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The point-of-care tests (POCT) are subject to accreditation. A national inventory survey provides a synthesis of knowledge. The survey distributed 31 questions in 2019. 147 responses were received (75% biologists, 49% CHU, 42% CHG). Only 20.41% are accredited ISO22870, the majority for

During the first wave of Covid-19 in France, in spring 2020, healthcare institution's laboratory had to adapt itself quickly to the growing demand for emergency biology, in particular by reorganizing their POCT analyzers: redeployment of analyzers and/or new installations. In order to analyze this management, a subgroup of 15 hospital biologists from the SFBC Working Group "Biochemical markers of Covid-19" sent, in fall 2020, an on-line survey to French hospital laboratories using POCT. Answers analysis (n = 86) shows a territorial disparity related to the severity of the first wave: increased activity essentially in red zones, management of unexpected situations, training of additional nursing staff for 40 % of the laboratories... The survey also showed simplification of aspects related to accreditation those periods of health crisis. An additional survey, carried out in the spring of 2021, showed good overall satisfaction of the healthcare services (n = 139) concerning the services provided by biology in the POCT sector. Because of their great adaptation capacity, the laboratories and their POCT-teams have played a key role in the management of the first wave of Covid-19 in France. However, the success of these organizations requires an essential collaboration between laboratories and healthcare services. The results of this survey are fundamental in the context of the prolongation of the pandemia throughout the world with a POCT sector appearing to be growing.

Summary Background Gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST) are the most common mesenchymal neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract. Imatinib followed by sunitinib and regorafenib is the standard sequence of treatment for advanced disease. Pazopanib is effective in soft tissue sarcomas but has never been assessed in advanced GIST in a randomised trial. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of pazopanib in patients with previously treated advanced GIST. Methods In this randomised, open-label phase 2 study, we enrolled adults (aged ≥18 years) with advanced GIST resistant to imatinib and sunitinib from 12 comprehensive cancer centres or university hospitals in France and randomly assigned them 1:1 using an interactive web-based centralised platform to 800 mg oral pazopanib once daily in 4-week cycles plus best supportive care or best supportive care alone. Randomisation was stratified by the number of previous treatment regimens (2 vs ≥3); no-one was masked to treatment group allocation. Upon disease progression, patients in the best supportive care group were allowed to switch to pazopanib as compassionate treatment. The primary endpoint was investigator-assessed progression-free survival, analysed by intention-to-treat. All randomised participants who received at least one dose of pazopanib were included in the safety analysis. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01323400. Findings Between April 12, 2011, and Dec 9, 2013, 81 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to pazopanib plus best supportive care (n=40) or best supportive care alone (n=41). The median follow-up was 26·4 months (IQR 22·0–37·8) in the pazopanib plus best supportive care group and 28·9 months (22·0–35·2) in the best supportive care group. 4-month investigator-assessed progression-free survival was 45·2% (95% CI 29·1–60·0) in the pazopanib plus best supportive care group versus 17·6% (7·8–30·8) in the best supportive care group (hazard ratio [HR] 0·59, 95% CI 0·37–0·96; p=0·029). Median progression-free survival was 3·4 months (95% CI 2·4–5·6) with pazopanib plus best supportive care and 2·3 months (2·1–3·3) with best supportive care alone (HR 0·59 [0·37–0·96], p=0·03). 36 (88%) of the patients originally assigned to the best supportive care group switched to pazopanib following investigator-assessed disease progression; these patients had a median progression-free survival from pazopanib initiation of 3·5 months (95% CI 2·2–5·2). 55 (72%) of the 76 pazopanib-treated patients had pazopanib-related grade 3 or worse adverse events, the most common of which was hypertension (15 [38%] in the pazopanib plus best supportive care group and 13 [36%] in the best supportive care group). 20 (26%) patients had pazopanib-related serious adverse events (14 [35%] in the pazopanib plus best supportive care group and six [17%] in the best supportive care group), including pulmonary embolism in eight (9%) patients (five [13%] in the pazopanib plus best supportive care group and three [7%] in the best supportive care group). Three pazopanib-related deaths occurred (two pulmonary embolisms [one in each group] and one hepatic cytolysis [in the best supportive care group]). Three adverse event-related but not pazopanib-related deaths occurred in the best supportive care group after switch to pazopanib; these deaths were from hyperammonaemic encephalopathy, pneumopathy, and respiratory failure. Interpretation Pazopanib plus best supportive care improves progression-free survival compared with best supportive care alone in patients with advanced GIST resistant to imatinib and sunitinib, with a toxicity profile similar to that reported for other sarcomas. This trial provides reference outcome data for future studies of targeted inhibitors in the third-line setting for these patients. Funding GlaxoSmithKline, French National Cancer Institute, EuroSARC (FP7-278742), Centre Leon Berard.

