Citations

181 Background: To evaluate whether metformin (Met) a widely-used, nontoxic oral antidiabetic drug with putative anticancer properties leads to improvements in prostate cancer (PC) outcomes in the CHAARTED trial. Methods: In the CHAARTED database where metformin use at baseline was recorded prospectively, we identified patients with metastatic PC who underwent either ADT alone or ADT and docetaxel (D) chemotherapy. Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine the effect of Metformin on outcomes. Results: A total of 788 patients (median age, 63 y) had complete data after randomization. Comparison of ADT+D+Met (n = 39) to ADT+D (n = 357) and ADT+Met (n = 29) to ADT alone (n = 363) revealed similar clinicopathologic characteristics. Cause of death was PC in 13(81%) of ADT+D+Met, 72(85%) ADT+D, 9(82%) ADT+Met and 105(84%) ADT alone groups. See table for PC outcomes and overall survival by metformin use. Cox regression analysis for overall survival stratified by stratification factors at randomization demonstrates Met use was associated with a trend for worse overall survival (HR 1.47 95%CI: [0.95,2.26], p = 0.08) with adjustment for treatment arm and prior local therapy. In contrast, ADT+D use (HR 0.62; 95%CI: [0.47,0.81]) and prior local therapy with surgery or radiation (HR 0.56; 95% CI: [0.38, 0.82]) were associated with improved survival. Conclusions: In this study, baseline metformin did not improve PC outcomes. Partial support and drug supply by Sanofi. Clinical trial information: NCT00309985. [Table: see text]

137 Background: Prior work from SWOG 9346 revealed that PSA ≤ 0.2 ng/dL at 7 months (mo) is prognostic for longer OS with ADT alone. We sought to evaluate if this optimal decline remained predictive of better OS when D was added to ADT for initial mHSPC treatment. Methods: We performed a landmark survival analysis at 7 mo using the E3805 database (NCT00309985). Inclusion required at least 7 mo of followup and PSA levels at 7 mo from ADT initiation. Survival was defined from ADT start or randomization to death. SWOG 9346 PSA nadirs of ≤ 0.2, > 0.2-4 and > 4 were used as classifiers. Results: 719 patients were eligible for analysis: 358 treated with ADT plus D and 361 with ADT alone. Median follow-up was 23.1 mo. On multivariable analysis (MVA), achieving a PSA ≤ 0.2 at 7 mo was more likely if the patient received D and had lower volume disease, prior local therapy, and lower baseline PSAs (all p ≤ 0.01). Across all patients, median OS was significantly longer if PSA at 7 mo reached ≤ 0.2 compared to > 4 (p < 0.0001) (Table). On MVA, PSA ≤ 0.2 at 7 mo and low volume disease were prognostic of longer OS (all p < 0.01). On ADT, 28.8% achieved a PSA ≤ 0.2 at 7 mo vs. 45.3% on ADT+D. Patients on ADT alone who achieved a PSA nadir ≤ 0.2 had the best survival. These patients were more likely to have low volume disease (56.7%) compared to the ADT + D pts (46.3%). Conclusions: Achieving PSA ≤ 0.2 at 7 mo remains prognostic for longer OS with ADT for mHSPC, whether administered alone or with D. Adding D to ADT increased the likelihood of a lower PSA and improved survival. Partial support and drug supply by Sanofi. Clinical trial information: NCT00309985. [Table: see text]

136 Background: Patients with a low burden of metastatic disease and who relapse after localized therapy with curative intent have a longer overall survival. It is unclear whether these patients benefit from early docetaxel (D). Methods: Patients in GETUG-AFU15 (N = 385, median follow-up 84 mo) and CHAARTED (N = 790, median follow up 54 mo) were randomized to ADT alone or ADT + D and outcomes described using the same definition of high volume (HV) and low volume (LV) disease. (HV: visceral metastases and/or 4 or more bone metastases with at least one outside the axis) and whether the patients had prior local therapy or not. Results: Table 1 details across both studies that de novo HV group treated with ADT alone has the shortest overall survival and D has a consistent effect in improving OS. In contrast, in both studies patients with LV disease had a much longer OS with no evidence that D improved OS. Conclusions: There was no apparent survival benefit in CHAARTED and GETUG-15 studies with D for LV whether patients had prior local treatment or not. Across both studies, early D had a consistent effect and improved OS in HV pts especially those with no prior local therapy. Partial Support and drug supply by Sanofi. Clinical trial information: NCT00104715, NCT00309985. [Table: see text]

