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Background For muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), no tissue biomarkers are available for clinical use to predict response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Objective To investigate how molecular subtypes impact pathological response and survival in patients receiving preoperative cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Design, setting, and participants Classification of a retrospective cohort of 149 patients was performed by tumor transcriptomic profiling and immunostaining. A cohort treated with radical cystectomy alone and public data sets were used for comparison and external validation. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis Complete pathological response in the cystectomy specimen (ypT0N0) and survival were compared in predefined molecular subtypes. Differential gene expression and chemotherapy response were explored beyond molecular subtypes. Results and limitations Patients with genomically unstable (GU) and urothelial-like (Uro) tumors had higher proportions of complete pathological response (16/31 [52%] and 17/54 [31%]), versus five out of 24 (21%) with the basal/squamous (Ba/Sq) subtype following neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radical cystectomy. Molecular subtype was independently associated with improved survival for patients with GU tumors (hazard ratio [HR] 0.29, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.11–0.79) and UroC tumors (HR 0.37, 95% CI: 0.14–0.94) compared with Ba/Sq tumors, adjusting for clinical stage. In addition, expression of the gene coding for osteopontin (SPP1) showed a subtype-dependent effect on chemotherapy response. Conclusions Urothelial cancer of the luminal-like (GU and Uro) subtypes is more responsive to cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy. A second-generation of subtype-specific biomarkers, for example, SPP1, may be a way forward to develop a more precision-based treatment approach for neoadjuvant chemotherapy in MIBC. Patient summary This study shows that tumor classification by gene expression profiling and molecular subtyping can identify patients who are more likely to benefit from chemotherapy before radical cystectomy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Together with other markers for response, molecular subtypes could have a role in selective administration of such chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE To analyse the cumulative incidence of any failure (AF), prostate cancer-specific failure (PCSF), any death (AD), prostate cancer-specific death (PCSD), and local control in 2387 men with prostate cancer (PC), consecutively treated with combined high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDRBT) and external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) from 1998 to 2010. MATERIAL AND METHODS A retrospective, single-institution study of men with localised PC. The mean age was 66 years and 54.7% had high-risk PC according to the Cambridge prognostic group (CPG) classification. The treatment was delivered as EBRT (2 Gy × 25) and HDRBT (10 Gy × 2) with combined androgen blockade (CAB). The median follow-up was 10.2 years. RESULTS The cumulative incidence of PCSD at 10 years was 5% [CI 95% 0.04-0.06]. The 10 years PCSD per risk group were: low (L) 0.4%, intermediate favourable (IF) 1%, intermediate unfavourable (IU) 4.3%, high-risk favourable (HF) 5.8%, and high-risk unfavourable (HU) 13.9%. The PCSF rate at 10 years was 16.5% [CI 95% 0.15-0.18]. The PCSF per risk group at 10 years were: L 2.5%, IF 5.5%, IU 15.9%, HF 15.6%, and HU 38.99%. PCSF occurred in 399 men, of whom 15% were found to have local failure. The estimated frequency of local failure in the entire cohort was 1.2%. CONCLUSIONS HDRBT combined with EBRT is an effective treatment with long-term overall survival and excellent local control for patients with PC. The low rate of local recurrence among men with relapse suggests that these patients were micro metastasised at time of treatment, which calls for improved methods to detect disseminated disease.

Objective: The incidence of benign ureteroenteric strictures following radical cystectomy (RC) for urinary bladder cancer (UBC) is investigated mainly in single-centre studies from high-volume centres. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cumulative incidence of strictures and risk factors in a population-based cohort. Patients and methods: Data was collected from Bladder Cancer Data Base Sweden (BladderBaSe). The primary endpoint was stricture with intervention. Secondary endpoint included hydronephrosis both with/without intervention. Results: In total, 5,816 patients were registered as having had RC due to UBC between 1997 and 2014. After a median follow-up of 23.5 months (IQR = 9.0–63.1 months; range = 0.0–214.0 months), we found that 515 (8.9%) patients underwent intervention for stricture. Seven hundred and sixty-one (13.1%) patients were diagnosed with hydronephrosis without intervention. The cumulative incidence of strictures with intervention was 19.7% (95% CI = 16.7–23.1%) during the 17 years of follow-up. In the first year, the cumulative incidence of strictures was 5.6% (95% CI = 5.0–6.2%), and in the first 2 years 8.4% (95% CI = 7.6–9.3%). For the secondary endpoint, the cumulative incidence was 30.4% (95% CI = 26.7–33.1%) after 17 years. Only the year of RC was associated with stricture incidence in Cox regression analysis, whereas hospital cystectomy volume, patient age and patient sex were not. Conclusion: Ureteroenteric strictures requiring intervention may be more common than previously reported, affecting nearly one fifth of patients who have undergone RC for UBC. The annual incidence was highest in the first 2 years after surgery but the cumulative incidence increased continuously during 17 years of follow-up.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Bladder cancer is primarily a disease of older age and little is known about the differences between patients diagnosed with bladder cancer at a younger versus older age. Our objectives were to compare bladder cancer specific survival in patients aged

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE:The phase 3 JAVELIN Bladder 100 trial (NCT02603432), which enrolled patients (pts) with advanced urothelial carcinoma (UC) that had not progressed with first-line (1L) pl...

For effective clinical management of patients being treated with 223Ra, there is a need for radiographic response biomarkers to minimize disease progression and to stratify patients for subsequent treatment options. The objective of this study was to evaluate an automated bone scan index (aBSI) as a quantitative assessment of bone scans for radiographic response in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Methods: In a multicenter retrospective study, bone scans from patients with mCRPC treated with monthly injections of 223Ra were collected from 7 hospitals in Sweden. Patients with available bone scans before treatment with 223Ra and at treatment discontinuation were eligible for the study. The aBSI was generated at baseline and at treatment discontinuation. The Spearman rank correlation was used to correlate aBSI with the baseline covariates: alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA). The Cox proportional-hazards model and Kaplan-Meier curve were used to evaluate the association of covariates at baseline and their change at treatment discontinuation with overall survival (OS). The concordance index (C-index) was used to evaluate the discriminating strength of covariates in predicting OS. Results: Bone scan images at baseline were available from 156 patients, and 67 patients had both a baseline and a treatment discontinuation bone scan (median, 5 doses; interquartile range, 3-6 doses). Baseline aBSI (median, 4.5; interquartile range, 2.4-6.5) was moderately correlated with ALP (r = 0.60, P < 0.0001) and with PSA (r = 0.38, P = 0.003). Among baseline covariates, aBSI (P = 0.01) and ALP (P = 0.001) were significantly associated with OS, whereas PSA values were not (P = 0.059). After treatment discontinuation, 36% (24/67), 80% (54/67), and 13% (9/67) of patients demonstrated a decline in aBSI, ALP, and PSA, respectively. As a continuous variable, the relative change in aBSI after treatment, compared with baseline, was significantly associated with OS (P < 0.0001), with a C-index of 0.67. Median OS in patients with both aBSI and ALP decline (median, 134 wk) was significantly longer than in patients with ALP decline only (median, 77 wk; P = 0.029). Conclusion: Both aBSI at baseline and its change at treatment discontinuation were significant parameters associated with OS. The study warrants prospective validation of aBSI as a quantitative imaging response biomarker to predict OS in patients with mCRPC treated with 223Ra.

