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PURPOSE: The TAPUR Study is a phase II basket trial that aims to evaluate activity of approved targeted agents in patients with advanced cancers with potentially actionable genomic variants. Data from a cohort of patients with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) and BRCA1 / 2 mutations treated with olaparib are reported. METHODS: Eligible patients with measurable mCRPC were matched to treatment according to protocol-specified genomic matching rules. Patients had no remaining standard treatment options, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0-2, and adequate organ function. Simon's two-stage design was used with a primary end point of disease control, defined as objective response or stable disease of at least 16-week duration. Secondary end points include radiographic progression-free survival, overall survival, duration of response, duration of stable disease, and safety. RESULTS: Thirty patients with mCRPC with BRCA1 / 2 mutations were treated with olaparib. The disease control rate was 69% (95% CI, 51 to 81), and the objective response rate was 58% (95% CI, 37 to 77). The median radiographic progression-free survival and the median overall survival were 38.4 (95% CI, 16.3 to 52.1) weeks and 76.4 (95% CI, 49.3 to 106.0) weeks, respectively. Six of 30 (20%) patients experienced grade 3-4 adverse or serious adverse events including anemia, aspiration, decreased WBC count, and fatigue. CONCLUSION: Olaparib has antitumor activity in patients with mCRPC with BRCA1 / 2 mutations and warrants further study to determine how to best integrate it into the standard treatment of patients with BRCA1 / 2 -mutated prostate cancer. Olaparib showed a positive signal of activity in real-world patients w/prostate cancer w/BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations @ASCO #TAPUR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Before biomarkers can be used in clinical trials or patients' management, the laboratory assays that measure their levels have to go through development and analytical validation. One of the most critical performance metrics for validation of any assay is related to the minimum amount of values that can be detected and any value below this limit is referred to as below the limit of detection (LOD). Most of the existing approaches that model such biomarkers, restricted by LOD, are parametric in nature. These parametric models, however, heavily depend on the distributional assumptions, and can result in loss of precision under the model or the distributional misspecifications. Using an example from a prostate cancer clinical trial, we show how a critical relationship between serum androgen biomarker and a prognostic factor of overall survival is completely missed by the widely used parametric Tobit model. Motivated by this example, we implement a semiparametric approach, through a pseudo‐value technique, that effectively captures the important relationship between the LOD restricted serum androgen and the prognostic factor. Our simulations show that the pseudo‐value based semiparametric model outperforms a commonly used parametric model for modeling below LOD biomarkers by having lower mean square errors of estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Retrospective analyses of randomized trials suggest that Black men with metastatic castration‐resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) have longer survival than White men. The authors conducted a prospective study of abiraterone acetate plus prednisone to explore outcomes by race. Methods: This race‐stratified, multicenter study estimated radiographic progression‐free survival (rPFS) in Black and White men with mCRPC. Secondary end points included prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) kinetics, overall survival (OS), and safety. Exploratory analysis included genome‐wide genotyping to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with progression in a model incorporating genetic ancestry. One hundred patients self‐identified as White (n = 50) or Black (n = 50) were enrolled. Eligibility criteria were modified to facilitate the enrollment of individual Black patients. Results: The median rPFS for Black and White patients was 16.6 and 16.8 months, respectively; their times to PSA progression (TTP) were 16.6 and 11.5 months, respectively; and their OS was 35.9 and 35.7 months, respectively. Estimated rates of PSA decline by ≥50% in Black and White patients were 74% and 66%, respectively; and PSA declines to <0.2 ng/mL were 26% and 10%, respectively. Rates of grade 3 and 4 hypertension, hypokalemia, and hyperglycemia were higher in Black men. Conclusions: Multicenter prospective studies by race are feasible in men with mCRPC but require less restrictive eligibility. Despite higher comorbidity rates, Black patients demonstrated rPFS and OS similar to those of White patients and trended toward greater TTP and PSA declines, consistent with retrospective reports. Importantly, Black men may have higher side‐effect rates than White men. This exploratory genome‐wide analysis of TTP identified a possible candidate marker of ancestry‐dependent treatment outcomes. This is the first prospective, race‐stratified study in advanced prostate cancer demonstrating important trends in outcomes previously only observed in retrospective reports. These results demonstrate the feasibility of this approach in a multicenter setting and establish important preliminary data with regard to differences in toxicity profiles and predictive biomarkers by race. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major emphasis in precision medicine is to optimally treat subgroups of patients who may benefit from certain therapeutic agents. And as such, enormous resources and innovative clinical trials designs in oncology are devoted to identifying predictive biomarkers. Predictive biomarkers are ones that will identify patients that are more likely to respond to specific therapies and they are usually discovered through retrospective analysis from large randomized phase II or phase III trials. One important design to consider is the stratified biomarker design, where patients will have their specimens obtained at baseline and the biomarker status will be assessed prior to random assignment. Regardless of their biomarker status, patients will be randomized to either an experimental arm or the standard of care arm. The stratified biomarker design can be used to test for a treatment-biomarker interaction in predicting a time-to event outcome. Many biomarkers, however, are derived from tissues from patients, and their levels may be heterogeneous. As a result, biomarker levels may be measured with error and this would have an adverse impact on the power of a stratified biomarker clinical trial. We present a trial design and an analysis framework for the stratified biomarker design. We show that the naïve test is biased and provide bias-corrected estimators for computing the sample size and the 95% confidence interval when testing for a treatment-biomarker interaction in predicting a time to event outcome. We propose a sample size formula that adjusts for misclassification and apply it in the design of a phase III clinical trial in renal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Assuming the proportional hazards model and non‐informative censoring, the full likelihood approach is used to obtain two new residuals. The first residual is based on the ideas used in obtaining score‐type residuals similar to the partial likelihood approach. The second type of residual is based on the concept of deviance residuals. Extensive simulations are conducted to compare the performance of the residuals from the full likelihood‐based approach with those of the partial likelihood method. We demonstrate through simulation studies that the full likelihood‐based residuals are more efficient than their partial likelihood counterpart in identifying potential outliers when the censoring proportion is high. The graphical techniques are used to illustrate the applications of these residuals using some examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The identification of prognostic factors and building of risk assessment prognostic models will continue to play a major role in 21st century medicine in patient management and decision making. Investigators often are interested in examining the relationship among host, tumor-related, and environmental variables in predicting clinical outcomes. We distinguish between static and dynamic prediction models. In static prediction modeling, variables collected at baseline typically are used in building models. On the other hand, dynamic predictive models leverage the longitudinal data of covariates collected during treatment or follow-up and hence provide accurate predictions of patients' prognoses. To date, most risk assessment models in oncology have been based on static models. In this article, we cover topics related to the analysis of prognostic factors, centering on factors that are both relevant at the time of diagnosis or initial treatment and during treatment. We describe the types of risk prediction and then provide a brief description of the penalized regression methods. We then review the state-of-the art methods for dynamic prediction and compare the strengths and limitations of these methods. Although static models will continue to play an important role in oncology, developing and validating dynamic models of clinical outcomes need to take a higher priority. A framework