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Bupropion is an atypical antidepressant that increases long-term quit rates of tobacco smokers. A better understanding of the relation between nicotine and this first-line medication may provide insight into improving treatment. For all experiments, rats first had nicotine (0.4 mg base/kg) and saline session intermixed; intermittent access to sucrose only occurred on nicotine session. Nicotine in this protocol comes to differentially control "anticipatory" dipper entries. To more closely examine the overlap in the interoceptive stimulus effects of nicotine and bupropion, we assessed whether subsequent prolonged and repeated non-reinforced (extinction) sessions with the bupropion stimulus could weaken responding to nicotine (i.e., transfer of extinction). We also examined whether retraining the discrimination after initial extinction and then conducting extinction again (i.e., re-extinction) with bupropion would affect responding. We found that bupropion (20 and 30 mg/kg) fully substituted for the nicotine stimulus in repeated 20-min extinction sessions. The extent of substitution in extinction did not necessarily predict performance in the transfer test (e.g., nicotine responding unchanged after extinction with 20 mg/kg bupropion). Generalization of extinction back to nicotine was not seen with 20 mg/kg bupropion even after increasing the number of extinction session from 6 to 24. Finally, there was evidence that learning in the initial extinction phase was retained in the re-extinction phase for nicotine and bupropion. These findings indicate that learning involving the nicotine stimuli are complex and that assessment approach for stimulus similarity changes conclusions regarding substitution by bupropion. Further research will be needed to identify whether such differences may be related to different facets of nicotine dependence and/or its treatment.

PURPOSE The aim of this randomized trial was to assess the potential therapeutic advantage of an intensive induction-sequential chemotherapy schedule (bleomycin, vincristine, cisplatin [BOP])/etoposide, ifosfamide, cisplatin, and bleomycin [VIP-B]), compared with a regimen based on bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin (BEP) (BEP/etoposide and cisplatin [EP]) for the treatment of patients with poor-prognosis metastatic nonseminomatous germ cell tumors (NSGCTs). PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients had one or more of the following: a retroperitoneal mass > or = 10 cm in diameter; mediastinal or supraclavicular mass > or = 5 cm in diameter; at least 20 lung metastases (any size); liver, bone, or brain metastases; and serum beta human chorionic gonadotropin (betaHCG) > or = 10,000 IU/L or alfa fetoprotein (AFP) > or = 1,000 IU/L. A total of 380 patients were accrued between May 1990 and June 1994 into this joint Medical Research Council (MRC)/European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) trial; of these, nine patients were deemed ineligible. RESULTS There was no significant difference between the two arms in the proportion of patients who achieved a complete response (CR) with chemotherapy alone, ie, 79 of 185 assessable patients (57%) with BEP/EP and 72 of 186 (54%) with BOP/VIP-B (P = 0.687). With a median follow-up of 3.1 years (maximum, 5.8), a total of 107 patients (28%) had progressive disease. There was no significant difference in time to first disease progression, or failure-free or overall survival between the two arms (P = 0.21, 0.101, and 0.190, respectively). The 1-year failure-free survival rates for BEP/EP and BOP/VIP-B were 60% (95% confidence interval [CI], 53% to 67%) and 53% (95% CI, 47% to 61%). Grade 3 or 4 myelosuppression, febrile neutropenia, and weight loss were more pronounced with BOP/VIP-B than with BEP/EP, and there were more toxic deaths with BOP/VIP-B than BEP/EP (18 [9%] v nine [5%]). CONCLUSION The intensive BOP/VIP-B therapy was associated with more toxicity, but there was no evidence of an improvement in response rate or survival compared with treatment with BEP/EP.

We investigated the prognostic value of the serum half-life of human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) during induction chemotherapy and the relative prognostic importance of initial marker concentrations and marker half-life. Marker half-lives were calculated using two abnormal values observed between day 8 and day 22 of the first chemotherapy cycle, Moreover, analyses were carried out using day 43 as the second measurement point. Treatment failure at any time was chosen as the end point. The relative prognostic influence of marker half-lives and initial marker concentrations was tested in univariate and multivariate analyses. Half-lives were considered to be prolonged ii > 3 days for HCG and > 6 days for AFP. In addition, we separated patients into those with half-lives > 6 days for HCG and those with half-lives > 10 days for AFP to examine whether these long half-lives were associated with a poor prognosis. A group of 669 patients treated with cisplatin combination chemotherapy was studied. Forty-two per cent of the patients had normal HCG and 37% had normal AFP at the start of chemotherapy. At day 22, HCG was still elevated in 138 patients and AFP in 211, At day 43, the numbers of these patients were 35 and 80 respectively. Based on the measurements obtained on day 8 and day 22, a half-life of HCG > 3 days or > 6 days and/or a half-life AFP > 6 days or > 10 days did not accurately predict treatment failure (P=0.413 and P=0.851, respectively; values obtained using tests for trend). However, initial marker concentrations of HCG and/or AFP greater than or equal to 1000 IU l(-1) were highly significant prognosticators for treatment failure (P=0.001 and P

