scholarly journals Serum alpha-fetoprotein and clinical outcomes in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma treated with ramucirumab

Author(s):  
Andrew X. Zhu ◽  
Richard S. Finn ◽  
Yoon-Koo Kang ◽  
Chia-Jui Yen ◽  
Peter R. Galle ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Post hoc analyses assessed the prognostic and predictive value of baseline alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), as well as clinical outcomes by AFP response or progression, during treatment in two placebo-controlled trials (REACH, REACH-2). Methods Serum AFP was measured at baseline and every three cycles. The prognostic and predictive value of baseline AFP was assessed by Cox regression models and Subpopulation Treatment Effect Pattern Plot method. Associations between AFP (≥ 20% increase) and radiographic progression and efficacy were assessed. Results Baseline AFP was confirmed as a continuous (REACH, REACH-2; p < 0.0001) and dichotomous (≥400 vs. <400 ng/ml; REACH, p < 0.01) prognostic factor, and was predictive for ramucirumab survival benefit in REACH (p = 0.0042 continuous; p < 0.0001 dichotomous). Time to AFP (hazard ratio [HR] 0.513; p < 0.0001) and radiographic (HR 0.549; p < 0.0001) progression favoured ramucirumab. Association between AFP and radiographic progression was shown for up to 6 (odds ratio [OR] 5.1; p < 0.0001) and 6–12 weeks (OR 1.8; p = 0.0065). AFP response was higher with ramucirumab vs. placebo (p < 0.0001). Survival was longer in patients with an AFP response than patients without (13.6 vs. 5.6 months, HR 0.451; 95% confidence interval, 0.354–0.574; p < 0.0001). Conclusions AFP is an important prognostic factor and a predictive biomarker for ramucirumab survival benefit. AFP ≥ 400 ng/ml is an appropriate selection criterion for ramucirumab. Clinical Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov, REACH (NCT01140347) and REACH-2 (NCT02435433).

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hou-Qun Ying ◽  
Fan Sun ◽  
Wei Wang ◽  
Dan Cai ◽  
Ying Yang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Evaluating chronic inflammation in colorectal cancer (CRC) may aid in identifying patients at the highest risk of recurrence or progression, and help inform clinical treatment decisions. Here, we report the effect of fibrinogen to pre-albumin ratio (FPR) in determining response to chemotherapy and reveal outcomes in CRC patients. Methods A total of 2917 eligible CRC patients from multiple-centers were enrolled, and the outcome of these patients was obtained by three years’ follow-up. Circulating fibrinogen, albumin, pre-albumin, CEA, CA199 and FPR were detected and calculated in these patients. Kaplan-Meier curves, Cox regression, time-dependent ROC, Harrell’s concordance index, calibration and decision curves were used to investigate the role of FPR in clinical outcome of CRC patients. Results Our results reveal significantly inferior outcomes in right- than left-sided patients with advanced CRC (stage III and IV), with preoperative FPR found to be a robust and independent prognostic factor for CRC at each stage. Moreover, prognostic nomograms, including FPR, effectively predicted clinical outcomes of the patients. Furthermore, preoperative FPR was significantly associated with chemotherapy efficacy. Specifically, low-grade (FPR < 15) and medium-grade (15 ≤ FPR < 20) FPR patients exhibited complete response to chemotherapy and attenuated chemosensitivity, respectively, whereas high-grade inflammation (FPR ≥ 20) conferred resistance to the treatment. Conclusion CRC-related inflammation affects response to chemotherapy and the resultant clinical outcomes. Circulating FPR is a simple, economically-friendly and robust independent prognostic factor for effectively predicting outcomes of CRC patients. Targeting chronic inflammation and its corresponding signaling pathway, coupled with measuring FPR, presents a novel approach for clinical management of CRC.


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (4_suppl) ◽  
pp. 326-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard S. Finn ◽  
Masatoshi Kudo ◽  
Yoon-Koo Kang ◽  
Chia-Jui Yen ◽  
Peter R. Galle ◽  
...  

326 Background: REACH-2 (NCT02435433) demonstrated a significant survival benefit with RAM vs placebo in the second-line treatment of patients with advanced HCC and AFP ≥ 400 ng/mL. This analysis investigated changes in AFP during treatment, as well as potential relationships with survival or progression. Methods: Patients were randomized (2:1) to RAM 8 mg/kg IV or placebo Q2W plus best supportive care until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Serum AFP levels were measured at baseline and every 3 cycles. Percent change in AFP from baseline was analyzed at each time point up to Cycle 12 with descriptive statistics and Wilcoxon rank sum test between treatment arms. AFP response was defined as ≥ 20% decrease from baseline. The association between AFP progression and radiographic progression in each time interval was assessed by odds ratio [OR] and Fisher’s exact test. Time to AFP progression and time to radiographic progression (TTP) were evaluated by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared between treatment arms using a stratified log-rank test. AFP progression was defined as ≥ 20% increase from baseline. Hazard ratio (HR) was generated using a stratified Cox regression model. Results: AFP response was significantly higher with RAM compared with placebo (42.1% vs 10.5%, p < 0.0001). Overall survival (OS) was longer in patients with AFP response (13.5 months) than in patients without (6.7 months), irrespective of treatment (HR 0.470, p < 0.0001). The median percent increase in AFP level from baseline was smaller in the patient population treated with RAM (0.4%, 6.1%, 15.4%, 10.8%) than with placebo (45.7%, 98.5%, 122.2%, 91.3%) at Cycles 3, 6, 9 and 12, respectively. Time to AFP progression (HR 0.422, p < 0.0001) and TTP (HR 0.427, p < 0.0001) favored a RAM benefit; subsequent analyses demonstrated a strong association between AFP progression and radiographic progression at 6 weeks (OR 2.44, p < 0.0084) and at 12 weeks (OR 1.89, p = 0.0430). Conclusions: Changes in AFP levels were associated with TTP and OS. RAM prolonged time to AFP progression and radiographic TTP, and slowed the rate of AFP increase during treatment. Clinical trial information: NCT02435433.