for developing and validating dynamic tools in oncology seems to still be needed. One of the limitations in oncology that may constrain modelers is the lack of access to longitudinal biomarker data. It is highly recommended that the next generation of risk assessments consider longitudinal biomarker data and outcomes so that prediction can be continually updated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The identification of prognostic factors and building of risk assessment prognostic models will continue to play a major role in 21st century medicine in patient management and decision making. Investigators often are interested in examining the relationship among host, tumor-related, and environmental variables in predicting clinical outcomes. We distinguish between static and dynamic prediction models. In static prediction modeling, variables collected at baseline typically are used in building models. On the other hand, dynamic predictive models leverage the longitudinal data of covariates collected during treatment or follow-up and hence provide accurate predictions of patients' prognoses. To date, most risk assessment models in oncology have been based on static models. In this article, we cover topics related to the analysis of prognostic factors, centering on factors that are both relevant at the time of diagnosis or initial treatment and during treatment. We describe the types of risk prediction and then provide a brief description of the penalized regression methods. We then review the state-of-the art methods for dynamic prediction and compare the strengths and limitations of these methods. Although static models will continue to play an important role in oncology, developing and validating dynamic models of clinical outcomes need to take a higher priority. A framework for developing and validating dynamic tools in oncology seems to still be needed. One of the limitations in oncology that may constrain modelers is the lack of access to longitudinal biomarker data. It is highly recommended that the next generation of risk assessments consider longitudinal biomarker data and outcomes so that prediction can be continually updated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE: The Targeted Agent and Profiling Utilization Registry (TAPUR) Study identifies signals of antitumor activity of commercially available targeted agents in patients with advanced cancers that harbor genomic alterations known as drug targets. In this article, data from two cohorts of patients with pancreatic and biliary cancers with CDKN2A loss or mutation treated with palbociclib are reported. METHODS: Eligible patients age 12 years and older with advanced measurable or evaluable solid tumors are provided treatment according to protocol-specified genomic matching rules. The primary study end point is objective response or stable disease of at least 16 weeks duration. For each cohort, a Simon two-stage design was used with a futility evaluation after 10 patients. Secondary end points include safety, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Between July 2016 and November 2017, 12 and 10 patients with pancreatic and biliary cancer, respectively, with CDKN2A loss or mutation were treated with palbociclib. Twenty evaluable patients (10 per cohort) were included in the analysis. No patients had objective response or stable disease at 16 weeks, and both cohorts were closed. Two patients, neither with response, were determined to be ineligible. All patients were evaluated for safety, PFS, and OS. A median PFS of 7.2 weeks (90% CI, 4.0 to 8.0 weeks) and median OS of 12.4 weeks (90% CI, 4.7 to 23.1 weeks) were observed in the pancreatic cohort. A median PFS of 7.3 weeks (90% CI, 3.9 to 7.9 weeks) and median OS of 11.1 weeks (90% CI, 5.1 to 14.0 weeks) were observed in the biliary cohort. No unexpected toxicities were observed. CONCLUSION: Palbociclib monotherapy does not have clinical activity in patients with advanced pancreatic or biliary cancers with CDKN2A loss or mutation. Toxicity is similar to reported experience with palbociclib in other tumor types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical genomic testing of patient germline, tumor tissue, or plasma cell-free DNA can enable a personalized approach to cancer management and treatment. In prostate cancer (PCa), broad genotyping tests are now widely used to identify germline and/or somatic alterations in BRCA2 and other DNA damage repair genes. Alterations in these genes can confer cancer sensitivity to poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors, are linked with poor prognosis, and can have potential hereditary cancer implications for family members. However, there is huge variability in genomic tests and reporting standards, meaning that for successful implementation of testing in clinical practice, end users must carefully select the most appropriate test for a given patient and critically interpret the results. In this white paper, we outline key pre- and post-test considerations for choosing a genomic test and evaluating reported variants, specifically for patients with advanced PCa. Test choice must be based on clinical context and disease state, availability and suitability of tumor tissue, and the genes and regions that are covered by the test. We describe strategies to recognize false positives or negatives in test results, including frameworks to assess low tumor fraction, subclonal alterations, clonal hematopoiesis, and pathogenic versus nonpathogenic variants. We assume that improved understanding among health care professionals and researchers of the nuances associated with genomic testing will ultimately lead to optimal patient care and clinical decision making. This article provides a helpful framework for choosing and interpreting a genomic test in prostate cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Evaluation of diagnostic assays and predictive performance of biomarkers based on the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) are vital in diagnostic and targeted medicine. The partial area under the curve (pAUC) is an alternative metric focusing on a range of practical and clinical relevance of the diagnostic assay. In this article, we adopt and extend the min-max method to the estimation of the pAUC when multiple continuous scaled biomarkers are available and compare the performances of our proposed approach with existing approaches via simulations. Methods. We conducted extensive simulation studies to investigate the performance of different methods for the combination of biomarkers based on their abilities to produce the largest pAUC estimates. Data were generated from different multivariate distributions with equal and unequal variance-covariance matrices. Different shapes of the ROC curves, false positive fraction ranges, and sample size configurations were considered. We obtained the mean and standard deviation of the pAUC estimates through re-substitution and leave-one-pair-out cross-validation. Results. Our results demonstrate that the proposed method provides the largest pAUC estimates under the following three important practical scenarios: (1) multivariate normally distributed data for nondiseased and diseased participants have unequal variance-covariance matrices; or (2) the ROC curves generated from individual biomarker are relative close regardless of the latent normality distributional assumption; or (3) the ROC curves generated from individual biomarker have straight-line shapes. Conclusions. The proposed method is robust and investigators are encouraged to use this approach in the estimation of the pAUC for many practical scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Case reports and small prospective trials suggest that administering targeted therapies to patients with advanced cancer and an identified genomic target may be associated with clinical benefit. The Targeted Agent and Profiling Utilization Registry (TAPUR) study, a phase II prospective, nonrandomized, multibasket pragmatic clinical trial, aims to identify signals of drug activity when US Food and Drug Administration–approved drugs are matched to prespecified genomic targets in patients with advanced cancer, outside of approved indications. Methods: Patients eligible to participate in TAPUR are age ≥ 12 years and have advanced measurable or evaluable solid tumors, multiple myeloma, or B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Eligible participants are matched to any of the 16 US Food and Drug Administration–approved study drugs based on protocol-specified genomic inclusion and exclusion criteria. Genomic profiling from any Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments–certified, College of American Pathologists–accredited laboratory is acceptable. The treating physician selects the treatment from the available study therapies or consults with the TAPUR Molecular Tumor Board. Participants are placed into multiple parallel cohorts defined by tumor type, genomic alteration, and drug. The primary study end point within each cohort is objective response or stable disease of at least 16 weeks duration. Secondary end points include safety, progression-free survival, and overall survival. Results: More than 1,000 participants have thus far been registered, and more than 800 have been treated with a TAPUR study drug. Two study cohorts have permanently closed to enrollment because of lack of antitumor activity, and 12 have expanded to the second stage of enrollment after promising preliminary activity. Conclusion: The TAPUR study will describe the efficacy