To Treat or Not to Treat Metastatic Cancer Patients with Poor Performance Status: a Prospective Experience

Administration of cytotoxic chemotherapy for patients with metastatic cancer and poor performance status is a daily clinical challenge. Guidelines only help to select a therapeutic regimen but do not offer a clear response whether or not the patients should be treated. We performed a prospective analysis in 139 metastatic patients with performance status > 1 according to the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group scale. A decision was considered correct if patients treated with a medical anticancer treatment lived over 3 months or alternatively patients not treated had a survival under 3 months. The predominant tumor type was non-small cell lung cancer. Patients were chemotherapy naive in 87 cases (63 %). A new line of medical anticancer treatment was started in 107 cases (77 %). The median survival of the study population was 11 weeks (range, 1-53). 84 patients (60 %) died within 3 months while 55 patients (40 %) lived more than 3 months after decision. Treatment decisions were considered as appropriate in 81 cases (58 %). No patient was considered as undertreated. The analysis by pathology allowed to identify pathologies where decisions were correct in the majority of the cases (renal, urothelial and small cell lung cancers), pathologies where appropriate and inappropriate decisions were balanced (prostate, ovarian and breast cancers) and pathologies where decisions for treatment were excessive (non-small cell lung cancer and unknown primary). This prospective study was conducted as part of the evaluation of professional practices in our department. Administration of a medical anticancer treatment validated with patients with good performance status may be harmful for patients with poor performance status. The findings resulted in recommendations for daily practice in order to help physicians, especially for the "don't go" decisions. Until the identification of new prognostic factors for survival and/or the development of therapies making sensitive currently chemoresistant diseases, the initiation of a medical anticancer treatment outside standard situations should result from a consensual decision team or the inclusion in a clinical trial.

A phase II study of afatinib, an irreversible ErbB family blocker, added to letrozole in patients with estrogen receptor-positive hormone-refractory metastatic breast cancer progressing on letrozole

Phase II, open-label study assessing the efficacy and safety of the ErbB family blocker afatinib combined with letrozole in estrogen receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients who had progressed on letrozole monotherapy. Adult females (N = 28) received oral afatinib (50 [n = 7], 40 [n = 13] or 30 [n = 8] mg/day) plus letrozole 2.5 mg/day in 28-day cycles until disease progression. Primary endpoint was the progression-free rate at or after 16 weeks of afatinib. At 16 weeks, four patients remained on afatinib without progression; two of these were HER2 negative. Fifteen (54 %) patients had a best response of stable disease according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors. Median progression-free survival was 60, 107 and 79 days with 50, 40 and 30 mg/day afatinib, respectively. Diarrhea, asthenia, rash, mucosal inflammation and nausea were the most frequent adverse events. In this small, exploratory study, afatinib combined with letrozole was able to induce disease stabilization in 54 % of hormone-refractory MBC patients previously progressing on letrozole.

Clinical trial registration: NCT00708214

Prospective Clinical Utility Study of the Use of the 21-Gene Assay in Adjuvant Clinical Decision Making in Women With Estrogen Receptor-Positive Early Invasive Breast Cancer: Results From the SWITCH Study

BACKGROUND

The 21-gene Oncotype DX Recurrence Score assay is a validated assay to help decide the appropriate treatment for estrogen receptor-positive (ER+), early-stage breast cancer (EBC) in the adjuvant setting. The choice of adjuvant treatments might vary considerably in different countries according to various treatment guidelines. This prospective multicenter study is the first to assess the impact of the Oncotype DX assay in the French clinical setting.

METHODS

A total of 100 patients with ER+, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative EBC, and node-negative (pN0) disease or micrometastases in up to 3 lymph nodes (pN1mi) were enrolled. Treatment recommendations, physicians' confidence before and after knowing the Recurrence Score value, and physicians' perception of the assay were recorded.

