Citations

Abstract Purpose: Glioblastoma is the most frequent and lethal primary brain tumor. Development of novel therapies relies on the availability of relevant preclinical models. We have established a panel of 96 glioblastoma patient-derived xenografts (PDX) and undertaken its genomic and phenotypic characterization. Experimental Design: PDXs were established from glioblastoma, IDH-wildtype (n = 93), glioblastoma, IDH-mutant (n = 2), diffuse midline glioma, H3 K27M-mutant (n = 1), and both primary (n = 60) and recurrent (n = 34) tumors. Tumor growth rates, histopathology, and treatment response were characterized. Integrated molecular profiling was performed by whole-exome sequencing (WES, n = 83), RNA-sequencing (n = 68), and genome-wide methylation profiling (n = 76). WES data from 24 patient tumors was compared with derivative models. Results: PDXs recapitulate many key phenotypic and molecular features of patient tumors. Orthotopic PDXs show characteristic tumor morphology and invasion patterns, but largely lack microvascular proliferation and necrosis. PDXs capture common and rare molecular drivers, including alterations of TERT, EGFR, PTEN, TP53, BRAF, and IDH1, most at frequencies comparable with human glioblastoma. However, PDGFRA amplification was absent. RNA-sequencing and genome-wide methylation profiling demonstrated broad representation of glioblastoma molecular subtypes. MGMT promoter methylation correlated with increased survival in response to temozolomide. WES of 24 matched patient tumors showed preservation of most genetic driver alterations, including EGFR amplification. However, in four patient–PDX pairs, driver alterations were gained or lost on engraftment, consistent with clonal selection. Conclusions: Our PDX panel captures the molecular heterogeneity of glioblastoma and recapitulates many salient genetic and phenotypic features. All models and genomic data are openly available to investigators.

AbstractBackgroundSeveral registry-based analyses suggested a survival advantage for married versus single patients with pancreatic cancer. The mechanisms underlying the association of marital status and survival are likely multiple and complex and, therefore, may be obscured in analyses generated from large population-based databases. The goal of this research was to characterize this potential association of marital status with outcomes in patients with resected pancreatic cancer who underwent combined modality adjuvant therapy on a prospective clinical trial.Materials and MethodsThis is an ancillary analysis of 367 patients with known marital status treated on NRG Oncology/RTOG 97-04. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test. Multivariate analysis was performed using the Cox proportional hazards regression model.ResultsOf 367 patients, 271 (74%) were married or partnered and 96 (26%) were single. Married or partnered patients were more likely to be male. There was no association between marital status and overall survival (OS) or disease-free survival (DFS) on univariate (hazard ratio [HR], 1.09 and 1.01, respectively) or multivariate analyses (HR, 1.05 and 0.98, respectively). Married or partnered male patients did not have improved survival compared with female or single patients.ConclusionAncillary analysis of data from NRG Oncology/RTOG 97-04 demonstrated no association between marital and/or partner status and OS or DFS in patients with resected pancreatic cancer who received adjuvant postoperative chemotherapy followed by concurrent external beam radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Clinical trial identification number. NCT00003216.

ObjectiveIgG4‐related disease (IgG4‐RD) is a recently recognized disease characterized by fibroinflammatory infiltrates rich in IgG4+ plasma cells that can present as isolated tumor‐like lesions of the head and neck. The objective of the current study was to describe the cranial base manifestations of IgG4‐RD.MethodsReview of all cases at three tertiary‐referral centers since disease description in 2003.ResultsEleven patients were identified at a median age at presentation of 58 years (IQR, 38–65; 55% male). Ten (91%) patients had isolated skull base masses without systemic disease. Cranial neuropathies were commonly observed in the abducens (45%), trigeminal (18%), and facial nerves (18%). Lesions frequently involved the cavernous sinus (55%; 6/11) with extension to the petroclival junction in 50% (3/6). Infiltration of the internal auditory canal was present in 27% (3/11) with one case demonstrating erosion of the bony labyrinth. Preliminary clinical diagnoses commonly included nasopharyngeal cancer, pituitary macroadenoma, cholesteatoma, and meningioma / multiple meningioma syndrome. Local biopsy demonstrated >30 IgG4‐positive plasma cells per high‐powered field or an IgG4:IgG ratio greater than 40% in all cases. Rapid and durable clinical improvement was seen in 91% following corticosteroid and rituximab therapy.ConclusionsIgG4‐RD nonspecifically presents as a rare cause of the skull base mass. Often presenting without concomitant systemic disease, local diagnostic biopsies are required. Obtaining adequate tissue specimen is complicated by densely fibrotic cranial base lesions that are frequently in close proximity to critical neurovascular structures. Primary medical therapy with corticosteroids and rituximab is effective in most patients.Level of Evidence4 Laryngoscope, 130:2574–2580, 2020

