Citations

ARST1321, a trial of patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma, was the first National Clinical Trials Network study codeveloped by pediatric and adult consortia with two treatment cohorts. We report on the findings of a survey to identify barriers to enrolling adolescent and young adult patients (15–39 years) onto the nonchemotherapy arm. The survey response rate was 31% with a 70% completion rate. Common identified reasons for low accrual in order of decreasing frequency included insufficient funding, lack of study awareness or interest, competing trials, toxicity concerns, philosophical differences in the therapy backbone, and regulatory and infrastructure barriers. Clinical Trials.gov ID: NCT02180867.

Abstract Post-remission strategies after dasatinib-corticosteroid induction in adult Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)–positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are not well studied. We evaluated dasatinib and dexamethasone induction then protocol-defined post-remission therapies, including hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Adults (N = 65) with Ph-positive ALL received dasatinib-dexamethasone induction, methotrexate-based central nervous system (CNS) prophylaxis, reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) allogeneic HCT, autologous HCT, or chemotherapy alone, and dasatinib-based maintenance. Key end points were disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). The median age was 60 years (range, 22-87 years). The complete remission rate was 98.5%. With a median follow-up of 59 months, 5-year DFS and OS were 37% (median, 30 months) and 48% (median, 56 months), respectively. For patients receiving RIC allogeneic HCT, autologous HCT, or chemotherapy, 5-year DFS were 49%, 29%, and 34%, and 5-year OS were 62%, 57%, and 46%, respectively. Complete molecular response rate after CNS prophylaxis was 40%. Relative to the p190 isoform, p210 had shorter DFS (median 10 vs 34 months, P = .002) and OS (median 16 months vs not reached, P = .05). Relapse occurred in 25% of allogeneic HCT, 57% of autologous HCT, and 36% of chemotherapy patients. T315I mutation was detected in 6 of 8 marrow relapses. Dasatinib CNS concentrations were low. Dasatinib-dexamethasone followed by RIC allogeneic HCT, autologous HCT, or chemotherapy was feasible and efficacious, especially with RIC allogeneic HCT. Future studies should address the major causes of failure: T315I mutation, the p210 BCR-ABL1 isoform, and CNS relapse. This study was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01256398.

OBJECTIVE High-grade spinal glioma (HGSG) is a rare but aggressive tumor that occurs in both adults and children. Histone H3 K27M mutation correlates with poor prognosis in children with diffuse midline glioma. However, the role of H3 K27M mutation in the prognosis of adults with HGSG remains unclear owing to the rarity of this mutation, conflicting reports, and the absence of multicenter studies on this topic. METHODS The authors studied a cohort of 30 adult patients with diffuse HGSG who underwent histological confirmation of diagnosis, surgical intervention, and treatment between January 2000 and July 2020 at six tertiary academic centers. The primary outcome was the effect of H3 K27M mutation status on progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS Thirty patients (18 males and 12 females) with a median (range) age of 50.5 (19–76) years were included in the analysis. Eighteen patients had H3 K27M mutation–positive tumors, and 12 had H3 K27M mutation–negative tumors. The median (interquartile range) PFS was 3 (10) months, and the median (interquartile range) OS was 9 (23) months. The factors associated with increased survival were treatment with concurrent chemotherapy/radiation (p = 0.006 for PFS, and p ≤ 0.001 for OS) and American Spinal Injury Association grade C or better at presentation (p = 0.043 for PFS, and p < 0.001 for OS). There were no significant differences in outcomes based on tumor location, extent of resection, sex, or H3 K27M mutation status. Analysis restricted to HGSG containing necrosis and/or microvascular proliferation (WHO grade IV histological features) revealed increased OS for patients with H3 K27M mutation–positive tumors (p = 0.017). CONCLUSIONS Although H3 K27M mutant–positive HGSG was associated with poor outcomes in adult patients, the outcomes of patients with H3 K27M mutant–positive HGSG were somewhat more favorable compared with those of their H3 K27M mutant–negative HGSG counterparts. Further preclinical animal studies and larger clinical studies are needed to further understand the age-dependent effects of H3 K27M mutation.

Abstract Aims The causes of distinct patterns of reduced cortical thickness in the common human epilepsies, detectable on neuroimaging and with important clinical consequences, are unknown. We investigated the underlying mechanisms of cortical thinning using a systems‐level analysis. Methods Imaging‐based cortical structural maps from a large‐scale epilepsy neuroimaging study were overlaid with highly spatially resolved human brain gene expression data from the Allen Human Brain Atlas. Cell‐type deconvolution, differential expression analysis and cell‐type enrichment analyses were used to identify differences in cell‐type distribution. These differences were followed up in post‐mortem brain tissue from humans with epilepsy using Iba1 immunolabelling. Furthermore, to investigate a causal effect in cortical thinning, cell‐type‐specific depletion was used in a murine model of acquired epilepsy. Results We identified elevated fractions of microglia and endothelial cells in regions of reduced cortical thickness. Differentially expressed genes showed enrichment for microglial markers and, in particular, activated microglial states. Analysis of post‐mortem brain tissue from humans with epilepsy confirmed excess activated microglia. In the murine model, transient depletion of activated microglia during the early phase of the disease development prevented cortical thinning and neuronal cell loss in the temporal cortex. Although the development of chronic seizures was unaffected, the epileptic mice with early depletion of activated microglia did not develop deficits in a non‐spatial memory test seen in epileptic mice not depleted of microglia. Conclusions These convergent data strongly implicate activated microglia in cortical thinning, representing a new dimension for concern and disease modification in the epilepsies, potentially distinct from seizure control.

