Citations

93 Background: A key eligibility criterion in many active surveillance (AS) programs is that the biopsy exhibit only Gleason pattern 3 (G3) for a Gleason score of 6 or less. However, 25 to 35% of biopsy Gleason 6 is upgraded to Gleason 7 or higher in the prostatectomy (RP) specimen. Thus, there is a great need for biomarkers that, when measured on G3 tissue in a Gleason 6 biopsy, can predict the presence of unsampled higher grade tumor in the whole prostate. We evaluated PTEN loss by immunohistochemistry (IHC), and PTEN deletion, chromosome 8q (MYC) gain and 8p (LPL) loss by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for their ability to predict unsampled G4 tumor. Methods: A tissue microarray (TMA) was constructed of RP tissue from three groups of patients (n=50 per group) whose prostates exhibited only Gleason 3+3, only 3+4, or only 4+3 tumor, matched on age, year of RP, and race. In each patient, multiple cores sampled only from areas of G3 were evaluated for PTEN deletion by FISH, PTEN loss by IHC, and chromosome 8p/8q alterations by FISH. Biomarker results were compared between Gleason 6 versus 7 tumors using conditional logistic regression. Results: Patients underwent RP in 2001 to 2009, had median age 60, and median prostate-specific antigen 5.2; 63% of tumors were organ confined. In univariate analyses 8q gain (odds ratio OR=8.9, p<.0001), 8p loss (OR=6.9, p<.0001), PTEN loss by IHC (OR=5.7, p=.025), but not PTEN deletion by FISH (OR=1.5, p=.477) were significantly more common in G3 cores from Gleason 7 tumors than G3 cores from Gleason 6 tumors. In multivariable analyses, 8q gain (OR=6.2, p=.002) and 8p loss (OR=5.2, p=.0002) remained highly significant. At least one high risk biomarker (8q gain, 8p loss, PTEN loss, or PTEN deletion) was found in 35.7% of Gleason 3+3 versus 77.1% of Gleason 3+4 versus 91.3% of Gleason 4+3 tumors, p<.0001. Adjustment for confounding factors did not change the results. Conclusions: Chromosomal 8q gains (MYC), 8p loss (LPL), and PTEN loss measured in Gleason G3 TMA cores strongly differentiate whether the core comes from Gleason 6 or Gleason 7 tumor. If validated in biopsy Gleason 6 cores to predict prostatectomy Gleason 7 tumor these biomarkers could facilitate safe selection of men for active surveillance.

91 Background: Formal mechanisms to share data on quality remain immature in specialty palliative care. As the field grows, infrastructure that promotes collaboration among academic and community-based practice will be required to foster comparisons and benchmarking of data to inform areas for quality improvement. Further, such relationships will create a palliative care “quality improvement laboratory”, where proposed guidelines and best practices can be developed, implemented, and tested. Methods: We set out to bring together specialty palliative care practices with a shared vision for collaborative quality improvement. We modeled our approach after the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Breakthrough Series alongside our Rapid Learning Quality Improvement paradigm. We use a set of common data collection procedures, across an electronic point-of-care platform called Quality Data Collection Tool (QDACT), alongside a centralized data registry. Further, we meet and discuss challenges and issues, compare best practices, and brainstorm new projects through biweekly conference calls. Results: We have created a multi-institutional collaboration for quality assessment and improvement in specialty palliative care. Termed the Global Palliative Care Quality Alliance, we have brought together 11 academic and community organizations, both general and oncology-specific, across six states to study various areas of quality practice. Short-term, we will conduct rapid-cycling quality improvement projects addressing National Quality Forum domains for quality palliative care, including documentation of spiritual assessment and timely advance care planning. Long-term, we aim to study the link between quality measure adherence and outcomes and further align our initiatives with those of other large consortia, like the Palliative Care Research Cooperative and Palliative Care Quality Network. Conclusions: Collaborative quality improvement is needed in specialty palliative care across a national platform. Developing the infrastructure to perform standardized quality improvement is achievable across multiple palliative care settings.

