A Tyrosine Kinase Expression Signature Predicts the Post-Operative Clinical Outcome in Triple Negative Breast Cancers

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) represent 15% of breast cancers. Histoclinical features and marketed prognostic gene expression signatures (GES) failed to identify good- and poor-prognosis patients. Tyrosine kinases (TK) represent potential prognostic and/or therapeutic targets for TNBC. We sought to define a prognostic TK GES in a large series of TNBC. mRNA expression and histoclinical data of 6379 early BCs were collected from 16 datasets. We searched for a TK-based GES associated with disease-free survival (DFS) and tested its robustness in an independent validation set. A total of 1226 samples were TNBC. In the learning set of samples (N = 825), we identified a 13-TK GES associated with DFS. This GES was associated with cell proliferation and immune response. In multivariate analysis, it outperformed the previously published GESs and classical prognostic factors in the validation set (N = 401), in which the patients classified as "low-risk" had a 73% 5-year DFS versus 53% for "high-risk" patients (p = 1.85 × 10-3). The generation of 100,000 random 13-gene signatures by a resampling scheme showed the non-random nature of our classifier, which was also prognostic for overall survival in multivariate analysis. We identified a robust and non-random 13-TK GES that separated TNBC into subgroups of different prognosis. Clinical and functional validations are warranted.

PD-1/PD-L1 Targeting in Breast Cancer: The First Clinical Evidences Are Emerging. A Literature Review

Recently, the development of immunotherapy through the immune checkpoint blockade led to long-lasting responses in several types of cancers that are refractory to conventional treatments, such as melanoma or non-small cell lung cancer. Immunotherapy has also demonstrated significant improvements in various other types of cancers. However, breast cancer remains one of the tumors that have not experienced the explosion of immunotherapy yet. Indeed, breast cancer was traditionally considered as being weakly immunogenic with a lower mutational load compared to other tumor types. In the last few years, anti-PD1/PD-L1 (Programmed death-ligand 1) agents have been evaluated in breast cancer, particularly in the triple negative subtype, with promising results observed when delivered as monotherapy or in combination with conventional treatments. In this review, we will report the results of the most recent studies evaluating immune checkpoint inhibitors in breast cancer. In addition, we will discuss the concomitant development of possible biomarkers, which is required for improving the selection of patients with the highest probability of benefiting from these agents.

Sleep disturbances in Parkinson's disease are associated with central parkinsonian pain

Introduction

Sleep disturbances and pain are common non-motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease (PD). This study aimed to explore the association between these two symptoms in a cohort of patients with PD.

Materials and methods

The Parkinson’s Disease Sleep Scale (PDSS-2) was used to identify sleep disturbances in a series of 229 PD patients. The identification and characterization of pain was performed by a semi-structured interview and by the application of the Ford classification and the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI). The Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale-III, Hoehn & Yahr (H&Y), and Schwab and England Independence Scale were used to assess motor symptoms and functional independence in off and on conditions. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and SF-36 were applied to screen for anxiety and depression and to evaluate the quality of life. Non-parametric tests were used for group comparisons and logistic regressions were applied to explore predictors of sleep disturbances.

Results

Seventy-five (33%) patients had clinically relevant sleep disturbances (PDSS-2≥18) and 162 patients (71%) reported pain. Of those with pain, 38 (24%) had central parkinsonian pain. PD patients with sleep disturbances experienced more pain and had more severe motor symptoms, lower functional independence, more anxiety and depression symptoms, and worst quality of life. Among patients with pain, central parkinsonian pain was the subtype of pain with the highest odds of sleep disturbances, even when taking into account motor symptoms (H&Y off), motor fluctuations, intensity of pain (BPI), and symptoms of anxiety and depression (HADS).

Conclusions

The association between pain and sleep disturbances in PD appears to be dependent on subtype of pain. The close relationship between central parkinsonian pain and sleep disturbances in PD raises the possibility of common pathophysiological mechanisms. A better understanding of the relationship between sleep disturbances and central parkinsonian pain may contribute to the development of new care strategies in PD patients.

