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PURPOSE There are deficient data on prevalence of germline mutations in breast cancer susceptibility genes 1 and 2 ( BRCA1/ BRCA2) in Indian patients with ovarian cancer who are not selected by clinical features. METHODS This prospective, cross-sectional, noninterventional study in nine Indian centers included patients with newly diagnosed or relapsed epithelial ovarian, primary peritoneal, or fallopian tube cancer. The primary objective was to assess the prevalence of BRCA1/ BRCA2 mutations, and the secondary objective was to correlate BRCA1/ BRCA2 status with clinicopathologic characteristics. Mutation testing was performed by a standard next-generation sequencing assay. RESULTS Between March 2018 and December 2018, 239 patients with a median age of 53.0 (range, 23.0-86.0 years) years were included, of whom 203 (84.9%) had newly diagnosed disease, 36 (15.1%) had family history of ovarian or breast cancer, and 159 (66.5%) had serous subtype of epithelial ovarian cancer. Germline pathogenic or likely pathogenic mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 were detected in 37 (15.5%; 95% CI, 11.1 to 20.7) and 14 (5.9%; 95% CI, 3.2 to 9.6) patients, respectively, whereas variants of uncertain significance in these genes were seen in four (1.7%; 95% CI, 0.5 to 4.2) and six (2.5%; 95% CI, 0.9 to 5.4) patients, respectively. The prevalence of pathogenic or likely pathogenic BRCA mutations in patients with serous versus nonserous tumors, with versus without relevant family history, and ≤ 50 years versus > 50 years, were 40 of 159 (25.2%; 95% CI, 18.6 to 32.6) versus 11 of 80 (13.8%; 95% CI, 7.1 to 23.3; P = .0636), 20 of 36 (55.6%; 95% CI, 38.1 to 72.1) versus 41 of 203 (20.2%; 95% CI, 14.9 to 26.4; P < .0001), and 20 of 90 (22.2%; 95% CI, 14.1 to 32.2) versus 31 of 149 (20.8%; 95% CI, 14.6 to 28.2; P = .7956), respectively. CONCLUSION There is a high prevalence of pathogenic or likely pathogenic germline BRCA mutations in Indian patients with ovarian cancer.

Background: In the phase III MONARCH plus study (NCT02763566) the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4&6 inhibitor abemaciclib in combination with non-steroidal aromatase inhibitors (NSAI) or with fulvestrant compared with placebo demonstrated its efficacy and acceptable safety profile at interim analysis in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HR+/HER2-) locoregionally recurrent or metastatic breast cancer. One of the most common treatment-emergent adverse event (TEAE) was diarrhea, typically low grade and of early onset. We will further characterize abemaciclib-associated diarrhea and describe its management in MONARCH plus trial. Methods: MONARCH plus study included two cohorts of patients. Cohort A enrolled patients with initial treatment of endocrine therapy, received abemaciclib or placebo plus NSAI (anastrozole or letrozole); Cohort B enrolled patients who progressed on prior endocrine therapy, receiving abemaciclib or placebo plus fulvestrant. The relative dose intensity was defined as the percentage of actual dose received relative to the planned dose. The severity of diarrhea was reported by investigators and graded according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events Version 4.0 (CTCAE v4.0). Further analysis on diarrhea included time to onset, duration, supportive medication and dose modifications. Progression-free survival (PFS) was defined as time from randomization to death or progression (RECIST v1.1), and a stratified Cox proportional hazard model was used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) between study intervention arm and placebo arm. Results: The median relative dose intensity of abemaciclib in abemaciclib plus NSAI arm and abemaciclib plus fulvestrant arm were 96.77% and 96.30% respectively. In abemaciclib plus NSAI arm and abemaciclib plus fulvestrant arm, the median time to onset of first reported diarrhea was 7 and 6 days and majority of diarrhea events occurred early (66.3% and 71.2% of patients reported diarrhea in Cycle 1 respectively). Diarrhea was typically of low grade (3.9% and 1.9% of patients reported Grade 3 in abemaciclib plus NSAI arm and abemaciclib plus fulvestrant arm, no Grade 4 diarrhea was reported in either arm). Median duration of grade ≥ 3 diarrhea was 2.5 and 3.5 days. Diarrhea was managed by dose adjustments and/or supportive medication (Table 1). Dose reductions were present in 2.0% and 2.9% of patients, and anti-diarrhea therapy was received in 30.2% and 32.7% of patients with abemaciclib plus NSAI and abemaciclib plus fulvestrant arm, respectively. As data cutoff, most diarrhea events were reported as resolved, and the incidence dropped below 10% (Grade 2) and 1% (Grade 3) by Cycle 2 in both arms and kept low incidence over time. Compared to the placebo arm, patients treated with abemaciclib combination who reported diarrhea within the first 7 days (abemaciclib + NSAI, HR [95% CI]: 0.289 [0.166, 0.502]; abemaciclib + fulvestrant, HR [95% CI]: 0.371 [0.213, 0.647]) had significant improvement in PFS. Conclusion: Majority of diarrhea events were of low grade in severity and well managed by anti-diarrheal medications, dose omissions or/and dose reductions in MONARCH plus patients. Table 1. Summary of dose adjustments and supportive medications in patients experiencing diarrheaCohort ACohort BAbemaciclib + NSAIAbemaciclib + FulvestrantN = 205N = 104Diarrhea (any grade), n (%)164 (80.0)82 (78.8)1105 (51.2)52 (50.0)251 (24.9)28 (26.9)38 (3.9)2 (1.9)Outcome, number of events, n796333Recovered/resolved, n (%)757 (95.1)318 (95.5)Not recovered/resolved, n (%)17 (2.1)7 (2.1)Treatment change, n (%)Dose reduction4 (2.0)3 (2.9)Dose omission3 (1.5)3 (2.9)Treatment discontinuation00Anti-diarrhea therapies, n (%)62 (30.2)34 (32.7)loperamide48 (23.4)21 (20.2)berberine6 (2.9)6 (5.8) Citation Format: Zefei Jiang, Xichun Hu, Qingyuan Zhang, Tao Sun, Yongmei Yin, Huiping Li, Min Yan, Zhongsheng Tong, Christina Pimentel Oppermann, Yunpeng Liu, Romulo Costa, Man Li, Xi Chen, Ying Cheng, Quchang Ouyang, Ning Liao, Xiaojia Wang, Xinhong Wu, Jifeng Feng, Roberto Hegg, Govindbabu Kanaka Setty, Amit Agarwal, Jyoti Bajpai, Jing Cheng, Gustavo Girotto, Chanchal Goswami, Wenjing Hu, Jian Huang, MA Coccia Portugal, Jin Yang, Rongsheng Zheng, Fabio Andre Franke, Qiang Liu, Yunjiang Liu, Yongkui Lu, Cristiano Souza, Shiying Yu, Nalini Kilara, Harsha Panchal, Ashish Singh, Shona Nag, Jian Liu, Bernardo Rapoport, Neonyana Keorapetse Rebecca Tabane, Hongxia Wang, Ning Wang, Rubing Han, Wanli Zhang. Management of abemaciclib associated diarrhea in patients with hormone receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative advanced breast cancer: Analysis of the MONARCH plus study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Virtual Symposium; 2020 Dec 8-11; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PS13-25.