Background. Vinflunine (VFL) is approved in Europe as second-line treatment of metastatic urothelial cancer after failure of platinum-containing therapy. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of real-world data (RWD) to assess utilization, efficacy and safety of VFL. \ud \ud Methods. We performed a MEDLINE search for the period of 1/1/2000-31/8/2017. Full-length articles providing post-marketing RWD on VFL in patients failing previous chemotherapy were eligible. Interventional clinical trials were excluded. \ud \ud Results: Ten studies with 797 patients were identified. According to pooled REs analysis, overall response rate was 19%, most frequent, all-grade toxicities were fatigue (41%), constipation (39%), nausea/vomiting (25%), and most prevalent Grade 3–4 toxicities were neutropenia (13%), anaemia (9%), fatigue (8%). Median OS was comparable to results reported in recent randomized studies.\ud \ud Conclusion. Our findings confirm the efficacy and safety of VFL in an unselected population and support the use of VFL in the changing treatment paradigm of relapsed mUC.

BACKGROUND: Routine VTE prophylaxis within 30 days of radical cystectomy (RC) for urinary bladder cancer (UBC) is used to protect from venous thromboembolism (VTE). However, randomized studies and nationwide population-based studies are lacking. OBJECTIVE: To study VTE and risk factors for VTE in muscle-invasive UBC in a nationwide population-based series, with a focus on the association with RC with and without chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied all patients with clinical stage T2-T4 UBC diagnosed 1997 to 2014 in the Bladder Cancer Data Base Sweden (BladderBaSe). Previous VTE events and risk factors for VTE were registered from 1987. Cox regression analyses and Kaplan-Meier curves were performed to study risk factors for VTE and cumulative incidence of VTE. RESULTS: In 9720 patients (71% males) with a median age of 74 years 546 (5.6%) had VTE after diagnosis. In Cox analyses controlling for patients and tumour characteristics, and risk factors for VTE, VTE after diagnosis and first treatment date were associated with chemotherapy with or without RC. Cumulative incidence of VTE increased during 24 months after diagnosis and first treatment date. VTE were less common in patients with previous cardiovascular disease. CONCLUSION: VTE was commonly observed after 30 days from diagnosis and from first treatment date in patients with T2-T4 UBC, particularly after chemotherapy. The findings suggest that long-term intervention studies of benefit and possible harms of VTE prophylaxis after UBC should be undertaken. Funding Agencies|Swedish Cancer SocietySwedish Cancer Society [CAN 2016/470, CAN 2017/278]

Purpose Radium-223 is a life-prolonging therapy for castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) patients with symptomatic bone metastases. However, validated biomarkers for response monitoring are lacking. The study aim was to investigate whether early alkaline phosphatase (ALP) dynamics after the first radium-223 injection can act as surrogate marker for overall survival (OS). Methods This retrospective multicenter study included consecutive CRPC patients treated with radium-223. Patients were divided into four subgroups based on baseline ALP level (normal/elevated) and early ALP response, defined as ≥10% ALP decrease after the first radium-223 injection. Primary endpoint was OS among the subgroups. Secondary endpoints included time to first skeletal-related event, time to ALP progression, and treatment completion rate. Results A total of 180 patients were included for analysis. Median OS was 13.5 months (95% confidence interval 11.5–15.5). Patients with elevated baseline ALP without ALP response after the first injection had significantly worse OS when compared to all other patients (median OS 7.9 months versus 15.7 months, hazard ratio 2.56, 95% confidence interval 1.73–3.80, P Conclusion Early treatment–induced changes in ALP after one radium-223 injection were associated with OS in metastatic CRPC patients.

Objective For patients undergoing radical cystectomy for bladder cancer, a procedure requiring complex urinary tract reconstruction prone to major postoperative complications, the timing and quality of the surgery have been associated with outcomes. Patients and methods This study investigated if radical cystectomy for bladder cancer performed during holiday periods had worse disease-specific (DSS) and overall survival (OS), higher 90-day mortality and risk of readmissions. All patients operated on with radical cystectomy for primary bladder cancer during 1997-2014 with holiday periods as exposure (with one narrow (7 weeks) and one wider (14 weeks) definition) in the Swedish population-based bladder cancer research-database (BladderBaSe) were studied. DSS and OS after radical cystectomy during holiday periods were analysed with Cox regression models adjusted for sex, age, comorbidity, marital status, T-stage and nodal metastases, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, hospital volume and year of cystectomy. Results Surgery during the holiday periods (narrow and wide definitions) were not associated with DSS (Hazard ratio [HR] = 1.05, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 0.90-1.21 and HR = 1.04, 95% CI = 0.91-1.17), respectively. HRs for OS were similar, and no associations between radical cystectomy during any of the holiday period definitions and 90-day mortality and readmission were found. Conclusion Survival after radical cystectomy in Sweden is similar during holiday and non-holiday periods. Funding Agencies|Swedish Cancer SocietySwedish Cancer Society [CAN 2019/62, CAN 2017/278]; Lund Medical Faculty (ALF); Skane University Hospital Research Funds; Gyllenstierna Krapperup s Foundation; Skane County Councils Research and Development Foundation [REGSKANE-622351]; Gosta Jonsson Research Foundation; Foundation of Urological Research; Hillevi Fries Research Foundation

Platinum-based chemotherapy is standard-of-care first-line treatment for advanced urothelial carcinoma. However, progression-free survival and overall survival are limited by chemotherapy resistance.In a phase 3 trial, we randomly assigned patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer who did not have disease progression with first-line chemotherapy (four to six cycles of gemcitabine plus cisplatin or carboplatin) to receive best supportive care with or without maintenance avelumab. The primary end point was overall survival, assessed among all patients who underwent randomization (overall population) and among those with tumors positive for programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1). Secondary end points included progression-free survival and safety.Among all 700 patients who underwent randomization, the addition of maintenance avelumab to best supportive care significantly prolonged overall survival as compared with best supportive care alone (control). Overall survival at 1 year was 71.3% in the avelumab group and 58.4% in the control group (median overall survival, 21.4 months vs. 14.3 months; hazard ratio for death, 0.69; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.56 to 0.86; P = 0.001). Avelumab also significantly prolonged overall survival in the PD-L1-positive population; overall survival at 1 year was 79.1% in the avelumab group and 60.4% in the control group (hazard ratio, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.40 to 0.79; P0.001). The median progression-free survival was 3.7 months in the avelumab group and 2.0 months in the control group in the overall population (hazard ratio for disease progression or death, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.52 to 0.75) and 5.7 months and 2.1 months, respectively, in the PD-L1-positive population (hazard ratio, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.43 to 0.73). The incidence of adverse events from any cause was 98.0% in the avelumab group and 77.7% in the control group; the incidence of adverse events of grade 3 or higher was 47.4% and 25.2%, respectively.Maintenance avelumab plus best supportive care significantly prolonged overall survival, as compared with best supportive care alone, among patients with urothelial cancer who had disease that had not progressed with first-line chemotherapy. (Funded by Pfizer and Merck [Darmstadt, Germany]; JAVELIN Bladder 100 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02603432.).

