Radiotherapy Plus Cisplatin With or Without Lapatinib for Non-Human Papillomavirus Head and Neck Carcinoma: A Phase 2 Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance

Patients with locally advanced non-human papillomavirus (HPV) head and neck cancer (HNC) carry an unfavorable prognosis. Chemoradiotherapy (CRT) with cisplatin or anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibody improves overall survival (OS) of patients with stage III to IV HNC, and preclinical data suggest that a small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor dual EGFR and ERBB2 (formerly HER2 or HER2/neu) inhibitor may be more effective than anti-EGFR antibody therapy in HNC.

Objective

To examine whether adding lapatinib, a dual EGFR and HER2 inhibitor, to radiation plus cisplatin for frontline therapy of stage III to IV non-HPV HNC improves progression-free survival (PFS).

Design, Setting, and Participants

This multicenter, phase 2, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial enrolled 142 patients with stage III to IV carcinoma of the oropharynx (p16 negative), larynx, and hypopharynx with a Zubrod performance status of 0 to 1 who met predefined blood chemistry criteria from October 18, 2012, to April 18, 2017 (median follow-up, 4.1 years). Data analysis was performed from December 1, 2020, to December 4, 2020.

Intervention

Patients were randomized (1:1) to 70 Gy (6 weeks) plus 2 cycles of cisplatin (every 3 weeks) plus either 1500 mg per day of lapatinib (CRT plus lapatinib) or placebo (CRT plus placebo).

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary end point was PFS, with 69 events required. Progression-free survival rates between arms for all randomized patients were compared by 1-sided log-rank test. Secondary end points included OS.

Results

Of the 142 patients enrolled, 127 (median [IQR] age, 58 [53-63] years; 98 [77.2%] male) were randomized; 63 to CRT plus lapatinib and 64 to CRT plus placebo. Final analysis did not suggest improvement in PFS (hazard ratio, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.56-1.46; P = .34) or OS (hazard ratio, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.61-1.86; P = .58) with the addition of lapatinib. There were no significant differences in grade 3 to 4 acute adverse event rates (83.3% [95% CI, 73.9%-92.8%] with CRT plus lapatinib vs 79.7% [95% CI, 69.4%-89.9%] with CRT plus placebo; P = .64) or late adverse event rates (44.4% [95% CI, 30.2%-57.8%] with CRT plus lapatinib vs 40.8% [95% CI, 27.1%-54.6%] with CRT plus placebo; P = .84).

Conclusion and Relevance

In this randomized clinical trial, dual EGFR-ERBB2 inhibition with lapatinib did not appear to enhance the benefit of CRT. Although the results of this trial indicate that accrual to a non-HPV HNC-specific trial is feasible, new strategies must be investigated to improve the outcome for this population with a poor prognosis.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01711658.

Long-Term Update of NRG/RTOG 0522: A Randomized Phase 3 Trial of Concurrent Radiation and Cisplatin With or Without Cetuximab in Locoregionally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer

PURPOSE

The combination of cisplatin and radiation or cetuximab and radiation improves overall survival of patients with locoregionally advanced head and neck carcinoma. NRG Oncology conducted a phase 3 trial to test the hypothesis that adding cetuximab to radiation and cisplatin would improve progression-free survival (PFS).

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Eligible patients with American Joint Committee on Cancer sixth edition stage T2 N2a-3 M0 or T3-4 N0-3 M0 were accrued from November 2005 to March 2009 and randomized to receive radiation and cisplatin without (arm A) or with (arm B) cetuximab. Outcomes were correlated with patient and tumor features. Late reactions were scored using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (version 3).