Liver Cancer ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 440-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chia-Jui Yen ◽  
Masatoshi Kudo ◽  
Ho-Yeong Lim ◽  
Chih-Hung Hsu ◽  
Arndt Vogel ◽  
...  

Objective: REACH-2 and REACH were randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, multicenter phase 3 trials which showed survival benefits of ramucirumab treatment in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and elevated alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). We evaluated the efficacy and safety of ramucirumab in Asian and non-Asian patients with AFP ≥400 ng/mL from REACH-2 and REACH. Methods: We pooled Asian and non-Asian patients from the REACH-2 and REACH trials and performed an individual patient data meta-analysis. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival were evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated with a stratified Cox regression model. Results: In the pooled REACH-2 and REACH patient population, 291 Asian patients were randomly assigned to receive ramucirumab (n = 168) or placebo (n = 123), and 251 non-Asian patients received ramucirumab (n = 148) or placebo (n = 103). The median OS was significantly longer in the ramucirumab arm in comparison to the placebo arm for Asian patients (8.08 vs. 4.76 months, stratified HR 0.73 [95% CI 0.56–0.95], p = 0.0189) and non-Asian patients (7.98 vs. 5.22 months, stratified HR 0.65 [95% CI 0.49–0.86], p = 0.0028). The overall response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were significantly higher in the ramucirumab arm compared to the placebo arm for Asian patients (ORR: 4.2 vs. 0.8%; DCR: 53.6 vs. 33.3%) and non-Asian patients (ORR: 6.8 vs. 1.0%; DCR: 59.5 vs. 41.7%). The most common grade ≥3 treatment-emergent adverse events reported in the ramucirumab arm were hypertension (7.7%), decreased appetite (1.2%), and ascites (1.2%) for Asian patients and hypertension (16.9%), ascites (8.8%), asthenia (4.7%), and fatigue (5.4%) for non-Asian patients. Discussion and Conclusion: This pooled analysis of the REACH-2/REACH trials demonstrates significant benefits, with a manageable safety profile, of ramucirumab treatment in Asian and non-Asian patients with advanced HCC and baseline AFP ≥400 ng/mL.


Author(s):  
Masatoshi Kudo ◽  
Kazuomi Ueshima ◽  
Yasutaka Chiba ◽  
Sadahisa Ogasawara ◽  
Shuntaro Obi ◽  
...  

Background In SILIUS (NCT01214343), combination of sorafenib and hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy did not significantly improve overall survival in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) compared with sorafenib alone. In this study, we explored the relationship between objective response by mRECIST and overall survival (OS) in the sorafenib group, in the combination group and in all patients in the SILIUS trial. Methods Association between objective response and OS in patients treated with sorafenib (n=103), combination (n=102) and all patients (n=205) were analyzed. The median OS of responders was compared with that of non-responders. Landmark analyses were performed according to objective response at several fixed time points, as sensitivity analyses, and the effect on OS was evaluated by Cox regression analysis with objective response as a time-dependent covariate, with other prognostic factors was performed. Results In the sorafenib group, OS of responders (n = 18) was significantly better than that of non-responders (n = 78) (p &lt; 0.0001), where median OS was 27.2 (95% CI, 16.0&ndash;not reached) months for responders and 8.9 (95% CI, 6.5&ndash;12.6) months for non-responders. HRs from landmark analyses at 4, 6, and 8 months were 0.45 (p=0.0330), 0.37 (p=0.0053), and 0.36 (p=0.0083), respectively. Objective response was an independent predictor of OS based on unstratified Cox regression analyses. In the all patients and the combination group, similar results were obtained. Conclusion In the SILIUS trial, objective response was an independent prognostic factor for OS in patients with HCC.


2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (11) ◽  
pp. 1515-1521 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie Bechman ◽  
Lieke Tweehuysen ◽  
Toby Garrood ◽  
David L. Scott ◽  
Andrew P. Cope ◽  
...  

