Trends in incidence of Ewing sarcoma of bone in India - Evidence from the National Cancer Registry Programme (1982-2011)

Factors that Impact the Outcomes in Ewing's Sarcoma: Experience from a Regional Cancer Center in Southern India

Ewing's sarcoma family of tumors (EWSFT) is common in the second decade of life. Achieving good outcomes in EWSFT requires a multimodality approach. We report the clinico-pathological features, treatment, and survival outcomes of patients with EWSFT treated at our center. Patients diagnosed and treated for EWSFT at our center from 2009-2017 were included in this study. Data was collected from the patient's case records. Event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The study included 173 patients among whom 44 (25%) patients were metastatic at diagnosis. The median age of patients was 16 years. The most common site of the primary tumor was the pelvis (16.1%), followed by long bones. The median follow-up was 75 months and the 5-year EFS and OS were 43.7% and 45.1% respectively for the overall cohort whereas for the localized disease were 56.6% and 57.2% respectively. Metastatic disease, tumor volume > 200 ml, tumor diameter > 8 cm, pelvic site, hemoglobin < 10 gms%, elevated lactate dehydrogenase, positive margin, and necrosis less than 90% were significantly associated with inferior OS on univariate analysis. On multivariate analysis, metastasis disease, tumor diameter > 8 cm, and necrosis < 90% were significantly associated with inferior OS. Large tumors, advanced disease, and poor response to chemotherapy are associated with poor outcomes in EWSFT. Whether the use of dose-dense chemotherapy and/or autologous stem cell transplant would improve outcomes without increased toxicity in resource-limited settings needs to be explored.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13193-023-01817-6.

Clinicopathological and oncological outcomes in upper extremity Ewing's sarcoma: A single institutional experience

Background

Ewing's sarcoma is highly aggressive bone tumor having predilection for younger age groups with t (11,22) translocation, recombines the FLI-1 and EWS genes on chromosome 22. This disease requires multi-disciplinary treatment withneo-adjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery or radiotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy. This study was aimed to assess the demographic distribution, clinical behaviour and oncological outcome of Ewings Sarcoma involving upper extremity.

Methods

From 2015 to 2022, 45 patients of upper extremity Ewing's sarcoma underwent treatment at a territory cancer centre. A total of 26 patients treated with surgical management were included in the study comprising 15 males (57.7 %) and 11 females (42.3 %). Mean age of presentation was 26 years (3-43 years). The most common site for Ewings sarcoma of upper extremity was Humerus(42 %) followed by Scapula(27 %), Radius(15 %), Ulna(8 %), Metacarpals(4 %) and Clavicle(4 %). Out of 26 cases, 19 (73%) underwent limb salvage surgery and 7 (27%) underwent ampuation surgery.

Results

In limb salvage group reconstruction with Extra-corporeal radiotherapy (ECRT), Ulna centralization, Megaprosthesis and 3D printed scapula was performed following wide resection of tumor. In Amputation group ray resection in one case and forequarter amputation was performed in six cases. Mean serum LDH value was 335 IU/L (2.3X Normal value) and serum albumin was 4.04 gm/dl. Mean tumour necrosis after neo-adjuvant chemotherapy was 68 %. Out of 26 cases, 19(73 %) cases underwent limb salvage and 7 patients underwent amputation surgery. Out of 26, 13 (50 %) patients developed metastasis on follow up. The Event free survival (EFS) in current study was 70 % at 12 months and 40 % at 24 months. Mean Event free survival (EFS) in current study was 33.5 months (22.3-44.6) and Median Event free survival (EFS) in current study was 25 months (19.7-30.2).

Conclusion

This study characterises demographic and oncologic outcomes of upper extremity ewings sarcoma in Indian subpopulation. Pain and swelling were prominent clinical findings at presentation in patients with upper extremity Ewing's sarcoma. The survival rate following limb salvage surgery in Ewings sarcoma of upper extremity was comparable to that of patients with amputation surgery. Ewings sarcoma of upper extremity was associated with higher LDH level which was raised more than twice the normal range and can led to worse oncologic outcomes. A comparative study on upper extremity and lower extremity ewings sarcoma will be of help to improve literature on this rare disease.

