REGOMA-OSS: a large, Italian, multicenter, prospective, observational study evaluating the efficacy and safety of regorafenib in patients with recurrent glioblastoma

BACKGROUND

In the randomized phase II REGOMA trial, regorafenib showed promising activity in patients with recurrent glioblastoma. We conducted a large, multicenter, prospective, observational study to confirm the REGOMA data in a real-world setting.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The major inclusion criteria were histologically confirmed diagnosis of glioblastoma according to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2016 classification and relapse after radiotherapy with concurrent/adjuvant temozolomide treatment, good performance status [Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS 0-1)] and good liver function. Regorafenib was administered at the standard dose of 160 mg/day for 3 weeks on/1 week off. Brain magnetic resonance imaging was carried out within 14 days before starting regorafenib and every 8-12 weeks. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). The secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate, disease control rate (DCR), safety and health-related quality of life. The Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology (RANO) criteria were used for response evaluation and Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 5 for assessment of adverse events (AEs).

RESULTS

From September 2020 to October 2022, 190 patients with recurrent glioblastoma were enrolled from 30 cancer centers in Italy: their median age was 58.5 years [interquartile range (IQR) 53-67 years], 68% were male and 85 (44.7%) were in optimal clinical condition (ECOG PS 0). The number of patients taking steroids at baseline was 113 (60%); the second surgery was carried out in 39 (20.5%). O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) was methylated in 80 patients (50.3%) and 147 (92.4%) of the patients analyzed had isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) wild type. The median follow-up period was 20 months (IQR 15.6-25.5 months). The median OS was 7.9 months ([95% confidence interval (CI) 6.5-9.2 months] and the median PFS was 2.6 months (95% CI 2.3-2.9 months). Radiological response was partial response and stable disease in 13 (7.3%) and 26 (14.6%) patients, respectively, with a DCR of 21.9%. The median number of regorafenib cycles per patient was 3 (IQR 2.0-4.0). Grade 3-4 drug-related adverse events were reported in 22.6% of patients. A dose reduction due to AEs was required in 36% of patients. No deaths were considered as treatment-related AEs.

CONCLUSIONS

This large, real-world observational study showed similar OS with better tolerability of regorafenib in patients with relapsed glioblastoma compared with the REGOMA study.

3D volume growth rate evaluation in the EORTC-BTG-1320 clinical trial for recurrent WHO grade 2 and 3 meningiomas

BACKGROUND

We previously reported that tumor 3D volume growth rate (3DVGR) classification could help in the assessment of drug activity in patients with meningioma using three main classes and a total of five subclasses: class 1: decrease; 2: stabilization or severe slowdown; 3: progression. The EORTC-BTG-1320 clinical trial was a randomized phase II trial evaluating the efficacy of trabectedin for recurrent WHO 2 or 3 meningioma. Our objective was to evaluate the discriminative value of 3DVGR classification in the EORTC-BTG-1320.

METHODS

All patients with at least one available MRI before trial inclusion were included. 3D volume was evaluated on consecutive MRI until progression. 2D imaging response was centrally assessed by MRI modified Macdonald criteria. Clinical benefit was defined as neurological or functional status improvement or steroid decrease or discontinuation.

RESULTS

Sixteen patients with a median age of 58.5 years were included. Best 3DVGR classes were: 1, 2A, 3A and 3B in 2 (16.7%), 4 (33.3%), 2 (16.7%) and 4 (33.3%) patients, respectively. All patients with progression-free survival longer than 6 months had best 3DVGR class 1 or 2. 3DVGR classes 1 and 2 (combined) had a median overall survival of 34.7 months versus 7.2 months for class 3 (p=0.061). All class 1 patients (2/2), 75% of class 2 patients (3/4) and only 10% of class 3 patients (1/10) had clinical benefit.

CONCLUSIONS

Tumor 3DVGR classification may be helpful to identify early signals of treatment activity in meningioma clinical trials.

Humanoid facial expressions as a tool to study human behaviour

Besides action vitality forms, facial expressions represent another fundamental social cue which enables to infer the affective state of others. In the present study, we proposed the iCub robot as an interactive and controllable agent to investigate whether and how different facial expressions, associated to different action vitality forms, could modulate the motor behaviour of participants. To this purpose, we carried out a kinematic experiment in which 18 healthy participants observed video-clips of the iCub robot performing a rude or gentle request with a happy or angry facial expression. After this request, they were asked to grasp an object and pass it towards the iCub robot. Results showed that the iCub facial expressions significantly modulated participants motor response. Particularly, the observation of a happy facial expression, associated to a rude action, decreased specific kinematic parameters such as velocity, acceleration and maximum height of movement. In contrast, the observation of an angry facial expression, associated to a gentle action, increased the same kinematic parameters. Moreover, a behavioural study corroborated these findings, showing that the perception of the same action vitality form was modified when associated to a positive or negative facial expression.

First isolation of Mycobacterium saskatchewanense from medical devices

Mycobacterium saskatchewanense is a species of pigmented slow-growing Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM), positive for Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) by AccuProbe system. MAC organisms have frequently been isolated from different medical devices. This is the first study reporting isolation of M. saskatchewanense from medical devices and highlights the importance of correctly identifying the NTMs that often colonize sanitary water. GenoType Mycobacterium CM CE-IVD kit (CM) was used as the first step of NTM strain identification, and all positive cultures were found to be components of MAC. Then, GenoType NTM-DR CE-IVD kit (NTM-DR) was used to differentiate the different species. Sub-culture on solid media were used for: (i) phenotypical confirmation by colony morphology and Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization-Time of Flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry; (ii) molecular confirmation by Next Generation Sequencing. All positive cultures were identified as M. intracellulare by CM and NTM-DR assays, whereas colony morphology showed bright yellow scotochromogenic growth. MALDI-TOF analyses identified the strains as M. saskatchewanense with a high score, and identification was confirmed by NGS analysis based on the hsp-65 region. This paper suggests that it is important to actively monitor NTM contamination in medical devices that use sanitary water, to prevent the possibility of patients becoming infected.

A bacterium against the tiger: further evidence of the potential of noninundative releases of males with manipulated Wolbachia infection in reducing fertility of Aedes albopictus field populations in Italy

BACKGROUND

Incompatible insect technique (IIT) is a population suppression approach based on the release of males with manipulated Wolbachia infection inducing egg inviability in wild females. We here present results of multiple field releases of incompatible ARwP males carried out in 2019 in a 2.7-ha green area within urban Rome (Italy) to assess the effect on Aedes albopictus egg viability. Data are compared with results obtained in 2018, when the approach was tested for the first time in Europe.

RESULTS

An average of 4674 ARwP males were released weekly for 7 weeks, resulting in a mean ARwP:wild male ratio of 1.1:1 (versus 0.7:1 in 2018). Egg-viability dynamics in ovitraps significantly varied between treated and control sites, with an estimated overall reduction of 35% (versus 15% in 2018). The estimated proportion of females classified as mated with ARwP males was 41.8% and the viability rate of eggs laid by these females (9.5%) was on average significantly lower than that of females only mated with wild males (87.8%); however, high variability in fertility was observed. Values of ARwP male competitiveness were 0.36 and 0.73 based on the overall viability rate of eggs in ovitraps and on female fertility, respectively; thus, well above the conventional 0.2 threshold for an effective suppressive impact in the field.

CONCLUSIONS

Results further support the potential of IIT as a tool to contribute to Ae. albopictus control in the urban context, stressing the need for larger field trials to evaluate the cost-efficacy of the approach in temperate regions. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Prognostic role and interaction of TERT promoter status, telomere length and MGMT promoter methylation in newly diagnosed IDH wild-type glioblastoma patients

BACKGROUND

The clinical relevance of promoter mutations and single nucleotide polymorphism rs2853669 of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and telomere length in patients with isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) wild-type glioblastoma (GBM) patients remains unclear. Moreover, some studies speculated that TERT promoter status might influence the prognostic role of O6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter methylation in newly diagnosed GBM. We carried out a large study to investigate their clinical impact and their interaction in newly diagnosed GBM patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We included 273 newly diagnosed IDH wild-type GBM patients who started treatment at Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV - IRCCS (Padua, Italy) from December 2016 to January 2020. TERT promoter mutations (-124 C>T and -146 C>T) and SNP rs2853669 (-245 T>C), relative telomere length (RTL) and MGMT methylation status were retrospectively assessed in this prospective cohort of patients.

