serum tumor markers, margin status, histology, relapse, and survival were compiled. Cox regression analyses were used to identify predictors of events, defined as relapse, secondary malignant neoplasm, or death.

RESULTS

106 patients were identified with outcomes data available. Most patients were pT1-2 stage. Among patients with evaluable histopathology, yolk sac tumor elements were present in all patients and lymphovascular invasion in 51% of patients. Over a median follow-up of 56 months, no patients died, and 25 patients (24%) experienced an event (median event-free survival not reached). Independent predictors of events on multivariable analysis included age ≥12 years at diagnosis (HR 8.87, p < 0.001) and higher pT stage (pT2 HR 7.31, p = 0.0017; pT3 HR 13.5, p = 0.0043).

DISCUSSION

Although our study population reflects the largest pooled prospective cohort of CS I pediatric and adolescent TGCT to our knowledge, the relatively low event rate limits our multivariable analysis, and longer follow-up duration would help further characterize the natural history of these patients. Centralized pathologic review was also unable to be performed for several patients.

CONCLUSION

Pediatric and adolescent CS I TGCT patients exhibit remarkable 5-year survival. Using combined data from multiple prospective trials, our study identifies clinicopathologic features that predict relapse and inform personalized treatment for these patients by potentially guiding surveillance versus adjuvant treatment strategies.

Safety and Feasibility of Telehealth Only Preoperative Evaluation Prior to Minimally Invasive Robotic Urologic Surgery

PURPOSE

Telehealth utilization has increased dramatically over the past few years due to improvement in technology and the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, no study has examined whether a telehealth visit alone for preoperative evaluation is safe and sufficient prior to surgery. We examined the safety and feasibility of preoperative telehealth visits alone prior to minimally invasive urologic surgery Materials & Methods Single institution retrospective review of robotic prostate, kidney, and cystectomy procedures between April - Dec 2020. Cases were dichotomized into those who underwent preoperative evaluation by telehealth-only versus traditional in-person visits. Outcomes included complications, blood loss, conversion to open surgery rates, and operative times. We assessed efficiency of care by measuring time from preoperative visit to surgery. Results 314 patients were included in the study, with 14% of cases (n = 45) being performed after a preoperative telehealth visit. The majority of cases included in analysis were robotic surgeries of the prostate (56.1% of all cases, n = 176) and the kidney (35.0% of all cases, n = 110). Patients seen via telehealth alone preoperatively had no significant differences in any grade of complications, perioperative outcomes, blood loss, operative time, and length of stay. There was no difference in change in anticipated procedure between groups, and there was no cases of conversion to open surgery in the telehealth only group. Time from preoperative visit to surgery was significantly shorter for the telehealth group by 13 days. Conclusion Our study is the first to analyze the safety of telehealth-only preoperative visits prior to minimally invasive urologic surgery. We found no difference in perioperative outcomes including conversion to open surgery or change in planned procedure. Further, telehealth preoperative visits appeared to facilitate shorter time to surgery. This study has important implications for expediting patient care and medico-legal considerations.

Dose-Intensified Stereotactic Ablative Radiation for Localized Prostate Cancer

Purpose

Stereotactic ablative radiation (SAbR) has been increasingly used in prostate cancer (PCa) given its convenience and cost efficacy. Optimal doses remain poorly defined with limited prospective comparative trials and long-term safety/efficacy data at higher dose levels. We analyzed toxicity and outcomes for SAbR in men with localized PCa at escalated 45 Gy in 5 fractions.

Methods and Materials

This study retrospectively analyzed men from 2015 to 2019 with PCa who received linear-accelerator-based SAbR to 45 Gy in 5 fractions, along with perirectal hydrogel spacer, fiducial placement, and MRI-based planning. Disease control outcomes were calculated from end of treatment. Minimally important difference (MID) assessing patient-reported quality of life was defined as greater than a one-half standard deviation increase in American Urological Association (AUA) symptom score after SAbR.