Fluoro-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography detects Ewing's sarcoma of the larynx with multiple distant bone metastases: a case report and literature review

Ewing sarcomas (EWS) are highly malignant neoplasms of mesenchymal origin that are rare in the head and neck. Only a few laryngeal EWS have been reported in the literature. We report a 47 years-old man who visited our hospital for medical help after 5 months of hoarseness and sore throat. Computed tomography (CT) showed uneven thickening of the epiglottis fold, right vocal cord, and anterior union. In addition, fluoro-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (¹⁸F-FDG PET)/CT has confirmed high activity in the already known laryngeal and nodal lesions, and has revealed otherwise unknown skeletal metastases. We also reviewed the published clinical features, histopathology, and imaging findings of nine patients with laryngeal EWS confirmed by pathology. The main clinical manifestations of laryngeal EWS are rapidly growing lumps, hoarseness, acute respiratory distress, and aphonia. The EWS tumor cells usually express CD99, vimentin, synaptophysin (Syn), and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) but do not express common antigen (LCA), CD20, and chromaffin granin (CgA). Laryngeal EWS' CT imaging characteristics are mainly homogeneous, well-bounded soft-tissue masses. Our case suggests that EWS should be considered a differential diagnosis of laryngeal cancer, especially when PET/CT reveals distant bone metastasis, which is more likely to indicate EWS.

An institutional review of treatment outcomes in extraosseous Ewing's sarcoma- the largest Asian experience

PURPOSE

To analyze the treatment strategies, outcomes and factors impacting these outcomes in extraosseous ewings sarcoma (EOES).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A search of the hospital database yielded a total of 109 EOES patients registered in last 10 years out of which 25 patients were excluded from analysis due to incomplete medical records. Demographic and clinical characteristics were reported using descriptive statistics. Overall survival (OS) was taken from the time of diagnosis to death. Patients who were alive or lost to follow up were censored from the survival analysis. A total of 12 clinical and treatment related variables were taken into univariate analysis and those showing significance or a trend towards significance were taken up for multivariate analysis. Further a cluster analysis was done in a quest to find a subgroup which would have a better survival outcome as compared to other clusters. SPSS version 23 was used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

Chest wall (n=26), lower extremity (n=22) and paraspinal area (n=14) were the common sites involved. Localised swelling (n=43) was the most common presenting symptom and the median time to presentation was 2 months. Overall survival of the entire cohort at 5 years was 52 percent. Stage at presentation had a significant impact (P value<0.001) on estimated median OS (localised 70 months versus 36 months in metastatic stage). Cluster analysis showed that, patients with localised stage at presentation, good response to chemotherapy, negative resection margin and no adjuvant RT had a median survival of 69 months.

CONCLUSION

Judicious use of trimodality treatment in EOES yields optimal results and it also adds significantly onto the scarce literature on this subtype of sarcoma.

Bring the life stages into the domain of basic and clinical pharmacology

Completely distinct physiological conditions and immune responses exist among different human life stages. Age is not always consistent with the life stage. We proposed to incorporate the concept of the life stages into basic and clinical pharmacology, including clinical trials, drug labels, and drug usage in clinical practice. Life-stage-based medical treatment is the application of medicine according to life stages such as prepuberty, reproductive, and aging. A large number of diseases are life-stage-dependent. Many medications and therapy have shown various age effects but not been recognized as life-stage-dependent. The same dosage and drug applications used in different life stages lead to divergent outcomes. Incorporating life stages in medicine and drug usage will enhance the efficacy and precision of the medication in disease treatment.

A tool for predicting overall survival in patients with Ewing sarcoma: a multicenter retrospective study

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to establish and validate a clinical prediction model for assessing the risk of metastasis and patient survival in Ewing's sarcoma (ES).

METHODS

Patients diagnosed with ES from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database for the period 2010-2016 were extracted, and the data after exclusion of vacant terms was used as the training set (n=767). Prediction models predicting patients' overall survival (OS) at 1 and 3 years were created by cox regression analysis and visualized using Nomogram and web calculator. Multicenter data from four medical institutions were used as the validation set (n=51), and the model consistency was verified using calibration plots, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) verified the predictive ability of the model. Finally, a clinical decision curve was used to demonstrate the clinical utility of the model.