In vitro human embryos culture depends largely on the atmospheric conditions within the incubators of the laboratory. The pH of culture media, an indirect reflection of the CO2 content inside these incubators, is a critical parameter. Collaboration between the biochemistry and reproductive biology departments enabled the automated measurement of the pH in the culture medium on a blood gas analyzer. This method has been validated and evaluated. It is applicable in all laboratories whatever the medium and the conditions of culture. It allows strict monitoring of this parameter for the optimization of the culture conditions necessary to improve the results of in vitro fertilization attempts.

Purpose Anti-angiogenic and mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors have shown efficacy in solid tumours. Reported combination of both drugs was deemed to be too toxic. Due to a potential favourable safety profile of axitinib (AX), a phase I study combining everolimus (EV) and AX for solid tumours was explored. Experimental design Patients (pts) with advanced cancers were enrolled in an escalation phase I study to investigate the safety of the combination. Pharmacokinetic profile and functional vascular imaging were performed. An extension to pts with naive metastatic renal cell carcinoma (MRCC) was explored. Results 15 pts were included over three different dose levels (DLs); DL 0: AX 3 mg BID (twice daily)/EV 5 mg OD (once daily); DL 1: AX 5 mg BID/EV 5 mg OD and DL 2: AX 5 mg BID/EV 10 mg OD for 28 d. One dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) was reported at DL 0: grade (Gr) III diarrhoea and one DLT at DL 2: Gr III asthenia. Three severe adverse events (AEs) in two pts were unexpected: jaw osteonecrosis, recurrent renal failure and cardiomyopathy. Maximum tolerated dose (MTD) was level 2. After 1st cycle, Gr III or Gr II AEs of interest were mainly asthenia, diarrhoea and anorexia. All pts but one showed tumour shrinkage. Partial responses (PRs) were seen in one pt with bladder carcinoma and in one pt in 1st line MRCC in the escalating phase. In the extension phase in naive MRCC treated at MTD, five pts had a PR and one pt had a prolonged stable disease. Conclusion The recommended dose for phase II is AX 5 mg BID/EV 10 mg OD.

The risk and clinical significance of cardiac iron overload due to chronic transfusion varies with the underlying disease. Cardiac iron overload shortens the life expectancy of patients with thalassemia, whereas its effect is unclear in those with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). In patients with sickle cell anemia (SCA), iron does not seem to deposit quickly in the heart. Our primary objective was to assess through a multicentric study the prevalence of cardiac iron overload, defined as a cardiovascular magnetic resonance T2*8 ECs in the past year, and age older than 6 years. We included from 9 centers 20 patients with thalassemia, 41 with SCA, and 25 with MDS in 2012-2014. Erythrocytapharesis did not consistently prevent iron overload in patients with SCA. Cardiac iron overload was found in 3 (15%) patients with thalassemia, none with SCA, and 4 (16%) with MDS. The liver iron content (LIC) ranged from 10.4 to 15.2 mg/g dry weight, with no significant differences across groups (P = 0.29). Abnormal T2* was not significantly associated with any of the measures of transfusion or chelation. Ferritin levels showed a strong association with LIC. Non-transferrin-bound iron was high in the thalassemia and MDS groups but low in the SCA group (P

