e19136 Background: Patient reported side effect bother is needed to understand tolerability of cancer drugs. We examined whether increase in side effect bother from baseline to cycle 7 as measured by a single item (GP5) from the FACT-G, “I am bothered by side effects of treatment”, was associated with early treatment discontinuation (ETD) in a multiple myeloma (MM) trial. Methods: Data were drawn from the induction phase of ECOG ACRIN E1A06, a two arm, phase 3 trial conducted in patients with untreated MM. The induction phase occurred over twelve, 28-day cycles. GP5 was assessed at registration and cycle 7. ETD was defined as completion of less than 12 cycles of treatment. We tested whether increase in side effect bother on the GP5 from baseline to cycle 7 was associated with months to ETD in two ways. At each timepoint, GP5 was rated with these response options: “Not at all”, “A little bit”, “Somewhat”, “Quite a bit”, “Very Much”. First, we stratified Kaplan Meier curves by patients with versus without substantially increased side effect burden from registration to cycle 7 on the GP5, defined as an increase of > 2 response categories; Cox regression was used to calculate a hazard ratio. Second, we fit a joint model of the GP5 change trajectory on months to ETD that substituted the estimated slope of a longitudinal logistic regression model into the hazard function of a Cox model. In this model, GP5 was dichotomized as 0 = “Not at all/”A little bit”; 1 = “Somewhat”/ “Quite a bit”/ “Very Much”. Results: 159 patients were followed during induction for a median of 11 months (range: 0.2-16.0). 10 patients (6%) reported a substantial increase on GP5 from registration to cycle 7. After 16 months, these patients had a significantly higher hazard of ETD as estimated by Kaplan Meier methods: 40% experienced ETD vs. 24% of patients without substantial GP5 increase [hazard ratio (HR): 3.08 (95% CI: 1.18-8.02)]. In the joint model, the effect of GP5 on hazard of ETD was larger [HR: 9.56 (95% CI: 2.41-37.82)]. Conclusions: This study found initial evidence that increase in side effect bother as measured by the GP5 predicts ETD and may therefore reflect treatment intolerability in cancer drug trials. The effects found in this study will be tested for replication in additional ECOG-ACRIN trials with diverse designs, treatments, and cancer types. Clinical trial information: NCT00602641 .
Predictive value of bother by side effects of treatment prior to protocol therapy for early treatment discontinuation in clinical trials.
e19132 Background: The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–General has an item about patient tolerability of treatment: “I am bothered by side effects of treatment” (GP5). We examined the predictive value of this single item for early treatment discontinuation in clinical trials. Methods: GP5 level prior to protocol therapy (rated using a 5-point Likert scale) and treatment start/end dates and off treatment reason data at each treatment phase were drawn from five phase III clinical trials conducted by ECOG-ACRIN. In the present analysis, GP5 was dichotomized as 0 = “Not at all”/“A little bit” and 1 = “Somewhat”/“Quite a bit”/“Very Much”. Early treatment discontinuation was defined either as receiving less than protocol specified cycles of treatment when maximum cycles specified in the protocol (E1A06 induction, E1912 induction, E1609 induction, E1105 induction, E5103 adjuvant), analyzed using logistic regression via odds ratio [OR]), or treatment cessation for reasons other than progressive disease or death when treatment continued until progression or intolerability (E1A06 maintenance, E1912 maintenance, E1609 maintenance, E1105 maintenance), analyzed using Cox proportional hazard model via hazard ratio [HR]. Results: GP5 prior to treatment was significantly associated with early discontinuation of E1A06 maintenance, E1609 maintenance, E1912 maintenance, and E1912 induction. No significant association was found for other therapies examined in the study. Conclusions: High GP5 level prior to treatment is associated with higher likelihood of early treatment discontinuation in patients who have received previous treatment. The limited predictive value of GP5 for treatment naïve patients is more limited, serial on-treatment assessment should be considered in this setting. Clinical trial information: NCT00602641 . [Table: see text]
PROSPER: Phase III randomized study comparing perioperative nivolumab versus observation in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) undergoing nephrectomy (ECOG-ACRIN EA8143).