RESULTS

Median overall survival (OS) of 273 newly diagnosed IDH wild-type GBM patients was 15 months. TERT promoter was mutated in 80.2% of patients, and most had the rs2853669 single nucleotide polymorphism as T/T genotype (46.2%). Median RTL was 1.57 (interquartile range 1.13-2.32). MGMT promoter was methylated in 53.4% of cases. At multivariable analysis, RTL and TERT promoter mutations were not associated with OS or progression-free survival (PFS). Notably, patients C carrier of rs2853669 (C/C+C/T genotypes) showed a better PFS compared with those with the T/T genotype (hazard ratio 0.69, P = 0.007). In terms of OS and PFS, all interactions between MGMT, TERT and RTL and between TERT and rs2853669 genotype were not statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest the presence of the C variant allele at the rs2853669 of the TERT promoter as an attractive independent prognostic biomarker of disease progression in IDH wild-type GBM patients. RTL and TERT promoter mutational status were not correlated to survival regardless of MGMT methylation status.

Can regulatory T cells improve outcomes of sensitised patients after HLA-Ab incompatible renal transplantation: study protocol for the Phase IIa GAMECHANgER-1 trial

BACKGROUND

Kidney transplantation is the gold-standard treatment for patients with kidney failure. However, one-third of patients awaiting a kidney transplant are highly sensitized to human leukocyte antigens (HLA), resulting in an increased waiting time for a suitable kidney, more acute and chronic rejection, and a shorter graft survival compared to non-highly sensitised patients. Current standard immunosuppression protocols do not adequately suppress memory responses, and so alternative strategies are needed. Autologous polyclonally expanded regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been demonstrated to be safe in transplant settings and could be a potential alternative to modulate memory immune alloresponses.

METHODS

The aim of this trial is to determine whether adoptive transfer of autologous Tregs into HLA sensitised patients can suppress memory T and B cell responses against specific HLA antigens. This is a two-part, multi-centre, prospective clinical trial, comprising an observational phase (Part 1) aiming to identify patients with unregulated cellular memory responses to HLA (Pure HLA Proteins) followed by an interventional phase (Part 2). The first 9 patients identified as being eligible in Part 1 will undergo baseline immune monitoring for 2 months to inform statistical analysis of the primary endpoint. Part 2 is an adaptive, open labelled trial based on Simon's two-stage design, with 21 patients receiving Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)-grade polyclonally expanded Tregs to a dose of 5-10 × 106 cells/kg body weight. The primary EP is suppression of in vitro memory responses for 2 months post-infusion. 12 patients will receive treatment in stage 1 of Part 2, and 9 patients will receive treatment in stage 2 of Part 2 if ≥ 50% patients pass the primary EP in stage 1.

DISCUSSION

This is a prospective study aiming to identify patients with unregulated cellular memory responses to Pure HLA Proteins and determine baseline variation in these patterns of response. Part 2 will be an adaptive phase IIa clinical trial with 21 patients receiving a single infusion of GMP-grade polyclonally expanded Tregs in two stages. It remains to be demonstrated that modulating memory alloresponses clinically using Treg therapy is achievable.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

EudraCT Number: 2021-001,664-23. REC Number: 21/SC/0253. Trial registration number ISRCTN14582152.

Treatment of severe infections caused by ESBL or carbapenemases-producing Enterobacteriaceae

Enterobacteriaceae are the most frequent pathogens in the Intensive Care Unit. Due to their safety and activity, β-Lactams (BL) and carbapenems represented the most common strategy adopted against these germs. The increasing exposure to these molecules led to the development of several types of antimicrobial resistance as the expression of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) and carbapenemases. Great molecular variability exists among these enzymes, with significant clinical impact. To limit morbidity and mortality, old antibiotics were tested and represent viable alternatives for specific types of infections, or once the spectrum of susceptibility of each germ has been determined. Alongside, new molecules have been specifically designed but enzyme molecular variability prevents the existence of one single antibiotic which fits for all. Therefore, a quicker identification of the molecular identity of each germ, together with the knowledge of the activity spectrum of each antibiotic is crucial to tailor the therapy and make it effective.

Investigating the Origin of Mycobacterium chimaera Contamination in Heater-Cooler Units: Integrated Analysis with Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Whole-Genome Sequencing

Mycobacterium chimaera is ubiquitously spread in the environment, including factory and hospital water systems. Invasive cases of M. chimaera infection have been associated with aerosols produced by the use of heater-cooler units (HCU) during cardiac surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate for the first time the performance of IR-Biotyper system on a large number of M. chimaera isolates collected from longitudinal environmental HCUs samples and water sources from hospitals located in three Italian provinces. In addition, IR-Biotyper results were compared with whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analysis, the reference method for molecular epidemiology, to investigate the origin of M. chimaera contamination of HCUs. From November 2018 to May 2021, 417 water samples from 52 HCUs (Stockert 3T, n = 41 and HCU40, n = 11) and 23 hospital taps (used to fill the HCU tanks) were concentrated, decontaminated, and cultured for M. chimaera. Positive cultures (n = 53) were purified by agar plate subcultures and analyzed by IR-Biotyper platform and Ion Torrent sequencing system. IR-Biotyper spectra results were analyzed using a statistical approach of dimensionality reduction by linear discriminant analysis (LDA), generating three separate clusters of M. chimaera, ascribable to each hospital. Furthermore, the only M. chimaera-positive sample from tap water clustered with the isolates from the HCUs of the same hospital, confirming that the plumbing system could represent the source of HCU contamination and, potentially, of patient infection. According to the genome-based phylogenies and following the classification proposed by van Ingen and collaborators in 2017, three distinct M. chimaera groups appear to have contaminated the HCU water systems: subgroups 1.1, 2.1, and branch 2. Most of the strains isolated from HCUs at the same hospital share a highly similar genetic profile. The nonrandom distribution obtained with WGS and IR-Biotyper leads to the hypothesis that M. chimaera subtypes circulating in the local plumbing colonize HCUs through the absolute filter, in addition with the current hypothesis that contamination occurs at the HCU production site. This opens the possibility that other medical equipment, such as endoscope reprocessing device or hemodialysis systems, could be contaminated by M. chimaera. IMPORTANCE Our manuscript focuses on interventions to reduce waterborne disease transmission, improve sanitation, and control infection. Sanitary water can be contaminated by nontuberculous Mycobacteria, including M. chimaera, a causative agent of invasive infections in immunocompromised patients. We found highly similar genetic and phenotypic profiles of M. chimaera isolated from heater-cooler units (HCU) used during surgery to thermo-regulate patients' body temperature, and from the same hospital tap water. These results lead to the hypothesis that M. chimaera subtypes circulating in the local plumbing colonize HCUs through the absolute filter, adding to the current hypothesis that contamination occurs at the HCU production site. In addition, this opens the possibility that other medical equipment using sanitized water, such as endoscope reprocessing devices or hemodialysis systems, could be contaminated by nontuberculous Mycobacteria, suggesting the need for environmental surveillance and associated control measures.

Microplastics inhalation and their effects on human health: a systematic review

Background

Microplastics (MPs) are defined as small particles less than 5 mm in size occuring in the environment as a consequence of plastic pollution. MPs are classified into primary MPs, which are created for industrial uses, and secondary MPs, that derive from the degradation of larger plastic items. With the global increase in plastic production, MPs have become widely distributed in the natural ecosystems and have been charged with causing several detrimental effects on both the environment and on human health. Moreover, plastics often include additives to improve their properties, which may produce additional toxic substances. Humans can be exposed to MPs through different pathways, including ingestion, inhalation and dermal contact. The aim of this systematic review is to synthesize whether inhaled microplastics and plastic additives have negative effects on human health.

