Oral edoxaban was noninferior to subcutaneous dalteparin with respect to the composite outcome of recurrent venous thromboembolism or major bleeding. The rate of recurrent venous thromboembolism was lower but the rate of major bleeding was higher with edoxaban than with dalteparin. (Funded by Daiichi Sankyo; Hokusai VTE Cancer ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02073682 .).
In the Hokusai VTE Cancer study, edoxaban was non-inferior to dalteparin for the composite outcome of recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) and major bleeding in 1,050 patients with cancer-associated VTE. The absolute rate of recurrent VTE was 3.4% lower with edoxaban, whereas the absolute rate of major bleeding was 2.9% higher. The present analysis focuses on the sites, clinical presentation, course and outcome of bleeding events, and the associated tumour types. Major bleeds and their severity (categories 1-4) were blindly adjudicated by a committee using a priori defined criteria, and data were analysed in the safety population. Major bleeding occurred in 32 of 522 patients given edoxaban (median treatment duration, 211 days) and in 16 of 524 patients treated with dalteparin (median treatment duration, 184 days); no patients had more than one major bleed. There were no fatal bleeds with edoxaban, and two with dalteparin. Severe bleeding at presentation (category 3 or 4) occurred in 10 (1.9%) and 11 (2.1%) patients in the edoxaban and dalteparin groups, respectively. The excess of major bleeding with edoxaban was confined to patients with gastrointestinal cancer. However, severe major bleeding at presentation (category 3 or 4) in this sub-group occurred in 5 of 165 (3.0%) and in 3 of 140 (2.1%) patients given edoxaban or dalteparin, respectively.In conclusion, this analysis suggests that while oral edoxaban is an appropriate alternative to subcutaneous dalteparin for treatment of cancer-associated VTE, the use of edoxaban in patients with gastrointestinal cancer requires careful benefit-risk weighting.
We developed a personalized cancer vaccine in which patient-derived acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells are fused with autologous dendritic cells, generating a hybridoma that potently stimulates broad antitumor responses. We report results obtained from the first 17 AML patients, who achieved remission after chemotherapy and were then serially vaccinated to target minimal residual disease and prevent relapse. Vaccination was well tolerated and induced inflammatory responses at the site of administration, characterized by the dense infiltration of T cells. Vaccination was also associated with a marked rise in circulating T cells recognizing whole AML cells and leukemia-specific antigens that persisted for more than 6 months. Twelve of 17 vaccinated patients (71%; 90% confidence interval, 52 to 89%) remain alive without recurrence at a median follow-up of 57 months. The results demonstrate that personalized vaccination of AML patients in remission induces the expansion of leukemia-specific T cells and may be protective against disease relapse.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.