0000000000205224

AUTHOR

Wolf O. Bechstein

CONKO-005: Adjuvant therapy in R0 resected pancreatic cancer patients with gemcitabine plus erlotinib versus gemcitabine for 24 weeks—A prospective randomized phase III study.

4007 Background: Adjuvant chemotherapy with gemcitabine (Gem) for 6 months significantly improves survival of pancreatic cancer patients. CONKO-005 was designed to evaluate an additional effect of ...

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The “RENAISSANCE” Trial: Effect of chemotherapy alone vs. chemotherapy followed by surgical resection on survival and quality of life in patients with limited-metastatic adenocarcinoma of the stomach or esophagogastric junction—A phase III trial of the German AIO/CAO-V/CAOGI.

TPS4140 Background: Recent data indicates that surgical resection may bring a benefit for select patients with metastatic gastric / esophagogastric junction cancer. However, no data obtained in randomized trials is available up to now. The current RENAISSANCE trial investigates this long-lasting question about the role of surgical intervention in limited-metastatic gastric / esophagogastric junction cancer. Methods: This is a prospective, multicenter, randomized, investigator initiated phase III trial. In this study, previously untreated patients with limited metastatic stage (retroperitoneal lymph node metastases only or a maximum of one incurable organ site that is potentially resectable…

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CONKO-005: Adjuvant Chemotherapy With Gemcitabine Plus Erlotinib Versus Gemcitabine Alone in Patients After R0 Resection of Pancreatic Cancer: A Multicenter Randomized Phase III Trial

Purpose Gemcitabine is standard of care in the adjuvant treatment of resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor erlotinib in combination with gemcitabine has shown efficacy in the treatment of advanced PDAC and was considered to improve survival in patients with primarily resectable PDAC after R0 resection. Patients and Methods In an open-label, multicenter trial, patients were randomly assigned to one of two study arms: gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m2 days 1, 8, 15, every 4 weeks plus erlotinib 100 mg once per day (GemErlo) or gemcitabine (Gem) alone for six cycles. The primary end point of the study was to improve disease-fre…

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Adjuvant MUC vaccination with tecemotide after resection of colorectal liver metastases: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter AIO phase II trial (LICC)

ABSTRACT Resection of colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) is a potential curative treatment for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) with liver-limited disease (LLD). Although long-term survival improved considerably within the last decades, high recurrence rates of 50-75% after resection remain a major challenge.Tecemotide (L-BLP25) is an antigen-specific cancer vaccine inducing immunity against mucin-1 (MUC1). The LICC trial aimed to improve survival in patients with mCRC after R0/R1 resection of CRLM. LICC was a binational, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter phase 2 study including patients with R0/R1 resected CRLM without evidence of metastatic disease…

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Telaprevir drug monitoring during antiviral therapy of hepatitis C graft infection after liver transplantation

Background & Aims Recurrence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection after orthotopical liver transplantation (OLT) is common and associated with reduced graft and patient survival. The protease inhibitor telaprevir may enhance virological response rates in patients after OLT in combination with pegylated interferon-alfa and ribavirin. Pharmacokinetic studies have shown significant drug–drug interactions between telaprevir and immunosuppression (IS), but telaprevir pharmacokinetics in OLT patients with IS are unknown. Aim of the present study was to analyse telaprevir plasma concentrations in patients with HCV genotype 1 infection after OLT in comparison to patients without OLT and IS. Methods…

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Liver Preservation by Aortic Perfusion Alone Compared With Preservation by Aortic Perfusion and Additional Arterial Ex Situ Back-Table Perfusion With Histidine-Tryptophan-Ketoglutarate Solution: A Prospective, Randomized, Controlled, Multicenter Study.

Background. Arterial ex situ back-table perfusion (BP) reportedly reduces ischemic-type biliary lesion after liver transplantation. We aimed to verify these findings in a prospective investigation. Methods. Our prospective, randomized, controlled, multicenter study involved livers retrieved from patients in 2 German regions, and compared the outcomes of standard aortic perfusion to those of aortic perfusion combined with arterial ex situ BP. The primary endpoint was the incidence of ischemic-type biliary lesions over a follow-up of 2 years after liver transplantation, whereas secondary endpoints included 2-year graft survival, initial graft damage as reflected by transaminase levels, and fu…

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A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled multicenter phase II trial of adjuvant immunotherapy with tecemotide (L-BLP25) after R0/R1 hepatic colorectal cancer metastasectomy (LICC): Final results.

