Inflammatory breast carcinoma: Outcomes with trimodality therapy for nonmetastatic disease

Impact of Radiation Therapy Modalities on Loco-regional Control in Inflammatory Breast Cancer

PURPOSE

In inflammatory breast cancer, radiation therapy intensification is considered a standard of care by some teams, although the level of evidence remains low. We sought to analyze the impact of radiation therapy modalities on the risk of loco-regional and distant relapse.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

This retrospective multicenter study included patients with localized inflammatory breast cancer treated between 2010 and 2017. Standard postmastectomy radiation therapy consisted of daily fractions to a total dose of 50 Gy equivalent without a boost or bolus, while intensified radiation therapy referred to the use of a boost or bolus. The cumulative incidence curves of locoregional and distant recurrence were displayed using the competing risk method.

RESULTS

Of the 241 included patients, 165 were treated with standard and 76 with intensified radiation therapy. There was significantly more nodal involvement in the intensified group. With a median follow-up of 40 months postradiation therapy, there was no difference between standard versus intensified radiation therapy regarding the cumulative incidence of locoregional (P = .68) or distant recurrence (P = .29). At 5 years, the risks of locoregional and distant recurrence were 12.1% (95% CI, 7.5; 17.7) and 29.4% (95% CI, 21.8; 37.3) for patients treated with standard radiation therapy and 10.4% (95% CI, 4.4; 19.3) and 21.4% (95% CI, 12.6; 31.9) for those treated with intensified radiation therapy. In multivariate analyses, triple-negative subtype and absence of complete pathologic response were associated with a higher risk of loco-regional recurrence. Radiation therapy intensification had no significant impact on locoregional and distant recurrence. For patients with a non-complete pathologic response (n = 172, 71.7%), no significant differences were observed between the 2 groups for loco-regional (P = .80) and distant (P = .39) recurrence. Severe toxicity rates were similar in both groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Contrary to other important series, this large retrospective multicentric study did not show a locoregional or distant control benefit of intensified radiation therapy. Pooled prospective studies and meta-analyses of intensified radiation therapy are warranted to endorse this approach.

Low Rates of Local-Regional Recurrence Among Inflammatory Breast Cancer Patients After Contemporary Trimodal Therapy

BACKGROUND

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) represents a rare (2-3 %) but aggressive subset of breast cancer with a historically reported 5-year overall survival rate of 50 % and a 3-year local-regional recurrence (LRR) rate of 20 %. This study aimed to evaluate long-term LRR in a contemporary cohort of non-metastatic IBC patients undergoing trimodal therapy at a single institution and identify factors associated with local and distant failure.

METHODS

The study identified 262 patients with non-metastatic IBC who received trimodal therapy (neoadjuvant chemotherapy, modified radical mastectomy, adjuvant radiation) from an institutional prospective database (2007-2019). Long-term outcomes of local-regional and distant metastasis were reported. Survival outcomes were analyzed using the Cox proportional hazards regression model.

RESULTS

The median age at diagnosis was 52 years, and the median follow-up period was 5.1 years. In this cohort, 82 (31.3 %) patients achieved a pathologic complete response (pCR) in the breast and axilla. Local-regional recurrence was observed in 18 (6.9 %) patients (11 isolated to the chest wall, 4 isolated to regional nodes, and 3 involving chest wall and ipsilateral axillary nodes). Distant metastasis was observed in 92 (35.1 %) patients. During the follow-up period, 90 deaths occurred. In the multivariate analysis, pCR was associated with improved disease-free survival (hazard ratio [HR], 0.26; 95 % confidence interval [CI], 0.13-0.51; p = 0.001) and overall survival (HR, 0.31; 95 % CI, 0.15-0.65; p = 002).

CONCLUSIONS

During a median follow-up period longer than 5 years, the local-regional relapse rate for the IBC patients treated with contemporary trimodal therapy was 6.9%, similar to that for the non-IBC patients. After chemotherapy, surgical resection with modified radical mastectomy to negative margins and postmastectomy radiation therapy resulted in excellent long-term local-regional control.

Accommodating time-varying heterogeneity in risk estimation under the Cox model: a transfer learning approach

Transfer learning has attracted increasing attention in recent years for adaptively borrowing information across different data cohorts in various settings. Cancer registries have been widely used in clinical research because of their easy accessibility and large sample size. Our method is motivated by the question of how to utilize cancer registry data as a complement to improve the estimation precision of individual risks of death for inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) patients at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. When transferring information for risk estimation based on the cancer registries (i.e., source cohort) to a single cancer center (i.e., target cohort), time-varying population heterogeneity needs to be appropriately acknowledged. However, there is no literature on how to adaptively transfer knowledge on risk estimation with time-to-event data from the source cohort to the target cohort while adjusting for time-varying differences in event risks between the two sources. Our goal is to address this statistical challenge by developing a transfer learning approach under the Cox proportional hazards model. To allow data-adaptive levels of information borrowing, we impose Lasso penalties on the discrepancies in regression coefficients and baseline hazard functions between the two cohorts, which are jointly solved in the proposed transfer learning algorithm. As shown in the extensive simulation studies, the proposed method yields more precise individualized risk estimation than using the target cohort alone. Meanwhile, our method demonstrates satisfactory robustness against cohort differences compared with the method that directly combines the target and source data in the Cox model. We develop a more accurate risk estimation model for the MD Anderson IBC cohort given various treatment and baseline covariates, while adaptively borrowing information from the National Cancer Database to improve risk assessment.