Background: Preclinical findings suggest that imatinib mesylate (IM) and metronomic cyclophosphamide (MC) combination provides synergistic antiangiogenic activity on both pericytes and endothelial cells. Methods: We have designed a 3+3 dose-escalating phase I trial with a fixed dose of MC (50 mg two times daily) plus IM (400 mg per day; 300 and 400 mg two times daily). Enrolled patients had IM- and sutininib-refractory advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST) (n=17), chordoma (n=7) and mucosal melanoma (n=2). Dose-limiting toxicities were monitored for the first 6 weeks. Progression-free survival (PFS) and response assessment are based on RECIST 1.0 guidelines. Pharmacokinetics of IM were measured before and after exposure to MC. Results: No dose-limiting toxicity was observed. Fourteen patients of the expanded cohort received 400 mg two times daily of IM with MC. Apart from a case of possibly related acute leukaemia occurring after 4 years of treatment, we did not see unexpected toxicity. No drug–drug pharmacokinetic interaction was observed. There was no objective response. We have observed long-lasting stable disease in chordoma patients (median PFS=10.2 months; range, 4.2–18+) and short-term stable disease in heavily GIST pretreated patients (median PFS=2.3 months; range, 2.1–6.6). Conclusion: This combination is feasible and may warrant further exploration in refractory GIST or chordoma patients.

We investigated whether alterations in glutamate metabolising glutamine synthetase activity occur in human epileptic neocortex, as shown previously for human epileptic hippocampus [Eid, T., Thomas, M.J., Spencer, D.D., Runden-Pran, E., Lai, J.C.K., Malthankar, G.V., Kim, J.H., Danbolt, N.C., Ottersen, O.P., de Lanerolle, N.C., 2004. Loss of glutamine synthetase in the human epileptic hippocampus: possible mechanism for raised extracellular glutamate in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. Lancet 363, 28-37]. Glutamine synthetase activity was equivalent in both non-epileptic and epileptic human neocortex. Epileptic tissue, however, was characterised by a 37% increase in the density of synaptosomal NMDA receptor sites compared to non-epileptic tissue, as revealed by a radioligand binding assay (B max(non-epileptic) 1.45 pmol/mg protein and B max(epileptic) 1.99 pmol/mg protein, P < 0.05). Our findings shed some doubts on a role of glutamine synthetase in the pathophysiology of epilepsy in the neocortex. However, the detection of a significantly reduced enzymatic activity in the epileptic amygdala supports the assumption that the enzyme defect is localized to the epileptic mesial temporal lobe of corresponding patients.

Background Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs) are a class of targeted drugs for the treatment of malignant pathologies. The metabolic profile of these drugs can result in great interindividual variability, thus therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is of importance. Here, a rapid and specific method for quantification of nine TKIs in plasma samples is described. Methods Chromatography was performed on a Waters Acquity-UPLC® system with BEH C18-50*2.1 mm column, under a gradient of ammonium formate–acetonitrile. An Acquity-TQD® with electrospray ionization was used for detection. Samples were prepared by solid phase extraction (Oasis® MCX μElution) and eluate was injected in the system. Results Calibration curves ranged from 10 to 5000 ng/mL for imatinib, its metabolite, nilotinib, lapatinib, erlotinib and sorafenib and from 0.1 to 200 ng/mL for dasatinib, axitinib, gefitinib and sunitinib. Peaks of each compound (retention time from 0.76 to 2.51 min) were adequately separated. The mean relative extraction recovery was in the range of 90.3–106.5% thanks to the use of stable isotopes as internal standard. There was no significant ion suppression observed at the respective TKI retention times. Conclusion This rapid, sensitive and specific UPLC/MS-MS method is able to perform simultaneous quantification of nine TKIs in human plasma and usable for routine TDM.

