Aprotinin-associated risks in off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting

BACKGROUND

Little data is available regarding the safety of using the serine protease inhibitor aprotinin in off-pump cardiac surgery. We retrospectively assessed the risks of administering the drug to adult patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCABG).

METHODS

Aprotinin was administered as a bolus of 1 or 2 million kallikrein inhibiting units to 391 patients following median sternotomy; 370 control patients underwent surgery during the same time period without receiving aprotinin. No other antifibrinolytic agents were administered.

RESULTS

Preoperative characteristics, length of ICU and hospital stay were similar between the mostly medium-risk aprotinin and the control patients. Postoperative cardiac, renal, neurological, and respiratory complications and hospital mortality occurred with comparable frequencies in both groups. Levels of myocardial enzymes during the first 72 h after surgery also did not differ significantly.

CONCLUSION

Use of aprotinin in OPCABG was not associated with a higher incidence of hospital mortality, cardiovascular, renal, or other complications. Given the good safety profile in this large patient population we suggest that aprotinin could still be a valid antifibrinolytic treatment option in OPCABG.

[Tension pneumothorax after acute airway displacement due to pulmonary aspergillosis]

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is the most common malignancy in childhood. This disease and its associated therapy may lead to specific life-threatening complications if general anaesthesia has to be carried out. The case of a 14-year-old boy suffering from aspergillosis because of immunosuppression in the course of chemotherapy is reported. Due to a cerebral round lesion an open biopsy was required. After induction of anaesthesia, severe pulmonary obstruction developed. After exchange of the endotracheal tube a coagulum-like foreign body interspersed with Aspergillus hyphae obstructing the distal aperture in a valve-like manner could be recovered. The resulting unilateral tension pneumothorax had to be relieved with a closed pleural drainage. With reference to this as yet unreported life-threatening complication of pulmonary aspergillosis, the appropriate preparation and conduction of general anaesthesia are discussed.

Tracheal intubation and alternative airway management devices used by healthcare professionals with different level of pre-existing skills: a manikin study

The classic Laryngeal Mask Airway (cLMA), ProSeal Laryngeal Mask Airway (PLMA), Intubating Laryngeal Mask Airway (ILMA), Combitube (CT), Laryngeal Tube (LT) and tracheal intubation (TI) were compared in a manikin study. Nurses, anaesthetic nurses, paramedics, physicians and anaesthetists inserted the devices three times in a randomised sequence. Time taken for successful insertion, success rates and ease of insertion were evaluated. Anaesthetists performed tracheal intubation significantly faster than other healthcare professionals (p < 0.05). Insertion times for the cLMA, PLMA, LT and CT were not significantly different between the groups. Insertion of the CT, ILMA and TI was associated with a significant learning effect in all groups. This was not observed with the cLMA, PLMA or LT. All non-anaesthetists were able to insert the cLMA, PLMA and LT within two attempts with a > 90% success rate on the first attempt. The ILMA and TI were the only devices where more than one subject experienced some difficulty in insertion. The cLMA, PLMA and LT should be evaluated for use in situations where only limited airway training is possible.

Final results of a study comparing short-course and long-course radiotherapy (RT) for local control of metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC)

9522

Background: Many MSCC patients live long enough to develop a recurrence in the irradiated spinal area. This is the first prospective study comparing different RT schedules for local control (LC) of MSCC. Methods: 265 patients treated with RT alone (1/06–12/07) were included in this prospective non-randomized study. The primary goal was to compare short-course (1×8 Gy/5×4 Gy, N=131) and long-course RT (10×3 Gy/15×2.5 Gy/20×2 Gy, N=134) for 1-year LC. Secondary endpoints were motor function and 1-year survival (OS). Dutch patients received short-course, and German patients long-course RT. The analysis of LC (no MSCC recurrence in the irradiated spinal area) included the 224 patients with improvement or no change of motor deficits during RT. The difference in 1-year LC was previously reported to be 14% between short- and long-course RT. For a statistical power of 90 % (significance level 5%), ≥218 patients were required to detect this difference. Univariate analyses (UVA) for LC and OS were performed with Kaplan-Meier-method and log-rank test, multivariate analyses (MVA) with the Cox proportional hazards model. UVA and MVA for motor function were performed with the ordered-logit-model. Eleven additional factors were evaluated. Results: 1-year LC was 61% after short-course RT and 81% after long-course RT (P=0.005). On MVA, improved LC was only associated with long-course RT (P=0.018). Motor function improved in 37% after short- and 39% after long-course RT (P=0.95). Improved motor function was associated with better performance status (P=0.015), favorable tumor (P=0.034), and slower development of motor deficits (P<0.001). 1-year OS was 23% after short- and 30% after long-course RT (P=0.28). On MVA, improved OS was associated with better performance status (P<0.001), no visceral metastases (P<0.001), involvement of 1–3 vertebrae (P=0.040), ambulatory status (P=0.038), and bisphosphonates (P<0.001). Conclusions: Long-course RT was associated with better LC, similar functional outcome, and similar OS compared to short-course RT. Patients with a favorable OS prognosis should receive long-course RT, and those with a poor OS prognosis should receive short-course RT.

