Alexandria T. Phan

One hundred years after "carcinoid": epidemiology of and prognostic factors for neuroendocrine tumors in 35,825 cases in the United States.

PURPOSE Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are considered rare tumors and can produce a variety of hormones. In this study, we examined the epidemiology of and prognostic factors for NETs, because a thorough examination of neither had previously been performed. METHODS The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program registries were searched to identify NET cases from 1973 to 2004. Associated population data were used for incidence and prevalence analyses. Results We identified 35,618 patients with NETs. We observed a significant increase in the reported annual age-adjusted incidence of NETs from 1973 (1.09/100,000) to 2004 (5.25/100,000). Using the SEER 9 registry data, we estimated the 29-year limited-duration prevalence of NETs on January 1, 2004, to be 9,263. Also, the estimated 29-year limited-duration prevalence in the United States on that date was 103,312 cases (35/100,000). The most common primary tumor site varied by race, with the lung being the most common in white patients, and the rectum being the most common in Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and African American patients. Additionally, survival duration varied by histologic grade. In multivariate analysis of patients with well-differentiated to moderately differentiated NETs, disease stage, primary tumor site, histologic grade, sex, race, age, and year of diagnosis were predictors of outcome (P < .001). CONCLUSION We observed increased reported incidence of NETs and increased survival durations over time, suggesting that NETs are more prevalent than previously reported. Clinicians need to be become familiar with the natural history and patterns of disease progression, which are characteristic of these tumors.

Lanreotide in Metastatic Enteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors

BACKGROUND Somatostatin analogues are commonly used to treat symptoms associated with hormone hypersecretion in neuroendocrine tumors; however, data on their antitumor effects are limited. METHODS We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multinational study of the somatostatin analogue lanreotide in patients with advanced, well-differentiated or moderately differentiated, nonfunctioning, somatostatin receptor-positive neuroendocrine tumors of grade 1 or 2 (a tumor proliferation index [on staining for the Ki-67 antigen] of <10%) and documented disease-progression status. The tumors originated in the pancreas, midgut, or hindgut or were of unknown origin. Patients were randomly assigned to receive an extended-release aqueous-gel formulation of lanreotide (Autogel [known in the United States as Depot], Ipsen) at a dose of 120 mg (101 patients) or placebo (103 patients) once every 28 days for 96 weeks. The primary end point was progression-free survival, defined as the time to disease progression (according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, version 1.0) or death. Secondary end points included overall survival, quality of life (assessed with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer questionnaires QLQ-C30 and QLQ-GI.NET21), and safety. RESULTS Most patients (96%) had no tumor progression in the 3 to 6 months before randomization, and 33% had hepatic tumor volumes greater than 25%. Lanreotide, as compared with placebo, was associated with significantly prolonged progression-free survival (median not reached vs. median of 18.0 months, P<0.001 by the stratified log-rank test; hazard ratio for progression or death, 0.47; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.30 to 0.73). The estimated rates of progression-free survival at 24 months were 65.1% (95% CI, 54.0 to 74.1) in the lanreotide group and 33.0% (95% CI, 23.0 to 43.3) in the placebo group. The therapeutic effect in predefined subgroups was generally consistent with that in the overall population, with the exception of small subgroups in which confidence intervals were wide. There were no significant between-group differences in quality of life or overall survival. The most common treatment-related adverse event was diarrhea (in 26% of the patients in the lanreotide group and 9% of those in the placebo group). CONCLUSIONS Lanreotide was associated with significantly prolonged progression-free survival among patients with metastatic enteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors of grade 1 or 2 (Ki-67 <10%). (Funded by Ipsen; CLARINET ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00353496; EudraCT 2005-004904-35.).