Efficacy of Vemurafenib in Patients With Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer With BRAF V600 Mutation: An Open-Label, Single-Arm Cohort of the Histology-Independent VE-BASKET Study

PURPOSE

To study whether BRAF V600 mutations in non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) may indicate sensitivity to the BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib, we included a cohort of patients with NSCLC in the vemurafenib basket (VE-BASKET) study. On the basis of observed early clinical activity, we expanded the cohort of patients with NSCLC. We present results from this cohort.

METHODS

This open-label, histology-independent, phase II study included six prespecified cohorts, including patients with NSCLC, and a seventh all-comers cohort. Patients received vemurafenib (960 mg two times per day) until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary end point of the final analysis was objective response rate (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, version 1.1). Secondary end points included progression-free survival, overall survival, and safety. Because the prespecified clinical benefit endpoint was met in the initial NSCLC cohort, the cohort was expanded.

RESULTS

Sixty-two patients with BRAF V600–mutant NSCLC were enrolled and treated: 13% (n = 8) had received no prior systemic therapy, and 87% (n = 54) had received prior therapies. The objective response rate was 37.1% (95% CI, 25.2% to 50.3%) overall, 37.5% (95% CI, 8.5% to 75.5%) in previously untreated patients, and 37.0% (24.3% to 51.3%) in previously treated patients. Median progression-free survival was 6.5 months (95% CI, 5.2 to 9.0 months), and median overall survival was 15.4 months (95% CI, 9.6 to 22.8 months). The most common all-grade adverse event was nausea (40%). The safety profile of vemurafenib was similar to that observed in melanoma studies.

CONCLUSION

Vemurafenib showed promising activity in patients with NSCLC harboring BRAF V600 mutations. The safety profile of vemurafenib was similar to previous observations in patients with melanoma. Our results suggest a role for single-agent BRAF inhibition in patients with NSCLC and BRAF V600 mutations.

IMpassion132 Phase III trial: atezolizumab and chemotherapy in early relapsing metastatic triple-negative breast cancer

The PD-L1 inhibitor atezolizumab received US FDA accelerated approval as treatment for PD-L1-positive metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). In IMpassion130, combining atezolizumab with first-line nab-paclitaxel for metastatic TNBC significantly improved progression-free survival and showed a clinically meaningful effect on overall survival in patients with PD-L1-positive tumors. The placebo-controlled randomized Phase III IMpassion132 (NCT03371017) trial is evaluating atezolizumab with first-line chemotherapy (capecitabine [mandatory in platinum-pretreated patients] or gemcitabine/carboplatin) for inoperable locally advanced/metastatic TNBC recurring ≤12 months after completing standard (neo)adjuvant anthracycline and taxane chemotherapy. Stratification factors are: visceral metastases, tumor immune cell PD-L1 status and selected chemotherapy. Patients are randomized to atezolizumab 1200 mg or placebo every 3 weeks with the chosen chemotherapy, continued until progression, unacceptable toxicity or withdrawal. The primary end point is overall survival.

Abstract P2-08-08: Isolated ipsilateral local recurrence of breast cancer: Predictive factors and prognostic impact

Background

Tumour features associated with isolated invasive breast cancer ipsilateral local recurrence (ILR) after breast conservative treatment (BCT) and consequences on overall survival (OS) are still debated. The aim of our study was to examine predictive factors of isolated ILR after BCT with in sano resection and whole breast irradiation as well as the impact of such an ILR on overall survival in a large multi-institutional cohort.

Methods

Patients were retrospectively identified from a large cohort of 23,375 consecutive patients who underwent BCT for invasive breast cancer in 16 cancer centres. End-points were ILR rate and OS. The impact of ILR on OS was assessed through multivariate analysis by logistic regression and Cox model, adjusted on ERs/Grade status (ERs+/Grade 1, ERs+/Grade 2, ERs+/Grade 3 and ERs-) and then on tumour subtypes.