Background Multiple therapies exist for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). However, their improvement on progression-free survival (PFS) remains modest, potentially explained by tumor molecular heterogeneity. Several prognostic molecular biomarkers have been identified for mCRPC that may have predictive potential to guide treatment selection and prolong PFS. We designed a platform trial to test this hypothesis. Methods The Prostate-Biomarker (ProBio) study is a multi-center, outcome-adaptive, multi-arm, biomarker-driven platform trial for tailoring treatment decisions for men with mCRPC. Treatment decisions in the experimental arms are based on biomarker signatures defined as mutations in certain genes/pathways suggested in the scientific literature to be important for treatment response in mCRPC. The biomarker signatures are determined by targeted sequencing of circulating tumor and germline DNA using a panel specifically designed for mCRPC. Discussion Patients are stratified based on the sequencing results and randomized to either current clinical practice (control), where the treating physician decides treatment, or to molecularly driven treatment selection based on the biomarker profile. Outcome-adaptive randomization is implemented to early identify promising treatments for a biomarker signature. Biomarker signature-treatment combinations graduate from the platform when they demonstrate 85% probability of improving PFS compared to the control arm. Graduated combinations are further evaluated in a seamless confirmatory trial with fixed randomization. The platform design allows for new drugs and biomarkers to be introduced in the study. Conclusions The ProBio design allows promising treatment-biomarker combinations to quickly graduate from the platform and be confirmed for rapid implementation in clinical care. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT03903835. Date of registration: April 4, 2019. Status: Recruiting.

Background: The present study (VINGEM) is the first randomised trial comparing vinflunine/gemcitabine (VG) to standard carboplatin/gemcitabine (CG) in patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma (aUC) ineligible for treatment with cisplatin. Patients and methods: Patients with aUC, creatinine clearance 30–60 ml/min, performance status ≤1 and no prior chemotherapy for metastatic disease were randomised to the experimental arm (vinflunine 280 or 250 mg/m2 day 1, gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 days 1 and 8, q21 days) or the control arm (carboplatin AUC 4.5 day 1, gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 days 1 and 8, q21 days). Primary end-point was progression-free survival (PFS). Results: Sixty-two patients were randomised; a total of 59 patients were treated (29 VG, 30 CG). There was no significant difference in PFS between the treatment arms: median 6.2 months for VG versus 6.3 months for CG (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.75, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.44–1.28; P = 0.293). Median overall survival was 12.5 months for VG versus 10.6 months for CG. The overall response rate (ORR) was higher in the VG arm than in the CG arm (63% versus 40%) but was not statistically significant in the intention-to-treat analysis. Furthermore, VG showed a high complete response (CR) rate, 22% versus 3% in CG. In the per-protocol group, both ORR and CR were significantly higher for VG than for CG. The most common adverse events (AEs) were fatigue, haematological toxicities, gastrointestinal disorders and nausea/vomiting. Common grade III/IV AEs were neutropenia (VG 62%, CG 43%), thrombocytopenia (VG 7%, CG 37%) and febrile neutropenia (VG 31%, CG 7%). Conclusions: The combination of VG did not improve PFS compared with standard treatment with CG in patients unfit for cisplatin due to renal impairment. The response rate of VG indicates, however, an active regimen and warrants further studies. Clinicaltrials.gov number: NCT02665039.

Aim Patients treated with cabazitaxel for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) may experience dose delays and reductions or terminate treatment because of toxicity. A lower and more frequent dose of cabazitaxel could improve dose intensity. Patients and methods This prospective, multi-center, phase II study randomly assigned 101 patients to Arm A, cabazitaxel Q3W, 25 mg/m2 or Arm B, Q1W, 10 mg/m2 5 of 6 weeks. The primary end-point was dose intensity, and we hypothesised that the experimental arm (Arm B) would result in a 20% absolute increase in the relative cumulative dose by week 18. Secondary end-points were overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), pain progression, radiological and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response rates, quality of life (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Prostate) and tolerability. Results Median doses of cabazitaxel were 276 mg (45–320) and 257 mg (20–330) in Arms A and B, respectively, at week 18 (p = 0.13). More patients in Arm B stopped treatment because of toxicity. Median PFS in Arms A and B were 6.0 and 6.4 months (hazard ratio [HR] 0.73, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.47–1.13, p = 0.156) and for OS, 14.6 and 15.6 months (HR 0.95, CI: 0.58–1.58, p = 0.85), respectively. PSA responses ≥50% were seen in 52% and 46% of patients in Arms A and B, respectively. A higher incidence of febrile neutropenia was observed in the standard arm (10 events versus 1, p Conclusion Weekly cabazitaxel reduces the incidence of febrile neutropenia but does not increase the dose intensity compared with the standard therapy. Cabazitaxel has clinical meaningful efficacy in heavily pre-treated patients with mCRPC.

Purpose Preoperative chemotherapy is underused in conjunction with radical cystectomy (RC) for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) due to concerns for complications and delay of surgery. Prospective data on short-term complications from population-based settings with frequent use of preoperative chemotherapy and standardised reporting of complications is lacking. Methods We identified 1,340 patients who underwent RC between 2011 and 2015 in Sweden due to MIBC according to the Swedish Cystectomy Register. These individuals were followed through linkages to several national registers. Propensity score adjusted logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for complications and death within 90 days of surgery, comparing patients receiving preoperative chemotherapy or not. Results Minimum two cycles of preoperative chemotherapy were given to 519 (39%) of the patients, who on average tended to be younger, have higher education, better physical status, and more advanced bladder cancer than patients not receiving chemotherapy. After adjusting for these and other parameters, there was no association between treatment with preoperative chemotherapy and short-term complications (OR 1.06 95% CI 0.82–1.39) or mortality (OR 0.75 95% CI 0.36–1.55). We observed a risk reduction for gastrointestinal complications among patients who received preoperative chemotherapy compared with those who did not (OR 0.49 95% CI 0.30–0.81). Conclusion This nation-wide population-based observational study does not suggest that preoperative chemotherapy, in a setting with high utilisation of such treatment, is associated with an increased risk of short-term complications in MIBC patients treated with radical cystectomy. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s00345-019-02770-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

