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European Union 6th Framework programme, German Ministry of Education and Research, Polish Ministry of Scientific Research and Information Technology, European Union 7th Framework programme, and Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale.

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Lessons LearnedTrials dedicated to metastatic uveal melanoma are needed because of the poor prognosis of this rare cancer and because its biology is distinct from that of cutaneous melanoma.Agents targeting the MEK/ERK/MAP kinase pathways are being tested.Background.In experimental models, bevacizumab suppressed in vitro growth and in vivo hepatic metastasis of ocular melanoma cells. Additional preclinical data suggested a potential benefit when combining bevacizumab with dacarbazine.Methods.This noncomparative phase II study evaluated a combination of bevacizumab (10 mg/kg on days 8 and 22) with temozolomide (150 mg/m2 on days 1–7 and 15–21) in 36 patients with metastatic uveal melanoma (MUM). The primary endpoint was the progression-free rate (PFR) at 6 months. Using a modified 2-step Fleming plan, at least 10 of 35 patients were required to support a predefined PFR at 6 months of 40%. Secondary objectives were progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety; liver perfusion computed tomography (CT) for response imaging; and impact of VEGF-A gene polymorphisms on bevacizumab pharmacodynamics.Results.First- and second-step analyses revealed nonprogression at 6 months in 3 of 17 and 8 of 35 patients, respectively. Finally, the 6-month PFR was 23% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 10–39), with long-lasting stable disease in 5 patients (14%). Median PFS and OS were 12 weeks and 10 months, respectively. No unexpected toxicity occurred. Liver perfusion CT imaging was not useful in assessing tumor response, and VEGF-A gene polymorphisms were not correlated with toxicity or survival.Conclusion.In patients with MUM, a combination of bevacizumab plus temozolomide achieved a 6-month PFR of 23%.

Purpose: EGFR is frequently overexpressed in cervical cancer, suggesting EGFR blockade as a promising treatment approach. Cetuximab, an anti EGFR antibody, used conjointly with radiochemotherapy, was feasible in first-line treatment of cervix carcinoma limited to the pelvis.Experimental Design: This randomized phase II trial enrolled 78 FIGO stage IB2-IIIB cervical cancer patients to either cisplatinbased radiochemotherapy alone (arm B, n ¼ 38) or conjointly with a 6-week course of weekly cetuximab (arm A, n ¼ 40). Brachytherapy was given to the pelvic mass. Primary endpoint was disease-free survival (DFS) at 2 years. EGFR expression and targeted sequencing were performed in 54 of 78 patients.Results: Cetuximab over a 6-week period did not improve DFS at 24 months. At 31 months median follow-up, DFS was not significantly different (P ¼ 0.18). Complete response at 4 to 6 months was strongly predictive for excellent DFS (log-rank test; P < 0.001). PIK3CA, KRAS, and STK11 mutations were observed in 22%, 4%, and 2% of patients, respectively. No tumor with a PI3K pathway mutation showed complete response (0/8 in arm A and 0/6 in arm B), whereas 14 of 52 (27%) tumors without mutations did (P ¼ 0.021). PI3K pathway-mutated tumors showed a trend toward poorer DFS (P ¼ 0.06) following cetuximab (8/22) as compared with those following standard treatment only (6/18).Conclusions: Similar to patients with head and neck cancer, patients with cervical cancer showed no gain in DFS at 2 years following a combined treatment of cetuximab with radiochemotherapy. Although treatment tolerance and compliance were satisfactory, it remains to be demonstrated whether maintenance therapy with cetuximab could be beneficial in selected patient groups.

In the common SCAs, PROMs give complementary information to the information provided by neurological scales. This underlines the importance of PROMs as additional outcome measures in future interventional trials.

Background: Clinical scales such as the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) cannot be used to study ataxia at home or to assess daily fluctuations. The objective of the current study was to develop a video-based instrument, SAR-A home , for measuring ataxia severity easily and independently at home. Methods: Based on feasibility of self-application, we selected 5 SARA items (gait, stance, speech, nosefinger test, fast alternating hand movements) for SAR-A home (range, 0-28). We compared SARA home items with total SARA scores in 526 patients with spinocerebellar ataxia types 1, 2, 3, and 6 from the EUROSCA natural history study. To prospectively validate the SARA home , we directly compared the selfapplied SARA home and the conventional SARA in 50 ataxia patients. To demonstrate feasibility of independent home recordings in a pilot study, 12 ataxia patients were instructed to obtain a video each morning and evening over a period of 14 days. All videos were rated offline by a trained rater. Results: SARA home extracted from the EUROSCA baseline data was highly correlated with conventional SARA (r = 0.9854, P < 0.0001). In the prospective validation study, the SARA home was highly correlated with the conventional SARA (r = 0.9254, P < 0.0001). Five of 12 participants of the pilot study obtained a complete set of 28 evaluable videos. Seven participants obtained 13-27 videos. The intraindividual differences between the lowest and highest SARA home scores ranged from 1 to 5.5. Conclusion: The SARA home and the conventional SARA are highly correlated. Application at home is feasible. There was a considerable degree of intraindividual variability of the SARA home scores.

Background Spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are dominantly inherited, progressive ataxia disorders. Disease progression could be preceded by weight loss. Objectives We aimed to study the course of weight loss in patients who had the most common SCAs (SCA1, SCA2 SCA3, and SCA6). Additional objectives were to identify subgroups of weight evolution, to determine the factors influencing these evolutions, and to assess the impact of these evolutions on disease progression. Methods In total, 384 patients from the EUROSCA prospective cohort study were analyzed who had SCA1, SCA2, SCA3, or SCA6 and at least 3 measurements of weight. Age was used as a time scale. Clinical outcomes were body mass index (BMI) and the Scale for the Assessment and Rating Ataxia (SARA), with scores ranging from 0 to 40. We used a linear mixed model to analyze the course of BMI and a latent class mixed model to identify subgroup BMI evolution. Results Overall, BMI declined over time (−0.11 ± 0.03 kg/m2 per decade; P = 0.0009). Three subgroups of BMI evolution were identified: “decreasing BMI” (n = 88; 23%), “increasing BMI” (n = 70; 18%) and “stable BMI” (n = 226; 59%). Patients in the decreasing BMI group were more severely affected at baseline with higher SARA scores and a higher frequency of non‐ataxia signs (especially motor symptoms) compared with those in the other groups. Weight loss was associated with faster disease progression (5.7 ± 0.7 SARA points per decade; P = 0.036). Conclusions The current data have substantial implications for the design of future interventional studies in SCA, as they provide a basis for patient stratification and emphasize the usefulness of BMI as a biomarker for monitoring disease progression.