[Table: see text]

Preliminary safety results from a multicenter phase II trial of nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel/cyclophosphamide in early stage breast cancer plus trastuzumab in HER-2+ patients (pts)

e11509

Background: Docetaxel/cyclophosphamide has demonstrated superior disease free and overall survival compared to doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide in the treatment of early stage breast cancer with an acceptable safety profile, with grade (G) 3/4 neutropenia of 61% and no cardiotoxicity. Nanoparticle albumin-bound (nabtm)-paclitaxel (nab-P) is a novel formulation with demonstrated superior efficacy to conventional paclitaxel (P) in treatment of metastatic breast cancer with a comparable safety profile. We therefore conducted a multicenter phase II pilot trial of weekly nab-P/cyclophosphamide to assess the safety and tolerability of this combination in early stage breast cancer. Methods: Eligibility: T1–4pN0–3M0, ECOG PS 0–2, normal organ function, normal LVEF for pts receiving trastuzumab (T). Treatment consisted of nab-P 100 mg/m2 day (D) 1, 8, 15 with cyclophosphamide (C) 600 mg/m2 D1 q 21 days x 4 cycles. T was given in IHC 3+ or FISH HER2+ pts with an 8 mg/kg loading dose followed by 6mg/kg q21D x 52 weeks. Results: 63 pts enrolled from April 2008 through September 2008; 33 pts are evaluable for safety with a median of 2 cycles. Baseline characteristics: median age 57 years (range 33–76); ECOG PS 0–94%, T1-T2 tumors - 100%, node negative 61%, hormone receptor negative 33%, HER 2+ 15%, triple negative 27%, ductal histology 73%, premenopausal 37 %. nab-P dose modifications occurred in 10 of 33 pts with nab-P reductions in 2 pts: 1 each due to G3 neutropenia- cycle 2 and G3 neuropathy- cycle 4. All 8 nab-P treatment delays were due to G3 neutropenia at D15. G3/4 neutropenia was present in 30% with only 1 G4 episode. 1 pt utilized myeloid colony stimulating factors. There were no G3/4 non-heme toxicities present in > 5 % of pts and no LVEF declines in pts receiving T. 17 pts remain on study with 3 pts receiving T. Conclusions: The combination of weekly nab-P with cyclophosphamide is feasible and well tolerated with an acceptable safety profile as adjuvant therapy for early stage breast cancer. The addition of T to this combination did not create any safety concerns. Full safety data for the 63 pts will be updated at the time of the meeting.

[Table: see text]

First-line treatment patterns in advanced NSCLC in western Europe (EU), the United States, and Japan including a comparative analysis of younger versus elderly patients