Results

Two-hundred and forty-nine (249) low-, intermediate-, and high-risk PCa patients with median follow-up of 14.9 months for clinical toxicity were included. Acute urinary grade II toxicity occurred in 20.4% of patients. Acute grade II GI toxicity occurred in 7.3% of patients. For follow-up > 2 years (n = 69), late GU and GI grade ≥III toxicity occurred in 5.8% and 1.5% of patients, respectively. MID was evident in 31.8%, 23.4%, 35.8%, 37.0%, 33.3%, and 26.7% of patients at 3, 6, 12, 24, 36, and 48 months, respectively. The median follow-up for biochemical recurrence was 22.6 months with biochemical failure-free survival of 100% at 1 year (n = 226) and 98.7% for years 2 (n = 113) and 3 (n = 54).

Conclusions

SAbR for PCa at 45 Gy in 5 fractions shows an encouraging safety profile. Prospective studies with longer follow-up are warranted to establish this dose regimen as standard of care for PCa.

Optimization of serum miR-371a-3p for the detection of chemotherapy-naïve minimal residual germ cell tumor

423

Background: Currently used serum tumor markers exhibit middling sensitivity and specificity for the detection of germ cell tumors (GCTs). Circulating miRNAs, particularly miR-371a-3p, have exhibited strong performance characteristics in the pre-orchiectomy setting. However, the ability of miR-371a-3p to detect chemotherapy-naïve occult disease is less clear. We previously reported in a small cohort of patients that miR-371a-3p outperforms conventional markers in the context of chemotherapy-naïve minimal residual disease. Here, we expand upon that experience and further refine the assay, including the recommendation of an indeterminate range. Methods: We examined over 250 assays to compare performance between classification based on raw Cq, Cq normalized to miR-30b-5p (∆Cq), or relative quantification to normal serum (RQ). We prospectively collected pre-surgical serum samples and clinical information from GCT patients undergoing primary retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) at our institution. Patients were classified based on histology as “Control” (pure teratoma or no GCT) or “GCT”. RNA was extracted from these samples, and miR-371a-3p (target) and miR-30b-5p (reference gene) were detected by qPCR. Performance was assessed by calculation of sensitivity, specificity, and area under the ROC curve (AUC). Results: Sensitivity, specificity, and AUC did not significantly change based on thresholding metric (Cq, ∆Cq, or RQ). We found a 25% chance that any given control sample would return a false positive result, and to combat this, estimated an indeterminate range of Cq 28-35. Repeating any indeterminate sample once improved performance. We then compared the performance of this updated process to a simple binary threshold in a cohort of patients with occult disease. 32 patients were enrolled in the study (15 Control, 17 GCT). 12 samples were indeterminate on first run (6 Control, 6 GCT). 8 remained indeterminate on a second run, all of which harbored teratoma or viable GCT. Inclusion of a second run prevented 3 false positives, improving specificity from 86% to 100% and yielding a sensitivity of 92% and AUC of 0.96 (95% CI: 0.89-1). Conclusions: The use of Cq instead of RQ to classify results for the miR-371a-3p test would eliminate the need for a normal sample in each run without injuring assay performance. In the context of chemotherapy-naïve minimal residual germ cell tumor, consideration of an indeterminate range may improve the performance of the miR-371a-3p test.

Evaluating the discriminatory capacity of miR-371A-3P in the context of pure seminomatous testicular cancer metastases