4527 Background: The phase 3 JAVELIN Bladder 100 trial, which enrolled patients (pts) with advanced UC that had not progressed with 1L platinum-containing chemotherapy, showed that maintenance therapy with avelumab + best supportive care (BSC) significantly prolonged overall survival (OS) compared with BSC alone (hazard ratio [HR], 0.69 [95% CI: 0.56, 0.86; 1-sided P= 0.0005]). However, the optimal timing for starting avelumab after completing 1L chemotherapy is unknown. In this post hoc analysis, we report efficacy by duration of the TFI from completion of 1L chemotherapy. Methods: In the JAVELIN Bladder 100 trial (NCT02603432), eligible pts had unresectable locally advanced or metastatic UC without disease progression following 4 to 6 cycles of 1L platinum-containing chemotherapy. Pts were randomized to receive avelumab + BSC (n = 350) or BSC alone (n = 350) after a TFI of 4 to 10 weeks from the last dose of chemotherapy. In this exploratory analysis, subgroups with a TFI of 4 to < 6 weeks ( < 42 days), 6 to < 8 weeks (42 to < 56 days), or 8 to 10 weeks (≥56 days) were evaluated. Results: In the avelumab + BSC and BSC alone arms, the TFI was 4 to < 6 weeks in 143 and 158 pts, 6 to < 8 weeks in 109 and 80 pts, and 8 to 10 weeks in 98 and 110 pts, respectively. Baseline characteristics in these subgroups were generally well balanced between arms. For both arms combined, however, the TFI 4 to < 6 weeks subgroup vs the other 2 subgroups included more pts with visceral metastases (57.8% vs 54.0% and 50.0%), an objective response with 1L chemotherapy (76.4% vs 69.3% and 68.3%), and an ECOG performance status of 1 (44.5% vs 33.3% and 35.6%). OS was prolonged with avelumab + BSC vs BSC alone in all subgroups; the HR was 0.76 (95% CI: 0.546, 1.059) in the TFI 4 to < 6 weeks subgroup (median OS, 19.9 months [95% CI: 16.3, 25.3] vs 13.5 months [95% CI: 11.7, 17.4]), 0.64 (95% CI: 0.404, 1.021) in the TFI 6 to < 8 weeks subgroup (median OS, 26.1 months [95% CI: 19.9, not estimable] vs 21.0 months [95% CI: 10.7, not estimable]), and 0.70 (95% CI: 0.468, 1.035) in the TFI 8 to 10 weeks subgroup (median OS, 20.1 months [95% CI: 13.8, not estimable] vs 14.1 months [95% CI: 11.7, 19.6]). Conclusions: In patients with advanced UC that had not progressed with 1L platinum-containing chemotherapy, avelumab 1L maintenance prolonged OS irrespective of the TFI assessed in this study (4-10 weeks), supporting this new treatment strategy as a standard of care. Differences in duration of TFI were likely related to individual patient- and disease-specific characteristics or logistics and did not impact the OS benefit observed with avelumab 1L maintenance. Clinical trial information: NCT02603432.

The risk stratification currently applied prior to curative treatment for localized prostate cancer (PC) does not take into account comorbidity or age. Therefore, we investigated the impact of comorbidity on overall survival (OS) in PC patients treated with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and high-dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy boost.At a single center, 611 consecutive patients diagnosed with localized PC from 1998 to 2004 underwent definitive EBRT (50 Gy) and HDR brachytherapy boosts (2 × 10 Gy) combined with neoadjuvant total androgen blockade. Comorbidity was assessed with the Charlson comorbidity score. The impact of risk factors on OS and disease-free survival (DFS) was calculated using Cox proportional hazard ratios. Risk groups were defined as follows: low-risk PC: PSA 10, WHO grade 1 and T stage 1; high-risk PC: PSA 20 and/or WHO grade 3 and/or T stage 3a; intermediate-risk PC representing patients who did not fit either the low- or high-risk PC group.Mean age in the study cohort was 66.4 years, and 51% of the patients reported some degree of comorbidity. Divided into risk groups 8.2% were categorized as low-risk, 64% as intermediate-risk and 27.8% as high-risk PC. Overall 10-year survival was 72.2%, and 89% of the patients were relapse-free. In the univariate and multivariate analyses using Cox proportional hazard ratios, age, comorbidity and T stage were statistically significant predictors of OS: hazard ratios 1.56, 1.44 and 1.2 (p-values .002, .04 and .05), respectively. WHO grade, PSA at diagnosis, T stage and comorbidity were also significant predictors of DFS (p-values .0001, .0001, .009 and .003, respectively).Comorbidity assessed with the Charlson score predicts OS in patients with localized PC treated with curative intent using combined EBRT and HDR brachytherapy boost, and should be considered when making decisions before radical treatment.

To prospectively study differences in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with localised/locally advanced prostate cancer (PC) treated with curative intended radiation therapy and randomised to androgen receptor inhibitor monotherapy treatment versus castration plus an androgen receptor inhibitor used continuously. Time to Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) relapse, time to symptomatic metastasis and overall survival (OS) were also described for the two groups.From 2005 to 2011, a total of 110 patients were randomised at a ratio of 1:1. HRQoL was assessed at six time points: before randomisation, before radiotherapy (RT) start and 9, 12, 15 and 18 months after randomisation, using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Core Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) and EORTC QLQ-PR25.At the 3-month follow-up, statistically significant differences between the two groups were found for overall quality of life (p = 0.006), fatigue (p = 0.023), sexual interest (p 0.001) and urinary problems (p = 0.036). Small clinical differences were noted for overall quality of life, role functioning, fatigue, pain, sleeping problems and urinary problems. At that assessment point, clinical differences between the groups were substantial regarding sexual interest and moderate regarding sexual functioning (the latter indicated only by patients reporting having sexual interest at baseline). All statistical and clinical differences favoured the androgen receptor inhibitor monotherapy arm. At 18 months after randomisation, statistically significant differences were found for cognitive functioning (p = 0.040) and sexual interest (p = 0.011), both favouring the androgen receptor inhibitor monotherapy arm.The results suggest that neo-adjuvant androgen receptor inhibitor monotherapy might be preferred compared to castration plus an androgen receptor inhibitor before curative intended RT in men with localised/locally advanced PC, with higher levels of HRQoL, especially concerning sexual interest. HRQoL differences over time were small. The observation time and study sample were too small for evaluating time to PSA progression and OS. Further studies are needed to confirm the results. The study was registered in, identification number NCT02382094.

