Citations

BACKGROUNDThere are limited therapeutic options for treatment‐refractory pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), with a paucity of data to support the best option after progression on gemcitabine‐based regimens. The authors performed a meta‐analysis to determine the effectiveness of adding oxaliplatin (OX) or various irinotecan formulations to a fluoropyrimidine (FP) after first‐line treatment progression in patients with PDAC.METHODSDifferent databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane, were searched to identify randomized controlled trials comparing FP monotherapy versus FP combination therapy that included either oxaliplatin (FPOX) or various irinotecan formulations (FPIRI) in patients with PDAC who progressed after first‐line treatment. Secondary analyses were planned to assess the effectiveness of FPOX and FPIRI compared with FP. Outcomes of interest included overall survival (OS) and progression‐free survival (PFS).RESULTSFive studies with 895 patients were identified. Patients randomized to receive FPIRI/FPOX had a significantly improved PFS and a trend toward improved OS compared with those who received FP monotherapy. When comparing FPIRI with FP, there was an improvement in both PFS (hazard ratio, 0.64; 95% confidence interval, 0.47‐0.87; P = .005) and OS (hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval, 0.55‐0.89; P = .004) in patients who received the combination. Conversely, FPOX produced only a modest improvement in PFS with no improvement in OS.CONCLUSIONSCombination chemotherapy with OX or various IRI formulations appears to improve PFS compared with single‐agent FP. FPIRI, but not FPOX, appears to confer an OS advantage. The combination of FP with irinotecan formulations appears to be the appropriate next line of treatment upon progression after gemcitabine‐based chemotherapy regimens. Cancer 2017;123:4680‐4686. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) are the initial treatment for majority of newly diagnosed patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in chronic phase (CP) and are associated with marked improvement in hematological, cytogenetic, molecular response and survival rates compared with other therapies. In this review, we summarize the evidence of TKI efficacy for patients with newly diagnosed CP‐CML. Six trials at low risk of bias evaluating TKIs as an initial treatment in adults with newly diagnosed CP‐CML and enrolling 2,456 patients were included. Follow‐up times ranged from a median of 3 months to 5 years. Direct comparison showed statistically higher rates of major molecular response (MMR ≤ 0.1%IS) achievement with second‐generation TKIs at 12 months which was sustained throughout treatment period. Bayesian mixed‐treatment comparison (MTC) analysis demonstrated superiority of both nilotinib and dasatinib over imatinib in terms of efficacy. Nilotinib was associated with higher deeper molecular responses (MR4.5 ≤ 0.0032%IS) at 60 months than dasatinib but no difference in MMR. The differences between nilotinib and dasatinib are likely clinically trivial. Among TKIs, nilotinib was found to have the best survival profile. Both nilotinib and dasatinib are associated with significantly better MMR compared to imatinib that is sustained over 60 months. This analysis shows that new‐generation TKIs are not only showing faster response but also maintaining a more potent one through longer follow‐up period. It is important to note out that MTC is not a substitute for well‐conducted RCTs investigating direct comparisons.

AbstractContext:Exogenous dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) therapy has been proposed to replenish the depletion of endogenous DHEA and its sulfate form, which occurs with advancing age and is thought to be associated with loss of libido and menopausal symptoms.Objective:We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to summarize the evidence supporting the use of systemic DHEA in postmenopausal women with normal adrenal function.Methods:We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycInfo, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Scopus through January 2014. Pairs of reviewers, working independently, selected studies and extracted data from eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs). We used the random-effects model to pool across studies and evaluated heterogeneity using the I2 statistic.Results:We included 23 RCTs with moderate to high risk of bias enrolling 1188 women. DHEA use was not associated with significant improvement in libido or sexual function (standardized mean difference, 0.35; 95% confidence interval, −0.02 to 0.73; P value = .06; I2 = 62%). There was also no significant effect of DHEA on serious adverse effects, serum lipids, serum glucose, weight, body mass index, or bone mineral density. This evidence warranted low confidence in the results, mostly due to imprecision, risk of bias, and inconsistency across RCTs.Conclusions:Evidence warranting low confidence suggests that DHEA administration does not significantly impact sexual symptoms or selected metabolic markers in postmenopausal women with normal adrenal function.