424

Background: Conventional serum tumor markers (STMs) are noted to have poor specificity in detecting seminomatous germ cell tumors (SGCTs). Recent publications have suggested that miR-371a-3p may offer improved performance for these cases. However, miR-371a-3p’s performance in detecting pure seminoma at retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) has yet to be elucidated in any publicly available study. This lack of data is in part due to the rare occurrence of such cases, and it represents a distinct path for exploring miR-371a-3p’s clinical utility. Methods: Pre-surgical serum samples were collected prospectively from patients prior to RPLND. Within the 15-patient cohort, 6 were assigned as ‘Control’ and 9 were assigned as ‘Seminoma’ based on pathological confirmation of viable GCT. Out of all 15 patients, 10 were chemotherapy naïve prior to RPLND. Post-chemotherapy patients made up 5/6 ‘Control’ patients. MiR-371a-3p levels were quantified by RT-qPCR. Using 2−∆∆Cq method, miR-371a-3p expression was first normalized to the miR-30b-5p reference gene and then calculated relative to the mean target expression across a collection of RNA extracts from healthy male donors’ serum. The Cq values were statistically evaluated to obtain performance characteristics (sensitivity and specificity). Results: Although assay results revealed no significant difference in miR-371a-3p expression between groups, median relative expression in the seminoma group trended higher than the control group (Rq = 3705 and 241 respectively, p = 0.2844). Out of all chemotherapy naïve patients, 9/10 had viable GCT at RPLND whereas 7/10 showed elevated miR-371a-3p. Among the five post-chemotherapy patients, 0/5 had viable GCT at RPLND and 2/5 had elevated miR-371a-3p. The assay provided 7/9 true positive designations in the seminoma group and 4/6 true negatives in the control group. The two false positive results were from post-chemotherapy patients. Of the two optimal thresholds calculated by Youden’s J statistic, the lower threshold of 28.62 (78% sensitivity ad 67% specificity) was selected because it was more in line with previously published data. ROC analysis provided an AUC of 0.704 (95% confidence interval: 0.43-0.98, p = 0.1949). STMs performance was poorer at 67% sensitivity and 17% specificity. Conclusions: Performance metrics for miR-371a-3p exceed those of STMs but were substantially lower than previous reports that evaluated performance in pre-orchiectomy and primary RPLND settings. A possible explanation for this disparity is that miR-371a-3p’s performance is hindered in the post-chemotherapy RPLND setting. However, any strong conclusions from these results are limited by the small sample size which is partly due to the rarity of this clinical scenario. These results suggest that pure seminoma at RPLND may be a key clinical context wherein the miRNA assay may require further refinement.

Evaluation of a risk-adapted strategy in the primary surgical management of clinical stage IIA testicular cancer

414

Background: Patients with clinical stage IIA (CS IIA) testicular cancer often present a diagnostic and management dilemma. Clinical guidelines recommend primary retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND), chemotherapy, or radiotherapy with excellent recurrence- and disease-specific survival (RFS, DSS) rates. Given the favorable prognosis and young age of men with CS IIA disease, efforts should be made to limit treatment burden while maintaining favorable oncologic outcomes. Here we present a risk-adapted, multi-disciplinary model in the management of CS IIA testicular cancer. Methods: This was a retrospective study of men undergoing primary RPLND for CS IIA testicular cancer from 6/1/2015 to 2/28/2021. Each patient underwent radical orchiectomy with a histologic diagnosis of testicular cancer. Staging was performed with cross-sectional imaging and serum tumor markers. The case and management options were presented in a multi-disciplinary setting with the preference for re-imaging in 6-8 weeks and performance of RPLND so long as no involution of nodes or development of distant metastases. Node positivity at RPLND and clinical recurrence were evaluated. Pearson’s correlations and logistic regression were performed to evaluate the relationship between time from staging imaging to surgery and the outcomes of interest. Results: Nineteen men with CS IIA testicular cancer underwent primary RPLND. Median age at RPLND was 28 years. There were 7 (36.8%) men with pure seminoma, 11 (57.9%) with non-seminomatous germ tumor (NSGCT), and 1 (5.3%) with burnt-out primary on orchiectomy. Median largest node size was 1.2 cm (IQR 1.0-1.4 cm) on staging imaging. Final RPLND pathology revealed 2 benign (10.5%), 11 with pure seminoma (57.9%), and 6 with NSGCT elements (31.6%). The median number of positive lymph nodes on final pathology was 2 with median largest node size of 2.0 cm (IQR 1.25-3.00 cm). 9 patients (47.4%) upgraded to pN2. Median follow-up was 15 months. There were two clinical recurrences, yielding a median RFS of 9 months. Pearson correlation and univariate regression revealed no significant association between time from imaging to RPLND and upstaging from cN1 to pN2, recurrence, or recurrence-free survival. Conclusions: This study demonstrates a multidisciplinary approach selecting patients that are best managed with RPLND, supporting the oncologic safety of this risk-adapted model in the management of CS IIA testicular cancer. The pN0 rate of 10.5% is lower than historical rates in CS IIA disease and may be related to selecting out patients more appropriate for active surveillance. Similarly the 10% recurrence rate is lower than large surgical series. We are limited by lack of the denominator of patients that developed metastases at interval imaging that subsequently received systemic therapy.