Iron overload resulting from transfusion dependency in some patients with chronic anaemia can be prevented by chelation. Deferasirox is an oral alternative to the well studied but inconvenient deferroxamine therapy. The pharmacokinetic parameters of this new drug suggest potential interindividual variability and patients might benefit from pharmacologic drug monitoring. We developed an liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) method to quantify deferasirox in plasma. After protein precipitation, samples were injected onto an XTerra RP18 column with a gradient of acetonitrile and formiate buffer (4 mM, pH 3.0) with 5% methanol. Detection by electrospray ionization mass-spectrometry was performed using the multiple reaction monitoring mode. Sixty-three samples from patients treated with deferasirox were then analyzed to evaluate pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic relationships. Calibration curves were linear from 0.5 to 40 microg/mL. Interday and intraday precision were lower than 8.9% and 7.3%, respectively. Bias did not exceed 12.7%. Plasma iron overload did not interfere with analysis. Plasma drug concentrations of patients treated by deferasirox were compared with plasma ferritin, considered as a marker of treatment efficacy. No statistically significant correlation was observed, though higher ferritin concentrations (>1000 microg/L, n = 30) were observed in patients with lower mean deferasirox concentration (9.5 +/- 9.1 microg/mL). This simple method is suitable for routine monitoring of deferasirox concentrations in plasma as it requires very few steps and has a short runtime. It allows evaluation of patient compliance, drug-drug interactions, and further investigations of pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic relationships.

Background. Cardiac iron overload is the major cause for death in regularly transfused thalassemic (Thal) patients. Its impact in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients is debated. Heart seems to be spared in regularly transfused patients with sickle cell anemia (SCA), which is supposed to be related to a later onset on transfusions and to the use of erythrocytapheresis rather than simple transfusion. Our aim was to assess the prevalence of cardiac iron overload, defined as a T2*cardiovascular magnetic resonance (MR) Patients and methods. Patients were enrolled if they were regularly followed in a center where the exact number of erythrocyte concentrates (EC) could be obtained, had received in the previous year more than 8 EC, were older than 6 years (limit for MRI without sedation), had no known heart disease related to another pathology, and had given informed consent. All patients underwent 1.5T myocardial T2*MR imaging after validation of the procedures in the different sites. Assessment of Liver Iron Content (LIC) used two signal intensity ratio of gradient echo imaging (R2*) MRI protocols. Serum Non-Transferrin Bound Iron (NTBI) was measured by the FeROSTM eLPI kit, and serum hepcidin by LC-MSMS. Results. 20 Thal, 41 SCA and 25 MDS patients were evaluable. We divided SCA in 2 groups, according to the procedure recorded at the time of the study, manual exchange transfusion (G1, N = 30 patients), or erythrocytapheresis (G2, N=11 patients). We found cardiac overload in 0, 3 (15%), and 4 (16%) of SCA, Thal, and MDS patients respectively. Serum ferritins at beginning of chelation were not statistically different in all categories of patients, as well as Ferritin and LIC at the time of the study. Increased LIC and abnormal T2* were associated in Thal and MDS patients (p=0.04), with no correlation between abnormal T2* and parameters of transfusion and chelation. Plasmatic iron level was increased in Thal and MDS patients but remained at normal range in SCA patients. NTBI level was high in Thal and MDS but completely absent in SCA groups. The major discrepancy was in the values of hepcidin, which were collapsed in Thal, at normal range in SCA, and highly elevated in MDS patients. Discussion and conclusion. We confirm that SCA patients are relatively protected from cardiac iron overload. This results probably from massive consummation of iron through effective erythropoiesis, making toxic free iron (NTBI) less available in the circulation. In addition, since iron overload in SCA results from a massive outflow of hemoglobin (Hb) due to intravascular hemolysis and transfusion, the heme/Hb-bound iron must be efficiently handled in liver macrophages, limiting its release in the bloodstream. In Thal patients, underlying defects in erythropoietic processes, together with low hepcidin that stimulates intestinal iron absorption and increases NTBI, must provoke more organ damages. Hepcidin levels were high in MDS patients, suggesting that transfusion-dependent iron overload was a more effective regulator of hepcidin production than dyserythropoiesis. The % of T2* Finally, we observe that, in opposition with previous reports, SCA patients undergoing eythrocytapheresis may experience severe iron overload and need iron chelation. Table 1. Thal SCA G1 SCA G2 MDS p Age at beginning of transfusion (yrs) 8.5[0-45] 7[0-45] 16.5[1-55] 66[38-83] Disclosures De Montalembert: Addmedica: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Speakers Bureau. Guerci-Bresler:ARIAD: Speakers Bureau; BMS: Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Speakers Bureau; PFIZER: Speakers Bureau.

