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Detection of tumour-specific circulating cell-free DNA in plasma (ctDNA) fails in a significant number of cases depending on the clinical context. The primary aim was to investigate clinicopathological factors associated with detection of ctDNA in patients with RAS-/BRAF-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) prior to first-line therapy. A secondary aim was to evaluate the prognostic impact of ctDNA compared to other biomarkers. Patients were included from the NORDIC-VII study (N = 253). ctDNA was sampled prior to treatment and analysed for hotspot tissue mutations (KRAS, NRAS and BRAF) using droplet digital PCR. Multivariable regression models were constructed to predict the probability of mutation detection and survival. Increasing radiological size of target lesions by increments of 1 cm (odds ratio (OR) = 1.18; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.09-1.27; P < 0.001), intact primary tumour (OR = 3.17; 95% CI 1.22-8.22; P = 0.018) and more than one metastatic site (OR = 3.08; 95% CI 1.32-7.19; P = 0.009) were associated with mutation detection in plasma. Metastatic involvement of the lung was associated with non-detection (OR = 0.26; 95% CI 0.12-0.58; P = 0.001). Pre-analytical and analytical factors modulated detection. High allele frequencies of ctDNA indicated poor prognosis independently of CEA and CA19-9 (hazard ratio (HR) = 2.38; 95% CI 1.74-3.26; P < 0.001; N = 206). Clinicopathological characteristics should be carefully considered when evaluating ctDNA results from mCRC patients, especially when confronted with a plasma negative result. ctDNA may prove to be a clinically useful marker in the evaluation of mCRC treatment.

New and emerging advances in colorectal cancer (CRC) treatment combined with limited healthcare resources highlight the need for detailed decision-analytic models to evaluate costs, survival and quality-adjusted life years. The objectives of this article were to estimate the expected lifetime treatment cost of CRC for an average 70-year-old patient and to test the applicability and flexibility of a model in predicting survival and costs of changing treatment scenarios. The analyses were based on a validated semi-Markov model using data from a Norwegian observational study (2049 CRC patients) to estimate transition probabilities and the proportion resected. In addition, inputs from the Norwegian Patient Registry, guidelines, literature, and expert opinions were used to estimate resource use. We found that the expected lifetime treatment cost for a 70-year-old CRC patient was €47,300 (CRC stage I €26,630, II €38,130, III €56,800, and IV €69,890). Altered use of palliative chemotherapy would increase the costs by up to 29%. A 5% point reduction in recurrence rate for stages I-III would reduce the costs by 5.3% and increase overall survival by 8.2 months. Given the Norwegian willingness to pay threshold per QALY gained, society's willingness to pay for interventions that could result in such a reduction was on average €28,540 per CRC patient. The life years gained by CRC treatment were 6.05 years. The overall CRC treatment costs appear to be low compared to the health gain, and the use of palliative chemotherapy can have a major impact on cost. The model was found to be flexible and applicable for estimating the cost and survival of several CRC treatment scenarios. We acknowledge the Department of Health, Nutrition and Management (HEL), The Faculty of Health Sciences, and Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences for funding Paal Joranger’s doctorate.

Purpose: Cancer immune therapy has revolutionized patient outcome for the small mCRC subgroup with highly immunogenic disease. The majority of mCRC cases, however, are MSS with inherently low susceptibility to immune therapy. In our ongoing METIMMOX study (NCT03388190), MSS-mCRC patients are randomized to oxaliplatin-based immunogenic chemotherapy followed by ICI (experimental study arm) or the oxaliplatin-based standard-of-care (control arm). A subgroup of experimental arm patients has obtained durable major partial or complete responses. Such remarkable outcomes call for biomarkers that may help identifying MSS-mCRC patients who will benefit from such sequential therapy. Experimental procedures: Study enrollment began August 2018. Patients with unresectable, previously untreated MSS-mCRC have been randomized to the Nordic FLOX regimen (standard-of-care) or repeat sequential 2 FLOX cycles and 2 cycles of nivolumab (240 mg Q2W). At analysis October 2020, 48 patients were evaluable for progression-free survival (PFS). Serum collected at baseline and after the first 2 FLOX and 2 nivolumab cycles were analyzed for 42 immune factors with the Luminex multiplex immunoassay. The Significance Analysis for Microarrays method was applied to select the most significant proteins. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) of the liver was performed at baseline and after the first 2 FLOX cycles. Using a b-value of 1000 s/mm2, the intensity ratio of a representative metastatic lesion relative to normal parenchymal tissue in the liver was calculated at each recording. Results: At this early time of analysis, with median follow-up of 8.6 (range, 1-21) months, median PFS for the entire groups of control and experimental arm patients was identical (6.4 and 6.6 months, respectively). We selected 13 experimental arm patients with long (median 13.6 months) or short (median 5.6 months) PFS for the serum protein analysis and 9 patients with liver DW-MRI. High serum CD40L levels (> median 47.6 ng/ml) at baseline or CD23 levels (> median 15.7 ng/ml) after the first 2 FLOX and 2 nivolumab cycles were both associated with improved PFS (p < 0.001 and p < 0.007; log-rank test). The baseline DW-MRI intensity of the peripheral hyperintense rim of the metastatic lesion (2.0- to 2.8-fold higher than the corresponding parenchymal value) diminished towards the parenchymal intensity (1.2- to 1.6-fold higher) after the first 2 FLOX cycles in patients with longer PFS than the median for all study patients. The rim intensity did not change in patients with short PFS. Conclusions: Three potential response markers in serum or at DW-MRI (one at baseline, one following the induction immunogenic chemotherapy, and one following the subsequent ICI) were identified for MSS-mCRC at this early time of the METIMMOX study conduct. Citation Format: Anne Hansen Ree, Sebastian Meltzer, Kine M. Bakke, Hanne M. Hamre, Christian Kersten, Eva Hofsli, Marianne Grønlie Guren, Halfdan Sorbye, Christin Johansen, Anne Negård, Kathrine Røe Redalen, Kjersti Flatmark. Immunogenic chemotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) in microsatellite-stable (MSS) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC): Biomarkers indicative of durable treatment response [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 522.

Quality of life data from randomized trials are lacking in older patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). In the randomized NORDIC9-study, reduced-dose S1+oxaliplatin (SOx) showed superior efficacy compared to full-dose S1 monotherapy. We hypothesized that treatment with SOx does not result in inferior quality of life. Patients with mCRC aged ≥70 years and that were not a candidate for standard combination chemotherapy were included and randomly assigned to receive either S1 or SOx. The EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire was completed at baseline, after 9, and 18 weeks. The primary endpoint was global Quality of Life (QoL) at 9 weeks. For statistical analysis, a non-inferiority design was chosen applying linear mixed effects models for repeated measurements. The results were interpreted according to statistical significance and anchor-based, clinically relevant between-group minimally important differences (MID). A total of 160 patients aged (median (Interquartile range (IQR))) 78 years (76-81) were included. The QLQ-C30 questionnaire was completed by 150, 100, and 60 patients at baseline, at 9, and 18 weeks, respectively. The difference at 9 weeks in global QoL was 6.85 (95%CI-1.94; 15.65) and 7.37 (0.70; 14.05) in the physical functioning domain in favor of SOx exceeding the threshold for MID. At 18 weeks, the between-group MID in physical functioning was preserved. Dose-reduced combination chemotherapy may be recommended in vulnerable older patients with mCRC, rather than full-dose monotherapy.

BACKGROUND: The NORDIC-VII study is a randomised phase III trial of cetuximab plus continuous or intermittent fluorouracil, folinic acid, and oxaliplatin (Nordic FLOX) vs FLOX alone in first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. The present report presents an updated and final survival analysis with BRAF and extended RAS mutational status, 5 years after the primary analysis.METHODS: A total of 566 patients were included in the intention-to-treat (ITT) population of the NORDIC-VII study. Updated survival status was obtained from 176 patients who were alive in the primary survival analyses. Samples from 223 tumours previously found to be KRAS (exon 2) and BRAF (V600E) wild-type, were re-analysed for KRAS (exons 3 and 4) and NRAS (exons 2-4) mutations.RESULTS: Including the extended RAS analyses, RAS and BRAF mutational status was available from 457 patients (81% of the ITT population). RAS was mutated in 46% and BRAF in 12% of the tumours. RAS and BRAF, if mutated, were negative prognostic factors. The updated analyses confirmed the finding of the primary report that cetuximab did not provide any additional benefit when added to FLOX in patients with RAS/BRAF wild-type tumours, neither on progression-free nor overall survival. However, the outcomes in a subset of patients, which, after the first eight treatment cycles, received cetuximab alone, suggested a beneficial effect of cetuximab monotherapy.CONCLUSIONS: Adding cetuximab to Nordic FLOX did not provide any clinical benefit, but the data suggested an effect of cetuximab monotherapy in patients with RAS/BRAF wild-type tumours in the NORDIC-VII cohort. The data were compatible with a negative interaction between cetuximab and the Nordic FLOX chemotherapy backbone.