Efficacy of RAD001 (Everolimus) and Octreotide LAR in Advanced Low- to Intermediate-Grade Neuroendocrine Tumors: Results of a Phase II Study

PURPOSE Evaluate the activity of everolimus (RAD001) in combination with octreotide long-acting repeatable (LAR) in patients with advanced low- to intermediate-grade neuroendocrine tumors. METHODS Treatment consisted of RAD001 5 mg/d (30 patients) or 10 mg/d (30 patients) and octreotide LAR 30 mg every 28 days. Thirty carcinoid and 30 islet cell patients were enrolled. RESULTS Intent-to-treat response rate was 20%. Per protocol, there were 13 with partial responses (22%), 42 with stable disease (SD; 70%), and five patients with progressive disease (8%). Overall median progression-free survival (PFS) was 60 weeks. Median PFS for patients with known SD at entry was longer than for those who had progressive disease (74 v 50 weeks; P < .01). Median overall survival has not been reached. One-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates were 83%, 81%, and 78%, respectively. Among 37 patients with elevated chromogranin A, 26 (70%) achieved normalization or more than 50% reduction. Most common toxicity was mild aphthous ulceration. Grade 3/4 toxicities occurring in >or= 10% of patients included hypophosphatemia (11%), fatigue (11%), and diarrhea (11%). Treatment was associated with a dose-dependent rise in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Those with lower than 109 U/L rise in LDH at week 4 had shorter PFS (38 v 69 weeks; P = .01). Treatment was also associated with a decrease in proliferation marker Ki-67 among patients who underwent optional paired pre- and post-treatment biopsy (P = .04). CONCLUSION RAD001 at 5 or 10 mg/d was well tolerated in combination with octreotide LAR, with promising antitumor activity. Confirmatory studies are ongoing.

Targeting Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Advanced Carcinoid Tumor: A Random Assignment Phase II Study of Depot Octreotide With Bevacizumab and Pegylated Interferon Alfa-2b

PURPOSE Effective systemic therapy for advanced carcinoid is lacking. The combination of bevacizumab (BEV) and pegylated (PEG) interferon alpha-2b was evaluated among patients with metastatic or unresectable carcinoid tumors. PATIENTS AND METHODS Forty-four patients on stable doses of octreotide were randomly assigned to 18 weeks of treatment with bevacizumab or PEG interferon alpha-2b. At disease progression (PD) or at the end of 18 weeks (whichever occurred earlier), patients received bevacizumab plus PEG interferon until progression. Functional computer tomography (CT) scans were performed to measure effect on tumor blood flow. RESULTS In the bevacizumab arm, four patients (18%) achieved confirmed partial response (PR), 17 patients (77%) had stable disease (SD), and one patient (5%) had PD. In the PEG interferon arm, 15 patients (68%) had SD and six patients (27%) had PD. Progression-free survival (PFS) rates after 18 weeks of monotherapy were 95% in bevacizumab versus 68% on the PEG interferon arm. The overall median PFS for all 44 patients is 63 weeks. Compared with paired baseline measurements on functional CT scans, we observed a 49% (P < .01) and 28% (P < .01) decrease in tumor blood flow at day 2 and week 18 among patients treated with bevacizumab. No significant changes in tumor blood flow were observed following PEG interferon. PEG interferon alpha-2b treatment was associated with decrease in plasma basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF; P = .04) and increase in plasma interleukin-18 (IL-18; P < .01). No significant changes in bFGF or IL-18 following treatment with bevacizumab were observed. CONCLUSION Bevacizumab therapy resulted in objective responses, reduction of tumor blood flow, and longer PFS in patients with carcinoid than PEG interferon treatment.