Methods

MEDLINE, Scopus and Web of Science were searched starting from December 2021. The systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. Eligible studies were primary studies which reported the effects of inhaled MPs on the respiratory system. Appropriate quality assessment tools were used according to the study design of primary studies.

Results

38 studies met the inclusion criteria. Most of the studies were conducted in vitro, while there was a scarcity of papers that investigated the effects of MPs in population cohorts. Preliminary results show that MPs can induce pro-inflammatory or pro-carcinogenic effects by different mechanisms, depending on particles’ concentration, size, type and surface charge.

Conclusions

Literature has underlined several negative health concerns resulting from the absorption of microplastics and plastic additives. By gathering this information, this systematic review sheds light on the possible threats of MPs inhalation to human health and discusses whether an implementation of new public health policies for the foreseeable future is needed.

Key messages

• Inhalation is a major route of exposure to microplastics.

• Inhaled microplastics or plastic additives may have detrimental effects on human health, promoting respiratory diseases or carcinogenic processes.

P18.05.A Bevacizumab in atypical and anaplastic meningiomas: the BEMEN study

Background

meningiomas are the most frequent primary brain tumours. The current standard treatment for atypical and anaplastic meningioma can include surgical resection and radiotherapy. Despite the high rate of relapse no systemic treatment is indicated. Few data are available regarding the effectiveness of bevacizumab (BEV) in this setting. We performed a retrospective analysis investigating the efficacy and safety of BEV in meningioma patients relapsed after receiving surgery and radiotherapy. Gene mutations were also collected

Material and Methods

we retrospectively analyzed patients treated with off-label BEV at the Veneto Institute of Oncology from July 2019 to February 2022. Major inclusion criteria were histologically-confirmed diagnosis of grade 2-3 meningioma (according to WHO 2016 classification), previous treatment with surgery and radiotherapy, no indication to further surgical reintervention or reirradiation, absence of major contraindications to the use of BEV. Data were estrapolated from local clinical records. Bevacizumab was administered at 10 or 5mg/Kg every 2 weeks (at physician’s discretion) until progressive disease/death or unacceptable toxicity. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to estimate the survival rate; CTCAE v 5.0 was used to estimate treatment-related toxicities; RANO criteria were used for radiological assessment; NGS Foundation One panel was used to examine molecular data

Results

the median follow up was 13 months (3-30 range). 26 patients were enrolled. Median age was 68 ys (29-84); male pts were 16 (61%); 61% (16 pts) with atypical meningioma, 38.5% (10 pts) with anaplastic meningioma; 27% (7 pts) had underwent 2 or more surgeries; 58% had had 2 or more RT treatments; 96.1% (25 pts) received <2 previous lines of systemic treatment. 77% (20 pts) and 23% (6) received BEV 10 and 5mg/Kg every 2 weeks, respectively. For 61% of patients (16 pts), NGS analyses were available; 62% (10 pts) harboured NF2 mutations (1 patient had a confirmed diagnosis of neurofibromatosis type 2), 23% (6 pts) CDKN2A/2B deletion, 11% (3 pts) PTEN mutation, 8% (2 pts) FGFR mutation, 8% (2 pts) JAK alteration. Overall survival (OS) rate was 82% and 62% at 6 and 12 months respectively; 6 months PFS rate was 83%. 4 patients showed PR, 11 SD, 6 PD, no patient had CR; 5 patients were not evaluable for response. Among evaluable patients the disease control rate (stability+response) was 71% and the objective response rate was 19%. Median PFS and OS were not reached19% (5 pts) experienced CTCAE grade 1 or 2 toxicity, mainly hypertension (4 pts); 1 patient experienced grade 3 hypertension.

Conclusion

BEV showed very promising activity in recurrent grade 2-3 meningioma. The treatment was well tolerated. BEV should be considered an optimal therapeutic option in this setting of meningioma patients. The NGS results might be useful in identifying targetable mutations in case of further recurrence

P02.02.A Next-generation sequencing (NGS) for identifying actionable molecular alterations in newly diagnosed and recurrent IDHwt-glioblastoma (GBM) patients: a large mono institutional experience

Background

NGS panels allow the identification of alterations within hundreds of cancer-related genes and can guide a personalized strategy in glioma treatment.

Material and Methods

From Nov 2019 to Jan 2022 at Veneto Institute of Oncology, Padua, Italy, a large cohort of IDHwt-GBM tissues was analyzed by NGS (FoundationOne®CDx). We identified all potential actionable molecular alterations at diagnosis and/or at recurrence. High tumor mutational burden (TMB) was defined as ≥10 mutations/megabase.

Results

We analyzed 429 IDHwt-GBM samples: NGS profile was available for 419 samples (97.7%); sample failures in 10 cases (2.3%). 351 (84%) and 68 (16%) GBM samples derived from surgery at diagnosis and recurrence, respectively. All patients received radiotherapy and/or temozolomide as first line therapy. Among all the analyzed samples, the most frequent actionable molecular alterations were: CDKN2A (57%), CDKN2B (53%), EGFR amplification (39%), EGFR mutation (24%), PTEN loss (27%), RB1 (23%), NF1 (18%), PIK3CA (18%), CDK4 (15%), MDM2 (10%), PDGFRA (8%), BRCA1-2 (7%), FGFR1-3 (7%), Myc (6%), JAK (6%), ROS1 (5%), METmut (2%), METampl (2%), BRAF V600E (2%). No NTRK1/2/3 druggable alterations were observed. High TMB was found in 18 samples. The incidence of alteration of EGFR (ampl/mut), RB1, PIK3CA was statistically different between the two subgroups of samples (Fisher test). To date, 10% of patients received a personalized treatment as compassionate use, off-label use or in clinical trials (9 Dabrafenib/Trametinib, 8 Alpelisib, 3 Erdafitinib, 2 Ipatasertib, 1 Alectinib, 1 Capmatinib, 1 Palbociclib, 1 Entrectinib, 1 Pamiparib). Activity analysis is still ongoing.

Conclusion

NGS is feasible in GBM samples. Potentially, a high rate of patients could receive a personalized treatment. The activity analysis is ongoing. However, the incidence of actionable molecular alterations may differ between diagnosis and recurrent GBM samples.

P11.20.A Correlation between thyroid function and regorafenib activity in recurrent IDH wild-type(IDHwt) glioblastoma(GBM) patients: a large monocentric study

Background

Glioblastoma is the most frequent CNS malignant tumor, with high aggressiveness and poor prognosis. Regorafenib has recently demonstrated promising activity in terms of survival in recurrent glioblastoma patients. The impact of thyroid function on regorafenib activity has alreasy described in in patients with other types of tumors. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between baseline thyroid variables (TSH, fT3, fT4, fT3/fT4 ratio) and survival in IDHwt GBM patients who were treated with regorafenib.

Material and Methods

We retrospectively evaluated all consecutive recurrent IDHwt GBM patients who were treated with regorafenib at the Veneto Institute of Oncology in Padua (Italy) for which baseline thyroid function assessment was available prior to starting regorafenib. Major inclusion criteria were: histological diagnosis of IDHwt glioblastoma, regorafenib as second-line treatment, basel thyroid values available.The relationships between baseline thyroid variables (TSH, fT3, fT4, fT3/fT4 ratio) and outcomes (PFS, OS) were investigated with Cox regression models, where thyroid variables were modeled with first order polynomial or restricted cubic splines.

Results

We enrolled 108 recurrent IDHwt glioblastoma patients treated with regorafenib at our center From November 2015 to January 2022: 70% were male and median age was 50 years old. All patients received post-surgical treatment with concomitant chemotherapy and subsequent temozolomide according to Stupp protocol as first-line therapy. 32 patients (30%) underwent a second surgery upon recurrence. From starting regorafenib the median follow-up was 7.3 months (IQR 4.0-12.7). MedianPFS was 2.2 months (95% CI 2.0 to 3.4), and PFS rate was 43-13-4% at 3-6-12ms, respectively. MedianOS was 10.4 months (95% CI 7.5 to 14.5), and OS rate was 92-70-46% at 3-6-12 months, respectively. Disease Control Rate (DCR) was 42.7%. Univariate analysis suggested that the relationship between PFS and baseline fT4 may be modelled with first order polynomial (linear term p=0.06, non-linear term p=0.61) and also suggested a non-linear relationship between PFS and baseline fT3/fT4 (linear term p=0.06, non-linear term p=0.04).When adjusting for major clinical confounding factors (age, ECOG PS, second surgery, MGMT), multivariate analysis identified that baseline fT4 (as a continuous variable) is an independent risk factor for PFS (HR 1.09, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.17; p=0.02). We did not find any statistically significant associations between all baseline thyroid variables with OS and response.