Objective: Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is characterized by acute left ventricular dysfunction, which can contribute to intraventricular thrombus and embolism. Still, prevalence and clinical impact of thrombus formation and embolic events on outcome of TTS patients remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate clinical features and outcomes of patients with and without intraventricular thrombus or embolism. Additionally, factors associated with thrombus formation or embolism, as well as predictors for mortality, were identified. Approach and Results: TTS patients enrolled in the International Takotsubo Registry at 28 centers in Australia, Europe, and the United States were dichotomized according to the occurrence/absence of intraventricular thrombus or embolism. Patients with intraventricular thrombus or embolism were defined as the ThrombEmb group. Of 1676 TTS patients, 56 (3.3%) patients developed intraventricular thrombus and/or embolism following TTS diagnosis (median time interval, 2.0 days [range, 0–38 days]). Patients in the ThrombEmb group had a different clinical profile including lower left ventricular ejection fraction, higher prevalence of the apical type, elevated levels of troponin and inflammatory markers, and higher prevalence of vascular disease. In a Firth bias-reduced penalized-likelihood logistic regression model apical type, left ventricular ejection fraction ≤30%, previous vascular disease, and a white blood cell count on admission >10×10 3 cells/μL emerged as independent predictors for thrombus formation or embolism. Conclusions: Intraventricular thrombus or embolism occur in 3.3% of patients in the acute phase of TTS. A simple risk score including clinical parameters associated with intraventricular thrombus formation or embolism identifies patients at increased risk. Clinical Trial Registration: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT01947621.

Replication of negative-strand RNA viruses relies on two components: a helical ribonucleocapsid and an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase composed of a catalytic subunit, the L protein, and a cofactor, the P protein. We show that the measles virus (MeV) C protein is an additional component of the replication complex. We provide evidence that the C protein is recruited to the ribonucleocapsid by the P protein and map the interacting segments of both C and P proteins. We conclude that the primary function of MeV C is to improve polymerase processivity and accuracy, rather than uniquely to antagonize the type I interferon response. Since most viruses of the Paramyxoviridae family express C proteins, their primary function may be conserved.

The recent advent of endovascular procedures has created the unique opportunity to collect and analyze thrombi removed from cerebral arteries, instigating a novel subfield in stroke research. Insights into thrombus characteristics and composition could play an important role in ongoing efforts to improve acute ischemic stroke therapy. An increasing number of centers are collecting stroke thrombi. This paper aims at providing guiding information on thrombus handling, procedures, and analysis in order to facilitate and standardize this emerging research field.

Background Left ventricular ( LV ) recovery in takotsubo syndrome ( TTS ) occurs over a wide‐ranging interval, varying from hours to weeks. We sought to investigate the clinical predictors and prognostic impact of recovery time for TTS patients. Methods and Results TTS patients from the International Takotsubo Registry were included in this study. Cut‐off for early LV recovery was determined to be 10 days after the acute event. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with the absence of early recovery. In‐hospital outcomes and 1‐year mortality were compared for patients with versus without early recovery. We analyzed 406 patients with comprehensive and serial imaging data regarding time to recovery. Of these, 191 (47.0%) had early LV recovery and 215 (53.0%) demonstrated late LV improvement. Patients without early recovery were more often male (12.6% versus 5.2%; P =0.011) and presented more frequently with typical TTS (76.3% versus 67.0%, P =0.040). Cardiac and inflammatory markers were higher in patients without early recovery than in those with early recovery. Patients without early recovery showed unfavorable 1‐year outcome compared with patients with early recovery ( P =0.003). On multiple logistic regression, male sex, LV ejection fraction <45%, and acute neurologic disorders were associated with the absence of early recovery. Conclusions TTS patients without early LV recovery have different clinical characteristics and less favorable 1‐year outcome compared with patients with early recovery. The factors associated with the absence of early recovery included male sex, reduced LV ejection fraction, and acute neurologic events. Clinical Trial Registration URL : http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT 01947621.