In order to overcome the polysorbate induced hypersensitivity reactions with chemotherapy drugs, novel drug-delivery mechanisms have been developed in the last decade. D-alpha-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol succinate (TPGS) is formed by esterification of alpha-tocopheryl succinate and polyethylene glycol 1000.This was a real-world retrospective analysis designed to evaluate safety and efficacy of TPGS-docetaxel in various cancers. Patients hospitalized between June 2018 and May 2019 were included in the data set. While the efficacy was assessed by the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors criteria, safety was assessed by the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria-adverse event (AE) criteria.A total of 61 patients who received at least one dose of TPGS-docetaxel were incorporated into the analysis set. The dose of TPGS docetaxel ranged from 20 mg/m2 to 120 mg/m2, commonly prescribed dose being 75 mg/m2. While 25 (40.98%) patients had a partial response, 17 (27.86%) patients had stable disease. Five (8.19%) patients progressed and 4 (6.55%) patients died during the chemotherapy, which was adjudicated to be unrelated to the drug as opined by the treating clinician. AE were reported in 42 patients in the safety data set. There were no AEs pertaining to hypersensitivity reported during the study. One AE of Grade 3 hand foot syndrome was encountered.The preliminary evidence suggests that the novel TPGS-based docetaxel formulation is efficacious in various cancers, and importantly, it has an enhanced safety profile, as it is devoid of polysorbate 80 induced hypersensitivity reactions.

Cancer of unknown primary (CUP) is a condition seen in around 2–10% of patients with malignancy where the standard diagnostic workup fails to identify a specific tissue from which the tumor has arisen. As the survival of these patients is short, around 6–10 months, it becomes important to adopt newer technologies which aid in identifying the type of primary tumor so that the treatment can be guided based on the cancer type. Commonly used immunohistochemistry (IHC) panels may sometimes fail in providing a diagnosis as the CUP tissues contain usually either undifferentiated or dedifferentiate cells. Molecular cancer-classifier assay (MCCA) is an emerging diagnostic modality which is based on either gene expression profiling of the tumors or identification of epigenetic pattern of the tissues to make a probable diagnosis of the tissue from which the primary tumor may have arisen. Studies have shown that when tailored site-specific treatment was administered based on the outcomes of the MCCAs; an improvement in survival of the patients was seen. Recent NCCN guidelines suggest that the MCCAs should be used judiciously and on a case-to-case basis. The 2018 consensus statement from the Spanish Society of Pathology and the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology recognizes that the MCCAs are helpful when used to complement IHC, allowing for more accurate diagnosis of the primary site of tumor.