RESULTS

Of the 100 patients, 95 were evaluable (83 pN0, 12 pN1mi). Treatment recommendations changed in 37% of patients, predominantly from chemoendocrine to endocrine treatment alone. The proportion of patients recommended chemotherapy decreased from 52% pretest to 25% post-test. Of patients originally recommended chemotherapy, 61% were recommended endocrine treatment alone after receiving the Recurrence Score result. For both pN0 and pN1mi patients, post-test recommendations appeared to follow the Recurrence Score result for low and high values. Physicians' confidence improved significantly.

CONCLUSION

These are the first prospective data on the impact of the Oncotype DX assay on adjuvant treatment decisions in France. Using the assay was associated with a significant change in treatment decisions and an overall reduction in chemotherapy use. These data are consistent with those presented from European and non-European studies.

¹⁸F-FDG-PET/CT in staging, restaging, and treatment response assessment of male breast cancer

PURPOSE

Male breast cancer (BC) is a rare disease, with patterns different from those found in women. Most tumors are detected at more advanced stages than in women. The aim of this study was to analyze the performance of [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ((18)F-FDG-PET/CT) in staging, restaging, and therapy response assessment.

METHODS

We performed a systematic analysis in the database of Saint-Louis Hospital to identify male patients with BC referred for PET/CT. (18)F-FDG-PET/CT findings considered suspicious for malignancy were compared to biopsy results, further work-up and/or patient follow-up of at least 6 months. Performances of (18)F-FDG-PET/CT were compared to that of conventional imaging (CI) using the McNemar test. The impact of PET/CT on management was evaluated.

RESULTS

During 6 consecutive years, among 12,692 (18)F-FDG-PET/CT oncology studies, 30 were performed in 15 men with BC: 7 examinations for initial staging, 11 for restaging, and 12 for response assessment. Tumors profile was ER+ and one had HER2 overexpression. PET/CT sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy to detect distant metastases were 100%, 67%, 86%, 100% and 89%, respectively. PET/CT was more informative than CI in 40% of studies (p=0.03; 95% confidence interval: 3.26 - 40%). Findings from (18)F-FDG-PET/CT led to modification in the planned treatment in 13/30 cases (43%).

CONCLUSION

Although all the tumors were ER+, primary lesions and metastases were diagnosed with high sensitivity. (18)F-FDG-PET/CT seems to be a powerful imaging method to perform staging, restaging and treatment response assessment in male patients with BC.

Prospective study of the impact of using the 21-gene recurrence score assay on clinical decision making in women with estrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative, early-stage breast cancer in France

568^

Background: The 21-gene Oncotype DX Recurrence Score (RS) is a validated assay to help inform the appropriate treatment of estrogen receptor-positive (ER+), early stage breast cancer in the adjuvant setting. Treatment traditions regarding choice of adjuvant treatment vary significantly in different countries. This prospective multicenter study is the first to assess the impact of using the Oncotype DX assay in the French clinical setting. Methods: A total of 100 consecutive patients with ER+, HER2-negative, node negative or pN1 (mi) breast cancer were enrolled. Overall treatment recommendation change, change from chemoendocrine to endocrine alone and change from endocrine alone to chemoendocrine treatment were recorded. Medical oncologists completed questionnaires regarding their confidence in their recommendation before and after knowing the patient’s RS. A preliminary analysis was conducted on the first 92 evaluable patients with data available at the time of abstract submission. Final data will be presented at the meeting. Results: Prior to Oncotype DX 49% of patients were recommended chemoendocrine treatment and 51% endocrine treatment alone. After having the RS, 26% were recommended chemoendocrine treatment and 74% endocrine treatment alone. The overall reduction in chemotherapy recommendation from 49% to 26% was significant (p<0.001). Of patients originally recommended chemoendocrine treatment, 58% were changed to endocrine treatment alone after having the RS. Of patients originally recommended endocrine treatment, 11% were changed to chemoendocrine treatment after receiving the RS. There was a significant improvement in physician confidence in treatment recommendations (p=0.002) when using Oncotype DX. Conclusions: These are the first prospective data regarding the impact of using Oncotype DX in France. Using Oncotype DX was associated with a significant change in treatment decisions and an overall reduction in chemotherapy use. The data are consistent with those presented from Germany, Spain, the UK and the US.