TPS5101 Background: There is no standard adjuvant systemic therapy that increases overall survival (OS) over surgery alone for non-metastatic RCC. Anti-PD-1 nivolumab (nivo) improves OS in metastatic RCC and is well tolerated. In mouse models, priming the immune system prior to surgery with anti-PD-1 results in superior OS compared to adjuvant dosing. Remarkable pathologic responses have been seen with neoadjuvant PD-1 in multiple ph 2 studies in bladder, lung and breast cancers. Phase 2 neoadjuvant RCC trials of nivo show preliminary feasibility and safety with no surgical delays. PROSPER RCC seeks to improve clinical outcomes by priming the immune system with neoadjuvant nivo prior to nephrectomy followed by continued immune system engagement with adjuvant blockade in patients (pts) with high risk RCC compared to standard of care surgery alone. Methods: This global, unblinded, phase 3 National Clinical Trials Network study is accruing pts with clinical stage ≥T2 or TanyN+ RCC of any histology planned for radical or partial nephrectomy. Select oligometastatic disease is permitted if the pt can be rendered ‘no evidence of disease’ within 12 weeks of nephrectomy (≤3 metastases; no brain, bone or liver). In the investigational arm, nivo is administered 480mg IV q4 weeks with 1 dose prior to surgery followed by 9 adjuvant doses. The control arm is nephrectomy followed by standard of care surveillance. There is no placebo. Baseline tumor biopsy is required only in the nivo arm but encouraged in both. Randomized pts are stratified by clinical T stage, node positivity, and M stage. 805 pts provide 84.2% power to detect a 14.4% absolute benefit in recurrence-free survival at 5 years assuming the ASSURE historical control of ~56% to 70% (HR = 0.70). The study is powered to evaluate a significant increase in OS (HR 0.67). Critical perioperative therapy considerations such as safety, feasibility, and quality of life metrics are integrated. PROSPER RCC embeds a wealth of translational studies to examine the contribution of the baseline immune milieu and neoadjuvant priming with anti-PD-1 on clinical outcomes. As of February 2020, 396 patients have been enrolled. Clinical trial information: NCT03055013 .
Abstract 241: Health-related Quality of Life in Patients With Recurrent Pericarditis: Results From a Phase 2 Study of Rilonacept
Background: Recurrent pericarditis (RP) episodes and conventional treatments result in morbidity, but the impact on patient health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has not been quantified. The Phase 2 trial NCT03980522 of rilonacept (IL-1α/IL-1β inhibitor) evaluated HRQoL. Methods: Patients with active RP who were symptomatic at Baseline (A-RP, n=16) and RP patients who were not currently experiencing a recurrence but were corticosteroid-dependent at Baseline (CSD-RP, n=9) were enrolled. All received rilonacept weekly for 6 weeks to end of base treatment period (TP) plus an optional 18-week extension treatment period (EP). Corticosteroid tapering occurred in the EP. Physical and mental HRQoL (PROMIS Global Health v1.2 Physical and Mental Component Scores [PCS/MCS]) were assessed at baseline and follow-up. Results: Figure 1 presents the PROMIS PCS/MCS and pain scale scores (both patient-reported) as well as C-reactive protein levels over time. Mean PCS/MCS scores at baseline were 39.9/44.5 and 43.3/46.5 for A-RP and CSD-RP groups respectively (versus the norm mean of 50). In A-RP, PCS/MCS scores improved by 11.4/5.6 points by end of base TP, and this improvement was sustained throughout the EP (increase of 11.4/6.0 points from baseline at end of EP). In CSD-RP, PCS/MCS scores increased by 1.8/1.4 points by end of TP and improved by 3.5/4.2 points at end of study, after tapering or discontinuation of corticosteroid without disease recurrence. Conclusion: Impaired baseline HRQoL suggests negative impact of RP. For A-RP, rilonacept rapidly improved pericarditis signs and symptoms which was associated with HRQoL improvements. For CSD-RP, rilonacept supported tapering/withdrawal of corticosteroids without recurrence, with maintained/improved HRQoL. These results suggest rilonacept can improve RP patient HRQoL while providing an alternative to corticosteroids.