Background: Survival of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients has improved, but mainly for trial patients. New predictive and prognostic biomarkers validated in the general mCRC population are needed. Caudal-type homeobox 2 (CDX2) is an intestine-specific transcription factor with potential prognostic and predictive effect, but the importance in mCRC has not been fully investigated. Methods: Immunohistochemistry analysis of CDX2 was performed in a Scandinavian population-based cohort of mCRC (n = 796). Frequency, clinical and tumor characteristics, response rate, progression-free survival, and overall survival (OS) were estimated. Results: Loss of CDX2 expression was found in 87 (19%) of 452 stained cases, in 53% if BRAF mutated (BRAFmut) and in 9% if KRAS mutated (KRASmut). CDX2 loss was associated with microsatellite instability, BRAFmut, and poor differentiation and inversely associated with KRASmut. Patients with CDX2 loss received less first-line (53 vs. 64%, p = 0.050) and second-line (23 vs. 39%, p = 0.006) chemotherapy and secondary surgery (1 vs. 9%, p = 0.019). Median progression-free survival and OS for patients given first-line combination chemotherapy was 4 and 10 months if CDX2 loss vs. 9 and 24 months if CDX2 expressed (p = 0.001, p < 0.001). Immediate progression on first-line combination chemotherapy was seen in 35% of patients with CDX2 loss vs. 10% if CDX2 expressed (p = 0.003). Median OS in patients with BRAFmut or KRASmut and CDX2 expressed in tumor (both 21 months) was comparable to wild-type patients (27 months). However, if CDX2 loss, median OS was only 8 and 11 months in BRAFmut and KRASmut cases, respectively, and 10 months in double wild-type patients. In multivariate analysis, CDX2 loss (hazard ratio: 1.50, p = 0.027) and BRAFmut (hazard ratio: 1.62, p = 0.012) were independent poor prognostic markers for OS. Conclusion: In a population-based cohort of mCRC patients, CDX2 loss is an independent poor prognostic marker. Expression of CDX2 defines a new subgroup of BRAFmut cases with a much better prognosis. Loss of CDX2 defines a small group of KRASmut cases with a worse prognosis. Patients with CDX2 loss receive less palliative chemotherapy with less benefit and rarely reach secondary surgery.

Background: Survival and response to therapy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) are very heterogeneous. There is an unmet need for better markers of prognosis and treatment benefit for mCRC patients. The homeobox 2 gene SATB2 has a highly specific expression in colorectal tissue and is associated with better prognosis in non-metastatic CRC. Material and methods: A population-based cohort of 798 mCRC patients was analysed. From primary tumour material, protein expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry. BRAF and KRAS mutation status was also determined. Associations with clinicopathological data, overall and progression-free survival and response to first-line chemotherapy were analysed. Results: Tumour tissue and clinical data were available from 467 patients. SATB2 was strongly expressed in 58% of cases, significantly more in left-sided, low-grade and wild-type BRAF tumours. Patients with high SATB2 tumours had longer overall survival compared with low SATB2 tumours (median 13 vs 8 months respectively, p

3556 Background: Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) has revolutionized patient outcome for the small mCRC subgroup with highly immunogenic disease. The majority of mCRC cases, however, are MSS without innate ICB susceptibility. In our ongoing METIMMOX study, we hypothesize that MSS mCRC can be transformed into an immunogenic condition by short-course oxaliplatin-based therapy (FLOX), enabling patients with unresectable, previously untreated metastases to obtain durable disease control when adding ICB therapy. Here we present the protocol-planned interim analysis. Methods: Eligibility criteria include infradiaphragmatic metastasis and C-reactive protein < 60 mg/L. At analysis 15 January 2021, 54 patients stratified according to primary tumor sidedness and mutational status and evaluable for the primary end point (progression-free survival; PFS) had been randomly assigned to a standard-of-care schedule of 8 FLOX cycles Q2W (control arm) or repeat sequential 2 FLOX cycles and 2 nivolumab cycles (240 mg Q2W) to a total of 8 cycles (experimental arm), for both arms before treatment break until disease progression and reintroduction of a new treatment sequence. Radiologic response assessment is every 8 weeks. Safety, tolerability, objective response rate, and duration of response are among secondary end points. Results: At median follow-up of 6.4 (range, 0.5-20) months, patients were well balanced between the treatment arms with regard to the predefined strata and single-organ or multiple-organ metastases. Median PFS for the entire groups of control and experimental arm patients was 5.6 (range, 0.5-15; n = 26) and 6.6 (range, 0.5-20; n = 28) months, respectively. The number of FLOX-related CTCAE grade 3 or higher adverse events, including 2 deaths after initial FLOX administration, was comparable in the two arms. Twelve immune-related grade 3-4 adverse events (no new safety signals) were recorded. In the experimental arm, 4 (16%) patients, all RAS/BRAF-mutant cases, had experienced complete response and 9 (32%) patients had ongoing objective response at 8 months. The control arm cases had 0 with complete response and 6 (23%) with ongoing objective response at 8 months, 1 of whom had proceeded to curative-intent liver surgery. Conclusions: MSS mCRC patients may hold the opportunity of ICB responsiveness evoked by short-course oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy. The search for predictive biomarkers of ICB responsiveness is ongoing in the specifically designed METIMMOX correlative study program. Clinical trial information: NCT03388190.

Background: An aging population will increase the number of older patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). However, there is limited knowledge about treatment in older patients as they are under-represented in clinical trials. The oral fluoropyrimidine S-1 is associated with a lower rate of adverse events than capecitabine and may therefore be a suitable drug for elderly. However, data on the use of S-1 in Caucasian mCRC patients are lacking/scarce. Material and methods: In the present study we evaluated safety and the efficacy of S-1 alone or in combination with oxaliplatin (SOx) or irinotecan (IRIS) in older mCRC patients. Patients who received at least one cycle of S-1 (first-line therapy), SOx (mainly first-line therapy) or IRIS (second-line therapy) were included. Results: From June 2012 to December 2014, 71 older patients received ≥1 cycle of either S-1 (n = 9), SOx (n = 44) or IRIS (n = 18) for mCRC. Median age was 76 years and most patients had a WHO performance status of 0 (32%) or 1 (56%). All patients were evaluable for response and safety. In the SOx group, 18 (41%) and 20 patients (45%) had partial response (PR) and stable disease (SD), respectively (disease control rate 86%). Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 8.5 months and median overall survival (OS) was 18.5 months. In the S-1 group (median age 82 years), PR was 22%, median PFS 6.4 months and median OS 15.8 months. In the IRIS group, PR was 28%, median PFS 7.8 months and the median OS 16.5 months. In general, therapy was well tolerated; main non-hematological toxicities were fatigue and diarrhea. Conclusion: S-1 monotherapy, SOx and IRIS were well tolerated for older patients with mCRC and could become alternative regimens in older mCRC patients. These regimens are now further evaluated in the randomized ongoing NORDIC9 trial.

