Publications by authors named "Melissa Plets"

Background: Whether extended lymphadenectomy is associated with improved disease-free and overall survival, as compared with standard lymphadenectomy, among patients with localized muscle-invasive bladder cancer undergoing radical cystectomy is unclear.

Methods: We randomly assigned, in a 1:1 ratio, patients with localized muscle-invasive bladder cancer of clinical stage T2 (confined to muscle) to T4a (invading adjacent organs) with two or fewer positive nodes (N0, N1, or N2) to undergo bilateral standard lymphadenectomy (dissection of lymph nodes on both sides of the pelvis) or extended lymphadenectomy involving removal of common iliac, presciatic, and presacral nodes. Randomization was performed during surgery and stratified according to the receipt and type of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, tumor stage (T2 vs.

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  • A study explored the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and overall survival (OS) in patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC), finding that higher BMI may lead to better survival outcomes.
  • Out of 1,279 patients analyzed from the SWOG-1216 trial, survival rates increased with higher BMI categories, with the median OS being longest in the obese group at 6.8 years.
  • The analysis suggests that these findings, indicating a lower risk of death among patients with higher BMI, need further validation in additional clinical trials.
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  • In men with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC), new treatments help many live longer, but how well each person does can be really different.
  • Researchers are looking at a blood test that counts tiny cancer cells (CTCs) to see if it can help predict a patient’s survival.
  • They studied 503 men to see if the number of CTCs in their blood was linked to how long they lived and how well their treatment worked.
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JCO Mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) signaling pathway plays a role in the pathogenesis of selected patients with papillary renal cell carcinoma (PRCC). In the phase II PAPMET trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02761057), cabozantinib significantly prolonged progression-free survival and improved objective response rate compared with sunitinib in patients with advanced PRCC.

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Objective: To evaluate the clinical significance of subtyping (type 1 vs 2) of papillary renal cell carcinoma (PRCC) in patients treated with targeted therapy, as well as the concordance, sensitivity and positive predictive value (PPV) of local review pathology review.

Methods: Patients with advanced refractory PRCC were randomised to receive sunitinib or cabozantinib, crizotinib or savolitinib, stratified by PRCC subtype (type 1, type 2, or not otherwise specified [NOS]/mixed) by local review. Central review was retrospectively conducted by three expert genitourinary pathologists who independently reviewed cases.

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We previously reported that tumors harboring any one of four gene mutations (ATM, RB1, FANCC, or ERCC2) were likely to respond to neoadjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy (NAC), resulting in cancer-free surgical specimens at the time of cystectomy (pT0). Here, we report our validation of this finding. Using the CARIS 592 Gene Panel (Caris Life Sciences, Phoenix, AZ, USA), we analyzed 105 pre-NAC tumor specimens from a large multicenter trial (S1314) of either neoadjuvant gemcitabine and cisplatin (GC), or dose-dense methotrexate, vinblastine, Adriamycin, and cisplatin (DDMVAC).

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  • Bone pain at diagnosis significantly impacts overall survival in patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (MHSPC), with limited existing data on this relationship.
  • The analysis focused on data from a phase 3 clinical trial, SWOG-1216, involving patients diagnosed with MHSPC, comparing outcomes based on the presence or absence of baseline bone pain.
  • Out of 1279 participants, 23.5% reported baseline bone pain, revealing a need for further study on how pain influences survival outcomes and treatment effectiveness.
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  • The EVEREST trial investigated the effectiveness of adjuvant everolimus in patients with intermediate-high to very high risk of recurrence after kidney cancer surgery, showing a significant improvement in recurrence-free survival (RFS) but not in overall survival (OS).
  • Of the 699 patients analyzed with very high-risk clear cell histology, those taking everolimus experienced a notable increase in RFS (HR 0.80) compared to placebo, although a high percentage (47%) of patients on everolimus discontinued treatment due to side effects.
  • While everolimus improved RFS, the lack of statistically significant OS benefits suggests that further examination is needed to assess its long-term survival impact
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Purpose: The Coexpression Extrapolation (COXEN) gene expression model with chemotherapy-specific scores [for methotrexate, vinblastine, adriamycin, cisplatin (ddMVAC) and gemcitabine/cisplatin (GC)] was developed to identify responders to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). We investigated RNA-based molecular subtypes as additional predictive biomarkers for NAC response, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) in patients treated in S1314.

Experimental Design: A total of 237 patients were randomized between four cycles of ddMVAC (51%) and GC (49%).

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Purpose: The efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade in gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) remains uncertain. We report the results of the GTN cohort of SWOG S1609 dual anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1 blockade in rare tumors (DART).

Patients And Methods: This prospective, open-label phase II trial evaluated ipilimumab plus nivolumab across multiple rare tumor cohorts, including GTN.

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Background: Although radical cystectomy (RC) is the standard of care for patients with bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)-unresponsive high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), many patients are ineligible for surgery or elect bladder preservation.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of atezolizumab in BCG-unresponsive high-risk NMIBC.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This was a single-arm phase 2 trial in patients with BCG-unresponsive high-risk NMIBC who were ineligible for or declined RC.

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Importance: Black patients present with more aggressive disease and experience higher mortality than White patients with prostate cancer. Race and social determinants of health influence prostate cancer-specific mortality and overall survival (OS); however, in a previous trial, Black patients did not have inferior outcomes compared with White patients, possibly because of equitable access to care available in a clinical trial setting.

Objective: To compare differences in survival outcomes of patients with metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC) by race in a phase 3 trial with a large proportion of Black patients.