RESULTS

Of 891 analyzed patients, 452 with a median follow-up of 10.1 years were alive at analysis. The addition of cetuximab did not improve PFS (hazard ratio [HR], 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.89-1.26; P = .74), with 10-year estimates of 43.6% (95% CI, 38.8- 48.4) for arm A and 40.2% (95% CI, 35.4-45.0) for arm B. Cetuximab did not reduce locoregional failure (HR, 1.21; 95% CI, 0.95-1.53; P = .94) or distant metastasis (HR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.54-1.14; P = .10) or improve overall survival (HR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.80-1.16; P = .36). Cetuximab did not appear to improve PFS in either p16-positive oropharynx (HR, 1.30; 95% CI, 0.87-1.93) or p16-negative oropharynx or nonoropharyngeal primary (HR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.73-1.21). Grade 3 to 4 late toxicity rates were 57.4% in arm A and 61.3% in arm B (P = .26).

CONCLUSIONS

With a median follow-up of more than 10 years, this updated report confirms the addition of cetuximab to radiation therapy and cisplatin did not improve any measured outcome in the entire cohort or when stratifying by p16 status.

Pathologic Complete Response and Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Localized Soft Tissue Sarcoma Treated With Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy or Radiotherapy: The NRG/RTOG 9514 and 0630 Nonrandomized Clinical Trials

Importance

Pathologic complete response (pCR) may be associated with prognosis in patients with soft tissue sarcoma (STS).

Objective

We sought to determine the prognostic significance of pCR on survival outcomes in STS for patients receiving neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CT-RT) (Radiation Therapy Oncology Group [RTOG] 9514) or preoperative image-guided radiotherapy alone (RT, RTOG 0630) and provide a long-term update of RTOG 0630.

Design, Setting, and Participants

RTOG has completed 2 multi-institutional, nonrandomized phase 2 clinical trials for patients with localized STS. One hundred forty-three eligible patients from RTOG 0630 (n = 79) and RTOG 9514 (n = 64) were included in this ancillary analysis of pCR and 79 patients from RTOG 0630 were evaluated for long-term outcomes.

Intervention

Patients in trial 9514 received CT interdigitated with RT, whereas those in trial 0630 received preoperative RT alone.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Overall and disease-free survival (OS and DFS) rates were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Hazard ratios (HRs) and P values were estimated by multivariable Cox model stratified by study, where possible; otherwise, P values were calculated by stratified log-rank test. Analysis took place between December 14, 2016, to April 13, 2017.

Results

Overall there were 42 (53.2%) men; 68 (86.1%) were white; with a mean (SD) age of 59.6 (14.5) years. For RTOG 0630, at median follow-up of 6.0 years, there was 1 new in-field recurrence and 1 new distant failure since the initial report. From both studies, 123 patients were evaluable for pCR: 14 of 51 (27.5%) in trial 9514 and 14 of 72 (19.4%) in trial 0630 had pCR. Five-year OS was 100% for patients with pCR vs 76.5% (95% CI, 62.3%-90.8%) and 56.4% (95% CI, 43.3%-69.5%) for patients with less than pCR in trials 9514 and 0630, respectively. Overall, pCR was associated with improved OS (P = .01) and DFS (HR, 4.91; 95% CI, 1.51-15.93; P = .008) relative to less than pCR. Five-year local failure rate was 0% in patients with pCR vs 11.7% (95% CI, 3.6%-25.1%) and 9.1% (95% CI, 3.3%-18.5%) for patients with less than pCR in 9514 and 0630, respectively. Histologic types other than leiomyosarcoma, liposarcoma, and myxofibrosarcoma were associated with worse OS (HR, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.12-4.45).

Conclusions and Relevance

This ancillary analysis of 2 nonrandomized clinical trials found that pCR was associated with improved survival in patients with STS and should be considered as a prognostic factor of clinical outcomes for future studies.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifiers: RTOG 0630 (NCT00589121); RTOG 9514 (NCT00002791).

Radiotherapy and paclitaxel plus pazopanib or placebo in anaplastic thyroid cancer (NRG/RTOG 0912): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre, phase 2 trial

BACKGROUND

Anaplastic thyroid cancer is a rare and aggressive cancer with no standard radiotherapy-based local treatment. Based on data suggesting synergy between pazopanib and paclitaxel in anaplastic thyroid cancer, NRG Oncology did a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised phase 2 clinical trial comparing concurrent paclitaxel and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) with the addition of pazopanib or placebo with the aim of improving overall survival in this patient population.