Population-based study of islet cell carcinoma

BackgroundWe examine the epidemiology, natural history, and prognostic factors that affect the duration of survival for islet cell carcinoma by using population-based registries.MethodsThe Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program database (1973–2003 release, April 2006) was used to identify cases of islet cell carcinoma by histology codes and tumor site.ResultsA total of 1310 (619 women and 691 men) cases with a median age of 59 years were identified. The annual age-adjusted incidence in the periods covered by SEER 9 (1973–1991), SEER 13 (1992–1999), and SEER 17 (2000–2003) were .16, .14, and .12 per 100,000, respectively. The estimated 28-year limited duration prevalence on January 1, 2003, in the United States was 2705 cases. Classified by SEER stage, localized, regional, and distant stages corresponded to 14%, 23%, and 54% of cases. The median survival was 38 months. By stage, median survival for patients with localized, regional, and distant disease were 124 (95% CI, 80–168) months, 70 (95% CI, 54–86) months, and 23 (95% CI, 20–26) months, respectively. By multivariate Cox proportional modeling, stage (P < .001), primary tumor location (P = .04), and age at diagnosis (P < .001) were found to be significant predictors of survival.ConclusionsIslet cell carcinomas account for approximately 1.3% of cancers arising in the pancreas. Most patients have advanced disease at the time of diagnosis. Despite the disease’s reputation of being indolent, survival of patients with advanced disease remains only 2 years. Development of novel therapeutic approaches is needed.

Consensus guidelines for the management and treatment of neuroendocrine tumors.

Neuroendocrine tumors are a heterogeneous group of tumors originating in various anatomic locations. The management of this disease poses a significant challenge because of the heterogeneous clinical presentations and varying degrees of aggressiveness. The recent completion of several phase 3 trials, including those evaluating octreotide, sunitinib, and everolimus, demonstrate that rigorous evaluation of novel agents in this disease is possible and can lead to practice-changing outcomes. Nevertheless, there are many aspects to the treatment of neuroendocrine tumors that remain unclear and controversial. The North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society published a set of consensus guidelines in 2010, which provided an overview for the treatment of patients with these malignancies. Here, we present a set of consensus tables intended to complement these guidelines and serve as a quick, accessible reference for the practicing physician.

The NANETS consensus guidelines for the diagnosis and management of poorly differentiated (High-Grade) extrapulmonary neuroendocrine carcinomas

Extrapulmonary poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas can originate in the gastrointestinal tract, bladder, cervix, and prostate. These high-grade malignancies are characterized by aggressive histological features (high mitotic rate, extensive necrosis, and nuclear atypia) and a poor clinical prognosis. They are infrequently associated with secretory hormonal syndromes (such as the carcinoid syndrome) and rarely express somatostatin receptors.Most poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas are locally advanced or metastatic at presentation. First-line systemic chemotherapy with a platinum agent (cisplatin or carboplatin) and etoposide is recommended for most patients with metastatic-stage disease; however, response durations are often short. Sequential or concurrent chemoradiation is recommended for patients with loco-regional disease. In patients with localized tumors undergoing surgical resection, adjuvant treatment (chemotherapy with or without radiation) is warranted in most cases.

Clinical Risk Factors for Malignancy and Overall Survival in Patients with Pheochromocytomas and Sympathetic Paragangliomas: Primary Tumor Size and Primary Tumor Location as Prognostic Indicators

CONTEXT Pheochromocytomas and sympathetic paragangliomas are rare neuroendocrine tumors for which no precise histological or molecular markers have been identified to differentiate benign from malignant tumors. OBJECTIVE The aim was to determine whether primary tumor location and size are associated with malignancy and decreased survival. DESIGN AND SETTING We performed a retrospective chart review of patients with either pheochromocytoma or sympathetic paraganglioma. PATIENTS The study group comprised 371 patients. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Overall survival and disease-specific survival were analyzed according to tumor size and location. RESULTS Sixty percent of patients with sympathetic paragangliomas and 25% of patients with pheochromocytomas had metastatic disease. Metastasis was more commonly associated with primary tumors located in the mediastinum (69%) and the infradiaphragmatic paraaortic area, including the organ of Zuckerkandl (66%). The primary tumor was larger in patients with metastases than in patients without metastatic disease (P < 0.0001). Patients with sympathetic paragangliomas had a shorter overall survival than patients with pheochromocytomas (P < 0.0001); increased tumor size was associated with shorter overall survival (P < 0.001). Patients with sympathetic paragangliomas were twice as likely to die of disease than patients with pheochromocytomas (hazard ratio = 1.93; 95% confidence interval = 1.20-3.12; P = 0.007). As per multivariate analysis, the location of the primary tumor was a stronger predictor of metastases than was the size of the primary tumor. CONCLUSIONS The size and location of the primary tumor were significant clinical risk factors for metastasis and decreased overall survival duration. These findings delineate the follow-up and treatment for these tumors.