LBA1000 Background: The primary aims were to determine whether adjuvant DD AC→PG will be superior to DD AC→P as well as to TAC in DFS and to compare the relative DFS of TAC and DD AC→P. Secondary endpoints include survival and toxicity. Methods: From Nov 3, 2004 to May 3, 2007, 4894 women were randomized; 1630 to TAC (docetaxel [T] 75 mg/m2, doxorubicin [A] 50 mg/m2, cyclophosphamide [C] 500 mg/m2 q3 wks x 6), 1634 to DD AC→P (A 60 mg/m2 and C 600 mg/m2 q2 wks x 4 followed by P 175 mg/m2 q2 wks x 4), and 1630 to DD AC→PG (A 60 mg/m2 and C 600 mg/m2 q2 wks x 4 → P 175 mg/m2 + G 2000 mg/m2q2 wks x 4). Primary G-CSF support was required and erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESA) were used at investigator discretion. 52% were postmenopausal, 65% had 1 - 3 positive nodes, and 80% had HR+ breast cancer. Log-rank tests were used for pair-wise comparisons of the primary (DFS) and secondary (OS) endpoints among the three treatment arms. Results: With 64 months median follow-up, 5-year DFS in DD AC→PG group was 80.6% compared with 82.2% in DD AC→P group (HR=1.1; p=0.27) and 80.1 % (HR=0.97; p=0.71) in TAC group. 5-year OS was 90.8% in DD AC→PG group as compared with 89.1% (HR=.89; p=0.25) in DD AC→P group and 89.6 % (HR=0.90; p=0.32) in TAC group. HR for DFS and OS of DD AC→P vs. TAC were 0.89 (p=0.14) and 1.01 (p=0.92) respectively. Toxicities for TAC, DD AC→P, DD AC→PG, respectively: febrile neutropenia (Gr 3/4: 9%, 4%, 4% [p<0.001]), sensory neuropathy (Gr 3/4: <1%, 7%, 6% [p<0.001]), diarrhea (Gr 3/4: 8 %, 2%, 2% [p<0.001]). Hgb was <10 in 12%, 26%, 33% with ESA use in 35.2%, 47%, 51.6% and transfusions in 3.7%, 6.3%, 9.4%. Deaths on treatment: N=13, 5, 7 (p=0.2). AML/MDS: N=5, 8, 11. All cycles completed in 91% for TAC and 88% for DD regimens. Conclusions: Addition of G to DD AC→P did not improve outcomes. No significant differences in efficacy endpoints were identified between DD AC→P and TAC, though toxicity profiles differed. Funding: NCI PHS U10-CA-37377, -69974, -12027, -69651 and NCCTG U10-CA25224, with additional funding from Eli Lilly & Company, and Amgen, Inc.

479 Background: Recent long-term clinical trial follow-up suggests that adding Ox to a fluoropyrimidine (FP) may provide less benefit in adjuvant CC than originally believed (Tournigand JCO 2012). In addition, emerging data on tissue biomarkers such as microsatellite mismatch repair (MMR) and the 12-gene Recurrence Score (RS) suggest these assays may be helpful in better defining treatment benefit, and a new report provides evidence that RS may specifically predict the value of Ox. (O’Connell ASCO 2012) In view of these developments we sought to document current use of adjuvant chemotherapy and physician perceptions about these decisions. Methods: US-based oncologists were recruited to complete a survey and contribute treatment data for their last 3 patients (pts) with stage II disease and last pt with a stage III tumor. Results: 25 gastrointestinal cancer clinical investigators and 77 practicing oncologists participated, providing data from a total of 408 cases (92% treated since 2011). Findings from the 2 groups are similar and are presented in aggregate. A median of 9 and 15 pts annually were evaluated with stage II and III tumors, respectively. Clinicians stated that they require a median of a 5% absolute reduction in relapse rate to use a FP alone and an additional 5% reduction to add Ox. Ox/FP was administered to 95 of 102 pts with stage III tumors (93%) and 85 of 306 pts with stage II disease (28%), particularly to those under age 70 or with T4 tumors (Table). MMR was evaluated in 127 pts (42%) with stage II and 20 pts (20%) with stage III disease. RS was obtained for 46 pts (15%) with stage II tumors, but only 2 pts (2%) with stage III. Conclusions: Adjuvant Ox is employed extensively in spite of the fact that it may provide less benefit than many oncologists report requiring to initiate its use. However, several recent research developments may be laying the groundwork for a change in this treatment practice. [Table: see text]