480 Background: Hepatic metastasectomy is the only potential curative treatment option for stage IV colorectal cancer (CRC) limited to liver metastases (LM). After R0 resection of LM the high recurrence rate remains a major challenge. L-BLP25 is an antigen-specific cancer vaccine targeting mucin 1 (MUC1). The LICC trial aimed to improve survival outcome in mCRC patients (pts) after R0/R1 LM resection. Methods: This LICC trial, a binational, multicenter, double-blinded, placebo controlled phase II trial, included pts with stage IV LM limited CRC after resection of primary tumor and LM (R0/R1) within the last 8 weeks, ECOG 0/1 and adequate organ function. Pts were 2:1 randomized to receive L…

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Extended Pancreas Donor Program—The EXPAND Study

BackgroundPancreas transplantation is the only curative treatment option for patients with juvenile diabetes. Organ shortage and restrictive allocation criteria are the main reasons for increasing waitlists, leading to severe morbidity and mortality. We designed a study to increase the donor pool wi

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Improved Survival in Liver Transplant Patients Receiving Prolonged-release Tacrolimus-based Immunosuppression in the European Liver Transplant Registry (ELTR): An Extension Study

BACKGROUND: We compared, through the European Liver Transplant Registry, long-term liver transplantation outcomes with prolonged-release tacrolimus (PR-T) versus immediate-release tacrolimus (IR-T)-based immunosuppression. This retrospective analysis comprises up to 8-year data collected between 2008 and 2016, in an extension of our previously published study. METHODS: Patients with <1 month follow-up were excluded; patients were propensity score matched for baseline characteristics. Efficacy measures included: univariate/multivariate analyses of risk factors influencing graft/patient survival up to 8 years posttransplantation, and graft/patient survival up to 4 years with PR-T versus IR-T.…

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Survival after secondary liver resection in metastatic colorectal cancer: Comparing data of three prospective randomized European trials ( LICC , CELIM , FIRE ‐3)

Metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients with liver-limited disease (LLD) have a chance of long-term survival and potential cure after hepatic metastasectomy. However, the appropriate postoperative treatment strategy is still controversial. The CELIM and FIRE-3 studies demonstrated that secondary hepatic resection significantly improved overall survival. The objective of this analysis was to compare these favorable outcome data with recent results from the LICC trial investigating the antigen-specific cancer vaccine tecemotide (L-BLP-25) as adjuvant therapy in mCRC patients with LLD after R0/R1 resection. Data from mCRC patients with LLD and secondary hepatic resection from each study w…

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REsect: Blinded assessment of amenability to potentially curative treatment of previously unresectable colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRC LM) after chemotherapy ± RadioEmbolization (SIRT) in the randomized SIRFLOX trial.

3532 Background: Secondary resection and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of primarily unresectable LM from CRC can prolong survival and cure some patients (pts). Effective downsizing treatments are needed but their impact on secondary amenability to surgery/RFA is difficult to evaluate objectively. The added value of SIRT is not well established. Methods: Baseline (BL) and follow-up (FU) imaging at best response for CRC pts treated with FOLFOX chemotherapy±bevacizumab (bev) (CT) vs. CT+SIRT in the phase III SIRFLOX RCT were reviewed by 3−5 expert HPB surgeons (from a panel of 15) for resectability of LM. Reviewers were blinded to each other and to all clinical information incl. time of imagi…

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Sirolimus Use in Liver Transplant Recipients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Randomized, Multicenter, Open-Label Phase 3 Trial

International audience; BACKGROUND:We investigated whether sirolimus-based immunosuppression improves outcomes in liver transplantation (LTx) candidates with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).METHODS:In a prospective-randomized open-label international trial, 525 LTx recipients with HCC initially receiving mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor-free immunosuppression were randomized 4 to 6 weeks after transplantation into a group on mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor-free immunosuppression (group A: 264 patients) or a group incorporating sirolimus (group B: 261). The primary endpoint was recurrence-free survival (RFS); intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis was conducted after 8 years. Overal…

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Reperfusion of liver graft during transplantation: techniques used in transplant centres within Eurotransplant and meta-analysis of the literature

Abstract: It remains unclear which liver graft reperfusion technique leads to the best outcome following transplantation. An online survey was sent to all transplant centres (n=37) within Eurotransplant (ET) to collect information on their technique used for reperfusion of liver grafts. Furthermore, a systematic review of all literature was performed and a meta-analysis was conducted based on patients' mortality, number of retransplantations and incidence of biliary complications, depending on the technique used. Of the 28 evaluated centres, 11 (39%) reported performing simultaneous reperfusion (SIMR), 13 (46%) perform initial portal vein reperfusion (IPR), 1 (4%) performs an initial hepati…

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A prospective randomised, open-labeled, trial comparing sirolimus-containing versus mTOR-inhibitor-free immunosuppression in patients undergoing liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract Background The potential anti-cancer effects of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors are being intensively studied. To date, however, few randomised clinical trials (RCT) have been performed to demonstrate anti-neoplastic effects in the pure oncology setting, and at present, no oncology endpoint-directed RCT has been reported in the high-malignancy risk population of immunosuppressed transplant recipients. Interestingly, since mTOR inhibitors have both immunosuppressive and anti-cancer effects, they have the potential to simultaneously protect against immunologic graft loss and tumour development. Therefore, we designed a prospective RCT to determine if the mTOR inhibito…

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A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter, multinational, phase II trial immunotherapy with L-BLP25 (tecemotide) in patients with colorectal carcinoma following R0/R1 hepatic metastasectomy.