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is one of the most common and feared side effects in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Scientific evidence proves its detrimental impact on a patient's quality of life (QoL), treatment compliance, and overall healthcare cost. Despite the CINV-management landscape witnessing a radical shift with the introduction of novel, receptor-targeting antiemetic agents, this side effect remains a chink in the armor of a treating oncologist. Though global guidelines acknowledge patient-specific risk factors and chemotherapeutic agent emetogenic potential in CINV control, a "one-fit-for-all" approach cannot be followed across all geographies. Hence, in a pioneering attempt, India-based oncologists conveyed easily implementable, region-specific, consensus-based statements on CINV prevention and management. These statements resulted from integrating the analysis of scientific evidence and guidelines on CINV by the experts, with their clinical experience. The statements will strengthen decision-making abilities of Indian oncologists/clinicians and help in achieving consistency in CINV prevention and management in the country. Furthermore, this document shall lay the foundation for developing robust Indian guidelines for CINV prevention and control.

Metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is cancer that has spread from the breast to another part of the body or has come back in another distant location. Treatment options for MBC depend on several factors, including where the cancer has spread, the patient's overall health, and the levels of hormone receptors and HER2 in the tumour. Over-expression of HER2 is generally considered to be a negative prognostic feature because it accompanies an increase in breast cancer mortality. However, the development of agents that specifically target HER2 has improved the management of patients with these tumours.[7],[8],[9],[10] This expert group used data from published literature, practical experience and opinion of a large group of academic oncologists to arrive at these practical consensus recommendations in regards with the use of these agents and the management of HER2 positive MBC for the benefit of community oncologists.

Background and Aim REGARD and RAINBOW were global, phase 3, randomized, double-blind trials of second-line ramucirumab for metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma. We describe exploratory subgroup analyses to assess the efficacy and safety of ramucirumab in REGARD and RAINBOW in young (≤45 and

Metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is cancer that has spread from the breast to another part of the body or has come back in another distant location. Treatment options for MBC depend on several factors. One of these factors is the levels of hormone receptors (HRs) in the tumor. Cancers with high levels of HRs, called HR-positive, use the hormones estrogen and progesterone to grow and spread. Hormonal therapy is a type of treatment specifically for HR-positive breast cancer. This expert group used data from published literature, practical experience and opinion of a large group of academic oncologists to arrive at these practical consensus recommendations in regards with the use of hormonal therapy and the management of HR-positive MBC for the benefit of community oncologists.

Advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment is primarily based on platinum-based chemotherapy. Although epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) targeting has shifted the treatment paradigm toward personalized tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), resistance develops inevitably and EGFR T790M is the most common acquired resistance mechanism. Rebiopsy of resistant NSCLC cases can provide additional information on the underlying resistant mechanisms and therefore can help clinicians in taking better management decisions. An expert panel meeting of renowned cancer oncologists was held to discuss the management of advanced-stage NSCLC. The present paper is based on the recommendations made by the expert panel and is supported by an exhaustive literature search. It was suggested that identification of driver mutation leads to better treatment decisions. TKIs have proven to be better treatment option in EGFR-positive patients as compared to chemotherapy. Third-generation TKIs (osimertinib) promise to bring optimal and improved care for NSCLC cases failing first-line TKI treatment.

DC Doval,1 K Prabhash,2 S Patil,3 H Chaturvedi,4 C Goswami,5 AK Vaid,6 S Desai,2 S Dutt,7 VH Veldore,8 N Jambhekar,2 A Mehta,1 D Hazarika,8 S Azam,1 S Gawande,9 S Gupta10 1Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre, New Delhi, 2Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, 3Bangalore Institute of Oncology, HCG Group, Bengaluru, 4Max Super Speciality Hospital, New Delhi, 5B. P. Poddar Hospital, Kolkata, 6Medanta The Medicity, Gurgaon, 7Oncquest Laboratories Ltd., New Delhi, 8Triesta Reference Laboratory, HCG Group, Bengaluru, 9Pfizer India Ltd., Mumbai, 10Catalyst Clinical Services Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, India Background: Mutation in the tyrosine kinase domain of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a common feature observed in lung adenocarcinoma. A fusion gene between echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4 (EML4) and the intracellular domain of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), named EML4-ALK, has been identified in a subset of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumors. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of EGFR mutations and EML4-ALK fusions in Indian patients with NSCLC (adenocarcinoma) as well as evaluate their clinical characteristics.Patients and methods: Patients with NSCLC, adenocarcinoma histology, whose tumors had been tested for EGFR mutational status, were considered for this study. ALK gene rearrangement was detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization using the Vysis ALK Break Apart Rearrangement Probe Kit. ALK mutation was tested in samples that were negative for EGFR mutation.Results: A total of 500 NSCLC adenocarcinoma patients were enrolled across six centers. There were 337 (67.4%) men and 163 (32.6%) women with a median age of 58 years. One hundred and sixty-four (32.8%) blocks were positive for EGFR mutations, whereas 336 (67.2%) were EGFR wild-type. Of the 336 EGFR-negative blocks, EML4-ALK fusion gene was present in 15 (4.5%) patients, whereas 321 (95.5%) tumors were EML4-ALK negative. The overall incidence of EML4-ALK fusion gene was 3% (15/500).Conclusion: The incidence of EGFR mutations (33%) in this Indian population is close to the reported incidence in Asian patients. EML4-ALK gene fusions are present in lung adenocarcinomas from Indian patients, and the 3% incidence of EML4-ALK gene fusion in EGFR mutation-negative cases is similar to what has been observed in other Western and Asian populations. The mutual exclusivity of EML4-ALK and EGFR mutations suggests implementation of biomarker testing for tumors harboring ALK rearrangements in order to identify patients that can benefit from newer targeted therapies. Keywords: NSCLC, Crizotinib, Vysis ALK Break Apart Rearrangement Probe Kit