Lenalidomide (REV) in asymptomatic late recurrent ovarian cancer (ROC) patients with increasing CA 125: A GINECO phase II trial

5018

Background: REV is a thalidomide analogue, with both immunomodulatory and anti-angiogenic properties that could confer antitumor effect in ROC. Methods: The aim of this study was to evaluate REV efficacy as single agent in patients (pts) with asymptomatic late ROC (>6mos) with increasing CA 125, in 2nd or 3rd line. Primary endpoint was to estimate the rate of non-progressive disease at 4 mos. Pts were treated with REV 20 mg daily in oral continuous regimen with systematically recommended anti-thrombotic prophylaxis (ATP). Imagery and CA 125 were performed every 8 weeks. Results: From 05/2009 to 09/2010, 45 pts were included with a median age of 63 years. Pt characteristics were: serous (78%), previous lines (one 73%, two 27%), median platinum-free interval (PFI) (11.3 mos), PFI > 12 mos (42%), measurable disease (73%), and ECOG performance status 0 (84%). Efficacy: Rate of non progressive disease at 4 mos was 38% (95%CI, 23-53), 59 % (95%CI, 36-82) and 24 % (95%CI, 7-41) for the global population, pts relapsing over 12 mos and those relapsing between 6-12 mos, respectively. Results were independent of the number of previous lines. Median progression-free survival was 3.8 mos (95%CI, 2.1-5.6) and 6.4 mos in the subset of pts with PFI > 12 mos. Response evaluation according to CA 125 (Rustin criteria) was: complete response (CR) 2.4%, partial response (PR) 17%, stable disease (SD) 71%. When using RECIST criteria alone, response evaluation was: 9.5% PR and 45% SD. Median duration of biological response was 6.6 mos. REV efficacy will be correlated to immunological parameters (lymphocyte phenotypes and cytokines). Safety: Grade 3-4 toxicity in more than 5% of pts was neutropenia (29%) and thrombo-embolic events (TEE) (11%). TEE occurred only in pts without ATP. Reasons for stopping treatment due to toxicity were TEE (3), allergy (2), arrhythmia (1), dyspnea (1) and neutropenia (1). Conclusions: REV demonstrated encouraging activity in ROC with good tolerability and manageable adverse events. A phase I of REV combined with platinum-based chemotherapy is currently being conducted.

Phase I study of BIBF 1120 with docetaxel and prednisone in metastatic chemo-naive hormone-refractory prostate cancer patients

Background:

BIBF 1120 is an oral, potent, tyrosine kinase inhibitor that simultaneously targets vascular endothelial growth factor receptors 1–3, platelet-derived growth factor receptors α and β, and fibroblast growth factor receptors 1–3, as well as FLT3 and Src. Currently, the molecule is in phase III development for second-line non-small cell lung cancer and first-line ovarian cancer patients.

Methods:

This phase I dose-escalation study assessed the safety and maximum tolerated dose of continuous daily treatment with BIBF 1120 plus standard-dose docetaxel (75 mg m⁻², every 3 weeks) and prednisone (5 mg BID) in patients with metastatic, chemo-naive, hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC). Secondary objectives were characterisation of BIBF 1120 and docetaxel pharmacokinetics (PK), and preliminary antitumour activity.

Results:

Patients received BIBF 1120 100 mg BID (n=3), 150 mg BID (n=3), 200 mg BID (n=3), and 250 mg BID (n=12). The most frequent drug-related adverse events were diarrhoea (71.4%), asthenia (61.9%), nausea (28.6%), vomiting (28.6%), and alopecia (23.8%). The maximum tolerated dose was 250 mg BID of BIBF 1120. Overall, reversible grade 3/4 liver enzyme elevations occurred in six of twelve patients at this dose level. Among 19 assessable patients, 13 (68.4%) showed a ⩾50% reduction in prostate serum antigen levels from baseline and among 6 evaluable patients with measurable lesions 1 patient experienced a partial response by Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumours criteria. Pharmacokinetic analysis showed no interactions between BIBF 1120 and docetaxel/prednisone.

