Defining the prognostic role of MGMT methylation value by pyrosequencing assay in glioblastoma patients: A large Italian multicenter study

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Background: MGMT methylation (MGMTmet) status represents an important prognostic factor for glioblastoma (GBM) patients (PTS). Quantitative pyrosequencing approach has proven to be feasible for MGMTmet testing but its value is still unclear. We performed a large, multicentre, retrospective study to identify the association between MGMTmet values and clinical outcome. Methods: from 9 Italian neuro-oncology centres, we collected consecutive GBM PTS with assessment of MGMTmet by pyrosequencing approach evaluating CpG islands from 75 to 84. Other inclusion criteria were: histological diagnosis of GBM, ECOG PS ≤2, therapy with RT+TMZ. Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the survival curves, time-dependent ROC curve for defining the optimal cut-off value of mean percentage of MGMTmet in terms of 2y-OS, Cox regression for multivariable analysis, and restricted cubic spline to investigate the non-linear association between methylation values and OS. Results: 681 PTS were enrolled; median age was 60 ys; ECOG PS was 0 in 292 PTS, 1 in 306 PTS, 2 in 83 PTS; 391 PTS (58%) had a complete resection. 8% of PTS received a second surgery. IDH was mutated in 6%. 2y-OS was 31.6%, median OS was 17.4 ms. Median MGMTmet was 3.5% (IQR 0-22%). ROC curve identified a cutoff of 15% of MGMTmet in terms of 2y-OS (sens 78%, spec 57%, AUC = 0.67). 2y-OS was 19.7% and 53.7% for PTS with MGMTmet < and ≥15%, respectively (p < 0.0001). At multivariable analysis, MGMTmet < 15% was associated with impaired survival (HR 2.7, 95% CI 2.1-3.4; p < 0.00001), adjusting for age, KPS, type of surgery and second surgery. A non-linear association between MGMT methylation and survival was identified (non-linear term: p < 0.0001), with lower values of MGMT methylation associated with lower survival; indeed, estimated median OS was lowest (14 months, 2ys-OS: 17.4%) with MGMTmet of 4%, 21ms (2yr-OS: 40.9%) with MGMTmet of 20%, 27ms (2yr-OS: 40.9%) when MGMTmet was 40%, then leveled around 30ms (2yr-OS: 54.5-59.8%) when MGMTmet was > 40%. Conclusions: this study represents one of the largest trials analyzing MGMTmet by pyrosequencing approach. Lower values of MGMTmet were associated with impaired survival and the relationship was non-linear. Noteworthy, we identified a strong prognostic value of MGMTmet which could be used as stratification factor in prospective clinical trials

Epileptogenesis and oncogenesis: An antineoplastic role for antiepileptic drugs in brain tumours?

The first description of epileptic seizures due to brain tumours occurred in 19th century. Nevertheless, after over one hundred years, scientific literature is still lacking on how epilepsy and its treatment can affect tumour burden, progression and clinical outcomes. In patients with brain tumours, epilepsy dramatically impacts their quality of life (QoL). Even antiepileptic therapy seems to affect tumor lesion development. Numerous studies suggest that certain actors involved in epileptogenesis (inflammatory changes, glutamate and its ionotropic and metabotropic receptors, GABA-A and its GABA-AR receptor, as well as certain ligand- and voltage-gated ion channel) may also contribute to tumorigenesis. Although some antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are known operating on such mechanisms underlying epilepsy and tumor development, few preclinical and clinical studies have tried to investigate them as targets of pharmacological tools acting to control both phenomena. The primary aim of this review is to summarize known determinants and pathophysiological mechanisms of seizures, as well as of cell growth and spread, in patients with brain tumors. Therefore, a special focus will be provided on the anticancer effects of commonly prescribed AEDs (including levetiracetam, valproic acid, oxcarbazepine and others), with an overview of both preclinical and clinical data. Potential clinical applications of this finding are discussed.