METHODS

Eligible patients were aged 18 years or older with a pathological diagnosis of anaplastic thyroid cancer, any TNM stage, Zubrod performance status of 0-2, no recent haemoptysis or bleeding, and no brain metastases. Patients were enrolled from 34 centres in the USA. Initially, a run-in was done to establish safety. In the randomised phase 2 trial, patients in the experimental group (pazopanib) received 2-3 weeks of weekly paclitaxel (80 mg/m2) intravenously and daily pazopanib suspension 400 mg orally followed by concurrent weekly paclitaxel (50 mg/m2), daily pazopanib (300 mg), and IMRT 66 Gy given in 33 daily fractions (2 Gy fractions). In the control group (placebo), pazopanib was replaced by matching placebo. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to the two treatment groups by permuted block randomisation by NRG Oncology with stratification by metastatic disease. All investigators, patients, and funders of the study were masked to group allocation. The primary endpoint was overall survival in the intention-to-treat population. Safety was assessed in all patients who received at least one dose of study treatment. This trial is registered with Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01236547, and is complete.

FINDINGS

The safety run-showed the final dosing regimen to be safe based on two out of nine participants having adverse events of predefined concern. Between June 23, 2014, and Dec 30, 2016, 89 patients were enrolled to the phase 2 trial, of whom 71 were eligible (36 in the pazopanib group and 35 in the placebo group; 34 [48%] males and 37 [52%] females). At the final analysis (data cutoff March 9, 2020), with a median follow-up of 2·9 years (IQR 0·002-4·0), 61 patients had died. Overall survival was not significantly improved with pazopanib versus placebo, with a median overall survival of 5·7 months (95% CI 4·0-12·8) in the pazopanib group versus 7·3 months (4·3-10·6) in the placebo group (hazard ratio 0·86, 95% CI 0·52-1·43; one-sided log-rank p=0·28). 1-year overall survival was 37·1% (95% CI 21·1-53·2) in the pazopanib group and 29·0% (13·2-44·8) in the placebo group. The incidence of grade 3-5 adverse events did not differ significantly between the treatment groups (pazopanib 88·9% [32 of 36 patients] and placebo 85·3% [29 of 34 patients]; p=0·73). The most common clinically significant grade 3-4 adverse events in the 70 eligible treated patients (36 in the pazopanib group and 34 in the placebo group) were dysphagia (13 [36%] vs 10 [29%]), radiation dermatitis (8 [22%] vs 13 [38%]), increased alanine aminotransferase (12 [33%] vs none), increased aspartate aminotransferase (eight [22%] vs none), and oral mucositis (five [14%] vs eight [24%]). Treatment-related serious adverse events were reported for 16 (44%) patients on pazopanib and 12 (35%) patients on placebo. The most common serious adverse events were dehydration and thromboembolic event (three [8%] each) in patients on pazopanib and oral mucositis (three [8%]) in those on placebo. There was one treatment-related death in each group (sepsis in the pazopanib group and pneumonitis in the placebo group).

INTERPRETATION

To our knowledge, this study is the largest randomised anaplastic thyroid cancer study that has completed accrual showing feasibility in a multicenter NCI National Clinical Trials Network setting. Although no significant improvement in overall survival was recorded in the pazopanib group, the treatment combination was shown to be feasible and safe, and hypothesis-generating data that might warrant further investigation were generated.

FUNDING

National Cancer Institute and Novartis.