Conclusion:

Based on the overall safety profile, 200 mg BID was the recommended dose for the combination of BIBF 1120 with the standard dose of 75 mg m⁻² of docetaxel and prednisone that might be further investigated in HRPC patients. This combination was well tolerated, with preliminary signs of efficacy and no indication of PK interaction between BIBF 1120 and docetaxel.

The yield of 18F-FDG PET/CT in patients with clinical stage IIA, IIB, or IIIA breast cancer: a prospective study

The purpose of this study was to prospectively evaluate the role of (18)F-FDG PET/CT in patients with stage IIA, IIB, or IIIA breast cancer.

METHODS

During 56 mo, 131 consecutive patients with large (>2 cm) breast cancer and clinical stage IIA, IIB, or IIIA (based on clinical examination, mammography, breast MRI, and ultrasonography) underwent (18)F-FDG PET/CT. The nuclear physician was unaware of the results of any other procedure (bone scan, chest radiography, liver ultrasound, or thoracoabdominal CT scan).

RESULTS

Of the 131 examined patients, 36 had clinical stage IIA (34 T2N0 and 2 T1N1), 48 stage IIB (20 T3N0 and 28 T2N1), and 47 stage IIIA (29 T3N1, 9 T2N2, and 9 T3N2). (18)F-FDG PET/CT modified staging for 5.6% of stage IIA patients, for 14.6% of stage IIB patients, and for 27.6% of stage IIIA patients. However, within stage IIIA, the yield was specifically high among the 18 patients with N2 disease (56% stage modification). When considering stage IIB and primary operable IIIA (T3N1) together, the yield of (18)F-FDG PET/CT was 13% (10/77); extraaxillary regional lymph nodes were detected in 5 and distant metastases in 7 patients. In this series, (18)F-FDG PET/CT outperformed bone scanning, with only 1 misclassification versus 8 for bone scanning (P = 0.036).

CONCLUSION

(18)F-FDG PET/CT provided useful information in 13% of patients with clinical T3N0, T2N1, or T3N1 disease. The yield was more modest in patients with stage IIA. The high yield in the case of N2 disease demonstrates that stage IIIA comprises 2 quite distinct groups of patients.

[Evaluating the benefits of mammographic breast cancer screening]

Mammographic breast cancer screening is one of the most popular cancer death preventive programs worldwide, as well as in Hungary. Breast cancer mortality and incidence started to decrease some years after international introduction of the screening program. The role played by mammography in the advantageous turn is not known. Potential points in evaluating the benefits of a screening program are reviewed. We focus on the average lifetime gain, which is 1 to 3 weeks in case of mammography, according to age groups.

Efficacy of trastuzumab in routine clinical practice and after progression for metastatic breast cancer patients: the observational Hermine study

BACKGROUND

The Hermine study observed the use of trastuzumab for metastatic breast cancer (MBC) in routine practice, including patients who received trastuzumab treatment beyond progression (TBP).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The study observed 623 patients for > or = 2 years. Treatment was given according to oncologists' normal clinical practices. Endpoints included duration of treatment, efficacy, and cardiac safety. The TBP subanalysis compared overall survival (OS) in 177 patients who received first-line trastuzumab and either continued trastuzumab for > or = 30 days following progression or stopped at or before progression.