Conclusion

Our study demonstrated fT4 value to be a predictive biomarker of PFS in recurrent glioblastoma patients treated with regorafenib. No correlation was showed between baseline thyroid function and survival.

P17.06.B Different dosage of bevacizumab treatment in recurrent IDHwt glioblastoma/IDHmut grade 4 astrocytoma and its impact on outcome

Background

Angiogenesis is one of the most distinctive hallmarks of glioblastoma (GBM). Although bevacizumab did not show to improve overall survival in phase 3 trials, it was approved by FDA and is often prescribed as off-label therapy in the recurrent clinical setting. The aim of this study is to evaluate the difference in terms of survival and safety between the 5 mg/m2 and 10 mg/m2 bevacizumab schedule in recurrent GBM.

Material and methods

All pts treated at Veneto Institute of Oncology from May 2013 to March 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. Major inclusion criteria were: histologically confirmed diagnosis of IDHwt GBM/IDHmut grade 4 astrocytoma (according to the WHO 2021 classification), relapse after first or subsequent line of therapy, treatment with bevacizumab at 5 mg/m2 or/and 10 mg/m2 every 2 weeks until progression/death or unacceptable toxicity. Bevacizumab was administered as off-label therapy. The treatment schedule was at physician’s discretion. RANO criteria and CTCAE v5.0 were used for response and toxicity assessment.

Results

81 pts were enrolled. From starting bevacizumab the median follow-up was 10.9ms [95% CI 9.8-14.0] and median age was 53ys (range 18-81). 33 (41%) pts received the 5 mg/m2 schedule. Among them, 2 (6%) were IDHmut grade 4, 8 (24%) had ≥65ys and ECOG-PS was 0-1 in 16 (48%) and ≥2 in 17 (51%), respectively. MGMT was methylated in 15 of 30 (50%) evaluable pts. Median number of prior lines of treatment was 2 (range 1-4) and 30% of pts received bevacizumab at first recurrence. 28 (84.9%) pts were evaluable for response: 7 (21%) and 5 (15%) showed PR and SD. 48 pts received the 10 mg/m2 schedule: 5 (10%) were IDHmut grade 4 astrocytoma; 29 (60%) had an ECOG-PS of 0 or 1 and 4 (8%) had ≥65ys, MGMT was methylated in 20 of 44 (45%) evaluable pts. 36 (75%) pts received bevacizumab beyond the second line of therapy. 46 (96%) pts were evaluable for response: 6 (12%) had PR, 19 (39%) SD. mOS from the start of bevacizumab was 7.3ms (95% CI 4.3-6.4), mPFS was 4.4ms [95% CI 3.7 - 6.4]. At univariate analysis, pts who received the 5 mg/m2 or the 10 mg/m2 schedule had a mOS of 5.4 and 7.7ms (p=0.08); mOS for pts with ECOG-PS < or ≥2 was 9.0 and 5.4ms (p=0.04) while mOS for pts with <2 or ≥2 lines of therapy was 4.7 and 7.7ms (p=0.056). Age and type of the tumor were not statistically significant. At multivariate analysis, MGMT methylated status was the only factor statistically associated with OS (HR=0.48, 95% CI, p=0.002) and PFS (HR=0.33, 95% CI, p=0.001), while a number of prior lines of therapy ≥2 (HR=2.07, 95% CI, p=0.02) was significantly associated only with PFS. Grade 3-4 most common adverse events were hypertension (18%) in pts treated with 5 mg/m2 and hypertension (16%) and proteinuria (2%) in pts treated with 10 mg/m2.

Conclusions

Bevacizumab treatment with a dosage of 5 mg/m2 and 10 mg/m2 seems to give comparable outcome in terms of survival in recurrent GBM pts. No difference was demonstrated for safety.

P17.07.A Metronomic temozolomide therapy in heavily pretreated patients with recurrent glioblastoma: a large mono-institutional retrospective study

Background

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive primary brain cancer. Despite advances in surgical and first-line treatment, all pts relapse. The aim of this study is to evaluate the benefit of metronomic Temozolomide (mTMZ) for recurrent GBM.

Material and Methods

All pts treated at Veneto Institute of Oncology from September 2013 to March 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. Major inclusion criteria were: first-line therapy with Stupp protocol, relapse after first or subsequent line of therapy, treatment with mTMZ schedule (50mg/m2 continuously), hystologically confirmed diagnosis of GBM. RANO criteria and CTCAE v 5.0 were used for response and toxicity assessment.

Results

120pts were enrolled. Median follow-up was 15.6ms. Median age was 59ys (range 18-81), ECOG-PS was 0-2 in 107pts (89%) and 3 in 11 (9%). MGMT was methylated and IDH mutated in 66 of 105 (62%) and in 9 of 106 (8%) evaluable pts, respectively. Median number of prior lines of treatment was 2 (range 1-7) and 41% of pts received the therapy beyond the third line. Median time between the last standard maintenance TMZ (sTMZ) cycle and the mTMZ administration was 6ms (range 1-50) and 40% of pts started mTMZ after 3ms from sTMZ. All pts were evaluable for response: 3 (2%) and 48 (40%) showed PR and SD. mOS from the start of mTMZ was 5.4ms (95% CI 4.3-6.4), mPFS was 2.6ms (95% CI 2.3-2.8). At univariate analysis, MGMTmet and MGMTunmet pts had a mOS of 5.6 and 4.4ms (p=0.03); mOS for patients with ECOG-PS > or ≤2 was 2.3 and 6.0ms (p<0.001); number of prior lines of therapies, time between sTMZ and mTMZ and age were not significant. At multivariate analysis, MGMT methylated status (HR=2.3, 95% CI, p=0.004) and ECOG-PS (HR=0.5, 95% CI, p=0.017) remained statistically significant for PFS, while ECOG-PS (HR=0.4, 95% CI, p=0.001) was the only factor significantly associated with OS. The most common grade 3-4 hematologic toxicities were lymphopenia (10%) and thrombocytopenia (3%). Grade 3-4 nonhematologic toxicities were uncommon.

Conclusion

Rechallenge with mTMZ can be a well tolerated treatment option for recurrent GBM, even in heavily pretreated pts. Pts with MGMTmet and good ECOG-PS might report the major benefit.

Acute changes in free and extracellular vesicle-associated circulating miRNAs and myokine profile in professional sky-runners during the Gran Sasso d’Italia vertical run

The modification of gene expression profile, a first step in adaptation to exercise, leads to changes in the level of molecules associated with skeletal muscle activity and energy metabolism—such as myokines—as well as those involved in their transcriptional regulation, like microRNA. This study aimed to investigate the influence of strenuous exercise on circulating microRNAs and their possible association with myokine response. Pre-competition and post-competition plasma samples were collected from 14 male athletes participating in a vertical run (+1,000 m gain, 3,600 m length). Circulating total (t-miRNA) and extracellular vesicle-associated (EV-miRNA) miRNAs were extracted from the pooled plasma. Nanoparticle tracking analysis was performed to investigate pre- and post-competition EV concentration and size distribution. A panel of 179 miRNAs was assayed by qPCR and analyzed by Exiqon GenEx v6 normalized on the global mean. t-miRNA and EV-miRNAs whose level was ≥5-fold up- or down-regulated were validated for each single subject. Target prediction on MirWalk v3.0, Gene-Ontology, and pathway enrichment analysis on Panther v17.0 were performed to define the potential biological role of the identified miRNAs. A panel of 14 myokines was assayed in each sample by a multiplex immunoassay. In whole plasma, five miRNAs were upregulated and two were downregulated; in the EV fraction, five miRNAs were upregulated and three were downregulated. Nanoparticle tracking analysis revealed a similar EV size distribution in pre- and post-competition samples and a decreased concentration in post-competition samples related to pre-competition samples. Gene-Ontology and pathway enrichment analysis revealed that the identified t-miRNAs and EV-miRNAs were potentially involved in metabolism regulation in response to exercise. Correlation between fold-change of the post-competition relative to pre-competition plasma level of both t-miRNAs and EV-miRNAs and myokines further confirmed these results. This study provides an example of a systemic response to acute endurance exercise, in which circulating miRNAs play a pivotal role.