Abstract Introduction/Purpose: There is a general lack of consensus onboth the anatomic definition and function of Broca’s area. Given the belief that this region plays a critical role in expressive language, resective surgery is often avoided topreserve function. However, the putative role of Broca’s area in speech production has been recently challenged.The current study aims to investigatethe feasibilityof glioma resection and neurological outcomes in “Broca’s area” in 15 patients.Methods: We report a feasibility study describing the resection of gliomas within the IFG. Awake brain surgery for resection with mapping and intraoperative neuropsychological evaluation was carried out in all individuals. Results: All included patientshad tumors located in traditional “Broca’s area” and eight patients (53.33%) had tumors that additionally extendedinto the insula and subinsular regions. During stimulation, positive speech-language sites within the IFG were identified in ten patients. Two patients (13.33%) experienced a declinein naming during intraoperative cognitive monitoring and thirteen (86.66%) had a stable performance throughout surgery. With all patients had recovery of language functions at a two-week follow up. Extent of resection was stratified in anatomical regions within the IFG, being the pOr the area with the greatest EOR (97.4%), followed by the pT (84.1%), pOp (83.8%), and vPMC (80%).Conclusion: The belief that Broca’s area is not safe to resect is challenged. Adequate mapping and careful patient selection allow maximum safe resection of tumors located in thetraditional “Broca’s area”,with low risk of postoperative morbidity.

Abstract Background Circulating levels of cancer antigen (CA) 15–3, a tumor marker and regulator of cellular metabolism, were reduced by metformin in a nonrandomized neoadjuvant study. We examined the effects of metformin (vs placebo) on CA 15–3 in participants of MA.32, a phase III randomized trial in early-stage breast cancer. Methods A total of 3649 patients with T1-3, N0-3, M0 breast cancer were randomly assigned; pretreatment and 6-month on-treatment fasting plasma were centrally assayed for CA 15–3. Genomic DNA was analyzed for the rs11212617 single nucleotide polymorphism. Absolute and relative change of CA 15–3 (metformin vs placebo) were compared using Wilcoxon rank and t tests. Regression models adjusted for baseline differences and assessed key interactions. All statistical tests were 2-sided. Results Mean (SD) age was 52.4 (10.0) years. The majority of patients had T2/3, node-positive, hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer treated with (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy and hormone therapy. Mean (SD) baseline CA 15–3 was 17.7 (7.6) and 18.0 (8.1 U/mL). At 6 months, CA 15–3 was statistically significantly reduced in metformin vs placebo arms (absolute geometric mean reduction in CA 15–3 = 7.7% vs 2.0%, P &lt; .001; relative metformin: placebo level of CA 15–3 [adjusted for age, baseline body mass index, and baseline CA 15–3] = 0.94, 95% confidence interval = 0.92 to 0.96). This reduction was independent of tumor characteristics, perioperative systemic therapy, baseline body mass index, insulin, and the single nucleotide polymorphism status (all Ps &gt; .11). Conclusions Our observation that metformin reduces CA 15–3 by approximately 6% was corroborated in a large placebo-controlled randomized trial. The clinical implications of this reduction in CA 15–3 will be explored in upcoming efficacy analyses of breast cancer outcomes in MA.32.

Abstract Overexpression of B-cell leukemia/lymphoma 2 (BCL2) renders acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells resistant to chemotherapy and has been associated with unfavorable outcomes. Oblimersen (G3139) is a phosphorothioate 18-mer antisense oligonucleotide directed against the first 6 BCL2 codons. In a phase 1 study of AML patients treated with G3139, cytarabine, and daunorubicin induction with cytarabine consolidation, no antisense-related toxicity was reported, and BCL2 downregulation occurred in patients achieving complete remission. In this phase 3 trial, untreated older AML patients were randomized to cytarabine (100 mg/m2 per day on days 4-10) and daunorubicin (60 mg/m2 per day on days 4-6) followed by cytarabine consolidation (2000 mg/m2 per day on days 4-8) with (arm A) or without (arm B) G3139 (7 mg/m2 per day on days 1-10 [induction] or days 1-8 [consolidation]). A total of 506 patients were enrolled. No differences in toxicity were observed between arms. Estimated overall survival (OS) at 1 year was 43% for arm A and 40% for arm B (1-sided log rank P = .13), with no differences in disease-free (DFS; P = .26) or event-free survival (P = .80). Subgroup analyses showed patients age &lt;70 years in arm A had improved OS by 1 month vs those in arm B (P = .04), and patients with secondary AML in arm A had better DFS vs those in arm B (P = .04). We conclude that addition of G3139 to chemotherapy failed to improve outcomes of older AML patients. However, more effective means of inhibiting BCL2 are showing promising results in combination with chemotherapy in AML. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00085124.