Forecasting factors and outcomes in hawkish inflammatory breast carcinoma - A single center data exploration

INTRODUCTION

Inflammatory breast carcinoma (IBC) is an aggressive clinical syndrome of invasive breast carcinoma. There is paucity of data regarding the outcomes in IBC.

OBJECTIVES

Analyses of OS and Event-free survival (EFS) in nonmetastatic and metastatic IBC and to find prognostic factors influencing them.

METHODOLOGY

In this single center, retrospective study the data of patients fulfilling the clinical criteria of IBC were retrieved from 2016 to 2021. The impact of prognostic factors on OS and EFS were analysed by log rank test (univariate analysis). The OS and EFS were depicted as Kaplan Meier survival curves.

RESULTS

There were 22 patients with IBC. Median follow-up was 17 months. The median OS was significantly better in non-metastatic(M0) compared to metastatic IBC (25 months vs 6 months) with 3year OS rate of 50% vs 0% respectively. The post-menopausal status, grade 2 histology and trimodality treatment showed better outcome while N3 stage at diagnosis had worse outcome in M0 group. The lesser HR expression, lesser pCR rates, higher N3 proportion, liver metastasis and multiple metastatic site involvement contributed to the worse outcome observed in this study.

CONCLUSION

The aggressive clinicopathological features of IBC in the present study resulted in less favourable outcome compared to literature review. Improved outcome with trimodality highlights the emergent need for additional targeted therapy to improve pCR and operability.

Evaluation of Breast Edema Findings at T2-weighted Breast MRI Is Useful for Diagnosing Occult Inflammatory Breast Cancer and Can Predict Prognosis after Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy

Background Prediction of occult inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) and breast cancer prognosis based on breast edema findings on T2-weighted MRI scans, even for patients without clinical signs of IBC, would be useful in both pretreatment planning and prognosis and may elucidate the underlying biologic mechanisms. Purpose To evaluate whether classification of breast edema on T2-weighted MRI scans is useful for predicting the prognosis of patients with breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Materials and Methods A retrospective evaluation was performed of women with breast cancer who underwent breast MRI and were treated with NAC between January 2011 and December 2018. Breast edema on T2-weighted images was scored on a scale of 1 to 4, as follows: (a) breast edema score (BES) 1, no edema; (b) BES 2, peritumoral edema; (c) BES 3, prepectoral edema; and (d) BES 4, subcutaneous edema (suspicious for occult IBC). Clinically evident IBC was classified as BES 5 (without MRI). The log-rank test was performed, and hazard ratios were calculated using the Cox hazard model to evaluate associations between BES and progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). PFS rate at 100 months after initiation of therapy was also evaluated. Results Of 408 patients (median age, 53 years; range, 28-80 years), 65 (16%) had a recurrence and 27 (7%) died. The log-rank test revealed differences in PFS for BES 4 versus 1, BES 5 versus 1, BES 5 versus 2, and BES 5 versus 3 (adjusted P < .05 for all). PFS rates for BES 1-5 were 0.92, 0.85, 0.80, 0.62, and 0.58, respectively, and the corresponding OS rates at 100 months were 0.98, 0.91, 0.92, 0.77, 0.86, respectively. Conclusion Classification of breast edema findings on T2-weighted MRI scans using a breast edema score was related to the prognosis of patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. © RSNA, 2021 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

Locoregional Management of Inflammatory Breast Cancer

Purpose of Review

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a biologically aggressive subtype with a high risk for rapid local progression and early distant metastasis. We review the updated data for optimal locoregional management of IBC, including areas of active controversy.

Recent Findings

Advancements in tri-modality therapies have improved survival among IBC patients in recent years; however, the risk of locoregional and distant recurrence remains high, particularly in triple-negative IBC. Data to support de-escalation of surgery or radiotherapy is limited, and the recommended treatment approach for non-metastatic IBC remains preoperative systemic therapy (PST), modified radical mastectomy (MRM), and adjuvant radiotherapy in all patients. For patients with de novo metastatic disease, locoregional intervention may be appropriate.

Summary

Optimal locoregional management of IBC remains PST followed by MRM and adjuvant radiotherapy. With increasingly effective systemic therapies, research to identify a subset of patients who may benefit from de-escalation of locoregional therapies is warranted.

Inflammatory breast cancer outcomes by breast cancer subtype: a population-based study

AIM

To assess the outcomes of breast cancer subtype in inflammatory breast cancer (IBC).

METHODS

We retrospectively assessed IBC patients from the SEER program.

RESULTS

We identified 626 patients, including 230 (36.7%),100 (17.6%), 113 (18.1%), and 173 (27.6%) patients with HoR+/HER2-, HoR+/HER2+, HoR-/HER2+, and HoR-/HER2- subtype disease, respectively. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that, using HoR+/HER2- subtype as reference, patients with HoR+/HER2+ subtype had better breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) and overall survival (OS), and patients with HoR-/HER2- subtype had worse BCSS and OS, while BCSS and OS were comparable for HoR-/HER2+ subtype. Similar trends were observed in patients who received surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy or trimodality therapy.

