Bernardo Amadeo Leone

Thymidilate synthase and p53 primary tumour expression as predictive factors for advanced colorectal cancer patients

The purpose of this work was to analyse the ability of p53 and thymidilate synthase (TS) primary tumour expression to retrospectively predict clinical response to chemotherapy and long-term prognosis in patients with advanced colorectal cancers homogeneously treated by methotrexate (MTX)-modulated–5-fluorouracil (5-FU-FA). A total of 108 advanced colorectal cancer patients entered the present retrospective study. Immunohistochemical p53 (pAb 1801 mAb) and TS (TS106 mAb) expression on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded primary tumour specimens was related to probability of clinical response to chemotherapy, time to progression and overall survival. p53 was expressed in 53/108 (49%) tumours, while 54/108 (50%) showed TS immunostaining. No relationship was demonstrated between p53 positivity and clinical response to chemotherapy (objective response (OR): 20% vs 23%, in p53+ and p53– cases respectively) or overall survival. Percent of OR was significantly higher in TS-negative with respect to TS-positive tumours (30% vs 15% respectively; P< 0.04); simultaneous analysis of TS and p53 indicated 7% OR for p53-positive/TS-positive tumours vs 46% for p53-positive/TS-negative tumours (P< 0.03). Logistic regression analysis confirmed a significant association between TS tumour status and clinical response to chemotherapy (hazard ratio (HR): 2.91; 95% confidence interval (CI) 8.34–1.01; two-sided P< 0.05). A multivariate analysis of overall survival showed that only a small number of metastatic sites was statistically relevant (HR 1.89; 95% CI 2.85–1.26; two-sided P< 0.03). Our study suggests that immunohistochemical expression of p53 and TS could assist the clinician in predicting response of colorectal cancer patients to modulated MTX-5-FU therapy.

Stage IV Breast Cancer: Clinical Course and Survival of Patients with Osseous Versus Extraosseous Metastases at Initial Diagnosis

The medical records of 414 patients with metastatic breast carcinoma treated between 1978 and 1986 were reviewed and 44 women were identified as having stage IV disease when the primary breast lesion was detected. Of these 44 women, 25 had metastatic disease limited to the skeleton while 19 had extraosseous lesions only. The clinical features, response to therapy, and survival were analyzed and compared for both groups. The median survival of those patients with bone-only metastases was 52 months as compared with 13 months for those with extraskeletal lesions (p = 0.0025). The response rate to first-line systemic therapy was similar for both groups (47% for bone metastases and 44% for extraosseous metastases). The median duration of response was 14 months (range, 3–55 months) for patients with bone disease and 8 months (range, 4–43 months) for those with extraskeletal lesions. We conclude that patients with metastatic breast cancer confined to the skeleton at initial diagnosis tend to follow an indolent, chronic course with prolonged survival. Therefore the increase in response rate with agressive chemotherapy should be balanced against its higher morbidity. Further studies are needed to confirm whether the better prognosis of these patients is determined by the anatomical confinement of the disease to the skeleton or merely reflects the influence of other prognostic factors.

p53 and PCNA expression in advanced colorectal cancer: Response to chemotherapy and long‐term prognosis

In a series of 71 patients with advanced colorectal cancer treated with biochemically modulated 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU) and methotrexate (MTX), we investigated the relationship between the proliferating‐cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) (PC10) and p53 (Pab 1801) primary‐tumor immunohistochemical expression with respect to clinical response and long‐term prognosis. Nuclear p53 expression was demonstrated in 44% of samples (any number of positive tumor cells) while all tumors showed a certain degree of PCNA immunostaining. PCNA immunostaining was correlated with histopathologic grade and p53 expression, while p53 was not correlated with any of the parameters considered. The probability of clinical response to biochemically modulated 5‐FU was independent of p53 and PCNA expression. p53 expression (all cut‐off values) was not associated with short‐ or long‐term clinical prognosis, whereas patients with higher PCNA primary‐tumor expression showed longer survival from treatment and survival from diagnosis, according to univariate and multivariate analysis, particularly in the sub‐set of colon‐cancer patients. We conclude that the clinical response of advanced‐colorectal‐cancer patients to biochemically modulated 5‐FU and MTX cannot be predicted by PCNA and p53 primary‐tumor expression, but high PCNA expression appears to be independently related to long‐term prognosis.

