Citations

The authors documented a low compliance with guidelines to screen for skin malignancy in a community-dwelling cohort of patients with newly diagnosed chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

BACKGROUNDAlthough rituximab‐based chemoimmunotherapy (CIT) has substantially improved clinical outcomes in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), only 40% to 50% of patients achieve a complete remission (CR). There remains interest in identifying new approaches to improve the effectiveness of CIT. Ofatumumab is a fully human anti‐CD20 monoclonal antibody with greater apparent single‐agent activity than rituximab in CLL patients.METHODSPreviously untreated CLL patients in need of therapy received 6 cycles of CIT induction with pentostatin, cyclophosphamide, and ofatumumab (PCO) followed by response assessment.RESULTSOf the 48 patients enrolled, 77% completed PCO induction. Adverse events during induction included grade 3+ hematologic toxicity (27%) and grade 3+ nonhematologic toxicity (23%). Median CD4 count after induction and 6 months later were 186 × 106/L and 272 × 106/L. The overall response rate was 96% (46 of 48 patients), and the CR rate was 46% (22 of 48 patients). Among the 38 patients who underwent minimal residual disease evaluation, 7 (18%) were negative for minimal residual disease. After median follow‐up of 24 months, 10 (21%) patients have progressed and 8 (17%) have required retreatment. The efficacy and toxicity of ofatumumab‐based CIT compare favorably to our historical trials of rituximab‐based CIT using an identical chemotherapy backbone (n = 64). Time to retreatment also appeared longer for ofatumumab‐based CIT (free of retreatment at 24 months: 86% [95% confidence interval = 75‐99] versus 68% [95% confidence interval = 56‐81] for rituximab‐based CIT).CONCLUSIONSOfatumumab‐based CIT is well tolerated in patients with previously untreated CLL. The efficacy of ofatumumab‐based CIT compares favorably to historical trials of rituximab‐based CIT, suggesting randomized trials comparing ofatumumab‐based CIT and rituximab‐based CIT should be considered. Cancer 2013;119:3788–3796. © 2013 American Cancer Society.

Fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma (FLHCC) is a rare variant of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) that commonly affects young individuals without a prior history of liver disease. FLHCC commonly results in a better prognosis than HCC; however, the risk of recurrence and metastatic disease is high. FLHCC is typically treated by primary resection of the tumor with 50-75% cure rates. The use of radiation therapy in FLHCC has not been assessed on its own, and may show some success in a very few reported combination therapy cases. We report on the successful use of radiation therapy in a case of metastatic FLHCC to the lung following primary and secondary resections. Our treatment of the large, metastatic, pulmonary FLHCC tumor with 40 Gy in 10 fractions resulted in an 85.9% tumor volume decrease over six months. This suggests FLHCC may be a radiosensitive tumor and radiotherapy may be valuable in unresectable or metastatic tumors.

Outcomes of external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) in advanced medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) are largely unknown. Retrospective review of data from patients with MTC, diagnosed from June 1, 1970, through December 31, 2007. Overall survival and locoregional tumor control rates were calculated. Seventeen patients had adjuvant or palliative EBRT delivered to 41 sites. Six patients initially had adjuvant EBRT (median, 60.80 Gy); none had relapse in the treated area. Five patients with locoregional recurrence after surgery were treated (median, 59.40 Gy), and durable disease control was achieved in 3. Twelve patients received palliative EBRT to 29 sites of metastatic disease (median, 30.00 Gy), which provided sustained symptom relief at 45% of sites. Five- and ten-year overall survival rates were 44% and 19%, respectively. Adjuvant EBRT may be most effective for prevention of locoregional recurrence. EBRT may provide sustained control of advanced, metastatic disease in select patients.

SummaryNearly all information about patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) who develop diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma [Richter syndrome (RS)] is derived from retrospective case series or patients treated on clinical trials. We used the Mayo Clinic CLL Database to identify patients with newly diagnosed CLL between January 2000 and July 2011. Individuals who developed biopsy‐proven RS during follow‐up were identified. After a median follow‐up of 4 years, 37/1641 (2·3%) CLL patients developed RS. The rate of RS was approximately 0·5%/year. Risk of RS was associated with advanced Rai stage at diagnosis (P < 0·001), high‐risk genetic abnormalitites on fluorescence in situ hybridization (P < 0·0001), unmutated IGHV (P = 0·003), and expression of ZAP70 (P = 0·02) and CD38 (P = 0·001). The rate of RS doubled in patients after treatment for CLL (1%/year). Stereotyped B‐cell receptors (odds‐ratio = 4·2; P = 0·01) but not IGHV4‐39 family usage was associated with increased risk of RS. Treatment with combination of purine analogues and alkylating agents increased the risk of RS three‐fold (odds‐ratio = 3·26, P = 0·0003). Median survival after RS diagnosis was 2·1 years. The RS prognosis score stratified patients into three risk groups with median survivals of 0·5 years, 2·1 years and not reached. Both underlying characteristics of the CLL clone and subsequent CLL therapy influence the risk of RS. Survival after RS remains poor and new therapies are needed.