In 2009, vinflunine was introduced as a second-line treatment to be used after the failure of platinum therapy in patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC). The present study investigated the administered vinflunine to patients with mUC in standard clinical practice with the aim of evaluating treatment patterns, response, survival parameters and side-effects. Data were collected retrospectively from the first 100 mUC patients treated with vinflunine at three Nordic cancer centers associated with the Nordic Urothelial Cancer Oncology Group. The overall response rate was 23% and complete response was observed in one patient. The median progression-free survival (mPFS) and median overall survival (mOS) were 2.8 (range, 0.5-34.3) and 6.3 (range, 0.3-39.7) months, respectively. An Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) of 2 was present in 20% of the patients, and those patients exhibited significantly shorter mOS (4.1 vs. 7.0 months, P=0.001) and a significantly higher degree of grade 3/4 toxicity (P=0.026) compared with ECOG PS 0-1 patients. Furthermore, patients without visceral metastases had significantly longer mOS than patients with visceral metastases (10.6 vs. 6.0 months, P=0.008). The median number of cycles of vinflunine was 3 (range, 1-28). The current data confirms that vinflunine is an active agent for second-line treatment in an unselected clinical cohort of patients with mUC. ECOG PS and presence of visceral metastases were significant prognostic parameters. In particular, patients with ECOG PS 2 receiving vinflunine had a shorter mOS and a higher frequency of severe toxicity, and, thus, should be treated with caution. Furthermore, the present study observed large inter-individual differences in radiological response and OS, indicating the need for further development of improved patient selection tools to optimize vinflunine treatment in platinum-refractory mUC patients.

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LBA1 Background: Platinum-based chemotherapy is an active 1L regimen for advanced UC; however, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) are generally short because of chemotherapy resistance. This randomized, phase 3 trial (JAVELIN Bladder 100; NCT02603432) evaluated avelumab (anti–PD-L1) as maintenance therapy following response or stable disease with 1L platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with advanced UC. Methods: Eligible patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic UC without disease progression after 4-6 cycles of gemcitabine with either cisplatin or carboplatin were randomized 1:1 to receive maintenance avelumab (10 mg/kg IV every 2 weeks) + best supportive care (BSC) or BSC alone, stratified by best response to 1L chemotherapy (complete/partial response vs stable disease) and by visceral vs nonvisceral disease when initiating 1L chemotherapy. The primary endpoint was OS, assessed from randomization in 2 primary populations: all randomized patients and patients with PD-L1+ tumors (Ventana SP263 assay). Secondary endpoints included PFS, objective response, and safety. Results: 700 patients were randomly assigned to maintenance avelumab + BSC (n=350) or BSC alone (n=350) and were followed for a median of 19.6 and 19.2 months, respectively. Overall, 358 (51%) had PD-L1+ tumors. Avelumab + BSC significantly prolonged OS vs BSC alone in all randomized patients (hazard ratio [HR] 0.69; 95% CI 0.56, 0.86; 1-sided p=0.0005); median OS with avelumab + BSC vs BSC alone was 21.4 vs 14.3 months, respectively. Avelumab + BSC also significantly prolonged OS vs BSC alone in patients with PD-L1+ tumors (HR 0.56; 95% CI 0.40, 0.79; 1-sided p=0.0003); median OS was not reached vs 17.1 months, respectively. An OS benefit was also observed across all prespecified subgroups. The HR for PFS based on blinded independent central review with avelumab + BSC vs BSC alone was 0.62 (95% CI 0.52, 0.75) in all randomized patients and 0.56 (95% CI 0.43, 0.73) in patients with PD-L1+ tumors. In treated patients in the avelumab + BSC (n=344) vs BSC alone (n=345) arms, respectively, all-causality adverse events (AEs) were reported at any grade in 98.0% vs 77.7% and at grade ≥3 in 47.4% vs 25.2%, and the most frequent grade ≥3 AEs were urinary tract infection (4.4% vs 2.6%), anemia (3.8% vs 2.9%), hematuria (1.7% vs 1.4%), fatigue (1.7% vs 0.6%), and back pain (1.2% vs 2.3%). Conclusions: JAVELIN Bladder 100 met its primary objective, demonstrating significantly prolonged OS with 1L maintenance avelumab + BSC vs BSC alone in advanced UC in all randomized patients and patients with PD-L1+ tumors. Efficacy benefits were seen across all prespecified subgroups, and the safety profile of avelumab was consistent with previous studies of monotherapy. Clinical trial information: NCT02603432 .

Purpose: To infer the prognostic value of simultaneous androgen receptor (AR) and TP53 profiling in liquid biopsies from patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) starting a new line of AR signaling inhibitors (ARSi). Experimental Design: Between March 2014 and April 2017, we recruited patients with mCRPC (n = 168) prior to ARSi in a cohort study encompassing 10 European centers. Blood samples were collected for comprehensive profiling of CellSearch-enriched circulating tumor cells (CTC) and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). Targeted CTC RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) allowed the detection of eight AR splice variants (ARV). Low-pass whole-genome and targeted gene-body sequencing of AR and TP53 was applied to identify amplifications, loss of heterozygosity, mutations, and structural rearrangements in ctDNA. Clinical or radiologic progression-free survival (PFS) was estimated by Kaplan–Meier analysis, and independent associations were determined using multivariable Cox regression models. Results: Overall, no single AR perturbation remained associated with adverse prognosis after multivariable analysis. Instead, tumor burden estimates (CTC counts, ctDNA fraction, and visceral metastases) were significantly associated with PFS. TP53 inactivation harbored independent prognostic value [HR 1.88; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.18–3.00; P = 0.008], and outperformed ARV expression and detection of genomic AR alterations. Using Cox coefficient analysis of clinical parameters and TP53 status, we identified three prognostic groups with differing PFS estimates (median, 14.7 vs. 7.51 vs. 2.62 months; P < 0.0001), which was validated in an independent mCRPC cohort (n = 202) starting first-line ARSi (median, 14.3 vs. 6.39 vs. 2.23 months; P < 0.0001). Conclusions: In an all-comer cohort, tumor burden estimates and TP53 outperform any AR perturbation to infer prognosis. See related commentary by Rebello et al., p. 1699

Purpose Melflufen (melphalan flufenamide, previously designated J1) is an optimized and targeted derivative of melphalan, hydrolyzed by aminopeptidases overexpressed in tumor cells resulting in selective release and trapping of melphalan, and enhanced activity in preclinical models. Methods This was a prospective, single-armed, open-label, first-in-human, dose-finding phase I/IIa study in 45 adult patients with advanced and progressive solid tumors without standard treatment options. Most common tumor types were ovarian carcinoma (n = 20) and non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC, n = 11). Results In the dose-escalating phase I part of the study, seven patients were treated with increasing fixed doses of melflufen (25–130 mg) Q3W. In the subsequent phase IIa part, 38 patients received in total 115 cycles of therapy at doses of 30–75 mg. No dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) were observed at 25 and 50 mg; at higher doses DLTs were reversible neutropenias and thrombocytopenias, particularly evident in heavily pretreated patients, and the recommended phase II dose (RPTD) was set to 50 mg. Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST) evaluation after 3 cycles of therapy (27 patients) showed partial response in one (ovarian cancer), and stable disease in 18 patients. One NSCLC patient received nine cycles of melflufen and progressed after 7 months of therapy. Conclusions In conclusion, melflufen can safely be given to cancer patients, and the toxicity profile was as expected for alkylating agents; RPTD is 50 mg Q3W. Reversible and manageable bone marrow suppression was identified as a DLT. Clinical activity is suggested in ovarian cancer, but modest activity in treatment of refractory NSCLC.

