An update on treatment options for pancreatic adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal solid organ tumors. Due to the rising incidence, late diagnosis, and limited treatment options, it is expected to be the second leading cause of cancer deaths in high income countries in the next decade. The multidisciplinary treatment of this disease depends on the stage of cancer at diagnosis (resectable, borderline, locally advanced, and metastatic disease), and combines surgery, chemotherapy, chemoradiotherapy, and supportive care. The landscape of multidisciplinary pancreatic cancer treatment is changing rapidly, especially in locally advanced disease, and the number of treatment options in metastatic disease, including personalized medicine, innovative targets, immunotherapy, therapeutic vaccines, adoptive T-cell transfer, or stemness inhibitors, will probably expand in the near future. This review summarizes the current literature and provides an overview of how new therapies or new therapeutic strategies (neoadjuvant therapies, conversion surgery) will guide multidisciplinary disease management, future clinical trials, and, hopefully, will increase overall survival.

C-16 Assessment of 9-Year-Old, Nonverbal Female with Spastic Cerebral Palsy & Seizure Disorder

Objective

Case serves to illuminate how complex medical/neurological/motor history can be assessed creatively/thoroughly while maintaining standardization in an effort to determine true abilities of young girl. Earlier evaluation suggested NVIQ scores in the 30th percentile, however more recent school testing suggested performance in 2nd percentile.

Method

Nine-year-old, Caucasian, right-handed female with diagnoses of spastic CP, recent seizures with LOC, GERD, assessing functioning/academic needs. Pt born 40-weeks gestation via c-section due to fetal heartbeat loss resulting in emergency CPR/NICU admission for six weeks. MRI suggests significant hypoxia-related prenatal damage to right frontal/temporal regions. Nerve/muscle development results in leftward preference permitting rightward movement. Pt is nonverbal, implanted gastrostomy tube, utilizes modified sign-language/augmentative, alternative communication device (AACD). Current behavioral concerns in multiple settings. Pt prescribed esomeprazole, baclofen, oxcarbazepine.

Results

Results suggest deficits in adaptive functioning, set-shifting, language. Sustaining gaze was difficult, with subsequent invalid scores on numerous measures. Even with incorrect responses, Pt understood TEACh tasks. Given tools (calculator) at her disposal, Pt scored in 30th percentile on Math Computation. Further, TONI-4 nonverbal index was stronger than school expectations (10th percentile). PTONI negatively impacted by motor deficits. AACD offered limited vocabulary – Pt appeared well-aware of missing words when they arose (small vs. thin). Pt demonstrated high frustration-tolerance and ability to joke with examiners.

Conclusions

Conclusions: Pt’s performance and motivation were highly impressive given circumstances. Even with limiting factors, standardized measures can be utilized with critical qualitative observations to acquire more representative test results, provide adequate recommendations for ongoing care/accommodations, thereby advocating for academic success and improving Pt well-being.

Long-Term Sheep Implantation of WIMAGINE®, a Wireless 64-Channel Electrocorticogram Recorder

This article deals with the long-term preclinical validation of WIMAGINE^® (Wireless Implantable Multi-channel Acquisition system for Generic Interface with Neurons), a 64-channel wireless implantable recorder that measures the electrical activity at the cortical surface (electrocorticography, ECoG). The WIMAGINE^® implant was designed for chronic wireless neuronal signal acquisition, to be used e.g., as an intracranial Brain–Computer Interface (BCI) for severely motor-impaired patients. Due to the size and shape of WIMAGINE^®, sheep appeared to be the best animal model on which to carry out long-term in vivo validation. The devices were implanted in two sheep for a follow-up period of 10 months, including idle state cortical recordings and Somato-Sensory Evoked Potential (SSEP) sessions. ECoG and SSEP demonstrated relatively stable behavior during the 10-month observation period. Information recorded from the SensoriMotor Cortex (SMC) showed an SSEP phase reversal, indicating the cortical site of the sensorimotor activity was retained after 10 months of contact. Based on weekly recordings of raw ECoG signals, the effective bandwidth was in the range of 230 Hz for both animals and remarkably stable over time, meaning preservation of the high frequency bands valuable for decoding of the brain activity using BCIs. The power spectral density (in dB/Hz), on a log scale, was of the order of 2.2, –4.5 and –18 for the frequency bands (10–40), (40–100), and (100–200) Hz, respectively. The outcome of this preclinical work is the first long-term in vivo validation of the WIMAGINE^® implant, highlighting its ability to record the brain electrical activity through the dura mater and to send wireless digitized data to the external base station. Apart from local adhesion of the dura to the skull, the neurosurgeon did not face any difficulty in the implantation of the WIMAGINE^® device and post-mortem analysis of the brain revealed no side effect related to the implantation. We also report on the reliability of the system; including the implantable device, the antennas module and the external base station.

