To assess the efficacy of a risk-adapted treatment policy for patients with stage I seminoma by using universally accepted risk criteria.Between 1999 and 2003, 314 patients with clinical stage I seminoma after orchiectomy were prospectively included. One hundred patients (31.8%) presented no risk factors and were managed with surveillance. In contrast, 131 patients (41.7%) had tumors larger than 4 cm, 33 patients (10.5%) had rete testis involvement, and 50 patients (15.9%) had both risk factors. All the latter received two courses of adjuvant carboplatin.Chemotherapy was well tolerated, as only 17 patients (7.9%) presented grade 3 to 4 toxicity. Relapses were observed in six patients (6.0%) on surveillance and in seven patients (3.3%) treated with carboplatin (0.8% of tumors larger than 4 cm, 9.1% of those involving the rete testis, and 6.0% of patients with both risk criteria). All were located at the retroperitoneum, except for one at the spermatic cord. Median tumor size was 25 mm (range, 11 to 70 mm), and median time to relapse was 9 months (range, 4 to 28 months). All patients were rendered disease-free with chemotherapy (etoposide plus cisplatin). Median follow-up was 34 months (range, 12 to 72 months). The actuarial 5-year disease-free survival rate was 93.4% for patients on surveillance and 96.2% for patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy. Overall 5-year survival was 100%.Adjuvant carboplatin is effective in reducing the relapse rate in patients with stage I seminoma and risk factors. A risk-adapted strategy is safe and feasible and should be considered an alternative to systematic approaches, such as irradiation, chemotherapy, or surveillance.
Trials in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) need new clinical end points that are valid surrogates for survival. We evaluated circulating tumor cell (CTC) enumeration as a surrogate outcome measure.Examining CTCs alone and in combination with other biomarkers as a surrogate for overall survival was a secondary objective of COU-AA-301, a multinational, randomized, double-blind phase III trial of abiraterone acetate plus prednisone versus prednisone alone in patients with metastatic CRPC previously treated with docetaxel. The biomarkers were measured at baseline and 4, 8, and 12 weeks, with 12 weeks being the primary measure of interest. The Prentice criteria were applied to test candidate biomarkers as surrogates for overall survival at the individual-patient level.A biomarker panel using CTC count and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level was shown to satisfy the four Prentice criteria for individual-level surrogacy. Twelve-week surrogate biomarker data were available for 711 patients. The abiraterone acetate plus prednisone and prednisone-alone groups demonstrated a significant survival difference (P = .034); surrogate distribution at 12 weeks differed by treatment (P < .001); the discriminatory power of the surrogate to predict mortality was high (weighted c-index, 0.81); and adding the surrogate to the model eliminated the treatment effect on survival. Overall, 2-year survival of patients with CTCs < 5 (low risk) versus patients with CTCs ≥ 5 cells/7.5 mL of blood and LDH > 250 U/L (high risk) at 12 weeks was 46% and 2%, respectively.A biomarker panel containing CTC number and LDH level was shown to be a surrogate for survival at the individual-patient level in this trial of abiraterone acetate plus prednisone versus prednisone alone for patients with metastatic CRPC. Additional trials are ongoing to validate the findings.
Multiple loss-of-function alterations in genes that are involved in DNA repair, including homologous recombination repair, are associated with response to poly(adenosine diphosphate–ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibition in patients with prostate and other cancers.
Supplementary Data from Detection of <i>BRCA1</i>, <i>BRCA2</i>, and <i>ATM</i> Alterations in Matched Tumor Tissue and Circulating Tumor DNA in Patients with Prostate Cancer Screened in PROfound
<div>AbstractPurpose:<p>The phase III PROfound study (NCT02987543) evaluated olaparib versus abiraterone or enzalutamide (control) in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) with tumor homologous recombination repair (HRR) gene alterations. We present exploratory analyses on the use of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) testing as an additional method to identify patients with mCRPC with HRR gene alterations who may be eligible for olaparib treatment.</p>Patients and Methods:<p>Plasma samples collected during screening in PROfound were retrospectively sequenced using the FoundationOne®Liquid CDx test for <i>BRCA1</i>, <i>BRCA2</i> (BRCA), and <i>ATM</i> alterations in ctDNA. Only patients from Cohort A (BRCA/<i>ATM</i> alteration positive by tissue testing) were evaluated. We compared clinical outcomes, including radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS) between the ctDNA subgroup and Cohort A.</p>Results:<p>Of the 181 (73.9%) Cohort A patients who gave consent for plasma sample ctDNA testing, 139 (76.8%) yielded a result and BRCA/<i>ATM</i> alterations were identified in 111 (79.9%). Of these, 73 patients received olaparib and 38 received control. Patients’ baseline demographics and characteristics, and the prevalence of HRR alterations were comparable with the Cohort A intention-to-treat (ITT) population. rPFS was longer in the olaparib group versus control [median 7.4 vs. 3.5 months; hazard ratio (HR), 0.33; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.21–0.53; nominal <i>P</i> < 0.0001], which is consistent with Cohort A ITT population (HR, 0.34; 95% CI, 0.25–0.47).</p>Conclusions:<p>When tumor tissue testing is not feasible or has failed, ctDNA testing may be a suitable alternative to identify patients with mCRPC carrying BRCA<i>/ATM</i> alterations who may benefit from olaparib treatment.</p></div>
DCVAC/PCa is an active cellular immunotherapy designed to initiate an immune response against prostate cancer.
Objective
To evaluate the efficacy and safety of DCVAC/PCa plus chemotherapy followed by DCVAC/PCa maintenance treatment in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).
Design, Setting, and Participants
The VIABLE double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled, phase 3 randomized clinical trial enrolled patients with mCRPC among 177 hospital clinics in the US and Europe between June 2014 and November 2017. Data analyses were performed from December 2019 to July 2020.
Interventions
Eligible patients were randomized (2:1) to receive DCVAC/PCa (add-on and maintenance) or placebo, both in combination with chemotherapy (docetaxel plus prednisone). The stratification was applied according to geographical region (US or non-US), prior therapy (abiraterone, enzalutamide, or neither), and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (0-1 or 2). DCVAC/PCa or placebo was administered subcutaneously every 3 to 4 weeks (up to 15 doses).
Main Outcomes and Measures
The primary outcome was overall survival (OS), defined as the time from randomization until death due to any cause, in all randomized patients. Survival was compared using 2-sided log-rank test stratified by geographical region, prior therapy with abiraterone and/or enzalutamide, and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status.
Results
A total of 1182 men with mCRPC (median [range] age, 68 [46-89] years) were randomized to receive DCVAC/PCa (n = 787) or placebo (n = 395). Of these, 610 (81.8%) started DCVAC/PCa, and 376 (98.4%) started placebo. There was no difference in OS between the DCVAC/PCa and placebo groups in all randomized patients (median OS, 23.9 months [95% CI, 21.6-25.3] vs 24.3 months [95% CI, 22.6-26.0]; hazard ratio, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.90-1.21;P = .60). No differences in the secondary efficacy end points (radiological progression-free survival, time to prostate-specific antigen progression, or skeletal-related events) were observed. Treatment-emergent adverse events related to DCVAC/PCa or placebo occurred in 69 of 749 (9.2%) and 48 of 379 (12.7%) patients, respectively. The most common treatment-emergent adverse events (DCVAC/PCa [n = 749] vs placebo [n = 379]) were fatigue (271 [36.2%] vs 152 [40.1%]), alopecia (222 [29.6%] vs 130 [34.3%]), and diarrhea (206 [27.5%] vs 117 [30.9%]).
Conclusions and Relevance
In this phase 3 randomized clinical trial, DCVAC/PCa combined with docetaxel plus prednisone and continued as maintenance treatment did not extend OS in patients with mCRPC and was well tolerated.
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