and toxicity of the targeted drugs used outside of their approved indications when matched to a somatic genomic variant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Case reports and small prospective trials suggest that administering targeted therapies to patients with advanced cancer and an identified genomic target may be associated with clinical benefit. The Targeted Agent and Profiling Utilization Registry (TAPUR) study, a phase II prospective, nonrandomized, multibasket pragmatic clinical trial, aims to identify signals of drug activity when US Food and Drug Administration–approved drugs are matched to prespecified genomic targets in patients with advanced cancer, outside of approved indications. Methods: Patients eligible to participate in TAPUR are age ≥ 12 years and have advanced measurable or evaluable solid tumors, multiple myeloma, or B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Eligible participants are matched to any of the 16 US Food and Drug Administration–approved study drugs based on protocol-specified genomic inclusion and exclusion criteria. Genomic profiling from any Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments–certified, College of American Pathologists–accredited laboratory is acceptable. The treating physician selects the treatment from the available study therapies or consults with the TAPUR Molecular Tumor Board. Participants are placed into multiple parallel cohorts defined by tumor type, genomic alteration, and drug. The primary study end point within each cohort is objective response or stable disease of at least 16 weeks duration. Secondary end points include safety, progression-free survival, and overall survival. Results: More than 1,000 participants have thus far been registered, and more than 800 have been treated with a TAPUR study drug. Two study cohorts have permanently closed to enrollment because of lack of antitumor activity, and 12 have expanded to the second stage of enrollment after promising preliminary activity. Conclusion: The TAPUR study will describe the efficacy and toxicity of the targeted drugs used outside of their approved indications when matched to a somatic genomic variant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) and androgen receptor pathway activation is common in metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Buparlisib is an oral, pan-class I PI3 kinase inhibitor. Methods This was a multisite single arm phase II trial of buparlisib 100 mg ± enzalutamide daily in men with mCRPC whose disease progressed on or who were not candidates for docetaxel. The primary end-point was the rate of radiographic/clinical progression-free survival (PFS) at 6 months. Results Thirty men were accrued: 67% post-docetaxel; median prostate specific antigen (PSA) was 70 ng/dl, 83% had ≥4 prior therapies for mCRPC; 43% received concurrent enzalutamide. The final 6 month PFS rate was estimated to be 10% (95% confidence interval 2.5–23.6%). Median PFS was 1.9 months and was 3.5 months with concurrent enzalutamide. Median overall survival was 10.6 months. Concurrent enzalutamide led to a five-fold reduction in buparlisib concentrations. PSA declines were observed in 23%; no patients achieved a ≥50% decline, and no radiographic responses were observed. Severe adverse events occurred in four men including respiratory infection and multi-organ failure, urinary tract obstruction, confusion and one seizure in the setting of a new central nervous system (CNS) metastasis. Grade III adverse events were seen in 43% of patients; common toxicities included grade I–II weight loss, diarrhoea, nausea, fatigue, anorexia, rash, hyperglycemia and anxiety/mood disorders. Conclusions Buparlisib did not demonstrate significant activity in men with mCRPC, suggesting that PI3K inhibition is not sufficient to reverse resistant mCRPC progression. Future studies of PI3K pathway inhibitors with concurrent enzalutamide should develop optimal dosing and focus on selected patients more likely to benefit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a minimand perturbation method to derive the confidence regions for the regularized estimators for the Cox’s proportional hazards model. Although the regularized estimation procedure produces a more stable point estimate, it remains challenging to provide an interval estimator or an analytic variance estimator for the associated point estimate. Based on the sandwich formula, the current variance estimator provides a simple approximation, but its finite-sample performance is not entirely satisfactory. Besides, the sandwich formula can only provide variance estimates for the non zero coefficients. In this article, we present a generic description for the perturbation method and then introduce a computation algorithm using the adaptive least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) penalty. Through simulation studies, we demonstrate that our method can better approximate the limiting distribution of the adaptive LASSO estimator and produces more accurate inference compared with the sandwich formula. The simulation results also indicate the possibility of extending the applications to the adaptive elastic-net penalty. We further demonstrate our method using data from a Phase III clinical trial in prostate cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The iterative sure independence screening (ISIS) is a popular method in selecting important variables while maintaining most of the informative variables relevant to the outcome in high throughput data. However, it not only is computationally intensive but also may cause high false discovery rate (FDR). We propose to use the FDR as a screening method to reduce the high dimension to a lower dimension as well as controlling the FDR with three popular variable selection methods: LASSO, SCAD, and MCP. Method. The three methods with the proposed screenings were applied to prostate cancer data with presence of metastasis as the outcome. Results. Simulations showed that the three variable selection methods with the proposed screenings controlled the predefined FDR and produced high area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) scores. In applying these methods to the prostate cancer example, LASSO and MCP selected 12 and 8 genes and produced AUROC scores of 0.746 and 0.764, respectively. Conclusions. We demonstrated that the variable selection methods with the sequential use of FDR and ISIS not only controlled the predefined FDR in the final models but also had relatively high AUROC scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Non-clear cell renal cell carcinomas are histologically and genetically diverse kidney cancers with variable prognoses, and their optimum initial treatment is unknown. We aimed to compare the mTOR inhibitor everolimus and the VEGF receptor inhibitor sunitinib in patients with non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma.Methods: We enrolled patients with metastatic papillary, chromophobe, or unclassified non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma with no history of previous systemic treatment. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive everolimus (10 mg/day) or sunitinib (50 mg/day; 6-week cycles of 4 weeks with treatment followed by 2 weeks without treatment) administered orally until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Randomisation was stratified by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center risk group and papillary histology. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival in the intention-to-treat population using the RECIST 1.1 criteria. Safety was assessed in all patients who were randomly assigned to treatment. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01108445.Findings: Between Sept 23, 2010, and Oct 28, 2013, 108 patients were randomly assigned to receive either sunitinib (n=51) or everolimus (n=57). As of December, 2014, 87 progression-free survival events had occurred with two remaining active patients, and the trial was closed for the primary analysis. Sunitinib significantly increased progression-free survival compared with everolimus (8·3 months [80% CI 5·8-11·4] vs 5·6 months [5·5-6·0]; hazard ratio 1·41 [80% CI 1·03-1·92]; p=0·16), although heterogeneity of the treatment effect was noted on the basis of histological subtypes and prognostic risk groups. No unexpected toxic effects were reported, and the most common grade 3-4 adverse events were hypertension (12 [24%] of 51 patients in the sunitinib group vs one [2%] of 57 patients in the everolimus group), infection (six [12%] vs four [7%]), diarrhoea (five [10%] vs one [2%]), pneumonitis (none vs five [9%]), stomatitis (none vs five [9%]), and hand-foot syndrome (four [8%] vs none).Interpretation: In patients with metastatic non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma, sunitinib improved progression-free survival compared with everolimus. Future trials of novel agents should account for heterogeneity in disease outcomes based on genetic, histological, and prognostic factors.Funding: Novartis and Pfizer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a clinical trial comparing two treatment groups, one commonly-used endpoint is time to death. Another is time until the first nonfatal event (if there is one) or until death (if not). Both endpoints have drawbacks. The wrong choice may adversely affect the value of the study by impairing power if deaths are too few (with the first endpoint) or by lessening the role of mortality if not (with the second endpoint). We propose a compromise that provides a simple test based on the time to death if the patient has died or time since randomization augmented by an increment otherwise. The test applies the ordinary two-sample Wilcoxon statistic to these values. The formula for the increment (the same for experimental and control patients) must be specified before the trial starts. In the simplest (and perhaps most useful) case, the increment assumes only two values, according to whether or not the (surviving) patient had a nonfatal event. More generally, the increment depends on the time of the first nonfatal event, if any, and the time since randomization. The test has correct Type I error even though it does not handle censoring in a customary way. For conditions where investigators would face no easy (advance) choice between the two older tests, simulation results favor the new test. An example using a renal-cancer trial is presented. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sarcomatoid Renal Cell Carcinoma: An Immune Checkpoint-responsive Subset?. [Extracted from the article]