// Pedram Kharaziha 1 , Dimitris Chioureas 1 , Dorothea Rutishauser 2, 3 , George Baltatzis 4 , Lena Lennartsson 1 , Pedro Fonseca 1 , Alireza Azimi 1 , Kjell Hultenby 5 , Roman Zubarev 2, 3 , Anders Ullen 1 , Jeffrey Yachnin 1 , Sten Nilsson 1 , Theocharis Panaretakis 1 1 Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet and University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden 2 Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet and University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden 3 Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm, Sweden 4 Department of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Athens, Athens, Greece 5 Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet and University Hospital, Huddinge, Sweden Correspondence to: Theocharis Panaretakis, e-mail: theoharis.panaretakis@ki.se Keywords: Prostate cancer, exosomes, docetaxel, resistance, biomarkers Received: September 17, 2014 Accepted: January 27, 2015 Published: March 12, 2015 ABSTRACT Docetaxel is a cornerstone treatment for metastatic, castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) which remains a leading cause of cancer-related deaths, worldwide. The clinical usage of docetaxel has resulted in modest gains in survival, primarily due to the development of resistance. There are currently no clinical biomarkers available that predict whether a CRPC patient will respond or acquire resistance to this therapy. Comparative proteomics analysis of exosomes secreted from DU145 prostate cancer cells that are sensitive (DU145 Tax-Sen) or have acquired resistance (DU145 Tax-Res) to docetaxel, demonstrated significant differences in the amount of exosomes secreted and in their molecular composition. A panel of proteins was identified by proteomics to be differentially enriched in DU145 Tax-Res compared to DU145 Tax-Sen exosomes and was validated by western blotting. Importantly, we identified MDR-1, MDR-3, Endophilin-A2 and PABP4 that were enriched only in DU145 Tax-Res exosomes. We validated the presence of these proteins in the serum of a small cohort of patients. DU145 cells that have uptaken DU145 Tax-Res exosomes show properties of increased matrix degradation. In summary, exosomes derived from DU145 Tax-Res cells may be a valuable source of biomarkers for response to therapy.

Vinflunine is to date the only registered agent for second-line treatment of metastatic urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC) in Europe. However, the effect is modest. Pemetrexed has demonstrated some single-agent activity in this disease entity. In order to improve treatment possibilities for UCC patients, a phase I trial (VINTREX) was undertaken to assess the safety of vinflunine and pemetrexed in metastatic UCC patients. A dose escalation design was planned to determine the dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) and maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of a vinflunine/pemetrexed combination. Pemetrexed was added to vinflunine dosed at 280 mg/m2 on day 1 of a 21-day cycle. Three levels of pemetrexed were planned starting at 400 mg/m2. Four patients were enrolled with a mean age of 66 years and with a mean number of prior GC-cycles of 6,8. Two DLT's were observed at the lowest dose-level in cohort 1. One patient experienced grade 4 thrombocytopenia and a second demonstrated hepatobiliary toxicity grade 3 with an increase in alanine aminotransaminase. Most common grade 3 and 4 adverse events were anemia, thrombocytopenia and neutropenia. Three out of four patients received 3 cycles of pemetrexed and vinflunine, all had progressive disease. Based on these observations and due to protocol design, the study was interrupted at dose level 1 for safety reasons. The combined therapy of vinflunine (Javlor®, Pierre Fabre Pharma) and pemetrexed (Alimta®, Eli Lilly) is poorly tolerated in metastatic UCC patients. The combination cannot be recommended for further investigations in metastatic UCC. Vinflunine is to date the only registered agent for second-line treatment of metastatic urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC) in Europe. However, the effect is modest. Pemetrexed has demonstrated some single-agent activity in this disease entity. In order to improve treatment possibilities for UCC patients, a phase I trial (VINTREX) was undertaken to assess the safety of vinflunine and pemetrexed in metastatic UCC patients. A dose escalation design was planned to determine the dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) and maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of a vinflunine/pemetrexed combination. Pemetrexed was added to vinflunine dosed at 280 mg/m2 on day 1 of a 21-day cycle. Three levels of pemetrexed were planned starting at 400 mg/m2. Four patients were enrolled with a mean age of 66 years and with a mean number of prior GC-cycles of 6,8. Two DLT's were observed at the lowest dose-level in cohort 1. One patient experienced grade 4 thrombocytopenia and a second demonstrated hepatobiliary toxicity grade 3 with an increase in alanine aminotransaminase. Most common grade 3 and 4 adverse events were anemia, thrombocytopenia and neutropenia. Three out of four patients received 3 cycles of pemetrexed and vinflunine, all had progressive disease. Based on these observations and due to protocol design, the study was interrupted at dose level 1 for safety reasons. The combined therapy of vinflunine (Javlor®, Pierre Fabre Pharma) and pemetrexed (Alimta®, Eli Lilly) is poorly tolerated in metastatic UCC patients. The combination cannot be recommended for further investigations in metastatic UCC.

To avoid pubic arch interference, prostate cancer patients are treated with neoadjuvant androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) to achieve prostate volume (PV) reduction prior to radiation treatment. The aim of the present randomised study was to compare the effects on PV of two regimens of ADT, an androgen receptor inhibitor monotherapy vs. castration plus an androgen receptor inhibitor. Consecutive patients with non-metastatic prostate cancer were included in a randomised neoadjuvant study, comparing an androgen receptor inhibitor monotherapy vs. castration plus an androgen receptor inhibitor. PV was assessed prior to the start of endocrine neoadjuvant treatment and prior to the start of radiation therapy (RT). PV assessment was performed by transrectal ultrasound. A total of 110 patients were included. Final sample constituted 88 (80%) patients due to lack of PV information. Castration plus an androgen receptor inhibitor was more effective in PV reduction compared with an androgen receptor inhibitor alone (P

A major challenge in muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma (UC) is to identify biomarkers that can predict disease prognosis and treatment response after cystectomy. Therefore, we analyzed the potential prognostic value of the proteins vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2), S100A4, and S100A6 in UC.Retrospective outcome data and tumor specimens from 83 cystectomy patients with histologically confirmed invasive UC were included. Expression levels of VEGFR2 (also called flk-1 and KDR), S100A4, and S100A6 were analyzed in primary tumor tissue by immunohistochemistry.Immunohistochemical staining and analysis of VEGFR2, S100A4, and S100A6 showed localization mainly in tumor cell cytoplasm. High VEGFR2 expression and low tumor category were independent variables associated with longer overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival, revealed by a bivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model (both P0.001). In addition, the univariate log-rank test and the Cox model demonstrated that OS beyond 2 years was significantly greater among patients with low S100A6 expression than in those with high S100A6 expression (P = 0.017 and 0.022, respectively). Differences in tumor expression of S100A4 were not significantly associated with outcome.In this study, VEGFR2 expression was significantly correlated with risk of disease relapse and OS in a defined cohort of patients with UC of the bladder treated by cystectomy.