We determined prognostic impact of KRAS, BRAF, PIK3CA and TP53 mutation status and mutation heterogeneity among 164 colorectal cancer (CRC) patients undergoing liver resections for metastatic disease. Mutation status was determined by Sanger sequencing of a total of 422 metastatic deposits. In univariate analysis, KRAS (33.5%), BRAF (6.1%) and PIK3CA (13.4%) mutations each predicted reduced median time to relapse (TTR) (7 vs. 22, 3 vs. 16 and 4 vs. 17 months; p

Background. The use of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy is controversial for rectal adenocarcinoma. Both international and national guidelines display a great span varying from recommending no adjuvant chemotherapy at all, over single drug 5-fluororuacil (5-FU), to combinations of 5-FU/oxaliplatin.Methods. A review of the literature was made identifying 24 randomized controlled trials on adjuvant treatment of rectal cancer based on about 10 000 patients. The trials were subdivided into a number of clinically relevant subgroups.Results. As regards patients treated with preoperative (chemo) radiotherapy, four randomized studies were found where use of adjuvant chemotherapy showed no benefit in survival. Three trials were found in which a subset of patients received preoperative (chemo) radiotherapy. Two of these trials showed a statistically significant benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy. Twenty trials were identified in which the patients did not receive preoperative (chemo) radiotherapy, including five Asian studies in which a statistically significant benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy was reported.Conclusions. Most of the data found did not support the use of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy for patients already treated with preoperative (chemo) radiotherapy. For patients not treated preoperatively, several studies support the use of single agent 5-FU chemotherapy. Treatment guidelines seem to differ according to if preoperative chemoradiation is considered of importance for use of adjuvant chemotherapy and if adjuvant colon cancer studies are considered transferrable to rectal cancer patients regardless of the molecular differences.

Circulating forms of the urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) are associated with prognosis in patients with colorectal cancer. Preclinical studies have shown that uPAR can influence the state of phosphorylation and signalling activity of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in a ligand-independent manner. The purpose of the study was to evaluate whether plasma soluble intact and cleaved uPAR(I-III)+(II-III) levels could identify a subpopulation of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) where treatment with cetuximab would have a beneficial effect. Plasma samples were available from 453 patients treated in the NORDIC VII study. Patients were randomized between FLOX and FLOX + cetuximab. The levels of uPAR(I-III)+(II-III) were determined by time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay. We demonstrated that higher baseline plasma uPAR(I-III)+(II-III) levels were significantly associated with shorter progression-free survival (PFS) (HR = 1.30, 1.14-1.48, p = 0.0001) and overall survival (OS) (HR = 1.75, 1.52-2.02, p

Background Mutation status of RAS and BRAF, as well as serum levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9), are biomarkers used in clinical management of patients with gastrointestinal cancers. This study aimed to examine the prognostic role of these biomarkers in a patient population that started first-line chemotherapy for unresectable metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) in the NORDIC-VII study. Methods CEA and CA 19-9 were measured in serum samples from 545 patients obtained before the start of chemotherapy. Four hundred and ninety-four patients had detectable levels of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9). RAS (exons 2–4) and BRAF (V600E) mutation status were available from 440 patients. Overall survival (OS) was estimated in patient groups defined by serum CEA or CA 19-9 levels using cut-off values of 5 µg/L and 35 kU/L, respectively, in the total population and in subgroups according to RAS and BRAF mutation status. Results For both CEA and CA 19-9, elevated serum levels were associated with reduced OS in adjusted analyses which included RAS and BRAF mutation status, baseline World Health Organization performance status, and levels of alkaline phosphatase and C-reactive protein. The negative prognostic information provided by an elevated CA 19-9 level was particularly marked in patients with BRAF mutation (hazard ratio = 4.35, interaction P = 0.003, in an adjusted model for OS). Conclusions High baseline serum concentrations of CEA and CA 19-9 provide independent information of impaired prognosis in mCRC. In patients with BRAF-mutant tumours, elevated serum CA 19-9 may identify a subgroup with highly aggressive disease and could contribute to improving therapeutic decisions.

Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of cetuximab on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in the NORDIC-VII trial on metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), and to assess HRQoL in relation to RAS and BRAF mutation status and inflammatory biomarkers. Patient and methods HRQoL was assessed using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (QLQ-C30) at baseline, after every fourth cycle of chemotherapy, and at the end of treatment. HRQoL during 12 cycles of chemotherapy was evaluated over time, compared between treatment arms, and assessed for association with tumour mutation status and inflammatory markers. Results QLQ-C30 was completed by 512 patients (90%) before start of treatment. HRQoL variables were well balanced across treatment arms at baseline, and no statistically significant differences during treatment were seen. Patients with BRAF -mutated tumours reported poorer HRQoL at baseline and subsequent time points than patients with RAS -mutated or RAS / BRAF wild-type tumours. Patients with high serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) or C-reactive protein (CRP) had markedly impaired HRQoL compared to patients with normal levels. There was a statistically significant association between reduction in IL-6 and CRP levels and improvement in HRQoL during treatment from baseline to cycle 4. Conclusion The addition of cetuximab to chemotherapy did not affect HRQoL in mCRC patients. Patients with BRAF -mutated tumours have both a worse prognosis and a poor HRQoL. The associations between levels of systemic inflammatory markers and reduced HRQoL suggest that the patients might benefit from anti-inflammatory treatment.

Background The occurrence of colorectal cancer in individuals with potentially reproductive age has increased. Oxaliplatin is a cornerstone treatment in the adjuvant setting for stage III and high-risk stage II colorectal cancer in patients up to 70 years of age. The aim of this study was to investigate sex hormones and sperm function after oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy to clarify the risk for hypogonadism and infertility. Methods Through 2006-2013 20 males (aged ≤55 and younger) and 16 females (aged ≤40 and younger) were included. All had undergone radical surgery due to colorectal cancer, and were planned for adjuvant oxaliplatin in combination with 5-fluorouracil. Measurement of LH, FSH, testosterone, SHBG and sperm analysis was done in males. LH, FSH and estradiol was measured in females. Measurements were done after surgery, after cessation of adjuvant cytostatic treatment and at follow-up 1-5 years after end of treatment. Results FSH and testosterone levels increased in males, but were restored at follow-up. No patients went from normal gonadal function to hypogonadism. There was a tendency towards a decrease in sperm concentration, (p = 0.,063). When comparing sperm concentration and rapid progressive motility before treatment and at follow-up, there was no differences, and we observed no patients that turned overtly infertile by treatment. No distinct altering of gonadal function could be observed in the females. Conclusions From the results of this study, oxaliplatin seems to incur transient decrease in sperm concentration with recovery, and some but not pronounced increase in FSH in males. The risk for infertility and hypogonadism in males and females after adjuvant oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy seems to be low to moderate, but the general recommendation of appropriate fertility conserving measures shall should not be changed. Legal entity responsible for the study The authors. Funding Has not received any funding. Disclosure P. Osterlund: Honoraria (self): Amgen; Honoraria (self): Bayer; Honoraria (self): Celgene; Honoraria (self): Eli Lilly; Honoraria (self): Merck; Honoraria (self): Nordic Drugs; Honoraria (self): Roche; Honoraria (self): Sanofi; Honoraria (self): Servier; Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Pierre Fabre; Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: AstraZeneca; Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: AbbVie. E. Hofsli: Honoraria (self): Amgen. H. Sorbye: Honoraria (self): Novartis; Honoraria (self): Ipsen; Honoraria (self): Pfizer; Honoraria (self): Keocyt; Honoraria (self): AstraZeneca; Honoraria (self): Roche; Honoraria (self): Amgen; Honoraria (self): Merck; Honoraria (self): Shire; Honoraria (self): Celgene; Honoraria (self): Nordic Drugs. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Background MicroRNAs (miRs) are small non-coding RNAs. Circulating miRs in plasma are deregulated in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). The aim was to find prognostic circulating miRs for overall survival (OS) in patients with mCRC treated with chemotherapy and cetuximab. Methods A prospective biomarker study was conducted. A full plasma miR-panel was tested with TaqMan Human MicroRNA assay in 151 patients treated with 3rd line irinotecan and cetuximab (Discovery cohort, Biweekly study). Significant miRs were validated with Fluidigm arrays, in 95 patients, treated with 1st line chemotherapy and cetuximab (Validation cohort, NORDIC-7.5 study1). Cox regression analysis was conducted, and multivariate analyses performed with adjustment for sidedness, number of metastatic sites, RAS/BRAF mutation status, age and performance status. Consecutive samples after 3 months of treatment were available for 117 and 86 patients in the discovery and validation cohorts, respectively. Results Baseline high expression of miR-1247 in the discovery and validation cohorts, was significantly associated with short OS (hazard ratio [HR]) = 2.33, p = 0.0005) based on the multivariate analysis in the validation cohort. High miR-1290 expression after 3 months was prognostic for short progression free-survival (HR = 1.57, p = 0.0465) in both cohorts. In both cohorts, we found a statistically significant decrease in, miR-1290 (p = 0.0051), miR-200b (p = 0.036), and miR-375 (p = 0.00005), from baseline to 3 month-sample, in patients with partial/complete (n = 78) response compared to patients with progressive disease (n = 72). Conclusions High expression of miR-1247 was prognostic for short OS in the multivariate analysis in a discovery and validation cohort of patients treated with chemotherapy and cetuximab in both first and third line. A decrease in miR-1247 and miR-1290 during treatment was associated with favorable response. 1Pfeiffer et al, Clin Colorectal Cancer 2015. Legal entity responsible for the study Jakob Vasehus Scho. Funding Has not received any funding. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