CONCLUSION

Breast cancer subtype is clinically useful for predicting survival outcome in IBC. The HoR+/HER2- subtype shows poorer survival outcome than HoR+/HER2+ subtype.

Breast Cancer Tissue Markers, Genomic Profiling, and Other Prognostic Factors: A Primer for Radiologists

An understanding of prognostic factors in breast cancer is imperative for guiding patient care. Increased tumor size and more advanced nodal status are established independent prognostic factors of poor outcomes and are incorporated into the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNM (primary tumor, regional lymph node, distant metastasis) staging system. However, other factors including imaging findings, histologic evaluation results, and molecular findings can have a direct effect on a patient's prognosis, including risk of recurrence and relative survival. Several microarray panels for gene profiling of tumors are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and endorsed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology. This article highlights prognostic factors currently in use for individualizing and guiding breast cancer therapy and is divided into four sections. The first section addresses patient considerations, in which modifiable and nonmodifiable prognostic factors including age, race and ethnicity, and lifestyle factors are discussed. The second part is focused on imaging considerations such as multicentric and/or multifocal disease, an extensive intraductal component, and skin or chest wall involvement and their effect on treatment and prognosis. The third section is about histopathologic findings such as the grade and presence of lymphovascular invasion. Last, tumor biomarkers and tumor biology are discussed, namely hormone receptors, proliferative markers, and categorization of tumors into four recognized molecular subtypes including luminal A, luminal B, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-enriched, and triple-negative tumors. By understanding the clinical effect of these prognostic factors, radiologists, along with a multidisciplinary team, can use these tools to achieve individualized patient care and to improve patient outcomes. ^©RSNA, 2018.

A phase 2 study of capecitabine and concomitant radiation in women with advanced breast cancer

PURPOSE

To examine the response rate of gross chemo-refractory breast cancer treated with concurrent capecitabine (CAP) and radiation therapy in a prospective Phase II study.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Breast cancer patients with inoperable disease after chemotherapy, residual nodal disease after definitive surgical resection, unresectable chest wall or nodal recurrence after a prior mastectomy, or oligometastatic disease were eligible. Response by RECIST criteria was assessed after 45 Gy. Conversion to operable, locoregional control, and grade ≥3 toxicities were assessed. The first 9 patients received CAP 825 mg/m2 twice daily continuously. Because of toxicity, subsequent patients received CAP only on radiation days. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to estimate overall survival (OS) and locoregional recurrence-free survival.

RESULTS

From 2009 to 2012, 32 patients were accrued; 26 received protocol-specified treatment. Median follow-up was 12.9 months (interquartile range, 7.10-42.9 months). Nineteen patients (73%) had partial or complete response. Fourteen patients (53.9%) experienced grade 3 non-dermatitis toxicity (7 of 9 continuous dosing). Three of four inoperable patients converted to operable. One-year actuarial OS in the treated cohort was 54%. The trial was stopped early after interim analysis suggested futility independent of response. Treatment was deemed futile (ie, conversion to operable but M1 disease immediately postoperatively) in 9 of 10 patients with triple-negative (TN) versus 6 of 16 with non-TN disease (P=.014). Median OS and 1-year locoregional recurrence-free survival among non-TN versus TN patients was 22.8 versus 5.1 months, and 63% versus 20% (P=.007).

CONCLUSIONS

Capecitabine can be safely administered on radiation days with careful clinical monitoring and was associated with encouraging response in this chemo-refractory cohort. However, patients with TN breast cancer had poor outcomes even when response was achieved. Further study in non-TN patients may be warranted.

The role and indications of aggressive locoregional therapy in metastatic inflammatory breast cancer

We seek to confirm the effect and explore the indications of aggressive locoregional management in patients with metastatic inflammatory breast cancer (IBC). Between 2003 and 2014, we reviewed the records of 156 patients with metastatic IBC from five large centers of Breast Surgery in the region of central south of China. Clinicopathologic data were collected to access overall survival (OS), prognostic factors and the indications for locoregional treatment. 75 (48%) patients underwent aggressive locoregional therapy. Patients in locoregional therapy group had a median OS of 24 months compared with 17 months of those in no locoregional therapy group. 2-year OS rate of these two groups was 52% and 32%, separately. Locoregional therapy (HR = 0.556; 95% CI 0.385–0.803; p = 0.002) was confirmed to be an independent prognostic factor, which could significantly improve OS of patients with metastatic IBC. For locoregional therapy group, statistical differences were observed in all subgroups stratified by the factors that were significant in univariate analysis except in the subgroups of stable disease, Charlson comorbidity index ≥3 and cerebral metastasis. Therefore, systemic therapy efficacy, Charlson comorbidity index and cerebral metastasis status appeared to be important indexes for choice of locoregional therapy in different individuals.

Disparities in the Use of Postmastectomy Radiation Therapy for Inflammatory Breast Cancer

PURPOSE

Although radiation therapy improves locoregional control and survival for inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), it is underused in this population. The purpose of this study was to identify variables associated with the underuse of postmastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT) for IBC.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Using the 1998 to 2011 National Cancer Data Base, we identified 8273 women who underwent mastectomy for nonmetastatic IBC. We used logistic regression modeling to determine the demographic, tumor, and treatment variables associated with the underuse of PMRT.

