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Enzalutamide, an androgen receptor signaling inhibitor, is a standard of care treatment for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. We present the first reported case of enzalutamide in a patient with end-stage renal disease, on dialysis. While there were no significant toxicities, a sustained increase in systolic blood pressure was maintained after starting enzalutamide, suggestive of a degree of drug accumulation. Further evaluation of novel hormonal agents in end-stage renal disease patients should be encouraged as this population is typically excluded from clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Detection of skeletal metastases in patients with prostate cancer or breast cancer remains a major clinical challenge. We aimed to compare the diagnostic performance of 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate (99mTc-MDP) single-photon emission CT (SPECT) and 18F-sodium fluoride (18F-NaF) PET-CT for the detection of osseous metastases in patients with high-risk prostate or breast cancer.Methods: MITNEC-A1 was a prospective, multicentre, single-cohort, phase 3 trial conducted in ten hospitals across Canada. Patients aged 18 years or older with breast or prostate cancer with a WHO performance status of 0-2 and with high risk or clinical suspicion for bone metastasis, but without previously documented bone involvement, were eligible. 18F-NaF PET-CT and 99mTc-MDP SPECT were done within 14 days of each other for each participant. Two independent reviewers interpreted each modality without knowledge of other imaging findings. The primary endpoint was the overall accuracy of 99mTc-MDP SPECT and 18F-NaF PET-CT scans for the detection of bone metastases in the per-protocol population. A combination of histopathological, clinical, and imaging follow-up for up to 24 months was used as the reference standard to assess the imaging results. Safety was assessed in all enrolled participants. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01930812, and is complete.Findings: Between July 11, 2014, and March 3, 2017, 290 patients were screened, 288 of whom were enrolled (64 participants with breast cancer and 224 with prostate cancer). 261 participants underwent both 18F-NaF PET-CT and 99mTc-MDP SPECT and completed the required follow-up for statistical analysis. Median follow-up was 735 days (IQR 727-750). Based on the reference methods used, 109 (42%) of 261 patients had bone metastases. In the patient-based analysis, 18F-NaF PET-CT was more accurate than 99mTc-MDP SPECT (84·3% [95% CI 79·9-88·7] vs 77·4% [72·3-82·5], difference 6·9% [95% CI 1·3-12·5]; p=0·016). No adverse events were reported for the 288 patients recruited.Interpretation: 18F-NaF has the potential to displace 99mTc-MDP as the bone imaging radiopharmaceutical of choice in patients with high-risk prostate or breast cancer.Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The malignant variant of epithelioid angiomyolipoma (EAML) of the kidney is uncommon, extremely aggressive and behaves like a renal cell carcinoma. We present a case of a 12-year-old male with malignant EAML who was treated according to adult treatment protocols. To our knowledge, axitinib has not been used before in children. We conclude that adult protocols, in this rare case, could be safely used in rare childhood malignancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Uptake of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NC) for muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) has been low despite evidence of a survival benefit. The primary aim of this study was to better understand why the rates are low and determine what factors specifically influence the decision to recommend NC for MIBC. Methods: A 31-question survey was emailed between 2009 and 2011 to medical oncologists belonging to the Canadian Association of Genitourinary Medical Oncologists (CAGMO); and to urologists belonging to the Canadian Urologie Oncology Group (CUOG). We gathered data on practice characteristics, referrals for NC, factors influencing NC use, and chemotherapy regimens offered. Responses were summarized using descriptive statistics. Results: In total, 26/30 (87%) medical oncologists and 25/84 (30%) urologists, who were primarily academic, completed the survey. Most clinicians (medical oncologists 96%, urologists 88%) recommended NC for MIBC, because they considered it to be the standard of care, but most medical oncologists saw ≥6 referrals annually. Performance status, presence of comorbidities and renal function were key considerations in offering NC. NC was not offered if performance status ≥2 (medical oncologists 38%, urologists 44%), age >80 (medical