Role of preoperative albumin in predicting risk of postoperative complications in patients undergoing post-chemotherapy retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (PC-RPLND)

416

Background: Testicular cancer with retroperitoneal metastases is often treated with chemotherapy, with subsequent post-chemotherapy retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (PC-RPLND) performed for residual masses after chemotherapy. While the cure rate is high, the surgery is associated with significant morbidity. Unlike in other genitourinary cancers, perioperative nutritional optimization is typically not prioritized as most patients are young, otherwise healthy men. Albumin is a systemic marker of nutritional status and has been shown to predict adverse outcomes in other urological cancers. We sought to assess whether preoperative albumin level is associated with postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing PC-RPLND. Methods: A database of patients who received PC-RPLND at our institution between 2007 and 2019 was created. Pre-RPLND albumin was obtained and correlated with postoperative outcomes using univariate and multivariable regression models. The primary outcome was the presence of major (Clavien-Dindo grade ≥ III) complications within 90 days of surgery. Results: Of 76 patients who underwent PC-RPLND, 70 patients had preoperative albumin values available. The median age (IQR) of patients at the time of surgery was 26 years (22 - 32) and median (IQR) preoperative albumin level was 4.4 g/dL (4.1 - 4.6). Patients with major postoperative complications had lower median preoperative albumin than those without a complication (4.1 g/dL vs. 4.4 g/dL; p = 0.03). Greater albumin level (per g/dL) was associated with a lower risk of major postoperative complications on multivariable logistic regression (OR = 0.12; p = 0.03). Other preoperative serum markers such as hemoglobin and creatinine did not associate with postoperative complications. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that preoperative albumin is an independent predictor of major postoperative complications in patients undergoing PC-RPLND. This finding demonstrates the importance of nutritional optimization even in young, otherwise healthy individuals prior to undergoing this morbid surgery. Additional studies are warranted to more reliably predict which patients may experience complications.

Molecular analysis of primary testicular germ cell tumor and matched metastatic teratomas

425

Background: Metastastic teratoma (MT) is a unique germ cell tumor (GCT) subhistology characterized by resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy. Metastatic teratoma requires complete surgical excision, usually via retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND), following chemotherapy as a part of multidisciplinary GCT care. Molecular characterization of post-chemotherapy metastatic teratoma along with companion pre-chemotherapy testicular primary tumors could inform 1) the origin and differentiation site of metastatic teratomas, 2) mechanisms of platinum-resistance, 3) novel therapeutic options for patients with unresectable teratomas. Methods: We performed integrated molecular analysis for 16 primary germ cell tumors and 18 metastatic teratomas, 11 were matched tumor/metastasis pairs. All teratomas in our cohort were collected after induction platinum-based chemotherapy. In addition to SNV analysis, we conducted a chromosomal copy number gain and loss analysis for selected teratomas, matched primary tumors and primary teratomas from the TCGA. Results: Metastatic teratomas as well as their tumors of origin had low tumor mutation burden (0.65 and 0.47 accordingly). Amongst 583 SNVs detected in the study cohort, only two (KRAS p.Gly12Asp and KRAS p.Gly12Val) were previously described as oncogenic. Analysis of SNVs in proteins playing key roles in oncogenic signaling [1] showed that TP53 and Ras pathways were the most affected in metastatic teratomas. The majority of metastatic teratomas possess gain of 3p11.1 and loss of 10q26.3, 16p11.2, 19p13.2, 19q12 and 22q12.3 loci. Within 3p11.1 we did not identify any previously described oncodrivers. However, 5 chromosomal loci with lost heterozygosity contained 16 previously annotated tumor suppressor genes (15 protein coding and 1 microRNA, MIR199A1). Amongst those, GADD45GIP1 inhibition (growth arrest and DNA-damage-inducible, gamma interacting protein 1) is known for playing a role in cisplatin resistance through mechanism of cellular senescence [2]. Conclusions: Metastatic teratoma in our cohort is characterized by low tumor mutational burden, recurring copy number changes, and lack of recurring SNVs. Molecular insight of teratoma may inform disease biology and treatment. References: Sanchez-Vega, Francisco et al. “Oncogenic Signaling Pathways in The Cancer Genome Atlas.” Cell vol. 173,2 (2018): 321-337.e10. Nakayama, Kentaro et al. “Nucleus accumbens-1/GADD45GIP1 axis mediates cisplatin resistance through cellular senescence in ovarian cancer.” Oncology letters vol. 13,6 (2017): 4713-4719.

