Virtual Library

 x 
My Library Virtual Library FAQ

Start Your Search

P. Fournel



Author of

  • +

    MO03 - Thymic Malignancies (ID 123)

    • Event: WCLC 2013
    • Type: Mini Oral Abstract Session
    • Track: Medical Oncology
    • Presentations: 1
    • +

      MO03.03 - RYTHMIC: a nationwide network for thymic malignancies in France (ID 2631)

      10:40 - 10:45  |  Author(s): P. Fournel

      • Abstract
      • Presentation
      • Slides

      Background
      RYTHMIC (Réseau tumeurs THYMiques et Cancer) is a nationwide network for thymic malignancies, which was appointed in 2012 by the French National Cancer Institute, as part of its rare cancer program. The objectives of the network include a territorial coverage by regional expert centers, the dissemination of highest standards for the diagnostic and therapeutic management of patients, and the promotion of collaborative research. Registration in RYTHMIC of all patients diagnosed with thymic malignancy is recommended as part of good clinical practice for oncologists.

      Methods
      Starting January 2012, the management of all patients diagnosed with thymic malignancy in France has been discussed on a real-time basis at a reference national multidisciplinary tumor board (MTB), which is organized twice a month using a web-based conferencing system. Decision-making is based on consensual recommendations, that were originally established using available evidence, and are updated and approved each year by all members of the network. A prospective database of all patients is hosted by the French Thoracic Cancer Intergroup. We report the characteristics and treatment modalities of patients included during the first year.

      Results
      From January to December 2012, 257 patients were enrolled in RYTHMIC. There were 126 (49%) men and 131 (51%) women; mean age at diagnosis was 54.5 years. Among 214 cases, histology was thymoma for 146 (56%) patients (11 (5%) type A, 28 (13%) type AB, 22 (10%) type B1, 35 (16%) type B2, 24 (11%) type B3, 26 (12%) mixed type), and thymic carcinoma for 33 (15%) patients, 8 of which were neuroendocrine carcinomas; other histologies were diagnosed for 35 (16%) patients. Among 144 cases, Masaoka-Koga stage was I, IIA, IIB, III, IVA, and IVB in 34 (24%), 19 (13%), 20 (14%), 22 (15%), 35 (24%), and 14 (10%) patients, respectively. 44 (17%) patients presented with autoimmune disorder, consisting of myasthenia gravis in 28 cases. Surgery was performed for 166 patients, mostly using a median sternotomy approach (52% of cases). Postoperative radiotherapy was delivered to 42 patients; 71 patients received perioperative chemotherapy. Exclusive chemotherapy/radiotherapy was administered to 20 and 4 patients, respectively. Mature data will be presented at the meeting.

      Conclusion
      This first analysis of the RYTHMIC prospective cohort demonstrates the feasibility of a national MTB for thymic malignancies, that, besides ensuring all patients an equal access to highly specialized treatment, provides with a comprehensive tool to monitor dedicated actions to improve the management of patients in the future, increase the quality-of-care, and screen patients for future translational research and clinical trials. Supported by Institut National du Cancer

      Only Members that have purchased this event or have registered via an access code will be able to view this content. To view this presentation, please login, select "Add to Cart" and proceed to checkout. If you would like to become a member of IASLC, please click here.

      Only Active Members that have purchased this event or have registered via an access code will be able to view this content. To view this presentation, please login or select "Add to Cart" and proceed to checkout.

  • +

    P2.24 - Poster Session 2 - Supportive Care (ID 157)

    • Event: WCLC 2013
    • Type: Poster Session
    • Track: Supportive Care
    • Presentations: 2
    • +

      P2.24-021 - Adjuvant or Induction chemotherapy for Non Small Cell Lung Cancer treated with chemoradiotherapy: An invidual data metaanalysis of phase II trials (ID 1421)

      09:30 - 09:30  |  Author(s): P. Fournel

      • Abstract

      Background
      it is well known that combining chemotherapy and radiation therapy is beneficial to patients with locally advanced non small cell lung cancer compared to radiation alone or compared to a sequential approach using chemotherapy and radiation therapy. However, it is not obvious what is the best schedule. A few randomized trials assessed chemotherapy as induction before chemoradiotherapy (CT -> CTRT) versus chemotherapy as consolidation, after chemoradiotherapy (CTRT -> CT). Most of those trials are phase II trials with moderate sample sizes and were not designed to demonstrate treatment effect in terms of overall survival.