Acellular dermal matrix (ADM) such as Alloderm®is sometimes used in tissue reconstruction in primary and reconstructive breast surgeries. As ADM is incorporated into the native tissues, the evolving imaging findings that would correlate with varying degrees of host migration and neoangiogenesis into the matrix can be challenging to recognize. In the setting of a palpable or clinical area of concern after breast reconstructive surgery following breast cancer, confident diagnosis of a mass representing ADM rather than recurring or developing disease can be challenging. Such diagnostic imaging uncertainties generally result in short-term imaging and clinical follow-up, but occasionally, biopsy is performed for histopathological confirmation of benignity. A case of biopsy-proven Alloderm®is described. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first radiologic-pathologic correlation of ADM in the literature.

OBJECTIVESurgery for brain aneurysms is technically demanding. In recent years, the process to learn the technical skills necessary for these challenging procedures has been affected by a decrease in the number of surgical cases available and progressive restrictions on resident training hours. To overcome these limitations, surgical simulators such as cadaver heads and human placenta models have been developed. However, the effectiveness of these models in improving technical skills is unknown. This study assessed concurrent and predictive validity of brain aneurysm surgery simulation in a human placenta model compared with a “live” human brain cadaveric model.METHODSTwo human cadaver heads and 30 human placentas were used. Twelve neurosurgeons participated in the concurrent validity part of this study, each operating on 1 human cadaver head aneurysm model and 1 human placenta model. Simulators were evaluated regarding their ability to simulate different surgical steps encountered during real surgery. The time to complete the entire aneurysm task in each simulator was analyzed. The predictive validity component of the study involved 9 neurosurgical residents divided into 3 groups to perform simulation exercises, each lasting 6 weeks. The training for the 3 groups consisted of educational video only (3 residents), human cadaver only (3 residents), and human placenta only (3 residents). All residents had equivalent microsurgical experience with superficial brain tumor surgery. After completing their practice training, residents in each of the 3 simulation groups performed surgery for an unruptured middle cerebral artery (MCA) aneurysm, and their performance was assessed by an experienced vascular neurosurgeon who watched the operative videos.RESULTSAll human cadaver heads and human placentas were suitable to simulate brain aneurysm surgery. In the concurrent validity portion of the experiment, the placenta model required a longer time (p < 0.001) than cadavers to complete the task. The placenta model was considered more effective than the cadaver model in simulating sylvian fissure splitting, bipolar coagulation of oozing microvessels, and aneurysm neck and dome dissection. Both models were equally effective in simulating neck aneurysm clipping, while the cadaver model was considered superior for simulation of intraoperative rupture and for reproduction of real anatomy during simulation. In the predictive validity portion of the experiment, residents were evaluated for 4 tasks: sylvian fissure dissection, microvessel bipolar coagulation, aneurysm dissection, and aneurysm clipping. Residents trained in the human placenta simulator consistently had the highest overall performance scores when compared with those who had trained in the cadaver model and those who had simply watched operative videos (p < 0.001).CONCLUSIONSThe human placenta biological simulator provides excellent simulation for some critical tasks of aneurysm surgery such as splitting of the sylvian fissure, dissection of the aneurysm neck and dome, and bipolar coagulation of surrounding microvessels. When performing surgery for an unruptured MCA aneurysm, residents who had trained in the human placenta model performed better than residents trained with other simulation scenarios/models. In this age of reduced exposure to aneurysm surgery and restrictions on resident working hours, the placenta model is a valid simulation for microneurosurgery with striking similarities with real surgery.