cfDNA for accurate determination of RAS and BRAF mutations using OncoBEAM liquid biopsy in metastatic colorectal cancer patients: Results of the real-world multicentric ColoBEAM study

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Background: Determination of KRAS, NRAS ( RAS) and BRAF mutations is a standard of care for the management of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). RAS mutations are well characterized resistance biomarkers to anti-EGFR antibodies and BRAF V600 mutations indicate poor prognosis. Tissue biopsy has traditionally been used to determine RAS and BRAF status, but liquid biopsy analysis of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has demonstrated utility as a less invasive tool to expedite molecular testing results to the clinic. The ColoBEAM study reports the performance of plasma mutation testing in a real-life prospective series of 278 patients across 8 centers. Methods: Plasma derived ctDNA was prepared from 20mL blood samples prospectively collected from mCRC patients who had not received chemotherapy in the prior 15 days. ctDNA was centrally assessed using OncoBEAM and results compared to those obtained by routine analysis of tissue. Both tissue and blood samples with discrepant RAS results were blindly reassessed with OncoBEAM. Results: Of 278 patients enrolled, 202 blood samples were available for OncoBEAM testing. RAS and BRAF V600E mutations were detected in tissue in 132/202 (65.4%) and 4/198 (2.0%) patients, respectively. Analysis of the first ctDNA sample as compared to tissue DNA resulted in a kappa coefficient (κ) of 0.52 [0.41 – 0.63] and accuracy of 75.2% (65.1% sensitivity; 94.3% specificity). OncoBEAM testing of a second sample resulted (κ) of 0.66 [0.56 - 0.76] and accuracy of 83.2% (77.3% sensitivity; 94.3% specificity). Of the 4 samples with a BRAF V600E mutation in tumor tissue 2 were detected in blood. In the subgroup of patients with liver metastasis (n=136), accuracy was 88.2% (87.4% sensitivity; 90.2% specificity) for RAS and BRAF status with (κ) of 0.73 [0.61 – 0.86]. In a subgroup of chemotherapy naïve patients with liver metastasis (n=49), accuracy was 91.8% (93.3% sensitivity; 89.5% specificity) for RAS and BRAF status with (κ) of 0.83 [0.67 – 0.99]. Conclusions: The results of the ColoBEAM study confirm plasma ctDNA as a credible surrogate marker to tissue DNA for RAS and BRAF status assessment and may be incorporated as a first-line theragnostic assessment. New testing on a second sample for wild-type status demonstrated 91.8% concordance between blood and tissue. Clinical trial information: NCT02751177.

A randomized noncomparative phase II study of maintenance therapy with multiepitope vaccine Tedopi (OSE2101) ± nivolumab or FOLFIRI after induction chemotherapy (CT) with FOLFIRINOX in patients (Pts) with advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (aPDAC) (TEDOPaM–PRODIGE 63 GERCOR D17-01 study)

TPS4160

Background: FOLFIRINOX (5-fluorouracil [5FU], folinic acid [FA], irinotecan [Iri], and oxaliplatin [Ox]) is a standard 1st-line treatment in fit Pts with aPDAC. Anti-PD-1/PD-L1 as single agents have failed in PDAC so far and new combination immunotherapies are needed. Tedopi (OSE2101) is a multiple neoepitope vaccine restricted to HLA-A2 positive Pts, targeting 5 tumor-associated antigens (CEA, HER2, MAGE2, MAGE3, TP53) that are frequently expressed in PDAC. This study aims to assess the efficacy and safety of Tedopi alone and in combination with anti-PD-1 nivolumab, or FOLFIRI as maintenance therapy in Pts with aPDAC after FOLFIRINOX induction CT. Methods: TEDOPaM - PRODIGE 63 is a 3-arm, Fleming 2-stage, open-label, randomized, non-comparative phase II study. 156 Pts with locally advanced or metastatic, pathologically proven PDAC; ECOG performance status 0-1; HLA-A2 genotype; controlled disease (objective response or stable disease) after 8 cycles of (modified) FOLFIRINOX; and adequate organ functions, are randomized (1:1:1, stratified on center, tumor stage, and best response to FOLFIRINOX) into 3 arms: Clinical trial information: NCT03806309. In Arms B and C, FOLFIRI is reintroduced at disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Primary endpoint: overall survival rate at M12. Secondary endpoints: progression-free survival (CT-scan Q8W), duration of disease control, safety, objective response rate, RECIST v1.1/iRECIST comparison, HRQoL (EORTC QLQ-C30), Q-TWiST. An interim analysis is planned after inclusion of 20 Pts in each arm. Translational research will be performed on tumor tissue (initial FFPE biopsy and optional re-biopsy at inclusion): RNAseq (cancer and stroma), mutation burden, MMR status, immune infiltrates; and in blood (before and on-treatment): cytokine panel, PBMC phenotyping, vaccine-antigen specific T-cells, TCR repertoire, and extracellular vesicles, to explore biomarkers and pharmacodynamics effects of Tedopi ± nivolumab. Enrollment (12th Feb 2019): 1. ClinicalTrials Registration: NCT03806309.[Table: see text]