RESULTS

The median treatment duration was 13.3 months. In the first-, second-, and third-line or beyond treatment groups, the median time to progression (TTP) were 10.3 months, 9.0 months, and 6.3 months, and the median OS times were 30.3 months, 27.1 months, and 23.2 months, respectively. Heart failure was observed in 2.6% of patients, although no cardiac-associated deaths occurred. In the TBP subanalysis, the median OS duration from treatment initiation and time of disease progression were longer in patients who continued receiving trastuzumab TBP (>27.8 months and 21.3 months, respectively) than in those who stopped (16.8 months and 4.6 months, respectively). However, the groups were not completely comparable, because patients who continued trastuzumab TBP had better prognoses at treatment initiation. The median TTP was longer in patients who continued trastuzumab TBP (10.2 months) than in those who stopped (7.1 months).

CONCLUSION

The Hermine findings confirm that the pivotal trials of first-line trastuzumab treatment in MBC patients are applicable in clinical practice. The subanalysis suggests that trastuzumab TBP offers a survival benefit to MBC patients treated with first-line trastuzumab.

18F-FDG PET/CT imaging for an early assessment of response to sunitinib in metastatic renal carcinoma: preliminary study

PURPOSE

Sunitinib is a new standard for the treatment of metastatic renal-cell carcinoma (RCC). We evaluated the accuracy of 18-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) in assessing early response to this antiangiogenic drug, which cannot be obtained with conventional CT.

PROCEDURES

Patients had an FDG-PET/CT at baseline and another one for follow-up at the end of the first cycle (at day 42). For each examination, all lesions were registered and the maximum standardized uptake value (SUV(max)) was measured. The metabolic response on PET at day 42 was assessed, using European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer criteria. Morphologic response on CT at day 84 (after two cycles), using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors criteria, was used as the reference standard. The long-term outcome was assessed by the progression-free survival.

RESULTS

Twelve (12) patients who completed at least two cycles of sunitinib were assessed. The SUV(max) for the lesions with the highest uptake ranged between 2.9 and 11.8 for the 12 patients (mean = 6.3). Early PET/CT findings, after one cycle of sunitinib, were consistent with later CT results in 9 patients of 11 assessable patients: 1 patient progressed on PET and CT, 7 patients had stable disease, and 1 had a partial response. The other 2 patients had a metabolic partial response on PET and stable disease on CT. However, 1 patient achieved a partial response later in follow-up, suggesting that metabolic early changes are an indication of sunitinib activity.

CONCLUSION

FDG-PET/CT seems to be an interesting tool for the early evaluation of response to sunitinib in metastatic RCC. Larger studies are needed to confirm these preliminary results and establish a prognostic value for PET/CT.

2007 Standards, Options, and Recommendations: use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESA: epoetin alfa, epoetin beta, and darbepoetin) for the management of anemia in children with cancer

The Standards, Options, and Recommendations (SOR) project undertaken by the French National Federation of Cancer Centers (FNCLCC) to develop and disseminate clinical practice guidelines in oncology has now been taken over by the French National Cancer Institute. In 2007, the SOR updated the information related to the use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESA) in anemic children with cancer. Updates were based on a review of the most reliable scientific data available, followed by critical appraisal by a multidisciplinary group of experts and validation by independent experts. The literature review identified four randomized trials likely to provide reliable new information on the use of ESA in children. This review confirmed four points: treatment increases hemoglobin levels and decreases the need for blood transfusions; no quality-of-life and no survival benefit has been demonstrated; treatment does not seem associated with significantly more side effects; impact on thromboembolic events and patient quality of life remains unclear. The main result of the study was the elaboration of a new standard of care unavailable at the time of the 2003 version. Systematic administration of ESA is not recommended for the prevention or treatment of anemia in pediatric cancer patients. However, treatment decision must be made on a case-by-case basis and, when treatment is considered, the intravenous route must be preferred. The full French document is available at www.sor-cancer.fr.

