Value of Tumor Growth Rate (TGR) as an Early Biomarker Predictor of Patients’ Outcome in Neuroendocrine Tumors (NET)—The GREPONET Study

Lamarca A, Crona J, Ronot M, Opalinska M, Lopez Lopez C, Pezzutti D, Najran P, Carvhalo L, Franca Bezerra RO, Borg P, Vietti Violi N, Vidal Trueba H, de Mestier L, Schaefer N, Sundin A, Costa F, Pavel ME, Dromain C (2019)

Publication Type: Journal article, Review article

Publication year: 2019

Journal

Oncologist Oxford University Press

DOI: 10.1634/theoncologist.2018-0672

Abstract

Introduction: Tumor growth rate (TGR; percent size change per month [%/m]) is postulated to be an early radiological biomarker to overcome limitations of RECIST. This study aimed to assess the impact of TGR in neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) and potential clinical and therapeutic applications. Materials and Methods: Patients (pts) with advanced grade (G) 1/2 NETs from the pancreas or small bowel initiating systemic treatment (ST) or watch and wait (WW) were eligible. Baseline and follow-up scans were retrospectively reviewed to calculate TGR at pretreatment (TGR 0 ), first follow-up (TGR first ), and 3(±1) months of study entry (TGR 3m ). Results: Out of 905 pts screened, 222 were eligible. Best TGR first (222 pts) cutoff was 0.8 (area under the curve, 0.74). When applied to TGR 3m (103 pts), pts with TGR 3m <0.8 (66.9%) versus TGR 3m ≥ 0.8 (33.1%) had longer median progression-free survival (PFS; 26.3 m; 95% confidence interval [CI] 19.5–32.4 vs. 9.3 m; 95% CI, 6.1–22.9) and lower progression rate at 12 months (7.3% vs. 56.8%; p =.001). WW (vs. ST) and TGR 3m ≥ 0.8 (hazard ratio [HR], 3.75; 95% CI, 2.21–6.34; p <.001) were retained as factors associated with a shorter PFS in multivariable Cox regression. TGR 3m (HR, 3.62; 95% CI, 1.97–6.64; p <.001) was also an independent factor related to shorter PFS when analysis was limited to pts with stable disease (81 pts). Out of the 60 pts with TGR 0 data available, 60% of pts had TGR 0 < 4%/month. TGR 0 ≥ 4 %/month (HR, 2.22; 95% CI, 1.15–4.31; p =.018) was also an independent factor related to shorter PFS. Conclusion: TGR is an early radiological biomarker able to predict PFS and to identify patients with advanced NETs who may require closer radiological follow-up. Implications for Practice: Tumor growth rate at 3 months (TGR 3m ) is an early radiological biomarker able to predict progression-free survival and to identify patients with advanced neuroendocrine tumors who may require closer radiological follow-up. It is feasible to calculate TGR 3m in clinical practice and it could be a useful tool for guiding patient management. This biomarker could also be implemented in future clinical trials to assess response to therapy.

Authors with CRIS profile

Marianne Ellen Pavel Department of Medicine 1 – Gastroenterology, Pneumology and Endocrinology

Involved external institutions

Christie NHS Foundation Trust GB United Kingdom (GB) Uppsala University Hospital / Akademiska sjukhuset SE Sweden (SE) Beaujon Hospital / Hôpital Beaujon FR France (FR) Szpital Uniwersytecki w Krakowie PL Poland (PL) Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital / Hospital Universitario de Marqués de Valdecilla (HUMV) ES Spain (ES) Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein BR Brazil (BR) Hospital Sírio-Libanês BR Brazil (BR) Lausanne University Hospital / Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV) CH Switzerland (CH)

How to cite

APA:

Lamarca, A., Crona, J., Ronot, M., Opalinska, M., Lopez Lopez, C., Pezzutti, D.,... Dromain, C. (2019). Value of Tumor Growth Rate (TGR) as an Early Biomarker Predictor of Patients’ Outcome in Neuroendocrine Tumors (NET)—The GREPONET Study. Oncologist. https://doi.org/10.1634/theoncologist.2018-0672

MLA:

Lamarca, Angela, et al. "Value of Tumor Growth Rate (TGR) as an Early Biomarker Predictor of Patients’ Outcome in Neuroendocrine Tumors (NET)—The GREPONET Study." Oncologist (2019).

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