CTC count is an independent and quantitative prognostic factor in early breast cancer patients treated by NCT. It complements current prognostic models based on tumor characteristics and response to therapy.
Purpose: There is a need for sensitive, reproducible biomarkers for patients with stage III melanoma to guide clinical decision making. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) can be detected in patients with melanoma; however, there are limited data regarding their significance in stage III disease. The aim of this study was to determine whether CTCs are associated with early relapse in stage III melanoma.Experimental Design: We prospectively assessed CTCs at first presentation in clinic (baseline) for 243 patients with stage III melanoma. CTCs were measured using the CellSearch System. Relapse-free survival (RFS) was compared between patients with one or more baseline CTC versus those with no CTCs. Log-rank test and Cox regression analysis were applied to establish associations of CTCs with RFS.Results: At least one baseline CTC was identified in 90 of 243 (37%) patients. Forty-five (19%), 67 (28%), 118 (49%), and 13 (5%) patients were stage IIIA, IIIB, IIIC, or IIID, respectively. CTC detection was not associated with substage, or primary tumor characteristics. Multivariable analysis demonstrated that the detection of ≥1 baseline CTC was significantly associated with decreased 6-month RFS [log-rank, P < 0.0001; HR, 3.62, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.78-7.36; P < 0.0001] and 54-month RFS (log-rank, P ¼ 0.01; HR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.13-2.54; P ¼ 0.01).Conclusions: ≥1 CTC was independently associated with melanoma relapse, suggesting that CTC assessment may be useful to identify patients at risk for relapse who could derive benefit from adjuvant therapy.
Purpose As the recommended radiation dose for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) increases, meeting dose constraints for critical structures like the brachial plexus becomes increasingly challenging, particularly for tumors in the superior sulcus. In this retrospective analysis, we compared dose-volume histogram information with the incidence of plexopathy to establish the maximum tolerated dose to the brachial plexus. Methods and Materials We identified 90 patients with NSCLC treated with definitive chemoradiation from March 2007 through September 2010 who had received>55 Gy to the brachial plexus. We used a multi-atlas segmentation method combined with deformable image registration to delineate the brachial plexuson the original planning CT scans and scoredplexopathy according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v4.03. Results The median radiation dose to the brachial plexus was 70 Gy (range 56-87.5 Gy, 1.5-2.5 Gy/fraction). At a median follow-up time of 14.0 months, 14 patients had had brachial plexopathy (16%) (8 [9%] grade 1 and 6 [7%] grade ≥2); median time to symptom onset was 6.5 months (range 1.4-37.4 months). On multivariate analysis, receipt of median brachial plexus dose >69 Gy(odds ratio [OR] 10.091, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.512-67.331, P=0.005), maximum dose >75 Gy to 2 cm3 of the brachial plexus(OR 4.909, 95% CI 0.966-24.952, P=0.038), and the presence of plexopathy before irradiation(OR 4.722, 95% CI 1.267-17.606, P=0.021) were independent predictors of brachial plexopathy. Conclusions For lung cancers near the apical region, brachial plexopathy is a major concern for high-dose radiation therapy. We developed a computer-assisted image segmentation method which allowed us to rapidly and consistently contour the brachial plexus and establish the dose limits to minimize the risk of brachial plexopathy. Our results could be used as a guideline in future prospective trialswithhigh dose radiation therapy for unresectable lung cancer.
9004 Background: Given the importance of molecular testing and targeted therapy for mNSCLC, the MYLUNG (Molecularly Informed Lung Cancer Treatment in a Community Cancer Network) consortium pragmatic study assessed real-world biomarker testing rates and turnaround times (TAT) within The US Oncology Network of over 1,000 providers across the United States. Methods: This was a retrospective observational chart review study of pts with mNSCLC initiating first-line (1L) systemic therapy between 04/01/2018 and 03/31/2020. iKnowMed electronic health records were used to examine timing of biomarker testing: before 1L therapy (cohort 1), after 1L therapy (cohort 2) or no testing (cohort 3). We assessed testing rates for ALK, BRAF, EGFR, ROS1, and PD-L1; use of full next-generation sequencing panel (NGS); time from mNSCLC diagnosis (dx) to 1L therapy; TAT from biomarker orders to results; and time from mNSCLC dx to test results. Results: We identified 3474 adults. Median age was 69 years (range 23-90), 51% female, 74% with adenocarcinoma and 76% with a documented ECOG performance status of 0 or 1. Testing rates are shown in table: 90% of pts had at least one biomarker test and 46% received all 5 biomarker tests. Changes in testing rates from 2018 to 2020 were 51% to 59% for BRAF, 71% to 71% for EGFR, 71% to 70% for ALK, 69% to 67% for ROS1, 82% to 84% for PD-L1, and 42% to 49% for pts tested for all 5 biomarkers. NGS testing increased from 33% to 44% (p<0.0001). The median (interquartile range [IQR]) time from mNSCLC dx to 1L therapy for all pts was 35 (22, 55) days. Median (IQR) TAT from biomarker testing orders to results ranged from 10 (6, 17) to 15 (10, 22) days for the individual biomarkers; and time from mNSCLC dx to biomarker results ranged from 14 (7, 26) to 21 (12, 36) days by biomarker. Conclusions: This real-world study showed that most pts received at least one biomarker test prior to 1L, but <50% received all 5 tests. NGS testing occurred in <50% of pts but increased over the periods examined. Median time from dx to 1L therapy was about 5 weeks and TAT from orders to results about 2 weeks. Analyses by histology and other trends will be reported. These data will be compared to the next phase of the MYLUNG study, which will evaluate contemporary ordering practices and TATs prospectively[Table: see text]
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