Radioiodine remnant ablation in stage I adult papillary thyroid carcinoma: does it improve postoperative outcome?

Objective

To determine whether radioiodine remnant ablation (RRA) reduces cause-specific mortality (CSM) or tumor recurrence rates (TRR) after potentially curative bilateral thyroidectomy (BT) in low-risk adult papillary thyroid carcinoma (APTC) patients, we compared postoperative outcomes in 1836 pTNM stage I APTC patients having BT alone with 832 having BT+RRA during two consecutive 25-year periods.

Methods

The THEN cohort (consecutively managed during 1966-1990) comprised 809 patients (36% having BT+RRA) and the NOW cohort (1991-2015) comprised 1859 patients (29% BT+RRA). Analyses of differences in occurrence rates between BT alone and BT+RRA patients were performed with SAS software.

Results

During 1966-1990, when RRA rates rose ten-fold, 20-year CSM after BT alone was 0.6% and after BT+RRA was 1.2% (P = 0.66); during 1991-2015, when RRA rates progressively fell, no PTC deaths occurred in 1859 patients. In the THEN cohort, RRA did not significantly improve TRR at local, regional, or distant sites (P > 0.1), when compared to BT alone. RRA in NOW cohort was administered to 49% of node-positive (pN1) patients and 17% of node-negative (pN0/NX) patients (P < 0.0001); TRR therefore, were examined separately for pN0/NX and pN1 patients. In 1157 pN0/NX cases, 20-year locoregional TRR were 3.1% after BT and were higher (P = 0.049) at 8.6% after BT+RRA. In four pN1 groups, stratified by metastatic nodal burden, RRA did not significantly reduce the locoregional TRR observed after BT with curative intent (P > 0.5).

Conclusions

In a 5-decade experience, RRA administered postoperatively to stage I APTC patients did not reduce either CSM or TRR and should probably not be indicated when such patients undergo potentially curative BT.

Inability of Radioiodine Remnant Ablation to Improve Postoperative Outcome in Adult Patients with Low-Risk Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether radioiodine remnant ablation (RRA) reduces cause-specific mortality (CSM) or tumor recurrence (TR) rate after bilateral lobar resection (BLR).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

There were 2952 low-risk adult papillary thyroid cancer (LRAPTC) patients (with MACIS scores <6) who underwent potentially curative BLR during 1955-2014. During 1955-1974, 1975-1994, and 1995-2014, RRA was administered in 3%, 49%, and 28%. Statistical analyses were performed using SAS software.

RESULTS

During 1955-1974, the 20-year CSM and TR rates after BLR alone were 1.0% and 6.8%; rates after BLR+RRA were 0% (P=.63) and 5.9% (P=.82). During 1975-1994, post-BLR 20-year rates for CSM and TR were 0.3% and 7.5%; after BLR+RRA, rates were higher at 0.9% (P=.31) and 12.8% (P=.01). When TR rates were examined separately for 448 node-negative and 317 node-positive patients, differences were nonsignificant. In 1995-2014, post-BLR 20-year CSM and TR rates were 0% and 9.2%; rates after BLR+RRA were higher at 1.4% (P=.19) and 21.0% (P<.001). In 890 pN0 cases, 15-year locoregional recurrence rates were 3.4% after BLR and 3.7% after BLR+RRA (P=.99). In 740 pN1 patients, 15-year locoregional recurrence rates were 10% higher after BLR+RRA compared with BLR alone (P=.01). However, this difference became nonsignificant when stratified by numbers of metastatic nodes.

CONCLUSION

RRA administered to LRAPTC patients during 1955-2014 did not reduce either the CSM or TR rate. We would therefore not recommend RRA in LRAPTC patients undergoing BLR with curative intent.

Patient-reported functional outcomes in a cohort of hand and foot sarcoma survivors treated with limb sparing surgery and radiation therapy

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Describe patient-reported functional outcomes for hand and foot sarcoma survivors treated with limb-sparing surgery and radiation therapy (LSS + RT).