Radiation-induced nausea and vomiting in head and neck cancer: Is it something worth considering in the intensity modulated radiotherapy era? "A narrative review"

Radiation therapy is one of the cornerstones in the treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC), alone or in combination with chemotherapy or surgery. Technological advances which occurred over the last few decades have increased the efficacy of radiotherapy (RT), particularly, intensity-modulated RT (IMRT). IMRT can deliver treatments on complex tumoral targets with dose escalation while sparing organs at risk; anyway IMRT deposits dose in unpredictable patterns outside of the target volume with the purpose of improving conformality. Radiation-induced nausea and vomiting (RINV) is a frequent albeit neglected side effect of RT that can lead to delays in treatment with serious consequences on cure rates. According to several guidelines (MASCC 2016, NCCN 2018), RT for HNSCC has traditionally been regarded as a low emetic risk treatment. Nevertheless, several works suggest that IMRT could increase RINV. Further studies are needed to define the exact incidence and the detailed pathophysiology of RINV in patients with HNSCC treated with state of art IMRT techniques, with and without concurrent chemotherapy.

OS7.3 Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) evaluation in the REGOMA trial: a randomized, phase II clinical trial analyzing regorafenib activity in relapsed glioblastoma patients

BACKGROUND

REGOMA trial showed that regorafenib (REG) significantly improved OS and PFS in patients (pts) with relapsed GBM with respect to lomustine (LOM). REG showed a different toxicity profile compared to LOM. Here, we report final results of the HRQoL assessment, a secondary end point.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

HRQoL was measured using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) core questionnaire (QLQ-C30) and brain module (QLQ-BN20) administered before any MRI assessments, every 8 weeks (+/- 2 weeks) until disease progression. To evaluate treatment impact on HRQoL, questionnaires at progression were excluded. Mixed-effect linear models were fitted for each of the HRQOL domain to examine the change over progression-free time within and between arms. The models included the time of questionnaire assessment, the treatment group and their interaction, as fixed effects, and a compound symmetry covariance structure for the random effects. Differences of at least 10 points were classified as a clinically meaningful change. To correct for multiple comparisons and to avoid type I error, the level of significance was set at P=0.01 (2-sided).

RESULTS

Of 119 randomized pts, 117 partecipated in the HRQoL evaluation, and 114 had a baseline assessment (n=56 REG; n=58 LOM). No statistically significant differences were observed in any generic or cancer specific domain during treatment in the REG and LOM arms, or between the two arms, except for the appetite loss scale which was significantly worse in PTS treated with REG (Global mean 14.7 (SD=28.6) vs 7.6 (SD=16.0); p=0.0081). The rate of pts with a clinically meaningful worsening for appetite loss was not statistically different between the two arms (9 out of 24 and 0 out of 13 in the REG and LOM arm, respectively;p=0.02).

CONCLUSION

In the REGOMA trial, HRQoL did not change during regorafenib treatment. Pts treated with regorafenib and lomustine reported no significant difference in HRQoL.

Laser Capture Microdissection and RNA-Seq Analysis: High Sensitivity Approaches to Explain Histopathological Heterogeneity in Human Glioblastoma FFPE Archived Tissues

Laser capture microdissection (LCM) coupled with RNA-seq is a powerful tool to identify genes that are differentially expressed in specific histological tumor subtypes. To better understand the role of single tumor cell populations in the complex heterogeneity of glioblastoma, we paired microdissection and NGS technology to study intra-tumoral differences into specific histological regions and cells of human GBM FFPE tumors. We here isolated astrocytes, neurons and endothelial cells in 6 different histological contexts: tumor core astrocytes, pseudopalisading astrocytes, perineuronal astrocytes in satellitosis, neurons with satellitosis, tumor blood vessels, and normal blood vessels. A customized protocol was developed for RNA amplification, library construction, and whole transcriptome analysis of each single portion. We first validated our protocol comparing the obtained RNA expression pattern with the gene expression levels of RNA-seq raw data experiments from the BioProject NCBI database, using Spearman's correlation coefficients calculation. We found a good concordance for pseudopalisading and tumor core astrocytes compartments (0.5 Spearman correlation) and a high concordance for perineuronal astrocytes, neurons, normal, and tumor endothelial cells compartments (0.7 Spearman correlation). Then, Principal Component Analysis and differential expression analysis were employed to find differences between tumor compartments and control tissue and between same cell types into distinct tumor contexts. Data consistent with the literature emerged, in which multiple therapeutic targets significant for glioblastoma (such as Integrins, Extracellular Matrix, transmembrane transport, and metabolic processes) play a fundamental role in the disease progression. Moreover, specific cellular processes have been associated with certain cellular subtypes within the tumor. Our results are promising and suggest a compelling method for studying glioblastoma heterogeneity in FFPE samples and its application in both prospective and retrospective studies.