3565 Background: Patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) and mutations in BRAF V600E (mutBRAF) or KRAS (mutKRAS) have a worse prognosis after liver or lung surgery/ablation, whereas the impact of microsatellite instability (MSI-H) has not been well studied. Few patients with mutBRAF receive liver or lung surgery (1-4%), whereas mutBRAF is present in 5-12% of mCRC trial patients and in up to 20% of the general mCRC population. The frequency and prognostic role of mutBRAF, mutKRAS and MSI has not been well studied after cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) for peritoneal metastases from colorectal cancer. Methods: The Norwegian Radium Hospital is the only center offering CRS and HIPEC in Norway. From 2004 to 2015 257 patients with histology proven peritoneal metastasis from colorectal cancer, appendiceal cancer excluded, was consecutively enrolled. Molecular analyses of KRAS, BRAF and MSS/MSI in mutBRAF were done. Fourteen patients were excluded due to missing tumour blocks (7), unsuccessful analysis (4) and other malignant disease (1). Results: 180 of 243 patients obtained complete cytoreductive surgery and received HIPEC for 90 minutes with Mitomycin C (45-70mg). Median survival for the 180 patients was 47 months and 5-year survival rate 40.1%. Median disease-free survival was 10 months. mutBRAF was found in 23.4% of cases, mutKRAS 35.1% and double-wild type 41.5%. mutBRAF with MSS was found in 16.4%, mutBRAF with MSI-H in 7.0%. 3-year disease free survival (DFS) and median overall survival (OS) was 38.9% and 59 months with mutBRAF with MSI-H, significantly higher compared to 24.2% and 30 months in patients with double wild type, 13.2 % and 41 months in mutKRAS and 17.9% and 22 months in mutBRAF with MSS. Conclusions: A surprisingly high frequency of mutBRAF was seen in mCRC patients after CRS and HIPEC for peritoneal metastatic disease. Patients with mutBRAF and MSI-H had a significantly better DFS and OS after CRS and HIPEC. DFS for patients with mutBRAF and MSS was numerically lower but not statistically different from patients with mutKRAS or double wild type.

In metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) trials, median survival has increased from 6 months to above 20 months during the previous decades. Uncertainty exists in how this survival improvement has translated to the general mCRC population.Survival data from patients with synchronous mCRC were collected from the Norwegian (1980-2008), Swedish (1996-2008) and Danish (2001-09) cancer registries.A total of 29 628 patients were identified. From 1980-1985 to 2006-2008, median survival increased from 5 to 10 months for Norwegian patients. Three-year survival increased from 7% to 21% and 5-year survival from 4% to 9%. For patients60 years, median survival was doubled to 16 months, 3-year survival increased fourfold up to 28% and 5-year survival threefold up to 14%. Similar improvements were seen in Sweden and Denmark. In all countries, the improved outcome was seen especially for younger patients and much less for patients75 years of age.An increase in median and long-term survival over time was found in unselected population-based registries of patients with synchronous mCRC. The improved outcome in survival was especially seen in younger patients, raising concerns over our ability to adapt available treatment options for elderly patients.

Background Detailed knowledge about the proportion of patients with colorectal liver metastases (CLM) undergoing resection is sparse. The aim of this study was to analyse cumulative resection rates and survival in patients with CLM. Methods For this population-based study of patients developing CLM during 2011–2013, data were extracted from the Norwegian Patient Registry and the Cancer Registry of Norway. Results A total of 2960 patients had CLM; their median overall survival was 10·9 months. Liver resection was performed in 538 patients. The cumulative resection rate was 20·0 per cent. The cumulative resection rate was 23·3 per cent in patients aged less than 40 years, 31·1 per cent in patients aged 40–59 years, 24·7 per cent in those aged 60–74 years, 17·9 per cent in those aged 75–79 years and 4·7 per cent in patients aged 80 years or more (P < 0·001). In multivariable analysis, resection rate was associated with age, extrahepatic metastases, disease-free interval and geographical region. Overall survival after diagnosis of CLM was affected by liver resection (hazard ratio (HR) 0·54, 95 per cent c.i. 0·34 to 0·86), rectal cancer (HR 0·82, 0·74 to 0·90), metachronous disease (HR 0·66, 0·60 to 0·74), increasing age (HR 1·32, 1·28 to 1·37), region, and extrahepatic metastases (HR 1·90, 1·74 to 2·07). Three- and 4-year overall survival rates after hepatectomy were 73·2 and 54·8 per cent respectively. Conclusion The cumulative resection rate in patients with CLM in Norway between 2011 and 2013 was 20 per cent. Resection rates varied across geographical regions, and with patient and disease characteristics.

Contains fulltext : 171468pub.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) Primary treatment of rectal cancer was the focus of the second St. Gallen European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Gastrointestinal Cancer Conference. In the context of the conference, a multidisciplinary international expert panel discussed and voted on controversial issues which could not be easily answered using published evidence. Main topics included optimal pretherapeutic imaging, indication and type of neoadjuvant treatment, and the treatment strategies in advanced tumours. Here we report the key recommendations and summarise the related evidence. The treatment strategy for localised rectal cancer varies from local excision in early tumours to neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy (RCT) in combination with extended surgery in locally advanced disease. Optimal pretherapeutic staging is a key to any treatment decision. The panel recommended magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or MRI + endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) as mandatory staging modalities, except for early T1 cancers with an option for local excision, where EUS in addition to MRI was considered to be most important because of its superior near-field resolution. Primary surgery with total mesorectal excision was recommended by most panellists for some early tumours with limited risk of recurrence (i.e. cT1-2 or cT3a N0 with clear mesorectal fascia on MRI and clearly above the levator muscles), whereas all other stages were considered for multimodal treatment. The consensus panel recommended long-course RCT over short-course radiotherapy for most clinical situations where neoadjuvant treatment is indicated, with the exception of T3a/b N0 tumours where short-course radiotherapy or even no neoadjuvant therapy were regarded to be an option. In patients with potentially resectable tumours and synchronous liver metastases, most panel members did not see an indication to start with classical fluoropyrimidine-based RCT but rather favoured preoperative short-course radiotherapy with systemic combination chemotherapy or alternatively a liver-first resection approach in resectable metastases, which both allow optimal systemic therapy for the metastatic disease. In general, proper patient selection and discussion in an experienced multidisciplinary team was considered as crucial component of care.

Background: Socioeconomic status (SES) and social support influences cancer survival. If SES and social support affects cancer treatment has not been thoroughly explored. Methods: A cohort consisting of all patients who were initially diagnosed with or who developed metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC, n=781) in three Scandinavian university hospitals from October 2003 to August 2006 was set up. Clinical and socioeconomic data were registered prospectively. Results: Patients living alone more often had synchronous metastases at presentation and were less often treated with combination chemotherapy than those cohabitating (HR 0.19, 95% CI 0.04–0.85, P=0.03). Surgical removal of metastases was less common in patients living alone (HR 0.29, 95% CI 0.10–0.86, P=0.02) but more common among university-educated patients (HR 2.22, 95% CI 1.10–4.49, P=0.02). Smoking, being married and having children did not influence treatment or survival. Median survival was 7.7 months in patients living alone and 11.7 months in patients living with someone (P

Background: Most patients (pts) with mCRC are older than 70 years, but they are underrepresented in clinical trials. NORDIC9 evaluated efficacy of palliative treatment strategies based on S-1, which has previously demonstrated less toxicity but similar efficacy as 5FU, and here we present initial results.Methods: Older mCRC pts (≥70 years) who were not candidates for full-dose combination therapy, were randomized to full-dose monotherapy (Arm A: S-1 30 mg/m2 po bid d 1-14 q3w, followed by irinotecan upon progression) or reduced (80\ combination therapy (Arm B: S-1 20 mg/m2 po bid d 1-14 + oxaliplatin 100 mg/m2 iv d 1 q3w, followed by S-1 + irinotecan q3w). Addition of bevacizumab (7.5 mg/kg iv d 1) before randomization was optional. Geriatric screening tools (G-8, VES-13, handgrip strength, Timed-Up-and-Go), Charlson Comorbidity Index and quality of life were evaluated at baseline. Blood samples and tumor tissue were prospectively collected. Primary endpoint was PFS. Secondary endpoints were response rate, survival and correlations between screening tools, efficacy and safety.

