A Critical Overview of Systematic Reviews of Chemotherapy for Advanced and Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer using both AMSTAR2 and ROBIS as Quality Assessment Tools

Author(s):  
Amit Dang ◽  
Surendar Chidirala ◽  
Prashanth Veeranki ◽  
BN Vallish

Background: We performed a critical overview of published systematic reviews (SRs) of chemotherapy for advanced and locally advanced pancreatic cancer, and evaluated their quality using AMSTAR2 and ROBIS tools. Materials and Methods: PubMed and Cochrane Central Library were searched for SRs on 13th June 2020. SRs with metaanalysis which included only randomized controlled trials and that had assessed chemotherapy as one of the treatment arms were included. The outcome measures, which were looked into, were progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and adverse events (AEs) of grade 3 or above. Two reviewers independently assessed all the SRs with both ROBIS and AMSTAR2. Results: Out of the 1,879 identified records, 26 SRs were included for the overview. Most SRs had concluded that gemcitabine-based combination regimes, prolonged OS and PFS, but increased the incidence of grade 3-4 toxicities, when compared to gemcitabine monotherapy, but survival benefits were not consistent when gemcitabine was combined with molecular targeted agents. As per ROBIS, 24/26 SRs had high risk of bias, with only 1/26 SR having low risk of bias. As per AMSTAR2, 25/26 SRs had critically low, and 1/26 SR had low, confidence in the results. The study which scored ‘low’ risk of bias in ROBIS scored ‘low confidence in results’ in AMSTAR2. The inter-rater reliability for scoring the overall confidence in the SRs with AMSTAR2 and the overall domain in ROBIS was substantial; ROBIS: kappa=0.785, SEM=0.207, p<0.001; AMSTAR2: kappa=0.649, SEM=0.323, p<0.001. Conclusion: Gemcitabine-based combination regimens can prolong OS and PFS but also worsen AEs when compared to gemcitabine monotherapy. The included SRs have an overall low methodological quality and high risk of bias as per AMSTAR2 and ROBIS respectively.

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 439-439
Author(s):  
Daniel W Kim ◽  
Grace Lee ◽  
Colin D. Weekes ◽  
David P. Ryan ◽  
Aparna Raj Parikh ◽  
...  

439 Background: Chemoradiation (CRT) induced lymphopenia is common and associated with poorer survival in multiple solid malignancies. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prognostic impact of lymphopenia in patients with nonmetastatic, unresectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) treated by neoadjuvant FOLFIRINOX (5-fluorouracil [5FU]/leucovorin/irinotecan/oxaliplatin) followed by CRT. We hypothesized that severe lymphopenia would correlate with worse survival. Methods: The inclusion criteria for this single-institution retrospective study were: 1) biopsy-proven diagnosis of unresectable PDAC, 2) absence of distant metastasis, 3) receipt of neoadjuvant FOLFIRINOX followed by CRT, and 4) absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) available prior to and two months after initiating CRT. In general, CRT consisted of 5FU or capecitabine and RT with 58.8 Gy over 28 fractions. Lymphopenia was graded according to CTCAE v5.0. The primary variable of interest was lymphopenia at two months, dichotomized by ALC of < 0.5/μl (Grade 3 lymphopenia). The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). Cox modeling and Kaplan-Meier methods were used to perform survival analyses. Results: A total of 138 patients were identified. Median follow-up for the entire cohort was 16 months. Median age was 65. Fifty-six percent were female, 86% were Caucasian, and 97% had ECOG ≤1. Median tumor size was 3.8 cm. Tumor location was pancreatic head in 63%, body in 22%, tail in 8%, and neck in 7%. Median baseline ALC for the entire cohort was 1.5 k/ul. Two months after initiating CRT, 106 (77%) had severe (Grade 3 or worse) lymphopenia. While there were no significant differences in baseline patient or disease characteristics, patients with severe lymphopenia received higher doses of RT with longer duration of treatment compared to those without severe lymphopenia. On multivariable Cox model, severe lymphopenia at two months was significantly associated with increased hazards of death (HR = 4.00 [95% CI 2.03-7.89], p < 0.001). Greater number of neoadjuvant FOLFIRINOX cycles received prior to CRT was associated with lower hazards of death (HR = 0.84 [95% CI 0.77-0.92], p < 0.001). The 12-month OS was 73% vs. 90% in the cohort with vs. without severe lymphopenia, respectively (log-rank p < 0.001). Conclusions: Treatment-related lymphopenia is common and severe lymphopenia may be a prognostic marker of poorer survival in locally advanced pancreatic cancer. Closer observation in high-risk patients and minimization of RT dose and duration are potential approaches to mitigating CRT-related lymphopenia. Our findings also suggest an important role of the host immunity in pancreatic cancer outcomes, supporting the ongoing efforts of immunotherapy trials in pancreatic cancer.