Evaluation of trace calls by Xpert MTB/RIF ultra for clinical management in low TB burden settings

Background

Clinical interpretation of trace results by Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra assay (Ultra) used as an initial diagnostic test for tuberculosis (TB) may be challenging. The aim of the study was to evaluate the frequency and epidemiology of trace readouts in routine clinical practice in a low TB prevalence setting and to propose guidance on how to manage patients with trace calls considering the data available (clinical, radiological, bacteriological etc.).

Materials and methods

A retrospective, observational, monocentric study was conducted at IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria of Bologna, Italy between November 2017—December 2020. Presumptive TB patients with at least one Ultra trace result during diagnostic workup before treatment were included in the study. Patients with ongoing anti-TB treatment at the time of the trace call result or with no clinical data available were excluded from the study.

Results

Fifty-nine presumptive TB patients with Ultra trace readouts were included in the study (mean age 37.0 years, 61% males). Four patients had a history of TB in the last 2 years. Twenty-five (42.4%) of the 59 samples with trace results were respiratory material. 57/59 (96.6%) patients started anti-TB treatment soon after obtaining trace results, based on clinical, radiological or other information available, while for two patients with a recent history of TB the trace result did not lead to anti-TB treatment. Culture was positive for M. tuberculosis for 31/59 (52.5%) samples with trace calls: 13/25 (52.0%) were respiratory samples and 18/33 (54.5%) non-respiratory samples. The clinical and/or radiological findings of 47/57 (82.4%) patients given anti-TB therapy improved during treatment.

Conclusion

In low TB incidence settings, Ultra trace calls in presumptive TB patients should be considered as true-positive and treatment should be started promptly, except in cases of recent history of TB, where careful evaluation of other diagnostic criteria is necessary before starting anti-TB treatment. A decisional algorithm for clinical management is proposed.

Pure and impure tachycardiomiopathy: key differences and long term prognosis

Funding Acknowledgements

Type of funding sources: None.

Introduction

Tachycardiomioathy (TCM) is a reversible cause of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, secondary to both atrial and ventricular arrhythmias as well as high burden of ectopic beats. Almost 10% of all hospitalizations for acute heart failure (HF) meet the criteria for TCM. TCM is known to frequently recur and therefore cardiovascular related hospitalizations are often needed. While this is true in pure TCM, long term prognosis of impure TCM is still unknown.

Purpose

To compare long term prognosis of pure TCM to that of impure TCM in terms of survival rate, time free of recurrence and time free of hospitalizations.

Methods

Prospective, observational study enrolling all consecutive patients admitted for de novo acute heart failure, with a confirmed diagnosis of TCM, which was suspected in all patients admitted for heart failure (HF) with a LV ejection fraction <50% and concomitant persistent atrial or ventricular arrhythmia, and confirmed after clinical and echocardiographic recovery. Pure tachycardiomiopathy was defined as an arrhythmia-induced LV dysfunction in an otherwise healthy heart. Impure tachycardiomiopathy was defined as an arrhythmia-mediated TCM, where the arrhythmia may exacerbate an underlying condition and facilitate LV dysfunction.

Results

Population included 123 patients with pure TCM and 40 patients with impure TCM. Patients with pure TCM were significantly younger (68±13 vs. 74±10 years; p=0.008) but a with similar risk factor profile and the same prevalence of male gender (63% vs 72%; p=ns). Similarly, echo characteristics did not significantly differ between the two groups, while pure TCM presented a higher HR at admission (124±28 vs. 106±28 bpm; p=0.001) but not at discharge (70±15 vs. 71±14 bpm; p=ns). Pure and impure TCM had similar EF on admission (33±9 vs. 34±7%; p=ns) and time to recovery after the acute event (4.9±0.6 vs. 4.4±1.4 months; p=ns). Pure TCM were more often treated in the acute phase with a rhythm control strategy (81% vs. 67%; p=0.001), mainly electric cardioversion followed by anti-arrhythmic drugs (80% vs. 46%; p<0.001) and AF ablation (16% vs. 3%; p=0.025).

Kaplan Meier curves showed that pure TCM present a lower incidence of recurrence (26% vs. 50%; p=0.05; Figure 1) over a 40-month median follow-up. Cumulative incidences of death (24% vs. 30%; p=ns; Figure 2) and thromboembolism (3% vs. 3%; p=ns) were similar between the two groups over the same period. All-cause hospitalizations were similar between the two groups (62% vs. 67%; p=ns) with the impure TCMs experiencing more unplanned hospitalizations for HF recurrences.

Conclusions

While pure and impure TCM patients differs in terms of baseline characteristics, they present similar risk of death, thromboembolic events, and hospital admission during a long-term follow-up. Treatment strategy of pure TCM is more often rhythm-oriented and this could explain the lower incidence of HF recurrence.

Increased biting rate and decreased Wolbachia density in irradiated Aedes mosquitoes

Background

Releasing considerable numbers of radiation-sterilized males is a promising strategy to suppress mosquito vectors. However, releases may also include small percentages of biting females, which translate to non-negligible numbers when releases are large. Currently, the effects of irradiation on host-seeking and host-biting behaviors have not been exhaustively investigated. Information is also lacking regarding the effects of sterilizing treatment on the endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia, which is known to affect the vector competence of infected mosquitos.

Methods

To ascertain the effects of irradiation on females, the pupae of two Aedes albopictus strains, differing in their natural or artificial Wolbachia infection type, and Aedes aegypti—which is not infected by Wolbachia—were treated with various doses of X-rays and monitored for key fitness parameters and biting behavior over a period of 2 weeks. The effect of radiation on Wolbachia was investigated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis.

Results

Partial Aedes albopictus female sterility was achieved at 28 Gy, but the number of weekly bites more than doubled compared to that of the controls. Radiation doses of 35 and 45 Gy completely inhibited progeny production but did not significantly affect the survival or flight ability of Ae. albopictus females and caused a tripling of the number of bites per female per week (compared to untreated controls). These results were also confirmed in Ae. aegypti after treatment at 50 Gy. Wolbachia density decreased significantly in 45-Gy-irradiated females, with the greatest decreases in the early irradiation group (26 ± 2-h-old pupae). Wolbachia density also decreased as adults aged. This trend was confirmed in ovaries but not in extra-ovarian tissues. FISH analysis showed a strongly reduced Wolbachia-specific fluorescence in the ovaries of 13 ± 1-day-old females.

Conclusions

These results suggest that, under sterile insect technique (SIT) programs, the vector capacity of a target population could increase with the frequency of the irradiated females co-released with the sterile males due to an increased biting rate. In the context of successful suppression, the related safety issues are expected to be generally negligible, but they should be conservatively evaluated when large-scale programs relying on imperfect sexing and high overflooding release ratios are run for long periods in areas endemic for arboviral diseases. Also, the effects of irradiation on the vector competence deserve further investigation.

Graphical Abstract

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13071-022-05188-9.

Modification of the Patient Competency Rating Scale to Measure Anosodiaphoria after Severe Acquired Brain Injury: Preliminary Findings

OBJECTIVE

Impaired self-awareness (ISA) of altered functional capacities is a common sequelae of severe acquired brain injury that can severely hamper neuro-rehabilitation in this clinical population. ISA is frequently associated with anosodiaphoria and/or apathy. Although several scales are available to measure apathy, no tools have been published to specifically assess anosodiaphoria after acquired brain injury. In this paper, we reported an initial effort to develop an anosodiaphoria subscale in a commonly used measure of ISA, that is, the Patient Competency Rating scale-neurorehabilitation form (PCRS-NR).