RESULTS

The results of multivariate cox regression showed that age, , bone metastasis, tumor size, and chemotherapy were independent prognostic factors of ES patients. Internal and external validation results: calibration plots showed that the model had a good agreement for patient survival at 1 and 3 years; ROC showed that it possessed a good predictive ability and clinical decision curve proved that it possessed good clinical utility.

CONCLUSIONS

The tool built in this paper to predict 1- and 3-year survival in ES patients ( https://drwenleli0910.shinyapps.io/EwingApp/ ) has a good identification and predictive power.

Intramedullary, periosteal, and extraskeletal Ewing sarcomas: retrospective study of a series of 126 cases in a reference center

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the proportion of extraskeletal, periosteal, and intramedullary Ewing sarcomas among musculoskeletal Ewing sarcomas.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

Our single-center retrospective study included patients with musculoskeletal Ewing sarcoma diagnosed between 2005 and 2019 in our pathology center (cases from our adult bone tumor referral center and adult and pediatric cases referred for review). Recurrences, metastases, and visceral Ewing sarcomas were excluded. Intramedullary Ewing sarcomas were defined by involvement of the medullary cavity. Periosteal cases were defined by involvement of the subperiosteal area without extension to the medullary cavity. Extraskeletal cases were defined by the absence of involvement of the bone tissue and the subperiosteal area.

RESULTS

Our series included 126 patients with musculoskeletal Ewing sarcoma, including 118 skeletal Ewing sarcomas (93.7%) and 8 extraskeletal Ewing sarcomas (6.3%). Of the 118 skeletal Ewing sarcomas 112 were intramedullary (88.9%) and 6 were periosteal (4.8%). Extraskeletal Ewing sarcomas were more common in women and in patients older than 40 (p < 0.05).

DISCUSSION

The 6.3% proportion of extraskeletal Ewing sarcoma is lower than the median of 30% estimated from the literature. This difference could be explained by an overestimation of extraskeletal Ewing sarcomas of the chest wall (Askin tumors), an underestimation of periosteal cases confused with extraskeletal cases, and the presence of "Ewing-like" soft tissue sarcomas in previous series. Because of its prognostic and therapeutic impact, the distinction of morphologic subtypes requires the cooperation of experienced radiologists and pathologists.

Incidence of primary bone sarcomas in Iranian population (2008-2015): A national population-based study

BACKGROUND

Epidemiological characteristics of bone sarcomas are variant in different populations, however, there is no previous study on primary bone sarcomas among Iranian population. This study aimed to evaluate the incidence, age, sex distribution, histologic type, and location of malignant bone sarcomas, based on the Iran National Cancer Registry (INCR).

METHODS

This was a national population-based study using INCR data from March 20, 2008, to March 20, 2015, on patients who were diagnosed with primary bone sarcomas of the appendicular (C-code:40) and axial skeleton (C-code 41), excluding skull and face bones. Primary bone sarcomas were classified according to the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICD-O-3: C40-C41).

RESULTS

A total of 4112 patients (59.5% males and 40.5% females) with a mean age of 36 years were included in the study. 60.38% of patients were between 10 to 44 years old. The overall age-standardized incidence rates (ASIR) was 8.23 (males=9.67 and females=6.80) per million person-years. Osteosarcoma chondrosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma were the three main histology subtypes with the ASIR of 2.36, 1.26, and 1.08 per million person-years. Long bones of the lower limb were the most affected area, with the ASIR of 3.18 (95% CI: 3.02-3.33) per million. We found an increasing trend in the incidence of bone sarcomas in Iran from 8.59 in 2007 to 11.37 per million person-year in 2015.

CONCLUSION

This study provided the epidemiological features of bone sarcomas, including the histological type of sarcoma, tumors' location, and patients' age and gender in the Iranian population for the first time.