Abstract 3770 Background: Second generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as dasatinib (Sprycel®, Bristol-Myers Squibb) induce significantly higher levels of cytogenetic and molecular responses than imatinib when given as frontline therapy for chronic phase chronic myelogenous leukemia (CP-CML) (DASISION trial, Kantarjian et al., NEJM 2010). Dasatinib is associated with the occurrence of pleural effusions (PE). The cumulative incidence of all grades PE in DASISION trial was reported to be 10% by 12 months and 14% by 24 months. Aims: To analyse efficacy of dasatinib first line and to test risk factors associated with the occurrence of PE. (EudraCT 2008–006854–17). Methods: Newly diagnosed CP-CML patients (pts) were assigned to dasatinib 100 mg/d. Dasatinib Cmin levels were assessed 24+/−2h after intake by tandem mass spectrometry after 2 weeks of therapy and every 3 months during 12 months thereafter. Pts with high Cmin values (Cmin ≥ 3 nM) at day 15 were randomized between dasatinib dose reduction or not. As the trial is still recruiting, the effect of randomization (treatment adaptation) was not analysed. For the purpose of this study, patients with at least 12 months follow-up were analysed for efficacy and all enrolled patients were analysed for safety. Molecular assessments were expressed as BCR-ABL/ABL (IS) in %. Results: Efficacy. In March 2012, 125 pts out of 191 pts enrolled in the trial had at least 12 months follow-up. Sokal scores were high for 18%, intermediate for 36% and low for 46% of pts. The median age was 52 (18–89) years. The rates of complete cytogenetic responses (CCyR) at 3, 6, and 12 months were 74%, 87%, and 97% respectively on evaluable samples, and 60%, 82%, and 95% when results were analysed according to the intention-to-treat principle taking into account missing values. The cumulative incidences of major molecular response (MMR) by 3, 6, 9 and 12 months were 21%, 46%, 56%, and 62% respectively. Of note 11 pts (9%) did not have a BCR-ABL (IS) ≤10% at 3 months. None of these patients reached a MMR by 12 months compared to a 68% (95% CI: 60–77) cumulative incidence of MMR in the other 114 pts. At 12 months, molecular response 4.5 (MR4.5) rate was 25%, including 80% of the pts with undetectable BCR-ABL transcript (sensitivity 4 to 5 log). Safety. 12 pts out of 191 (6.3%) presented a PE corresponding to a cumulative incidence of 9% by 24 months. 95 pts had at least one high Cmin value during the pharmacokinetic follow-up and 10 pts developed PE as compared to 2 out of the 96 remaining pts (p= 0.018). Cumulative incidence of PE by 24 months was 13.4% in high Cmin group as compared to 4.8% in low Cmin group (p=0.04). We next analysed whether the measurement of dasatinib Cmin at day 15 could predict the risk to develop a PE. Fifty pts (26%) had a high Cmin value at day 15 (group A) and 141 had a low Cmin (group B). The cumulative incidence of PE by 24 months was 17.4% in group A compared to 6.9% in group B (p=0.021) (fig 1). We next search for clinical factors influencing Cmin value at day15 of dasatinib 100 mg/d. Median Cmin values were significantly higher in patients aged 50 and over as compared to younger patients (2.5 nM versus 1.6 nM, p=0.0032). As expected, age 50 and over was also associated with an increased risk of pleural effusion. Conclusion: Current data demonstrate efficacy of dasatinib 100 mg/d similar or even better to that reported in other frontline trials such as the DASISION trial. We provide evidences suggesting that a high Cmin (>3nM) at day 15 and/or age 50 and over identify patients treated with dasatinib 100 mg/d with a high risk of PE. The benefit of dasatinib dose reduction is randomly tested for this group of patients in the OPTIM-Dasatinib trial and may be a major issue in elderly patients. Disclosures: Rousselot: BMS, Novartis: Research Funding. Nicolini:BMS, Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding. Coiteux:Novartis, BMS: Speakers Bureau. Gardembas:Novartis: Speakers Bureau. Roy:Novartis, BMS: Speakers Bureau. Dartigeas:Roche: Consultancy. Guilhot:ARIAD: Honoraria. Mahon:Novartis Pharma: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; Pfizer: Consultancy.