8053

Background: The latest developments in advanced NSCLC are represented by targeted therapy (TT), treatment decisions based on tumor histology, and biomarker research. A patient (pt) case-based survey was conducted in three regions to study current pt characteristics and treatment patterns. Methods: 629 physicians treating stage III/IV NSCLC provided details on up to 10 of their pts. Results: Overall, 3455 EU pts, 895 US pts, and 600 Japanese pts were monitored. This analysis focuses on the 89% of pts with stage IIIb/IV NSCLC. In each region, median age, gender, and occurrence of malignant pleural effusion were comparable but tumor histology differed slightly. Comparative analyses revealed that monotherapy (MT) with either chemotherapy (CT) or TT agents is used significantly more in elderly pts (≥70 yrs) while combination therapy (CT/TT doublets or triplets) is more frequent in younger pts. This is consistent across all regions and histologies (squamous vs non-squamous). In the EU, 48.3% of elderly and 13.6% of younger pts received MT (39.9% vs 15.1% for US pts, 32.0% vs 9.4% for Japanese pts). CT/TT doublets were used predominantly in younger vs elderly pts (72.3% vs 48.1% in the EU, 47.3% vs 36.9% in the US, and 81.7% vs 65.5% in Japan). Triplets were also more widely used in younger vs elderly pts (14.3% vs 3.6% in the EU, 36.3% vs 22.6% in the US, and 6.5% vs 1.8% in Japan). For both age groups, the leading MTs are erlotinib in the EU and US, and gefitinib in Japan but use is higher in elderly pts. Preferred doublets in the EU are platinum+gemcitabine (28.8%), platinum+vinorelbine (13.6%) and platinum+taxanes (13.5%). Platinum+taxanes is predominant in the US and Japan (27.7% and 55.4%, respectively). The triplets, bevacizumab+platinum+taxanes (27.0%) and bevacizumab+platinum+other (3.5%), are also common in the US while these treatments only represent 5.1% and 3.9%, respectively, in the EU. Conclusions: Important regional differences in 1st-line advanced NSCLC treatment exist with triplets being more common in the US only. MT is more frequent in elderly pts and combination therapy is more common in younger pts. This latter finding is consistent across all regions and histological subsets.

[Table: see text]

Interleukin-13 promoter gene polymorphism -1112C/T is associated with the systemic form of mastocytosis

BACKGROUND

Mastocytosis is a heterogenous disease involving mast cells (MC) and their progenitors. Cutaneous and systemic variants of the disease have been reported. In contrast to cutaneous mastocytosis (CM), patients with systemic mastocytosis (SM) are at risk to develop disease progression or a nonMC-lineage haematopoietic neoplasm. Little is known, however, about factors predisposing for the development of SM. One factor may be cytokine regulation of MC progenitors.

METHODS

We examined the role of the interleukin-13 (IL-13) promoter gene polymorphism -1112C/T, known to be associated with increased transcription, in mastocytosis using allele-specific polymerase chain reaction method. Serum tryptase and IL-13 levels were determined by immunoassay, and expression of the IL-13 receptor in neoplastic MC by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and flow cytometry.

RESULTS

The frequency of the -1112T allele of the IL-13 promoter was significantly higher in patients with SM compared with CM (P < 0.008) and in mastocytosis patients compared with healthy controls (P < 0.0001). Correspondingly, the polymorphism was found to correlate with an elevated serum tryptase level (P = 0.004) and with adult-onset of the disease (P < 0.0015), both of which are almost invariably associated with SM. Serum IL-13 levels were also higher in SM patients compared with CM (P = 0.011), and higher in CT- than in CC carriers (P < 0.05). Finally, we were able to show that neoplastic human MC display IL-13 receptors and grow better in IL-13-containing medium.

CONCLUSIONS

The -1112C/T IL-13 gene polymorphism and the resulting 'hypertranscription' may predispose for the development of SM.

Final results of a first line multicenter phase II metastatic breast cancer trial of vinflunine monotherapy and in combination with trastuzumab in HER2+ patients