A Multi-institutional Pooled Analysis Demonstrates That Circulating miR-371a-3p Alone is Sufficient for Testicular Malignant Germ Cell Tumor Diagnosis

BACKGROUND

Circulating microRNAs have clear potential for improving malignant germ-cell-tumor (MGCT) diagnosis. Here, we address the central issue of whether measurement of a single microRNA is sufficient for detecting testicular MGCTs, or whether there is added benefit in quantifying other members of the 4-microRNA panel previously identified (miR-371a-3p/miR-372-3p/miR-373-3p and miR-367-3p).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We performed a pooled analysis of available published raw data where all 4 panel miRNAs had been assessed using pre-amplification PCR technology (4 studies; total 329 patients). Two studies using identical methodology (and identical normalization using endogenous miR-30b-5p) were used in the discovery phase (n = 51 patients: 17 MGCT, 34 controls). The 2 other studies (n = 278 patients: 140 MGCT, 138 controls), which assessed the same test panel but with different normalization approaches (endogenous miR-93-5p, exogenous cel-miR-39-3p), were used for the validation phase. We derived sensitivity, specificity, positive- and negative-predictive-values (PPV/NPV) for the detection thresholds that maximised the Youden Index (YI).

RESULTS

In the discovery-phase, the YI was 0.97 for miR-371a-3p (sensitivity = 1, specificity = 0.97), 0.71 (miR-367-3p), 0.68 (miR-372-3p), and 0.50 (miR-373-3p). These findings were confirmed in the validation-phase, with YI of 0.75 for miR-371a-3p (sensitivity = 0.90, specificity 0.85), 0.55 (miR-367-3p), 0.47 (miR-372-3p), and 0.51 (miR-373-3p). Importantly, no combination of markers added additional diagnostic benefit to miR-371a-3p alone, in either the discovery or the validation phase.

CONCLUSION

Quantifying circulating miR-371a-3p alone is sufficient for testicular MGCT diagnosis. PCR measurement of this single miRNA marker will be more cost-effective and easier to interpret, facilitating future incorporation into routine clinical practice.

The early impact of medicaid expansion on urologic malignancies in the United States

PURPOSE

To assess the effects of variable adoption of Medicaid Expansion (ME) of the Affordable Care Act among different states on urologic malignancies using a new variable that defines ME status of patient's residence in a nationwide cancer registry.

BASIC PROCEDURES

The National Cancer Database was queried for urologic malignancies (bladder, prostate, kidney and testis) from 2011 to 2016, spanning the period surrounding the primary ME which took place in 2014. Trends in insurance status at time of diagnosis and effects on stage at presentation and survival after ME were evaluated using a difference-in-differences estimator and stratified Cox proportional hazards regression model.

MAIN FINDINGS

The percentage of patients with Medicaid coverage at the time of diagnosis increased significantly after adoption of ME in ME states across all urologic malignancies. Concurrently, there was a significant decrease in percentage of uninsured patients diagnosed with testis cancer, but not other urologic malignancies, in ME states. A change in the stage at presentation was not observed across all urologic malignancies for patients in ME states after adoption of ME. No difference in overall survival was noted among patients living in a ME state compared to non-ME states with adoption of ME in 2014.

PRINCIPAL CONCLUSIONS

Despite increases in the proportion of patients with Medicaid coverage after 2014 in states that enrolled in ME, there was not an associated change in stage at presentation or survival for patients with genitourinary malignancy.

Prophylaxis Against Thromboembolic Events During Chemotherapy for Germ Cell Cancer

INTRODUCTION

Patients with advanced germ cell tumors (GCT) receiving cisplatin-based chemotherapy have high rates of thromboembolic events (TEE) which can negatively affect their overall survival. While primary TEE prophylaxis during chemotherapy may prevent these events, it is unclear which patients will benefit in this setting.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A review of PubMed/Medline was conducted in December 2020 and all pertinent articles were evaluated for relevancy and quality of data for inclusion in the review.

RESULTS

Studies on patients receiving initial cisplatin-based chemotherapy for advanced GCT have reported up to a 19% rate of TEE. This high rate may be associated with multiple factors including retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy, advanced clinical stage, high risk Khorana scores and presence of a central line. Large phase III clinical trials have demonstrated the benefit of low-molecular-weight-heparin and direct oral anticoagulants for primary prophylaxis and against recurrent TEE. However, primary prophylaxis is currently underutilized with GCT patients starting chemotherapy.

