Citations

Abstract Serum soluble chemokines/cytokines produced by Hodgkin cells and the tumor microenvironment might be of value as biomarkers in classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). We assessed serum thymus and activation-related chemokine (TARC), macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and soluble CD163 (sCD163) levels at baseline, time of interim fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET), and after therapy in cHL patients treated on S0816, an intergroup phase 2 response-adapted study evaluating escalated therapy for interim PET (PET2)–positive patients (www.clinicaltrials.gov #NCT00822120). Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) status was assessed, and 559 serum samples were evaluated for TARC, MDC, IL-10, and sCD163 by immunoassay. EBV positivity correlated with higher sCD163 and IL-10 levels but lower TARC levels. While baseline biomarker levels were not associated with outcome, sCD163 levels at the time of PET2 were associated with favorable progression-free survival (PFS), adjusting for PET2 status. After therapy TARC, MDC, and IL-10 correlated with PFS and overall survival (OS) on univariable analysis, which remained significant adjusting for international prognostic score. When also adjusting for end-of-therapy PET results, TARC and IL-10 remained significantly associated with shorter PFS and OS. Exploratory analysis in PET2-negative patients showed that elevated posttherapy TARC and IL-10 levels were associated with PFS. Serum cytokine levels correlate with outcome in cHL and should be investigated further in risk-adapted cHL trials.

The American Geriatrics Society convened a conference in Bethesda, Maryland, to explore models and studies of aging. This was the second of three conferences, supported by a U13 grant from the National Institute on Aging, to aid recipients of Grants for Early Medical/Surgical Specialists Transition to Aging Research (GEMSSTAR) in integrating geriatrics into their specialties. Recognizing that aging is the largest risk factor for multiple chronic diseases and age‐related loss of resilience, the conference organizers focused scientific sessions on how targeting age‐related mechanisms can delay, prevent, or reverse geriatric syndromes, age‐related chronic diseases, and loss of resilience. The rationale for studying models of aging as well as study designs, strategies, and challenges of studying human aging were reviewed. This article provides a summary of the full conference report, Models and Studies of Aging: Report from the U13 Conference Series, and summarizes key take‐home messages that were designed to support GEMSSTAR awardees in developing their research careers focused on aging research (see supplementary text for the full report). J Am Geriatr Soc 67:428–433, 2019.

Abstract Purpose: To evaluate safety and efficacy outcomes for subjects on the ECHELON-1 study treated in North America (NA). Patients and Methods: ECHELON-1 is a global, open-label, randomized phase III study comparing doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine in combination with brentuximab vedotin (A+AVD) versus ABVD (AVD + bleomycin) as first-line therapy in subjects with stage III or IV classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL; NCT01712490). Subjects were randomized 1:1 to receive A+AVD or ABVD intravenously on days 1 and 15 of each 28-day cycle for up to 6 cycles. Results: The NA subgroup consisted of 497 subjects in the A+AVD (n = 250) and ABVD (n = 247) arms. Similar to the primary analysis based on the intent-to-treat population, the primary endpoint [modified progression-free survival (PFS) per independent review] demonstrated an improvement among subjects who received A+AVD compared with ABVD (HR = 0.60; P = 0.012). For PFS, the risk of progression or death was also reduced (HR = 0.50; P = 0.002). Subsequent anticancer therapies were lower in the A+AVD arm. Grade 3 or 4 adverse events (AEs) were more common, but there were fewer study discontinuations due to AEs in the A+AVD arm as compared with ABVD. Noted differences between arms included higher rates of febrile neutropenia (20% vs. 9%) and peripheral neuropathy (80% vs. 56%), but lower rates of pulmonary toxicity (3% vs. 10%) in subjects treated with A+AVD versus ABVD. Conclusions: The efficacy benefit and manageable toxicity profile observed in the NA subgroup of ECHELON-1 support A+AVD as a frontline treatment option for patients with stage III or IV cHL.