      Methods
      the study coordinators of those trials (T. Berghmans, H. Choy, P. Fournel, P. Garrido, J. Van Meerbeeck) agreed on a protocol for carrying out a meta-analysis of individual patients data and for sharing the individual patients data that were sent to the coordinating institution. Overall survival was the primary outcome, progression-free survival and toxic death occurrence were among the secondary outcomes. The treatment effect was assessed through the estimation of the hazard ratio of the survival distributions using CTRT -> CT as reference. Combined hazard ratio was obtained through Cox regression models (fixed effects) with a stratification by trial. Preplanned interactions between baseline covariates (age, sex, performance status, stage, histology) and treatment effect were assessed. Toxic death rates were analyzed per trial and odds ratios have been estimated to assess the treatment effect. Combined odds ratio was obtained by the Peto method.

      Results
      the data bases of the 5 eligible identified trials (3 with cisplatin based chemotherapy regimens, 2 with carboplatin based regimens) were shared for a total of 534 patients (CT -> CTRT 271, CTRT -> CT 263). Median ages were 60 and 61 years, stage IIIB represented 69%/70% of the patients and EOCG PS > 1 was rare (3%/2%). Median follow-up ranged from 12 months up to 66 months and rates of events from 44% to 88%. No significant difference was detected either for overall survival with an estimated HR of 0.96 (95% CI : 0.79-1.17) without heterogeneity between the 5 trials (I[2]=0) or for progression-free survival (analysis restricted to 4 out of the 5 trials), HR=0.91 (95% CI : 0.75-1.11) and absence of heterogeneity (I[2]=2%). For both outcomes, no interaction between the above specified covariates and treatment effect was found. Toxic deaths occurred overall in 3% of the patients, no detectable impact of treatment arm was found with a combined odds ratio of 0.40 and a 95 % CI overlapping 1 (0.15-1.06).

      Conclusion
      our results suggest that there is no argument in favour of one of the two therapeutic schedules when looking at overall survival or at progression free survival; however, in the absence of benefit in terms of prognosis, a more detailed evaluation of toxicity is warranted and is ongoing.

    • +

      P2.24-039 - Renal failure is the first cause of double maintenance (bevacizumab + pemetrexed) discontinuation for toxicity in real world setting (ID 2491)

      09:30 - 09:30  |  Author(s): P. Fournel

      • Abstract

      Background
      Maintenance treatment, with either bevacizumab or pemetrexed, has been shown to increase PFS and overall survival. Two trials have compared double maintenance (DM) therapy (pemetrexed + bevacizumab), to single drug maintenance (bevacizumab in AVAPERL and POINTBREAK studies). Conflicting results were found. Before definitive conclusions can be driven from these studies and other ongoing study (ECOG 5508), the purpose of our retrospective study was to determine in real world setting the frequency of double maintenance discontinuation for adverse event, and to describe the main toxicities occurring during double maintenance.

      Methods
      All patients who received at least one cycle of pemetrexed and bevacizumab as maintenance treatment were identified from the Oncology Pharmacy database of participating centers since year 2011. All the charts were analyzed retrospectively to obtain clinical data. Lab results were noted for haemoglobin, creatinine and liver enzymes before starting and after receiving multiple doses of pemetrexed and bevacizumab.