oncologists 46%, urologists 39%), or glomerular filtration rate ≥40 mL/min (medical oncologists 81%, urologists 50%). Conclusions: Most academic clinicians in Canada believe that cisplatin-based combination NC is the standard of care for MIBC and recommend it for patients with adequate performance status and renal function. Using a multidisciplinary approach to treat this disease may be one strategy to increase referral rates for NC and uptake of NC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by radical cystectomy is the standard treatment for cisplatin-eligible patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Adding perioperative immunotherapy may improve outcomes., Methods: In this phase 3, open-label, randomized trial, we assigned, in a 1:1 ratio, cisplatin-eligible patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer to receive neoadjuvant durvalumab plus gemcitabine-cisplatin every 3 weeks for four cycles, followed by radical cystectomy and adjuvant durvalumab every 4 weeks for eight cycles (durvalumab group), or to receive neoadjuvant gemcitabine-cisplatin followed by radical cystectomy alone (comparison group). Event-free survival was one of two primary end points. Overall survival was the key secondary end point., Results: In total, 533 patients were assigned to the durvalumab group and 530 to the comparison group. The estimated event-free survival at 24 months was 67.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 63.6 to 71.7) in the durvalumab group and 59.8% (95% CI, 55.4 to 64.0) in the comparison group (hazard ratio for progression, recurrence, not undergoing radical cystectomy, or death from any cause, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.56 to 0.82; P<0.001 by stratified log-rank test). The estimated overall survival at 24 months was 82.2% (95% CI, 78.7 to 85.2) in the durvalumab group and 75.2% (95% CI, 71.3 to 78.8) in the comparison group (hazard ratio for death, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.59 to 0.93; P = 0.01 by stratified log-rank test). Treatment-related adverse events of grade 3 or 4 in severity occurred in 40.6% of the patients in the durvalumab group and in 40.9% of those in the comparison group; treatment-related adverse events leading to death occurred in 0.6% in each group. Radical cystectomy was performed in 88.0% of the patients in the durvalumab group and in 83.2% of those in the comparison group., Conclusions: Perioperative durvalumab plus neoadjuvant chemotherapy led to significant improvements in event-free survival and overall survival as compared with neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone. (Funded by AstraZeneca; NIAGARA ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03732677; EudraCT number, 2018-001811-59.)., (Copyright © 2024 Massachusetts Medical Society.)

Purpose: Effective treatment of locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) remains an unmet need. Antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) providing targeted drug delivery have shown antitumor activity in this setting. AGS15E is an investigational ADC that delivers the cytotoxic drug monomethyl auristatin E to cells expressing SLITRK6, a UC-associated antigen., Patients and Methods: This was a multicenter, single-arm, phase I dose-escalation and expansion trial of AGS15E in patients with mUC (NCT01963052). During dose escalation, AGS15E was administered intravenously at six levels (0.10, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.00, 1.25 mg/kg), employing a continual reassessment method to determine dose-limiting toxicities (DLT) and the recommended phase II dose (RP2D) for the dose-expansion cohort. The primary objective was to evaluate the safety and pharmacokinetics of AGS15E in patients with and without prior chemotherapy and with prior checkpoint inhibitor (CPI) therapy. Best overall response was also examined., Results: Ninety-three patients were recruited, including 33 patients previously treated with CPI. The most common treatment-emergent adverse events were fatigue (54.8%), nausea (37.6%), and decreased appetite (35.5%). Peripheral neuropathy and ocular toxicities occurred at doses of ≥0.75 mg/kg. AGS15E increased in a dose-proportional manner after single- and multiple-dose administration; accumulation was low. Five DLT occurred from 0.50 to 1.25 mg/kg. The RP2D was assessed at 1.00 mg/kg; the objective response rate (ORR) was 35.7% at this dose level. The ORR in the total population and CPI-exposed subgroup were 18.3% and 27.3%, respectively., Conclusions: DLT with AGS15E were observed at 0.75, 1.00, and 1.25 mg/kg, with an RP2D of 1.00 mg/kg being determined., (©2023 The Authors; Published by the American Association for Cancer Research.)