A case report of small round cell tumor of palm: A difficult code to decipher on cytology

Introduction

Small round cell tumors (SRCT) are difficult to sub categorise on fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) samples as they are rare and it is difficult for cytopathologists to obtain enough experience for rendering reliable diagnoses. Various sub categories of SRCTs are morphologically very similar. Many SRCTs do not have specific antigens which could be demonstrated with immunocytochemistry (ICC) or they lose them when poorly differentiated. Besides, cross-reactivity exists between some SRCTs. Suboptimal FNAC sampling from a heterologous component and unstandardized performance of ICC contributes to the pitfalls.

Presentation of the case

A 40-year-old male presented with a swelling measuring 3 cm in diameter on palmar aspect of right-hand. Magnetic resonance imaging suggested cyst of tendon sheath. However, on cytology in combination with ICC, a diagnosis of non-lymphoid small round cells tumor was suggested, with confirmatory diagnosis on histopathology.

Conclusion

FNAC assisted with ICC can be a rapid and economical diagnostic tool in cases of high-grade malignant tumors for which early diagnosis is extremely important.

•

Small round cell tumors (SRCT) are difficult to sub categorise on fine-needle aspiration.

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Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of the palpable lesions is usually the first line of investigation in such cases.

•

Fine needle aspiration cytology alone is not diagnostic.

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Fine needle aspiration cytology assisted with immunocytochemistry can be useful for rapid diagnosis.

An analysis of the incidence and survival rates of bone sarcoma patients in thailand: reports from population-based cancer registries 2001-2015

BACKGROUND

Epidemiology data from population-based cancer registries (PBCR) can be very valuable in the development of health policy and for improving the quality of cancer control strategies.

METHODS

This study analyzed the incidence of bone sarcomas in Thailand during 2001 - 2015 by analyzing data obtained from 5 PBCRs across country. Incidence rates per million person-years by sex, histological subtype, primary site and 5-year age group were calculated. Age-standardized incidence rates (ASR) were adjusted using the WHO's World Standard Population and comparisons between populations were done using standardized rate ratios (SRR). Incidence trends were evaluated using Joinpoint Trend Analysis. Survival rates were analyzed using STATA.

RESULTS

The ASR of bone sarcomas in Thailand was 5.1/10⁶ person-years, with an estimated 328 newly diagnosed bone sarcomas per year for the country overall. Osteosarcoma (52.5%), chondrosarcoma (18%), Ewing's sarcoma (11.6%), giant cell tumor (4.8%) and chordoma (4.7%) were the most common malignant bone tumors, representing 91.5% of all bone sarcomas. Bone sarcoma has a predilection for males (1.29:1) and an age-specific bimodal rate pattern closely related to the major histological subtypes, osteosarcoma. One- and five-year survival rates of Thai patients with bone sarcoma were 74% and 52%, respectively. Survival rates of bone sarcomas, particularly osteosarcoma, were lower than the rates reported from the United States, Europe and Japan.

CONCLUSION

The lower overall survival rate of bone sarcoma represented the gap of bone sarcoma control program in Thailand. That indicates the need for improvement in health promotion, treatment process and chemotherapy for bone sarcoma patients in the future.

Identifying the Risk Factors and Estimating the Prognosis in Patients with Pelvis and Spine Ewing Sarcoma: A Population-Based Study

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective analysis.

OBJECTIVE

The study was designed to: (1) figure out risk factors of metastasis; (2) explore prognostic factors and develop a nomogram for pelvis and spine Ewing sarcoma (PSES).

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA

Tools to predict survival of PSES are still insufficient. Nomogram has been widely developed in clinical oncology. Moreover, risk factors of PSES metastasis are still unclear.

METHODS

The data were collected and analyzed from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. The optimal cutoff values of continuous variables were identified by X-tile software. The prognostic factors of survival were performed by Kaplan-Meier method and multivariate Cox proportional hazards modeling. Nomograms were further constructed for estimating 3- and 5-year cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) by using R with rms package. Meanwhile, Pearson χ2 test or Fisher exact test, and logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the risk factors for the metastasis of PSES.