A male patient, with advanced urothelial carcinoma, who had previously received cisplatin, was treated with sorafenib off-licence for 10.7 months. Evaluation of tumour response with computed tomography scans indicated a reduction in tumour size and necrosis of the metastases within 2 months. Progression-free survival was 10.5 months. Side effects were manageable and not beyond the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 3.0 grade 2. Molecular profiling of two of the proposed targets of sorafenib, platelet-derived growth factor receptor β and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2, of the patient's tumour lesion showed high and intermediate expression levels in the tumour as compared with the surrounding non-neoplastic tissue. In contrast to previous reports, we report a clinically meaningful effect of sorafenib in a patient with advanced urothelial carcinoma. Hence, it appears that a fraction of patients with this disease are sensitive to this compound. To identify subpopulations of responders, we propose that clinical trials evaluating sorafenib and other targeted drugs should be biomarker-driven and designed with endpoints that consider the mode of action of the specific compound.

Lessons Learned First trial to report safety and activity of the microtubule inhibitor vinflunine plus the tyrosine kinase inhibitor sorafenib in post-platinum metastatic urothelial cancer (mUC) patients. A recommended phase II dose was identified for the treatment combination of vinflunine plus sorafenib, with main adverse events including fatigue, febrile neutropenia, neutropenia, hypertension, and hyponatremia. An overall response rate of 41% to second-line vinflunine plus sorafenib treatment in patients with platinum-resistant mUC was confirmed. Background Platinum-progressive metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) is a clinical challenge. The tyrosine kinase inhibitor sorafenib has demonstrated varied activity in mUC. This trial was designed to examine safety and activity of vinflunine plus sorafenib in mUC. Methods In addition to standard dose of vinflunine (320 or 280 mg/m2), patients received sorafenib (400, 600, or 800 mg/day), in a 3 + 3 dose-escalation phase I design. Results Twenty-two patients (median age 62.5 years) were included. Five patients received vinflunine 320 mg/m2 and 17 received 280 mg/m2. The maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of sorafenib with vinflunine 280 mg/m2 was 600 mg, and with vinflunine 320 mg/m2 it was not determined, owing to toxicity. Adverse events (AEs) grades 3 + 4 consisted of neutropenia (6 patients), febrile neutropenia (5), and hyponatremia (5). The overall response rate (ORR) in the efficacy-evaluable patients was 41% (7 of 17), all partial responses evaluated by RECIST version 1.1. Median overall survival (OS) was 7.0 months (1.8–41.7). Conclusion The defined recommended phase II dose (RPTD) was vinflunine 280 mg/m2 plus sorafenib 400 mg. Sorafenib was too toxic in combination with vinflunine 320 mg/m2. The ORR of 41% to this second-line combination treatment of mUC is noteworthy and supports further trials.

TPS397 Background: Castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) affects around 3,000 men in Sweden every year. New drugs are available but they have moderate effect, low response rates, are expensive, and lack predictive treatment markers. This will lead to an unsustainable situation for prostate cancer care. Our hypothesis is that treatment decisions based on molecular profiling will significantly increase the response rate at 3 months compared to current clinical care, translating into improved progression free and overall survival. The vast majority of CRPC metastasize to the bone, with low success rate in obtaining sufficient material. Therefore, we will sequence circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) being present at high levels in plasma. Methods: ProBio-II is an adaptive, multi-arm, open-label, multiple assignment randomized biomarker driven phase 2 trial in men with CRPC . Men (n=750) will be randomized to receive either standard of care (following Swedish national guidelines) or treatment with Enzalutamide, Abiraterone, PARP inhibitors, RA-223, Cabazitaxel, or immune modulators based on molecular subtypes. The molecular subtypes are defined as tumor properties or mutations in certain genes/pathways including: Microsatellite instability; Androgen receptor alterations; DNA-repair deficiency; TP53 inactivation; PTEN inactivation etc. The molecular subtypes will be identified by ctDNA profiling. A specially designed ctDNA profile for CRPC has been developed by our group to detect: mutations, amplifications and genomic rearrangements in the androgen receptor (AR); mutations, genomic rearrangements and amplifications/deletions in 300 key genes involved in prostate cancer; and microsatellite instable and hypermutated cancers. ProBio-II’s design is novel and inspired by successful studies as I-SPY (breast cancer) and the NCI-MATCH trial (metastatic cancer). Novel aspects of the study design includes using prior probability of treatment response; re-randomization of non-responders; and adaptive design. The ProBio II study will start recruiting patients in Sweden in Q1 2018 and recruit patients during a 18 month period. All major oncology departments in Sweden will participate.

The use of chemotherapy in the management of cancer started in the 1940s when the cytotoxic effect of nitrogen mustard was first explored. The therapeutic concept was based on warfare experience of...

The potential overexpression of HER2 in prostate cancer cells has attended significant interest during the past few years, both as potential target for HER2 pathway focused therapy and as a mechanism involved in the progression to androgen independence. Conflicting results have been reported concerning HER2 status on clinical material, differences which generally have been attributed to methodological differences. Nevertheless, HER2 has been utilized for targeted therapy of prostate cancer in a number of preclinical studies and is still regarded as an exciting target molecule. In this study, the HER2 status of three widely used prostate cancer cell lines and corresponding xenografts has been analysed. By use of validated and FDA approved analytical staining techniques none of these cell lines or xenografts were shown to overexpress/amplify HER2, as demonstrated by immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization. These findings are important for the interpretation and understanding of the therapeutic effects when developing drugs targeting HER2 in prostate cancer cell lines and also emphasize the importance of using broad and validated analytical techniques.

Effects on long-term health-related quality of life (HRQoL) were evaluated in patients treated for localized prostate cancer by two standard modalities: radical retropubic prostatectomy (RP) and external beam radiotherapy combined with a high-dose-rate brachytherapy boost (HDRBT-EBRT). The HRQoL data were compared with age-adjusted normative data. Men diagnosed with localized prostate cancer and treated with curative intent in Gothenburg, Sweden, 1988-1997 were included. HRQoL was measured in October 2000 using the EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-PR25 questionnaires, with a response rate of 82% (n=347). No differences in patient characteristics were found between the two treatment groups, except regarding tumor stage and PSA recurrence at the time of the questionnaires. In the RP group, 42% had T1 and 6% had T3-4 tumors; corresponding proportions in the HDRBT- EBRT group were 29% and 13% (P=0.01). PSA recurrence was detected in 44% of RP patients and 9% of HDRBT-EBRT patients. In most domains, mean HRQoL scores were high and similar to the scores for the age-adjusted normative sample. However, patients reported better role and physical function compared to the normal population. We also observed more sleeping disturbances but less pain among patients than in the normal population. The disease-specific questionnaires showed statistically significant higher levels of bowel and urinary problems in the irradiated group than in the RP group, and the absolute difference between the groups was small and had minor clinical significance. We conclude that overall the general quality of life was rated high by the patients irrespec- tive of curative treatment modality and in agreement with age-adjusted normative data. Statistically significant differ - ences in bowel and urinary symptoms were found between the two treatment groups in favor of the RP group, but the clinical significance was small.