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  • The study investigated the effectiveness of everolimus, a drug that inhibits the mammalian target of rapamycin, in preventing disease relapse in patients who had surgery for renal cell carcinoma.
  • Conducted as a randomized, double-blind trial, 1545 adult participants at high risk of recurrence were assigned to receive either everolimus or a placebo after their surgery, with a focus on measuring recurrence-free survival over a median follow-up of 76 months.
  • Results showed that everolimus improved recurrence-free survival (5-year rates of 67% vs. 63%) but did not reach the statistical significance needed, while it was particularly beneficial for those in the very-high-risk category, although it was associated with significantly more
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Background: The COXEN gene expression model was evaluated for prediction of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC).

Objective: To conduct a secondary analysis of the association of each COXEN score with event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) and by treatment arm.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This was a randomized phase 2 trial of neoadjuvant gemcitabine-cisplatin (GC) or dose-dense methotrexate-vinblastine-adriamycin-cisplatin (ddMVAC) in MIBC.

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Background: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is the standard of care in muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). However, treatment is intense, and the overall benefit is small, necessitating effective biomarkers to identify patients who will benefit most.

Objective: To characterize cell-free DNA (cfDNA) methylation in patients receiving NAC in SWOG S1314, a prospective cooperative group trial, and to correlate the methylation signatures with pathologic response at radical cystectomy.

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Purpose: Orteronel (TAK-700) is a nonsteroidal 17,20-lyase inhibitor suppressing androgen synthesis. We evaluated the clinical benefit of orteronel when added to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in patients with newly diagnosed metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer.

Methods: In this open-label randomized phase III study, patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer were randomly assigned 1:1 to ADT with orteronel (300 mg oral twice daily; experimental arm) or ADT with bicalutamide (50 mg oral once daily; control arm).

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Purpose: Metaplastic breast cancer (MpBC) is a rare aggressive subtype that responds poorly to cytotoxics. Median survival is approximately 8 months for metastatic disease. We report results for advanced MpBC treated with ipilimumab + nivolumab, a cohort of S1609 for rare cancers (DART: NCT02834013).

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Purpose: Angiosarcoma is a rare aggressive endothelial cell cancer with high mortality. Isolated reports suggest immune checkpoint inhibition efficacy in angiosarcoma, but no prospective studies have been published. We report results for angiosarcoma treated with ipilimumab and nivolumab as a cohort of an ongoing rare cancer study.

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Background: The authors previously reported the results of the nonpancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasm cohort of the SWOG S1609 DART (Dual Anti-CTLA-4 and Anti-PD-1 Blockade in Rare Tumors) trial, which permitted all histologic grades and had a 44% overall response rate (ORR) among patients with high-grade disease. Here they sought to validate their findings in a dedicated prospective cohort of high-grade neuroendocrine neoplasms within S1609.

Methods: A prospective, open-label, multicenter, phase 2 clinical trial of ipilimumab plus nivolumab was conducted across multiple rare tumor cohorts.

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Background: MET (also known as hepatocyte growth factor receptor) signalling is a key driver of papillary renal cell carcinoma (PRCC). Given that no optimal therapy for metastatic PRCC exists, we aimed to compare an existing standard of care, sunitinib, with the MET kinase inhibitors cabozantinib, crizotinib, and savolitinib for treatment of patients with PRCC.

Methods: We did a randomised, open-label, phase 2 trial done in 65 centres in the USA and Canada.

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Purpose: Dose-dense methotrexate-vinblastine-adriamycin-cisplatin (ddMVAC) and gemcitabine-cisplatin (GC) are accepted neoadjuvant regimens for muscle-invasive bladder cancer. The aim of this study was to validate the score from a coexpression extrapolation (COXEN) algorithm-generated gene expression model (GEM) as a biomarker in patients undergoing radical cystectomy.

Patients And Methods: Eligibility included cT2-T4a N0 M0, urothelial bladder cancer, ≥ 5 mm of viable tumor, cisplatin eligible, with plan for cystectomy; 237 patients were randomized between ddMVAC, given every 14 days for four cycles, and GC, given every 21 days for four cycles.

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Purpose: In metastatic castrate-sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC), combined androgen axis inhibition is a standard of care. Noninvasive biomarkers that guide initial therapy decisions are needed. We hypothesized that CellSearch circulating tumor cell (CTC) count, an FDA-cleared assay in metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), is a relevant biomarker in mCSPC.

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SWOG1314 is a randomized phase II study of co-expression extrapolation (COXEN) with neoadjuvant chemotherapy for localized, muscle-invasive bladder cancer. COXEN is a biomarker approach in which predictive biomarkers are developed using data, which may then be applied directly into a clinical testing application. Two separate Gene Expression Models (GEMs), one for the Methotrexate, Vinblastine, Doxorubicin, Cisplatin (MVAC) regimen and another for gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GC) were tested in S1314.

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Purpose: Immune checkpoint blockade has improved outcomes across tumor types; little is known about the efficacy of these agents in rare tumors. We report the results of the (nonpancreatic) neuroendocrine neoplasm cohort of SWOG S1609 dual anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1 blockade in rare tumors (DART).

Patients And Methods: We performed a prospective, open-label, multicenter phase II clinical trial of ipilimumab plus nivolumab across multiple rare tumor cohorts, with the (nonpancreatic) neuroendocrine cohort reported here.

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Background: S0931 is assessing recurrence-free survival in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients randomized to receive everolimus (EVE) versus placebo for one year following nephrectomy. Due to a higher than expected dropout rate, we assessed EVE trough levels in the adjuvant setting to evaluate the relationship between EVE exposure and probability of toxicity.

Methods: Patients received 10 mg daily EVE for nine 6-week cycles.

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