RESULTS

A total of 371 patients were included in this study. The 3- and 5-year CSS and OS rate were 65.8 ± 2.6%, 55.2 ± 2.9% and 64.3 ± 2.6%, 54.1 ± 2.8%, respectively. The year of diagnosis, tumor size, and lymph node invasion were associated with metastasis of patients with PSES. A nomogram was developed based on identified factors including: age, tumor extent, tumor size, and primary site surgery. The concordance index (C-index) of CSS and OS were 0.680 and 0.679, respectively. The calibration plot showed the similar trend of 3-year, 5-year CSS, and OS of PSES patients between nomogram-based prediction and actual observation, respectively.

CONCLUSION

PSES patients with earlier diagnostic year (before 2010), larger tumor size (>59 mm), and lymph node invasion, are more likely to have metastasis. We developed a nomogram based on age, tumor extent, tumor size, and surgical treatments for determining the prognosis for patients with PSES, while more external patient cohorts are warranted for validation.Level of Evidence: 3.

Adolescent-adult nonmetastatic Ewing sarcoma-Experience from a large developing country

BACKGROUND

Outcome and toxicity data in adolescent-adult Ewing sarcoma (AA-ES) patients are sparse and merits exploration.

METHODS

Histopathologically confirmed, nonmetastatic AA-ES patients, who received standard institutional combination chemotherapy regimen (Ewing's family of tumors-2001 [EFT-2001]) comprising of ifosfamide plus etoposide and vincristine, doxorubicin plus cyclophosphamide, lasting a total of 12 months between 2013 and 2018, were analyzed for treatment-related toxicities, event-free survival (EFS), and overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

There were 235 patients (primary safety cohort [PSC]) with median age of 23 (15-61) years; 159 (67.7%) were males, 155 (65.9%) had skeletal primary and 114 (48.5%) had extremity tumors. One hundred ninety-six (83.4%) were treatment naïve (primary efficacy cohort [PEC]) and of these 119 (60.7%) had surgery. In PEC, at a median follow-up of 36.4 (interquartile range [IQR] 20-55) months, estimated 3-year EFS and OS were 67.3% (95% CI 60.3-75.1%) and 91.1% (95% CI 86.7-95.7%), respectively. Of these, 158 (80.6%) complying with intended treatment, at a median follow-up of 39 (IQR 26-57) months had an estimated 3-year EFS of 68.2% (95% CI 60.3-76.1%). In multivariable analysis, good prognostic factors included longer symptom(s) duration (HR 0.93, 95% CI 0.86-0.994), ≥99% necrosis (HR 0.30, 95% CI 0.11-0.77), and treatment completion (HR 0.32, 95% CI 0.14-0.74). Among PSC, grade 3-4 toxicities were febrile neutropenia (119, 50.6%), anemia (130, 55.3%), peripheral neuropathy (37, 15.7%), with three (1.3%) chemo-toxic deaths.

CONCLUSIONS

The outcomes of AA nonmetastatic ES patients treated with EFT-2001 regimen were comparable to those reported by others, with acceptable toxicity. This regimen can be considered a standard of care in AA-ES.

Comparative international incidence of Ewing sarcoma 1988 to 2012

Ewing sarcoma (ES) is the second most common primary bone tumor in children and adolescents. There are few known epidemiological or genetic risk factors for ES. Numerous reports describe incidence rates and trends within the United States, but international comparisons are sparse. We used the Cancer Incidence in Five Continents (CI5) data to estimate age standardized incidence rates (ASRs; cases per million) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs), male-to-female incidence rate ratios (IRRs; 95% CI), and the average annual percent change in incidence (AAPC; 95% CI) for ES by geographic region for children and adults aged 0 to 49 years. We also estimated the ASR for each country or country subpopulation among the 10- to 19-year-old age range; capturing the peak incidence of ES. In total, 15 874 ES cases ages 0 to 49 were reported in the CI5 series between 1988 and 2012. AAPC estimates varied by age group and geographic region. Most of the statistically significant AAPCs showed an increased incidence over time; the only statistically significant decreases in incidence were observed among 20- to 29-year-olds and 30- to 39-year-olds in Southern Asia at -1.93% and -1.67%. When categorized by predominant ancestry, we observed countries and subpopulations with predominately African, East Asian, and Southeast Asian ancestry had the lowest incidence rates, whereas Pacific Islanders and populations with predominantly European and North African/Middle Eastern ancestry had the highest. An excess incidence in males was observed in most regions. Our results highlight substantial variation in ES incidence across geographic populations, reflecting potential ancestral influence on disease risk.