Abstract 3432 Introduction. Dasatinib 100 mg QD is now validated as a first line option in patients with chronic myelogenous leukaemia in chronic phase (CML in CP). Our hypothesis was that significant adverse events observed with dasatinib including fluid retention, pleural effusions and grade 3–4 cytopenias, may be driven by the level of the residual dosage of dasatinib (Cmin). We initiated an optimization study based on the monitoring of dasatinib plasma levels (Cmin and Cmax) in patients with CML in chronic phase newly diagnosed and treated with dasatinib as front line therapy. Patients and methods. Patients aged 18 years old or more were eligible if they were diagnosed with CML in CP for less than 3 months without having being exposed to tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Dasatinib was initiated at the daily dose of 100 mg QD. Dasatinib daily dose adaptation was randomized in patients with a Cmin over 3nM. For all other patients, dasatinib was given at the dose of 100 mg QD. The pharmacokinetic (PK) evaluation (Cmin and Cmax measurements) was performed after 7 to 10 days of therapy and then every 15 days in the treatment adaptation arm (until a level of Cmin under 3nM) and every 3 months therafter as in the non-adapted arm. Cmax was assessed 2 hours after dasatinib intake. Results. The results of the first 78 patients included in the trial from May 2009 to May 2010 are reported. Median age was 47 years (19 – 77) with a sex ratio M/F of 1.85. The Sokal score distribution was 51.9%, 30.7% and 17.4% for Low, intermediate and high risk respectively. Median Cmin and Cmax values were 2.1 nM (range 0.2–18.7) and 107.6 nM (range 20.5–353) at first PK analysis. The median Cmin value was significantly lower in patients with age 47y (1.6 nM versus 2.8 nM, p=0.0028). By contrast, the median Cmax value was comparable in both age groups. Efficacy analysis was performed on the 53 patients with a 3 months follow-up and on the 36 patients with a 6 months follow-up. The complete cytogenetic response (CCR) rates at 3 and 6 months were 83.3% and 90.9% respectively. At 3 and 6 months, the major molecular response (MMR) rates were 15.1% and 69.4%. All patients in cytogenetic failure had high Sokal score values (p=0.023). Median PK values at months 3 and 6 were not statistically different compared to initial PK values, suggesting a stable exposure to the treatment with time. With a median follow-up of 7.2 months, the rate of significant adverse events was 11.5%. Fluid retention (n=2) and pleural effusion (n=1) were observed in patients with high Cmin values (mean 3.7 nM). A trend was observed between the Cmax and response at month 3 (CCR, p=0.05 and MMR, p=0.08). Patients with lymphocytosis may have a higher MMR rate (p=0.07). Conclusion. Dasatinib 100 mg QD as first line therapy in CP CML provided a high rate of MMR and CCR rates. Pharmacokinetic parameters of dasatinib were different in aged patients. A trend was observed first between Cmax and responses and second between Cmin and fluid retention or pleural effusion. A complete analysis with correlation to response and safety will be presented on more patients with 6 and 12 months follow-up. Disclosures: Rousselot: Bristol Myers Squibb: Research Funding. Off Label Use: Dasatinib as first line therapy for CML.

10013 Background: Imatinib (IM) as front-line treatment has dramatically changed the evolution of GIST. Demetri et al. (JCO, 0927. 3141-7) previously showed that patients with trough IM plasma concentrations (Cmin) below 1110 ng/mL (Quartile 1) had shorter time to progression. We prospectively performed routine analysis of I in advanced GIST pts in which we investigated the relationships between Cmin and progression-free survival (PFS). Methods: A clinical database of advanced GIST pts for whom Cmin measurements has been prospectively set. The concentration decile boundary that produced the most statistically significant difference in PFS for patients with Cmin values above and below the value was defined using a log-rank test. Cox regression analysis was performed to evaluate factors associated with longer PFS. Results: We evaluated 102 patients treated by IM 400 mg/day (41 stomach, 34 small bowel and 27 other or unreported primary site localizations) with 253 trough plasma determinations. Median Cmin af...