134 Background: Brain metastasis (BM) is an uncommon site of failure in patients (pts) with esophageal cancer (EC) with reported rates between 1-6%. EC pts are living longer with the wider adoption of trimodality therapy and, as with other malignancies, this may change the patterns of failure. We evaluated the incidence and outcomes of BM in EC at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. Methods: A retrospective review identified pts who developed BM from cancer of the esophagus or gastroesophageal junction. A total of 321 patients treated for stage I-IV EC (adenocarcinoma, n = 273; squamous, n = 46; small cell, n = 2) were identified between 1997 and 2012. Fisher’s exact test was used for comparisons. Actuarial survival was calculated using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Results: BM developed in 13 pts (4%), all of whom had adenocarcinoma. Nine pts initially presented with T3 and/or node-positive disease. Four pts presented with metastatic disease to other sites, but only 1 of this group was diagnosed with BM at initial presentation. The median time from initial diagnosis to BM detection was 12 months (range 0-40). All pts were symptomatic at diagnosis. BM was solitary in 6 pts, multiple in 6 pts, and unknown in 1 pt. The posterior fossa was involved in 9 pts. The brain represented the first site of failure in 9 pts. Treatment included surgical resection (n = 5), stereotactic radiosurgery (n = 4), and whole brain radiotherapy (n = 9). Median overall survival was 24 months from initial diagnosis and 5 months from BM detection. Among pts with adenocarcinoma, 3/119 (2.5%) were diagnosed between 1997-2006 compared to 10/154 (6.5%) between 2007-2012 (P = 0.1). Conclusions: The brain remains an uncommon site of failure among pts with EC. A recent series reported an incidence of BM in 13% of pts, raising the possibility of a changing failure pattern. In our series, BM was detected in only 4% of pts. Our study is suggestive of a trend towards increased incidence of BM in more recent years, although it did not reach statistical significance and could be a consequence of the retrospective nature of the study. Both series found BM limited only to pts with adenocarcinoma, and a possible association has been reported between HER-2 overexpression and BM in EC. Therefore, BM in EC may be an interesting area for future study.

110 Background: Assessment of compliance with national quality guidelines for the management of melanoma may be complicated by controversy about selection of patients for nodal surgery and limited by a lack of data on quality metrics. Previous reports suggest suboptimal overall compliance, with sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) not performed for many suitable patients and completion lymph node dissection (CLND) omitted in many biopsy-proven node-positive (LN+) cases. The purpose of this study was to assess compliance with national ASCO/SSO guidelines for lymph node (LN) surgery for T2 and T3 (intermediate thickness, 1.01-4.00 mm) primary cutaneous melanoma patients and elucidate factors associated with non-compliance. Methods: All cases of T2 and T3, M0 melanoma were identified from 2004-2010 SEER data. Multivariable logistic regression was utilized to identify independent predictors of compliance. Five-year cancer specific survival (CSS) was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: Overall, 75.3% (6,609/8,782) of T2-T3 primary cutaneous melanoma patients underwent LN staging including SLNB in 6,330 (74.5%) of 8,492 clinically LN negative patients. Among these 6,609 patients, 1,279 (19.4%) had one or more LN+. 940 LN+ patients (73.4%) underwent CLND with removal of a mean (median, IQR) of 20.7 (18, 11-27) LNs. Compliance with LN staging and management guidelines was associated with truncal primary site (for SLNB), p<0.001 and with patient age <65 yrs and increasing number of metastatic LNs (for CLND), both p<0.0001. Compliance with CLND for LN+ patients was associated with improved 5 year CSS: 70.0% vs 64.6%, p<0.001. Conclusions: Compliance with guidelines for LN surgery in T2 and T3 melanoma is poor despite the well-defined benefit for this group of patients. These data suggest that non-compliance is multifactorial and not simply due to practice differences arising from the controversial aspects of melanoma management. Room for improvement exists. Assessment of modifiable factors associated with poor compliance, design of strategies to improve compliance and the development of performance measures around appropriate LN staging and management of T2 and T3 melanoma deserve further investigation.

442 Background: For patients with advanced or locally recurrent (LR) renal cell carcinoma (RCC), the role of intra-operative radiation therapy (IORT) remains controversial. We analyzed outcomes in a multi-institutional cohort of patients with RCC who received IORT. Methods: Between 1985 and 2010, 98 patients were treated with IORT for advanced or LR RCC at 9 institutions. We collected demographic, clinical, treatment, and outcomes data for all patients. Overall (OS), disease specific (DSS), and disease-free survival (DFS) was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. A multivariate Cox hazards regression was used to test significance. Results: IORT was delivered at nephrectomy for advanced disease (28%) or during resection of LR RCC in the renal fossa (72%). 69% of patients were male and mean age at RCC diagnosis was 57. At initial nephrectomy, primary T-stage was 17% T1, 12% T2, 55% T3, and 16% T4. Prior to IORT, 87% had visibly complete surgical resection of tumor. Mean IORT dose delivered was 14.7Gy (range 9-20Gy). Average post-op hospitalization was 10.7 days. Median follow-up after IORT was 1.6 years. OS at 1 and 5 years after IORT was 69% and 37% for advanced patients and 94% and 55% for LR patients, respectively. DFS at 1 and 5 years was 72% and 39% for advanced patients and 96% and 52% for LR patients, respectively. DSS at 1 and 5 years was 72% and 41% for advanced patients and 96% and 60% for LR patients, respectively. For the entire cohort, higher IORT dose (HR 1.3, p < 0.001), positive initial node status (HR 2.9-3.6, p < 0.01), and presence of sarcomatoid features (HR 3.7-6.9, p < 0.05) had a significant association with decreased OS, DFS and DSS. Patients who received adjuvant systemic therapy after IORT showed decreased DSS (HR 2.4, p = 0.03). When analyzing LR tumors alone, positive margin (HR 2.6, p = 0.01) was associated with decreased OS. Conclusions: We report on the largest known cohort of patients with RCC managed with IORT and we have identified factors associated with survival. Outcomes in our cohort with LR RCC treated with local resection and IORT compare favorably to similar groups treated with resection alone suggesting improved DSS may be possible with IORT.