Background Characterising responders to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is important to minimise overtreatment and the unnecessary delay of definitive treatment of urothelial urinary bladder cancer. Objective To assess the effect of NAC on tumour downstaging and overall survival. Design, setting, and participants A total of 449 patients from the randomised prospective Nordic Cystectomy Trials 1 and 2 were analysed retrospectively. Eligible patients were defined as T2–T4aNXM0 preoperatively and pT0–pT4aN0−N+M0 postoperatively. The median follow-up time was 5 yr. Intervention The experimental arm consisted of cisplatin-based NAC; the control arm consisted of cystectomy only. Measurements The primary outcome was tumour downstaging defined as pathologic TNM less than clinical TNM. Different downstaging thresholds were applied: complete downstaging (CD) (pT0N0), noninvasive downstaging (NID) (pT0/pTis/pTaN0), and organ confinement (OC) (≤pT3aN0). Downstaging rates and nodal status were compared between the study arms using the chi-square test. Secondary outcome was overall survival (OS) stratified by treatment arm, downstaging categories, and clinical stages, analysed by the Kaplan-Meier method. The following covariates were tested as prognostic factors in univariate and multivariate analyses using the Cox regression method: age, sex, clinical stage, pN status, NAC, CD, NID, and OC. Results and limitations Downstaging rates increased significantly in the NAC arm independent of the downstaging threshold. The impact was more prominent in clinical T3 tumours, with a near threefold increase in CD tumours. The combination of CD and NAC showed an absolute risk reduction of 31.1% in OS at 5 yr compared with CD controls. The combination of NAC and CD revealed a hazard ratio of 0.32 compared with 1.0 for the combination of no NAC and no CD. Limitations were the retrospective approach and uncertain clinical TNM staging. Conclusions Survival benefits of NAC are reflected in downstaging of the primary tumour. Chemo-induced downstaging might be a potential surrogate marker for OS.

Androgen deprivation therapy by chemical or surgical castration remains the cornerstone in the management of advanced disease. Although initially effective, the effect of currently available androg...

Study Type – Therapy (economic) Level of Evidence 2b What’s known on the subject? and What does the study add? Cost-effectiveness of new targeted molecular therapies in patients with mRCC have been examined compared to interferon-α. This study compares cost-effectiveness of three new targeted therapies in mRCC head-to-head based on indirect comparison of clinical efficacy. The study shows that sunitinib is a cost-effective therapy in first line treatment for patients with mRCC in the USA and Sweden compared to sorafenib and bevacizumab+interferon-α. OBJECTIVE • To assess the economic value of targeted therapies as first-line metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) treatment in the US and Sweden by indirect comparison of survival data. METHODS • A Markov model simulated disease progression, adverse events and survival with sunitinib vs sorafenib in the US and bevacizumab plus interferon-α (IFN-α) in both countries. • Results, in life-years (LYs), progression-free LYs (PFLYs), quality-adjusted LYs (QALYs) gained and treatment costs (2008 USD) were obtained through deterministic and probabilistic analyses over the patient’s lifetime. RESULTS • Sunitinib was more effective and less costly than sorafenib (gains of 0.52 PFLYs, 0.16 LYs and 0.17 QALYs and savings/patient of $13 576 in the US) and bevacizumab plus IFN-α (gains of 0.19 PFLYs, 0.23 LYs and 0.16 QALYs in both countries and savings/patient of $67 798 and $47 264 in the US and Sweden, respectively). • Results were most influenced by hazard ratios for progression-free and overall survival and treatment costs, making results generalizable across other countries if relative costs were to fall within the ranges of those in the US and Sweden. CONCLUSION • The present analyses suggest that first-line mRCC treatment with sunitinib is a cost-effective alternative to sorafenib and bevacizumab plus IFN-α.

To study and characterize the potential antitumoral effects of zoledronic acid (ZA) on renal cancer cell lines in vitro.Three different and well-characterized renal cancer cell lines were studied, namely ACHN, A-498 and CAKI-2. The cytotoxic potential of ZA was evaluated using a fluorometric microculture cytotoxic assay. The degree of M30 induction following ZA treatment was measured using an M30 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the blockage of this effect was studied using a pan-caspase inhibitor. Immunofluorescence of the M30 neoepitope was performed to visualize the M30-inducing properties of ZA.A significant reduction in viable cells was seen for all three cell lines following treatment with ZA, compared with untreated controls. This effect was most pronounced for the ACHN cells, as only 4% were viable following incubation with ZA for 72 h. A concomitant increase in the apoptosis significant caspase-dependent M30 antigen was demonstrated. This effect could be blocked by the pan-caspase inhibitor Z-VAD.ZA exerts cytotoxic effects on renal cancer cell lines in vitro. These include caspase-dependent induction of apoptosis, which can be quantified and visualized using M30 ELISA and immunofluorescence, respectively. The clinical relevance of this finding needs to be further investigated, but these results indicate that ZA may be a treatment alternative for selected patients with skeletal metastasized renal cell cancer, particularly for those with impaired performance status without other treatment options.

The management and prognostication of patients with urothelial carcinomas (UCs), the most common histological type of bladder cancer, is mainly based on clinicopathological parameters. Several markers have been proposed to monitor this disease, including individual cell cycle-related proteins such as p53, pRb, p16, p21 and p27. Other putative markers are the oncogene products of FGFR3 and the ErbB family, proliferation markers including Ki-67, Aurora-A and survivin and different components within the immune system. In this review, a total of 12 parameters were evaluated and their discriminatory power compared. It is concluded that, in single-marker analyses, the proliferation markers Ki-67, survivin and Aurora-A offer the best potential to predict disease progression since they were all able to demonstrate independent prognostic power in repeated studies. Markers related to the immune system (e.g. CD8+ cells, regulatory T cells and cyclooxygenase-2 expression) or oncogene products of the ErbB family and FGFR3 are less powerful predictors of outcome or have not been equally well studied. The cell cycle-related proteins p53, pRb, p16, p21 and p27 have been extensively studied, but their usefulness as single prognostic markers remains unclear. However, in multimarker analyses, these markers appear to add prognostic information, indicating that they may contribute to more accurate treatment of UC.

The aim of this study was to focus on certain characteristic problems associated with Iridium-192 high dose-rate brachytherapy (Ir-192 HDR-BT) in combination with external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) in the treatment of patients with localised prostate cancer. Over a period of 16 years, >2,000 patients with prostate cancer have been treated in Sweden with a combination of two fractions of 10 Gy Ir-192 HDR-BT and 50 Gy of fractionated EBRT. Although this treatment is usually well tolerated, there are biological and technical factors to be considered before and during the treatment of the patient to avoid side effects or under-treatment of the target volume. Some of the problems facing the doctors are transducer stability, needle deviation, target definition, target motion, pubic arch interference, concomitant diseases and tolerance doses for different organs at risk. These problems are discussed and possible solutions are presented in this study.