METHODS

Fifty-four patients with hand/wrist and foot/ankle sarcomas treated with LSS + RT from 1991 to 2015 were identified. Survivors ≥18 years old without subsequent amputation completed self-assessed functional surveys: Toronto upper extremity salvage score (TESS-UE) and Michigan hand outcomes (MHQ) surveys for hand; TESS lower extremity (TESS-LE) and Foot and Ankle Outcomes (FAOS) surveys for foot. Scoring scales: 0-100, MHQ and TESS; -26 to 56 and 25-59, FAOS core and shoe comfort, respectively. Higher scores denote superior function.

RESULTS

Five-year local tumor control was 88%. Fourteen of 24 hand (58%) and 14/18 foot (78%) survivors completed surveys. Mean TESS-UE and MHQ scores were 89.4 and 72.8, respectively. Mean TESS-LE, core FAOS, and shoe comfort scores were 92.4, 46.19, and 53.1, respectively. No factors correlated with outcomes. TESS-UE and MHQ scores strongly correlated (r = .87). TESS-LE and FAOS scores were associated with a poor correlation (r = .02 and r = .69).

CONCLUSIONS

The largest patient-reported functional outcomes analysis for hand and foot sarcoma survivors treated with LSS + RT demonstrates excellent local tumor control and acceptable functional outcomes. Further exploration of optimal functional assessment tools is needed given the potential scope differences.

Long-Term Results of Treating With Ethanol Ablation 15 Adult Patients With cT1aN0 Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma

Background

Currently acceptable management options for patients with adult papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (APTM) range from immediate surgery, either unilateral lobectomy or bilateral lobar resection, to active surveillance (AS). An alternative minimally invasive approach, originally employed for eliminating neck nodal metastases, may be ultrasound-guided percutaneous ethanol ablation (EA). Here we present our experience of definitively treating with EA 15 patients with APTM.

Patients and Methods

During 2010 through 2017, the 15 cT1aN0M0 patients selected for EA were aged 36 to 86 years (median, 45 years). Tumor volumes (n = 17), assessed by sonography, ranged from 25 to 375 mm³ (median, 109 mm³). Fourteen of 15 patients had 2 ethanol injections on successive days; total volume injected ranged from 0.45 to 1.80 cc (median, 1.1 cc). All ablated patients were followed with sonography and underwent recalculation of tumor volume and reassessment of tumor perfusion at each follow-up visit.

Results

The ablated patients have now been followed for 10 to 100 months (median, 64 months). There were no complications and no ablated patient developed postprocedure recurrent laryngeal nerve dysfunction. All 17 ablated tumors shrank (median 93%) and Doppler flow eliminated. Median tumor volume reduction in 9 identifiable avascular foci was 82% (range, 26%-93%). After EA, 8 tumors (47%) disappeared on sonography after a median of 10 months. During follow-up no new PTM foci and no nodal metastases have been identified.

Conclusions

Definitive treatment of APTM by EA is effective, safe, and inexpensive. Our results suggest that, for APTM patients who do not wish neck surgery and are uncomfortable with AS, EA represents a well-tolerated and minimally invasive outpatient management option.

Breast Cancer Risk and Use of Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Agents After a Benign Breast Biopsy

Over one million women in the United States receive biopsy diagnoses of benign breast disease (BBD) each year, which confer a 1.5-4.0-fold increase in breast cancer risk. Studies in the general population suggest that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAID) lower breast cancer risk; however, associations among women with BBD are unknown. We assessed whether NSAID use among women diagnosed with BBD is associated with lower breast cancer risk. Participants included 3,080 women (mean age = 50.3 ± 13.5 years) in the Mayo BBD surgical biopsy cohort diagnosed between January 1, 1992 and December 31, 2001 who completed breast cancer risk factor questionnaires that assessed NSAID use, and whose biopsies underwent detailed pathology review, masked to outcome. Women were followed from date of BBD biopsy to breast cancer diagnosis (main outcome) or censoring (death, prophylactic mastectomy, reduction mammoplasty, lobular carcinoma in situ or last contact). Median follow-up time was 16.4 ± 6.0 years. Incident breast cancer was diagnosed among 312 women over a median follow-up of 9.9 years. Regular non-aspirin NSAID use was associated with lower breast cancer risk [HR = 0.63; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.46-0.85; P = 0.002] with trends of lower risk (highest tertiles of use vs. nonuse) for greater number of years used [HR = 0.55; 95% CI = 0.31-0.97; P _trend = 0.003), days used per month (HR = 0.51; 95% CI = 0.33-0.80; P _trend = 0.001) and lifetime number of doses taken (HR = 0.53; 95% CI = 0.31-0.89; P _trend = 0.003). We conclude that nonaspirin NSAID use is associated with statistically significant lower breast cancer risk after a BBD biopsy, including a dose-response effect, suggesting a potential role for NSAIDs in breast cancer prevention among patients with BBD.