2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e15008-e15008
Author(s):  
Makoto Shinoto ◽  
Shigeru Yamada ◽  
Shigeo Yasuda ◽  
Hiroshi Imada ◽  
Yoshiyuki Shioyama ◽  
...  

e15008 Background: Carbon-ion radiotherapy (CIRT) offers the potential advantage of improved dose localization and enhanced biologic effect. The purpose of this trial was to establish the recommended dose of gemcitabine and CIRT, evaluating the tolerance and efficacy of gemcitabine combined with CIRT for the treatment of the patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer. Methods: Patients with histopathologically proven, locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma, which involved the celiac trunk or superior mesenteric artery without distant metastasis, were eligible for this trial. The radiation fractions were fixed at 12 fractions in 3 weeks, and the dose of gemcitabine and radiation were gradually increased. First, the dose was fixed at 43.2GyE/8 fractions and the gemcitabine dose was increased from 400, to 700 to 1000mg/m2. Subsequently, the gemcitabine dose was fixed at 1000mg/m2 and the radiation dose was increased from 43.2GyE to 55.2GyE by 5% increments. Gemcitabine was administered for 3 consecutive weeks, once a week. Results: Seventy-five patients were registered from April 2007 through February 2012. Of these patients, 71 were clinically eligible for the study. The most common Grade 3 acute toxicities were hematological toxicity (51%) and anorexia (8%). Dose limiting toxicity developed in three patients: Grade 3 gastric ulcer in 1 and Grade 4 leukopenia in 2. No other serious side effects were found. The two-year local control rate and two-year overall survival rate were 40% and 40% in all patients. The median survival time was 21 months. In the high dose group (n=47), in which patients were irradiated with at least 45.6 GyE, the two-year survival rate was 62%. Conclusions: CIRT was well tolerable even when concomitantly administered with the highest dose of gemcitabine (1000mg/m2).


2006 ◽  
Vol 92 (6) ◽  
pp. 481-486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ender Kurt ◽  
Meral Kurt ◽  
Ozkan Kanat ◽  
Sibel Kahraman Cetintas ◽  
Sevilcan Aygun ◽  
...  

Aims and background To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of a new treatment approach including induction chemotherapy (CT) and concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in unresectable, locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC). Patients and methods Twenty-four patients with LAPC were enrolled in the study. They first received induction CT consisting of 5-fluorouracil (5FU) (500 mg/m2) and gemcitabine (1000 mg/m2), which were given weekly for 3 weeks of every 4. Patients showing a response or disease stabilization after 2 cycles of induction CT received CRT consisting of external beam radiotherapy (50.4-54 Gy in fractions of 1.8 Gy/day) and gemcitabine (350 mg/m2, weekly for 6 weeks). Patients without disease progression received 2 additional cycles of CT consisting of 5FU plus gemcitabine with the same doses and schedule as given in the induction CT. Results After the end of the study, 2 (8%) and 5 (21%) patients showed complete and partial responses, respectively. Five patients (21%) had disease stabilization. The grade 3 and 4 toxicities associated with CT were neutropenia (21%) and thrombocytopenia (4%). The grade 3 and 4 toxicities occurring in patients who received CRT were neutropenia (24%), thrombocytopenia (24%), diarrhea (18%), and nausea (12%). The median progression-free survival for all patients was 6 months (95% CI, 3.6-8.4), and the median overall survival was 11 months (95% CI, 8.16-13.84). Conclusions The CRT approach of this study is moderately active and has an acceptable toxicity profile. However, the incor-poration of combination CT into CRT at the present schedule could not produce any additional benefit over CRT alone. Newer agents with more systemic activity are clearly warranted.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (4_suppl) ◽  
pp. 372-372
Author(s):  
Seung Yeun Chung ◽  
Jee Suk Chang ◽  
Byung Min Lee ◽  
Kyong Joo Lee ◽  
Si Young Song ◽  
...  