Vinorelbine as neoadjuvant chemotherapy in advanced cervical carcinoma

PURPOSE To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of vinorelbine (VNB) as single-agent neoadjuvant chemotherapy in advanced cervical carcinoma (ACC). PATIENTS AND METHODS Between December 1993 and October 1995, 43 untreated patients with stages IIB to IVA squamous cell cervical cancer were entered onto this study. Forty-two patients are assessable for response and 43 for toxicity. The median age was 46 years (range, 28 to 65). Distribution by stages (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics [FIGO]) was as follows: IIB, 18 patients; IIIA, one; IIIB, 19; and IVA, five. Therapy consisted of VNB 30 mg/m2 by 20-minute intravenous (IV) infusion repeated weekly for 12 injections and followed by radical surgery if feasible or definitive radiotherapy. Both staging and response assessment were performed by a multidisciplinary team. RESULTS One patient was considered not assessable for response. A total of 493 cycles of therapy were administered and objective remissions were observed in 19 of 42 patients (45%; 95% confidence interval, 30% to 60%). Two patients (5%) had a complete response (CR) and 17 (40%) a partial response (PR); no change (NC) was observed in 16 (38%) and progressive disease (PD) in seven (17%). Six of 19 patients (32%) who achieved objective responses (ORs) underwent surgery. The median time to failure and median survival time have not been reached yet. There were no therapy-related deaths. The dose-limiting toxicity was myelosuppression. Leukopenia occurred in 35 patients (81%) and was grade 3 or 4 in seven (17%). Twelve patients (28%) developed peripheral neuropathy, while myalgias occurred in 10 (23%). Constipation was observed in nine patients (21%), one with a prolonged ileum. Phlebitis was recorded in 18 patients (41%). In contrast, emesis and mucositis were rarely observed. No patient developed alopecia grade 3. By the end of the twelfth course of treatment, the average received dose-intensity was 85.4% of that projected. CONCLUSION VNB is an active drug against ACC with moderate toxicity. Its activity is among the highest reported for single agents. Further evaluation in association with other agents is clearly justified.

Bone-Only Versus Visceral-Only Metastatic Pattern in Breast Cancer: Analysis of 150 Patients

The medical records of 510 patients with metastatic breast cancer were retrospectively reviewed. Seventy-seven patients with metastases confined to skeleton and 73 patients bearing visceral-only disease were identified. All patients had a disease-free interval ≤ months and received systemic therapy with any of the following modalities: chemotherapy, hormonotherapy, or chemohormonotherapy. The clinical features, response to treatment, and survival were analyzed and compared for both groups. Median survival of patients with osseous metastases was 28 months, while it was 13 months for those patients with a visceral pattern (p < 0.001). Response rates to first and second line systemic therapy for both metastatic patterns showed no significant differences, suggesting a similar degree of sensitivity or resistance in both groups. Objective regression to first therapy was 45% in the group with bony disease and 41% among patients with visceral involvement; median duration of response was 16 months and 13 months, respectively. In both groups progressive disease conserved the original metastatic pattern in most patients. We conclude that although a superiority in survival was evident for the osseous metastatic pattern, for these patients efforts should be made to select the least aggressive therapy in order to avoid excessive toxicity. Further studies are needed to confirm our findings.

Vinorelbine and Paclitaxel as First-Line Chemotherapy in Metastatic Breast Cancer

PURPOSE To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of a combination of vinorelbine (VNB) and paclitaxel (PTX) as first-line chemotherapy in metastatic breast carcinoma (MBC). PATIENTS AND METHODS Between August 1995 and August 1997, 49 patients with untreated MBC received a regimen that consisted of VNB 30 mg/m2 in a 20-minute intravenous (IV) infusion on days 1 and 8 and PTX 135 mg/m2 in a 3-hour IV infusion (starting 1 hour after VNB) on day 1. Cycles were repeated every 28 days. The median age of the patients was 52 years, and 59% of patients were postmenopausal. Median performance status was 1. Dominant sites of disease were soft tissue in 6%, bone in 29%, and viscera in 65%. RESULTS Objective responses were recorded in 27 of 45 assessable patients (60%; 95% confidence interval, 46% to 74%). Complete remissions occurred in three patients (7%), and partial remissions occurred in 24 patients (53%). No change was recorded in 12 patients (27%), and progressive disease occurred in six patients (13%). The median time to treatment failure was 7 months, and median survival duration was 17 months. The limiting toxicity was myelosuppression, mainly leukopenia in 49 patients (100%) (grade 1 to grade 2, four patients; grade 3, 30 patients; and grade 4, 15 patients). Neutropenia was observed in 100% of patients (grade 1 to grade 2, three patients; grade 3, 11 patients; grade 4, 35 patients). Two treatment-related deaths due to febrile neutropenia were observed in patients with massive liver involvement. Peripheral neurotoxicity developed in 33 patients (67%) (grade 1, 25 patients; grade 2, eight patients); there were no grade 3 or grade 4 episodes. CONCLUSION The combination of VNB-PTX showed significant activity as first-line chemotherapy for patients with MBC. Myelosuppression was the dose-limiting side effect, whereas neurotoxicity was mild to moderate.

Expression of apoptosis-related markers and clinical outcome in patients with advanced colorectal cancer.