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) evaluation in the REGOMA trial: A randomized, phase II clinical trial analyzing regorafenib activity in relapsed glioblastoma patients

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Background: REGOMA trial showed that regorafenib (REG) significantly improved OS and PFS in relapsed glioblastoma (GBM) patients (pts) with respect to lomustine (LOM). REG showed a different toxicity profile compared to LOM. Here, we report final results of the HRQoL assessment, a secondary end point. Methods: HRQoL was measured using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) core questionnaire (QLQ-C30) and brain module (QLQ-BN20) administered before any MRI assessments, every 8 weeks (+/- 2 weeks) until disease progression. To evaluate treatment impact on HRQoL, questionnaires at progression were excluded. Mixed-effect linear models were fitted for each of the HRQOL domain to examine the change over progression-free time within and between arms. The models included the time of questionnaire assessment, the treatment group and their interaction, as fixed effects, and a compound symmetry covariance structure for the random effects. Differences of at least 10 points were classified as a clinically meaningful change. To correct for multiple comparisons and to avoid type I error, the level of significance was set at P = 0.01 (2-sided). Results: Of 119 randomized pts, 117 participated in the HRQoL evaluation, and 114 had a baseline assessment (n = 56 REG; n = 58 LOM). No statistically significant differences were observed in any generic or cancer specific domain during treatment in the REG and LOM arms, or between the two arms, except for the appetite loss scale which was significantly worse in PTS treated with REG (Global mean 14.7 (SD = 28.6) vs 7.6 (SD = 16.0); p = 0.0081). The proportion of pts with a clinically meaningful worsening for appetite loss was not statistically different between the two arms (9 out of 24 and 0 out of 13 in the REG and LOM arm, respectively; p = 0.0146). Conclusions: In the REGOMA trial, HRQoL did not change during REG treatment. Pts treated with REG and LOM reported no significant difference in HRQoL. Clinical trial information: NCT02926222. [Table: see text]

A multicenter real-world study of bevacizumab in heavily pretreated malignant gliomas: clinical benefit is a plausible end point?

Aim: This multicenter, retrospective study evaluates the clinical benefit (CB) of bevacizumab, alone or in combination, in recurrent gliomas (RG). Patients & methods: The CB was measured as a reduction of corticosteroid dosage and an improvement ≥20 points in the Karnofsky Performance Status lasting ≥3 months. Results: We collected data of 197 RG patients. A CB was observed in 120, patients without significant differences between patients treated with bevacizumab alone or in combination. The rate of patients who achieved a CB and free from progression at 1 year was 21.5 versus 1.4% in patients who did not report CB. Conclusion: The majority of RG patients treated with bevacizumab reported CB. Moreover, patients with CB showed improved survival.

Definitive radiotherapy for recurrent vulvar carcinoma after primary surgery: a two-institutional Italian experience

Objective:

To assess the clinical outcome of patients treated with radiotherapy (RT) for recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva after primary surgery.

Methods:

Fifty-six patients developed recurrent disease after surgery, consisting of deep total vulvectomy with inguino-femoral lymphadenectomy in 44 (78.6%) and deep partial vulvectomy with inguino-femoral lymphadenectomy in 12 (21.4%). All patients underwent RT at the Divisions of Radiotherapy, University of Pisa and ASST Cremona, between 1992 and 2016. Forty-three patients (76.8%) underwent external beam RT and 13 (23.2%) were treated with exclusive high-dose rate brachytherapy.

Results:

Five-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 19% and 43%, respectively. Primary tumor size ⩽4 cm, early FIGO stage, and negative lymph node status were significantly associated with better PFS ( p = .005, p = .020 and p = .036, respectively) and OS ( p < .0001, p = .023 and p = .008, respectively). Patients with more than 1 positive lymph node at primary surgery had significantly worse PFS ( p = .028) and OS ( p = .001). Patients with local recurrence had significantly better PFS and OS ( p = .022, p = .002, respectively). RT total dose >54 Gy was associated with a lower risk of recurrence.