Incidence of Ewing's Sarcoma in Different Age Groups, Their Associated Features, and Its Correlation With Primary Care Interval

Introduction

Primary care interval is the time duration from a patient’s first presentation to the final diagnosis. Ewing’s sarcoma is a rare small round blue cell bone tumor originating from neuroectoderm and undifferentiated neuroepithelial cells, having an annual incidence of approximately one case per million in the United States. In this study, we analyzed the age pattern among patients diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma undergoing management, along with associated features including involved site, regional lymphadenopathy, and distant metastasis at the time of presentation and their correlation with the primary care interval.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional study carried out at the Oncology department of a Tertiary Care Government Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. The duration of our study was from January 2020 to December 2020. During this period, all patients with proven diagnosis of Ewing’s sarcoma between ages 10 years and 65 years were included in the study. All the participants of the study were divided into groups, based on the age and site of the tumor.

Results

A total of 895 cases of bone cancer were reported. Among these, 147 cases (16.4%) had Ewing’s sarcoma. Of these patients, 88 were male (60%) while 59 (40%) were female. The mean age of patients was 18.9 ± 3.2 years. Ewing’s sarcoma most commonly occurred during 15 to 20 years of age. The most common region involved was lower limb (n=76, 52%) followed by upper limb (n=63, 43%) followed by pelvis (n=8, 5.4%).

Conclusion

The peak time for the occurrence of Ewing’s sarcoma is from 15 years to 20 years of age. Regional painful swelling is the most common presenting feature in our study population. Factors causing a prolonged primary care interval include early age of onset, non-specific clinical presentation, and insufficient knowledge of the primary care physician, which results in poor prognosis. Hence, it is important to consider Ewing’s sarcoma as a differential on the first presentation especially in the high-risk age group.

Primary bone sarcomas in KSA: A Saudi tumor registry review

Objectives

The geographical incidence of tumours is usually influenced by the environment, race, and culture. This study aimed to report the incidence and differences in tumour type, site of origin, and mortality across gender, regions, age, and the different characteristics of tumour types.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study included all patients diagnosed with primary bone sarcomas from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2017. Frequencies and percentages were generated for categorical variables. Means and standard deviations were calculated for quantitative variables. A chi-squared test was used to detect differences among categorical variables. Student-t, ANOVA, and Tukey tests were used to detect differences among quantitative variables. Lastly, we calculated the incidence of each tumour type.

Results

Of 451 patients, 248 (55%) had osteosarcomas; 160 (35.5%) had Ewing's sarcoma, and 43 (9.5%) had chondrosarcoma. The incidence was 1.56 cases per 1,000,000 per year for osteosarcoma, 0.95 cases per 1,000,000 per year for Ewing's sarcoma, and 0.27 cases per million per year for chondrosarcoma. The three-year survival rate was 82.30%. Significant differences in tumour type, origin site, and three-year survival across age and gender were detected. Similarly, significant differences were also noted in origin site, grade, basis of diagnosis, and lateralisation across tumour types.

Conclusions

In our study, the observed bone sarcoma incidence rates were lower than the ones reported worldwide. Understanding the pattern of tumour behaviour in the region will help develop a risk and response-based treatment plan for early decision-making.

A nomogram for determining the disease-specific survival in Ewing sarcoma: a population study

BACKGROUND

We aimed to develop and validate a nomogram for predicting the disease-specific survival of Ewing sarcoma (ES) patients.

METHODS

The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program database was used to identify ES from 1990 to 2015, in which the data was extracted from 18 registries in the US. Multivariate analysis performed using Cox proportional hazards regression models was performed on the training set to identify independent prognostic factors and construct a nomogram for the prediction of the 3-, 5-, and 10-year survival rates of patients with ES. The predictive values were compared by using concordance indexes (C-indexes), calibration plots, integrated discrimination improvement (IDI), net reclassification improvement (NRI), and decision curve analysis (DCA).