Background: Clinical trials in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) have shown few patients with microsatellite instable high (MSI-H) tumors and BRAF mutations (mutBRAF). Recent data show that patients with MSI-H tumors benefit from immunotherapy and there are promising data of adding BRAF inhibitors to standard treatment in patients with mutBRAF. It is therefore important to know the frequency of these molecular changes and their importance for outcome in unselected populations of mCRC. Methods: A prospectively collected population-based cohort of 798 mCRC patients from three geographic areas in Scandinavia was studied. Gene analysis was available for 446 cases for BRAF and KRAS analysis, MSI analysis was done for mutBRAF only. Immunohistochemistry was performed for BRAF and MMR in 611 patients. Kaplan-Meier method, logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models were used for statistical analyses. Results: Totally 8 % (46/589 patients) were MSI-H and 20 % (119/586 patients) were mutBRAF. MSI-H tumours harboured mutBRAF in 76 % of cases and 29 % of mutBRAF was MSI-H. MSI-H correlated to female sex, age >75 years, right-sided tumor, mutBRAF, lymph node metastasis and less often lung and liver metastasis. Patients with MSI-H received less often chemotherapy compared to MSS patients; 46 % vs. 64 % received 1st line, 13 % vs. 38 % received 2nd line and 2 % vs. 17 % received 3rd line chemotherapy, respectively. Patients with MSI-H had poorer prognosis, however only significant in BRAF wildtype (wtBRAF) patients, and the negative prognostic potential of mutBRAF was only valid in MSS tumors. Median overall survival (OS) was 4 months in MSI-H vs. 11 months in MSS tumors (p < 0.001). After multivariate analysis of OS in patients given 1st line chemotherapy MSI-H and mutBRAF was independent poor prognostic factors with HR 2.2 (95 % CI: 1.09, 4.60, p = 0.028) and HR 1.9 (95 % CI: 1.24, 2.97, P = 0.004) respectively. Median progression-free survival (PFS) during 1st line chemotherapy was 4 months for MSI-H vs. 8 months for MSS tumors (p = 0.087), and multivariate analysis of PFS showed HR 2.21 (95 % CI: 1.10, 4.44, p = 0.027). MSI-H and wtBRAF patients (n=10) had the worst prognosis with median OS of 1 month (p Conclusion: In unselected patients with mCRC, MSI-H and mutBRAF are more common than previously reported, and consequently more patients could benefit from immunotherapy and BRAF inhibitor treatments. Most MSI-H patients harbored mutBRAF (non-Lynch) in contrast to patients in recent mCRC immunotherapy trials, and further studies are needed to evaluate the effect of immunotherapy in this subgroup. Chemotherapy had minimal effect in MSI-H patients and fewer received 2-line palliative chemotherapy indicating that these patients could be considered for immunotherapy as 1st line treatment. Citation Format: Kristine Aasebø, Anca Dragomir, Magnus Sundström, Per Pfeiffer, Per-Henrik Edqvist, Geir Eide, Fredrik Ponten, Camilla Qvortrup, Bengt Glimelius, Halfdan Sørbye. Consequences of a high incidence of microsatellite instability (non-Lynch) and BRAF mutated tumors in a population based cohort of metastatic colorectal cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2610.

e15587Background: Podocalyxin-like 1 (PODXL) is an anti-adhesive transmembrane protein associated with an aggressive tumor phenotype and poor prognosis in numerous malignancies, including colorecta...

707 Background: Special AT-rich sequence binding protein 1 (SATB1) is a transcription factor involved in global gene regulation. SATB1 expression has been associated with poor prognosis in numerous cancer forms, including colorectal cancer (CRC). The value of SATB1 expression in metastatic CRC (mCRC) has, however, not yet been described. The aim was to evaluate the expression and prognostic significance of SATB1 in mCRC. Methods: SATB1 expression was analysed by immunohistochemistry in tissue microarrays with tumors from a prospective cohort with 454 mCRC patients from three Nordic countries. Cox regression proportional hazards models were applied to assess the impact of SATB1 expression on overall survival (OS); in the entire cohort, and in strata per chemotherapy and mutational status. Results: Among the 454 evaluable cases, 144 (32%) were positive and 310 (68%) were negative for SATB1 expression. Positive SATB1 expression was significantly more frequent in cases with lung metastases (41% vs 29%, p = 0.018), but did not correlate with other sites of distant metastasis. SATB1 expression (positive vs negative) was not prognostic in the entire cohort. The prognostic value of SATB1 did not differ between patients receiving palliative treatment (n = 281) and untreated patients (n = 178), and did not differ in relation to type of chemotherapy. In patients with BRAF wild type tumors, SATB1 expression was significantly associated with prolonged OS, whereas the opposite was seen in BRAF mutated tumors (hazard ratio = 0.77 vs 1.60, p for interaction = 0.005). SATB1 expression was significantly associated with prolonged OS in patients with KRAS mutated tumors (hazard ratio = 0.68), but not in KRAS wild type tumors, and there was no significant prognostic interaction between SATB1 expression and KRAS status. The prognostic value of SATB1 expression did not differ by tumor location. Conclusions: The prognostic value of SATB1 expression in mCRC appears to depend on the mutational status of the tumors, in particular BRAF. The potential value of SATB1 expression as a predictive biomarker for targeted therapies merits further investigation.

Udgivelsesdato: 2008-Jun BACKGROUND: Oxaliplatin in combination with capecitabine prolongs survival in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Chronomodulation might reduce toxicity and improve efficacy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A phase II study examining chronomodulated XELOX(30) (XELOX(30chron)): oxaliplatin: 130 mg/m(2) on day 1, as a 30-min infusion between 1 and 3 p.m. Capecitabine: total daily dose of 2000 mg/m(2), 20% of the dose between 7 and 9 a.m. and 80% of the dose between 6 and 8 p.m. in patients with mCRC resistant to irinotecan. Seventy-one patients were enrolled. Response rate was 18%; median progression-free survival 5.1 months and median overall survival (OS) 10.2 months. Platelet count and performance status were significantly correlated to OS in multivariate analyses. Neurotoxicity grade 2 and 3 was seen in 25% and 2% of patients, respectively, other grade 3 toxic effects were as follows: nausea 6%, vomiting 3%, diarrhoea 12% (3% experienced grade 4) and palmoplantart erytem 9%. CONCLUSION: XELOX(30chron) is a convenient second-line regimen with efficacy and safety profile similar to other oxaliplatin schedules. To further investigate chronomodulated XELOX, we have started a Nordic randomised phase II study comparing XELOX(30) and XELOX(30chron) as first-line therapy in patients with mCRC.

Background Prognostic factors have the potential to determine the survival of patients to a greater extent than current antineoplastic agents. Despite this knowledge, there is no consensus on, first, what patient characteristics to report and, second, what stratification factors to use in metastatic colorectal cancer trials. Patients and methods Seven leading oncology and medical journals were reviewed for phase II and III publications reporting on medical treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer patients during 2001–2005. One hundred and forty-three studies with 21 214 patients were identified. The reporting of patient characteristics and use of stratification was noted. Results Age, gender, performance status, metastases location, sites and adjuvant chemotherapy were often reported (99–63%). Laboratory values as alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase and white blood cell count, repeatedly found to be of prognostic relevance, were rarely reported (5–9%). Stratification was used in all phase III trials; however, only study centre was used with any consistency. Conclusion There is considerable inconsistency in the reporting of patient characteristics and use of stratification factors in metastatic colorectal cancer trials. We propose a standardization of patient characteristics reporting and stratification factors. A common set of characteristics and strata will aid in trial reporting, interpretation and future meta-analyses.