NRG-DT001 phase Ib trial of neoadjuvant navtemadlin (previously AMG232 and KRT232) concurrent with preoperative radiotherapy in wild-type p53 soft tissue sarcoma of the extremity and body wall

11521

Background: NRG-DT001 is a phase Ib trial evaluating neoadjuvant navtemadlin with preoperative radiation therapy (RT) in patients (pts) with wild-type (WT) p53 soft tissue sarcoma (STS). The primary objective is to evaluate the safety and tolerability of the MDM2 inhibitor navtemadlin in combination with standard-dose RT in STS in two cohorts (A, extremity or body wall; B, abdomen/pelvis/retroperitoneum) to determine the maximum tolerated dose/recommended phase II dose (MTD/RP2D) of navtemadlin in combination with RT. This report contains the results for cohort A. Methods: Eligible pts had grade 2-3 STS ≥ 5 cm, age ≥ 18, and Zubrod performance status 0-1. Dose levels were 120 mg 2x/week (DL-1), 120 mg 3x/week (DL1), 4x/week (DL2), and 5x/week (DL3) 1 week prior to and during RT (50Gy/5 weeks). Surgery was 5-8 weeks after RT. A 3+3 design was used to make dose escalation/de-escalation decisions at each dose level. Five additional pts were enrolled to the MTD to ensure safety (expansion cohort) with a dose limiting toxicity (DLT) rate of ≤ 1/5 considered safe. The DLT observation period was from the start of navtemadlin until 4 weeks after completion of drug+RT. Tumor Tp53 mutation status was determined by NGS sequencing. All eligible and treated p53 WT pts who experienced DLT or completed the observation period were considered DLT-evaluable. DLT included all grade 4-5 AE definitely, probably, or possibly related to navtemadlin. Any grade 3 AE definitely, probably, or possibly related to navtemadlin was also considered DLT if any of the 2 following situations occurred: a delay of treatment > 2 weeks or ≥ 2 dose reductions due to the grade 3 AE. The decision to escalate or de-escalate was made by consensus of the study team in accordance with the protocol. Results: Between 11/3/2017 and 9/10/2021, 4 (3 WT), 7 (4 WT) and 7 (4 WT) pts were enrolled at DL1, DL2, and DL3 respectively. An additional 9 (5 WT) pts were enrolled on DL3 expansion cohort. Preoperative RT was completed for all except 1 pt (pt refusal/DL3). On DL1 and DL2, 100% of pts completed navtemadlin. On DL3 (including expansion cohort), 78% (7/9) completed navtemadlin (1 AE, 1 pt refusal). On DL1, DL2, and DL3, 3/3, 3/4 (1 disease progression), and 5/6 (1 consent withdrawal; 3 pending) completed surgery. There were no DLTs in any dose level (DL1 0/3, DL2 0/4, DL3 0/9), establishing DL3 as the MTD/RP2D. Tumor necrosis rates will be reported at the time of presentation. Conclusions: Neoadjuvant navtemadlin concurrent with standard dose preoperative RT is well tolerated in patients with WT p53 STS at extremity or body wall, and the 120 mg PO daily of navtemadlin, 5 days per week dose should be used to design future trials of RT with extremity STS. Incorporating NGS sequencing results as an integral biomarker in a clinical trial of neoadjuvant radiotherapy and a radiosensitizer is feasible. Clinical trial information: NRG-DT001 NCT03217266.

Evolutionary Action Score of TP53 Analysis in Pathologically High-Risk Human Papillomavirus-Negative Head and Neck Cancer From a Phase 2 Clinical Trial: NRG Oncology Radiation Therapy Oncology Group 0234

Purpose

An evolutionary action scoring algorithm (EAp53) based on phylogenetic sequence variations stratifies patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) bearing TP53 missense mutations as high-risk, associated with poor outcomes, or low-risk, with similar outcomes as TP53 wild-type, and has been validated as a reliable prognostic marker. We performed this study to further validate prior findings demonstrating that EAp53 is a prognostic marker for patients with locally advanced HNSCC and explored its predictive value for treatment outcomes to adjuvant bio-chemoradiotherapy.

Methods and Materials

Eighty-one resection samples from patients treated surgically for stage III or IV human papillomavirus-negative HNSCC with high-risk pathologic features, who received either radiation therapy + cetuximab + cisplatin (cisplatin) or radiation therapy + cetuximab + docetaxel (docetaxel) as adjuvant treatment in a phase 2 study were subjected to TP53 targeted sequencing and EAp53 scoring to correlate with clinical outcomes. Due to the limited sample size, patients were combined into 2 EAp53 groups: (1) wild-type or low-risk; and (2) high-risk or other.