Comparison of Three Real-Time PCR Assays for the Detection of PIK3CA Somatic Mutations in Formalin-Fixed Paraffin Embedded Tissues of Patients with Breast Carcinomas

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in women worldwide. Mutations of the PIK3CA gene are found in approximately 25% of breast carcinomas and are reported as activators of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. This study aims to compare three assays for the somatic mutation detection of PIK3CA gene in FFPE tissues of patients with breast cancer. We compared Cobas® PIK3CA Mutation Test (Roche Diagnostics, Meylan, France), PCR amplification-refractory mutation system Scorpions® (ARMS) and High-Resolution Melting PCR assay (HRM) for the detection of PIK3CA mutations. Discrepant samples were assessed using Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). 46 FFPE breast carcinomas samples of patients treated for breast cancer have been assessed for PIK3CA mutations using the three PCR assays. Among the 46 samples, 17 (37.8%), 13 (28.36%) and 19 (41.3%) had a PIK3CA mutation, with Cobas®, ARMS and HRM assays respectively. Three different mutations of PIK3CA have been detected for one sample. Calculated kappa were 0.95[0.86;1] between Cobas® and HRM, 0.75[0.55;0.95] between Cobas® and ARMS and 0.72[0.51;0.92] between HRM and ARMS. Five samples were found with discrepant results. Our study shows that the Cobas® assay is suitable for PIK3CA mutation assessment in patients with breast cancer. HRM assay is also suitable for PIK3CA mutation assessment but requires a mutation characterization with a specific assay.

Paediatric injection medialisation laryngoplasty: Recent Great Ormond Street Hospital experience

INTRODUCTION

Unilateral vocal fold paresis may significantly impair the vocal quality and laryngeal competence of a child. Relatively little literature relates to injection medialisation laryngoplasty (IML) in children and previous reports have involved small numbers of heterogenous cases.

METHODS

A retrospective review was conducted of paediatric patients managed by our multidisciplinary specialist voice clinic undergoing IML for unilateral vocal fold paresis. Cases of bilateral paresis, those characterised by vocal fold fixation, and patients without formal pre and post-operative voice evaluation were excluded.

RESULTS

Eighteen IML procedures were performed in 12 children eligible for inclusion between 2005 and 2015. The average age at time of procedure was 12 years (range 9-15 years). Autologous fat was used in 5 procedures, succeeded by calcium hydroxylapatite (Radiesse^® Voice) from 2011 (n = 13). A significant improvement in median GRBAS score components was observed after calcium hydroxylapatite injection in terms of grade (p = 0.008), breathiness (p = 0.002) and aesthenia (p = 0.016). A pre- and post-procedural Voice Handicap Index was self-completed by 6 patients receiving calcium hydroxylapatite injection; the median change in score was an improvement of 19 points (interquartile range 36.5).

CONCLUSION

We describe the outcomes of a comparatively large paediatric series and have found IML using calcium hydroxylapatite to be a reliable technique associated with improved subjective outcome measures. Management of UVCP in the child is a challenge with particular investigative and interventional considerations. Further study supported by high quality subjective and, where possible, objective outcome measures, is required to better inform patient selection, timing of intervention and choice of injection material.

Current status on the place of FOLFIRINOX in metastatic pancreatic cancer and future directions

Pancreatic cancer (PC) incidence rates are rapidly increasing in developed countries, with half the patients being metastatic at diagnosis. For decades, fluorouracil, then gemcitabine regimens were the preferred palliative first-line options for fit patients with metastatic PC. FOLFIRINOX (a combination of bolus and infusional fluorouracil, leucovorin, irinotecan and oxaliplatin) was introduced to clinical practice in 2010 due to the results of the phase II/III trial (PRODIGE 4/ACCORD 11) comparing FOLFIRINOX with single-agent gemcitabine as first-line treatment for patients with MPC. Median overall survival, progression-free survival, and objective response rate were superior with FOLFIRINOX over gemcitabine and there was prolonged time to definitive deterioration in quality of life. Although FOLFIRINOX was also associated with increased toxicity, mainly febrile neutropenia and diarrhea, there has been rapid uptake of this regimen. This review closely examines optimal management and prevention of toxicities, international recommendations for first-line treatment, and use of modified FOLFIRINOX protocols. In this review, we also look at the potential benefit of FOLFIRINOX in selected groups of patients: second-line therapy, adjuvant chemotherapy, induction therapy in patients with borderline resectable and locally advanced PC. Robust validation of the FOLFIRINOX regimen in these settings requires confirmation in further randomized trials.