372 Background: In locally advanced pancreatic cancer, radiotherapy (RT) is an effective treatment modality, but challenged by conflicting results. Now, in the era of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), dose escalation is possible without increasing the dose to organs-at-risk. We investigated whether RT dose escalation would improve treatment outcomes without increasing severe toxicity. Methods: From 2005 to 2015, a total of 497 locally advanced - including both borderline resectable and unresectable - pancreatic cancer patients who received neoadjuvant or definitive chemoradiotherapy were included. A total of 281 (56.5%) patients received 3D conformal RT and 216 (43.5%) patients received IMRT. Most common dose scheme for IMRT was 58.42 Gy in 23 fractions (EQD2 61.05 Gy). Patients were divided into two groups; < 61 Gy group (n = 345) and ≥ 61 Gy group (n = 152). Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), local failure-free rate (LFFR), distant failure-free rate (DFFR) and toxicity rates were assessed. Results: At a median follow-up time of 14.1 months (range, 2.3-128.5 months), OS, PFS, LFFR, and DFFR rates were significantly higher in ≥ 61 Gy group. The 1-year OS rates were 74.7% and 60.6% (p = 0.001) and 1-year PFS rates were 46.2% and 30.9% (p < 0.001), for ≥ 61 Gy and < 61 Gy group, respectively. The 1-year LFFR was 86.9% and 70.9% (p = 0.001) and 1-year DFFR was 56.4% and 45.8% (p = 0.007), respectively. After multivariate analysis, ≥ 61 Gy group remained a favorable significant factor for OS (p = 0.019), PFS (p = 0.001), LFFR (p = 0.004), and DFFR (p = 0.008). When 152 patients in each group were matched by propensity score matching, ≥ 61 Gy group still showed higher OS (p = 0.011), PFS (p = 0.016), and LFFR (p = 0.002), but not DFFR (p = 0.205). There was no acute gastrointestinal toxicity higher than Grade 3 in both groups. Late toxicity rates were also similar, with RT-related duodenal and gastric hemorrhage ( ≥ Grade 3) in 19 patients (5.5%) in < 61 Gy group and 7 patients (4.6%) in ≥ 61 Gy group. Conclusions: Patients who received higher RT dose showed not only improved PFS and LFFR but improved OS without an increase in severe toxicity. Dose escalation via IMRT is recommended for RT in locally advanced pancreatic cancer patients.


2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (18_suppl) ◽  
pp. 14003-14003
Author(s):  
M. Ikeda ◽  
T. Okusaka ◽  
Y. Ito ◽  
H. Ueno ◽  
C. Morizane ◽  
...  

14003 Background: S-1 is a novel oral fluoropyrimidine derivative, and a phase II trial of this agent has demonstrated promising results with a response rate of 37.5% and a median survival of 8.8 months with a mild toxicity profile for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. This study investigated the maximum tolerated dose of S-1 based on the frequency of dose-limiting toxicities (DLT) of S-1 with concurrent radiotherapy in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer. Patients and Methods: Patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer in whom adenocarcinoma had been confirmed histologically or cytologically were enrolled in this study. S-1 was administered orally in escalating doses from 50 mg/m2, which is reported to be equivalent to 200 mg/m2 intravenous 5-fluorouracil, to 80 mg/m2 bid in 10 mg/m2 increments on the day of irradiation (Monday through Friday) during radiotherapy. Radiation therapy was delivered through four fields as a total dose of 50.4 Gy in 28 fractions over 5.5 weeks. DLT was defined as grade 4 hematological toxicity and grade 3 or 4 non-hematological toxicity during chemoradiotherapy. The maximum tolerated dose was defined when three or more patients in a cohort of six patients experienced DLT. Results: Twenty-one patients (50 mg/m2 3 patients; 60 mg/m2 5 patients; 70 mg/m2 6 patients; 80 mg/m2 7 patients) were enrolled in this trial between May 2004 and November 2005. At 70 mg/m2 S-1, two of six patients demonstrated DLT involving grade 3 nausea and vomiting and grade 3 hemorrhagic gastritis, while all patients at dose levels other than 70 mg/m2 did not demonstrate any sign of dose-limiting toxicity. Of all 21 patients enrolled, 4 (19.0%) showed a partial response. More than a 50% reduction in the serum level of carbohydrate antigen 19–9 was observed in 12 (75%) of 16 patients in whom the pretreatment level was 100 U/ml or greater. Conclusion: The recommended dose of S-1 with concurrent radiotherapy is 80 mg/m2. This regimen may offer an easy alternative to intravenous 5-fluorouracil, and may be a promising treatment for locally advanced pancreatic cancer. A multicenter phase II trial of this regimen in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer is now underway. No significant financial relationships to disclose.