RESULTS

Although the use of PMRT increased over time, a total of 30.3% of our cohort did not receive PMRT. On multivariate analysis, variables associated with the underuse of PMRT for IBC included the following (all P<.05): Medicare insurance (odds ratio [OR] = 0.70), annual income <$34,999 (<$30,000: OR=0.79; $30,000-$34,999: OR=0.82), cN2 and cN0 disease (cN2: OR=0.71; cN0: OR=0.63), failure to receive chemotherapy and hormone therapy (chemotherapy: OR=0.15; hormone therapy: OR=0.35), treatment at lower-volume centers (OR=0.83), and treatment in the South and West (South: OR=0.73; West: OR=0.80). Greater distance between patient's residence and radiation facility was also associated with the underuse of PMRT (P=.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

Although the use of PMRT for IBC has increased over time, it continues to be underused. Disparities related to a variety of variables impact which IBC patients receive PMRT. A concerted effort must be made to address these disparities in order to optimize the outcomes for IBC.

[Salvage concomitant chemoradiation therapy for non-metastatic inflammatory breast cancer after chemotherapy failure]

PURPOSE

To evaluate the surgical possibility following concomitant chemoradiotherapy for inflammatory breast cancer, after unsucessful neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The data from ten patients with inflammatory breast cancer treated between 1996 and 2010 by concomitant chemoradiotherapy after unsucessful neoadjuvant chemotherapy were analysed. All patients had an invasive carcinoma. All patients received a neoadjuvant chemotherapy, including anthracyclin, six patients received taxan and one received trastuzumab. Radiotherapy was delivered to the breast and regional lymph nodes in all patients at a dose of 50Gy; a boost of 20Gy was delivered to one patient. Concomitant chemotherapy was based on weekly cisplatin for six patients, on cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil the first and last weeks of radiotherapy for four patients.

RESULTS

The median follow-up for all patients was 44 months. Mastectomy was performed in nine patients. Two- and 5-year overall survival rates were respectively 70 % and 60 %. Median local recurrence delay was 5 months; six patients died (all from cancer), seven developped metastasis. Grade 1 and 2 epithelite was respectively observed in six and two patients, grade 2 renal toxicity in three patients, grade 2 neutropenia in one patient.

CONCLUSION

Concomitant chemoradiotherapy for inflammatory breast cancer after unsucessful neoadjuvant chemotherapy may control the disease in some patients and lead to mastectomy. These results have to be confirmed through a multicentric study with more patients.

Influence of patient, physician, and hospital characteristics on the receipt of guideline-concordant care for inflammatory breast cancer

PURPOSE

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer for which treatments vary, so we sought to identify factors that affect the receipt of guideline-concordant care.

METHODS

Patients diagnosed with IBC in 2004 were identified from the Breast and Prostate Cancer Data Quality and Patterns of Care Study, containing information from cancer registries in seven states. Variation in guideline-concordant care for IBC, based on National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines, was assessed according to patient, physician, and hospital characteristics.

RESULTS

Of the 107 IBC patients in the study without distant metastasis at the time of diagnosis, only 25.8% received treatment concordant with guidelines. Predictors of non-concordance included patient age (≥70 years), non-white race, normal body mass index (BMI 18.5-25 kg/m(2)), patients with physicians graduating from medical school >15 years prior, and smaller hospital size (<200 beds). IBC patients survived longer if they received guideline-concordant treatment based on either 2003 (p=0.06) or 2013 (p=0.06) NCCN guidelines.

CONCLUSIONS

Targeting factors associated with receipt of care that is not guideline-concordant may reduce survival disparities in IBC patients. Prompt referral for neoadjuvant chemotherapy and post-operative radiation therapy is also crucial.

Comprehensive genomic profiling of inflammatory breast cancer cases reveals a high frequency of clinically relevant genomic alterations

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a distinct clinicopathologic entity that carries a worse prognosis relative to non-IBC breast cancer even when matched for standard biomarkers (ER/PR/HER2). The objective of this study was to identify opportunities for benefit from targeted therapy, which are not currently identifiable in the standard workup for advanced breast cancer. Comprehensive genomic profiling on 53 IBC formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded specimens (mean, 800× + coverage) using the hybrid capture-based FoundationOne assay. Academic and community oncology clinics. From a series of 2208 clinical cases of advanced/refractory invasive breast cancers, 53 cases with IBC were identified. The presence of clinically relevant genomic alterations (CRGA) in IBC and responses to targeted therapies. CRGA were defined as genomic alterations (GA) associated with on label targeted therapies and targeted therapies in mechanism-driven clinical trials. For the 44 IBCs with available biomarker data, 19 (39 %) were ER-/PR-/HER2- (triple-negative breast cancer, TNBC). For patients in which the clinical HER2 status was known, 11 (25 %) were HER2+ with complete (100 %) concordance with ERBB2 (HER2) amplification detected by the CGP assay. The 53 sequenced IBC cases harbored a total of 266 GA with an average of 5.0 GA/tumor (range 1-15). At least one alteration associated with an FDA approved therapy or clinical trial was identified in 51/53 (96 %) of cases with an average of 2.6 CRGA/case. The most frequently altered genes were TP53 (62 %), MYC (32 %), PIK3CA (28 %), ERBB2 (26 %), FGFR1 (17 %), BRCA2 (15 %), and PTEN (15 %). In the TNBC subset of IBC, 8/19 (42 %) showed MYC amplification (median copy number 8X, range 7-20) as compared to 9/32 (28 %) in non-TNBC IBC (median copy number 7X, range 6-21). Comprehensive genomic profiling uncovered a high frequency of GA in IBC with 96 % of cases harboring at least 1 CRGA. The clinical benefit of selected targeted therapies in individual IBC cases suggests that a further study of CGP in IBC is warranted.