International estimated fetal weight standards of the INTERGROWTH-21st Project

OBJECTIVE

Estimated fetal weight (EFW) and fetal biometry are complementary measures used to screen for fetal growth disturbances. Our aim was to provide international EFW standards to complement the INTERGROWTH-21^st Fetal Growth Standards that are available for use worldwide.

METHODS

Women with an accurate gestational-age assessment, who were enrolled in the prospective, international, multicenter, population-based Fetal Growth Longitudinal Study (FGLS) and INTERBIO-21^st Fetal Study (FS), two components of the INTERGROWTH-21^st Project, had ultrasound scans every 5 weeks from 9-14 weeks' until 40 weeks' gestation. At each visit, measurements of fetal head circumference (HC), biparietal diameter, occipitofrontal diameter, abdominal circumference (AC) and femur length (FL) were obtained blindly by dedicated research sonographers using standardized methods and identical ultrasound machines. Birth weight was measured within 12 h of delivery by dedicated research anthropometrists using standardized methods and identical electronic scales. Live babies without any congenital abnormality, who were born within 14 days of the last ultrasound scan, were selected for inclusion. As most births occurred at around 40 weeks' gestation, we constructed a bootstrap model selection and estimation procedure based on resampling of the complete dataset under an approximately uniform distribution of birth weight, thus enriching the sample size at extremes of fetal sizes, to achieve consistent estimates across the full range of fetal weight. We constructed reference centiles using second-degree fractional polynomial models.

RESULTS

Of the overall population, 2404 babies were born within 14 days of the last ultrasound scan. Mean time between the last scan and birth was 7.7 (range, 0-14) days and was uniformly distributed. Birth weight was best estimated as a function of AC and HC (without FL) as log(EFW) = 5.084820 - 54.06633 × (AC/100)³  - 95.80076 × (AC/100)³  × log(AC/100) + 3.136370 × (HC/100), where EFW is in g and AC and HC are in cm. All other measures, gestational age, symphysis-fundus height, amniotic fluid indices and interactions between biometric measures and gestational age, were not retained in the selection process because they did not improve the prediction of EFW. Applying the formula to FGLS biometric data (n = 4231) enabled gestational age-specific EFW tables to be constructed. At term, the EFW centiles matched those of the INTERGROWTH-21^st Newborn Size Standards but, at < 37 weeks' gestation, the EFW centiles were, as expected, higher than those of babies born preterm. Comparing EFW cross-sectional values with the INTERGROWTH-21^st Preterm Postnatal Growth Standards confirmed that preterm postnatal growth is a different biological process from intrauterine growth.

CONCLUSIONS

We provide an assessment of EFW, as an adjunct to routine ultrasound biometry, from 22 to 40 weeks' gestation. However, we strongly encourage clinicians to evaluate fetal growth using separate biometric measures such as HC and AC, as well as EFW, to avoid the minimalist approach of focusing on a single value. © 2016 Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Sonography of the Coracoid Process Region

Sonography is widely known as an accurate imaging tool for assessment of the rotator cuff of the shoulder, the long head of the biceps tendon, and joint disorders, but it is rarely performed to evaluate the coracoid process and the adjacent soft tissues. Nevertheless, sonography can show anatomic details of this region and be used to assess several pathologic conditions. The aims of this pictorial essay are to briefly review the anatomy of the coracoid process region, describe examination technique and normal sonographic appearances, and present the sonographic findings of the main disorders affecting this region.

Obstructive jaundice: a clinical review for the UK armed forces

Obstructive jaundice is a clinical condition that indicates the possibility of a significant underlying disease process. This clinical review considers the pathophysiology, investigation and management of patients with obstructive jaundice and considers the particular challenges that medical personnel may face when deployed away from the United Kingdom (UK). It aims to give guidance with regard to the short- and long-term investigation and management of such patients.