2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (4_suppl) ◽  
pp. 337-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davendra Sohal ◽  
James M. Metz ◽  
Weijing Sun ◽  
Kathleen Harlacker ◽  
Bruce J. Giantonio ◽  
...  

337 Background: Patients with advanced pancreatic cancer experience higher response rates (though not always improved survival) with combinations of either platinum compounds or bevacizumab in combination with gemcitabine. In patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer, improved response affects local control and surgical options. Methods: We piloted a three-drug combination of gemcitabine/oxaliplatin/5-FU/bevacizumab Q2w for four cycles, followed by oxaliplatin (85 mg/m2/q2w) and bevacizumab (5 mg/kg q2w) added to infusional 5-FU and radiation, in patients with pancreatic cancer that was unresectable or borderline resectable. Results: Nineteen patients have been treated, of whom 17 received the entire treatment. Median age was 60, with 12 women and 7 men. Stages were: one IIA, one IIB, and 17 III. Sixteen were unresectable and 3 borderline resectable by protocol-specified criteria. Major toxicities during chemotherapy were: grade 3 neutropenia (5/19); grade 2 neutropenia (7/19), anemia (2/19), thrombocytopenia (2/19). During chemoradiation major toxicities were: grade 3 nausea (3/19), vomiting (3/19), leukopenia (2/19); grade 2 nausea (5/19), leukopenia (4/19). One patient had grade 3 pulmonary embolism that led to withdrawal from the study. One patient had progressive pain early on; no other disease progression was noted during treatment. Five patients (3 inoperable, 2 borderline) went on to have surgery. Median survival was 14 months (range 3 to 40+). For the 5 patients who had surgery, median survival was 17.1 months (range 9.5 to 40+). Conclusions: We conclude that this regimen is well-tolerated by patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer, and that the therapeutic results support further evaluation. Additional correlative studies are underway to identify characteristics associated with a favorable outcome.


2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (25) ◽  
pp. 4096-4102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher H. Crane ◽  
Kathryn Winter ◽  
William F. Regine ◽  
Howard Safran ◽  
Tyvin A. Rich ◽  
...  

PurposeThe primary objective of this study was to assess the 1-year survival of patients with locally advanced, unresectable pancreatic cancer treated with the combination of bevacizumab, capecitabine, and radiation. Secondary end points were toxicity, progression-free survival (PFS), and response rate (RR).Patients and MethodsPatients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer without duodenal invasion were treated with 50.4 Gy per 28 fractions to the gross tumor with concurrent capecitabine 825 mg/m2orally twice daily on days of radiation and bevacizumab 5 mg/kg on days 1, 15, and 29 followed by maintenance gemcitabine 1 g/m2weekly for 3 weeks and bevacizumab 5 mg/kg every 2 weeks, both in 4-week cycles until progression. Treatment plans were reviewed for quality assurance (QA).ResultsBetween January 2005 and February 2006, 82 eligible patients were treated. The median and 1-year survival rates were 11.9 months (95% CI, 9.9 to 14.0 months) and 47% (95% CI, 36% to 57%). Median PFS was 8.6 months (95% CI, 6.9 to 10.5), and RR was 26%. Overall, 35.4% of patients had grade 3 or greater treatment-related gastrointestinal toxicity (22.0% during chemoradiotherapy, 13.4% during maintenance chemotherapy). Unacceptable radiotherapy protocol deviations (ie, inappropriately generous volume contoured) correlated with grade 3 or greater gastrointestinal toxicity during chemoradiotherapy (45% v 18%; adjusted odds ratio, 3.7; 95% CI, 0.98 to 14.1; P = .05).ConclusionThe addition of bevacizumab to chemoradiotherapy followed by bevacizumab and gemcitabine resulted in a similar median survival to previous Radiation Therapy Oncology Group studies in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer. Prospective QA may help limit toxicity in future trials.


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