The efficacy of oxaliplatin combined with capecitabine (XELOX) as second-line therapy in patients with advanced colorectal cancer (ACRC) resistant to irinotecan is not well established. Oxaliplatin induces acute, cold-induced neuropathy in most patients. The incidence is claimed to be infusion rate-dependent and therefore a 2-h infusion is recommended.For practical and economic reasons, but also for patient's convenience, we performed a phase II study to examine XELOX30 (capecitabine 1000 mg/m2 orally twice daily on days 1-14 and oxaliplatin 130 mg/m2 as a 30 min infusion on day 1) in patients with ACRC resistant to irinotecan. In addition the pharmacokinetics of oxaliplatin was studied.From November 2002 to September 2003, 70 patients with ACRC were treated with XELOX30. Median age was 62 (range 33-74 years) years and median performance status was 1 (range 0-2). The median number of courses was four (range 1-12) and median cumulative dose of oxaliplatin was 530 (range 125-1560) mg/m2. The response rate was 17% (95% CI 10-23), median time to progression (TTP) was 5.4 months (95% CI 4.6-6.4) and median survival 9.5 months (95% CI 8.5-11.2). White blood cell count (WBC) and performance status were significantly correlated to TTP. Neurotoxicity was moderate: grade 1 56%, grade 2 17% and grade 3 6%. Other grade 3 toxicities were nausea/vomiting 9%, diarrhoea 14% and PPE 8%. The maximum blood concentration and total body clearance of oxaliplatin was higher than previously reported in studies examining 2-h infusions, but the volume of distribution and terminal half-life was in close agreement with previous results.XELOX30 is a very convenient second-line regimen in ACRC with an activity and safety profile similar to other oxaliplatin schedules.

Background : Studies in experimental models have implied perivascular cells (PC) as regulators of multiple aspects of tumor biology, including tumor growth, metastasis, immune cell activity and response to treatment. However, the extent of inter- and intra-case variability of perivascular cells in clinical samples, and potential of perivascular cells as biomarkers, remain poorly characterized. Methods: We have developed an integrated analytical pipeline to investigate vascular and PC status in clinical samples. The analytical procedure uses double-staining with one endothelial cell marker (CD34) and one of four PC markers; platelet-derived growth factor receptor-alpha and -beta (PDGFR-α, PDGFR-β;), smooth muscle α actin (ASMA) and desmin. Digital image-analyses are subsequently used to quantitate PC-related metrics including intensity of marker expression in perivascular areas, and fraction of marker-covered vessels. The approach has been applied to multiple cohorts of clinically well-annotated tumor collections from three cancer types; colorectal cancer (CRC), ovarian cancer (OC) and renal cell cancer (RCC). Results: Analyses of PC status uncovered previously un- recognized independent and heterogeneous expression of the analyzed perivascular markers on different levels (perivascular cells, vessels and tumors). Notably, expression of perivascular markers was largely independent of vessel size and density in all three cancer types. Comparative analyses across tumor types identified differences including e.g. higher abundance of PDGFR-β; positive perivascular cells in CRC. A comparison of perivascular status in matched primary tumors and distant metastases uncovered a large degree of dis-concordance of most vascular characteristics except perivascular PDGFR-β; (CRC and OC cohorts). Importantly, this finding implies that vascular status in metastases cannot, in general, be predicted by analyses of primary tumors. Efforts to uncover the basis for inter-case variations in PC status of CRC revealed strong associations between tumor PDGFR-β; PC status and both PC status in adjacent normal tissue and BRAF status, but not RAS mutations. These findings suggest both host features and cancer mutations as determinants of PC characteristics. Concerning relationships between PC features and survival, we observed significant associations between high perivascular PDGFR-β; status and shorter survival in OC and RCC. These associations remain significant in multivariate analyses including standard clinicopathological characteristics. Impact on response to chemotherapy (CT) treatment was analyzed in both early stage and metastatic CRC. Ongoing analyses indicate that low perivascular PDGFR-βdefines a sub-group with shorter survival in the CT-treated group. Explorative analyses of a small set of bevacizumab-treated metastatic CRC also demonstrated significantly shorter progression free survival in the subset with low perivascular PDGFR-β expression. Conclusion: Digital-image-analyses-supported quantifications of PC features in three different tumor types have revealed heterogeneous expression of PC markers in a manner independent of vessel density and vessel size. Host characteristics and oncogenic status have been identified as candidate determinants of perivascular PDGFR-β; status in CRC. Notably, perivascular PDGFR-β; was identified as a novel independent predictor of survival in OC, RCC and CRC. Treatment-stratified analyses in CRC also implied perivascular PDGFR-β; as a determinant of benefit of chemotherapy and VEGF-directed anti-angiogenic drugs. Citation Format: Sara corvigno, artur mezheyeuski, Magnus Frodin, Maja Bradic Lindh, Tormod Kyrre Guren, Per Pfeiffer, H. Elin Kure, Tone Ikdahl, Eva Skovlund, Kjell Magne Tveit, Kristian Pietras, Anna Portyanko, Ina Hrynchyk, David Edler, Anca Dragomir, friedrik Ponten, Jan Mulder, Camilla Qvortrup, Maria Hallström, Katarina Öhrling, G. Bea A. Wisman, Elisabeth Åvall-Lundqvist, Martin Johansson, Ulrika Harmenberg, Hans Nijman, Per Sandström, Hanna Dahlstrand, Halfdan Sorbye, Bengt Gimelius, Ate Van Der Zee, Lars Egevad, Arne Östman. Marker-defined perivascular cells predict prognosis and response to treatment. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Function of Tumor Microenvironment in Cancer Progression; 2016 Jan 7–10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(15 Suppl):Abstract nr C38.

From having been a 'single-drug not very interesting cancer type' from a medical treatment perspective, treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) has during the past five years become a more complex issue of the appropriate use of several cytotoxic drugs sometimes integrated with advanced metastatic surgery with curative intent. The new drugs have provided significant benefit to the patients, so far mostly in the metastatic setting but also in adjuvant treatment. The significant progress in molecular and tumour biology has produced a great number of new 'targeted' drugs that are now in various stages of clinical development. Two of these drugs, the monoclonal antibodies bevacizumab (Avastin) and cetuximab (Erbitux), directed against VEGF and EGFR, respectively, have recently been approved within the EU for use in metastatic CRC. This Nordic Expert Consensus Report summarizes the current status of chemotherapy in metastatic CRC, overviews the clinical status of targeted drugs in CRC and, finally, provides guidelines for the routine clinical use of bevacizumab and cetuximab based on the most recently available clinical data.

Background: High expression of the RNA-binding motif protein 3 (RBM3) has been shown to correlate, with prolonged survival in several malignant diseases and with the benefit of platinum-based chemotherapy in ovarian cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate RBM3 in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) as a prognostic factor for overall survival and in relation to benefit of first-line chemotherapy. Methods: Immunohistochemical staining was conducted and evaluated in tumours from 455 mCRC patients. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression proportional hazards models were used to access the impact of RBM3 expression on overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Results: High RBM3 expression, both nuclear and cytoplasmic, was an independent prognostic factor for prolonged OS (hazard ratio [HR] 0.67, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.50–0.90 and HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.48–0.91, respectively). PFS was significantly longer in patients with high RBM3 expression who had received first-line oxaliplatin based treatment, compared to those who had received irinotecan based treatment, both regarding nuclear and cytoplasmic expression (p-value 0.020 and 0.022 respectively). Conclusion: High RBM3 expression is an independent predictor of prolonged survival in mCRC patients, in particular in patients treated with first-line oxaliplatin based chemotherapy.