Primary tumor resection as a component of multimodality treatment may improve local control and survival in patients with stage IV inflammatory breast cancer

BACKGROUND

To the authors' knowledge, the benefit of primary tumor resection among patients with metastatic inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is unknown.

METHODS

The authors reviewed 172 cases of metastatic IBC. All patients received chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy and/or surgery. Patients were classified as responders or nonresponders to chemotherapy. The 5-year overall survival (OS) and distant progression-free survival (DPFS) and local control at the time of last follow-up were evaluated.

RESULTS

A total of 79 patients (46%) underwent surgery. OS and DPFS were better among patients treated with surgery versus no surgery (47% vs 10%, respectively [P<.0001] and 30% vs 3%, respectively [P<.0001]). Surgery plus radiotherapy was associated with better survival compared with treatment with surgery or radiotherapy alone (OS rate: 50% vs 25% vs 14%, respectively; DPFS rate: 32% vs 18% vs 15%, respectively [P<.0001 for both]). Surgery was associated with better survival for both responders (OS rate for surgery vs no surgery: 49% vs 23% [P<.0001] and DPFS rate for surgery vs no surgery: 31% vs 8% [P<.0001]) and nonresponders (OS rate for surgery vs no surgery: 40% vs 6% [P<.0001] and DPFS rate for surgery vs no surgery: 30% vs 0% [P<.0001]). On multivariate analysis, treatment with surgery plus radiotherapy and response to chemotherapy were found to be significant predictors of better OS and DPFS. Local control at the time of last follow-up was 4-fold more likely in patients who underwent surgery with or without radiotherapy compared with patients who received chemotherapy alone (81% vs 18%; P<.0001). Surgery and response to chemotherapy independently predicted local control on multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of the current study demonstrate that for select patients with metastatic IBC, multimodality treatment including primary tumor resection may result in better local control and survival. However, a randomized trial is needed to validate these findings.

Radiation therapy for inflammatory breast cancer: technical considerations and diverse clinical scenarios

SUMMARY Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is associated with unique skin findings at presentation, diffuse spread and poorer outcomes compared with non-IBC. Standard of care when metastatic disease is not present at diagnosis includes neoadjuvant chemotherapy, modified radical mastectomy and postmastectomy radiation. Several retrospective studies have demonstrated reasonable local control using varying aggressive approaches that will be reviewed and technical considerations that will be discussed. In general, the existing contemporary data support an aggressive locoregional approach in IBC. The morbidity of extensive locoregional recurrence in IBC merits aggressive efforts in prevention in high-risk metastatic cases. Our large, single-institutional experience suggests that contralateral disease and extension to second echelon nodal stations may still represent curable disease amenable to aggressive locoregional therapy in some cases. Examining 13 IBC cases where contralateral involved nodal basins were treated with radiotherapy with or without surgery at the time of ipsilateral locoregional therapy, four ER-positive patients presented evidence of disease at the last follow-up. Examining 36 patients with metastatic IBC involving any M1 site who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy, modified radical mastectomy and postmastectomy radiotherapy similarly revealed that a long-term status of no evidence of disease is achievable in some M1 IBC patients treated with effective systemic therapy and aggressive locoregional therapy. Actuarial 5-year overall survival in this M1 cohort was 54%. Radiotherapy for clinical circumstances including extended regional (M1) disease, palliation of diffuse skin metastases, reirradiation and inoperable IBC will be discussed.

Modern outcomes of inflammatory breast cancer

PURPOSE

To report contemporary outcomes for inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) patients treated in the modern era of trastuzumab and taxane-based chemotherapy.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 104 patients with nonmetastatic IBC treated between January 2000 and December 2009. Patients who received chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy were considered to have completed the intended therapy. Kaplan-Meier curves estimated locoregional control (LRC), distant metastases-free survival (DMFS), and overall survival.

RESULTS

The median follow-up time was 34 months; 57 (55%) patients were estrogen receptor progesterone receptor (ER/PR) negative, 34 (33%) patients were human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (her2)/neu amplified, and 78 (75%) received definitive postoperative radiation. Seventy-five (72%) patients completed all of the intended therapy, of whom 67 (89%) received a taxane and 18/28 (64%) of her2/neu-amplified patients received trastuzumab. For the entire cohort, the 5-year rates of overall survival, LRC, and DMFS were 46%, 83%, and 44%, respectively. The ER/PR-negative patients had a 5-year DMFS of 39% vs. 52% for ER/PR-positive patients (p = 0.03). The 5-year DMFS for patients who achieved a pathologic complete response compared with those who did not was 83% vs. 44% (p < 0.01). Those patients who received >60.4 Gy (n = 15) to the chest wall had a 5-year LRC rate of 100% vs. 83% for those who received 45 to 60.4 Gy (n = 49; p = 0.048). On univariate analysis, significant predictors of DMFS included achieving a complete response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (hazard ratio [HR] = 5.8; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.4-24.4; p = 0.02) and pathologically negative lymph nodes (HR = 4.1; 95% CI = 1.4-11.9; p < 0.01), but no factor was significant on multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

For IBC patients, the rate of distant metastases is still high despite excellent local control, particularly for patients who received >60.4 Gy to the chest wall. Despite the use of taxanes and trastuzumab, outcomes remain modest, particularly for those with ER/PR-negative disease and those without a pathologic complete response.