The antepartum stillbirth syndrome: risk factors and pregnancy conditions identified from the INTERGROWTH-21st Project

OBJECTIVES

To identify risk factors for antepartum stillbirth, including fetal growth restriction, among women with well-dated pregnancies and access to antenatal care.

DESIGN

Population-based, prospective, observational study.

SETTING

Eight international urban populations.

POPULATION

Pregnant women and their babies enrolled in the Newborn Cross-Sectional Study of the INTERGROWTH-21^st Project.

METHODS

Cox proportional hazard models were used to compare risks among antepartum stillborn and liveborn babies.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Antepartum stillbirth was defined as any fetal death after 16 weeks' gestation before the onset of labour.

RESULTS

Of 60 121 babies, 553 were stillborn (9.2 per 1000 births), of which 445 were antepartum deaths (7.4 per 1000 births). After adjustment for site, risk factors were low socio-economic status, hazard ratio (HR): 1.6 (95% CI, 1.2-2.1); single marital status, HR 2.0 (95% CI, 1.4-2.8); age ≥40 years, HR 2.2 (95% CI, 1.4-3.7); essential hypertension, HR 4.0 (95% CI, 2.7-5.9); HIV/AIDS, HR 4.3 (95% CI, 2.0-9.1); pre-eclampsia, HR 1.6 (95% CI, 1.1-3.8); multiple pregnancy, HR 3.3 (95% CI, 2.0-5.6); and antepartum haemorrhage, HR 3.3 (95% CI, 2.5-4.5). Birth weight <3rd centile was associated with antepartum stillbirth [HR, 4.6 (95% CI, 3.4-6.2)]. The greatest risk was seen in babies not suspected to have been growth restricted antenatally, with an HR of 5.0 (95% CI, 3.6-7.0). The population-attributable risk of antepartum death associated with small-for-gestational-age neonates diagnosed at birth was 11%.

CONCLUSIONS

Antepartum stillbirth is a complex syndrome associated with several risk factors. Although small babies are at higher risk, current growth restriction detection strategies only modestly reduced the rate of stillbirth.

TWEETABLE ABSTRACT

International stillbirth study finds individual risks poor predictors of death but combinations promising.

Ultrasound-based gestational-age estimation in late pregnancy

OBJECTIVE

Accurate gestational-age (GA) estimation, preferably by ultrasound measurement of fetal crown-rump length before 14 weeks' gestation, is an important component of high-quality antenatal care. The objective of this study was to determine how GA can best be estimated by fetal ultrasound for women who present for the first time late in pregnancy with uncertain or unknown menstrual dates.

METHODS

INTERGROWTH-21^st was a large, prospective, multicenter, population-based project performed in eight geographically defined urban populations. One of its principal components, the Fetal Growth Longitudinal Study, aimed to develop international fetal growth standards. Each participant had their certain menstrual dates confirmed by first-trimester ultrasound examination. Fetal head circumference (HC), biparietal diameter (BPD), occipitofrontal diameter (OFD), abdominal circumference (AC) and femur length (FL) were measured every 5 weeks from 14 weeks' gestation until delivery. For each participant, a single, randomly selected ultrasound examination was used to explore all candidate biometric variables and permutations to build models to predict GA. Regression equations were ranked based upon minimization of the mean prediction error, goodness of fit and model complexity. An automated machine learning algorithm, the Genetic Algorithm, was adapted to evaluate > 64 000 potential polynomial equations as predictors.

RESULTS

Of the 4607 eligible women, 4321 (94%) had a pregnancy without major complications and delivered a live singleton without congenital malformations. After other exclusions (missing measurements in GA window and outliers), the final sample comprised 4229 women. Two skeletal measures, HC and FL, produced the best GA prediction, given by the equation log_e (GA) = 0.03243 × (log_e (HC))² + 0.001644 × FL × log_e (HC) + 3.813. When FL was not available, the best equation based on HC alone was log_e (GA) = 0.05970 × (log_e (HC))² + 0.000000006409 × (HC)³ + 3.3258. The estimated uncertainty of GA prediction (half width 95% interval) was 6-7 days at 14 weeks' gestation, 12-14 days at 26 weeks' gestation and > 14 days in the third trimester. The addition of FL to the HC model led to improved prediction intervals compared with using HC alone, but no further improvement in prediction was afforded by adding AC, BPD or OFD. Equations that included other measurements (BPD, OFD and AC) did not perform better.

CONCLUSIONS

Among women initiating antenatal care late in pregnancy, a single set of ultrasound measurements combining HC and FL in the second trimester can be used to estimate GA with reasonable accuracy. We recommend this tool for underserved populations but considerable efforts should be implemented to improve early initiation of antenatal care worldwide. © 2016 Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.