REGARD and RAINBOW were global, phase 3, randomized, double-blind trials of second-line ramucirumab for metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma. Exploratory subgroup analyses were described to assess the efficacy and safety of ramucirumab in REGARD and RAINBOW in young (≤ 45 and 65 years) and elderly (≥ 65, ≥ 70, and ≥ 75 years) patients.Patients were randomized 2:1 to receive ramucirumab plus best supportive care or placebo plus best supportive care (REGARD) or 1:1 to ramucirumab plus paclitaxel or placebo plus paclitaxel (RAINBOW). Subpopulation Treatment Effect Pattern Plots assessed efficacy and adverse events by age groups for ramucirumab versus placebo.The hazard ratios (HRs) for overall survival favored treatment with ramucirumab: REGARD ≤ 45 years (HR: 0.59, 95% confidence interval: 0.27-1.26), 65 years (0.80, 0.59-1.10), ≥ 65 years (0.72, 0.48-1.08), ≥ 70 years (0.73, 0.44-1.23), and ≥ 75 years (0.59, 0.25-1.37); and RAINBOW ≤ 45 years (0.56, 0.33-0.93), 65 years (0.78, 0.63-0.97), ≥ 65 years (0.88, 0.66-1.18), and ≥ 70 years (0.88, 0.60-1.28). The exception was elderly patients aged ≥ 75 years in RAINBOW (0.97, 0.47-2.01); however, patient numbers were low in this subgroup (n = 36). Similar findings were observed for progression-free survival, for which HRs numerically favored ramucirumab-treated patients. Adverse events (including grade ≥ 3) were not associated with age.In comparison with placebo, ramucirumab conferred improvements in efficacy across age groups with a tolerable safety profile. Despite some limitations, these exploratory analyses support the use of ramucirumab in advanced gastric cancer, irrespective of age.

Background The worldwide reported prevalence of germline pathogenic BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in ovarian cancer patients is 17 % (3-27 %) and that of variants of uncertain significance (VUS) is about 10 %. 1, 2There is deficient data on the prevalence of BRCA mutations in Indian patients. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of germline BRCA mutations among Indian patients with ovarian, primary peritoneal or fallopian tube cancer. Methods This was a cross-sectional, multicenter, prospective, observational study conducted at 9 sites from different geographical regions across India which enrolled patients with new or previous diagnosis of ovarian, primary peritoneal, or fallopian tube cancer. Patients underwent blood testing using NGS based platform for germline BRCA. The calculated sample size for this study was 228, assuming 5 % precision around an estimated point prevalence of 15.8 % with a dropout rate of 10 %. Results A total of 239 patients were enrolled, of whom 16 were newly diagnosed, treatment naive, and 223 had a previous diagnosis of ovarian cancer and had received between 1- 9 prior lines of therapy. Germline pathogenic or likely pathogenic BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations were seen in 61 (25.5%, 95% CI 20.12, 31.54) and VUS were seen in 10 (4.2%, 95% CI 2.02 – 7.54) patients, respectively. Among 159 patients with serous histology tumours, 48 (30.2%) had pathogenic/likely pathogenic germline BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations while 16 of 74 (16.2 %) patients with non-serous histology tumours had this finding. Of the 61 patients in this study with germline pathogenic/likely pathogenic BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation, 41 (67.1 %) did not have a family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer. Conclusions Approximately one-fourth of unselected ovarian cancer patients from India had germline BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations of whom, nearly two-thirds did not have a family history of breast and/or ovarian cancers. Legal entity responsible for the study AstraZeneca Pharma India Limited. Funding AstraZeneca Pharma India Limited. Disclosure S. Gupta: Honoraria (institution), Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: AstraZeneca. S. Rajappa: Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: AstraZeneca. S.H. Advani: Advisory / Consultancy: AstraZeneca. A. Agarwal: Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: AstraZeneca. S. Aggarwal: Advisory / Consultancy: AstraZeneca. C. Goswami: Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: AstraZeneca. S. Dattatreya Palanki: Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: AstraZeneca. D. Arya: Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: AstraZeneca. R. Kodagali: Full / Part-time employment: AstraZeneca. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