Patient-Reported Cognitive Impairment Among Women With Early Breast Cancer Randomly Assigned to Endocrine Therapy Alone Versus Chemoendocrine Therapy: Results From TAILORx
PURPOSE Cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) is common during adjuvant chemotherapy and may persist. TAILORx provided a novel opportunity to prospectively assess patient-reported cognitive impairment among women with early breast cancer who were randomly assigned to chemoendocrine therapy (CT+E) versus endocrine therapy alone (E), allowing us to quantify the unique contribution of chemotherapy to CRCI. METHODS Women with a 21-gene recurrence score of 11 to 25 enrolled in TAILORX were randomly assigned to CT+E or E. Cognitive impairment was assessed among a subgroup of 552 evaluable women using the 37-item Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cognitive Function (FACT-Cog) questionnaire, administered at baseline, 3, 6, 12, 24, and 36 months. The FACT-Cog included the 20-item Perceived Cognitive Impairment (PCI) scale, our primary end point. Clinically meaningful changes were defined a priori and linear regression was used to model PCI scores on baseline PCI, treatment, and other factors. RESULTS FACT-Cog PCI scores were significantly lower, indicating more impairment, at 3, 6, 12, 24, and 36 months compared with baseline for both groups. The magnitude of PCI change scores was greater for CT+E than E at 3 months, the prespecified primary trial end point, and at 6 months, but not at 12, 24, and 36 months. Tests of an interaction between menopausal status and treatment were nonsignificant. CONCLUSION Adjuvant CT+E is associated with significantly greater CRCI compared with E at 3 and 6 months. These differences abated over time, with no significant differences observed at 12 months and beyond. These findings indicate that chemotherapy produces early, but not sustained, cognitive impairment relative to E, providing reassurance to patients and clinicians in whom adjuvant chemotherapy is indicated to reduce recurrence risk.
Phase III trial of gemcitabine (30-minute infusion) versus gemcitabine (fixed-dose-rate infusion [FDR]) versus gemcitabine + oxaliplatin (GEMOX) in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer (E6201)
LBA4004 Background: Gemcitabine (GEM) is the cornerstone of treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer (PANCA). FDR GEM or GEMOX are promising, but have yet to convincingly demonstrate a survival advantage over GEM alone. E6201 compares overall survival (OS) of standard GEM 1000 mg/m2/30 min wkly ×7 over 56 days then wkly ×3 q28 d (ARM A) vs. FDR GEM 1500 mg/m2/150 min wkly ×3 q28 days (ARM B) or GEM 1000 mg/m2/100-min/d1 + oxaliplatin 100 mg/m2/d2 q14d (ARM C). Secondary endpoints are the comparison of the experimental regimens, toxicity, response, patterns of failure, progression-free survival and quality-of-life. Methods: This multi-institutional trial included patients (pts) with measurable and non-measurable advanced, unresectable PAN CA, normal organ function and PS 0–2. Pts were chemonaive, although prior adjuvant radiosensitizing 5FU was permitted. Pts were stratified by PS 0–1 vs 2 and locally advanced vs metastatic disease The study was designed to detect a 33% difference in median survival (hazard ratio 1.33) with 81% power while maintaining a significance level of 2.5% in a two-sided test for each of the two primary comparisons, assuming exponential failure and median survival of 6 mo for Arm A and 8 mo for Arm B and C (N = 750 eligible). Results: Accrual started in 3/03 and completed in 3/05. Median follow up is 5.8 mo. 833 pts (53% men; 88% PS 0–1; 88% metastatic), were randomized with 280, 277 and 276 pts in Arms A, B and C. The third interim analysis was conducted with 89.5% information on 3/2006. The predominant toxicity, available for 758 pts, was grade 3/4 myelosuppression and fatigue. Two deaths from ARDS and infection occurred. Median OS for ARMS A, B, and C are 4.96, 6.01 and 6.47 months, respectively. Hazard ratio A vs B is 1.21 with stratified log rank of 0.053 and for A vs C is 1.22 with stratified log rank of 0.045, neither statistically significant. Conclusion: E6201 final OS results will be available in June, 2006. [Table: see text] [Table: see text]
PROSPER: Phase III randomized study comparing perioperative nivolumab versus observation in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) undergoing nephrectomy (ECOG-ACRIN EA8143).
