Six-Year Follow-up of Slaughterhouse Surveillance (2008-2013): The Catalan Slaughterhouse Support Network (SESC)

Meat inspection has the ultimate objective of declaring the meat and offal obtained from carcasses of slaughtered animals fit or unfit for human consumption. This safeguards the health of consumers by ensuring that the food coming from these establishments poses no risk to public health. Concomitantly, it contributes to animal disease surveillance. The Catalan Public Health Protection Agency (Generalitat de Catalunya) identified the need to provide its meat inspectors with a support structure to improve diagnostic capacity: the Slaughterhouse Support Network (SESC). The main goal of the SESC was to offer continuing education to meat inspectors to improve the diagnostic capacity for lesions observed in slaughterhouses. With this aim, a web-based application was designed that allowed meat inspectors to submit their inquiries, images of the lesions, and samples for laboratory analysis. This commentary reviews the cases from the first 6 years of SESC operation (2008-2013). The program not only provides continuing education to inspectors but also contributes to the collection of useful information on animal health and welfare. Therefore, SESC complements animal disease surveillance programs, such as those for tuberculosis, bovine cysticercosis, and porcine trichinellosis, and is a powerful tool for early detection of emerging animal diseases and zoonoses.

A randomized phase II study: Pazopanib (P) versus lapatinib (L) versus combination of pazopanib/lapatinib (L+P) in advanced and recurrent cervical cancer (CC)

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Background: P and L are oral tyrosine kinase inhibitors. P targets VEGFR, PDGFR, and c-Kit. L targets EGFR and HER2 in CC, EGFR overexpression and markers of angiogenesis correlate with poor outcome; the prognostic value of HER2 overexpression remains unclear. Methods: Patients (pts) with measurable stage IVB, persistent or recurrent squamous or adenocarcinoma of the cervix not amenable to curative therapy; 0–1 prior regimens in the metastatic setting; ECOG PS 0–1; were randomized 1:1:1 to each of 3 treatment groups; not prescreened for EGFR or HER2 status. Treatment consisted of P 800mg QD; L 1,500 mg QD; L+P: P 400 mg + L 1,000 mg QD; the doses were escalated to P 800 mg + L 1,500 mg after 20 pts treated at 400 mg + 1,000 mg. Therapy continued until progression (PD), withdrawal due to adverse events (AEs), or withdrawal of consent. Primary endpoint was progression free survival (PFS); secondary overall survival (OS), tumor response (RR), safety. The study had 85% power to detect 80% improvement in PFS. A hierarchical testing procedure was applied comparing L+P vs L followed by L+P vs P and P vs L. The futility boundary was crossed for L + P vs L at the planned interim analysis and this arm was discontinued. Only the comparison of P vs L at the final analysis is reported. Results: Total N = 235 pts: 152 in the monotherapy arms: P (78); L (74). Baseline characteristics were balanced: median age 49 yrs (23–81). Stage IVB: 5%; recurrent 62%; persistent 34%. 86% had prior radiotherapy (45% with chemotherapy); 42% had prior chemotherapy for recurrent/persistent disease. P improved PFS (HR = 0.66; 90% CI 0.48, 0.91 p = 0.013) and OS (HR = 0.67; 90% CI 0.46, 0.99 p = 0.045; median OS for P is 50.7 wks; L is 39.1 wks) with RR for P of 9% and L 5%. Most common AEs (%) P/L were diarrhea (54/58), nausea (36/33), anorexia (28/32), vomiting (20/24); the most common Gr 3 AE was diarrhea (11/13); Gr 4 for any individual AE was ≤ 1%; 1 Gr 5 event of cachexia unrelated to L. Conclusions: PFS and OS were significantly prolonged with P compared to L. P and L both demonstrated a favorable toxicity profile in pts with advanced and recurrent CC. This study demonstrates the potential benefit of P in CC. Further exploration is indicated.

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Elderly patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma treated with CHOP chemotherapy plus granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor: identification of two age subgroups with differing hematologic toxicity

PURPOSE

Standard cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) chemotherapy repeated at 3-week intervals is difficult to deliver in elderly patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). The use of hemopoietic growth factors may decrease the hematologic toxicity of chemotherapy and allow the delivery of full-dose CHOP.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We conducted a phase II trial with the addition of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) to CHOP chemotherapy in NHL patients older than 60 years of age. Twenty-six previously untreated patients were assessable; median age was 67 years (range, 61 to 84 years). CHOP included cyclophosphamide 750 mg/m2 intravenously day 1; doxorubicin 50 mg/m2 intravenously day 1; vincristine 1.4 mg/m2 (2 mg total dose) intravenously day 1; and prednisone 100 mg orally days 1 through 5. GM-CSF 5 microg/kg was administered subcutaneously on days 4 through 13. Cycles were repeated every 21 days for six cycles. Results were analyzed for the total group and for two age subgroups: 61 to 69 years (n = 15) and 70 years or older (n = 11).

RESULTS

Sixteen patients (62%) achieved a complete response (CR), four patients (15%) achieved a partial response (PR), and six patients (23%) did not respond to therapy. After a median follow-up of 41 months, the median progression-free and overall survival were 19 and 30 months, respectively. Twenty patients completed six cycles. One hundred thirty-eight of the 156 planned cycles were delivered (88%). The relative dose-intensity was 95%. The chemotherapy-induced toxicity was important. Absolute neutrophil count was less than 500/mL in 43% of the cycles, platelet nadir was less than 20,000/mL in 19%, and febrile neutropenia occurred in 21%. There were no grades 3 to 4 mucositis. Treatment-related death occurred in two patients, and was associated with neutropenic septic shock. The toxicity related to GM-CSF was mild hypotension after the cytokine was administered in 7% of cycles. When the results of the study were analyzed by age subgroups, we observed that whereas response and median survival were similar in patients aged 61 to 69 years or 70 years or older, there were significant differences in dose delivery and toxicity. Chemotherapy was delivered in 86 of 90 planned cycles in patients aged 61 to 69 years, but in only 52 of 72 planned cycles in patients aged 70 to 84 years (P = .00008). Absolute neutrophil count was less than 500/mL in 24% of cycles in patients aged 61 to 69 years and 73% of cycles in patients aged 70 years or older (P = .00001). The platelet nadir of less than 20,000/mL occurred in 5% of patients aged 61 to 69 years and in 42% of patients aged 70 years or older (P < .0001). Fever and neutropenia occurred in 8% of patients aged 61 to 69 years and in 42% of patients aged 70 years or older (P < .0001). Mucositis (grades 1 to 2) occurred in 21% of patients aged 61 to 69 years and in 42% of patients aged 70 years or older (P = .006).

CONCLUSION

CHOP chemotherapy plus GM-CSF is an active regimen in elderly patients with NHL. Despite cytokine support, the toxicity of the regimen is elevated. We have identified two age subgroups (61 to 69 and > or = 70 years) that do not differ in treatment efficacy but show large differences in treatment-related toxicity.