Objective.To investigate predictors of flare in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with low disease activity (LDA) and to evaluate the effect of flare on 12-month clinical outcomes.Methods.Patients with RA who were taking disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and had a stable 28-joint count Disease Activity Score (DAS28) < 3.2 were eligible for inclusion. At baseline and every 3 months, clinical (DAS28), functional [Health Assessment Questionnaire–Disability Index (HAQ-DI), EQ-5D, Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Fatigue scale (FACIT-F), Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36)], serum biomarkers [multibiomarker disease activity (MBDA) score, calprotectin, CXCL10], and imaging data were collected. Flare was defined as an increase in DAS28 compared with baseline of > 1.2, or > 0.6 if concurrent DAS28 ≥ 3.2. Cox regression analyses were used to identify baseline predictors of flare. Biomarkers were cross-sectionally correlated at time of flare. Linear regressions were performed to compare clinical outcomes after 1 year.Results.Of 152 patients, 46 (30%) experienced a flare. Functional disability at baseline was associated with flare: HAQ-DI had an unadjusted HR 1.82 (95% CI 1.20–2.72) and EQ-5D had HR 0.20 (95% CI 0.07–0.57). In multivariate analyses, only HAQ-DI remained a significant independent predictor of flare (HR 1.76, 95% CI 1.05–2.93). At time of flare, DAS28 and its components significantly correlated with MBDA and calprotectin, but correlation coefficients were low at 0.52 and 0.49, respectively. Two-thirds of flares were not associated with a rise in biomarkers. Patients who flared had significantly worse outcomes at 12 months (HAQ-DI, EQ-5D, FACIT-F, SF-36, and radiographic progression).Conclusion.Flares occur frequently in RA patients with LDA and are associated with worse disease activity, quality of life, and radiographic progression. Higher baseline HAQ-DI was modestly predictive of flare, while biomarker correlation at the time of flare suggests a noninflammatory component in a majority of events.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheng-Jui Lin ◽  
Chi-Feng Pan ◽  
Chih-Kuang Chuang ◽  
Fang-Ju Sun ◽  
Duen-Jen Wang ◽  
...  

Background/Aims. Previous studies have reported p-cresyl sulfate (PCS) was related to endothelial dysfunction and adverse clinical effect. We investigate the adverse effects of PCS on clinical outcomes in a chronic kidney disease (CKD) cohort study.Methods. 72 predialysis patients were enrolled from a single medical center. Serum biochemistry data and PCS were measured. The clinical outcomes including cardiovascular event, all-cause mortality, and dialysis event were recorded during a 3-year follow-up.Results. After adjusting other independent variables, multivariate Cox regression analysis showed age (HR: 1.12,P=0.01), cardiovascular disease history (HR: 6.28,P=0.02), and PCS (HR: 1.12,P=0.02) were independently associated with cardiovascular event; age (HR: 0.91,P<0.01), serum albumin (HR: 0.03,P<0.01), and PCS level (HR: 1.17,P<0.01) reached significant correlation with dialysis event. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that patients with higher serum p-cresyl sulfate (>6 mg/L) were significantly associated with cardiovascular and dialysis event (log rankP=0.03, log rankP<0.01, resp.).Conclusion. Our study shows serum PCS could be a valuable marker in predicting cardiovascular event and renal function progression in CKD patients without dialysis.


BMC Cancer ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongdong Zhou ◽  
Xiaoli Liu ◽  
Xinhui Wang ◽  
Fengna Yan ◽  
Peng Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Alpha-fetoprotein-negative hepatocellular carcinoma (AFP-NHCC) (< 8.78 ng/mL) have special clinicopathologic characteristics and prognosis. The aim of this study was to apply a new method to establish and validate a new model for predicting the prognosis of patients with AFP-NHCC. Methods A total of 410 AFP-negative patients with clinical diagnosed with HCC following non-surgical therapy as a primary cohort; 148 patients with AFP-NHCC following non-surgical therapy as an independent validation cohort. In primary cohort, independent factors for overall survival (OS) by LASSO Cox regression were all contained into the nomogram1; by Forward Stepwise Cox regression were all contained into the nomogram2. Nomograms performance and discriminative power were assessed with concordance index (C-index) values, area under curve (AUC), Calibration curve and decision curve analyses (DCA). The results were validated in the validation cohort. Results The C-index of nomogram1was 0.708 (95%CI: 0.673–0.743), which was superior to nomogram2 (0.706) and traditional modes (0.606–0.629). The AUC of nomogram1 was 0.736 (95%CI: 0.690–0.778). In the validation cohort, the nomogram1 still gave good discrimination (C-index: 0.752, 95%CI: 0.691–0.813; AUC: 0.784, 95%CI: 0.709–0.847). The calibration curve for probability of OS showed good homogeneity between prediction by nomogram1 and actual observation. DCA demonstrated that nomogram1 was clinically useful. Moreover, patients were divided into three distinct risk groups for OS by the nomogram1: low-risk group, middle-risk group and high-risk group, respectively. Conclusions Novel nomogram based on LASSO Cox regression presents more accurate and useful prognostic prediction for patients with AFP-NHCC following non-surgical therapy. This model could help patients with AFP-NHCC following non-surgical therapy facilitate a personalized prognostic evaluation.


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