e13073 Background: BRCA1 and BRCA2 are tumour suppressor genes.1,2 Functional BRCA proteins regulate cell growth and prevent abnormal cell division that might lead to tumour development. Approximately 17% (Range 3 – 27 %) of ovarian cancer patients worldwide have a BRCA mutation.3 This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of germline BRCA mutations among previously and newly diagnosed ovarian, primary peritoneal or fallopian tube cancer patients in India. Methods: This is a non-interventional, cross-sectional, multicenter, prospective, observational study conducted at 15 sites from different geographical regions across India. The study targets to enroll 240 patients over 6 months. The calculated sample size for this study is 228, assuming 5 % precision and a dropout rate of 10 %. The study enrolled females with new or previous diagnosis of ovarian, primary peritoneal, or fallopian tube cancer. No study medication was administered as a part of study procedure. Results: In the interim analysis performed on the first 100 enrolled patients, 22% of Ovarian, primary peritoneal or fallopian tube cancer patients were found to be BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation positive (CI 0.1433-0.3139). 52% of these enrolled patients were found to have serous histopathology, 23.1% of which were found to be BRCA1/2 positive. The percentage of BRCA1/2 mutation status in patients who had a family history of ovarian or breast cancer was found to be 66.7% and 62.5% respectively. Conclusions: In this study, the prevalence of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations among patients with ovarian, primary peritoneal and fallopian tube cancer patients in the first 100 patients enrolled was found to be 22%. References: 1. Vos S, et al. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2018 Jul;127:29-41; 2. Solodskikh SA et al. Mutat Res. 2019 Jan;813:51-57; 3. Alsop K, et al. J Clin Oncol. 2012;30(21):2655-2663.

Summary Background Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and VEGF receptor-2 (VEGFR-2)-mediated signalling and angiogenesis can contribute to the pathogenesis and progression of gastric cancer. We aimed to assess whether ramucirumab, a monoclonal antibody VEGFR-2 antagonist, prolonged survival in patients with advanced gastric cancer. Methods We did an international, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial between Oct 6, 2009, and Jan 26, 2012, at 119 centres in 29 countries in North America, Central and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa. Patients aged 24–87 years with advanced gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction adenocarcinoma and disease progression after first-line platinum-containing or fluoropyrimidine-containing chemotherapy were randomly assigned (2:1), via a central interactive voice-response system, to receive best supportive care plus either ramucirumab 8 mg/kg or placebo, intravenously once every 2 weeks. The study sponsor, participants, and investigators were masked to treatment assignment. The primary endpoint was overall survival. Analysis was by intention to treat. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00917384. Findings 355 patients were assigned to receive ramucirumab (n=238) or placebo (n=117). Median overall survival was 5·2 months (IQR 2·3–9·9) in patients in the ramucirumab group and 3·8 months (1·7–7·1) in those in the placebo group (hazard ratio [HR] 0·776, 95% CI 0·603–0·998; p=0·047). The survival benefit with ramucirumab remained unchanged after multivariable adjustment for other prognostic factors (multivariable HR 0·774, 0·605–0·991; p=0·042). Rates of hypertension were higher in the ramucirumab group than in the placebo group (38 [16%] vs nine [8%]), whereas rates of other adverse events were mostly similar between groups (223 [94%] vs 101 [88%]). Five (2%) deaths in the ramucirumab group and two (2%) in the placebo group were considered to be related to study drug. Interpretation Ramucirumab is the first biological treatment given as a single drug that has survival benefits in patients with advanced gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction adenocarcinoma progressing after first-line chemotherapy. Our findings validate VEGFR-2 signalling as an important therapeutic target in advanced gastric cancer. Funding ImClone Systems.

Context: The distribution of various subtypes of lymphomas in India is different from other parts of the world. There is scarce multicentric data on the pattern and outcomes of lymphomas in India. Aims: The aim of this study is to evaluate the histopathological and the clinical pattern and treatment outcomes of lymphomas in India based on the retrospective data collected from a multicenter registry. Materials and Methods: Retrospective data was collected at 13 public and private hospitals in India for patients diagnosed with lymphoma between January 2005 and December 2009. The data collection was performed in the setting of a multicenter lymphoma registry Survival analyses were performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test. Results: Non-Hodgkin′s lymphoma (NHL) constituted 83.17% and Hodgkin′s lymphoma (HL) for 16.83% of the 1733 registered and analyzed cases. Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) was the most common NHL (55%) followed by follicular lymphoma (11%). CHOP was the most common chemotherapy regimen administered (84%) while rituximab was used in 42.7% of those with DLBCL. Survival analysis of treatment naïve DLBCL patients (n = 791) was performed. Of these, 29% were lost to follow-up, 20% with active disease. The median follow-up in surviving patients is 31 (range: 1-88) months. Median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in DLBCL patients has not reached. There was no significant difference in median PFS (69 months vs. 61 months, P = 0.1341), but OS was significant not reached (NR) vs. NR, P = 0.0012) within international prognostic index high or intermediate subgroups. Rituximab use was associated with significantly prolonged PFS (NR vs. 82 months, P = 0.0123), but not OS (NR vs. NR, P = 0.2214). Cox regression analysis in treatment naïve DLBCL patients showed a performatnce status, stage and receipt of six or more cycles of chemotherapy to be significantly associated with OS and all of the preceding plus rituximab use significantly associated with PFS. Conclusions: Our analysis confirms previous reports of distribution of lymphoma subtypes in India and suggests that patients who are able to receive the full course of chemotherapy achieve a better outcome. This indicates the importance of ensuring compliance to treatment utilizing various measures including patient and family counseling. Prospective studies are required to confirm these findings.