Diverse Presentations of Carcinoma Erysipelatoides from a Teaching Hospital in Australia

Inflammatory breast carcinoma is a rare form of advanced breast cancer which carries a poor prognosis, even with treatment. Diagnosis is reached on clinical and pathological grounds; however, due to its propensity to mimic other conditions, it may often be delayed or missed by attending physicians. This case series describes four patients seen at our institution with a diagnosis of inflammatory breast cancer; 3 patients had a history of previously treated breast malignancy. In these cases, the emergence of a new breast lesion evaded initial diagnosis due to incomplete initial physical examination, falsely reassuring imaging results, lack of recognition that a cellulitis picture can resemble metastatic carcinoma, and inconclusive initial biopsy sections. These obstacles to achieve diagnosis serve to further worsen the prognosis by delaying the initiation of multimodality treatment which can improve survival. The purpose of our paper is to increase awareness among breast cancer specialists of the importance of undressing the patient for basic clinical examination of the breasts, recognition of the appearances of this type of local recurrence of breast cancer, and not to rely purely on ultrasound and mammography due to delay in diagnosis in some of our local cases. Sometimes deeper sections and repeat biopsies are needed to make the diagnosis.

[Management of inflammatory breast cancer after neo-adjuvant chemotherapy]

PURPOSE

To assess the benefit of breast surgery for inflammatory breast cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This retrospective series was based on 232 patients treated for inflammatory breast cancer. All patients received primary chemotherapy followed by either exclusive radiotherapy (118 patients, 51%) or surgery with or without radiotherapy (114 patients, 49%). The median follow-up was 11 years.

RESULTS

The two groups were comparable apart from fewer tumors smaller than 70 mm (43% vs 33%, P=0.003), a higher rate of clinical stage N2 (15% vs 5%, P=0.04) and fewer histopathological grade 3 tumors (46% vs 61%, P<0.05) in the no-surgery group. The addition of surgery was associated with a significant improvement in locoregional disease control (P=0.04) but with no significant difference in overall survival rates or disease-free intervals. Late toxicities were not significantly different between the two treatment groups except for a higher rate of fibrosis in the no-surgery group (P<0.0001), and more lymphedema in the surgery group (P=0.002).

CONCLUSION

Our data suggest an improvement in locoregional control in patients treated by surgery, in conjunction with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, for inflammatory breast cancer.

Management of inflammatory breast cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy

PURPOSE

To assess the benefit of breast surgery for inflammatory breast cancer (IBC).

METHODS AND MATERIALS

This retrospective series was based on 232 patients treated for IBC. All patients received primary chemotherapy followed by either exclusive radiotherapy (118 patients; 51%) or surgery with or without radiotherapy (114 patients; 49%). The median follow-up was 11 years.

RESULTS

The two groups were comparable apart from fewer tumors <70 mm (43% vs. 33%, p = 0.003), a higher rate of clinical stage N2 (15% vs. 5%, p = 0.04), and fewer histopathologic Grade 3 tumors (46% vs. 61%, p <0.05) in the no-surgery group. The addition of surgery was associated with a significant improvement in locoregional disease control (p = 0.04) at 10 years locoregional free interval 78% vs. 59% but with no significant difference in overall survival rates or disease-free intervals. Late toxicities were not significantly different between the two treatment groups except for a higher rate of fibrosis in the no-surgery group (p <0.0001) and more lymphedema in the surgery group (p = 0.002).

CONCLUSION

Our data suggest an improvement in locoregional control in patients treated by surgery, in conjunction with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, for IBC. Efforts must be made to improve overall survival.

Impact of lapatinib monotherapy on QOL and pain symptoms in patients with HER2+ relapsed or refractory inflammatory breast cancer

OBJECTIVE

EGF103009 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00105950) was a phase 2, open-label, multicenter study that showed lapatinib monotherapy to be clinically active in women with relapsed or refractory HER2+ (ErbB2+) inflammatory breast cancer that progressed following prior therapy with anthracyclines, taxanes, and trastuzumab. The objective of the present study was to assess the impact of lapatinib on quality of life (QOL) and pain symptoms in these patients.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

QOL and pain assessments were added during a study amendment and hence only 33 of 126 HER2+ patients were available for baseline assessment. QOL and pain were assessed using the EORTC QLQ-C30 and Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form (BPI-SF) questionnaires, respectively. Both questionnaires were completed at baseline and every 4 weeks thereafter. Change from baseline in QOL and pain scores were summarized by visit. In a post hoc analysis, scores were compared between patients with different clinical response status.

