Post-marketing safety surveillance of tumor treating fields (TTFields) in patients with high-grade glioma in clinical practice.

2542 Background: Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) are an antineoplastic treatment delivering low intensity, intermediate frequency, alternating electric fields through two pairs of transducer arrays locoregionally applied to tumor bed. TTFields are FDA-approved for glioblastoma (GBM; 200 kHz) and mesothelioma (150 kHz). Safety and effectiveness were demonstrated in the phase III EF-11 and EF-14 trials in recurrent GBM (rGBM) and in newly diagnosed GBM (ndGBM), respectively. The main TTFields-related adverse event (AE) was array-associated manageable skin irritation. We report AEs from TTFields-treated patients in the real-world, clinical practice setting. Methods: Unsolicited, global, post-market surveillance data from TTFields-treated patients (October 2011–February 2019) were retrospectively analyzed using MedDRA v21.1, stratified by region (US, EMEA [Europe, Middle East, Africa], or Japan), diagnosis (ndGBM, rGBM, anaplastic astrocytoma and anaplastic oligodendroglioma, or other brain tumors that includes brain metastases from different cancer types), and years of age (<18, pediatric; 18 to 64, adults; or ≥65, elderly). Results: Of 11,029 patients, 53% had ndGBM, 39% had rGBM (at any line of recurrence), 6% had anaplastic astrocytoma/oligodendroglioma, and 1% had other brain tumors. Most were adults (73%) and 26% were elderly (≥65 years of age). The majority of patients were males (66.3%) compared to females (33.7%), with a ratio representative of a typical GBM population. The most reported TTFields-related AE was array-associated local skin reaction, with an incidence of 38% in ndGBM, 29% in rGBM, 38% in anaplastic astrocytoma/oligodendroglioma, 31% in other brain tumors, 37% in pediatric, 34% in adults, and 36% in elderly patients. Most skin AEs were mild to moderate and resolved with no treatment or over the counter topical ointments. Incidence of other TTFields-related AEs in patients with ndGBM and rGBM, respectively, included heat sensation (under-array warmth; 11%, 10%), electric sensation (under-array tingling; 11%, 9%), and headache (7%, 6%). Conclusions: This retrospective, global, TTFields safety surveillance analysis revealed no new safety signals, with favorable safety and tolerability comparable to published TTFields/GBM trials. The most common TTFields-related AE was array-associated local skin reaction. The safety profile remained consistent among subgroups (diagnosis, age, or region) and total cohort, indicating feasibility in multiple subpopulations, including elderly patients.

Severe local skin reaction after the application of ingenol mebutate gel treated by photodynamic therapy: A case report

<p>Ingenol mebutate (IM) was recently introduced for the treatment of actinic keratosis (AK). It is considered a safe and effective treatment in spite of local reactions frequently reported. These reactions may consist of erythema, flaking, crusting, swelling, vesicles and erosions, and would usually spontaneously recede within 20–30 days. We reported a case of a patient affected by multiple actinic keratosis of the scalp treated with IM. The patient reported a severe reaction that was not solved in two months. We decided to treat the reaction with photodynamic therapy and aminolevulinic acid. This treatment was demonstrated to be effective in solving this severe side effect.</p>

Cutaneous and Labyrinthine Tolerance of Bioactive Glass S53P4 in Mastoid and Epitympanic Obliteration Surgery: Prospective Clinical Study

Objective. To evaluate the cutaneous and the inner ear tolerance of bioactive glass S53P4 when used in the mastoid and epitympanic obliteration for chronic otitis surgery.Material and Methods. Forty-one cases have been included in this prospective study. Cutaneous tolerance was clinically evaluated 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months after surgery with a physical examination of the retroauricular and external auditory canal (EAC) skin and the presence of otalgia; the inner ear tolerance was assessed by bone-conduction hearing threshold 1 day after surgery and by the presence of vertigo or imbalance.Results. All surgeries but 1 were uneventful: all patients maintained the preoperative bone-conduction hearing threshold except for one case in which the round window membrane was opened during the dissection of the cholesteatoma in the hypotympanum and this led to a dead ear. No dizziness or vertigo was reported. Three months after surgery, healing was achieved in all cases with a healthy painless skin. No cases of revision surgery for removal of the granules occurred in this study.Conclusion. The bioactive glass S53P4 is a well-tolerated biomaterial for primary or revision chronic otitis surgery, as shown by the local skin reaction which lasted less than 3 months and by the absence of labyrinthine complications.