Results

Of 15,570 patients, ILR rate was 3.1%. Cumulative ILR rates differed according to ERs/grade (ERs+/Grade2: HR=1.42, p=0.010; ERs+/Grade3: HR=1.41, p=0.067; ERs-: HR=2.14, p<0.0001), endocrine therapy (HR=2.05, p<0.0001) and age<40-years old (HR=2.28, p=0.005) in multivariate analysis. When multivariate analysis was adjusted on tumour subtype, the latter was the only independent factor. OS-after-ILR was significantly different according to ILR-free intervals (HR=4.96 for ILR-free interval between 2-5-years and HR=9.00 when <2-years, in comparison with ≥5-years).

Impact of free interval time on OS among patients with ILR and among all patients  p-valueHRInfSupILRno ILR 1   <2 years0.0172.2551.1594.388 2-5 years0.0012.451.423.89 ≥5 years0.1030.5550.2741.126Tumor subtypesLuminal A G1 1   Luminal A G20.0031.4311.1321.810 Triple negative<0.00012.6992.0553.544 Luminal B ER-<0.00013.1952.4144.229 Luminal B ER+0.021.6081.0762.401 HER2+<0.00012.2791.4523.579

Conclusion

ERs/Grade status, lack of endocrine therapy and tumour subtypes predict isolated ILR risk in patients treated with BCT. Short ILR-free-intervals represent a strong pejorative factor for OS. These results may help selecting initial treatment as well as tailoring ILR systemic chemotherapy.

Citation Format: Houvenaeghel G, de Nonneville A, Cohen M, Classe J-M, Reyal F, Mazouni C, Chopin N, Martinez A, Daraï E, Coutant C, Colombo P-E, Gimbergues P, Chauvet M-P, Azuar A-S, Rouzier R, Tunon de Lara C, Murraciole X, Agostini A, Gonçalves A, Lambaudie E. Isolated ipsilateral local recurrence of breast cancer: Predictive factors and prognostic impact [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-08-08.

Abstract P5-17-04: Metastatic inflammatory breast cancer: Clinical features and outcomes in the national, multicentric, real-life ESME cohort

Background:Primary inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer. Survival of IBC patients has been improved by multimodal therapy. However 5-year overall survival (OS) still remains close to 50-60%, due to high risk of disseminated disease. Given the low incidence, prognosis of metastatic cases stages is poorly described.

Methods:This study aimed to describe OS of IBC (T4d AJCC TNM classification) with upfront or recurrent metastatic disease compared with non-IBC patients in the ESME database (N=16,702 patients). OS was calculated from the diagnosis of metastasis to the date of death (from any cause), or censored to date of latest news. Secondary objectives included progression-free survival (PFS).

Results:From 2008 to 2014, 7,465 patients with diagnosis of MBC and known clinical status of their primary tumor (T) were identified, including 582 IBC (T4d) and 6,883 non-IBC. As expected, metastatic IBC was associated with pejorative features compared to non-IBC, with less hormonal receptors-positive tumors (44% vs 65.6%), more HER2-positive (30% vs 18.6%) or triple-negative (25.9% vs 15.8%) cases (p<0.001), more frequent upfront M1 stage (53.3% vs 27.7%; p<0.001), and shorter median disease-free interval (2.02 years vs. 4.9 years; p<0.001). With a median follow-up of 50.2 months (0-104), median OS was 28.4 [95%CI 24-33.8] versus 37.2 months [95%CI 36.1-38.5] in metastatic IBC and non-IBC cases respectively (p<0.0001, log-rank test). By multivariate Cox model with adjustment for major prognostic factors [including age, disease-free interval, type of relapse, visceral metastases, molecular subtype, grade], OS was significantly shorter in the metastatic IBC group compared with non-IBC group (HR 1.25 [95%CI 1.1-1.4], p=0.0002). Of note, survival of metastatic IBC patients improved over the last years: median OS 24 months [95%CI 20-31.9], 29 months [95%CI 21.7-39.9] and 36 months [95%CI 27.9-NE] if diagnosed before 2011, between 2011 and 2012, or after 2012 respectively (p=0.003). Such improvement was not observed in non-IBC patients. IBC was associated with shorter median PFS under first line systemic treatment compared with non-IBC (7.2 months [95%CI 6.6-8.3] vs 9.5 months [95%CI 9.1-9.8] respectively, p=0.0136). This was maintained in a multivariate Cox model adjusting for same factors as for OS (HR 1.15 [95%CI 1-1.3], p=0.0050).