RESULTS

Over 60% of the 33 HER2+ patients with the baseline assessments completed the first three postbaseline assessments (week 4, n = 26; week 8, n = 21; week 12, n = 20). At week 8, improvement from baseline in mean EORTC QLQ-C30 scores was observed for global QOL (delta = 14.5; 95% CI: 4.0, 25.0), role functioning (delta = 15; 95% CI: 0.9, 29.1), social functioning (delta = 14.9; 95% CI: -0.5, 30.3), and physical functioning subscales (delta = 9.0; 95% CI: 1.2, 16.8). All symptom scales (except diarrhea) improved from baseline at most scheduled visits during the 20-week follow-up period. Mean scores for all four BPI-SF summary pain scores at week 8 suggested improvement in pain severity and pain interference. Clinical responders had improved scores on most aspects of QOL, compared with declining scores among nonresponders to treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

The QOL improvement among the small number of patients with QOL data indicates that lapatinib monotherapy may improve level of functioning/QOL and provide relief from symptoms, including pain, in the short term. These QOL benefits add to the clinical improvement associated with lapatinib therapy in heavily pretreated patients with an aggressive form of breast cancer.

Inflammatory breast cancer

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) represents the most virulent form of breast cancer, characterized by involvement of the skin and rapid progression of the disease. Management involves careful coordination of all multidisciplinary modalities, including imaging, systemic chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy. The use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy has contributed significantly to improvement in overall survival since the first descriptions of this entity and has made the role of locoregional therapy, including surgery and radiation critical to continued improvements in this disease. In this article, we examine the unique epidemiology and pathology of IBC and review the various treatment modalities noting the significance of a multimodality approach and delineating each of the specific components. Moreover, we briefly describe the current research in IBC that will hopefully contribute further to improve systemic therapies.

Locoregional treatment outcomes after multimodality management of inflammatory breast cancer

PURPOSE

The aims of this study were to determine outcomes for patients with inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) treated with multimodality therapy, to identify factors associated with locoregional recurrence, and to determine which patients may benefit from radiation dose escalation.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

We retrospectively reviewed 256 consecutive patients with nonmetastatic IBC treated at our institution between 1977 and 2004.

RESULTS

The 192 patients who were able to complete the planned course of chemotherapy, mastectomy, and postmastectomy radiation had significantly better outcomes than the 64 patients who did not. The respective 5-year outcome rates were: locoregional control (84% vs. 51%), distant metastasis-free survival (47% vs. 20%), and overall survival (51% vs. 24%) (p < 0.0001 for all comparisons). Univariate factors significantly associated with locoregional control in the patients who completed plan treatment were response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, surgical margin status, number of involved lymph nodes, and use of taxanes. Increasing the total chest-wall dose of postmastectomy radiation from 60 Gy to 66 Gy significantly improved locoregional control for patients who experienced less than a partial response to chemotherapy, patients with positive, close, or unknown margins, and patients <45 years of age.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with IBC who are able to complete treatment with chemotherapy, mastectomy, and postmastectomy radiation have a high probability of locoregional control. Escalation of postmastectomy radiation dose to 66 Gy appears to benefit patients with disease that responds poorly to chemotherapy, those with positive, close, or unknown margin status, and those <45 years of age.

Defining the clinical diagnosis of inflammatory breast cancer

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is an extremely aggressive disease that progresses rapidly and carries a very grim prognosis. It is characterized by erythema, rapid enlargement of the breast, skin ridging, and a characteristic peau d'orange appearance of the skin secondary to dermal lymphatic tumor involvement. Although a palpable tumor may not be present, about 55% to 85% of patients will present with metastases to the axillary or supraclavicular lymph nodes. Diagnosis of IBC is made on the basis of these clinical characteristics, as well as histopathologic verification of carcinoma. Accurate diagnosis is critically important, as multimodal therapy can significantly improve outcomes if instituted early enough.

Concomitant intensive chemoradiotherapy induction in non-metastatic inflammatory breast cancer: long-term follow-up

The aim of this study was to evaluate with a long follow-up the efficacy of concomitant chemoradiotherapy in non-metastatic inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) and to evaluate the breast conservation rate. Between 1990 and 2000, 66 non-metastatic patients with IBC were treated with chemotherapy and concomitant irradiation. The induction chemotherapy consisted of epirubicine, cyclophosphamide and vindesine, in association with split-course bi-fractionated irradiation to a total dose of 65 Gy with concomitant cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil. Maintenance chemotherapy consisted of high-dose methotrexate and six cycles of epirubicine, cyclophosphamide and fluorouracil. Hormonal treatment was given if indicated. Mastectomy was not systemic. Among 65 evaluable patients, 57 (87.6%) achieved a complete clinical response and had a breast conservation. Only six loco regional relapses were noted in six patients with a delay of 20 months and with concomitant metastatic dissemination in four cases. Median disease-free survival (DFS) was 28 months. Median overall survival (OS) was 63 months and median follow-up was 55.5 months. Induction chemotherapy and concomitant irradiation is feasible in patients with IBC, permitting a breast conservation with a high rate of local control with an OS comparable to that of the best recent series.