Results

At a median follow-up of 9.8 years, there was a significant interaction between EAp53 group and treatment for overall survival (P = .008), disease-free survival (P = .05), and distant metastasis (DM; P = .004). In wild-type or low-risk group, the docetaxel arm showed significantly better overall survival (hazard ratio [HR] 0.11, [0.03-0.36]), disease-free survival (HR 0.24, [0.09-0.61]), and less DM (HR 0.04, [0.01-0.31]) than the cisplatin arm. In high-risk or other group, differences between treatments were not statistically significant.

Conclusions

The docetaxel arm was associated with better survival than the cisplatin arm for patients with wild-type or low-risk EAp53. These benefits appear to be largely driven by a reduction in DM.

Fundamental Statistical Concepts in Clinical Trials and Diagnostic Testing

This article explores basic statistical concepts of clinical trial design and diagnostic testing, or how one starts with a question, formulates it into a hypothesis on which a clinical trial is then built, and integrates it with statistics and probability, such as determining the probability of rejecting the null hypothesis when it is actually true (type I error) and the probability of failing to reject the null hypothesis when it is false (type II error). There are a variety of tests for different types of data, and the appropriate test must be chosen for which the sample data meet the assumptions. Correcting type I error in the presence of multiple testing is needed to control the error's inflation. Within diagnostic testing, identifying false-positive and false-negative results is critical to understanding the performance of a test. These are used to determine the sensitivity and specificity of a test along with the test's negative predictive value and positive predictive value. These quantities, specifically sensitivity and specificity, are used to determine the accuracy of a diagnostic test using receiver-operating-characteristic curves. These concepts are briefly introduced to provide a basic understanding of clinical trial design and analysis, with references to allow the reader to explore various concepts at a more detailed level if desired.

NRG Oncology HN006: Randomized phase II/III trial of sentinel lymph node biopsy versus elective neck dissection for early-stage oral cavity cancer

TPS6093

Background: Since patients with early-stage oral cavity cancer (OCC; T1-2N0M0; AJCC 8th ed) have a 20-30% rate of occult nodal metastases despite clinical and radiographic assessment, standard of care treatment includes elective neck dissection (END). Many patients have comprehensive surgical management of the regional cervical nodal basin even though the majority of those necks (70-80%) will not contain disease. Assessment of draining first echelon lymph nodes by sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy (Bx), a less invasive surgical procedure, may provide an alternative to END, while potentially reducing morbidity and cost. A decisive clinical trial comparing SLN Bx versus END can focus the HNC clinical and research community and resources on establishing the standard of care for management of the neck in early-stage OCC. Methods: In order to address the efficacy of SLN Bx in this population, we recently activated an international multi-institutional phase II/III prospective trial randomizing patients to two surgical arms: SLN Bx and END. PET/CT is an integral imaging biomarker in this trial. A node-negative PET/CT study with central read is required before randomization. Patients with a positive PET/CT central result will remain in a registry to compare imaging findings with final neck pathology. Given the current evidence available regarding morbidity for SLN Bx versus END, the phase II will determine if patient-reported neck and shoulder function and related QOL at 6 months after surgery using the Neck Dissection Impairment Index (NDII) shows a signal of superiority of SLN Bx compared to END. A total of 228 randomized patients with negative PET/CT for potential evaluation of shoulder-related morbidity with difference in 6-month NDII scores (minimum important difference ³7.5; one-sided a = 0.10; 90% power) will serve as the “Go/No-Go” decision to move forward into phase III. The phase III portion is a non-inferiority (NI) trial with disease-free survival (DFS) as the primary endpoint (NI margin hazard ratio 1.34 based on a 5% absolute difference in 2-year DFS; one-sided alpha 0.05; 80% power, and an interim look for efficacy at 67% of the events based on an O’Brien-Fleming boundary). The NDII at 6 months after surgery is a hierarchical co-primary endpoint for the phase III. Target accrual of phase III is 618 PET/CT negative patients, including those randomized in phase II (297 DFS events required for the final analysis). In addition to radiotherapy and imaging credentialing, quality assurance will include central pathology review of all negative SLN Bx cases and surgeon credentialing through an education course and SLN Bx and END case review by the surgical co-chairs. A surgical quality assurance working group will review all trial SLN Bx and END outcomes. As of 02/15/21, 7 patients have been screened and 6 of the planned 228 randomized patients in phase II have been enrolled. Clinical trial information: NCT04333537.