Compared with non-IBC, synchronous metastatic IBC showed worse median OS and PFS (39.9 months [95%CI 34.2-45.3] vs 48.4 months [95%CI 46.3-50.8], p=0.0035; 10 months [95%CI 8.8-12.7] vs 14.5 months [95%CI 13.6-15.7], p=0.0027, respectively. Similar results were obtained in metachronous metastatic cases (20.01 months [95%CI 17.1-21.2] vs 32.8 months [95%CI 31.5-34.3], p<0.0001; 5.1 months [95%CI 4.1-6] vs 7.9 months [95%CI 7.6-8.3], p<0.0001, respectively).

Conclusion:In this large national and multicentric study, IBC is a major and independent factor associated with adverse outcome in metastatic setting. Of note, the independent adverse impact on PFS identified in this study may suggest a lower sensitivity of metastatic IBC to available therapeutics. However, results seem to improve in the last years. Detailed analysis according to phenotype will be available.

Citation Format: Monneur A, Bertucci F, Lardy-Cleaud A, Augereau P, Debled M, Levy C, Mouret-Reynier MA, Coudert B, Mailliez A, Bachelot T, Ferrero J-M, Guiu S, Uwer L, Campone M, Cottu P, Jouannaud C, De la Motte Rouge T, Leheurteur M, Petit T, Pistilli B, Dalenc F, Simon G, Robain M, Viens P, Lerebours F, Gonçalves A. Metastatic inflammatory breast cancer: Clinical features and outcomes in the national, multicentric, real-life ESME cohort [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-17-04.

Abstract P6-18-12: EMBRACA: Efficacy and safety of talazoparib or physician's choice of therapy in patients with advanced breast cancer and a germline BRCA1/2 mutation: A regional analysis

Background: Talazoparib (TAL) prevents DNA damage repair by inhibiting poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) enzymes and trapping PARP on DNA, resulting in cell death in BRCA1/2-mutated cells.

Methods: EMBRACA is an open-label, randomized, 2-arm phase 3 trial in which efficacy and safety of TAL (1 mg/d) were compared with physician's choice of therapy (PCT; capecitabine, eribulin, gemcitabine, vinorelbine) in patients (pts) with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer (ABC) and a germline BRCA mutation (gBRCAm). Outcomes were assessed by region of the world (North America [NA]; Europe [EU]; rest of world [ROW]). Progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), and clinical benefit rate (CBR) at 24 wks were assessed; safety was also assessed.

Results: 431 pts were randomized 2:1. Pt characteristics were well balanced, although a higher percentage of pts in ROW had more severe disease (eg, triple-negative breast cancer [TNBC], Disease-free interval [DFI]<12 mo, more distant metastases, more disease sites) and were on average younger than pts in NA/EU. TAL provided improvement in PFS, ORR, and CBR in all regions vs PCT. The most common toxicities with TAL included anemia, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, fatigue, and nausea for all regions. Alopecia was less frequent with TAL in EU/ROW. Serious adverse events for pts receiving TAL were more frequent in EU than NA/ROW. Incidences of adverse events associated with permanent treatment discontinuation in pts receiving TAL were low in all regions and generally lower than for PCT.