Aims Paclitaxel is extensively used in the treatment of advanced carcinomas of the breast, ovary and non-small cell lung cancer. In clinical use it is formulated in the non-ionic surfactant polyethoxylated castor oil (Cremophor) and dehydrated alcohol to enhance drug solubility. Cremophor adds to toxic effects of paclitaxel by producing or contributing to the well-described hypersensitivity reactions that commonly occur during its infusion, affecting a large number of patients. This randomized trial was conducted to evaluate efficacy and safety of novel nanoparticle-based paclitaxel in the treatment of patients with advanced breast cancer. Method Patients were randomized to receive either nanoparticle paclitaxel (NP) 300 mg/m2, (NP300) or NP220 mg/m2 or Cremophor paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 (CP 175). NP was administered as a 1-h infusion without premedication and CP as a 3-h infusion with premedication every 3 weeks. Results In total, 194 patients who had been administered at least one dose were included for safety analysis and 170 patients who completed at least two cycles of therapy were analyzed for efficacy. NP showed an overall response rate (complete response + partial response) of 40% in the NP220 and NP300 arms as compared to 31% in the CP arm. The incidence of neutropenia (all grades) was lowest in the NP220 arm (39.4%) compared to the NP300 (55%) and CP arm (50%). Conclusion NP is well tolerated and can be safely administered without any premedication in comparison to conventional paclitaxel, which requires the use of premedication before administration. NP demonstrates promising efficacy with a favorable safety profile.

Stage III lung cancer is a heterogenous disease, and is divided into Stage III A and Stage III B. While Stage III A comprises T4 N 0–1, T 3 N1 and T 1–3 N2, Stage III B comprises of T 1–3 N 3 whose mediastinal nodes are positive on CT scan. Stage III A disease is usually amenable to surgical resection followed by chemotherapy + radiation, either concurrently, or sequentially, whereas Stage III B is usually treated like Stage IV with systemic therapy. Any Stage III lung cancer should be evaluated pretreatment by multidisciplinary evaluation including thoracic surgeons, medical oncologists and radiation oncologists, because Stage III lung cancer is amenable to multimodality treatment, and a single modality usually does not suffice. Most of the recent advances in the treatment of Stage III lung cancer have been in systemic therapy, namely chemotherapy and targeted therapy.

Summary Background Targeting of VEGF is a potential therapeutic option in patients with malignant ovarian ascites. We present the final results of a multicentre study of the efficacy and safety of aflibercept, a potent inhibitor of both VEGF and placental growth factor, in the treatment of malignant ascites. Methods In this double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, phase 2 study, patients with advanced chemoresistant ovarian cancer and recurrent symptomatic malignant ascites were randomly assigned (1:1) via an interactive voice response system to either intravenous aflibercept (4 mg/kg every 2 weeks) or placebo, stratified by interval of time (≤2 weeks vs >2 weeks) between the two most recent paracenteses before randomisation. Patients participated in the double-blind period (during which patients, investigators, and sponsor personnel were masked to treatment assignment) until they had a repeat paracentesis and for at least 60 days, and could also participate in an optional open-label period during which all patients received aflibercept. The primary efficacy endpoint was time to repeat paracentesis based on response during the double-blind period alone, and was analysed in the intention-to-treat population with censoring of patients who did not have a repeat paracentesis as of the last day of the double-blind period. Safety analyses included both double-blind and open-label periods. This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00327444. Findings 55 patients with a median of four (range two to 11) previous lines of chemotherapy were randomly assigned to receive placebo (n=26) or aflibercept (n=29). Mean time to repeat paracentesis was significantly longer with aflibercept than with placebo (55·1 [SE 7·3] vs 23·3 [7·7] days; difference 31·8 days, 95% CI 10·6–53·1; p=0·0019). In the aflibercept group, two patients did not need a repeat paracentesis during 6 months of double-blind treatment. The most common grade 3 or 4 treatment-emergent adverse events were dyspnoea (six [20%] aflibercept vs two [8%] placebo), fatigue or asthenia (four [13%] vs 11 [44%]), and dehydration (three [10%] vs three [12%]). The frequency of fatal gastrointestinal events was higher with aflibercept (three intestinal perforations) than with placebo (one intestinal fistula leading to sepsis). Interpretation This study shows the effectiveness of VEGF blockade in the reduction of malignant ascites, but confirms the significant clinical risk of fatal bowel perforation in this population of patients with very advanced cancer. VEGF blockade should be used with caution in advanced ovarian cancer with abdominal carcinomatosis, and the benefit–risk balance should be thoroughly discussed for each patient. Funding Sanofi Oncology.

Ewing's sarcoma (ES)/peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumors usually arise in the long bones of children and young adults. Primary ES of the cranium is unusual. Treatment involves multi-modality therapy incorporating surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy; outcomes are similar to those arising from long bones. We report a case of Primary ES of the squamous part of temporal bone with intracranial extension in a 9-year-old girl who was treated with surgery, chemotherapy followed by adjuvant radiotherapy by volumetric arc therapy. Post 1-year of treatment the girl is performing well in her classes.