10032 Background: More than half of the patients (pts) diagnosed with mCRC are older, but they are underrepresented in clinical trials. Data about the best treatment strategy in pts who are not candidates for standard full-dose combination therapy is scanty. Here we present a preplanned safety analysis in the NORDIC 9 trial. Methods: NORDIC 9 explores treatment of older mCRC pts (≥70 years) who are not candidates for full-dose combination therapy. Pts receive full dose monotherapy (Arm A: S-1 30 mg/m2 po bid day 1-14 q3w, followed by irinotecan upon progression or reduced dose (80%) combination therapy (Arm B: S-1 20 mg/m2 po bid day 1-14 + oxaliplatin 100 mg/m2 iv day 1 q3w, followed by reduced dose S-1 + irinotecan q3w). Bevacizumab (7.5 mg/kg iv day 1) may be added at the discretion of the treating clinician. Geriatric screening tools (eg G-8 and VES-13) and quality-of-life are evaluated at baseline. Blood samples and tumor tissue are prospectively collected. Primary endpoint is PFS. Secondary endpoints are correlations between the geriatric screening and safety but also efficacy. Results: The safety analysis was performed when 50 pts had received 3 cycles. 12 pts received bevacizumab. Median age was 79 (range 70-88) years, 26 pts were male, performance status was 0 (43%), 1 (38%) or 2 (19%). Five (10%) pts discontinued therapy after only 1 cycle due to toxicity (n = 2) or PD/clinical deterioration (n = 3); 45 pts (90%) continued therapy beyond 3 cycles. Pts receiving only 1 cycle had numerically a worse G-8 and VES-13 score. Grade 3-4 non-hematological toxicity was fatigue (6%), diarrhea (10%), nausea (4%) and vomiting (6%), and was experienced by 10 pts, 6 of them received ≥3 cycles of treatment. There was no hand-foot-syndrome, cardiac or hematological grade 3-4 toxicity. Dose intensity for S-1 was 0.98 (0.7-1.0) (arm A) and 0.93 (0.6-1.0) (Arm B), respectively, and for oxaliplatin 0.99 (0.4-1.0). Conclusions: The safety committee recommends to continue the trial without dose adjustments according to the original design. February 2017, 118 of planned 150 pts had been included. Clinical trial information: EudraCT no 2014-000394-39.

Background. Cancer is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, and colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in the world. The estimated costs of CRC treatment vary considerably, and if CRC costs in a model are based on empirically estimated total costs of stage I, II, III, or IV treatments, then they lack some flexibility to capture future changes in CRC treatment. The purpose was 1) to describe how to model CRC costs and survival and 2) to validate the model in a transparent and reproducible way. Methods. We applied a semi-Markov model with 70 health states and tracked age and time since specific health states (using tunnels and 3-dimensional data matrix). The model parameters are based on an observational study at Oslo University Hospital (2049 CRC patients), the National Patient Register, literature, and expert opinion. The target population was patients diagnosed with CRC. The model followed the patients diagnosed with CRC from the age of 70 until death or 100 years. The study focused on the perspective of health care payers. Results. The model was validated for face validity, internal and external validity, and cross-validity. The validation showed a satisfactory match with other models and empirical estimates for both cost and survival time, without any preceding calibration of the model. Conclusions. The model can be used to 1) address a range of CRC-related themes (general model) like survival and evaluation of the cost of treatment and prevention measures; 2) make predictions from intermediate to final outcomes; 3) estimate changes in resource use and costs due to changing guidelines; and 4) adjust for future changes in treatment and trends over time. The model is adaptable to other populations.

Recurrence of metastatic disease after resection of liver metastases from colorectal cancer remains a major problem as 70–80 % of patients will have a recurrence, most commonly in the liver or lung. To predict patterns of recurrence and outcome may guide follow-up and further treatment, as patients with recurrence might be candidates for repeated surgery or ablation therapy. A summary of studies shows that after hepatectomy 20–43 % will have a recurrence only in the remaining liver without extrahepatic disease, whereas 15–37 % will have a recurrence only to the lung. Early recurrence is associated with poorer outcome compared to late recurrence. Site of first recurrence after resection of liver metastases is predicted by several baseline variables; synchronous disease, primary tumor site, hepatic tumor size, CEA level, number of hepatic lesions, and RAS mutation status. Pattern of recurrence is a predictor for survival after hepatectomy, with liver-only and lung-only recurrences having the best survival. In the majority of patients with isolated hepatic or lung recurrence, repeated metastasectomy is possible resulting in a 40 % 5-year survival rate. Perioperative chemotherapy reduces the risk of liver recurrence after hepatectomy of colorectal cancer liver metastases.

Summary Background Previous results of the EORTC intergroup trial 40983 showed that perioperative chemotherapy with FOLFOX4 (folinic acid, fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin) increases progression-free survival (PFS) compared with surgery alone for patients with initially resectable liver metastases from colorectal cancer. Here we present overall survival data after long-term follow-up. Methods This randomised, controlled, parallel-group, phase 3 study recruited patients from 78 hospitals across Europe, Australia, and Hong Kong. Eligible patients aged 18–80 years who had histologically proven colorectal cancer and up to four liver metastases were randomly assigned (1:1) to either perioperative FOLFOX4 or surgery alone. Perioperative FOLFOX4 consisted of six 14-day cycles of oxaliplatin 85mg/m 2 , folinic acid 200 mg/m 2 (DL form) or 100 mg/m 2 (L form) on days 1–2 plus bolus, and fluorouracil 400 mg/m 2 (bolus) and 600 mg/m 2 (continuous 22 h infusion), before and after surgery. Patients were centrally randomised by minimisation, adjusting for centre and risk score and previous adjuvant chemotherapy to primary surgery for colorectal cancer, and the trial was open label. Analysis of overall survival was by intention to treat in all randomly assigned patients. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00006479. Findings Between Oct 10, 2000, and July 5, 2004, 364 patients were randomly assigned to a treatment group (182 patients in each group, of which 171 per group were eligible and 152 per group underwent resection). At a median follow-up of 8·5 years (IQR 7·6–9·5), 107 (59%) patients in the perioperative chemotherapy group had died versus 114 (63%) in the surgery-only group (HR 0·88, 95% CI 0·68–1·14; p=0·34). In all randomly assigned patients, median overall survival was 61·3 months (95% CI 51·0–83·4) in the perioperative chemotherapy group and 54·3 months (41·9–79·4) in the surgery alone group. 5-year overall survival was 51·2% (95% CI 43·6–58·3) in the perioperative chemotherapy group versus 47·8% (40·3–55·0) in the surgery-only group. Two patients in the perioperative chemotherapy group and three in the surgery-only group died from complications of protocol surgery, and one patient in the perioperative chemotherapy group died possibly as a result of toxicity of protocol treatment. Interpretation We found no difference in overall survival with the addition of perioperative chemotherapy with FOLFOX4 compared with surgery alone for patients with resectable liver metastases from colorectal cancer. However, the previously observed benefit in PFS means that perioperative chemotherapy with FOLFOX4 should remain the reference treatment for this population of patients. Funding Norwegian and Swedish Cancer Societies, Cancer Research UK, Ligue Nationale Contre Cancer, US National Cancer Institute, Sanofi-Aventis.

BACKGROUND: We aim to test the hypothesis that high plasma YKL-40 is associated with short progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) treated with first-line oxaliplatin and 5-flourouracil with or without cetuximab.PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 566 patients in the NORDIC VII Study were randomized 1∶1∶1 to arm A (Nordic FLOX), arm B (Nordic FLOX + cetuximab), or arm C (Nordic FLOX + cetuximab for 16 weeks followed by cetuximab alone as maintenance therapy). Pretreatment plasma samples were available from 510 patients. Plasma YKL-40 was determined by ELISA and dichotomized according to the age-corrected 95% YKL-40 level in 3130 healthy subjects.RESULTS: Pretreatment plasma YKL-40 was elevated in 204 patients (40%), and median YKL-40 was higher in patients with mCRC than in healthy subjects (age adjusted, PCONCLUSIONS: Plasma YKL-40 is an independent prognostic biomarker in patients with mCRC treated with first-line oxaliplatin-based therapy alone or combined with cetuximab.