Table 1CategoryNA* (N=156)EU* (N=190)ROW* (N=85)Mean age, years49.049.244.2Race, %   White76.971.152.9Black5.8-3.5Asian5.8-42.4Not reported-27.4-TNBC, %424447BRCA1**, %414748BRCA2**, %595352DFI<12 mo, %313444Distant metastases, %949397≥3 disease sites, %474049PFS, (hazard ratio [HR]; [95% CI]); P value0.46 [0.29-0.74] P=.00090.52 [0.33-0.80]; P<.0030.57 [0.31-1.07] ;P=.08ORR (odds ratio [OR] [95% CI]); P value5.54 [2.4-16.1];P<.00013.75 [1.57-9.87]; P=.0016.7 [1.61-28.39]; P=.001CBR (OR [95% CI]); P value4.71 [2.20-10.57]; P<.00013.39 [1.56-7.36]; P=.00075.70 [1.70-17.13]; P=.002Hematologic AEs, %   Anemia50.558.642.6Neutropenia31.332.346.3Thrombocytopenia28.322.635.2Nonhematologic AEs, %   Fatigue59.643.650.0Nausea47.545.957.4Headache32.330.837.0Alopecia34.320.320.4Serious adverse events, %25.340.622.2Treatment discontinuation, n/N, (%)   TAL7/99 (7.1)12/133 (9.0)3/54 (5.6)PCT7/43 (16.3)3/54 (5.6)2/29 (6.9)AE, adverse event; CI, confidence interval; *NA (United States); EU (Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Spain, United Kingdom, Russia, Ukraine, Israel); ROW (Brazil, Korea, Australia, Taiwan).**Central laboratory.

Conclusions: In pts with gBRCAm ABC, TAL demonstrated significant improvements in clinical outcomes compared with PCT regardless of the region of the world in which they lived. However, slight differences among the regions in baseline characteristics were noted, possibly due to regional variation in diagnosis and detection of gBRCAm ABC as well as different treatment paradigms for metastatic breast cancer.

Funding: Medivation LLC, acquired by Pfizer.

Citation Format: Mina L, Lee K-H, Gonçalves A, Woodward N, Hurvitz SA, Diab S, Yerushalmi R, Goodwin A, Moreira Costa Zorzetto M, Kim S-B, Czibere A, Tudor IC, Gauthier E, Litton JK, Ettl J. EMBRACA: Efficacy and safety of talazoparib or physician's choice of therapy in patients with advanced breast cancer and a germline BRCA1/2 mutation: A regional analysis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-18-12.

Abstract P2-10-02: AVASTEM – Stem cells inhibition by bevacizumab in combination with neoadjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced breast cancers: A prospective proof of concept randomized phase II trial

Background. Preclinical works have suggested that conventional cytotoxic chemotherapies may increase the number of cancer stem cells. Angiogenesis inhibition has been described in vitro to have an impact on stem cells proliferation. We developed a proof of concept clinical trial to explore Bevacizumab-chemotherapy activity on breast cancer stem cells for patients treated in the neoadjuvant setting.

Patients and Methods. Breast cancer patients requiring preoperative chemotherapy were included in this open-label, randomized, prospective, multicentre phase II trial. All received FEC-docetaxel combination for a maximum of 8 cycles, and patients randomized in the experimental arm received concomitant Bevacizumab (15 mg/kg Q3W). The primary endpoint was to describe aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH1, identified by immunohistochemistry) positive tumour cells rate before treatment and after the 4th cycle. Secondary objectives included safety, pathological complete response (pCR) rate, disease-free survival (DFS), relapse-free survival (RFS), and overall survival (OS).

Results. Seventy-five patients were included from March 2010 to July 2012, including 50 in the experimental arm. More than 80% of patients received all planned chemotherapy cycles. ALDH1 expression could be assessed both before treatment and after the fourth cycle of chemotherapy for 32 patients. The absence of a significant increase (> 5%) in ALDH1+ cells rate after chemotherapy was demonstrated in the Bevacizumab arm (n=19, Median=-0.125, one-sided 95%CI=[-∞-0], p=0.001).Yet, the same was observed in the control arm (n=13, Median=-0.25, one-sided 95%CI=[-∞-0],, p=0.006). Grade 3 or 4 adverse events, including haematological, digestive, and cutaneous disorders, were observed for 94% of the patients in the experimental arm and 88% in the control arm. A non-significant increase in pCR was observed in the Bevacizumab arm (OR=2.24, 95CI [0.77-6.54], p=0.14), but survival was not improved (OS: p=0.89 for the whole cohort; DFS: p=0.45; and RFS: p=0.68 for non-metastatic cases) . ALDH1 status at inclusion was not correlated to efficacy.

