CT-based radiomics to distinguish progressive from stable neuroendocrine liver metastases treated with somatostatin analogues: an explorative study.

Background: Accurate response evaluation in patients with neuroendocrine liver metastases (NELM) remains a challenge. Radiomics has shown promising results regarding response assessment.

Purpose: To differentiate progressive (PD) from stable disease (SD) with radiomics in patients with NELM undergoing somatostatin analogue (SSA) treatment.

Change in incidence, characteristics and management of colorectal neuroendocrine tumours in the Netherlands in the last decade.

Background: Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) are rare. However, a rising incidence has been reported over the past decades. For colorectal NETs, this is presumably caused by an increased awareness of colorectal diseases and colonoscopic procedures.

Organ Function Preservation Failure after (Chemo)Radiotherapy in Head and Neck Cancer: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis.

Objective: The aim of the current study was to determine the incidence of organ function preservation failure (OFPF) in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) treated by (chemo)radiotherapy and to identify its risk factors.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort analysis.

Setting: Tertiary cancer care center.

Nutritional and vitamin status in patients with neuroendocrine neoplasms.

Symptoms of gastroenteropancreatic located neuroendocrine neoplasms (GEP-NENs) are often related to food intake and manifest as abdominal pain or diarrhoea which can influence patients nutritional status. Malnutrition is common in cancer patients and influences quality of life, treatment options and survival but is also present in up to 40% of patients with GEP-NENs. As part of malnutrition there are often deficiencies in fat-soluble vitamins, mainly vitamin D.

Molecular strategies in the management of bronchopulmonary and thymic neuroendocrine neoplasms.

Thoracic NETs [bronchopulmonary NETs (BPNETs) and thymic NETs (TNET)] share a common anatomic primary location, likely a common cell of origin, the "Kulchitsky cell" and presumably, a common etiopathogenesis. Although they are similarly grouped into well-differentiated [typical carcinoids (TC) and atypical carcinoids (AC)] and poorly differentiated neoplasms and both express somatostatin receptors, they exhibit a wide variation in clinical behavior. TNETs are more aggressive, are frequently metastatic, and have a lower 5-year survival rate (~50% .

Everolimus in advanced, progressive, well-differentiated, non-functional neuroendocrine tumors: RADIANT-4 lung subgroup analysis.

In the phase III RADIANT-4 study, everolimus improved median progression-free survival (PFS) by 7.1 months in patients with advanced, progressive, well-differentiated (grade 1 or grade 2), non-functional lung or gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) vs placebo (hazard ratio, 0.48; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.

Quantitative assessment of Zirconium-89 labeled cetuximab using PET/CT imaging in patients with advanced head and neck cancer: a theragnostic approach.

Biomarkers predicting treatment response to the monoclonal antibody cetuximab in locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (LAHNSCC) are lacking. We hypothesize that tumor accessibility is an important factor in treatment success of the EGFR targeting drug. We quantified uptake of cetuximab labeled with Zirconium-89 (89Zr) using PET/CT imaging.

Impact of chemotherapy on the outcome of osteosarcoma of the head and neck in adults.

Background: There is an ongoing debate about the value of (neo-)adjuvant chemotherapy in high- and intermediate-grade osteosarcoma of the head and neck.

Methods: All records of patients older than 16 years diagnosed with osteosarcoma of the head and neck in the Netherlands between 1993 and 2013 were reviewed.

Results: We identified a total of 77 patients with an osteosarcoma of the head and neck; the 5-year overall survival (OS) was 55%.

Tissue factor-bearing microparticles and CA19.9: two players in pancreatic cancer-associated thrombosis?

Background: Cancer-related venous thromboembolism (VTE) heralds a poor prognosis, especially in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAC). Tissue factor (TF) is implicated as one of the main culprits in PAC-associated VTE and disease progression.

Methods: In a prospective cohort study of 79 PAC patients, we measured plasma CA19-9 and microparticle-associated TF activity (MP-TF activity).

Bevacizumab combined with docetaxel, oxaliplatin, and capecitabine, followed by maintenance with capecitabine and bevacizumab, as first-line treatment of patients with advanced HER2-negative gastric cancer: A multicenter phase 2 study.

Background: The current study was a multicenter, single-arm, phase 2 study performed to investigate the feasibility and efficacy of bevacizumab combined with docetaxel, oxaliplatin, and capecitabine (B-DOC) in patients with advanced human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative, previously untreated, gastric or gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma.

Methods: Tumor HER2 status was determined centrally. Patients received 6 cycles of bevacizumab at a dose of 7.

Nephrotoxicity as a Dose-Limiting Factor in a High-Dose Cisplatin-Based Chemoradiotherapy Regimen for Head and Neck Carcinomas.

Purpose: Loco-regional control and organ preservation are significantly improved with concomitant cisplatin/radiotherapy and are compromised with less than 5% grade 3 nephrotoxicity (creatinine clearance 15-29 mL/min). However, although clinically important, in none of the randomized trials is grade 2 nephrotoxicity (defined as creatinine clearance 59-30 mL/min) mentioned. In this study, we assessed nephrotoxicity in daily practice among patients treated with high-dose cisplatin (100 mg/m² on days 1, 22, and 43), concurrently with chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) and the impact on treatment modifications.