METHOD

A sample of 46 participants with severe acquired brain injury completed a functional, ISA, apathy, and anosodiaphoria assessment. One informal caregiver of each patient participated in the study. Thus, we were able to obtain external data on his/her level of functional competencies, and self-awareness, which allowed separating patients with low self-awareness (LSA) from those with high self-awareness (HSA). Finally, the patients were compared with 44 healthy age-gender-years of formal education matched control participants (HCs).

RESULTS

Compared to both patients with HSA and HCs, patients with LSA demonstrated greater anosodiapvhoria and lower levels of functioning than both HSA patients and HCs. A stronger relationship emerged between ISA and anosodiaphoria rather than with apathy.

CONCLUSIONS

These initial findings provide support that PCRS scale can be adapted to measure anosodiaphoria as well as ISA. The findings reveal a stronger correlation between this measure of anosodiaphoria and ISA compared with the correlation of apathy to ISA. The present method for measuring anosodiaphoria takes into account the actual levels of patients' functioning.

The influence of vitality forms on action perception and motor response

During the interaction with others, action, speech, and touches can communicate positive, neutral, or negative attitudes. Offering an apple can be gentle or rude, a caress can be kind or rushed. These subtle aspects of social communication have been named vitality forms by Daniel Stern. Although they characterize all human interactions, to date it is not clear whether vitality forms expressed by an agent may affect the action perception and the motor response of the receiver. To this purpose, we carried out a psychophysics study aiming to investigate how perceiving different vitality forms can influence cognitive and motor tasks performed by participants. In particular, participants were stimulated with requests made through a physical contact or vocally and conveying rude or gentle vitality forms, and then they were asked to estimate the end of a passing action observed in a monitor (action estimation task) or to perform an action in front of it (action execution task) with the intention to pass an object to the other person presented in the video. Results of the action estimation task indicated that the perception of a gentle request increased the duration of a rude action subsequently observed, while the perception of a rude request decreased the duration of the same action performed gently. Additionally, during the action execution task, accordingly with the perceived vitality form, participants modulated their motor response.

PL02.5.A The clinical significance of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter mutations, telomere length and O6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter methylation status in newly diagnosed and recurrent IDHwildtype glioblastoma (GBM) patients (PTS): A large mono-institutional study

BACKGROUND

the clinical significance of TERT promoter mutations, telomere length and their interactions with MGMT promoter methylation status in patients with IDH-wildtype GBM patients remain unclear. We performed a large monoinstitutional study to better investigate their impact and their interaction on clinical outcomes

MATERIAL AND METHODS

TERT promoter mutations (C228T and C250T), relative telomere length (RTL) and MGMT methylation status were assessed in 278 newly diagnosed and in 65 recurrent IDH-wildtype GBM PTS which were treated at Veneto Institute of Oncology (Padua, Italy) from Dec 2016 to Jan 2020. We have retrospectively explored association between gene characteristics and neuroradiological response (RANO criteria), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS). Telomere length was measured by monochrome multiplex PCR and RTL values were calculated as a telomere/single-copy gene ratio

RESULTS

characteristics of newly diagnosed GBM PTS were: median age 63 ys, ECOG PS 0–1 in 71% of PTS, radical surgery in 38%, 78% received radiation therapy plus TMZ, MGMT was methylated in 53%, TERT promoter was mutated in 80% (75% C228T, 25% C250T), median RTL was 1.57 (range 0.4–11.37). Objective response rate was reported in 15% of PTS, median OS was 15ms (95% CI 13-18ms), median PFS was 8ms (95% CI 7-9ms). At multivariable analysis, TERT promoter mutations and RTL were not associated with clinical outcomes; about OS, TERT promoter mutations and RTL reported a HR of 1.05 (95% CI 0.64–1.64) and 0.99 (95% CI 0.89–1.10), respectively; MGMT methylated tumors showed significant improved PFS and OS with a HR of 0.54 (95% CI 0.40–0.71) and 0.47 (95% CI 0.34–0.64), respectively. All interactions among MGMT status, TERT mutation status and RTL were not statistically significant. Characteristics of recurrent GBM PTS were: median age 55 ys, ECOG PS 0–1 in 60% of PTS, MGMTmet in 37%, TERT promoter mutations in 75% (75% C228T, 25% C250T), RTL was 1.67 (range 0.68–8.87). At multivariable analysis, only MGMT methylated tumors resulted significantly associated to prolonged OS (HR 0.16; 95% CI 0.07–0.40). No gene interaction was significant

CONCLUSION

for the first time worldwide, we analyzed the impact of TERT promoter mutations, RTL and MGMT methylation status in both newly diagnosed and recurrent IDH-wildtype GBM PTS. TERT promoter status and RTL were not associated with clinical outcomes at both diagnosis and relapse. MGMT promoter methylation status was the only prognostic factor in both cases. No significant interaction was demonstrated between TERT promoter mutations, RTL and MGMT methylation status

P04.07 The molecular evolution of oligodendrogliomas

BACKGROUND

Oligodendroglioma (OD) is defined by the presence of both IDH1/2 mutation and 1p/19q codeletion. Although prognosis of OD patients is relatively favorable, tumours usually relapse and often evolve to a higher malignancy grade, with some acquiring the treatment induced hypermutated phenotype. To better understand how these tumours evolve in time, we examined the molecular differences between matched primary and recurrent ODs.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We identified 21 patients who underwent surgery at least twice [male: 11, female: 10, median age: 44 years (31–66)]. Clinical data were available for 14/21 patients: 5/14 received a treatment between resections [4 radiotherapy, 1 radiotherapy followed by PCV chemotherapy]; median time from the first to the second surgery was 71.5 months (12–158). Whole genome DNA-methylation analysis was performed using Illumina’s MethylationEPIC ‘850K’ BeadChip. Results were evaluated using the Molecularneuropathology.org platform (version 3.1.5) and in R.

RESULTS

Most samples were WHO grade 2 ODs [14, 10 and 1 tumours in first, second and third resection group, respectively]; WHO grade 3 was found in 6, 10 and 3 tumours in first, second and third resection, respectively; in 4 patients the tumour showed malignant progression from grade 2 to 3. Most ODs exhibited an IDH1 R132H mutation [17/21 patients]; in no cases was IDH1/2 mutation lost during progression. DNA methylation analysis was successfully performed in 41/45 cases [primary OD: 17, recurrent OD: 24] for a total of 18 matched pairs. 37 samples were assigned to the “IDH mutant glioma, subclass 1p/19q codeleted OD”; the remaining 4 were assigned to various other methylation classes but CNV (copy number variation) analysis confirmed the 1p19q codeletion in all samples. Recurrent tumours exhibited de novo loss of chromosome 4 in 3/24 cases (12.5%) and loss of chromosome 13 in 3/24 cases (12.5%). In unsupervised analysis of the 1000 most variable CpG sites, samples from the same patient clustered together. This indicates that the inter-tumour variability is greater than the intra-, temporal- or grading variability between tumours. There were no overt differences in DNA methylation levels between the primary and matched recurrent OD. However, lower genome wide DNA methylation levels were observed in tumours that dedifferentiated to grade 3 ODs compared to those of grade 2, indicating that DNA demethylation is associated to higher malignancy grade.

CONCLUSION

DNA methylation analysis in a cohort of primary and recurrent oligodendrogliomas highlights the genomic and epi-genetic changes that are acquired at tumour progression. We are currently expanding the cohort and collecting/integrating the clinical data to better explore the evolution of recurrent ODs.