TPS765 Background: There is no standard adjuvant systemic therapy that increases overall survival (OS) over surgery alone for non-metastatic RCC. Anti-PD-1 nivolumab (nivo) improves OS in metastatic RCC and is well tolerated. In mouse models, priming the immune system prior to surgery with anti-PD-1 results in superior OS compared to adjuvant dosing. Remarkable pathologic responses have been seen with neoadjuvant PD-1 in multiple ph 2 studies in bladder, lung and breast cancers. Phase 2 neoadjuvant RCC trials of nivo show preliminary feasibility and safety with no surgical delays. PROSPER RCC seeks to improve clinical outcomes by priming the immune system with neoadjuvant nivo prior to nephrectomy followed by continued immune system engagement with adjuvant blockade in patients (pts) with high risk RCC compared to standard of care surgery alone. Methods: This global, unblinded, phase 3 National Clinical Trials Network study is accruing pts with clinical stage ≥T2 or TanyN+ RCC of any histology planned for radical or partial nephrectomy. Select oligometastatic disease is permitted if the pt can be rendered ‘no evidence of disease’ within 12 weeks of nephrectomy (≤3 metastases; no brain, bone or liver). In the investigational arm, nivo is administered 480mg IV q4 weeks with 1 dose prior to surgery followed by 9 adjuvant doses. The control arm is nephrectomy followed by standard of care surveillance. There is no placebo. Baseline tumor biopsy is required only in the nivo arm but encouraged in both. Randomized pts are stratified by clinical T stage, node positivity, and M stage. 805 pts provide 84.2% power to detect a 14.4% absolute benefit in recurrence-free survival at 5 years assuming the ASSURE historical control of ~56% to 70% (HR = 0.70). The study is powered to evaluate a significant increase in OS (HR 0.67). Critical perioperative therapy considerations such as safety, feasibility, and quality of life metrics are integrated. PROSPER RCC embeds a wealth of translational studies to examine the contribution of the baseline immune milieu and neoadjuvant priming with anti-PD-1 on clinical outcomes. As of October 18, 2019, 317 patients have been enrolled. Clinical trial information: NCT03055013.
Intergroup Randomized Phase III Study of Postoperative Oxaliplatin, 5-Fluorouracil, and Leucovorin Versus Oxaliplatin, 5-Fluorouracil, Leucovorin, and Bevacizumab for Patients with Stage II or III Rectal Cancer Receiving Preoperative Chemoradiation: A Tria
AbstractBackgroundThe addition of bevacizumab to chemotherapy improved outcomes for patients with metastatic colon cancer. E5204 was designed to test whether the addition of bevacizumab to mFOLFOX6, following neoadjuvant chemoradiation and definitive surgery, could improve overall survival (OS) in patients with stage II/III adenocarcinoma of the rectum.Subjects, Materials, and MethodsPatients with stage II/III rectal cancer who had completed neoadjuvant 5-fluorouracil-based chemoradiation and had undergone complete resection were enrolled. Patients were randomized to mFOLFOX6 (Arm A) or mFOLFOX6 with bevacizumab (Arm B) administered every 2 weeks for 12 cycles.ResultsE5204 registered only 355 patients (17% of planned accrual goal) as it was terminated prematurely owing to poor accrual. At a median follow-up of 72 months, there was no difference in 5-year overall survival (88.3% vs. 83.7%) or 5-year disease-free survival (71.2% vs. 76.5%) between the two arms. The rate of treatment-related grade ≥ 3 adverse events (AEs) was 68.8% on Arm A and 70.7% on Arm B. Arm B had a higher proportion of patients who discontinued therapy early as a result of AEs and patient withdrawal than did Arm A (32.4% vs. 21.5%, p = .029).The most common grade 3–4 treatment-related AEs were neutropenia, leukopenia, neuropathy, diarrhea (without prior colostomy), and fatigue.ConclusionAt 17% of its planned accrual, E5204 did not meet its primary endpoint. The addition of bevacizumab to FOLFOX6 in the adjuvant setting did not significantly improve OS in patients with stage II/III rectal cancer.Implications for PracticeAt 17% of its planned accrual, E5204 was terminated early owing to poor accrual. At a median follow-up of 72 months, there was no significant difference in 5-year overall survival (88.3% vs. 83.7%) or in 5-year disease-free survival (71.2% vs. 76.5%) between the two arms. Despite significant advances in the treatment of rectal cancer, especially in improving local control rates, the risk of distant metastases and the need to further improve quality of life remain a challenge. Strategies combining novel agents with chemoradiation to improve both distant and local control are needed.