We have investigated whether an alternating induction chemotherapy regimen of PVB/BEP is superior to BEP in patients with poor-prognosis testicular non-seminoma. A total of 234 eligible patients were randomised to receive an alternating schedule of PVB/BEP for a total of four cycles or four cycles of BEP. Poor prognosis was defined as any of the following: lymph node metastases larger than 5 cm, lung metastases more than four in number or larger than 2 cm, haematogenic spread outside the lungs, such as in liver and bone, human chorionic gonadotrophin > 10,000 IU l-1 or alphafetoprotein > 1000 IU l-1. The complete response (CR) rates to PVB/BEP and BEP were similar, 76% and 72% respectively (P = 0.58). In addition, there was no significant difference in relapse rate, disease-free and overall survival at an average follow-up of 6 years. The 5-year progression-free and survival rates in both treatment groups were approximately 80%. The PVB/BEP regime was more toxic with regard to bone marrow function; the frequencies of leucocytes below 1000 microliters-1, leucocytopenic fever and platelets below 25,000 microliters-1, throughout four cycles were 28% vs 5% (P < 0.001), 16% vs 5% (P = 0.006), and 10% vs 1% (P = 0.001) respectively. Neuropathy also occurred more often in the PVB/BEP arm: 47% vs 25% (P = 0.001). This study shows that an alternating regimen of PVB/BEP is not superior to BEP and that it is more myelo- and neurotoxic.

5137 Background: Our aim was to develop and validate clinically applicable predictive factors for a >30% PSA decline 3 months following chemotherapy initiation, and to assess the performance of a risk-group based classification in predicting PSA declines and overall survival (OS) in men receiving chemotherapy for mCRPC. Methods: In TAX327, 1006 men with mCRPC were randomized to receive docetaxel (D) in two schedules, or mitoxantrone (M), each with prednisone: 989 provided data on PSA decline at 3 months. Predictive factors for a >30% 3-month decline in PSA levels were identified using multivariate logistic regression in D treated men (n = 656) and validated in M treated men (n = 333). Risk factors were combined to form risk groups to predict PSA declines, OS, tumor, and pain responses. Prostate Cancer Working Group (PCWG2) disease states were evaluated for these outcomes in docetaxel treated men. Results: In multivariate analysis, four independent risk factors predicted for absence of >30% decline in 3-month PSA: significant baseline pain (OR 0.63 p = 0.02), visceral metastases (OR 0.66, p = 0.03), anemia (hemoglobin 30% PSA decline in 78, 66, and 58 percent of men (p < 0.001). In the validation M cohort, similar trends for PSA declines and OS were noted across risk groups (OS 22.5, 16.0, 11.8 mo, p < 0.001). PCWG2 subtypes (node only, bone metastatic, and visceral disease), were also highly prognostic and predictive but did not predict OS as well as the TAX327 risk groups (c-index 0.56). Conclusions: Risk groups have been identified and internally validated that predict PSA decline and OS in men with mCRPC. This classification may facilitate evaluation of new regimens of systemic therapy that warrant definitive testing in comparison to docetaxel and prednisone in phase III trials. Prospective validation of these risk groups is needed. [Table: see text]

4557 Background: The TAX-327 study compared 3-weekly docetaxel (D3), weekly docetaxel (D1) or mitoxantrone (M), each with prednisone (P) for 1006 pts with mHRPC. Survival and symptom control were superior for treatment with D3+P as compared to M+P (Tannock et al, NEJM 2004;351;1502–12). Here we investigate QOL and its relation to pain, and effects of treatment on QOL in pts with minimal symptoms. Methods: Pts were assessable for pain response if Present Pain Intensity (PPI) ≥ 2 (range 0–5) or Analgesic Score (AS) ≥ 10. QOL was measured by the FACT-Prostate (FACT-P) self-report score (range 0–156, higher scores indicate better QOL). QOL response required a 16-point increase in FACT-P score maintained on 2 occasions; here deterioration of QOL was defined by a 16-point decrease from baseline in FACT-P score. Pts with minimal symptoms were defined at baseline by a FACT-P score > 128 or by PPI < 2 and AS < 10. Results: QOL was substantially impaired at baseline (FACT-P score ≤128) in 92% and 75% of pts who were and were not assessable for pain (p < 0.001). Correlation of FACT-P score with PPI and AS will be presented. QOL response and deterioration for all assessable pts, and for those with minimal symptoms are shown in the table (p-values compared with M+P). Time-dependent analysis of QOL and its relation to duration of treatment will be presented at the meeting. Conclusions: Most pts had impaired QOL at baseline regardless of pain. There was greater improvement in QOL following treatment with D+P compared to M+P for all pts and for pts with minimal symptoms. With the caveat that unequal withdrawal of pts might bias the data, there was greater probability of decline in QOL for pts receiving weekly docetaxel. [Table: see text] [Table: see text]