Abstract #3148

Background: Vinflunine (VFL) is a novel microtubule inhibitor agent of the vinca alkaloid class that inhibits tubulin polymerization without stabilization, resulting in cell cycle arrest in mitosis and apoptosis. Weak tubulin binding at the vinca-binding site accounts for its reduced neurotoxicity. VFL has demonstrated activity in anthracycline and taxane pretreated patients (pts) and in combination with capecitabine. This trial evaluates the activity and safety of VFL monotherapy and in combination with trastuzumab (T) in HER2+ pts as 1st line therapy metastatic breast cancer (MBC).&#x2028; Methods: Eligibility: 0 prior regimens for MBC, &gt; 6 mo from adjuvant therapy, RECIST criteria measurable disease, ECOG PS 0-2, adequate organ function, peripheral neuropathy &lt; G2. Treatment: HER2 unspecified: VFL 320 mg/m2 IV q3 wks; FISH HER2+ pts: VFL 280 mg/m2 plus T 6 mg/kg q3 wks. Response evaluations q9 wks; treatment continued until disease progression or toxicity.&#x2028; Results: Due to termination of VFL licensing between BMS and Pierre Fabre Medicament, the study closed prematurely with only 31 evaluable pts of a planned 48 pts in each treatment arm of VFL monotherapy or VFL in combination with T. 10 pts received VFL and 21 pts were treated with VFL + T. Median age: 59 yrs (35-78). ECOG PS 0-18 pts, 1-11 pts, 2-2 pts. 48% were ER+. Prior adjuvant anthracyclines and taxanes noted in 17 and 19 pts respectively. 4 pts presented with de novo stage IV disease, all HER2 positive. 45% had 3 or more metastatic disease sites with bone (17 pts), liver (16 pts) and lung (15 pts) predominating. Median of # cycles: 4 (range 1-19). There were 10 PRs (32%), all in VFL + T, and 9 pts (29%) with PD (VFL-4 pts, VFL + T-5pts). SD was reported in 10 pts (32%). 2 pts (7%) were unevaluable, divided equally between the two arms. G3/4 neutropenia occurred in 11 pts (35%); none with fever. G3 nonhematologic toxicity consisted of pain, attributed to treatment in 5 pts (16%) (sites: abdomen-2, chest, back, and infusion site each in 1 pt), and GI toxicity characterized by N/V 3 pts (10%) as well as abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, occurring each in 2 pts (6%). There were no G4 events. 10 pts were hospitalized (GI -4 pts, pain 2 pts, pulmonary 2 pts, and other 2 pts). Median PFS was 3.5 months for VFL and 6.6 months for VFL + T. Median overall survival was 9 months for VFL and has not been reached for VFL + T.&#x2028; Conclusions: The combination of vinflunine and trastuzumab is active in the first line treatment of MBC, producing a 48% response rate. Adverse events were as expected, manageable and consisted primarily of neutropenia, pain and GI toxicity. This encouraging activity compares favorably with other trastuzumab combination regimens and merits further evaluation.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(2 Suppl):Abstract nr 3148.

Purification and identification of bovine cheese whey fatty acids exhibiting in vitro antifungal activity

Milk lipids contain several bioactive factors exhibiting antimicrobial activity against bacteria, viruses, and fungi. In the present study, we demonstrate that free fatty acids (FFA) derived from the saponification of bovine whey cream lipids are active in vitro at inhibiting the germination of Candida albicans, a morphological transition associated with pathogenicity. This activity was found to be significantly increased when bovine FFA were enriched in non-straight-chain FFA. At low cell density, this non-straight-chain FFA-enriched fraction was also found to inhibit in a dose-dependant manner the growth of both developmental forms of C. albicans as well as the growth of Aspergillus fumigatus. Using an assay-guided fractionation, the main components responsible for these activities were isolated. On the basis of mass spectroscopic and gas chromatographic analysis, antifungal compounds were identified as capric acid (C10:0), lauroleic acid (C12:1), 11-methyldodecanoic acid (iso-C13:0), myristoleic acid (C14:1n-5), and gamma-linolenic acid (C18:3n-6). The most potent compound was gamma-linolenic acid, with minimal inhibitory concentration values of 5.4 mg/L for C. albicans and 1.3 mg/L for A. fumigatus, in standardized conditions. The results of this study indicate that bovine whey contains bioactive fatty acids exhibiting antifungal activity in vitro against 2 important human fungal pathogens.

Anisotropy and molecular rotation in resonant low-energy dissociative recombination

Angular fragment distributions from the dissociative recombination (DR) of HD(+) were measured with well directed monochromatic low-energy electrons over a dense grid of collision energies from 7 to 35 meV, where pronounced rovibrational Feshbach resonances occur. Significant higher-order anisotropies are found in the distributions, whose size varies along energy in a partial correlation with the relative DR rate from fast-rotating molecules. This may indicate a breakdown of the nonrotation assumption so far applied to predict angular DR fragment distributions.