Clinical activity of checkpoint inhibitors in angiosarcoma: A retrospective cohort study.

Background: Systemic treatments for angiosarcoma remains an area of unmet clinical need. The authors conducted this retrospective study to assess the clinical activity of checkpoint inhibitors in patients with angiosarcoma. The primary objective was to assess the objective response rate, and the secondary objective was to assess the progression-free and overall survival durations and disease control rate.

Isolated adrenocorticotrophic hormone deficiency in a patient treated with checkpoint inhibitor therapy.

Treatment of advanced melanoma has significantly improved with the advent of checkpoint inhibitor therapy. With the widespread use of these agents, side effects are being increasingly recognized, including immune-related adverse events. We report the onset of adrenal insufficiency in a patient with advanced melanoma who was exposed to two checkpoint inhibitors: ipilimumab and nivolumab.

Use of Biomarkers to Guide Decisions on Adjuvant Systemic Therapy for Women With Early-Stage Invasive Breast Cancer: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline Focused Update.

Purpose This focused update addresses the use of MammaPrint (Agendia, Irvine, CA) to guide decisions on the use of adjuvant systemic therapy. Methods ASCO uses a signals approach to facilitate guideline updates. For this focused update, the publication of the phase III randomized MINDACT (Microarray in Node-Negative and 1 to 3 Positive Lymph Node Disease May Avoid Chemotherapy) study to evaluate the MammaPrint assay in 6,693 women with early-stage breast cancer provided a signal.

Case Report: Immune-mediated Complete Response in a Patient With Recurrent Advanced Ewing Sarcoma (EWS) After Vigil Immunotherapy.

Ewing sarcoma is a highly resistant disease with a <10% chance of survival at 5 years after failure of frontline chemotherapy. This is a case report of an Ewing sarcoma patient with metastatic disease recurrence <2 years after standard chemotherapy/radiation who achieved a durable and sustained complete response after 2 series of treatments with Vigil (GMCSF/bi-shRNA furin DNA autologous tumor immunotherapy) serially manufactured from first and second recurrences with ELISPOT assay correlation. Results support justification of further testing of Vigil with ELISPOT assay as a biomarker to assess level of immune response and correlation with disease control.

Case report: whole exome sequencing of primary cardiac angiosarcoma highlights potential for targeted therapies.

Background: Primary cardiac angiosarcomas are rare, but they are the most aggressive type of primary cardiac neoplasms. When patients do present, it is with advanced pulmonary and/or cardiac symptoms. Therefore, many times the correct diagnosis is not made at the time of initial presentation.

Mammary-type myofibroblastoma with the nephrotic syndrome.

We describe a 23-year-old white man who presented with anasarca and a new periumbilical mass. He had preserved kidney function and laboratory findings consistent with nephrotic syndrome, including 9.7 g/day albuminuria.

Three-year Follow up of GMCSF/bi-shRNA(furin) DNA-transfected Autologous Tumor Immunotherapy (Vigil) in Metastatic Advanced Ewing's Sarcoma.

Ewing's sarcoma is a devastating rare pediatric cancer of the bone. Intense chemotherapy temporarily controls disease in most patients at presentation but has limited effect in patients with progressive or recurrent disease. We previously described preliminary results of a novel immunotherapy, FANG (Vigil) vaccine, in which 12 advanced stage Ewing's patients were safely treated and went on to achieve a predicted immune response (IFNγ ELISPOT).

Use of Biomarkers to Guide Decisions on Adjuvant Systemic Therapy for Women With Early-Stage Invasive Breast Cancer: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline.

Purpose: To provide recommendations on appropriate use of breast tumor biomarker assay results to guide decisions on adjuvant systemic therapy for women with early-stage invasive breast cancer.

Methods: A literature search and prospectively defined study selection sought systematic reviews, meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, prospective-retrospective studies, and prospective comparative observational studies published from 2006 through 2014. Outcomes of interest included overall survival and disease-free or recurrence-free survival.

Use of Biomarkers to Guide Decisions on Systemic Therapy for Women With Metastatic Breast Cancer: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline.

Purpose: To provide recommendations on the appropriate use of breast tumor biomarker assay results to guide decisions on systemic therapy for metastatic breast cancer.

Methods: A literature search and prospectively defined study selection identified systematic reviews, meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials (RCTs), prospective-retrospective studies, and prospective comparative observational studies published from 2006 through September 2014.

Results: The literature search revealed 17 articles that met criteria for further review: 11 studies reporting discordances between primary tumors and metastases in expression of hormone receptors or human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), one RCT that addressed the use of a biomarker to decide whether to change or continue a treatment regimen, and five prospective-retrospective studies that evaluated the clinical utility of biomarkers.

Pilot Trial of FANG Immunotherapy in Ewing's Sarcoma.

We report on 12 consecutive patients with advanced/metastatic Ewing's sarcoma who were treated as a separate cohort of a phase 1 trial of FANG autologous immunotherapy (1 × 10(6)-2.5 × 10(7) cells/intradermal injection each month for minimum 4 months). Safety and clinical response were monitored.

Phase 1 Trial of Bi-shRNA STMN1 BIV in Refractory Cancer.

Stathmin1 (STMN1) is a microtubule modulator that is expressed in multiple cancers and correlates with poor survival. We previously demonstrated in vivo safety of bifunctional (bi) shRNA STMN1 bilamellar invaginated vesicle (BIV) and that systemic delivery correlated with antitumor activity. Patients with superficial advanced refractory cancer with no other standard options were entered into trial.