Abstract P5-08-06: NSAID use and breast cancer risk in a retrospective cohort of women with benign breast disease

Background Prior epidemiologic studies have shown an inverse relationship of aspirin and NSAID use with breast cancer (BC) risk in the general population. Women with benign breast disease (BBD) are at an increased BC risk compared with women in the general population, and we have shown that BBD biopsies contain increased numbers of immune cells compared with normal breast tissues donated for research in the Komen Tissue Bank. We hypothesized that NSAID use among women with BBD is associated with reduced risk of BC. Methods We evaluated BC risk in relation to aspirin and NSAID use in a single institution retrospective cohort of 4,498 women who received a biopsy diagnosis of BBD between 1/1/1992 and 12/31/2001. Information on usual medication use, including average number of days used per month (0, 1-7, 8-28 and &gt;28), was collected via questionnaires mailed after identification of participants. NSAIDs were categorized into three classes: 1) Aspirin, 2) Ibuprofen (plus other prostaglandin synthesis inhibitors), and 3) COX inhibitors. BC events were captured via medical record, questionnaires, and Tumor Registry records. Medication use was evaluated for associations with clinical and pathology features. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) examining associations between medication use and BC risk were estimated using Cox regression analyses, with adjustment for age and BMI at biopsy, years between biopsy and questionnaire, and pathologic features related to BC risk (severity of BBD and degree of involution in background lobules). Tests for trend examining frequency of use were calculated from ordered values (lowest to highest) in Cox models with a one degree-of-freedom linear term. We assessed BC associations with any type of NSAID use, as well as the three subclasses. Results Information on NSAID use was available for 3,089 (69%) of the participants in the cohort; these women had a median age of 49 and did not differ in BC risk from women who did not provide data on NSAID use (p=0.46). Of the 3,089 respondents, 313 (10.1%) subsequently developed BC with median follow-up of 17 years. Age was significantly associated with use of all types of NSAIDs, with increasing use in older women. BMI at the time of biopsy, severity of BBD findings, and involution in background lobules were also associated with NSAID use; thus these factors and age were adjusted for in risk association analyses. Ever users of NSAIDs (any type) had a significantly lower risk of BC than never users (HR 0.76, CI 0.59-0.98, p=0.03), and increasing frequency of NSAID use was significantly associated with lower BC risk (HRs 0.81, 0.79, and 0.70 for regular use 1-7, 8-28, and &gt;28 days/month), trend p=0.02. Analyses of drug classes revealed that ever use of ibuprofen (HR 0.61, CI 0.42-0.89, p=0.01) and ever use of COX inhibitors (HR 0.59, CI 0.39-0.89, p=0.01) were associated with decreased BC risk. COX inhibitors in particular showed a strong dose response effect with increasing use (HRs 0.97, 0.52, and 0.47 for regular use 1-7, 8-28, and &gt;28 days/month), trend p&lt;0.01. Use of aspirin was not associated with BC risk (HR 0.88, CI 0.64-1.21, p=0.44). Conclusions In this exploratory analysis, we found use of ibuprofen and other NSAIDs to be associated with decreased BC risk among women who had undergone a BBD biopsy. These findings suggest that anti-inflammatory approaches may have value in chemoprevention among women with BBD.

Citation Format: Amy Degnim, Robert Vierkant, Stacey Winham, Marlene Frost, Daniel Visscher, Jodi Carter, Suneetha Kaggal, Julie Cunningham, Teresa Allers, Tanya Hoskin, Ethan Heinzen, Celine Vachon, Keith Knutson, Keith Knutson, Derek Radisky, Mark Sherman. NSAID use and breast cancer risk in a retrospective cohort of women with benign breast disease [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-08-06.

Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma (PTC) in Children and Adults: Comparison of Initial Presentation and Long-Term Postoperative Outcome in 4432 Patients Consecutively Treated at the Mayo Clinic During Eight Decades (1936-2015)

BACKGROUND

Contemporary guidelines for managing PTC advise an approach wherein primary tumor and regional metastases (RM) are completely resected at first surgery and radioiodine remnant ablation (RRA) is restricted to high-risk patients, policies our group has long endorsed. To assess our therapeutic efficacy, we studied 190 children and 4242 adults consecutively treated during 1936-2015.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Mean follow-up durations for children and adults were 26.9 and 15.2 years, respectively. Bilateral lobar resection was performed in 86% of children and 88% of adults, followed by RRA in 30% of children and 29% of adults; neck nodes were excised in 86% of children and 66% of adults. Tumor recurrence (TR) and cause-specific mortality (CSM) details were taken from a computerized database.

RESULTS

Children, when compared to adults, had larger primary tumors which more often were grossly invasive and incompletely resected. At presentation, children, as compared to adults, had more RM and distant metastases (DM). Thirty-year TR rates were no different in children than adults at any site. Thirty-year CSM rates were lower in children than adults (1.1 vs. 4.9%; p = 0.01). Comparing 1936-1975 (THEN) with 1976-2015 (NOW), 30-year CSM rates were similar in MACIS <6 children (p = 0.67) and adults (p = 0.08). However, MACIS <6 children and adults in 1976-2015 had significantly higher recurrence at local and regional, but not at distant, sites. MACIS 6+ adults, NOW, compared to THEN, had lower 30-year CSM rates (30 vs. 47%; p < 0.001), unassociated with decreased TR at any site.

CONCLUSIONS

Children, despite presenting with more extensive PTC when compared to adults, have postoperative recurrences at similar frequency, typically coexist with DM and die of PTC less often. Since 1976, both children and adults with MACIS <6 PTC have a <1% chance at 30 years of CSM; adults with higher MACIS scores (6 or more) have a 30-year CSM rate of 30%.

Patient-reported outcomes questionnaire compliance in Cancer Cooperative Group Trials (Alliance N0992)

BACKGROUND/AIMS

The use of patient-reported outcomes in clinical trials is a focal point for research and policy. Non-compliance with planned questionnaires and missing data can threaten both internal validity and generalizability. This retrospective analysis was conducted to determine the extent of, and characteristics associated with, missing patient-reported outcomes.

METHODS

Study characteristics, patient characteristics and adverse events, and reasons for non-compliance were compiled from 14 closed Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, or Mayo Clinic Cancer Research Consortium clinical trials. Compliance rates were calculated for each patient using the number of booklets completed while the patient was on trial divided by the number of booklets the patient was expected to complete. Frequency counts and summary statistics were compiled. Logistic regression techniques were employed.

RESULTS

The 1640 included patients had a median age of 58 years and were mostly White (90.8%) and female (73.8%). Compliance rates per study ranged from 84.7% to 97.2%. The primary endpoint of overall compliance rate was 93.1%. A total of 1267 patients were compliant. Those non-compliant were slightly older (mean = 58.6 vs 57.5, p = 0.03) and had different types of cancers (p < 0.01). There were no differences in compliance according to tumor status (p = 0.66), clinical stage (p = 0.81), baseline quality of life (p = 0.42 for ≥8 vs <8 and p = 0.12 for ≥6 vs <6), or maximum adverse event grade incidence (p = 0.33 for grade 2+ incidence and p = 0.36 for grade 3+ incidence). Reasons for non-compliance included patient refusal (N = 136), booklet not administered to patient (N = 199), no clinic visit at the scheduled time for booklet completion (N = 40), and at-home-completed booklet not returned (N = 224). Logistic regression indicates gender (p < 0.01), race (p < 0.01), performance score (p = 0.02), dose delay status (p = 0.01), and incidence of grade 3 or higher adverse event (p = 0.03) were correlates of compliance.

CONCLUSION

Patient-reported outcomes have successfully been implemented into Alliance and Mayo Clinic trials with high rates of patient compliance. Further improvement in compliance can be made with staff commitment and education. Patients are typically non-compliant only when the task at hand is burdensome, unclear, or logistically challenging. Existing tracking systems used for the other trial outcomes should be utilized to ensure successful capture of patient-reported outcomes.