CRA1008 Background: S0221 is a SWOG-coordinated phase III adjuvant chemotherapy intergroup trial in node-positive and high-risk node-negative operable breast cancer which hypothesized that 1) the weekly AC+G regimen is superior to ddAC x 6 and 2) 12 weeks of weekly paclitaxel (wP) is superior to q 2 week paclitaxel x 6 (ddP). Methods: Between December 2003 and November 2010, 2,716 patients were randomized in a 2 x 2 factorial design to 1) AC+G vs ddAC and 2) P 80 mg/m2/week x 12 vs P 175 mg/m2 q 2 weeks x 6. If there was no significant interaction between the factors, the trial was powered to find a disease-free survival hazard ratio (HR) ≤ 0.82 for weekly vs q 2 week for each factor. At the first interim analysis, the AC randomization was halted for futility, and S0221 was closed to accrual 10 November 2010. S0221 reopened 15 December 2010, after which time all patients received 4 cycles of ddAC and randomization to P weekly x 12 and ddP x 6 continued. Accrual halted at a total of 3,294 in January 2012. Results: By September 7, 2012, 487 events and 340 deaths had occurred, prompting the third planned interim analysis. The Data Safety and Monitoring Committee recommended reporting the results since the futility boundary was crossed. A Cox model adjusting for the AC arms had a HR = 1.08 (95% CI 0.90-1.28; p=0.42), with the 99.5% CI excluding the original alternative hypothesis that the HR=0.82. There was no significant interaction of the two factors. Estimated 5-year progression-free survivals were 82% for weekly P and 81% for ddP. Toxicity data were available for 1,385 patients treated with ddP and 1,367 treated with weekly P. Grade 5 toxicity occurred in 4 patients on ddP and 2 on weekly P. Percent grade 3-4 toxicity per arm are shown in the Table. Conclusions: Either ddPx6 or weekly P x 12 are acceptable schedules of P administration. The differences in leukopenia likely reflect ascertainment bias against weekly P. If this is accepted, weekly P x 12 produces less overall toxicity than 6 cycles of ddP. Support: NCI grants CA32102, CA38926, CA21115, CA21076, CA77597, CA25224, CA77202, CCSRI15469, and Amgen, Inc. Clinical trial information: NCT00070564. [Table: see text]

20 Background: Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) incidence is rising and prognosis is uniformly poor, even with early stage disease. Barrett esophagus (BE) serves as a premalignant marker for EAC, with an estimated progression of 0.5% per year. Low-grade (LGD) and high-grade dysplasia (HGD) confer a higher risk of progression, providing an opportunity for intervention and surveillance. Aims: To evaluate a large cohort of patients undergoing endoscopic evaluation of BE and thereby better understand the natural history of BE and dysplasia. Methods: A retrospective review of endoscopic databases was conducted for all patients with the diagnosis of BE undergoing upper endoscopy at a tertiary academic medical center from 1991-2010. All endoscopy and accompanying pathology reports were reviewed. Only those patients with 2 biopsies documenting specialized intestinal metaplasia were analyzed. Results: 848 patients underwent upper endoscopy for evaluation of BE. Of these, 674 patients met inclusion criteria, at a mean follow up of 66.6 months. Table 1 depicts the distribution of patients according to their histology at presentation. 22 (3.2%) patients presented with established EAC, while EAC developed in 51 (7.6%). Of patients with HGD, LGD, or no dysplasia (ND) at presentation, EAC ultimately developed in 30.6%, 6.6%, and 2.7%, respectively. EAC developed in 4 patients despite RFA treatment for ND (2) or LGD (2). HGD developed in 6 such patients after treatment for ND (3) and LGD (3). Only 1 patient in each RFA-treated cohort required esophagectomy, while the others cleared dysplasia or EAC with continuous treatment. Conclusions: In this large cohort of patients with Barrett’s esophagus, higher grade of dysplasia at first endoscopy was associated with development of EAC. Continuous surveillance during and after endoscopic treatment is necessary and often results in clearance of dysplasia and EAC. [Table: see text]