ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT00732914, www.clinicaltrials.gov.

In 35 patients with invasive fungal infections we instituted oral voriconazole therapy from day 1 and found an incidence of hepatotoxicity comparable to 11 controls treated intravenously.

393 Background: The sequential use of SO and SU has been investigated retrospectively in patients with mRCC. We report here results from the first randomized study to prospectively compare SO/SU versus SU/SO. Methods: Pts with mRCC unsuitable for cytokines without prior systemic therapy, ECOG PS 0/1, MSKCC score low or intermediate, and ≥1 measurable lesion were randomized to receive open-label SO/SU (arm A) or SU/SO (arm B) in standard dosage. Primary endpoint: total PFS (T-PFS) from randomization to event during 2nd line therapy. Therapy continued until progression or intolerability. The study was powered to detect a 47% increase in T-PFS with SO/SU compared to SU/SO using log-rank testing and Cox proportional hazard regression model. ( NCT00732914 ). Results: A total of 365 pts were enrolled: 182 arm A, 183 arm B.The two arms were well balanced: median age (A/B): 64/65 yrs; prior nephrectomy: 74/65%; MSKCC intermediate: 59/51%, low: 39/45%; clear cell histology: 90/84%. At time of final T-PFS analysis 220 events had occurred (A, n=117 [64%]; B, n=103 [56%]). There was no statistically significant difference in T-PFS across arms: HR 1.01, p=0.54, arm A and arm B, respectively. Likewise, there was no statistically significant difference in OS: HR 0.997, p=0.49, nor in the first PFS across arms: HR 1.19, p=0.92. Fewer pts crossed over to receive SO in arm B (n=76) than to receive SU in arm A (n=103). Overall DCR was 72/67%. There was a marked difference in AEs leading to permanent discontinuation between the two groups (18.6/29.5%). Most frequent (>20%) side effects under 1st-line treatment SO vs SU were alopecia (29/4%), diarrhea (43/29%), dysgeusia (8/21%), fatigue (21/34%), HFSR (37/20%), hypertension (24/24%), nausea (18/24%) and rash (22/3%). AEs were generally lower during 2nd-line therapy. Conclusions: There was no significant difference in T-PFS, OS, DCR and 1st-line PFS between the two sequential treatments. Both drugs provided overall benefit regardless of sequence. Side effect profiles differ, but were generally less frequent during 2nd-line therapy. More patients reached 2nd-line in the SO/SU arm. Clinical trial information: NCT00732914.

The 5T series of multiple myelomas (MM) and Waldenstrsöm's macroglobulinaemia-like lymphomas (WM), which developed spontaneously in ageing mice of the C57BL/KaLwRij strain, shows clinical and biological features that closely resemble their corresponding human diseases. In order to compare the patterns of somatic mutation in VH genes of mouse tumours with those of human counterparts, we have determined and analysed sequences of immunoglobulin VH genes in five cases of murine MM, two of WM and one of biclonal benign monoclonal gammopathy (BMG). Four of five MM and 2/2 WM cases used VH genes of the large J558 family; one MM used a gene of the VGAM3.8 family, and both clones of the BMG used genes of the 36-60 family. N-region insertions were observed in all cases, but D-segment genes were only identified in 6/9 cases, which were all from the D-SP family and translated in reading frame 3. Compared with human MM, in which the VH genes have been found to be consistently hypermutated (mean% +/- SD = 8.8 +/- 3.2), the degree of somatic mutation in the murine tumours was significantly lower (mean% +/- SD = 2.9 +/- 2.3). There was no significant evidence of clustering of replacement mutations in complementarity determining regions (CDR), a feature considered to be characteristic of antigen-selected sequences. However, one clone of the biclonal BMG case showed intraclonal variation, a feature described in some cases of human BMG. These results indicate that murine VH genes in mature tumours differ from human counterparts in the level and distribution of somatic mutations, but support the concept that BMG may be distinct from MM.