[Decision making process in oncology: rationale and delineation of a composite index of relative antitumoral efficacy (In-RATE)]

Over the last decade, the development of new therapeutic options has made more patients benefit from antitumoral strategies including several lines of chemotherapy, the aim of which is a long-term control of the disease progression. In such a context of "chronic" management, the choice of tumor response as a single parameter appears restrictive to assess those new therapeutic options. For that reason, we have recently proposed a composite index of relative efficacy including response rate as well as parameters related to tumour stabilization and duration of the response. The objective of this index, published as the In-RATE is to allow the comparison of two treatments a and b as follows: In-RATE a/b = (response rate a/response rate b) x (time to progression a/time to progression b) x (progression rate b/progression rate a). Values significantly higher or less than 1 suggest the superiority, in terms of efficacy, of treatments a or b, respectively. When retrospectively applied to randomised studies, the In-RATE showed that some results and conclusions based on the response rate as a unique endpoint might be reconsidered, and that a significant difference between protocols could be detected in published reports having concluded to statistical equivalence. This paper reviews the rationale and principle of this work, and discusses the potential clinical applications of the In-RATE.

[Standards & options: recommendations for the use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESA) in anaemic cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy (2007 update)]

INTRODUCTION

Beginning 1998, a working group of specialists convened by the guidelines department (Standards, Option and Recommendations: SOR) of the National French Federation of Comprehensive Cancer Centres (FNCLCC) published then regularly updated Recommendations relative to the use of ESA(epoetin alfa, epoetin bêta, darbepoetin) in anaemic patients with cancer. This article presents the updated Recommendations set up in 2007.

METHODS

This updating process is based on the methodology developed and used in the "Standards, Options: Recommendations" programme. The methodological approach combines systematic review with the judgement of a multidisciplinary group of experts. On the basis of analysis of literature, the conclusions and their level of evidence are established. Then, the conclusions accompanied by experts' judgement lead to the Recommendations. A Recommendation is a proposal of one or several clinical attitudes intended to improve cancer patient care. Before publication, the RPC-SOR are re-examined by independent reviewers selected according to the same principles as the group of expert writers.

RESULTS

New data, relative to the "use of ESA in anaemic cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy", didn't lead to update the latest Recommendations validated in 2003. However, new data relative to the "use of ESA in anaemic prophylaxis among adult patients with cancer" and to the "use of iron with ESA in cancer patients" were sufficient to generate either major or minor modifications to the initial Recommendations.

CONCLUSIONS

Thus, it appears relevant to re-examine these Recommendations according to a systematic monitoring process which should be renewed in two years.

Rationale and delineation of a composite index of relative antitumoural efficacy (In-RATE)

Over the last decades, the development of new drugs has allowed cancer patients to experience several lines of chemotherapy, the objective of which is a long term stabilization of the tumour. The objectives of this work was to delineate a composite index of relative antitumoural efficacy (In-RATE) of a regimen over another, including response rate (RR), median time to progression (TTP) and progression rate (PR). When considering two treatments a and b, the In-RATE was defined as RRa/RRb x TTPa/TTPb x PRb/PRa. Values significantly superior or inferior to 1 reveal an advantage for treatment a or b, respectively. The applicability of the In-RATE to published randomized trials in four frequent tumour types (colorectal, non-small cell lung, advanced ovarian and metastatic breast cancers) was suggested to more precisely distinguish the effects of different drugs, and sometimes to detect a significant difference when the published data did not conclude to statistical difference.

[Cost/effectiveness analysis of adjuvant therapy with trastuzumab in patients with HER2 positive early breast cancer]

Trastuzumab (Herceptin), a recombinant, humanised, monoclonal-antibody that targets human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), has been approved as an adjuvant therapy for HER2-positive early breast cancer. The aim of this study was to assess the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of this treatment compared with adjuvant therapy alone in the French setting. A cost-effectiveness analysis was performed using a Markov state transition model. The transition probabilities were estimated from the interim results of the Hera trial. Unit costs data were mainly estimated in a French Oncology Center (Georges-François Leclerc, Dijon). The model estimated that overall mean survival of patients treated with trastuzumab was 20.08 years versus 16.23 in the observation group (3.85 life-years gained). For 1 000 patients with a 10-year follow-up, an adjuvant therapy with trastuzumab would avoid 49.7 loco-regional recurrences, 179.5 distant recurrences and 133.4 deaths. The incremental discounted cost of trastuzumab therapy over a lifetime horizon was estimated at 27594 euro per patient in association with a discounted gain of 2.27 life-years. In accordance with the techniques of economical evaluation, the utilization of trastuzumab as an adjuvant therapy in patients with early HER2 positive breast cancer improves patient survival with an acceptable cost-effectiveness ratio in the French setting (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of 12,148 euros /LYG).

[Interests and perspectives of PET-CT for breast cancer: review of the literature]

18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) is a technique of functional imaging whose interest in oncology does not cease growing. This article summarizes the results of the technique in senology. For the initial evaluation of locally advanced breast cancer (extended primitive lesion, axillary lymph nodes...), the FDG-PET makes it possible to evaluate lymph nodes (in particular internal mammary nodes) and to seek remote metastases. The sensitivity of the examination appears nevertheless low for the secondary lesions of small size and for bone metastases of osteoblastic form, for which the performances of the bisphosphonates scintigraphy are higher. For the search of a loco-regional or remote recurrence, the performances of FDG-PET are very interesting, including in the event of normality of the biological assessment. The impact of FDG-PET on the therapeutic strategy is undeniable and seems estimated at least 20%. FDG-PET is not recommended for the characterization of a breast lesion. In addition to the small tumoral size, the causes of false negative are mostly represented by the lobular histological form, by the tumours with low proliferation, the tumours of low grade and the well differentiated lesions. The causes of false positive are mainly in relation with inflammatory and/or infectious phenomena. For similar reasons, FDG-PET cannot replace the anatomy-pathological analysis of the axillary nodes. To evaluate the effectiveness of a neo-adjuvant chemotherapy, FDG-PET seems to be a powerful examination. Nevertheless, the data of the literature appear insufficient to recommend it in current practice. It is the same way for the prognostic interest.

Gemcitabine-oxaliplatin combination in heavily pretreated metastatic breast cancer: a pilot study on 43 patients

To investigate the efficacy and the safety of gemcitabine and oxaliplatin combination in metastatic breast cancer (MBC), in patients heavily treated with anthracycline and taxane. A retrospective study including all MBC patients, treated by two different schedules of GemOx between February 2001 and December 2003 in the medical oncology department of Saint-Louis hospital. Forty-three consecutive patients were included. Median involved organs was 2. The median number of regimen of previous metastatic chemotherapy administered was 3. The median number of cycle administered was 5, with a median dose by cycle of 1,000 or 2,000 mg/m(2) of gemcitabine (D1D2 or D1D8 schedule, respectively) and 100 mg/m(2) of oxaliplatin. Of the 40 evaluable patients, three achieved a partial response giving an overall response rate of 7.5% and 11 demonstrated stable disease, giving a stabilization rate of 27.5%. Median overall survival in all treated patients was 10.6 months and median progression-free survival in all evaluated patients was 3.0 and 10.5 months for the partial responders. Hematotoxicity was prevalent, sometimes severe, with grades 3 and 4 neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and anemia in 42%, 19%, and 14% of the patients. Grades 3 and 4 peripheral neuropathy were developed by 9% of the patients, but was not limiting. The present study reports the results of two exploratory schedules of the GemOx combination in advanced breast cancer patients. The D1D8 schedule was the most promising and deserves further clinical studies.