RESULTS

A total of 2,643 patients were identified. After multivariate Cox regression, a nomogram was established based on a new model containing the predictive variables of age, race, extent of disease, tumor size, and therapy of surgery. The new model provided better C-indexes (0.684 and 0.704 in the training and validation cohorts, respectively) than the model without therapy of surgery (0.661 and 0.668 in the training and validation cohorts, respectively). The good discrimination and calibration of the nomogram were demonstrated for both the training and validation cohorts. NRI and IDI were also improved. Finally, DCA demonstrated that the nomogram was clinically useful.

CONCLUSION

We developed a reliable nomogram for determining the prognosis and treatment outcomes of patients with ES in the US. However, the proposed nomogram still requires external data verification in future applications, especially for regions outside the US.

Identification of key genes and pathways in Ewing's sarcoma patients associated with metastasis and poor prognosis

Background: Ewing sarcoma (ES) is the second commonest primary malignant bone neoplasm. Metastatic status at diagnosis strongly predicted poor prognosis of Ewing sarcoma patients. Yet little was known about the underlying mechanism of ES metastasis.

Purpose:This study intended to identify the relationship between key genes/pathways and metastasis/poor prognosis in Ewing's sarcoma patients by using bioinformatic method.

Methods: In this study, multi-center sequencing data were obtained from the GEO database, including gene and miRNA expression profile and prognosis information of ES patients. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between primary and metastasis ES samples by the GEO2R online tool. Gene ontology (Go) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses of DEGs were performed. And PPI network analyses were conducted. The ES patient’s prognostic information was employed for survival analysis, and the potential relationship between miRNAs and key genes was analyzed.

Results: The results showed that a total of 298 and 428 DEGs were screened out in metastasis samples based on GSE17618 and GSE12102 dataset compared to primary samples respectively. The most significantly enriched KEGG pathway was the mismatch repair (MMR) pathway. MSH2, MSH6, RPA2, and RFC2 that belong to the MMR pathway were identified as key genes. Moreover, the expression of key genes was increased in metastasis samples compared with primary ones and was associated with poor event-free and overall survival of ES patients. The negative correlation of the expression level of the key genes with patients prognosis also supported by TCGA sarcoma database. Furthermore, knockdown of EWSR/FLI1 fusion in ES cell line A673 down-regulates the expression of the 4 key genes was revealed by GDS4962.

Conclusion: In conclusion, the present study indicated that the key genes promote our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of ES metastasis, and might be used as molecular targets and diagnostic biomarkers for the treatment of ES.

Ewing Sarcoma in Nepal Treated With Combined Chemotherapy and Definitive Radiotherapy

PURPOSE

To our knowledge, we conducted the first prospective oncologic clinical trial in Nepal aimed at providing state-of-the-art chemotherapy to patients with Ewing sarcoma. The efficacy of external-beam radiotherapy (RT) as the sole local treatment modality was explored and deemed justified as a result of the lack of available advanced tumor-orthopedic services in Nepal.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Twenty patients, 11 female and 9 male patients between the ages of 6 and 37 years, with newly diagnosed Ewing sarcoma were enrolled. Neoadjuvant combination chemotherapy, comprising well-established drug combinations, was administered in five courses before external-beam RT, during which one course of etoposide and ifosfamide was given. After RT, six additional chemotherapy courses were scheduled.

RESULTS

RT was tolerated well, providing rapid symptom relief and local tumor control, with no pathologic fractures observed among the 15 patients who received such treatment. Eleven patients completed the entire treatment protocol; seven patients were under continued follow-up, with no evidence of disease in six patients at a median follow-up time of 2.3 years (range, 1.3 to 3.1 years) and one patient alive but with a regional recurrence. Four patients experienced metastatic relapse and died as a result of their disease. Three treatment-related deaths linked to toxicity from chemotherapy occurred. Four of the six patients who refused to complete the treatment protocol and were lost to follow-up experienced progressive disease and were assumed dead.

CONCLUSION

This study was feasible with RT as the sole local treatment modality in combination with chemotherapy. As a result of the high number of patients lost to follow-up, no firm conclusions can be drawn, but the majority of the patients who completed treatment obtained durable long-term remissions.