Importance Efficacious ERBB2 (formerly HER2 or HER2/neu)-directed treatments, in addition to trastuzumab and lapatinib, are needed. Objective To determine whether neratinib, an irreversible pan-ERBB tyrosine kinase inhibitor, plus paclitaxel improves progression-free survival compared with trastuzumab plus paclitaxel in the first-line treatment of recurrent and/or metastatic ERBB2-positive breast cancer. Design, Setting, and Participants In the randomized, controlled, open-label NEfERT-T trial conducted from August 2009 to December 2014 at 188 centers in 34 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America, 479 women with previously untreated recurrent and/or metastatic ERBB2-positive breast cancer were randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms (neratinib-paclitaxel [n = 242] or trastuzumab-paclitaxel [n = 237]). Women with asymptomatic central nervous system metastases were eligible, and randomization was stratified by prior trastuzumab and lapatinib exposure, hormone-receptor status, and region. Interventions Women received neratinib (240 mg/d orally) or trastuzumab (4 mg/kg then 2 mg/kg weekly), each combined with paclitaxel (80 mg/m 2 on days 1, 8, and 15 every 28 days). Primary prophylaxis for diarrhea was not mandatory. Main Outcome and Measures The primary outcome was progression-free survival. Secondary end points were response rate, clinical benefit rate, duration of response, frequency, and time to symptomatic and/or progressive central nervous system lesions, and safety. Results The intent-to-treat population comprised 479 women 18 years or older (neratinib-paclitaxel, n = 242; trastuzumab-paclitaxel, n = 237) randomized and stratified in their respective treatment arms by prior trastuzumab and lapatinib exposure, hormone-receptor status, and region. Median progression-free survival was 12.9 months (95% CI, 11.1-14.9) with neratinib-paclitaxel and 12.9 months (95% CI, 11.1-14.8) with trastuzumab-paclitaxel (hazard ratio [HR], 1.02; 95% CI, 0.81-1.27; P =.89). With neratinib-paclitaxel, the incidence of central nervous system recurrences was lower (relative risk, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.29-0.79; P = .002) and time to central nervous system metastases delayed (HR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.26-0.78; P = .004). Common grade 3 to 4 adverse events were diarrhea (73 of 240 patients [30.4%] with neratinib-paclitaxel and 9 of 234 patients [3.8%] with trastuzumab-paclitaxel), neutropenia (31 patients [12.9%] vs 34 patients [14.5%]) and leukopenia (19 patients [7.9%] vs 25 patients [10.7%]); no grade 4 diarrhea was observed. Conclusions and Relevance In first-line ERBB2-positive metastatic breast cancer, neratinib-paclitaxel was not superior to trastuzumab-paclitaxel in terms of progression-free survival. In spite of similar overall efficacy, neratinib-paclitaxel may delay the onset and reduce the frequency of central nervous system progression, a finding that requires a larger study to confirm. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier:NCT00915018

3 Background: REGARD and RAINBOW are two phase 3 studies which demonstrated significant survival benefits and manageable toxicity in patients with advanced gastric cancer (GC) randomized in the second-line setting to receive RAM or placebo. We examined outcomes by age (≤45, 45-70, ≥70, ≥75 years). Methods: Patients were randomized 2:1 to receive RAM 8 mg/kg + best-supportive care (BSC) or placebo (PL) + BSC (REGARD); or 1:1 RAM 8 mg/kg + paclitaxel (PTX) or PL + PTX (RAINBOW). Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression were performed for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Subpopulation treatment effect pattern plot (STEPP) assessed efficacy and the incidence of adverse events (AEs) across age subgroups. Results: Baseline characteristics were generally well balanced between arms amongst the age subgroups. Efficacy outcomes are summarized in the Table. STEPP analysis revealed no obvious patterns for differential risks in terms of efficacy and AEs (any grade or grade ≥3) according to age. Conclusions: Compared with PL, the efficacy of RAM was maintained in all age groups, with similar rates of toxicity. Despite some limitations regarding patient numbers in some age subgroups, this exploratory subgroup analysis supports the use of RAM for the treatment of GC, irrespective of age. Clinical trial information: NCT00917384 and NCT01170663. [Table: see text]

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are a pharmaceutical class of small molecules, orally available with manageable safety profile, approved worldwide for the treatment of several neoplasms, including lung, breast, kidney and pancreatic cancer as well as gastro-intestinal stromal tumours and chronic myeloid leukaemia. In recent years, management of lung cancer has been moving towards molecular-guided treatment, and the best example of this new approach is the use of the tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in patients with mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). The identification of molecular predictors of response can allow the selection of patients who will be the most likely to respond to these tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Gastrointestinal (GI) adverse events (AEs) are frequently observed in patients receiving EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy and are most impactful on the patient's quality of life. Dermatologic side effects are also relatively common among patients treated with EGFR inhibitors. Evidence has emerged in recent years to suggest that the incidence and severity of rash, positively correlated with response to treatment.These skin disorders are generally mild or moderate in severity and can be managed by appropriate interventions or by reducing or interrupting the dose. Appropriate and timely management make it possible to continue a patient's quality of life and maintain compliance; however if these adverse events (AEs) are not managed appropriately, and become more severe, treatment cessation may be warranted compromising clinical outcome. Strategies to improve the assessment and management of TKI related skin AEs are therefore essential to ensure compliance with TKI therapy, thereby enabling patients to achieve optimal benefits. This article provides a consensus on practical recommendation for the prevention and management of diarrhoea and rash in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) patients receiving TKIs.

610 Background: This large randomized open-label phase 2 trial compared the efficacy and safety of Neratinib (N), the irreversible pan-HER tyrosine kinase inhibitor, + Paclitaxel (P) vs Trastuzumab...