Reduction of Cancer-Related Fatigue With Dexamethasone: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial in Patients With Advanced Cancer

PURPOSE Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is the most common symptom in patients with advanced cancer. The primary objective of this prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was to compare the effect of dexamethasone and placebo on CRF. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with advanced cancer with ≥ three CRF-related symptoms (ie, fatigue, pain, nausea, loss of appetite, depression, anxiety, or sleep disturbance) ≥ 4 of 10 on the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) were eligible. Patients were randomly assigned to either dexamethasone 4 mg or placebo orally twice per day for 14 days. The primary end point was change in the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness-Fatigue (FACIT-F) subscale from baseline to day 15. Secondary outcomes included anorexia, anxiety, depression, and symptom distress scores. RESULTS A total of 84 patients were evaluable (dexamethasone, 43; placebo, 41). Mean (± standard deviation) improvement in the FACIT-F subscale at day 15 was significantly higher in the dexamethasone than in the placebo group (9 [± 10.3] v 3.1 [± 9.59]; P = .008). The improvement in FACIT-F total quality-of-life scores was also significantly better for the dexamethasone group at day 15 (P = .03). The mean differences in the ESAS physical distress scores at day 15 were significantly better for the dexamethasone group (P = .013, respectively). No differences were observed for ESAS overall symptom distress (P = .22) or psychological distress score (P = .76). Frequency of adverse effects was not significantly different between groups (41 of 62 v 44 of 58; P = .14). CONCLUSION Dexamethasone is more effective than placebo in improving CRF and quality of life in patients with advanced cancer.

PIK3CA/PTEN Mutations and Akt Activation As Markers of Sensitivity to Allosteric mTOR Inhibitors

Purpose: We sought to determine whether phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway mutation or activation state and rapamycin-induced feedback loop activation of Akt is associated with rapamycin sensitivity or resistance. Experimental Design: Cancer cell lines were tested for rapamycin sensitivity, Akt phosphorylation, and mTOR target inhibition. Mice injected with breast or neuroendocrine cancer cells and patients with neuroendocrine tumor (NET) were treated with rapalogs and Akt phosphorylation was assessed. Results: Thirty-one cell lines were rapamycin sensitive (RS) and 12 were relatively rapamycin resistant (RR; IC50 > 100 nmol/L). Cells with PIK3CA and/or PTEN mutations were more likely to be RS (P = 0.0123). Akt phosphorylation (S473 and T308) was significantly higher in RS cells (P < 0.0001). Rapamycin led to a significantly greater pathway inhibition and greater increase in p-Akt T308 (P < 0.0001) and p-Akt S473 (P = 0.0009) in RS cells. Rapamycin and everolimus significantly increased Akt phosphorylation but inhibited growth in an in vivo NET model (BON). In patients with NETs treated with everolimus and octreotide, progression-free survival correlated with p-Akt T308 in pretreatment (R = 0.4762, P = 0.0533) and on-treatment tumor biopsies (R = 0.6041, P = 0.0102). Patients who had a documented partial response were more likely to have an increase in p-Akt T308 with treatment compared with nonresponders (P = 0.0146). Conclusion: PIK3CA/PTEN genomic aberrations and high p-Akt levels are associated with rapamycin sensitivity in vitro. Rapamycin-mediated Akt activation is greater in RS cells, with a similar observation in patients with clinical responses on exploratory biomarker analysis; thus feedback loop activation of Akt is not a marker of resistance but rather may function as an indicator of rapamycin activity. Clin Cancer Res; 18(6); 1777–89. ©2012 AACR.