Conclusions. We observed that the rate of ALDH1+ tumour cells did not increase after Bevacizumab-based chemotherapy. However, as similar results were observed with chemotherapy only, Bevacizumab impact on breast cancer stem cells cannot be confirmed.

Citation Format: Sabatier R, Charafe-Jauffret E, Pierga J-Y, Curé H, Lambaudie E, Houvenaeghel G, Ginestier C, Sfumato P, Extra J-M, Gonçalves A. AVASTEM – Stem cells inhibition by bevacizumab in combination with neoadjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced breast cancers: A prospective proof of concept randomized phase II trial [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-10-02.

Pre- and Postharvest Strategies to Minimize Mycotoxin Contamination in the Rice Food Chain

Rice is part of many people's diet around the world, being the main energy source in some regions. Although fewer reports exist on the occurrence of mycotoxins in rice compared to other cereals, fungal contamination and the associated production of toxic metabolites, even at lower occurrence levels compared to other crops, are of concern because of the high consumption of rice in many countries. Due to the diversity of fungi that may contaminate the rice food chain, the co-occurrence of mycotoxins is frequent. Specific strategies to overcome these problems may be applied at the preharvest part of the crop chain, while assuring good practices at harvest and postharvest stages, since different fungi may find suitable conditions to grow at the various stages of the production chain. Therefore, the aim of this review is to present the state-of-the-art knowledge on such strategies in an integrated way, from the field to the final products, to reduce mycotoxin contamination in rice.

Cancers du sein triple-négatifs : données actuelles et perspectives d’avenir

Le cancer du sein triple-négatif (CSTN), défini par l’absence d’expression des récepteurs hormonaux et d’HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor-2), représente 15 à 20 % des cancers du sein. Cependant, cette définition, essentiellement négative, masque la très grande hétérogénéité des entités biologiques qui constituent ce soustype. Si la chimiothérapie est le principal traitement systémique établi de la maladie à la fois dans la prise en charge des stades précoces et avancés, la compréhension progressive des composantes moléculaires impliquées dans la pathogenèse des CSTN permet des perspectives thérapeutiques novatrices. L’objectif de cette synthèse est de décrire ces cibles potentielles et d’explorer les traitements d’aujourd’hui et de demain qui permettront de lutter contre ce cancer au comportement particulièrement agressif.

Targeting BRCA Deficiency in Breast Cancer: What are the Clinical Evidences and the Next Perspectives?

Breast cancers (BC) associated with germline mutations of BRCA1/2 represent 3–5% of cases. BRCA1/2-associated BC have biological features leading to genomic instability and potential sensitivity to DNA damaging agents, including poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and platinum agents. In this review, we will summarize clinical trials of chemotherapy and PARP inhibitors (PARPi), alone or in combination, at the early or late stage of BRCA1/2-associated BC. We will also present the mechanisms of resistance to PARPi as well as the new therapeutic strategies of association with PARPi. Finally, we will discuss under which conditions the use of DNA damaging agents can be extended to the BRCA1/2-wild type population, the BRCAness concept.

Oral etoposide in heavily pre-treated metastatic breast cancer: results from the ESME cohort and comparison with other chemotherapy regimens

INTRODUCTION

HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is a common setting in which chemotherapy could be effective even in later lines of treatment. Oral etoposide has demonstrated clinical activity in this setting in small-scale studies, but its efficacy has not been compared to that of other chemotherapy regimens.

METHODS

We used the ESME database (Epidemiological Strategy and Medical Economics), a real-life national French multicentre cohort of MBC patients initiating therapy between 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2014. HER2-negative MBC patients who received oral etoposide as > 3rd chemotherapy line and for more than 14 days were included. Primary objective was progression-free survival (PFS); secondary objectives were overall survival (OS), and propensity-score matched Cox models including comparison with other therapies in the same setting.