AbstractHomologous recombination (HR) DNA repair‐deficient (HRD) breast cancers have been shown to be sensitive to DNA repair targeted therapies. Burgeoning evidence suggests that sporadic breast cancers, lacking germline BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations, may also be HRD. We developed a functional ex vivo RAD51‐based test to identify HRD primary breast cancers. An integrated approach examining methylation, gene expression, and whole‐exome sequencing was employed to ascertain the aetiology of HRD. Functional HRD breast cancers displayed genomic features of lack of competent HR, including large‐scale state transitions and specific mutational signatures. Somatic and/or germline genetic alterations resulting in bi‐allelic loss‐of‐function of HR genes underpinned functional HRD in 89% of cases, and were observed in only one of the 15 HR‐proficient samples tested. These findings indicate the importance of a comprehensive genetic assessment of bi‐allelic alterations in the HR pathway to deliver a precision medicine‐based approach to select patients for therapies targeting tumour‐specific DNA repair defects. Copyright © 2017 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Abstract Background: The utility of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance is controversial. We aimed to identify factors associated with elevated AFP and define the patients for whom AFP is effective for surveillance. Methods: Data from the NCI Early Detection Research Network phase II HCC biomarker study (233 early-stage HCC and 412 cirrhotic patients) were analyzed. We analyzed 110 early-stage HCC and 362 cirrhotic hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients for external validation. Sensitivity, specificity, and area under the ROC curve (AUC) for HCC were calculated. Results: HCV etiology, non-White race, and serum alanine transaminase (ALT) predicted elevated AFP in cirrhotics. Non-White race and ALT predicted elevated AFP in HCC patients. Higher AUC of AFP for HCC was noted in patients with HBV (0.85) and alcohol (0.84), whereas it was lower in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV; 0.80) and nonviral/alcohol etiology (0.76). The AUC was higher in HCV patients with serum ALT ≤40 U/L than patients with serum ALT &gt;40 U/L (0.91 vs. 0.75, P &lt; 0.01). At 90% specificity, the sensitivity of AFP increased from 44% to 74% in Whites with HCV and from 50% to 85% in non-Whites with HCV. There was a trend toward higher AUC in HCV patients with serum ALT ≤40 U/L than those with serum ALT &gt;40 U/L (0.79 vs. 0.69, P = 0.10) in the validation cohort. Conclusions: The satisfactory performance of AFP in HCV patients with normal ALT should be further validated. Impact: The AFP may serve as a valuable surveillance test in HCV patients with normal ALT. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 26(7); 1085–92. ©2017 AACR.

LBA2 Background: Docetaxel (D) improves OS of men with mPrCa who have progressed on androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). We aimed to assess the benefit of upfront chemohormonal therapy for metastatic PrCa. Methods: 1:1 randomization to ADT alone or ADT + D dosed 75mg/m2 every 3 weeks for 6 cycles within 4 month (mos) of starting ADT. Stratification factors: high volume (HV) vs. low volume (LV) disease (HV: visceral metastases and/or 4 or more bone metastases); anti-androgen use beyond 30 days; Age ≥70 vs. < 70 years; ECOG PS 0-1 vs. 2; Prior adjuvant ADT > 12 vs. ≤ 12 mos; FDA approved drug for delaying skeletal related events. Key eligibility criteria: suitable organ and neurological function for D; adjuvant ADT ≤ 24 mos and no progression within 12 mos of adjuvant ADT. OS was the primary endpoint and the study was powered to assess for a 33.3% improvement in median OS (80% power and 1-sided alpha=2.5%). Projected median OS for ADT alone: HV-33 mos; LV-67 mos. Results: 790 men were accrued from 7/28/06 to 11/21/2012: ADT N=393; ADT + D: N=397; balanced for demographic, stratification and disease factors. Median age: 63 years (range: 36 to 91); 98% ECOG PS 0 or 1; 89% Caucasian; 24% prior radiotherapy, 24% prior prostatectomy; HV 64% on ADT and 67% on ADT + D. Data released after 4th interim analysis in Sept 2013 when O’Brien Fleming upper boundary was crossed with 53.1% information. This report reflects 1/16/2014 data with median follow-up of 29 mos with 137 deaths on ADT alone vs. 104 deaths on ADT+D. ADT+D: Grade (G) 3/4 Neutropenic fever: 4%/2%; G3 neuropathy: 1% sensory, 1% motor; 1 death due to treatment (no deaths due to treatment on ADT). Efficacy data is in the table below. After disease progression, 123 pts on ADT alone and 45 pts on ADT + D received docetaxel. Conclusions: ADT + D improves OS over ADT alone in men with HV mPrCa. Longer follow-up is needed for men with LV mPrCa. Clinical trial information: NCT00309985. [Table: see text]