National Quality Forum Guidelines for Evaluating the Scientific Acceptability of Risk-adjusted Clinical Outcome Measures
Quality measurement is at the heart of efforts to achieve high-quality surgical and medical care at a lower cost. Without accurate quality measures, it is not possible to appropriately align incentives with quality. The aim of these National Quality Forum (NQF) guidelines is to provide measure developers and other stakeholders with guidance on the standards used by the NQF to evaluate the scientific acceptability of performance measures. Using a methodologically rigorous and transparent process for evaluating health care quality measures is the best insurance that alternative payment plans will truly reward and promote higher quality care. Performance measures need to be credible in order for physicians and hospitals to willingly partner with payers in efforts to improve population outcomes. Our goal in creating this position paper is to promote the transparency of NQF evaluations, improve the quality of performance measurements, and engage surgeons and all other stakeholders to work together to advance the science of performance measurement.
Development of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Multiple Myeloma (FACT-MM) Scale and Validation in the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Trial E1A05,
Abstract Abstract 4184 Introduction: FACT-MM was developed with the aim to create a disease-specific, patient-reported outcomes (PRO) measure as part of the FACT measurement system to assess multiple myeloma (MM)-related symptoms. Literature review identified 52 MM specific symptoms and concerns. 13 MM expert clinicians rated these 52 items on relevance to health-related quality of life (HRQL) for MM patients and added 11 items for comprehensive PRO assessment in MM. These 63 candidate items were rated by 13 MM patients recruited through the International Myeloma Foundation website. Disease-related symptoms and concerns were described and provided by patients through free-text comments. Information from both the MM expert clinician and MM patient surveys including free-text items was analyzed and 14 highest ranked items were selected for the FACT-MM. The FACT-MM subscale (score 0–56), the FACT-G physical and functional well-being subscales (score 0–28), and the FACT-Neurotoxicity (FACT-Ntx) subscale (score 0–44) was administered to 48 E1A05 participants to assess disease and treatment-related symptoms of patients with newly diagnosed MM receiving 8 cycles of VRd versus Vd. Methods: In this study, the first three of seven sequential assessments were evaluated: baseline, cycle 5 and end of treatment (after cycle 8 or early diconstinuation). Instruments were scored as per the FACT scoring guidelines. Descriptive statistics were provided for each timepoint and changes in scores from baseline. The Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to assess differences in scores by ISS stage and ECOG PS. Pearson correlation coefficients were obtained between the scores. Cronbach's alpha was used to evaluate internal consistency of the FACT-MM. Results: At baseline and end of treatment, 46 and 41 patients, respectively, completed assessments. The FACT-MM demonstrated good to very good internal consistency (Cronbach alpha 0.79 – 0.89). The FACT-MM subscale was significantly correlated with the FACT physical and functional well-being subscales at baseline (r = 0.72), cycle 5 (r = 0.64; r = 0.49) and end of treatment (r = 0.72; r = 0.66). All scores declined modestly by cycle 5 and end of treatment from baseline. While sample size was limited, there appeared association with ECOG PS with higher scores for patients with PS 0 status. Conclusions: The 14-item FACT-MM scale is feasible for use to measure myeloma-related symptoms and has demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties based on findings from E1A05, an ECOG myeloma trial. Disclosures: Cella: Novartis: Research Funding. Fonseca:Consulting:Genzyme, Medtronic, BMS, Amgen, Otsuka, Celgene, Intellikine, Lilly Research Support: Cylene, Onyz, Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding.