The Frontline and Relapsed Rhabdomyosarcoma (FaR-RMS) clinical trial is an overarching, multinational study for children and adults with rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS). The trial, developed by the European Soft Tissue Sarcoma Study Group (EpSSG), incorporates multiple different research questions within a multistage design with a focus on (i) novel regimens for poor prognostic subgroups, (ii) optimal duration of maintenance chemotherapy, and (iii) optimal use of radiotherapy for local control and widespread metastatic disease. Additional sub-studies focusing on biological risk stratification, use of imaging modalities, including [¹⁸F]FDG PET-CT and diffusion-weighted MRI imaging (DWI) as prognostic markers, and impact of therapy on quality of life are described. This paper forms part of a Special Issue on rhabdomyosarcoma and outlines the study background, rationale for randomisations and sub-studies, design, and plans for utilisation and dissemination of results.

To study the use of the self-expanding Covera covered stent for the treatment of stenotic lesions at the venous anastomosis of hemodialysis arteriovenous grafts (AVGs). A total of 110 patients with AVG venous anastomotic stenosis of ≥50% and access dysfunction were treated at 14 centers in the United States using percutaneous transluminal angioplasty followed by covered stent placement. The primary end points were 30-day safety and 6-month target lesion primary patency (TLPP). The secondary measures included access circuit primary patency, circuit cumulative patency, and the number of reinterventions through 24 months. Freedom from a primary safety event at 30 days was 96.4% while the 6-month TLPP rate was 70.3%. Seventy-five patients completed 24-month follow-up (68.2%). The TLPP rates were 54.2% at 365 days and 36.9% at 730 days while the access circuit primary patency rates were 16.7% at 365 days and 7.8% at 730 days (Kaplan-Meier analysis). The access circuit cumulative patency rates were 85.4% at 12 months and 73.6% at 24 months. The number of reinterventions to maintain the patency of the access circuit was 3.6 ± 3.1 at 24 months (1.6 ± 1.9 at the target lesion). Use of the Covera covered stent for hemodialysis graft-vein anastomotic stenosis provided a safe treatment option with a TLPP rate of 70.3% at 6 months and TLPP and cumulative access circuit patency rates of 36.9% and 73.6% at 2 years.