TRYHARD, a randomized phase II trial (RTOG Foundation 3501) of concurrent accelerated radiation plus cisplatin (cis) with or without lapatinib (Lap) for stage III- IV Non-HPV head and neck carcinoma (HNC)

6014

Background: Chemoradiation (CRT) with cis or anti-EGFR Ab has been shown to improve survival of patients with stage III-IV HNC. Since Lap, a dual EGFR and HER2 inhibitor, has shown effectiveness with CRT in a pilot non-HPV HNC cohort, the RTOG Foundation launched a phase II trial to test the hypothesis that adding Lap to the RT-cis for frontline therapy of stage III-IV Non-HPV HNC improves progression-free survival (PFS). Methods: Patients with stage III-IV carcinoma of the oropharynx (p16-negative), larynx, and hypopharynx, having Zubrod performance of 0-1, and meeting predefined blood chemistry criteria were enrolled after providing consent. Patients were randomized (1:1) to 70 Gy (6 weeks) + 2 cycles of CDDP (q3 weeks) plus either Lap (1500 mg daily, Arm A) or placebo (Arm B) starting 1 week prior to RT and concurrent with RT and for 3 months post RT. PFS was the primary endpoint. The protocol specified 69 PFS events (142 patients) for the final analysis based on HR = 0.65, 80% power, 1-sided alpha 0.20, and one interim efficacy and futility analysis at 50% information. PFS rates between arms for all randomized patients were compared by 1-sided log-rank test (1-sided alpha 0.1803). Overall survival (OS) was a secondary endpoint. Results: From 10/’12 to 04/’17, 142 patients were enrolled, of whom 127 were randomized, 63 to Arm A and 64 to Arm B. Arms A vs B, respectively, were similar in baseline patient characteristics, radiation delivery, completing ≥ 70 Gy (85.7% vs. 82.8%) and cisplatin delivery, completing 200 (±5%) mg/m2 (65.1% vs 70.3%), but dissimilar in Lap/placebo delivery (median dose, 87000 mg vs. 125250 mg). Median follow-up was 4.1 years for surviving patients. The final analysis suggests no improvement in PFS of adding Lap to CRT (HR [A/B]: 0.91, 95% confidence interval CI 0.56-1.46; P= 0.34; 2-year rates: 50.6%, CI 37.5-63.7% vs. 56.2% CI 43.0-69.4%), or in OS (HR: 1.06, CI 0.61-1.86; P = 0.58; 2-year rates: 71.8% CI 60.1-83.5% vs. 76% CI 64.5-87.4%), death within 30 days of therapy (3.3% vs. 3.4%), and overall treatment-related grade 3-5 adverse event rate (86.7% vs. 84.7%). Grade 3-4 mucositis rates on Arm A and Arm B were 21.7% vs. 23.7%, all grade dysphagia and rash rates were 43.3% vs. 59.3%, and 13.3% vs. 6.8%, respectively. Conclusions: The addition of Lap to the radiation-cisplatin platform did not improve progression-free or overall survival in unselected non-HPV HN. Thus, dual EGFR, HER-2 inhibition does not appear to enhance the effects of chemoradiation. Although we showed that accrual to a non-HPV HN specific trial is feasible, new strategies must be investigated to improve the outcome for this poor prognosis HN population.