Conclusions:

Primary tumor size, FIGO stage, nodal status, and site of recurrent disease were significant predictors of clinical outcome in patients treated with RT for recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva.

Re-irradiation for recurrent glioma: outcome evaluation, toxicity and prognostic factors assessment. A multicenter study of the Radiation Oncology Italian Association (AIRO)

INTRODUCTION

The prognosis of glioma is dismal, and almost all patients relapsed. At recurrence time, several treatment options are considered, but to date there is no a standard of care. The Neurooncology Study Group of the Italian Association of Radiation Oncology (AIRO) collected clinical data regarding a large series of recurrent glioma patients who underwent re-irradiation (re-RT) in Italy.

METHODS

Data regarding 300 recurrent glioma patients treated from May 2002 to November 2017, were analyzed. All patients underwent re-RT. Surgical resection, followed by re-RT with concomitant and adjuvant chemotherapy was performed. Clinical outcome was evaluated by neurological examination and brain MRI performed, 1 month after radiation therapy and then every 3 months.

RESULTS

Re-irradiation was performed at a median interval time (IT) of 16 months from the first RT. Surgical resection before re-RT was performed in 19% of patients, concomitant temozolomide (TMZ) in 16.3%, and maintenance chemotherapy in 29%. Total doses ranged from 9 Gy to 52.5 Gy, with a median biological effective dose of 43 Gy. The median, 1, 2 year OS were 9.7 months, 41% and 17.7%. Low grade glioma histology (p  ≪ 0.01), IT > 12 months (p = 0.001), KPS > 70 (p = 0.004), younger age (p = 0.001), high total doses delivered (p = 0.04), and combined treatment performed (p = 0.0008) were recorded as conditioning survival.

CONCLUSION

our data underline re-RT as a safe and feasible treatment with limited rate of toxicity, and a combined ones as a better option for selected patients. The identification of a BED threshold able to obtain a greater benefit on OS, can help in designing future prospective studies.

Different Timing to Use Bevacizumab in Patients with Recurrent Glioblastoma: Early Versus Delayed Administration

BACKGROUND/AIM

In patients with recurrent glioblastoma, the best timing to administer bevacizumab is not well addressed yet. In this study, we reported the results of a monocentric experience comparing the early use of bevacizumab (following the first GBM recurrence) with the delayed administration (following the second or even further GBM recurrences).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This analysis included 129 glioblastoma patients with a median follow-up of 22.4 months (range=5.26-192 months).

RESULTS

The median time lapse from diagnosis of glioblastoma to disease recurrence was 11.6 months; 13.1 for patients treated with deferred administration of bevacizumab and 9.9 for patients with early administration (p=0.047). Bevacizumab progression-free survival with early and delayed use was 3.45 and 2.92 months, respectively (p=0.504). Survival time from the start of bevacizumab was 6.18 months in patients with early administration, and 6.47 in the delayed administration one (p=0.318).

CONCLUSION

Delayed administration of bevacizumab can be considered in selected patients with less aggressive recurrent glioblastoma.

Image-guided Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy in Metastatic Prostate Cancer

BACKGROUND/AIM

In the last years, the use of Image Guided Stereotactic Radiotherapy (IG-SBRT) in patients with metastatic prostate cancer has increased. In this study, we aimed to assess the role of IG-SBRT in terms of local control and safety in patients with metastatic prostate cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Primary and secondary endpoints of this prospective observational study were local control and safety related to IG-SBRT. All lesions were treated with 24 Gy as a single fraction or 27 Gy in 3 fractions. After SBRT, Systemic therapies were administered only after the occurrence of more than three synchronous active lesions in oligometastatic patients (patients with less than 4 active synchronous lesions) or new lesions occurrence in patients with more than 3 synchronous lesions.

RESULTS

From April 2011 to June 2017, 78 metastatic lesions (32 bone and 46 node) from 51 patients with prostate cancer were treated. After a median follow-up of 18.5 months (range=3-103 months), only 2 lesions (4%) relapsed inside the radiation field. All local recurrences were located on the bone. Estimated 12 and 24 months local control ratios were 98.7 and 97.4%, respectively. Except for one case, toxicity greater than G2 was not recorded.

CONCLUSION

IG-SBRT is safe and can be considered as a valid therapy in patients with metastatic prostate cancer requiring a long-lasting metastases control.