CONCLUSION

Precise models to predict TEE risk and consideration of anticoagulation are difficult to develop owing to the relatively uncommon nature of GCT and lack of representation in primary TEE prophylaxis clinical trials. Despite these limitations, we believe that the benefits of prophylactic anticoagulation outweigh the risk of major bleeding in select GCT patients with higher risk of TEE. We have developed a simple algorithm to help guide TEE prophylaxis selection based on patient factors and route of chemotherapy administration. Given the high rate of TEE in GCT patients, we believe better utilization of primary prophylaxis in patient starting cisplatin-based chemotherapy will have clinical benefit.

Stereotactic Ablative Radiation Therapy for Oligoprogressive Renal Cell Carcinoma

PURPOSE

Oligoprogression, defined as limited sites of progression on systemic therapy, in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) is not uncommon, possibly because of inter- and intratumoral heterogeneity. We evaluated the effect of stereotactic ablative radiation therapy (SAbR) for longitudinal control of oligoprogressive mRCC.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Patients with extracranial mRCC were included in this retrospective analysis if they progressed in ≤3 sites on systemic therapy while demonstrating response/stability at other sites and received SAbR to all progressing sites without switching systemic therapy. Our primary endpoint was modified progression-free survival (mPFS), which we calculated from the start of SAbR to the start of a subsequent systemic therapy, death, or loss to follow-up.

RESULTS

We identified 36 patients with a median follow-up of 20.4 months (interquartile range, 10.9-29.4). Forty-three sites were treated with SAbR with a median dose of 36 Gy (range, 18-50) in 3 fractions (range, 1-5). Median time to SAbR from the start of systemic therapy was 11.4 months (interquartile range, 6.1-17.1). Median mPFS was 9.2 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.9-13.2). Patients receiving SAbR while on immunotherapy exhibited a longer median mPFS (>28.4 months, log-rank P = .0001) than patients not on immunotherapy (9.2 months). Median overall survival from SAbR administration was 43.4 months (95% CI, 21.5-not Reached). The 1-year local control rate was 93% (95% CI, 78.7-97.5). Most SAbR-related toxicities were grade 1 to 2 (33% of patients), with one grade 5 hemoptysis event possibly related to SAbR or disease progression.

CONCLUSIONS

SAbR has the potential to extend the the duration of current systemic therapy for selected patients with mRCC, preserving subsequent therapies for later administration possibly enabling longer treatment duration.

Reply

OBJECTIVES

To compare pre-orchiectomy sperm cryopreservation use in testicular cancer patients at a private tertiary care academic center and an affiliated public safety-net hospital.

METHODS

This was a retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent radical orchiectomy for testicular cancer at a private tertiary-care hospital, which cared primarily for patients with private health insurance, and at a public "safety-net" facility, which cared for patients regardless of insurance status. Clinical and demographic predictors of cryopreservation use prior to orchiectomy were determined by chart review.

RESULTS

A total of 201 patients formed the study cohort, 106 (53%) at the safety-net hospital and 95 (47%) at the private hospital. Safety net patients were more likely to be non-White (82% vs 15%, p < 0.001), uninsured (80% vs 12%, p < 0.001), Spanish speaking (38% vs 5.6%, p < 0.001), and to reside in areas in the bottom quartile of income (41% vs 5.6%, p < 0.001). On multivariable analysis, treatment at the private tertiary care center was strongly associated with use of cryopreservation (OR 5.60, 95% CI 1.74 - 20.4, p = 0.005, though the effects of specific demographic factors could not be elucidated due to collinearity.

CONCLUSIONS

Among patients with testicular cancer, disparities exist in use of sperm cryopreservation between the private and safety-net settings. Barriers to the use of cryopreservation in the safety-net population should be sought and addressed.

Predictive model for systemic recurrence following cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radical nephroureterectomy for high risk upper tract urothelial carcinoma

INTRODUCTION

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is increasingly used prior to radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). Systemic recurrence (SR) carries a dismal prognosis. We sought to determine risk factors associated with SR in this setting.

METHODS

We evaluated a multi-center database of patients with UTUC who received cisplatin-based NAC before RNU. Final pathology at RNU was dichotomized into ypT<2 vs ypT≥2. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed to identify risk factors associated with SR. Three groups were defined based on the number of significant risk factors (groups 1, 2, 3 for 0-1, 2, 3 risk factors, respectively) and evaluated for recurrence-free survival (RFS) using the Kaplan-Meier method.

