Citations

Background: Eyelid melanoma (EM) is a rare condition that accounts for <1% of all cutaneous melanomas. In this analysis, patients diagnosed with EM in the United States were compared to those with other melanomas in the head and neck. Methods: The National Cancer Database was used to select patients with head and neck melanoma from 2004 to 2015. Results: A total of 137,233 patients met the criteria of the study. Among them, 2694 were diagnosed with EM (2%) and 134,539 in other head and neck locations (98%). Regarding the patients with EM, the mean age was 68.56 years (standard deviation 14.04). A greater number of them were treated in Academic/Research Programs (53.6%), insured by Medicare (55.7%), tumor in situ (52.2%), stage 0 (49%), and without ulceration (75.9%). The mean time to treatment commencement was 18.96 days for EM compared to 14.4 days for other melanoma in the head and neck regions (P < 0.001). There was a greater proportion of EM in female patients (odds ratio [OR] 2.371 [2.191–2.566], P < 0.001), compared to male; age greater than 80 years (OR 1.622 [1.360–1.934], P < 0.001) compared to 0 to 49 years. Moreover, EM was an independent predictor for treatment in Academic/Research Programs (OR 1.258 [1.160–1.365], P < 0.001) and diagnosis at autopsy (OR 1.414 [1.083–1.847], P = 0.011) compared to other melanoma in the head and neck region. Conclusion: These novel findings have the potential to guide clinical decision making in head and neck melanoma management.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most common form of acute leukemia among adults and accounts for the largest number of annual deaths due to leukemias in the United States. Recent advances have resulted in an expansion of treatment options for AML, especially concerning targeted therapies and low-intensity regimens. This portion of the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) for AML focuses on the management of AML and provides recommendations on the workup, diagnostic evaluation and treatment options for younger (age <60 years) and older (age ≥60 years) adult patients.

Abstract HLA-haploidentical hematopoietic cell transplantation (Haplo-HCT) using posttransplantation cyclophosphamide (PT-Cy) has improved donor availability. However, a matched sibling donor (MSD) is still considered the optimal donor. Using the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research database, we compared outcomes after Haplo-HCT vs MSD in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in first complete remission (CR1). Data from 1205 adult CR1 AML patients (2008-2015) were analyzed. A total of 336 patients underwent PT-Cy–based Haplo-HCT and 869 underwent MSD using calcineurin inhibitor–based graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis. The Haplo-HCT group included more reduced-intensity conditioning (65% vs 30%) and bone marrow grafts (62% vs 7%), consistent with current practice. In multivariable analysis, Haplo-HCT and MSD groups were not different with regard to overall survival (P = .15), leukemia-free survival (P = .50), nonrelapse mortality (P = .16), relapse (P = .90), or grade II-IV acute GVHD (P = .98). However, the Haplo-HCT group had a significantly lower rate of chronic GVHD (hazard ratio, 0.38; 95% confidence interval, 0.30-0.48; P &lt; .001). Results of subgroup analyses by conditioning intensity and graft source suggested that the reduced incidence of chronic GVHD in Haplo-HCT is not limited to a specific graft source or conditioning intensity. Center effect and minimal residual disease–donor type interaction were not predictors of outcome. Our results indicate a lower rate of chronic GVHD after PT-Cy–based Haplo-HCT vs MSD using calcineurin inhibitor–based GVHD prophylaxis, but similar other outcomes, in patients with AML in CR1. Haplo-HCT is a viable alternative to MSD in these patients.

552 Background: Bisphosphonates reduce the risk of bone metastases in postmenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer but carry the risk of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ). We used the data collected in the S0307 trial to describe factors associated with provoked and unprovoked ONJ. Methods: In S0307, 6097 patients with Stage I-III breast cancer who had surgery were randomized to receive zoledronic acid (ZA) 4mg IV monthly for 6 months, then every 3 months, clodronate (CL) 1600mg daily, or ibandronate (IB) 50mg daily for three years, with no difference in bone metastases or disease-free survival. Patients completed dental procedures prior to and had a dental exam at enrollment. Pearson’s Chi-squared and Student’s T-test were used to test differences in categorical and continuous variables, respectively; logistic regression was used test independent association. Results: Of 5836 evaluable women, 48 developed ONJ, which was associated with bisphosphonate type (28/2124 (1.26%) for ZA, 8/2185 (0.36%) for CL and 12/1527 (0.77%) for IB (p = 0.002). Median time to onset of ONJ was 24.9 (1.4-66.6) for ZA, 41.2 months (range 33.8-67.4) for CL, 23.9 (2.1-75.3) for IB (p = 0.0447). Infection was present in 21 (43.8%) and absent in 20. ONJ was considered unprovoked in 20 (41.7%) and provoked by dental extraction in 20 (41.7%), periodontal disease in 14 (29.2%), denture trauma in 6 (12.5%), other dental surgery in 3 (6.3%). ONJ was associated with dental calculus (OR 2.03 (95% CI: 1.08-3.81), gingivitis (OR 2.11, 95% CI: 1.12-3.98), and periodontal disease (OR 2.87, 95% CI 1.45-5.53) that were moderate/severe and > 4mm periodontitis (OR 2.20, 95% CI 1.18-4.08). Patients with provoked and unprovoked ONJ had similar amounts of dental disease and lesion location. ONJ was not associated with dentures, plaque, chemotherapy, corticosteroids or renal adverse events. In multivariate analysis (limited by small sample), only bisphosphonate type was associated with ONJ. Conclusions: ONJ prevalence was low, likely due to patients completing dental procedures before enrollment. ZA carried a higher risk of ONJ (though current adjuvant dosing interval recommendations are less frequent), with time to onset similar to IB. Oral CL and IB (not currently available in the United States) are thus likely more appropriate for patients with poor dental health. Clinical trial information: NCT00127205.

Abstract The discovery and development of DNA-editing nucleases (Zinc Finger Nucleases, TALENs, CRISPR/Cas systems) has given scientists the ability to precisely engineer or edit genomes as never before. Several different platforms, protocols and vectors for precision genome editing are now available, leading to the development of supporting web-based software. Here we present the Gene Sculpt Suite (GSS), which comprises three tools: (i) GTagHD, which automatically designs and generates oligonucleotides for use with the GeneWeld knock-in protocol; (ii) MEDJED, a machine learning method, which predicts the extent to which a double-stranded DNA break site will utilize the microhomology-mediated repair pathway; and (iii) MENTHU, a tool for identifying genomic locations likely to give rise to a single predominant microhomology-mediated end joining allele (PreMA) repair outcome. All tools in the GSS are freely available for download under the GPL v3.0 license and can be run locally on Windows, Mac and Linux systems capable of running R and/or Docker. The GSS is also freely available online at www.genesculpt.org.