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a unique type of lymphoma with a prognosis intermediate between indolent and aggressive types. The purpose of this study was to study blood cytokine levels in newly diagnosed and relapsed MCL patients with respect to patterns of abnormalities and relationship to the MCL International Prognostic Index (MIPI) score. We analyzed blood levels of 30 cytokines using a multiplex ELISA in 88 patients with newly diagnosed MCL (pre‐treatment levels) and 20 with relapsed MCL and compared them with controls without known lymphoma. Elevated cytokine levels were compared with clinical outcome and the MIPI score. In the 88 newly diagnosed MCL patients, we found significantly elevated levels compared with controls of IL‐12, IP‐10, sIL‐2Rα, MIG, IL‐1RA, IL‐8, MIP‐1α, and MIP‐1β (all P < 0.05). Of these elevated cytokines, sIL‐2Rα, IL‐8, MIG, MIP‐1α, and MIP‐1β were predictive of inferior event‐free survival, and sIL‐2Rα (HR = 1.94; P = 0.038), IL‐8 (HR = 2.17; P = 0.015), and MIP‐1β (HR = 2.10; P = 0.016) were independent of MIPI score; only sIL‐2Rα (HR = 2.35; P = 0.041) was associated with overall survival after adjustment for MIPI. In the relapsed MCL patient group, the only significantly elevated plasma cytokines that predicted EFS were sIL‐2Rα (HR = 2.90; P = 0.04) and IL‐8 (HR = 3.75; P = 0.02). Elevated blood levels of sIL‐2Rα and the pro‐inflammatory cytokines IL‐8 and MIP‐1β are poor prognostic factors in MCL patients and independent of MIPI score. These factors, if validated, will provide important additions to the MIPI and guide the development of new therapies for patients with elevated levels of these cytokines. Am. J. Hematol. 89:E223–E227, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Abstract Background: Palestinian refugees have been a displaced group of people since 1948, many of whom are living in refugee camps in the Middle East. They are entitled to free health care from the United Nations Relief and Work Agency (UNRWA). They show a higher prevalence of diabetes than the population in their host countries in the Middle East. This study examined the realities of care for diabetic patients in UNRWA health clinics in Damascus, Syria. The aim was three‑fold: To investigate the level of diabetes care, to probe patients′ level of general understanding of their disease and its management, and to search for areas of potential improvement. Methods: Data on patient education and care was gathered over a 1 month period from August 4, 2008 to September 4, 2008 using questionnaires and direct observation of the workflow at the clinics. Clinic‑led care was observed by the study team using checklists during patient visits. All of the clinic staff and sampled patients were interviewed. The main areas of care assessed were: Patient follow‑up; examination of eyes and feet; availability of medications; and patient education. A total of 154 people with diabetes were sampled from three refugee camps situated around Damascus. Results: A total of 154 patients, three doctors and seven nurses composed the sample of the study. Foot examinations were almost always neglected by health staff and eye examinations were not offered by the UNRWA clinics. Interviews with patients showed that: 67% (95% confidence intervals [CI]: 0.59‑0.70) had to buy their medication at their own expense at least once due to medication shortage in the UNRWA clinics, 48% (95% CI: 0.40‑0.55) displayed poor knowledge regarding the cause and exacerbating factors of diabetes, 65% (95% CI: 0.56‑0.72) had not heard of insulin, and 43% (95% CI: 0.35‑0.51) did not know for how long they needed to take their medications.

Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are clonal hematopoietic stem-cell disorders, characterized phenotypically by the abnormal accumulation of mature-appearing myeloid cells. Polycythemia vera, essential thrombocythemia, primary myelofibrosis (also known as ‘ BCR-ABL1-negative’ MPNs), and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) are the primary types of MPNs. After the discovery of the BCR-ABL1 fusion protein in CML, several oncogenic tyrosine kinases have been identified in ‘ BCR-ABL1-negative’ MPNs, most importantly, JAK2V617F mutation. The similarity in the clinical characteristics of the BCR-ABL1-negative MPN patients along with the prevalence of the Janus kinase mutation in this patient population provided a strong rationale for the development of a new class of pharmacologic inhibitors that target this pathway. The first of its class, ruxolitinib, has now been approved by the food and drug administration (FDA) for the management of patients with intermediate- to high-risk myelofibrosis. Ruxolitinib provides significant and sustained improvements in spleen related and constitutional symptoms secondary to the disease. Although noncurative, ruxolitinib represents a milestone in the treatment of myelofibrosis patients. Other types of JAK2 inhibitors are being tested in various clinical trials at this point and may provide better efficacy data and safety profile than its predecessor. In this article, we comprehensively reviewed and summarized the available preclinical and clinical trials pertaining to JAK inhibitors.