RESULTS

106 patients were identified between 2004 and 2018. Median age was 67.0 years [IQR = 61-73.3]; 57 (54%) and 49 (46 %) patients received MVAC and GC, respectively. Final pathological stage was ypT<2 in 57 (54%); 23% (24/106) had SR. On univariable analysis, pathological variables on final specimen including ypT≥2, lymphovascular invasion (ypLVI), and nodal involvement were associated with SR. On multivariable analysis, ypLVI OR = 4.1 (95% CI 1.2-13.6; P = 0.024) and pathological nodal involvement OR = 4.5 (95% CI 1.3-15.7; P = 0.017) were predictive of recurrence. Stratifying by the number of risk factors, the 2-year RFS was 95%, 55%, and 18% for groups 1, 2, and 3 respectively (log-rank <0.001).

CONCLUSION

This model evaluates the risk of SR following NAC and RNU to guide counseling and decision-making after surgery. Adverse pathological variable including ypLVI and nodal involvement, in combination with ypT-stage, are strongly associated with SR.

Deciphering Intratumoral Molecular Heterogeneity in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma with a Radiogenomics Platform

PURPOSE

Intratumoral heterogeneity (ITH) challenges the molecular characterization of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) and is a confounding factor for therapy selection. Most approaches to evaluate ITH are limited by two-dimensional ex vivo tissue analyses. Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) can noninvasively assess the spatial landscape of entire tumors in their natural milieu. To assess the potential of DCE-MRI, we developed a vertically integrated radiogenomics colocalization approach for multi-region tissue acquisition and analyses. We investigated the potential of spatial imaging features to predict molecular subtypes using histopathologic and transcriptome correlatives.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

We report the results of a prospective study of 49 patients with ccRCC who underwent DCE-MRI prior to nephrectomy. Surgical specimens were sectioned to match the MRI acquisition plane. RNA sequencing data from multi-region tumor sampling (80 samples) were correlated with percent enhancement on DCE-MRI in spatially colocalized regions of the tumor. Independently, we evaluated clinical applicability of our findings in 19 patients with metastatic RCC (39 metastases) treated with first-line antiangiogenic drugs or checkpoint inhibitors.

RESULTS

DCE-MRI identified tumor features associated with angiogenesis and inflammation, which differed within and across tumors, and likely contribute to the efficacy of antiangiogenic drugs and immunotherapies. Our vertically integrated analyses show that angiogenesis and inflammation frequently coexist and spatially anti-correlate in the same tumor. Furthermore, MRI contrast enhancement identifies phenotypes with better response to antiangiogenic therapy among patients with metastatic RCC.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings have important implications for decision models based on biopsy samples and highlight the potential of more comprehensive imaging-based approaches.

Metastasis-directed radiation therapy after radical cystectomy for bladder cancer

PURPOSE

Metastasis-directed radiation therapy (MDRT) may improve oncologic and quality of life outcomes in patients with metastatic cancer, but data on its use in metastatic bladder cancer is severely limited. We sought to review our institutional experience with MDRT in patients with metastatic bladder cancer following radical cystectomy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We reviewed records of patients who underwent radical cystectomy and subsequent MDRT at our institution between 2009 and 2020. Baseline demographic and clinical/pathologic factors were collected, as were details of treatment including systemic therapy and MDRT. Cases were categorized by treatment intent as consolidative (intended to prolong survival) and palliative (intended only to relieve symptoms). Response to treatment, survival, and toxicity outcomes were reviewed.

RESULTS

A total of 52 patients underwent MDRT following radical cystectomy. MDRT was categorized as consolidative in 40% of cases and palliative in 60%. Toxicity (CTCAE Grade ≥ 2) was reported in 15% of patients, none of which exceeded Grade 3. Most patients undergoing consolidative MDRT were treated with SBRT techniques (76%) and a majority (67%) received concurrent treatment with an immuno-oncology agent. Among patients treated with consolidative intent, 2-year progression-free and overall survival were 19% and 60%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

MDRT is safe and well-tolerated by a majority of patients. A majority of patients treated with consolidative intent survived ≥ 2 years from treatment.