Personalized cancer care requires reliable biomarkers. One already implemented in the clinic is the BRAF V600E mutation. We present a comprehensive comparison of three detection methods including immunohistochemistry (IHC) using a mutation specific monoclonal antibody (VE1), Sanger sequencing and a probe-based high resolution melting assay, in melanoma and colorectal cancer specimens. Genomic DNA (gDNA) from fresh frozen tissue from 389 liver metastases and 6 primary tumors from 141 metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients as well as gDNA from 125 tumors from 75 malignant melanoma (MM) patients was available. Tissue microarrays (TMAs) containing formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissue from 285 of the CRC metastases from 123 patients were made. BRAF, exon 15 was amplified using the DyNazyme EXT polymerase system and sequenced by Sanger sequencing. IHC staining with the BRAF-VE1 antibody was performed on a Ventana BenchMark XT immunostainer. The intensity of staining was graded as 0 (no visible staining), grade 1 (weak diffuse background staining), 2 (moderate diffuse and granular) and 3 (strong granular staining). Grade 2 or 3 was regarded as positive. For high resolution melting analysis of V600-status, we used the LigthMix Kit BRAF V600E/K on a LightCycler 480 instrument.To establish the detection limits for the DNA-based methods used in this comparison, we analyzed a dilution series containing a ratio of 1:1- 1:107 BRAF V600E mutated DNA in BRAF wild-type DNA. We found the detection limit for the LightMix assay to be 1:1000 mutated alleles while it was 1:10 for Sanger sequencing. Among 125 samples from 75 MM patients, we found 60 samples from 31 patients to be positive for BRAF mutations by Sanger sequencing. By the LigthMix assay, we found 75 mutated samples from 37 patients. Among 395 samples form 141 mCRC patients, we found 22 samples from 7 patients to be BRAF V600E mutated by Sanger sequencing. 127 tumors from 42 of these patients were analyzed by the LigthMix assay and the BRAF V600E mutation was detected in 24 samples from the same 7 patients. IHC was performed on TMAs including tissue from 285 metastases from 123 of the mCRC patients. By this method 25 samples from 15 patients were found to be BRAF V600E mutated. These 15 patients included 5 of the 7 patients identified by DNA-based mutation analyses. Thus 8 patients revealing no mutation by either of the DNA-based methods showed positive immunostaining. Two patients found to carry the mutation by sequencing and melting point analysis were not identified by IHC. Our data show differences in sensitivity and specificity between the three methods. Compared to the LigthMix, assay Sanger sequencing showed inferior sensitivity. Further, we observed a large discrepancy between IHC and the two DNA-based methods, indicating IHC with the current antibody not to be recommendable for clinical tests alone. Citation Format: Inger Marie Loes, Heike Immervoll, Halfdan Sorbye, Jon-Helge Angelsen, Arild Horn, Per Eystein Lonning, Stian Knappskog. Performance comparison of BRAF V600E detection assays in malignant melanoma and colorectal cancer specimens. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 1878. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-1878

NORDIC9 : A randomized phase II trial exploring treatment of older patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) by comparing full dose monotherapy (S-1 followed by irinotecan) with reduced combination regimen (S-1/oxaliplatin followed by S-1/irinotecan)

555 Background: Almost 50% of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) develop liver metastases, often as multiple simultaneous metastatic deposits. Up to 25% of the patients are eligible for partial liver resection, but 70% will relapse after surgery and there are currently no good criteria to select patients who will benefit from the treatment. Genetic heterogeneity among metastatic deposits has great potential impact on disease progression, but has not been well described. Methods: Totally 134 liver metastatic deposits were collected from 45 patients undergoing partial liver resection for metastatic CRC according to a prospective study protocol. All deposits were analyzed for high-resolution DNA copy number variation using the Affymetrix SNP Array 6.0. A novel bioinformatic approach was used to measure intra-individual genetic heterogeneity among the metastatic deposits. Results: The patients showed a large variation in the level of intra-individual metastatic heterogeneity, and heterogeneity was independent of the number of liver metastases analyzed per patient. Heterogeneity was a strong and independent prognostic factor in multivariate analysis with known clinicopathological prognostic factors. Patients with a high level of heterogeneity (above the median) had a three-year overall survival rate of 18%, compared with 66% for patients with a low level (hazard ratio, HR = 3.7, P = 0.007). The corresponding survival rates for progression-free survival were 6% and 24% (HR = 2.6, P = 0.01). Conclusions: A high level of intra-individual genetic heterogeneity among liver metastatic deposits is associated with poor survival after partial liver resection in patients with metastatic CRC.

Irinotecan and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) are used to treat metastatic colorectal cancer. Irinotecan's active metabolite is inactivated by UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 (UGT1A1), which is deficient in Gilbert's syndrome. Irinotecan and metabolites are transported by P-glycoprotein, encoded by ABCB1. 5-FU targets folate metabolism through inhibition of thymidylate synthase (TYMS). Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) generates active folate necessary for haematopoiesis. We retrospectively genotyped 140 Swedish and Norwegian irinotecan and 5-FU-treated colorectal cancer patients from the Nordic VI clinical trial for selected variants of UGT1A1, ABCB1, TYMS and MTHFR. We found an increased risk of clinically relevant early toxicity in patients carrying the ABCB1 3435 T/T genotype, Odds ratio (OR)=3.79 (95% confidence interval (CI)=1.09-13.2), and in patients carrying the UGT1A1(*)28/(*)28 genotype, OR=4.43 (95% CI=1.30-15.2). Patients with UGT1A1(*)28/(*)28 had an especially high risk of neutropenia, OR=6.87 (95% CI=1.70-27.7). Patients who had reacted with toxicity during the first two cycles were in total treated with fewer cycles (P0.001), and less often responded to treatment (P0.001). Genetic variation in ABCB1 was associated with both early toxicity and lower response to treatment. Carriers of the ABCB1 1236T-2677T-3435T haplotype responded to treatment less frequently (43 vs 67%, P=0.027), and survived shorter time, OR=1.56 (95% CI=1.01-2.45).

Udgivelsesdato: 2009-Oct-15 BACKGROUND: Trial accrual patterns were examined to determine whether metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients enrolled in trials are representative of a general cancer population concerning patient characteristics and survival. METHODS: A total of 760 mCRC patients referred for their first oncological consideration at 3 hospitals in Scandinavia covering defined populations were registered consecutively during 2003 to 2006. Clinical trial enrollment, patient characteristics, and treatment were recorded prospectively, and the follow-up was complete. RESULTS: Palliative chemotherapy was initiated in 61% of the patients. Approximately one-third (36%) of patients receiving chemotherapy were included in a trial. The main reason for nonparticipation was failed eligibility criteria (69%). The median survival after chemotherapy was 15.8 months for all patients, and 18 months after combination chemotherapy. Trial patients had better prognostic characteristics and significantly longer survival than nontrial patients: 21.3 months versus 15.2 months when receiving combination chemotherapy. Poor performance status was the main reason for giving best supportive care only, and the median survival was then only 2.1 months. The median survival for all 760 nonresectable mCRC patients was 10.7 months. CONCLUSIONS: mCRC patients enrolled into clinical trials differ in characteristics from patients receiving chemotherapy outside protocol and have better survival, even when given the same treatment. Although trial patients have a median survival close to 2 years, survival is lower for all patients receiving chemotherapy and much lower for all patients diagnosed with mCRC. Studies that better accept the heterogeneity of the population with mCRC are needed.

Two consecutive studies have evaluated the efficacy of oxaliplatin combined with the Nordic bolus schedule of 5-fluorouracil and folinic acid as first-line treatment in metastatic non-resectable colorectal cancer. One hundred and twelve patients were followed after end of first-line treatment and any secondary therapy registered. Fifty-three patients (47%) did not receive second-line irinotecan-based chemotherapy. The main reason was too poor performance status (59%). These patients had a median survival of only 1.7 months after progression of first-line therapy. The best predictive factors at start of first-line chemotherapy for receiving later second-line chemotherapy were performance status and alkaline phosphatase level. Fifty-nine patients (53%) received irinotecan-based second-line therapy. Four (7%) patients had a partial response, and 28 (52%) had stable disease. Median progression-free survival after second-line chemotherapy was 4.1 months and median survival 9.5 months. Median survival after first-line chemotherapy and secondary liver surgery was 34 months and five-year disease-free survival 8%. Survival among patients receiving both first- and second-line chemotherapy was 20.8 months, but only 8.9 months in patients not receiving second-line irinotecan-based chemotherapy. Poor performance status or elevated alkaline phosphatase level at start of first-line chemotherapy predicts whether second-line chemotherapy will be given or not.