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PURPOSE Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) remains a lethal disease with current standard-of-care therapies. Homologous recombination repair (HRR) gene alterations, including BRCA1/2 alterations, can sensitize cancer cells to poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibition, which may improve outcomes in treatment-naïve mCRPC when combined with androgen receptor signaling inhibition. METHODS MAGNITUDE (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03748641 ) is a phase III, randomized, double-blinded study that evaluates niraparib and abiraterone acetate plus prednisone (niraparib + AAP) in patients with (HRR+, n = 423) or without (HRR−, n = 247) HRR-associated gene alterations, as prospectively determined by tissue/plasma-based assays. Patients were assigned 1:1 to receive niraparib + AAP or placebo + AAP. The primary end point, radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS) assessed by central review, was evaluated first in the BRCA1/2 subgroup and then in the full HRR+ cohort, with secondary end points analyzed for the full HRR+ cohort if rPFS was statistically significant. A futility analysis was preplanned in the HRR− cohort. RESULTS Median rPFS in the BRCA1/2 subgroup was significantly longer in the niraparib + AAP group compared with the placebo + AAP group (16.6 v 10.9 months; hazard ratio [HR], 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.79; P = .001). In the overall HRR+ cohort, rPFS was significantly longer in the niraparib + AAP group compared with the placebo + AAP group (16.5 v 13.7 months; HR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.56 to 0.96; P = .022). These findings were supported by improvement in the secondary end points of time to symptomatic progression and time to initiation of cytotoxic chemotherapy. In the HRR− cohort, futility was declared per the prespecified criteria. Treatment with niraparib + AAP was tolerable, with anemia and hypertension as the most reported grade ≥ 3 adverse events. CONCLUSION Combination treatment with niraparib + AAP significantly lengthened rPFS in patients with HRR+ mCRPC compared with standard-of-care AAP.

A 69-year-old male patient, smoker, was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer metastatic to lung, liver and central nervous system. He received chemotherapy with carboplatin AUC 5 on day 1 and etoposide 100mg/m2 on days 1, 2 and 3. During the first cycle, the patient presented with febrile neutropenia and abdominal distension. Chest, abdomen and pelvis computed tomography scan was performed and detected gas dissecting the wall of sigmoid colon extending to the mesosigmoid. Patient had no abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and on physical examination he had no peritoneal irritation, tachycardia or hemodynamic instability compatible with perforation or acute abdomen. Therefore, the radiological finding was interpreted as pneumatosis intestinalis caused by chemotherapy with etoposide. Pneumatosis resolved after continuous oxygen therapy. The second cycle was administered after a complete resolution of the clinical condition and etoposide dose was reduced by 30%. The patient experienced a remarkable evolution.

BackgroundVenous thromboembolic events (VTEs) are common and potentially fatal complications in cancer patients, and they are responsible for the second most common cause of death. Low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) is the gold-standard treatment, but the costs involved limit its use, especially in developing countries. Recently, the oral anticoagulant rivaroxaban, which directly inhibits factor Xa, was approved for VTE treatment.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective analysis from January 2009 to February 2014 with patients who had cancer and VTE who were receiving rivaroxaban. We compared the efficacy, safety, and cost of rivaroxaban and low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) alone or followed by vitamin K antagonists.ResultsForty-one patients were identified, with a median age of 62.5 years. The most frequent tumor histology was adenocarcinoma (78%), which was most often found in the colon (26.8%). Most participants had advanced disease and an implanted central venous catheter. Patients’ VTE risk-assessment scores were low (12.5%), intermediate (50%), and high (35.5%). Pulmonary thromboembolism was reported in 41.4% of patients, but inferior limb thrombosis was reported only in 14.6%; 43.9% of patients received enoxaparin before starting rivaroxaban. Rivaroxaban was used for a median time of 5.5 months. Nonmajor bleeding was reported in 12.2% of patients, and rethrombosis was reported in 12.2%. In our study, rivaroxaban was as safe and effective as enoxaparin/vitamin K antagonists (P = .54 and P = .25, respectively) or LMWH (P = .46 and P = .29, respectively).ConclusionAlthough our study was a retrospective analysis, our results suggest that in this cohort of oncologic patients, rivaroxaban was safe and effective. Its oral route and lower cost make it an attractive alternative to LMWH, improving management of patients with cancer in low-income countries. Additional studies are necessary to confirm our data.