Eosinophilic small bowel enteritis in response to folinic acid, fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin chemotherapy.

A 70-year-old woman being treated with folinic acid, fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) therapy for relapsed colon cancer metastatic to the lung presented to the hospital with a 1-week history of abdominal pain, anorexia, a 1-day history of diarrhea, and a fever of 101°F. Neutropenia and a peripheral eosinophilia were present, and computed tomogram of the abdomen showed thickening of the wall of a segment of small bowel with luminal stenosis. Colonoscopy and double-balloon small bowel enteroscopy found a stenosis in the ileum that upon biopsy revealed small bowel eosinophilic enteritis.

Primary cutaneous angiosarcoma of the breast after breast trauma.

Primary angiosarcoma of the breast is a rare malignant tumor. We report a case of breast primary cutaneous angiosarcoma in a patient with a strong family history of malignancy. For definitive diagnosis, a tissue biopsy is needed, with immunostaining for the presence of blood vessel endothelial markers CD31 and CD34.

Primary cutaneous large B-cell lymphoma, leg type.

Primary cutaneous large B-cell lymphoma, leg type, is a rare and aggressive neoplasm as defined by the recently updated World Health Organization-European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer classification of cutaneous lymphomas. We present a case of a 74-year-old woman who presented with a cutaneous lesion on her forearm. Skin biopsy revealed pathology consistent with this entity.

Docetaxel With Cyclophosphamide Is Associated With an Overall Survival Benefit Compared With Doxorubicin and Cyclophosphamide: 7-Year Follow-Up of US Oncology Research Trial 9735.

Purpose: We previously reported that four cycles of docetaxel/cyclophosphamide (TC) produced superior disease-free survival (DFS) compared with four cycles of doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide (AC) in early breast cancer. Older women are under-represented in adjuvant chemotherapy trials. In our trial 16% of patients were > or = 65 years.

Primary effusion lymphoma diagnosed by pericardiocentesis.

Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL), formerly known as body cavity-based lymphoma, is a high-grade B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma associated with Kaposi's sarcoma and human herpesvirus 8 infection. It usually affects serous body cavities and results in recurrent lymphomatous effusions. PEL is often diagnosed in patients with HIV infection and carries a poor prognosis, with median survival near 6 months.

The ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone syndrome in carcinoid tumors.

Ectopic production of adrenocorticotropic hormone by carcinoid tumors is relatively uncommon and may not be recognized by physicians. This report describes a woman who had Cushing syndrome from the ectopic secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone by a carcinoid tumor. Her cause of death was a pneumonia that may have been secondary to her untreated hypercortisolism.

American Society of Clinical Oncology 2007 update of recommendations for the use of tumor markers in breast cancer.

Purpose: To update the recommendations for the use of tumor marker tests in the prevention, screening, treatment, and surveillance of breast cancer.

Methods: For the 2007 update, an Update Committee composed of members from the full Panel was formed to complete the review and analysis of data published since 1999. Computerized literature searches of MEDLINE and the Cochrane Collaboration Library were performed.

Phase III trial comparing doxorubicin plus cyclophosphamide with docetaxel plus cyclophosphamide as adjuvant therapy for operable breast cancer.

Purpose: The combination of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide (AC) is a standard adjuvant chemotherapy regimen. Studies of docetaxel and cyclophosphamide (TC) in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) showed promise in MBC. In 1997, we initiated a randomized adjuvant trial of TC compared with standard-dose AC with a primary end point of disease-free survival (DFS).

Phase I study of CT-2103, a polymer-conjugated paclitaxel, and carboplatin in patients with advanced solid tumors.

Purpose: The primary objective of this study was to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of CT-2103 (poly L-glutamic acid-paclitaxel) in combination with carboplatin in patients with histologically proven solid tumors that were either refractory to conventional treatment or for which no conventional therapy was available.

Patients And Methods: Twenty-two adult patients with advanced solid tumors were treated in this dose escalation study. Patients were treated every 21 days with CT-2103 at 175, 210, 225, or 250 mg/m2 (doses expressed as units of conjugated-paclitaxel) via 10-20 minute intravenous (IV) infusion, followed one hour later with carboplatin administered at AUC 5 or 6 via 30 minute IV infusion.

Randomized phase III study of docetaxel compared with paclitaxel in metastatic breast cancer.

Purpose: This randomized, controlled, multicenter, open-label, phase III study compared docetaxel versus paclitaxel in patients with advanced breast cancer that had progressed after an anthracycline-containing chemotherapy regimen.

Patients And Methods: Patients (n = 449) were randomly assigned to receive either docetaxel 100 mg/m2 (n = 225) or paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 (n = 224) on day 1, every 21 days until tumor progression, unacceptable toxicity, or withdrawal of consent.

Results: In the intent-to-treat population, both the median overall survival (OS, 15.

Phase II study of pemetrexed in patients pretreated with an anthracycline, a taxane, and capecitabine for advanced breast cancer.

Background: This phase II study evaluated the efficacy, safety, and health outcomes of pemetrexed treatment in heavily pretreated patients with advanced breast cancer.

Patients And Methods: Women with metastatic breast cancer, Karnofsky performance status > or = 70, and previous treatment with > or = 3 regimens containing anthracyclines, taxanes, and capecitabine were eligible. Pemetrexed 500 mg/m2 intravenous infusion was administered on day 1 of a 21-day treatment cycle.