Alcohol-Related Risk of Driver Fatalities in Motor Vehicle Crashes: Comparing Data From 2007 and 2013-2014

OBJECTIVE

Using data from 2013-2014, this article aims to update alcohol-related fatal crash relative risk estimates, defined as the risk of dying in those crashes at different blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) relative to the risk of dying in a crash when sober (BAC = .00 g/dl), and to examine any change in risk that could have taken place between 2007 and 2013-2014. More specifically, we examine changes in risk among BAC = .00 g/dl drivers and among BAC > .00 g/ dl drivers.

METHOD

We matched and merged crash data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and exposure data from the National Roadside Survey (NRS). To the matched database we applied logistic regression to estimate the changes in relative risk.

RESULTS

We found that among sober (BAC = .00 g/dl) drivers, the risk of dying in a fatal crash decreased between 2007 and 2013-2014. For drinking drivers, however, no parallel reduction in the overall contribution of alcohol to the fatal crash risk occurred. Compared with 2007, in 2013-2014 the oldest group of drivers (age ≥ 35 years) were at an elevated crash risk when driving at low BACs (.00 g/dl < BAC < .02 g/dl).

CONCLUSIONS

Although the decrease in crash risk for drivers with a BAC of .00 g/dl is encouraging, the consistency of the alcohol-related risk estimates over the last two decades suggests the need to substantially strengthen current efforts to abate drinking and driving.

The utility of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) measures obtained from oral fluid samples in traffic safety

Objective: Blood and/or urine are typical drug detection matrices used by law enforcement. There are some concerns about using oral fluid (OF) in the identification of drivers potentially impaired by cannabis, particularly regarding their accuracy when compared to blood. The study objectives were to (1) examine the accuracy of predicting delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in blood from THC measured in OF and (2) examine factors influencing prediction accuracy. Methods: Using data from the 2007 and 2013-2014 National Roadside Survey (NRS) of Alcohol and Drug Use, 7,517 drivers with known laboratory results in both OF and blood were included in this study. OF samples were collected using the Quantisal® device and analyzed at the same private laboratory in both the 2007 and 2013-2014 NRS. The Quantisal device has consistently shown to collect 1 mL ±10%. Descriptive statistical analyses were used to examine and compare the distribution of THC concentrations in OF and blood. A hurdle model was applied to examine factors influencing the accuracy of the THC_blood predictions based on THC_OF while accounting for the decisions of cannabis consumption. We estimated the number of true positives (TPs), false positives (FPs), true negatives (TNs), false negatives (FNs), sensitivity, specificity, and positive predicted value (PPV). Results: This study found that THC measured in OF (THC_OF) is a good predictor of THC measured in blood (THC_blood), in particular when THC_OF > 0 ng/mL is used to predict being positive for THC_blood (THC_blood > 0 ng/mL). However, as blood and OF concentrations depart from 0 ng/mL, the proportion of TPs (sensitivity) decreases, which might be a concern for law enforcement. The likelihood of accurately predicting THC_blood from THC_OF is lower for drivers who were simultaneously using cannabis and other drugs. Conclusions: The findings of this study are based on THC measures obtained in a laboratory, which may not be the same as those conducted by police using point-of-care devices. However, this study is unique due to its large sample of drivers obtained in similar roadside locations and times to actual law enforcement activities. Though a positive THC_OF may assist law enforcement in probable cause for a blood draw, efforts to develop reliable methods to detect drug impairment based on OF should continue.

Evolutionary action score of TP53 analysis in pathologically high-risk HPV-negative head and neck cancer from a phase II clinical trial: NRG Oncology RTOG 0234