Trastuzumab and bevacizumab combined with docetaxel, oxaliplatin and capecitabine as first-line treatment of advanced HER2-positive gastric cancer: a multicenter phase II study.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of bevacizumab and trastuzumab combined with docetaxel, oxaliplatin, and capecitabine (B-DOCT) as first-line treatment of advanced human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive gastric cancer (GC).

Methods: In this multicentre, single-arm, phase II study, tumor HER2 status was determined centrally prior to treatment. Patients with advanced HER2-positive adenocarcinoma of the stomach or gastroesophageal junction (immunohistochemistry 3+ or immunohistochemistry 2+/silver in-situ hybridization positive) were treated with six cycles of bevacizumab 7.

GEP-NETs UPDATE: Secreting gastro-enteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumours and biomarkers.

Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) are rare tumours with an annual incidence in the population in a range of 2-5 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants. NETs are widely variable in terms of anatomical location, hormone production, clinical behaviour and syndromes they can cause. This article reviews the many localizations and clinical presentations of NETs with a main focus on clinical biomarkers and their use in medical practice.

Grading of neuroendocrine neoplasms: mitoses and Ki-67 are both essential.

Background: The current WHO classification for neuroendocrine neoplasms (NEN) of the gastrointestinal tract requires Ki-67 and mitotic index for grading. However, both indexes might be conflicting as far as grade is concerned. In this study, we investigate which of the two indexes is most informative to predict survival.

Procoagulant tissue factor activity on microparticles is associated with disease severity and bacteremia in febrile urinary tract infections.

Introduction: Inhibition of tissue factor, the primary initiator of coagulation in sepsis, attenuates morbidity in primates infused with Escherichia coli. In a human endotoxemia model, microparticles expressing procoagulant TF (MP-TF) are released in blood concurrently with markers of inflammation and coagulation. We investigated whether the release of MP-TF into blood is accompanied by procoagulant and inflammatory changes in patients with E.

An international phase 3 trial in head and neck cancer: quality of life and symptom results: EORTC 24954 on behalf of the EORTC Head and Neck and the EORTC Radiation Oncology Group.

Background: The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) 24954 phase 3 randomized clinical trial compared 2 schemes of combined chemotherapy for patients with resectable cancers of the hypopharynx and larynx: sequential induction chemotherapy and radiotherapy versus alternating chemoradiotherapy. The current study reports detailed effects of both treatment arms on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and symptoms.

Methods: A total of 450 patients aged 35 years to 76 years (World Health Organization performance status (WHO PS) ≤ 2) with untreated, resectable advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx (tumor classification of T3-T4) or hypopharynx (tumor classification of T2-T3-T4) with regional lymph nodes in the neck classified as N0 to N2 with no metastases were randomized in this prospective phase 3 trial into either the sequential arm (control) or the alternating arm (experimental).

Prognostic value of resection of primary tumor in patients with stage IV colorectal cancer: retrospective analysis of two randomized studies and a review of the literature.

Background: In patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) with an asymptomatic primary tumor, there is no consensus on the indication for resection of the primary tumor.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on the outcome of stage IV colorectal cancer (CRC) patients with or without resection of the primary tumor treated in the phase III CAIRO and CAIRO2 studies. A review of the literature was performed.

Risk of venous thromboembolism in lung cancer.

Purpose Of Review: To evaluate venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk factors in lung cancer patients.

Recent Findings: VTE incidence is around 40-100 cases per 1000 person-years in lung carcinoma patients vs. an estimated 1-2 cases per 1000 person-years in the general population.

Preoperative chemoradiotherapy with capecitabine and oxaliplatin in locally advanced rectal cancer. A phase I-II multicenter study of the Dutch Colorectal Cancer Group.

Background: We studied the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and efficacy of oxaliplatin added to capecitabine and radiotherapy (Capox-RT) as neoadjuvant therapy for rectal cancer.

Methods: T3-4 rectal cancer patients received escalating doses of oxaliplatin (day 1 and 29) with a fixed dose of capecitabine of 1000 mg/m(2) twice daily (days 1-14, 25-38) added to RT with 50.4 Gy and surgery after 6-8 weeks.

Sequential versus combination chemotherapy with capecitabine, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin in advanced colorectal cancer (CAIRO): a phase III randomised controlled trial.

Background: The optimum use of cytotoxic drugs for advanced colorectal cancer has not been defined. Our aim was to investigate whether combination treatment is better than sequential administration of the same drugs in patients with advanced colorectal cancer.

Methods: We randomly assigned 820 patients with advanced colorectal cancer to receive either first-line treatment with capecitabine, second-line irinotecan, and third-line capecitabine plus oxaliplatin (sequential treatment; n=410) or first-line treatment capecitabine plus irinotecan and second-line capecitabine plus oxaliplatin (combination treatment; n=410).