Abstract Introduction: Primary refractory and early relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (RR-AML) continue to pose a therapeutic challenge. Salvage therapy treatment regimens for refractory and relapsed disease are not standardized but include the commonly-used mitoxantrone, etoposide, and cytarabine (MEC) and cladribine, cytarabine, filgrastim, and mitoxantrone (CLAG-M). Previous studies have suggested a potential benefit of CLAG-M, and therefore we performed an analysis of consecutive patients selected to receive either CLAG-M or MEC as salvage therapy for RR-AML. Methods: The study included 150 consecutive patients with RR-AML who received either CLAG-M or MEC between 09/01/2009 and 12/31/2017. Patients were identified through a pharmacy database based on use of mitoxantrone. Baseline disease and patient-related characteristics and clinical outcomes including allogeneic transplantation (ASCT) were obtained by systematic review of EMR. Overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) were estimated according to the Kaplan Meier method and log-rank test was used to compare outcomes between patients who received either of the two regimens. Results: There were 150 consecutive treated patients with RR-AML included in this analysis, 34 patients received CLAG-M and 116 patients received MEC. The median age was 57 years (18-76), and, and 52% were male. Forty-seven (31%) were treated for early relapsed disease (<6 months after successful induction), 17% (>6 months after induction), and the remainder had primary refractory disease (mean number of induction regimens was 1.8, range 1-6). AML risk was defined by cytogenetic criteria. There were a predominance of intermediate-risk subtypes at 47% (71/150) and followed by high-risk at 37% (55/150). Overall CR/CRi rates for CLAG-M and MEC were 74% (23/31) and 58% (63/108) in patients eligible for analysis (p=0.18). The median follow-up from relapse was 23.5 months (1-76). The median OS was 9.5 months for CLAG-M and 10.0 months for MEC (HR=0.88, 95%CI=0.54-1.41, p=0.59). In total, 76 patients (51%) were able to proceed to ASCT following salvage therapy with either CLAG-M or MEC. Among transplant recipients 56% (19/34) and 49% (57/116) were treated with CLAG-M and MEC, respectively. Median OS after ASCT was 13.0 months for CLAG-M and 31.0 months for MEC (HR=1.76, 95%CI=0.87-3.56, p=0.12). The median OS for refractory AML was 13.0 and 66.0 months for CLAG-M and MEC recipients, respectively (HR=0.92, 95%CI=0.46-1.84, p=0.24). Median OS for those with early relapse was 12.0 months for CLAG-M and 10.0 months for MEC (HR=0.69, 95%CI=0.22-2.11, p=0.51). Lastly, among those who had late relapse, median OS was 9.0 and 48.0 months for CLAG-M and MEC, respectively (HR=17.6, 95%CI=1.57-198, p<0.001). A univariate analysis was performed to investigate the impact of factors associated with OS, including treatment, age, gender, whether they proceeded to ASCT, cytogenetic risk type, and donor source. ASCT was associated with significant improvement in both PFS (HR=0.24, 95%CI=0.16- 0.37, p<0.001) and OS (HR=0.26, 95%CI=0.17-0.40, p<0.001) in this cohort. Age greater than 65 was associated with worse PFS (HR=1.02, 95%CI=1.00-1.03, p=0.04) but not OS (HR=1.01, 95%CI=1.00-1.03, p=0.06) after controlling for other variables including the impact of ASCT. Discussion: Despite a lower 30-day induction mortality we did not identify significant differences in outcomes among patients selected to receive CLAG-M vs. MEC. There was a statistically significant improvement in survival in patients who had late relapses and were treated with MEC, and a trend towards improvement in OS of those treated with MEC who proceeded to ASCT. As expected, ASCT was associated with significant improvement in OS in this cohort, and our results strongly support the use of ASCT as consolidation of remission after relapse for AML. Our data suggests that MEC may be a superior regimen, in particular including those with late relapse. Figure. Figure. Disclosures Foran: Agios: Research Funding; Xencor, Inc.: Research Funding. Al-Kali:Novartis: Research Funding. Palmer:Novartis: Research Funding.