Background: Chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (ChRCC) is a morphologically distinct renal cell carcinoma type which may rarely show composite morphology., Case: A 61-year-old man presented with a composite ChRCC with sarcomatoid transformation containing osteosarcomatous, chondrosarcomatous and squamous metaplastic differentiation and associated with a high-grade collecting duct carcinoma (CDC). The patient presented with a metastatic disease in the regional lymph nodes, comprised only of CDC, and died after 21 months., Conclusion: Although ChRCC associated with sarcomatoid change has been well documented, the presence of osteosarcoma has been previously reported in only 5 ChRCCs, 2 of which also contained chondrosarcoma. Squamous differentiation has been previously found in only 2 ChRCCs with sarcomatoid change, and ChRCC associated with CDC has been previously reported in only 3 cases, but none with heterologous elements. To our knowledge this represents a previously unreported composite type of RCC, with an aggressive clinical behavior.

Significance of tertiary Gleason pattern/grade 5 on prostatectomy has been studied, but its significance on biopsy remains uncertain. Recent International Society of Urological Pathology consensus conference recommended that biopsy Gleason score is generated by adding tertiary grade 5 to the primary grade. We examined the preoperative clinical and biopsy findings in 53 patients with biopsy tertiary pattern 5 and 119 patients with primary/secondary biopsy pattern 5. Prostatectomy findings and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) failure rates were compared in surgically treated patients. Cause-specific and all-cause mortality were compared in patients treated nonsurgically. At presentation, age, gland volume, PSA, and biopsy cancer volume were similar in patients with tertiary and primary/secondary grade 5. Only 20 patients underwent prostatectomy and 152 were treated nonsurgically. Regardless of the pattern, patients treated by prostatectomy were younger (P=0.003), had lower PSA (P=0.001), and less cancer on biopsy (P=0.0001). Prostatectomy findings and PSA failures were not significantly different in patients with tertiary grade 5 versus primary/secondary pattern 5. In nonsurgically treated patients, patients with primary pattern 5 compared with those with tertiary pattern 5 had a significantly higher risk of all-cause mortality [adjusted hazard ratio (HR): 2.33, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.10-4.90, P=0.026] and cause-specific mortality (adjusted HR: 7.52, 95% CI: 2.84-19.87, P<0.001). In contrast, patients with secondary pattern 5 had a comparable all-cause mortality risk to patients with tertiary pattern 5 (adjusted HR: 1.04, 95% CI: 0.47-2.32, P=0.92), but had a marginally higher risk of cause-specific mortality than patients with tertiary pattern 5 (adjusted HR: 2.13, 95% CI: 0.75-6.10, P=0.16).

Purpose: Androgen ablation is the mainstay of systemic therapy for prostate cancer, with cytotoxic therapies reserved for hormone-refractory disease. It is not clear, however, that this is the most appropriate sequence of interventions for this disease. This study addresses the ideal timing of systemic treatments in the Shionogi and LNCaP xenograft models. We explored the hypothesis that stress-induced gene expression changes after chemotherapy can induce a hormone-independent phenotype., Experimental Design: Three groups of mice bearing either Shionogi or LNCaP xenografts were treated with (a) initial castration and delayed paclitaxel, (b) initial paclitaxel and delayed castration, or (c) simultaneous castration plus paclitaxel. End points were time to tumor progression and time to sacrifice. Microarray and reverse transcription-PCR analyses were carried out to assess changes in gene expression induced by paclitaxel., Results: Mice receiving simultaneous therapy showed a significant improvement in median time to progression (TTP: Shionogi, 65 versus 38 days, P = 0.004; LNCaP, 105 versus 70 days, P = 0.032) and time to sacrifice (Shionogi, 83 versus 66 days, P < 0.014) versus best sequential therapy. A marked lack of response to castration was observed after initial paclitaxel therapy. Gene expression and reverse transcription-PCR studies confirmed that several genes known to play a role in androgen independence were up-regulated in response to paclitaxel exposure., Conclusions: In laboratory models of prostate cancer, simultaneous androgen deprivation plus paclitaxel is more effective than sequential treatments. These findings provide preclinical proof-of-principle for ongoing clinical trials addressing the role and timing of systemic therapies in prostate cancer.