RESULTS

Three hundred forty-five out of 16,702 patients received oral etoposide and 222 were eligible. Median PFS was 3.2 months [95% CI 2.8-4] and median OS 7.3 months [95% CI 5.7-10.3]. Median PFS did not significantly differ according to the therapeutic line. The only prognostic factor for both PFS and OS was the MBC phenotype (hormone receptor-positive versus triple-negative, HR = 0.71 [95% CI 0.52-0.97], p = 0.028 for PFS and HR = 0.65 [0.46-0.92], p = 0.014 for OS). After matching for the propensity score, no differential effect on PFS or OS was observed between oral etoposide and other chemotherapy regimens administered in the same setting (HR = 0.94 [95% CI 0.77-1.15], p = 0.55 for PFS and HR = 1.10 [95% CI 0.88-1.37], p = 0.40 for OS).

CONCLUSION

Oral etoposide retains some efficacy in selected heavily pre-treated patients with HER2-negative MBC, with the advantages of oral administration.

Enhancing Abiraterone Acetate Efficacy in Androgen Receptor-positive Triple-negative Breast Cancer: Chk1 as a Potential Target

PURPOSE

Our aim was to identify predictive factors of abiraterone acetate efficacy and putative new druggable targets in androgen receptor (AR)-positive triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) treated in the UCBG 2012-1 trial.Experimental Design: We defined abiraterone acetate response as either complete or partial response, or stable disease at 6 months. We sequenced 91 general and breast cancer-associated genes from the tumor DNA samples. We analyzed transcriptomes from the extracted RNA samples on a NanoString platform and performed IHC using tissue microarrays. We assessed abiraterone acetate and Chk1 inhibitors (GDC-0575 and AZD7762) efficacies, either alone or in combination, on cell lines grown in vitro and in vivo.

RESULTS

Classic IHC apocrine markers including AR, FOXA1, GGT1, and GCDFP15, from patients' tumors allowed identifying abiraterone acetate-responders and nonresponders. All responders had clear apocrine features. Transcriptome analysis revealed that 31 genes were differentially expressed in the two subgroups, 9 of them being linked to proliferation and DNA damage repair. One of the most significant differences was the overexpression, in nonresponders, of CHEK1, a gene encoding Chk1, a protein kinase that can be blocked by specific inhibitors. On the basis of cell line experiments, abiraterone acetate and Chk1 inhibitor combination showed at least additive effect on cell viability, cell cycle, apoptosis, and accumulation of DNA damages. In vivo, orthotopic xenograft experiments confirmed the efficacy of this combination therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that apocrine features can be helpful in the identification of abiraterone acetate-responders. We identified Chk1 as a putative drug target in AR-positive TNBCs.

Exploitation of Precision Medicine Trials Data: Examples of Long Responders From the SHIVA01 Trial

Purpose

Precision medicine trials constitute a precious source of molecular data with prospective clinical annotations allowing the exploration of patients’ subpopulations according to specific clinical or biological questions. Using the SHIVA01—the first randomized trial comparing molecularly targeted therapy on the basis of tumor molecular profiling versus conventional chemotherapy in metastatic cancer patients who failed standard of care therapy—annotated database, we report cases of patients treated in the trial with targeted therapy who experienced an objective response or prolonged disease stabilization in light of patients’ molecular alterations.

Patients and Methods

We selected all patients included in SHIVA01 treated with a molecularly targeted agent (MTA) who experienced an objective response or disease stabilization that lasted longer than 6 months according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1.1.

Results

Among the 170 patients who received MTAs in the SHIVA01 trial, 15 patients (9%) experienced an objective response (n = 3) or disease stabilization that lasted longer than 6 months (n = 12). The most frequent histologic subtypes were breast cancer (27%) and cervical cancer (20%). Six patients, including three patients with breast cancer, were treated with abiraterone on the basis of androgen receptor protein overexpression. Five patients were treated with everolimus on the basis of a PTEN heterozygous deletion with loss of protein expression, PIK3CA mutation, or both alterations. The remaining four patients were treated with tamoxifen, erlotinib, imatinib, and vemurafenib on the basis of progesterone receptor expression, EGFR amplification, KIT mutation, and BRAF mutation, respectively. TP53 mutations were absent in responder patients.

Conclusion

Analysis of patients who experienced objective responses or disease stabilization that lasted longer than 6 months allowed the identification of potential biomarkers of sensitivity and resistance to MTAs.