      Results
      Included were 87 patients treated with two to six cycles of induction chemotherapy (median 4), combining platinum with pemetrexed and bevacizumab, followed by at least one cycle of bevacizumab and pemetrexed as maintenance treatment. All patients received supplementation of vitamin B12 and folic acid during chemotherapy. Baselines characteristics (%): male 54: stage IV 96,5; adenocarcinoma 96,5; median age 58 yr. 57,8% of patients had objective response after induction chemotherapy, and 42,2% had stable disease after induction chemotherapy. At cut off date: treatment was still ongoing for 17 patients (19,8%); 40,6% of patients stopped DM for progressive disease; 33,3% of patients stopped DM for toxicity (out of these 33% of patients, 42% went on single maintenance with Pemetrexed and 58% with Bevacizumab); 11,6% of patients stopped DM for patient/physician decision, and 14,4% for other reasons. The most common toxicity responsible for DM discontinuation was renal failure (52%).

      Reason for discontinuation (%) POINTBREAK AVAPERL This study
      Progressive disease 61,0 54,7 40,6
      Adverse event 13,7 21,6 33,3
      Others reasons 19,8 23,5 25,8

      Conclusion
      This retrospective study suggests that in real world setting, double maintenance is frequently discontinued for adverse event (33,3% of patients). The most frequent adverse event was renal failure (half of the cases). Further analyses are ongoing in order to identify any predictive factors for renal failure occurrence and will be presented at meeting. These results suggest that particular caution should be taken in order to preserve renal function whenever double maintenance (pemetrexed + bevacizumab) is considered in a patient with stable or responding tumour after induction chemotherapy consisting in platinum, pemetrexed and bevacizumab.

  • +

    P3.13 - Poster Session 3 - SCLC (ID 202)

    • Event: WCLC 2013
    • Type: Poster Session
    • Track: Medical Oncology
    • Presentations: 1
    • +

      P3.13-005 - CONVERT - the challenges of opening centres and recruiting patients to an international multi-centre chemo-radiotherapy trial in limited-stage small cell lung cancer (ID 1366)

      09:30 - 09:30  |  Author(s): P. Fournel

      • Abstract

      Background
      CONVERT is a multicentre, randomised, phase III trial open in Europe and Canada in limited-stage small cell lung cancer. Patients are randomised to twice (45 Gy in 30 fractions) or once-daily radiotherapy (66 Gy in 33 fractions) given concurrently with 4-6 cycles of chemotherapy. This study is funded by Cancer Research UK and involves centres from the UK NCRI, the ‘Groupe Francais de Pneumo-Cancerologie’, the Spanish Lung Cancer Group, the EORTC and NCIC CTG.

      Methods
      To identify and review the challenges in site set-up. To review time taken from site initiation to first patient randomised, number of centres opened that included 0-2 patients and number of centres that recruited the majority of all patients.

      Results
      In June 2013, 519/532 patients had been recruited in 9 countries; 299 from 32 UK centres, 100 from 17 French centres, 39 from 9 Canadian centres, 27 from 6 Spanish centres, 26 from 3 Belgian centres, 13 patients from 1 centre in Slovenia, 9 from 2 centres in The Netherlands and 6 patients from 1 centre in Poland. Figure 1 shows the number of centres open and patients recruited. 96 sites are currently open to recruitment (5 sites opened in 2008, 34 in 2009, 31 in 2010, 17 in 2011, 8 in 2012 & 3 in 2013, 2 sites subsequently closed early) of which 74 (77%) have randomised at least 1 patient. 24 sites (25%) recruited only 1 or 2 patients. 10 sites have recruited 49% of the total number of patients with a single site recruiting 18.5% of all patients randomised. Time taken from site initiation to 1[st] patient randomised ranged from 0–1029 days with a median of 144 days. Time taken to complete the QA exercise from initial information sent to site ranged from 14-1181 days with a median of 290.5 days. Figure 1

      Conclusion
      Recruitment to an academic trial in LS-SCLC is a challenge but accrual has improved considerably since 2008. This can be directly related to the increasing number of sites opened to recruitment. Duration of site set-up and completion of the QA exercise are factors explaining slower than anticipated accrual rates particularly between 2008 and 2010. We anticipate that the study will close to recruitment in July 2013. International participation has been a key factor to the success of the trial and the experience gained will be of value to the design of future radiotherapy studies to ensure target accrual.