An independent data monitoring committee׳s (IDMC׳s) duty is to ensure that the interests of the patients entered in the trial are being well served (i.e., the risk-benefit ratio is appropriate) and that the scientific integrity of the trial is maintained during the interim between trial initiation and trial completion. Industry sponsors form IDMCs to ensure an independent assessment to assure that the study participants are not exposed to unnecessary or unreasonable risks because of their trial participation and to ensure that the study is being conducted according to highest scientific and ethical standards. IDMCs are needed to analyze interim data for large randomized studies, in particular those that involve multiple sites and important clinical end points such as survival or disease progression. Ethical principles mandate that clinical trials begin with uncertainty as to which treatment is better (clinical equipoise). This uncertainty should be maintained during study conduct and analysis unless there are compelling data that emerge during the conduct of the trial. Group sequential statistical designs offer a mechanism to consider terminating a trial early and the results made public if the interim data become sufficiently compelling. Interim monitoring of safety and efficacy data is an integral part of modern clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we develop the methodology for designing clinical trials with any factorial arrangement when the primary outcome is time to event. We provide a matrix formulation for calculating the sample size and study duration necessary to test any effect with a prespecified type I error rate and power. Assuming that a time to event follows an exponential distribution, we describe the relationships between the effect size, the power, and the sample size. We present examples for illustration purposes. We provide a simulation study to verify the numerical calculations of the expected number of events and the duration of the trial. The change in the power produced by a reduced number of observations or by accruing no patients to certain factorial combinations is also described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND The current study was conducted to investigate the dependence between progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) and to explore whether PFS can be used as an intermediate endpoint of OS in this patient population. METHODS A total of 1381 patients from 2 prospective phase 3 trials (Cancer and Leukemia Group B [CALGB] 90206 and AVOREN) of interferon-alpha with or without bevacizumab were analyzed. Both trials recruited previously untreated patients with clear cell mRCC with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 to 2; adequate bone marrow, hepatic, cardiac, and renal function; and controlled blood pressure. The CALGB study served as the training data set, and the AVOREN study served as the testing data set. The dependence between PFS and OS was investigated using the Kendall tau for bivariate time-to-event endpoints. RESULTS In the training data set, the median OS times among patients who experienced progressive disease at 3 months or 6 months were 6 months and 8 months, respectively, compared with 25 months and 30 months, respectively, ( P < .001) in patients who did not develop disease progress. The adjusted hazard ratios (HR) were 2.6 ( P < .0001) and 2.8 ( P < .0001), respectively, for patients who did and did not progress at 3 months or 6 months. The dependence between PFS and OS was 0.53. These associations were confirmed in the testing data set. CONCLUSIONS In patients with mRCC who were treated with interferon-alpha with or without bevacizumab, the PFS at 3 months and 6 months was found to be predictive of OS. A high dependence between PFS and OS was observed, suggesting that PFS may be used as a surrogate endpoint for OS. Although this is a novel observation for RCC, these findings require validation in patients with mRCC who are treated with other targeted agents. Cancer 2014;120:52-60. © 2013 American Cancer Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Several prognostic models for overall survival (OS) have been developed and validated in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) who receive first-line chemotherapy. We sought to develop and validate a prognostic model to predict OS in men who had progressed after first-line chemotherapy and were selected to receive second-line chemotherapy. Methods Data from a phase III trial in men with mCRPC who had developed progressive disease after first-line chemotherapy (TROPIC trial) were used. The TROPIC was randomly split into training (n = 507) and testing (n = 248) sets. Another dataset consisting of 488 men previously treated with docetaxel (SPARC trial) was used for external validation. Adaptive least absolute shrinkage and selection operator selected nine prognostic factors of OS. A prognostic score was computed from the regression coefficients. The model was assessed on the testing and validation sets for its predictive accuracy using the time-dependent area under the curve (tAUC). Results The nine prognostic variables in the final model were Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, time since last docetaxel use, measurable disease, presence of visceral disease, pain, duration of hormonal use, hemoglobin, prostate specific antigen, and alkaline phosphatase,The tAUCs for this model were 0.73 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.72 to 0.74) and 0.70 (95% CI = 0.68 to 0.72) for the testing and validation sets, respectively. Conclusions A prognostic model of OS in the postdocetaxel, second-line chemotherapy, mCRPC setting was developed and externally validated. This model incorporates novel prognostic factors and can be used to provide predicted probabilities for individual patients and to select patients to participate in clinical trials on the basis of their prognosis. Prospective validation is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prognosis plays a pivotal role in patient management and trial design. A useful prognostic model should correctly identify important risk factors and estimate their effects. In this article, we discuss several challenges in selecting prognostic factors and estimating their effects using the Cox proportional hazards model. Although a flexible semiparametric form, the Cox's model is not entirely exempt from model misspecification. To minimize possible misspecification, instead of imposing traditional linear assumption, flexible modeling techniques have been proposed to accommodate the nonlinear effect. We first review several existing nonparametric estimation and selection procedures and then present a numerical study to compare the performance between parametric and nonparametric procedures. We demonstrate the impact of model misspecification on variable selection and model prediction using a simulation study and an example from a phase III trial in prostate cancer. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Preliminary data suggest a potential decreased benefit of docetaxel in patients with metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) who previously received abiraterone acetate, a novel androgen synthesis inhibitor (ASI). Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) trial 90401 (Alliance), a phase 3 trial in patients with mCRPC who received docetaxel-based chemotherapy, offered the opportunity to evaluate effect of prior ketoconazole, an earlier generation ASI, on clinical outcomes after docetaxel.Methods: In CALGB trial 90401, 1050 men with chemotherapy-naive mCRPC were randomized to receive treatment with docetaxel and prednisone that included either bevacizumab or placebo. In total, 1005 men (96%) had data available regarding prior ketoconazole therapy. The observed effects of prior ketoconazole on overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), prostate-specific antigen (PSA) decline, and the objective response rate (ORR) were assessed using proportional hazards and Poisson regression methods adjusted for validated prognostic factors and treatment arm.Results: Baseline characteristics between patients who did (N=277) and did not (N=728) receive prior ketoconazole therapy were similar. There were no statistically significant differences between patients who did and those who did not receive prior ketoconazole therapy with respect to OS (median OS, 21.1 months vs 22.3 months, respectively; stratified log-rank P=.635), PFS (median PFS, 8.1 months vs 8.6 months, respectively; stratified log-rank P=.342), the proportion achieving a decline ≥ 50% in PSA (61% vs 66%, respectively; relative risk, 1.09; adjusted P=.129), or ORR (39% vs 43%, respectively; relative risk, 1.11; adjusted P=.366).Conclusions: As measured by OS, PFS, PSA, and the ORR, there was no evidence that prior treatment with ketoconazole had an impact on the clinical outcomes of patients with mCRPC who received subsequent docetaxel-based therapy. The current results highlight the need for prospective studies to assess for potential cross-resistance with novel ASIs and to define the optimal sequence of therapy in mCRPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Preliminary data suggest a potential decreased benefit of docetaxel in patients with metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) who previously received abiraterone acetate, a novel androgen synthesis inhibitor (ASI). Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) trial 90401 (Alliance), a phase 3 trial in patients with mCRPC who received docetaxel-based chemotherapy, offered the opportunity to evaluate effect of prior ketoconazole, an earlier generation ASI, on clinical outcomes after docetaxel. METHODS: In CALGB trial 90401, 1050 men with chemotherapy-naive mCRPC were randomized to receive treatment with docetaxel and predni-sone that included either bevacizumab or placebo. In total, 1005 men (96%) had data available regarding prior ketoconazole therapy. The observed effects of prior ketoconazole on overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), prostate-specific antigen (PSA) decline, and the objective response rate (ORR) were assessed using proportional hazards and Poisson regression methods adjusted for validated prognostic factors and treatment arm. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics between patients who did (N = 277) and did not (N = 728) receive prior ketoconazole therapy were similar. There were no statistically significant differences between patients who did and those who did not receive prior ketoconazole therapy with respect to OS (median OS, 21.1 months vs 22.3 months, respec-tively; stratified log-rank P = .635), PFS (median PFS, 8.1 months vs 8.6 months, respectively; stratified log-rank P = .342), the propor-tion achieving a decline >50% in PSA (61% vs 66%, respectively; relative risk, 1.09; adjusted P = .129), or ORR (39% vs 43%, respectively; relative risk, 1.11; adjusted P = .366). CONCLUSIONS: As measured by OS, PFS, PSA, and the ORR, there was no evidence that prior treatment with ketoconazole had an impact on the clinical outcomes of patients with mCRPC who received subsequent docetaxel-based therapy. The current results highlight the need for prospective studies to assess for potential cross-resistance with novel ASIs and to define the optimal sequence of therapy in mCRPC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The Brief Pain Inventory ( BPI) was designed to yield separate scores for pain intensity and interference. It has been proposed that the pain interference factor can be further broken down into unique factors of affective (e.g., mood) and activity (e.g., work) interference. The purpose of this analysis was to confirm this affective/activity interference dichotomy. Patients and Methods A retrospective confirmatory factor analysis was completed for a sample of 184 individuals diagnosed with castrate-resistant prostate cancer (age 40-86, mean = 65.46, 77% White non- Hispanic) who had been administered the BPI as part of Cancer and Leukemia Group B trial 9480. A one-factor model was compared against two-factor and three-factor models that were developed based on the design of the instrument. Results Root mean squared error of approximation (0.075), comparative fit index (0.971), and change in chi-square, given the corresponding change in degrees of freedom (13.33, P < 0.05) values for the three-factor model (i.e., pain intensity, activity interference, and affective interference), were statistically superior in comparison with the one- and two-factor models. This three-factor structure was found to be invariant across age, mean prostate-specific antigen, and hemoglobin levels. Conclusions These results confirm that the BPI can be used to quantify the degree to which pain separately interferes with affective and activity aspects of a patient's everyday life. These findings will provide clinical trialists, pharmaceutical sponsors, and regulators with confidence in the flexibility of the BPI as they consider the use of this instrument to assist with understanding the patient experience as it relates to treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The treatment for prostate cancer patients with biochemical failure after local therapy remains controversial. Peripheral androgen blockade using a combination of a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor and an antiandrogen may allow control of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Because testosterone levels are not suppressed, this approach may be associated with less morbidity than conventional gonadal androgen suppression. METHODS: All patients had undergone previous definitive local therapy and had evidence of a rising PSA >1ng/mL, with no evidence of recurrent disease. Patients received both finasteride, 5 mg orally per day, and flutamide, 250 mg orally 3× a day. Patients were followed for a PSA response and quality of life assessment. RESULTS: Ninety-nine of 101 accrued patients were eligible. A ≥80% PSA decline was seen in 96 (96%) patients. The median time to PSA progression was 85 months. With a median follow-up of 10 years, the median survival time had not been reached, and the 5-year overall survival rate was 87%. Toxicity was mild, with 18 patients stopping for toxicity; 15 had diarrhea, 4 had gynecomastia, and 3 had transaminase elevation. Baseline Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Prostate Module and Treatment Outcome Index scores decreased by 5 points each at 6 months after enrollment. CONCLUSIONS: The use of the finasteride/flutamide combination is feasible, and results in PSA declines of ≥80% in 96% of patients with serologic progression after definitive local therapy. There were no unexpected toxicities, and the change in quality of life was mild. Further evaluation of this or a similar regimen in a controlled clinical trial is warranted. Cancer 2012. © 2011 American Cancer Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analysis of case-control studies with matched controls per case is well documented in the medical literature. Of primary interest is the estimation of the relative risk of disease. Matched case-control studies fall into two scenarios: the probability of exposure is constant within each of the case and control groups, or the probability of exposure varies within each group. Numerous estimation procedures have been developed for both scenarios. Often these procedures are developed under the rare disease assumption, where the relative risk of disease is approximated by the odds ratio. In this paper, without making the rare disease assumption, we develop consistent estimators of the relative risk of disease for both scenarios. Exact derivations of the relative risk of disease are provided. Estimators, confidence intervals, and test statistics for the relative risk of disease are developed. We then make the following observations based on extensive simulations. First, our estimators are as close or closer to the relative risk of disease than other estimators. Second, our estimators produce mean square errors for the relative risk of disease that are as good as or better than these other estimators. Third, our confidence intervals provide accurate coverage probabilities. Therefore, these new estimators, confidence intervals, and test statistics can be used to either estimate or test the relative risk of disease in matched case-control studies. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Combined transperineal prostate brachytherapy and external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) is widely used for treatment of prostate cancer. Long-term efficacy and toxicity results of a multicenter phase 2 trial assessing combination of EBRT and transperineal prostate brachytherapy boost with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for intermediate-risk prostate cancer are presented. METHODS: Intermediate-risk patients per Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center/National Comprehensive Cancer Network criteria received 6 months of ADT, and 45 grays (Gy) EBRT to the prostate and seminal vesicles, followed by transperineal prostate brachytherapy with I125 (100 Gy) or Pd103 (90 Gy). Toxicity was graded using the National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria version 2 and Radiation Therapy Oncology Group late radiation morbidity scoring systems. Disease-free survival (DFS) was defined as time from enrollment to progression (biochemical, local, distant, or prostate cancer death). In addition to the protocol definition of biochemical failure (3 consecutive prostate-specific antigen rises >1.0 ng/mL after 18 months from treatment start), the 1997 American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) consensus and Phoenix definitions were also assessed in defining DFS. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate DFS and overall survival. RESULTS: Sixty-one of 63 enrolled patients were eligible. Median follow-up was 73 months. Late grade 2 and 3 toxicity, excluding sexual dysfunction, occurred in 20% and 3% of patients. Six-year DFS applying the protocol definition, 1997 ASTRO consensus, and Phoenix definitions was 87.1%, 75.1%, and 84.9%. Six deaths occurred; only 1 was attributed to prostate cancer. Six-year overall survival was 96.1%. CONCLUSIONS: In a cooperative setting, combination of EBRT and transperineal prostate brachytherapy boost plus ADT resulted in excellent DFS with acceptable late toxicity for patients with intermediate-risk prostate cancer. Cancer 2011;. © 2011 American Cancer Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The use of docetaxel prolongs survival for patients with castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) with bevacizumab may further enhance the antitumor effect of docetaxel and estramustine in patients with CRPC. METHODS: This cooperative group trial enrolled men with CRPC. Patients received oral estramustine 280 mg 3 times daily on Days 1 through 5 of every cycle plus 70 mg/m² docetaxel and 15 mg/kg bevacizumab on Day 2 every 3 weeks. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) values were monitored every cycle, and imaging studies were obtained every 3 cycles. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS), and the secondary objectives were safety, PSA decline, measurable disease response, and overall survival. RESULTS: Seventy-nine patients were enrolled; and 77 patients received a median of 8 cycles and were evaluable. A 50% PSA decline was observed in 58 patients (75%). Twenty-three of 39 patients with measurable disease had a partial response (59%). The median PFS was 8 months, and the overall median survival was 24 months. Neutropenia without fever (69%), fatigue (25%), and thrombosis/emboli (9%) were the most common severe toxicities. Twenty-four of 77 patients were removed from protocol treatment because of disease progression, 35 of 77 patients were removed because of a physician or patient decision, and 15 patients were removed secondary to toxicity. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of docetaxel, estramustine, and bevacizumab was tolerable but complicated by toxicity. Although the endpoint of PFS did not meet the desired level, encouraging antitumor activity and overall survival were observed. Further phase 3 evaluation of the role of bevacizumab in CRPC is ongoing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tamoxifen use has been associated with increased risk of thromboembolic events (TEs) in women with breast cancer and women at high risk for the disease. Factor V Leiden (FVL) is the most common inherited clotting factor mutation and also confers increased thrombosis risk. We investigated whether FVL was associated with TE risk in women with early-stage breast cancer who took adjuvant tamoxifen. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Arsenic trioxide is highly active in patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia. There are also preclinical data to suggest that this drug might be active in nonhematopoietic malignancies, and transitional cell carcinoma cell lines are particularly sensitive to this agent. Patients and Methods: Twelve evaluable patients with metastatic urothelial cancer were treated with arsenic trioxide in a phase II trial conducted by the Cancer and Leukemia Group B. Eligible patients were required to have measurable urothelial cancer and a maximum of 1 previous chemotherapy regimen. Arsenic trioxide was given at a dose of 0.3 mg/kg daily for 5 days every 28 days. Results: No major responses were observed; 4 patients achieved stable disease. The median survival was 6.5 months (95% CI, 3.9-13.4 months). The most commonly observed toxicities included fatigue and malaise, anemia, nausea, emesis, and constipation. Conclusion: Arsenic trioxide at this dose and schedule does not have significant activity in previously treated urothelial cancer and has substantial toxicity in this patient population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which evaluates the safety and feasibility of radiotherapy after paclitaxel, estramustine phosphate and carboplatin (TEC) plus androgen therapy in previously treated prostate cancer patients. It mentions that patients with localized high-risk prostate cancer were treated with four cycles of paclitaxel in a period of 16 weeks. It affirms that the authors concluded that neoadjuvant chemohormonal therapy with TEC followed by high-dose radiation therapy is safe.

We propose two innovations in statistical sampling for controls to enable better design of population-based case-control studies. The main innovation leads to novel solutions, without using weights, of the difficult and long-standing problem of selecting a control from persons in a household. Another advance concerns the drawing (at the outset) of the households them- selves and involves random-digit dialing with atypical use of list-assisted sampling. A common element throughout is that one capitalizes on flexibility (not broadly available in usual survey settings) in choosing the frame, which specifies the population of persons from which both cases and controls come. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Transperineal prostate brachytherapy (TPPB) can be used with external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) to provide a high-dose conformal boost to the prostate. The results of a multicenter Phase II trial assessing safety of combination of EBRT and TPPB boost with androgen suppression (AST) in treatment of intermediate-risk prostate cancer are present here. Materials and Methods: Patients had intermediate-risk prostate cancer. Six months of AST was administered. EBRT to the prostate and seminal vesicles was administered to 45Gy followed by TPPB using either 125I or 103Pd to deliver an additional 100Gy or 90Gy. Toxicity was graded using the National Cancer Institute CTC version 2 and the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group late radiation morbidity scoring systems. Results: Sixty-three patients were enrolled. Median follow-up was 38 months. Side effects of AST including sexual dysfunction and vasomotor symptoms were commonly observed. Apart from erectile dysfunction, short-term Grade 2 and 3 toxicity was noted in 21% and 7%, primarily genitourinary related. Long-term Grade 2 and 3 toxicities were noted in 13% and 3%. Two patients had Grade 3 dysuria that resolved with longer follow-up. The most common Grade 2 long-term toxicity was urinary frequency (5%). No biochemical or clinical evidence of progression was noted for the entire cohort. Conclusions: In a cooperative group setting, combination EBRT and TPPB boost with 6 months of AST was generally well tolerated with expected genitourinary and gastrointestinal toxicities. Further follow-up will be required to fully assess long-term toxicity and cancer control. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objectives: It has been hypothesized that abnormal p53 protein expression is associated with a worse prognosis after radiation (RT) and androgen suppression therapy (AST). This hypothesis was prospectively tested. Methods: Between May 1997 and April 2001, 180 men with clinical stage T1c-T3cN0M0 adenocarcinoma of the prostate were registered on a study evaluating whether the endorectal magnetic resonance imaging (eMRI)-defined change in tumor volume (TV) during neoadjuvant (n) AST was associated with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) outcome. Of these, 141 had sufficient tissue to perform immunohistochemical detection of the p53 protein expression status and 113 had complete eMRI information. Multivariable Cox regression analysis was used to assess whether p53 protein expression status predicted time to PSA failure adjusting for known prognostic factors. Results: After a median follow-up of 6.9 years and adjusting for PSA level, Gleason score, clinical stage, and eMRI-defined TV change during nAST, men with abnormal compared with normal p53 expression were at increased risk of PSA failure (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.8; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.3–5.9; P = 0.008 for the 141; HR: 2.4; 95% CI: 1.1–5.4; P = 0.03 for the 113). Adjusted estimates of PSA failure were significantly higher (P = 0.03) in men with abnormal compared with normal p53 expression. At 5 years, these respective estimates were 33% and 18%. Conclusions: Maximizing local control and randomized trials evaluating the impact on survival of adding novel agents to maximal local therapy are warranted in men whose prostate cancer demonstrates abnormal p53 expression. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The statistical methodology under order restriction is very mathematical and complex. Thus, we provide a brief methodological background of order-restricted likelihood ratio tests for the normal theoretical case for the basic understanding of its applications, and relegate more technical details to the appendices. For data analysis, algorithms for computing the order-restricted estimates and computation of p-values are described. A two-step procedure is presented for obtaining the sample size in clinical trials when the minimum power, say 0.80 or 0.90 is specified, and the normal means satisfy an order restriction. Using this approach will result in reduction of 14-24% in the sample size required when one-sided ordered alternatives are used, as illustrated by several examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This article reviews the basic principles involved in the design, conduct, and analysis of Phase III treatment trials in prostate cancer. It begins with a brief review of Phase III trials, and subsequently describes the process of hypothesis testing and the types of errors involved in the process of statistical inference. Next, it presents a general discussion of design considerations, including choice of endpoints, patient selection and eligibility criteria, randomization and stratification, methods to determine the required number patients, standard procedures to monitor a study, and finally how to analyze the results from randomized clinical trials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose: We prospectively determined whether the change in tumor volume (TV) during 2 months of neoadjuvant androgen suppression therapy (nAST) measured using conventional 1.5 Tesla endorectal magnetic resonance imaging (eMRI) was associated with the risk of recurrence after radiation (RT) and 6 months of AST. Patients and Methods: Between 1997 and 2001, 180 men with clinical stage T1c-T3cN0M0 adenocarcinoma of the prostate were registered. Fifteen were found to be ineligible and the institutional MR radiologist could not assess the TV in 32, leaving 133 for analysis. Multivariable Cox regression analysis was used to assess whether a significant association existed between eMRI-defined TV progression during nAST and time to recurrence adjusting for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, Gleason score (8 to 10 or 7 vs. 6 or less) and stage (T3 vs. T1-2). Results: After a median follow up of 6.7 years and adjusting for known prognostic factors, there was a significant increase in the risk of PSA failure (HR, 2.3 [95% CI, 1.1–4.5; p = 0.025) in men with eMRI-defined TV progression during nAST. Specifically, adjusted estimates of PSA failure were significantly higher (p = 0.032) in men with, compared with men without, eMRI-defined TV progression reaching 38% vs. 19%, respectively, by 5 years. Conclusion: Eradicating intraprostatic hormone refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) by maximizing local control and randomized trials assessing whether survival is improved when agents active against HRPC are combined with maximal local therapy are needed in men who progress based on eMRI during nAST. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

OBJECTIVE To conduct a phase II trial to determine the efficacy of cisplatin, a fixed dose-rate infusion of gemcitabine and gefitinib (an orally active epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor) in patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS Eligible patients had previously untreated measurable disease, an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0–2 and creatinine clearance of >50 mL/min. The treatment regimen consisted of cisplatin 70 mg/m2 on day 1, gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 on day 1 and 8, administered at a fixed dose rate of 10 mg/m2/min, given every 3 weeks concurrent with gefitinib 500 mg/day orally for a maximum of six cycles. Maintenance gefitinib 500 mg/day was continued for responding or stable disease. RESULTS In all, 27 patients were accrued before the study was halted because the dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) exceeded pre-established stopping rules. The DLT events were two grade 5 (one infection, one cardiovascular accident) and three with grade 4 non-haematological toxicity. In 25 evaluable patients there were nine objective responses, for an overall response rate of 36% (95% confidence interval, CI, 18–57%). The median (95% CI) survival time was 11.1 (5.2–35.3) months. CONCLUSION The combination of cisplatin, fixed dose-rate gemcitabine and gefitinib is active in advanced TCC, although the relative contribution of gefitinib cannot be determined. However, this regimen was associated with excessive toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study that aims to evaluate the correlation between an elevated body mass index (BMI) and clinical outcomes in patients with metastatic, castration-recurrent prostate cancer (CRPC). It cites the association between obesity and the risk of certain malignancies such as colon cancer and renal cell carcinoma. It concludes that patients with metastatic CRPC, obesity appears to have a protective effect against overall mortality and prostate cancer-specific mortality.

Abstract: A graft-versus-tumor effect through nonmyeloablative allogeneic stem cell transplantation (N-SCT) in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has been reported. An Intergroup phase II trial was undertaken to define further the feasibility, toxicity and efficacy of this approach in a multi-institutional setting, Patients with cytokine-refractory, metastatic RCC were treated with N-SCT. The conditioning regimen was fludarabine 30 mg·m−2 ·d−1 on day (d) −7 through d −3 and cyclophosphamide 60 mg·kg−1 ·d−1 on d −4 and d −3. Patients received 2-8 × 106 CD34+ cells/kg of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor mobilized stem cells from a 6/6 HLA-matched sibling donor. Immunosuppression after transplantation included tacrolimus and methotrexate. Twenty-two patients were enrolled at 14 institutions. Greater than 90% donor T-cell chimerism was observed in 17 of 19 evaluable patients (89%) by d +120. No objective response was observed. Acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) was observed in 11 patients (50%). Chronic GVHD was reported in 5 patients (23%). There was 1 patient death from liver failure secondary to chronic GVHD. Regimen-related mortality was 2 of 22 (9%; liver failure, sepsis). Median survival time was 5.5 months (95% confidence interval, 3.9-12.0 months) and the median time to progression was 3.0 months (95% confidence interval, 2.3-4.2 months). N-SCT for metastatic RCC is feasible in a multi-institutional setting. Adequate donor T-cell engraftment was achieved in most patients before disease progression. A graft-versus-tumor effect was not observed in this study despite acute and chronic GVHD, thus highlighting the need for further understanding of this approach. Allogeneic SCT remains investigational in RCC. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Institution of early hormone therapy in the PSA era coupled with demonstration of clinical benefit with chemotherapy in hormone refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) and acceptance of PSA decline as a surrogate for response has resulted in introduction of chemotherapy earlier in the natural history of disease. There now exists a need to identify, effective agents for second line chemotherapy. 9-Nitrocamptothecin (9-NC) a novel, oral camptothecin analogue was tested as second line chemotherapy for patients with progressive hormone refractory prostate cancer.Patients and methods: Eligible patients had metastatic hormone refractory prostate cancer with performance status (0–1) following progression on at least 1 prior cytotoxic chemotherapy. 9-NC was administered orally at the dose of 1.5 mg/m2/d for 5 days each week for 3 weeks, followed by rest for 1 week. Response was evaluated after 2 cycles according to the guidelines set forth for Phase II trials in HRPC by the PSA working group.Results: Thirty-five patients were recruited to the study within a period of 6 months; 33 were evaluable for analysis. No patients had a >50% decline in PSA levels. Two out of 8 (25%) patients with measurable disease and 5/25 (20%) patients with nonmeasurable disease showed stable disease. The median time to disease and PSA progression was 2 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.9–2.8]. The median overall survival was 10 months (95% CI = 5–12). Seven patients are alive after a median follow-up of 23 months.Conclusions: 9-Nitrocamptothecin failed to elicit clinical or PSA responses. Further study in pretreated HRPC patients is not warranted. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objectives: To determine whether blacks with hormone-refractory prostate cancer have shorter survival compared with whites with the same disease.Methods: Data from eight multicenter trials (four Phase II and four randomized Phase III studies) conducted by the Cancer and Leukemia Group B were combined. Eligible patients had progressive prostate cancer after androgen deprivation therapy (with documented castration levels of testosterone), an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 to 2, and adequate hematologic, renal, and hepatic function. The proportional hazards model was used to assess the prognostic importance of race, adjusting for important factors. All statistical tests were two-sided.Results: Of the 1183 patients, 15% were blacks, 45% of patients had a Gleason sum of 8 or greater, and the median age was 71 years. Of the 1183 patients, 35% had measurable disease and 89% had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 to 1. Blacks were younger, had a shorter interval between diagnosis and study entry, and had greater prostate-specific antigen levels, lower hemoglobin levels, and a lower likelihood of prior prostatectomy than whites. The median survival was 15 months (95% confidence interval 12 to 18) for blacks compared with 14 months (95% confidence interval 13 to 15) for whites. In a multivariate analysis, adjusting for age, performance status, presence of visceral disease, hemoglobin, Gleason sum, prostate-specific antigen level, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, and years since diagnosis, the hazard ratio was 0.85 (95% confidence interval 0.71 to 1.02, P = 0.08) for blacks compared with whites.Conclusions: No statistically significant difference was found in overall survival between