P14.19 Regorafenib in recurrent glioblastoma patients: a large real-life experience

BACKGROUND

Regorafenib (REG), an oral multikinase inhibitor of angiogenic, stromal, and oncogenic receptor tyrosine kinases showed encouraging benefit in recurrent GBM patients enrolled in the randomized, phase 2 REGOMA trial. We investigated the clinical outcome and safety of REG in a real-life population of recurrent glioblastoma patients treated at Veneto Institute of Oncology as off-label use.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Patients receiving REG at Veneto Institute of Oncology (Padua, Italy) were entered prospectively on a clinical database. Data were retrospectively analyzed. The primary endpoints of the study were overall survival (OS) and safety. The major inclusion criteria were: histologically confirmed diagnosis of GBM, disease progression as defined by RANO criteria after surgery followed by radiochemotherapy with temozolomide, ECOG PS ≤ 2; PTS with ≥ 2 prior lines of therapy were excluded. According to original schedule, patients received REG 160 mg once daily for the first 3 weeks of each 4-week cycle until disease progression, death, unacceptable toxicity, or consent withdrawal. Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the survival curves, RANO criteria for radiological assessment, CTCAE v5.0 for drug related adverse events.

RESULTS

From February 2018 to September 2020, 54 consecutive patients were treated with REG and enrolled in this study: median age was 56, ECOG PS 0–1 in 91% of patients, MGMTmet in 53%, second surgery at the time of relapse were performed in 30% of enrolled patient, 41% of patients underwent steroids at baseline. At the time of analysis, median follow-up was 11.1 ms, 30 PTS (56%) had died and 50 PTS (93%) had progressed. Median OS was 10.2 ms (95%CI, 6.4–13.9), 12m-OS was 43%; median PFS was 2.3ms (95%CI, 1.3–3.3) and 6m-PFS was 18%. All patients were evaluable for response: disease control rate (DCR) was 46.3%; stable disease was reported in 38.8% and partial response in 7.4%. Age, MGMT status and corticosteroid use at baseline were not statistically significant on multivariate analysis for OS. Grade 3 drug-related adverse events (AEs) occurred in 10 patients (18%) and the most frequent were hand-foot skin reaction, asthenia and increased lipase and transaminases; 1 PT (2%) reported a grade 4 AE (rash maculo-papular). AEs led to REG dose reductions in 37% of patients and, it was permanently discontinued in 5%. No death was considered to be drug-related.

CONCLUSION

We reported a large, mono-institutional “real world” experience of REG in recurrent glioblastoma patients. Overall, results are close to those reported in REGOMA trial although, we showed a longer OS. Toxicity was moderate and manageable. Encouraging clinical benefits of REG in recurrent GBM population were confirmed.

The generalized Wiener-Hopf equations for wave motion in angular regions: electromagnetic application

In this work, we introduce a general method to deduce spectral functional equations and, thus, the generalized Wiener-Hopf equations (GWHEs) for wave motion in angular regions filled by arbitrary linear homogeneous media and illuminated by sources localized at infinity with application to electromagnetics. The functional equations are obtained by solving vector differential equations of first order that model the problem. The application of the boundary conditions to the functional equations yields GWHEs for practical problems. This paper shows the general theory and the validity of GWHEs in the context of electromagnetic applications with respect to the current literature. Extension to scattering problems by wedges in arbitrarily linear media in different physics will be presented in future works.

Psychological status and role of caregivers in the neuro-rehabilitation of patients with severe Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the relationships between (a) the psychological status of the caregiver, (b) the specific features of caregiving as perceived by the cognitive therapist in neuro-rehabilitation, (c) the caregivers' subjective approach to neuro-rehabilitation, and (d) the functional outcome of the patient.

METHODS

Twenty-four patients with severe acquired brain injury and their 24 caregivers participated in this observational study. Caregivers underwent a psychological assessment examining emotional distress, burden and family strain; their subjective approach to neuro-rehabilitation has been evaluated by two specific answers. The patients' cognitive therapists responded to an ad-hoc questionnaire, namely the "Caregiving Impact on Neuro-Rehabilitation Scale" (CINRS), evaluating the features (i.e., amount and quality) of caregiving. Finally, the functional outcome of the patient was assessed through standardized scales of disability and cognitive functioning.

RESULTS

The caregivers' psychological well-being was associated to the features of caregiving, to the subjective approach to neuro-rehabilitation, and to the functional recovery of their loved ones. A better caregivers' approach to neuro-rehabilitation was also associated to an overall positive impact of caregiving in neuro-rehabilitation and to a better functional outcome of the patients.

CONCLUSIONS

We posited a virtuous circle involving caregivers within the neuro-rehabilitation process, according to which the caregivers' psychological well-being could be strictly associated to a better level of caregiving and to a better functional outcome of the patients that, in turn, could positively influence the caregivers' psychological well-being. Although preliminary, these results suggest a specific psycho-educational intervention, aimed at improving the caregivers' psychological well-being and at facilitating their caring of the loved one.

Circulating fractures-related microRNAs distinguish primary hyperparathyroidism-related from estrogen withdrawal-related osteoporosis in postmenopausal osteoporotic women: A pilot study

Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) represents a common cause of secondary osteoporosis in postmenopausal women, where the negative effect of estrogen withdrawal and that of hyperparathyroidism on bone mineralization coexist. Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) expression profile has been correlated to both osteoporosis and fragility fractures. The study aimed to profile a set of miRNAs associated with osteoporotic fractures, namely miR-21-5p, miR-23a-5p, miR-24-2-5p, miR-24-3p, miR-93-5p, miR-100-5p, miR-122-5p, miR-124-3p, miR-125b-5p and miR-148-3p, in the plasma of 20 postmenopausal PHPT women. PHPT miRNAs profiles were compared with those detected in 10 age-matched postmenopausal non-PHPT osteoporotic women (OP). All the 10 miRNAs were detected in the plasma samples of both PHPT and OP women. The miRNA profiles clearly distinguished PHPT from OP samples, and identified within the PHPT group, two clusters differing for the PHPT severity, in term of ionized calcium and bone mineralization. In particular, miR-93-5p was significantly downregulated in PHPT samples, while miR-24-3p negatively correlated with the T-score at lumbar, femur neck and total hip sites. PHPT women who experienced osteoporotic fractures had plasma miR-24-3p levels higher than those detected in unfractured PHPT women. In conclusion, PHPT may modulate circulating fractures-related miRNAs, in particular, miR-93-5p, which may distinguish estrogen-related from PHPT-related osteoporosis.

Simultaneous detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and resistance to Rifampicin and Isoniazid by MDR/MTB ELITe MGB® Kit for the diagnosis of tuberculosis

The MDR/MTB ELITe MGB^® Kit on the ELITe InGenius^® platform (ELITechGroup SpA, Italy) is the first system for simultaneous detection of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBc) genome and the main mutations responsible for resistance to Isoniazid (inhA, katG) and Rifampicin (rpoB), from decontaminated and heat inactivated samples. In this study we compared the performance of the MDR/MTB ELITe MGB^® Kit (ELITe) with culture in 100 pulmonary and 160 extra-pulmonary samples. The sensitivity and specificity of ELITe compared to culture for pulmonary samples were 98.0% and 98.0% respectively; for extra-pulmonary samples the overall sensitivity was 86.3% (80% for urine, 85% for biopsy and gastric aspirate and 95% for cavitary fluid) and specificity was 100%. Genotypic Isoniazid and Rifampicin susceptibility typing was feasible in 96% of sputum MTBc-positive samples and 43% of extra-pulmonary samples; all samples were found to be drug susceptible by phenotypic and ELITe (100% agreement). Detection of mutations in the rpoB, kat G or inhA genes was evaluated on 300 spiked samples (60 per biological matrix) and all resistance profiles were correctly identified by ELITe. Molecular agreement between ELITe and Xpert was 98.0% and 93.3% for pulmonary and extra-pulmonary samples, respectively. In conclusion, our results provide evidence to support the use of MDR/MTB ELITe MGB^® Kit in combination with ELITe InGenius^® for the diagnosis of MTBc and the detection of Rifampicin and Isoniazid resistance-related mutations in both pulmonary and extra-pulmonary samples. This system simplifies the laboratory workflow, shortens report time and is an aid in choosing appropriate therapeutic treatment and patient management.