Exquisite sensitivity of TP53 mutant and basal breast cancers to a dose-dense epirubicin-cyclophosphamide regimen

BACKGROUND

In breast cancers, only a minority of patients fully benefit from the different chemotherapy regimens currently in use. Identification of markers that could predict the response to a particular regimen would thus be critically important for patient care. In cell lines or animal models, tumor protein p53 (TP53) plays a critical role in modulating the response to genotoxic drugs. TP53 is activated in response to DNA damage and triggers either apoptosis or cell-cycle arrest, which have opposite effects on cell fate. Yet, studies linking TP53 status and chemotherapy response have so far failed to unambiguously establish this paradigm in patients. Breast cancers with a TP53 mutation were repeatedly shown to have a poor outcome, but whether this reflects poor response to treatment or greater intrinsic aggressiveness of the tumor is unknown.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

In this study we analyzed 80 noninflammatory breast cancers treated by frontline (neoadjuvant) chemotherapy. Tumor diagnoses were performed on pretreatment biopsies, and the patients then received six cycles of a dose-dense regimen of 75 mg/m(2) epirubicin and 1,200 mg/m(2) cyclophosphamide, given every 14 days. After completion of chemotherapy, all patients underwent mastectomies, thus allowing for a reliable assessment of chemotherapy response. The pretreatment biopsy samples were used to determine the TP53 status through a highly efficient yeast functional assay and to perform RNA profiling. All 15 complete responses occurred among the 28 TP53-mutant tumors. Furthermore, among the TP53-mutant tumors, nine out of ten of the highly aggressive basal subtypes (defined by basal cytokeratin [KRT] immunohistochemical staining) experienced complete pathological responses, and only TP53 status and basal subtype were independent predictors of a complete response. Expression analysis identified many mutant TP53-associated genes, including CDC20, TTK, CDKN2A, and the stem cell gene PROM1, but failed to identify a transcriptional profile associated with complete responses among TP53 mutant tumors. In patients with unresponsive tumors, mutant TP53 status predicted significantly shorter overall survival. The 15 patients with responsive TP53-mutant tumors, however, had a favorable outcome, suggesting that this chemotherapy regimen can overcome the poor prognosis generally associated with mutant TP53 status.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates that, in noninflammatory breast cancers, TP53 status is a key predictive factor for response to this dose-dense epirubicin-cyclophosphamide regimen and further suggests that the basal subtype is exquisitely sensitive to this association. Given the well-established predictive value of complete responses for long-term survival and the poor prognosis of basal and TP53-mutant tumors treated with other regimens, this chemotherapy could be particularly suited for breast cancer patients with a mutant TP53, particularly those with basal features.

A phase II study of Yondelis (trabectedin, ET-743) as a 24-h continuous intravenous infusion in pretreated advanced breast cancer

Yondelis® (trabectedin, ET-743) is a novel marine-derived anticancer compound found in the ascidian Ecteinascidia turbinata. It is currently under phase II/III development in breast cancer, hormone refractory prostate cancer, sarcomas and ovarian cancer. Activity in breast cancer experimental models has been reported, and preliminary evidence of activity in this setting during the phase I programme has also been observed. The present study assessed the activity and feasibility of trabectedin in women with advanced breast cancer previously treated with conventional therapies. Patients with advanced disease previously treated with at least one but not more than two regimens that included taxanes or anthracyclines as palliative therapy were eligible. Trabectedin 1.5 mg m⁻² was administered as a 24-h continuous infusion every 3 weeks. Patients were kept on therapy until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity or patient refusal. Twenty-seven patients were included between April 1999 and September 2000. Their median age was 54 years (range: 36–67) and 63% of them had two metastatic sites. Twenty-two patients were performance status 1. All patients had previously received anthracyclines, and 23 out of 27 patients had received taxanes. Of 21 patients with measurable disease, three confirmed partial responses, one unconfirmed partial response and two minor responses (49 and 32% tumour shrinkage) were observed; six patients had stable disease. Median survival was 10 months (95% confidence interval: 4.88–15.18). Transient and noncumulative transaminitis was observed in most of the patients. The pharmacokinetic profile of trabectedin in this patient's population is in line with the overall data available with this schedule. The policy of dose adjustments based on the intercycle peaks of bilirubin and alkaline phosphatase appears to have a positive impact in the therapeutic index of trabectedin. Trabectedin can induce response and tumour control in previously treated advanced breast cancer, with manageable toxicity, thus warranting further development as a single agent or in combination regimens.