blacks and whites with metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Ahnn and Anderson derived sample size formulae for unstratified and stratified designs assuming equal allocation of subjects to three or more treatment groups. We generalize the sample size formulae to allow for unequal allocation. In addition, we define the overall probability of death to be equal to one minus the censored proportion for the stratified design. This definition also leads to a slightly different definition of the non-centrality parameter than that of Ahnn and Anderson for the stratified case. Assuming proportional hazards, sample sizes are determined for a prespecified power, significance level, hazard ratios, allocation of subjects to several treatment groups, and known censored proportion. In the proportional hazards setting, three cases are considered: (1) exponential failures-exponential censoring, (2) exponential failures-uniform censoring, and (3) Weibull failures (assuming same shape parameter for all groups)-uniform censoring. In all three cases of the unstratified case, it is assumed that the censoring distribution is the same for all of the treatment groups. For the stratified log-rank test, it is assumed the same censoring distribution across the treatment groups and the strata. Further, formulae have been developed to provide approximate powers for the test, based upon the first two or first four-moments of the asymptotic distribution. We observe the following two major findings based on the simulations. First, the simulated power of the log-rank test does not depend on the censoring mechanism. Second, for a significance level of 0.05 and power of 0.80, the required sample size n is independent of the censoring pattern. Moreover, there is very close agreement between the exact (asymptotic) and simulated powers when a sequence of alternatives is close to the null hypothesis. Two-moment and four-moment power series approximations also yield powers in close agreement with the exact (asymptotic) power. With unequal allocations, our simulations show that the empirical powers are consistently above the target value of prespecified power of 0.80 when 50 per cent of the patients are allocated to the treatment group with the smallest hazard. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Most women are not getting regular mammograms, and there is confusion about several mammography-related issues, including the age at which women should begin screening. Numerous groups have called for informed decision making about mammography, but few programs have resulted. Our research is intended to fill this gap.Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial, which ran from 1997 to 2000. Women aged 40 to 44 and 50 to 54, who were enrolled in Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, were randomly assigned to one of three groups: usual care (UC), tailored print (TP) materials, or TP plus tailored telephone counseling (TP+TC). We assessed the impact of tailored interventions on knowledge about breast cancer and mammography, accuracy of breast cancer risk perceptions, and use of mammography at two time points after intervention—12 and 24 months.Results: At 12 and 24 months, women who received TP+TC had significantly greater knowledge and more accurate breast cancer risk perceptions. Compared to UC, they were 40% more likely to have had mammograms (odds ratio=0.9–2.1). The effect was primarily for women in their 50s. TP had significant effects for knowledge and accuracy, but women who received TP were less likely to have had mammography.Conclusions: Decision-making interventions, comprised of two tailored print interventions (booklet and newsletter), delivered a year apart, with or without two tailored telephone calls, significantly increased knowledge and accuracy of perceived breast cancer risk at 12 and 24 months post-intervention. The effect on mammography use was significant in bivariate relationships but had a much more modest impact in multivariate analyses. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

ABSTRACTObjectives: To explore whether serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) decline can be used as a prognostic factor for survival among patients with androgen-independent prostate cancer (AIPC) who are treated with a secondary hormonal therapy, megestrol acetate. Materials and Methods: One hundred forty-nine patients were randomized with equal probability to either low-dose (160 mg/day) or high-dose (640 mg/day) megestrol acetate. Patients were stratified on performance status (0–1, or 2) and on disease measurability (measurable, or evaluable disease). Results: Patients with high pretreatment PSA (≥95 ng/ml) had worse survival times than patients with low PSA (<95), with a hazard ratio of 1.6 (p = 0.003). The median survival times for patients with a ≥50% reduction in PSA at 8 weeks and those patients without a 50% reduction were 15 and 11 months, respectively (p = 0.763). A landmark analysis at 8 weeks showed that a PSA decline was significantly associated with survival. The survival time for patients whose PSA dropped below the pretreatment levels (median = 15 months) were significantly longer than for patients who did not have a decline in PSA (median = 9 months, p = 0.031). Similar significant results were observed between PSA reduction and survival when landmark analyses were performed at 12 and 16 weeks. PSA changes during the first 45 days after the initiation of therapy were significantly related to survival. The median survival time for patients whose PSA doubled during the first 45 days after treatment and for patients whose PSA did not double during the first 45 days were 10 and 14 months, respectively (p = 0.020). Conclusions: PSA decline is significantly associated with longer survival times in prostate patients treated with secondary hormonal manipulation. Longer survival time is observed among the following AIPC patients: 1) those whose pretreatment PSA were <95 ng/ml: 2) those whose PSA decline was >0% from baseline; and... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

▪ BACKGROUND Even organizations with differing mammography recommendations agree that regular repeat screening is required for mortality reduction. However, most studies have focused on one-time screening rather than repeat adherence. We compare trends in beliefs and health-related behaviors among women screened and adherent to the National Cancer Institute's screening mammography recommendations (on schedule), those screened at least once and nonadherent (off schedule), and those never screened. METHODS Our data are from a baseline telephone interview conducted among 1287 female members of Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina who were aged either 40 to 44 years or 50 to 54 years. ▪ RESULTS The 3 groups differed significantly on beliefs and health-related behaviors, with the off-schedule group almost consistently falling between the on-schedule and never screened groups. Off-schedule women were more likely than on-schedule women, but less likely than those never screened, to not have a clinical breast examination within 12 months, to be ambivalent about screening mammography, to be confused about screening guidelines, and to not be advised by a physician to get a mammogram in the past 2 years. Off-schedule women perceived their breast cancer risk as lower and were less likely to be up to date with other cancer screening. tests. ▪ CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that women who are off schedule are in need of mammography-promoting interventions, including recommendations from and discussion with their health care providers. Because they are more positive and knowledgeable about mammography than women who have never been screened, they may benefit from brief interventions from health care providers that highlight the importance of repeat screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few studies have examined the impact of abnormal mammograms on subsequent mammography screening and psychosocial outcomes specifically as a function of the length of time that has passed since the abnormal test result. This cross-sectional report compared breast cancer screening practices and psychosocial outcomes among three groups of women. These groups were women who (1) never had an abnormal mammogram, (2) had an abnormal mammogram 2 or more years prior to the study's baseline interview, and (3) had an abnormal mammogram within 2 years prior to the study's baseline interview. Women who had an abnormal mammogram at least 2 years prior to the baseline interview expressed greater 10-year and lifetime risks of getting breast cancer than women who never had an abnormal mammogram. Women who had abnormal mammograms, independent of when they occurred, were substantially more worried about getting breast cancer than were women who never had abnormal mammograms. Women who had an abnormal mammogram within 2 years prior to the baseline interview were more likely to be on schedule for mammography, compared with women who never had an abnormal mammogram. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. These results suggest that (1) few differences exist in perceived breast cancer risk and worry as a function of when an abnormal mammogram occurred, and (2) subsequent screening behavior is most affected by whether an abnormal mammogram occurred within 2 years from the interview. Not surprisingly, more recent experiences of abnormal mammograms had a greater influence on behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]