Comparison of MycoPrep and the new MYCO-TB kit: rapid and efficient digestion and decontamination of respiratory specimens for the detection of Mycobacteria

The long incubation time required for Mycobacteria detection may allow cultures to become overgrown by contaminating organisms. Therefore, samples need to be decontaminated before solid and liquid culture. MYCO-TB is a ready-to-use digestion and decontamination kit with single-sample formulation developed by Copan. Sample processing time (3 minutes) is shorter than that of other commercial kits. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of MYCO-TB with MycoPrep, both based on N-acetyl-Lcysteine and sodium hydroxide solution, in terms of culture contamination and Mycobacterial detection by culture. We tested 162 respiratory samples: the overall proportions of contamination of both liquid and solid media were 1.8% for MYCO-TB and 1.8% for MycoPrep. Mycobacterial growth was detected without significant differences in times to positivity (TTP) in liquid culture: 10.5 days for MYCO-TB and 11.1 days for MycoPrep. Samples decontaminated with MYCO-TB were suitable for molecular assays such as Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra and GenoType CMdirect. Extending decontamination times (up to 10 minutes) with MYCO-TB of 20 Mycobacteria-positive specimens did not produce any difference in TTP in liquid culture or in Ultra IS1081/IS6110 probe Ct values. In conclusion, the MYCO-TB kit proved to be effective for the rapid digestion and decontamination of respiratory materials for the detection of Mycobacteria, making it possible to reduce the manual skills required and lower the risk of contamination. Longer decontamination time could be used for samples with a high level of contamination, such as those from cystic fibrosis patients.

PL2.2 Pembrolizumab (PEM) in recurrent high-grade glioma (HGG)patients with mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR): an observational study

BACKGROUND

Pem, an immune checkpoint inhibitor, demonstrated to be activein various neoplasms with MMRd. No data exists about its efficacy in MMRdglioma patients.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

MMRd HGG relapsed after receiving RT and CT weretreated with Pem. MMR status was analyzed by immunohistochemistry,including the MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, and PMS2 markers. MMR deficiency wasdefined as presence of a weak (wMMRd) or absent (aMMRd) signal atimmunohistochemistry for at least one MMR protein. Other inclusion criteriawere: ECOG PS 0–2, histologically confirmed gliomas, dexamethasone ≤4 mg.Pem was administrated at 200 mg every 3 weeks until progression disease orunacceptable toxicity. Tumor response was evaluated by brain MRI every 10 weeksaccording to the RANO criteria. OS and PFS were evaluated by Kaplan-Meiercurves. CTCAE v4.0 was used for toxicity.

RESULTS

among 167 glioma patients, we found 22 MMRd gliomas. 12 PTS were treated with Pem: 8 wMMRd and 4 aMMRd. According to Bethesda criteria, allPTS had microsatellite stability. Tumor histologies included 5 anaplasticastrocytoma, 1 anaplastic oligodendroglioma, 6 glioblastoma (GBM). MSH2deficiency was found in 6 cases, MSH6 deficiency in 9 cases, PMS2 and MLH1deficiency in 2 cases. Median number of prior line of chemotherapy was 1 (range 1–5). Stable disease (SD) was reported in 4 PTS (33%); 8 PTS showedprogressive disease (PD). PTS with anaplastic gliomas showed a statisticallysignificant association with SD (p=0.03, OR=3); all GBM PTS reported PD; status of MMRd (weak/absent), IDH (mutated/wild-type), MSH2 and MLH6(deficient/proficient) were not associated with SD. Median follow up was 14.7 ms. OS was 5.6 ms (95% CI 0.1–13.8), PFS 2.4 ms (95% CI 1.8–2.9). OS was 2.8 ms and 5.6 ms (p=0.9), PFS was 1.8 ms and 3.1 ms (p=0.5) in PTS with wMMRd and aMMRd. PTS reporting SD and PD had PFS of 7.4 ms (95% CI 4.6–10.2) and 1.8 ms (95% CI 0.2–3.4), p=0.002; OS was “not reached” and 2.8 ms in PTS having SD vs PD (p=0.04). Grade ≥3 adverse eventswere reported in 8% of PTS.

CONCLUSION

a subgroup of recurrent MMRd HGG might benefit from Pem,especially anaplastic gliomas. There was a trend for a longer PFS and OS in PTS with aMMRd. Analyses for identifying additional molecular predictive factors is ongoing.

PL3.2 Trabectedin for recurrent WHO grade II or III meningioma: a randomized phase II study of the EORTC Brain Tumor Group (EORTC-1320-BTG)

BACKGROUND

EORTC-1320-BTG investigated the activity, safety and quality of life of therapy with the tetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloid trabectedin (Yondelis®) in patients with recurrent higher-grade meningiomas. Trabectedin was originally derived from the Caribbean sea squirt, Ecteinascidia turbinata, and currently is manufactured by total synthesis.

METHODS

Adult patients with histological diagnosis of WHO grade II or III meningioma and radiologically documented progression after maximal feasible surgery and radiotherapy were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to receive intravenous trabectedin (1.5 mg/m2every three weeks) or local standard of care (LOC). The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS).

RESULTS

Within 22.1 months, we randomized a total of 90 patients (n=29 in LOC arm, n=61 in trabectedin arm) in 35 institutions and nine countries. In the LOC arm, the following treatments were administered: hydroxyurea (n=11), bevacizumab (n=9), none (n=4), chemotherapy (n=3), somatostatin analogue (n=1), combined chemotherapy and somatostatin analogue (n=1). With 71 PFS events, median PFS was 4.17 months in the LOC and 2.43 months in the trabectedin arm (hazard ratio [HR] for progression, 1.42; 80% CI, 1.00–2.03; p=0.204) with a PFS-6 rate of 29.1% (95% CI, 11.9%-48.8%) in the LOC and 21.1% (95% CI, 11.3%-32.9%) in the trabectedin arm. Median OS was 10.61 months in the LOC and 11.37 months in the trabectedin arm (HR for death, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.54–1.76; p=0.94).Grade 3 to 5 adverse events occurred in 44.4% (18.5% related, 4 serious adverse events, 0 lethal events) of the patients in the LOC and 59% (32.8% related, 57 serious adverse events and 2 toxic deaths) of patient in the trabectedin arm.

CONCLUSIONS

In this first prospective randomized trial performed in recurrent grade II or III meningioma, trabectedin did not improve PFS and OS and was associated with significantly higher toxicity as compared to LOC treatment. The data collected in this study may serve as benchmark for future clinical trials in this setting.

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.

P14.83 Adjuvant chemotherapy after severe myelotoxicity during temozolomide chemoradiation in gliomas. It is feasibile? The talian Multicentric Study (AINO)

BACKGROUND

Malignant gliomas are aggressive primitive brain tumor in adults. Today, the standard of care is Temozolomide (TMZ) administered daily with radiation therapy, followed by adjuvant TMZ. TMZ treatment has been considered to have a low toxicity profile. However, during concomitant treatment some patient may develop a severe myelosuppression. This toxicity may be in some cases prolonged and lead to treatment discontinuation.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We have retrospectively collected data from 5 italian neuro-oncological centers, about glioma patients who developed severe and prolonged hematological toxicity during concomitant chemoradiotherapy with TMZ. The purpouse of this study is to evaluate: percentage of patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy after severe myelotoxicity; rate of toxicity observed during adjuvant chemotherapy.

RESULTS

54 glioma patients who developed myelosuppression of grade 3 or 4 were considered. Hystology was Glioblastoma in 45 patients (83%); 63% of patients were female. Myelotoxicity during concomitant phase occurred at a median of 4 weeks (range 1–8) from the start of treatment.After recovery of myelotoxicity 19 patients did not received any treatment while 35 (65%) were treated with chemotherapy (28 received standard TMZ, one TMZ with metronomic schedule, 2 lomustine and 4 other agents). Among patients treated with TMZ, 13 patients presented hematological toxicity grade 3–4 which required treatment discontinuation in 7 cases (20%).

CONCLUSION

we observed that 80 % of glioma patients presenting severe myelotoxicity during concomitant radiochemotherapy may be treated with maintenance TMZ after blood value recovery.