4057 Background: The REGARD trial demonstrated significant improvements in overall survival (OS), progression free survival (PFS), and disease control rates in pts receiving RAM, a human IgG1 recep...

The management of hormone receptor-positive Her2-negative breast cancer patients with advanced or metastatic disease is a common problem in India and other countries in this region. This expert group used data from published literature, practical experience, and opinion of a large group of academic oncologists, to arrive at practical consensus recommendations for use by the community oncologists.

8053 Background: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of nimotuzumab in combination with chemotherapy (docetaxel and carboplatin) versus chemotherapy alone in stage IIIB/IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Methods: This multicenter, open-label, phase II study, randomized 110 patients to receive nimotuzumab plus chemotherapy (nimotuzumab group) or chemotherapy alone (control group), and comprised concomitant, maintenance, and follow-up phases. Nimotuzumab (200 mg) was administered once weekly for 13 weeks during the first 2 phases with 4 cycles of chemotherapy; docetaxel (75 mg/m2) and carboplatin (area under the curve [AUC] = 5 mg/ml*min), every 3 weeks for a maximum of 4 cycles during the concomitant phase. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR; sum of complete response [CR] and partial response [PR]). Secondary endpoints, overall survival (OS), and progression-free survival (PFS) were estimated using Kaplan-Meier method. Efficacy was evaluated on the intent-to-treat (ITT) and efficacy-evaluable (EE) sets. Safety was assessed from adverse events (AEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs) data. Results: ORR was significantly higher in the nimotuzumab group than in the control group in the ITT (54% vs. 34.5%; P=0.04) population. CR and PR were achieved in 3.6% and 50% patients, respectively, in the nimotuzumab group, and in 4% and 30.9% patients, respectively, in the control group. No significant differences in median PFS and OS were observed. Safety profiles were comparable between the 2 groups. Conclusions: Nimotuzumab plus chemotherapy significantly improved ORR as compared to chemotherapy alone; the combination was safe and well tolerated in stage IIIB/IV NSCLC patients.

LBA5 Background: VEGF and VEGF receptor-2 mediated signaling and angiogenesis may contribute to gastric cancer pathogenesis. Ramucirumab (RAM; IMC-1121B) is a fully human IgG1 monoclonal antibody targeting VEGF-receptor 2. We conducted a placebo-controlled, double-blind, phase III international trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of RAM in pts with metastatic gastric or GEJ adenocarcinoma progressing on first-line platinum- and/or fluoropyrimidine containing combination therapy. Methods: Pts were randomized 2:1 to receive RAM (8 mg/kg IV) plus BSC or placebo (PL) plus BSC every 2 weeks (wks) until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or death. Eligible patients had disease progression within 4 months (m) after 1st-line therapy for metastatic disease or within 6 m after adjuvant therapy. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). Secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), 12-wk PFS rate, overall response rate (ORR) and safety. Results: From 10/09 to 01/12, 355 pts were randomized (RAM: 238; PL: 117). Baseline characteristics were well balanced between arms. The Hazard Ratio (HR) for OS was 0.776 (95% CI, 0.603-0.998; p = 0.0473). Median OS was 5.2 m for RAM and 3.8 m for PL. The HR for PFS was 0.483 (95% CI, 0.376-0.620; p < 0.0001). Median PFS was 2.1 m for RAM and 1.3 m for PL. 12-wk PFS was 40% for RAM and 16% for PL. ORR was 3.4% for RAM and 2.6% for PL. Disease control rate was 49% for RAM and 23% for PL (p < 0.0001). Use of anti-cancer therapy post-study: 32% RAM; 39% PL. The most frequent of grade ≥ 3 adverse events (AEs) were: hypertension (7.2% RAM; 2.6% PL), anemia (6.4% RAM; 7.8% PL), abdominal pain (5.1% RAM; 2.6% PL), ascites (4.2% RAM; 4.3% PL), fatigue (4.2% RAM; 3.5% PL), decreased appetite (3.4% RAM; 3.5% PL) and hyponatremia (3.4% RAM; 0.9% PL). Conclusions: Ramucirumab conferred a statistically significant benefit in OS and PFS compared to PL in metastatic gastric or GEJ adenocarcinoma following progression on 1st-line therapy with an acceptable safety profile. Clinical trial information: NCT00917384.

Radiation therapy is extensively used for treatment of malignancies, but angiosarcomas occurring in an irradiated area are uncommon. We report a rare case of high-grade epithelioid angiosarcoma of upper end of right humerus in a 67-year-old male occurring ten years following irradiation for giant cell tumor of the same anatomical site. The patient presented with progressive painful swelling over right shoulder and his X-ray showed erosion of medial cortex with lytic areas at upper end of humerus. He underwent excision of affected part of humerus followed by cemented hemiarthroplasty and bone grafting. After initial histopathological diagnostic dilemma the final report was given as post-radiation angiosarcoma. Disease recurred at the end of one-year follow-up period where upon he underwent wide resection with prosthesis replacement. He received four cycles of combination chemotherapy with doxorubicin and ifosfamide and currently is free of recurrence after six months follow -up.