6010

Background: An evolutionary action scoring algorithm (EAp53) based on phylogenetic sequence variations and speciation stratifies head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients bearing TP53 missense mutations as high-risk (high, EAp53≥75), associated with poor outcomes, or low-risk (low), with similar outcomes as TP53 wild-type (wt), and has been validated as a reliable prognostic marker. This study is designed to further validate prior findings that EAp53 is a prognostic marker for locally advanced HNSCC patients, and assess its predictive value for treatment outcomes to adjuvant bio-chemoradiotherapy. Methods: Eighty one resection specimens from patients treated surgically for stage III or IV human papillomavirus-negative (HPV(-)) HNSCC with high-risk pathologic features, who received either Arm 1) radiotherapy(RT)+cetuximab(CTX)+cisplatin or Arm 2) RT+CTX+docetaxel, as adjuvant treatment in a phase II randomized clinical trial (RTOG 0234) underwent TP53 targeted sequencing, and EAp53 scoring. The EAp53 scores were correlated with clinical outcomes. Due to limited sample sizes, patients were combined into 2 EAp53 groups: wt/low and high/other. Results: At median follow-up of 10 years, there was a significant interaction between treatment and EAp53 group for overall survival (OS) (p = 0.008), disease-free survival (DFS) (p = 0.05) and distant metastasis (DM) (p = 0.004). Within arm 2, high/other showed worse OS [HR 4.69 (1.52-14.50)], DFS [HR 2.69 (1.16-6.21)], and had higher DM [HR 11.71 (1.50-91.68)] than wt/low. Within arm 1, there was no significant difference by EAp53 in OS, DFS and DM. Within the wt/low group, arm 2 had better OS [HR 0.11 (0.03-0.36)], DFS [HR 0.24 (0.09-0.61)], and DM [HR 0.04 (0.01-0.31)] than arm 1 but this was not found in high/other. Conclusions: High/other EAp53 scores were associated with worse survival for patients in arm 2. Arm 2 is associated with better survival than arm 1 for patients with wt/low EAp53. This benefit appears to be largely driven by a reduction in DM. Further validation is required to determine whether EAp53 can be used for personalized post-operative treatment decisions in HPV(-) HNSCC.

Safety of radiotherapy with concurrent and adjuvant MEDI4736 (durvalumab) in patients with locoregionally advanced head and neck cancer with a contraindication to cisplatin: NRG-HN004

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Background: MEDI4736 (durvalumab), a PD-L1 inhibitor, has shown promising antitumor activity and safety in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). A phase II/III trial with lead-in component was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of concurrent and adjuvant MEDI4736 with radiation therapy (RT) for HNSCC patients with a contraindication to cisplatin. Safety data for 10 patients on the lead-in study are reported. Methods: Eligible patients had previously untreated locoregionally advanced unresected SCC of the larynx, hypopharynx, oropharynx (OPX), oral cavity, or unknown head/neck primary (AJCC 7th stage III-IVB). Contraindications to cisplatin included renal or hearing impairment, age ≥ 70 with moderate or severe comorbidity/vulnerability to cisplatin, or age< 70 with severe comorbidity/vulnerability, based on 6 validated indexes. Intravenous MEDI4736 1500 mg was delivered at weeks -2, 2, 6, 10, 14, 18, and 22 with RT (70 Gy in 35 daily fractions weeks 1-7). The primary endpoint was dose-limiting toxicity (DLT), defined as a high-grade adverse event (AE; NCI CTCAE version 4.0) definitely/probably related to MEDI4736 up to 4 weeks following completion of RT; 0-2 DLTs in 8 evaluable patients was considered acceptable. Results: Characteristics of the 10 enrolled patients were: 30% age ≥ 70, 90% male, 100% Caucasian, 40% ECOG performance status 0, 60% modified Charlson Comorbidity Index ≥ 1, 60% >10 pack-years, 20% larynx, 60% p16+ OPX, 50% T3-4 and 80% N2-3 disease. All 10 patients had ≥ 2 contraindications to cisplatin. All 10 patients completed RT and were evaluable. 8 of 10 patients received all 7 doses of MEDI4736 and 1 patient is still on MEDI4736 after 6 doses. 1 patient received 2 doses then discontinued due to AE (diarrhea possibly related to MEDI4736). No DLTs were observed. No grade 4-5 AEs were observed. Grade ≥ 3 AEs possibly related to MEDI4736 were: diarrhea (n=1), nausea (1), and vomiting (1). No grade ≥ 3 AEs were rated as definitely or probably related to MEDI4736. Conclusions: MEDI4736 is safe and feasible to administer concurrently with RT for patients with HNSCC with a contraindication to cisplatin. Clinical trial information: NCT03258554.