TPS3124^ Background: 15-20% of all patients (pts) diagnosed with colorectal cancer (crc) develop metastases (mets) surgical resection remains the only potentially curative treatment available. Current 5-year survival rate following R0 resection of liver mets lies between 28-39%, recurrence occurs in up to 70% of pts. To date, adjuvant chemotherapy has not significantly improved clinical outcomes. The primary objective of the ongoing LICC trial (L-BLP25 In Colorectal Cancer) is to determine whether L-BLP25, an active MUC1-specific cancer immunotherapy, extends recurrence-free survival (RFS) time over placebo in crc pts following R0/R1 resection of liver mets known to highly express MUC1 gly…

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A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter, multinational, phase II trial of L-BLP25 in patients with colorectal carcinoma following R0/R1 hepatic metastasectomy.

TPS3641^ Background: Approximately 15-20% of patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer (crc) develop metastatic disease. Surgical resection remains the only potentially curative treatment. 5-year survival following R0-resection of liver metastases lies ~28 -39%. Recurrence occurs in ~70% of pts. Adjuvant chemotherapy has not significantly improved clinical outcomes. The primary objective of the LICC trial (L-BLP25 in Colorectal Cancer) is to analyze whether L-BLP25, an active cancer immunotherapy, extends recurrence-free survival (RFS) time over placebo in colorectal cancer pts following R0/R1 resection of hepatic metastases. L-BLP25 targets MUC1 glycoprotein, which is highly expressed in …

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Secondary technical resectability of colorectal cancer liver metastases after chemotherapy with or without selective internal radiotherapy in the randomized SIRFLOX trial

Background: Secondary resection of initially unresectable colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRLM) can prolong survival. The added value of selective internal radiotherapy (SIRT) to downsize lesions for resection is not known. This study evaluated the change in technical resectability of CRLM with the addition of SIRT to FOLFOX-based chemotherapy. Methods: Baseline and follow-up hepatic imaging of patients who received modified FOLFOX (mFOLFOX6: fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin) chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab (control arm) versus mFOLFOX6 (with or without bevacizumab) plus SIRT using yttrium-90 resin microspheres (SIRT arm) in the phase III SIRFLOX trial were reviewed by thr…

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Survival after secondary liver resection in metastatic colorectal cancer: A comparative analysis of the LICC trial with historical controls (CELIM, FIRE-3).

e15025 Background: Metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients (pts) with liver-limited disease (LLD) have a chance of long-term overall survival (OS) and potential cure after complete hepatic metastasectomy. The appropriate postoperative treatment strategy is still controversial. L-BLP25 as antigen-specific cancer vaccine targeting mucin 1 (MUC1) was recently evaluated as adjuvant therapy in mCRC pts after R0/R1 LLD resection (LICC trial, NCT01462513). Here we compared the LICC surveillance program and efficacy results for secondarily resected LLD pts versus historical controls, i.e. the CELIM trial (Folprecht et al, Ann Oncol 2014) of potentially resectable LLD mCRC pts and a FIRE-3-LLD…

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Survival after primary liver resection in metastatic colorectal cancer: A comparative analysis of the LICC trial with historical controls (FFCD ACHBTH AURC 9002 trial and EORTC Intergroup trial 40983).

e15019 Background: Metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients (pts) with liver-limited disease (LLD) have a chance of long-term survival and cure after hepatic metastasectomy. The optimal treatment after primary liver resection remains controversial. Here we compare results from the LICC trial with historical controls, the FFCD ACHBTH AURC 9002 trial (FFCD; Portier et al., 2006) and the EORTC Intergroup trial 40983 (EORTC; Nordlinger et al., 2008, 2013). The three trials investigated pts with mCRC LLD who underwent primary hepatic resection. Methods: LICC, FFCD and EORTC were compared regarding pts characteristics, treatment, surveillance and efficacy outcomes. LICC pts received the adju…

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Perioperative chemotherapy with fluorouracil plus leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and docetaxel versus fluorouracil or capecitabine plus cisplatin and epirubicin for locally advanced, resectable gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction adenocarcinoma (FLOT4): a randomised, phase 2/3 trial

Background Docetaxel-based chemotherapy is effective in metastatic gastric and gastro-oesophageal junction adenocarcinoma. This study reports on the safety and efficacy of the docetaxel-based triplet FLOT (fluorouracil plus leucovorin, oxaliplatin and docetaxel) as a perioperative therapy for patients with locally advanced, resectable tumours. Methods In this controlled, open-label, phase 2/3 trial, we randomly assigned 716 patients with histologically-confirmed advanced clinical stage cT2 or higher or nodal positive stage (cN+), or both, resectable tumours, with no evidence of distant metastases, via central interactive web-based-response system, to receive either three pre-operative and t…

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