The clinical relevance of bax and bcl-2 protein expression has been investigated in 84 patients with recurrent or metastatic colorectal cancer submitted to a chemotherapy regimen including methotrexate and fluorouracil/leucovorin. Cytoplasmic immunostaining of bax and bcl-2 was present in 65.5% and 38%, respectively, of the tumours. No association was found between bax and bcl-2 or between p53 and bax or bcl-2 protein expression. Moreover, the biomarkers were unrelated to patient and tumour characteristics known to affect the clinical outcome of colorectal cancer patients. In general, the apoptosis-related markers did not appear indicative of short- and long-term clinical response nor of prognosis. Bcl-2-negative lesions were more frequent among patients who reached an objective clinical response, which is in agreement with previously reported data regarding other tumour types. When the interrelationship between p53 and bax expression was examined, a better response rate (40%) was found for patients whose tumours did not express p53 and bax, and a better prognosis (2-year probability of overall survival 75%) for patients with p53-positive and bax-negative tumours. In the present series of patients with advanced colorectal cancer submitted to systemic chemotherapy we did not find a clear association between expression of apoptosis-related markers and clinical outcome, even in the subset of patients in which the apoptotic index as determined by the TUNEL approach was investigated.

Ifosfamide and cisplatin as neoadjuvant chemotherapy for advanced cervical carcinoma.

A phase II trial was performed to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of a combination of cisplatin (CDDP) and ifosfamide (IFX) as neoadjuvant chemotherapy in advanced cervical carcinoma (ACC). Between August 1991 and September 1993, 57 untreated patients with stages IIB to IVA were entered into this study. Median age was 44 years (range, 25 to 74 years). The distribution by stages (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) was as follows: IIB, 31 patients; IIIB, 21 patients; and IVA, 5 patients. Therapy consisted of IFX 2000 mg/m(2) 1-h i.v. infusion days 1 to 3; mesna 400 mg/m(2) i.v. bolus at hours 0 and 4, and 800 mg p.o. at hour 8; and CDDP 100 mg/m(2) on day 3. Cycles were repeated every 28 days for a total of three courses. Both staging and response assessment were performed by a multidisciplinary team. An objective response was observed in 30 of 56 patients (54%; 95% confidence interval, 41 to 67%). Four patients (7%) had a complete response (CR) and 26(46%) had a partial response (PR). Patients with CR or operable PR underwent surgery, otherwise received definitive radiotherapy. Toxicity was mild to moderate. There were no toxicity related deaths. These results indicate that IFX/CDDP is an active combination for ACC with mild toxicity. The results of phase III studies that evaluate the real impact of neoadjuvant chemotherapy are awaited.

Relation between Delay and Survival in 596 Patients with Breast Cancer

To evaluate the influence of delay between first symptom and first treatment upon survival the medical records of 596 patients with breast cancer were reviewed. The following intervals were considered: less than 3 months; 3-6 months and greater than 6 months. Patients in the less than 3 months delay group had a better distribution by clinical stages and a 10-year survival rate higher than those in the longer delay groups (p = 0.034). However, within each stage no statistically significant difference in survival according to delay was observed. A Cox multivariate analysis revealed that performance status and stage of disease were independent predictors of survival, but not delay. Assuming the best prognosis for patients with clinical stages I and II and less than 3 months delay, the group with longer delay times had 15 deaths over what would have been predicted. This adverse effect was observed almost exclusively among patients over age 50 (14/15).

Sequential Therapy With Methotrexate and 5-Fluorouracil in the Treatment of Advanced Colorectal Carcinoma

Twenty-nine patients with advanced colorectal carcinoma were entered in this study to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of a sequential chemotherapeutic schedule with methotrexate (MTX), 200 mg/m2 intravenously (IV) (push injection) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), 1,200 mg/m2 in continuous IV infusion, using a 20-hour time interval. All patients received calcium leucovorin (LV), 25 mg, intramuscularly (IM) every six hours for eight doses beginning 24 hours after methotrexate administration. Courses were administered every 15 days. Of the 24 patients evaluable for response, 11 (46%) had major objective regressions (one complete remission [CR] and ten partial remissions [PR]). The survival rate of patients who responded to treatment was 60% at 16 months, whereas patients with no change and those in whom the disease progressed had a median survival of 9 months and 3 months, respectively. The median duration of response has not yet been reached in patients who presented objective tumor regression, and was 7.5 months in those with no change. Significant differences were found between objective regression and no change (P less than .0005) and between no change and tumor progression (P less than .05). All patients were evaluable for toxicity. There were three toxic-related deaths (10%) because of severe myelosuppresion, sepsis, and hemorrhage. These promising results, despite important toxicity, reveal the synergism between the two chemotherapeutic agents and also indicate that the response rate achieved could be a consequence of the 20-hour interval and high dose of 5-FU. Further studies are necessary to determine the optimal time interval and the adequate 5-FU dose.