Lack of uniform diagnostic criteria for inflammatory breast cancer limits interpretation of treatment outcomes: a systematic review

PURPOSE

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is the most aggressive type of breast cancer. No randomized controlled trial or systematic review with an IBC-only cohort that evaluates interventions has been published. We conducted a systematic review of the literature to characterize the reporting of clinical criteria and response to neoadjuvant therapy for IBC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We searched MEDLINE and other sources for the following: previously untreated patients with IBC without metastasis in cohort studies; utilized chemotherapy; and reported clinical outcomes. The following 4 groups were analyzed: no anthracycline induction, low-dose anthracycline induction, moderate-dose anthracycline induction, and high-dose chemotherapy requiring stem cell support. Weighted averages for the overall response rates were calculated using a random effects model.

RESULTS

Twenty-seven studies met all criteria, totaling 1232 patients. Clinical description of IBC eligibility criteria and reported response assessments varied significantly among studies. The response rates and 3- and 5-year overall survival for all 27 studies ranged from 14% to 100%, 22% to 84%, and 32% to 75%, respectively. Pathologic complete response rates after no anthracycline induction, low-dose anthracycline induction, moderate-dose anthracycline induction, and neoadjuvant high-dose chemotherapy subgroups were 4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1%-18%), 11% (95% CI, 7%-17%), 14% (95% CI, 8%-22%), and 32% (95% CI, 24%-41%), respectively.

CONCLUSION

The criteria and reporting of IBC and treatment response was notably variable, with significant potential for subject heterogeneity. Pathologic complete response rates appear to be related to intensity of neoadjuvant treatment; however, this analysis is not based on randomized data. Future clinical trials should define and report the criteria for IBC diagnosis and response assessment to enhance interstudy comparisons.

High prevalence of HER-2/neu and p53 overexpression in inflammatory breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is one of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer. Although the survival of patients with IBC has been greatly improved by the use of combined treatment modalities, women with IBC still have lower survival rates. We have summarized a single-center experience involving IBC patients. Our objectives are to clarify molecular alterations of HER-2/neu and p53 in IBC and to investigate the prognostic factors.

METHODS

Between January 1990 and December 2000, 57 patients with IBC were referred to the Cancer Institute Hospital of the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research. The incidence of IBC among primary breast cancers was 1.0% (57/5,757) in our hospital. Forty-six patients meeting Haagensen's criteria for inflammatory breast carcinoma were evaluated. All patients had biopsy-proven carcinomas but no distant metastases at referral. The median age at diagnosis for IBC was 51.8 (range, 28 to 70). All patients underwent a mastectomy. Chemotherapy was performed pre- or post-operatively. Three-year and 5-year survival rates were 56.5%, and 40.7%, respectively. Expressions of HER-2/neu and the p53 protein were determined retrospectively by immunohistochemical (IHC) staining of thin paraffin-embedded sections of primary tumors.

RESULTS

Of 46 patients, 23 (50.0%) with tumors testing positive for HER-2/neu fared somewhat worse than those with negative tumors, but the differences were not significant for either overall survival (OS) or disease-free survival (DFS). Of 46 patients, 19 (41.3%) whose tumors were positive for p53 fared somewhat better than patients with negative tumors, with no significant differences in either OS or DFS. Patients presenting with less than ten pathologically involved axillary lymph nodes showed significantly better OS and DFS.

CONCLUSIONS

Overexpression of HER-2/neu and the p53 protein were not significant prognostic factors in inflammatory breast cancer. However, the increased incidence of HER-2/neu and the poor outcome of IBC may be of clinical interest, suggesting the need for clinical trials of antibody therapy targeted to HER-2/neu. Moreover, a high prevalence of p53 may be useful in determining the specific use of chemotherapy.

Short- and long-term cause-specific survival of patients with inflammatory breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) had been perceived to have a poor prognosis. Oncologists were not enthusiastic in the past to give aggressive treatment. Single institution studies tend to have small patient numbers and limited years of follow-up. Most studies do not report 10-, 15- or 20-year results.

METHODS

Data was obtained from the population-based database of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program of the National Cancer Institute from 1975-1995 using SEER*Stat5.0 software. This period of 21 years was divided into 7 periods of 3 years each. The years were chosen so that there was adequate follow-up information to 2000. ICD-O-2 histology 8530/3 was used to define IBC. The lognormal model was used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 1684 patients were analyzed, of which 84% were white, 11% were African Americans, and 5% belonged to other races. Age distribution was < 30 years in 1%, 30-40 in 11%, 40-50 in 22%, 50-60 in 24%, 60-70 in 21%, and > 70 in 21%. The lognormal model was validated for 1975-77 and for 1978-80, since the 10-, 15- and 20-year cause-specific survival (CSS) rates, could be calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method with data available in 2000. The data were then used to estimate the 10-, 15- and 20-year CSS rates for the more recent years, and to study the trend of improvement in survival. There were increasing incidences of IBC: 134 patients in the 1975-77 period to 416 patients in the 1993-95 period. The corresponding 20-year CSS increased from 9% to 20% respectively with standard errors of less than 4%.

CONCLUSION

The improvement of survival during the study period may be due to introduction of more aggressive treatments. However, there seem to be no further increase of long-term CSS, which should encourage oncologists to find even more effective treatments. Because of small numbers of patients, randomized studies will be difficult to conduct. The SEER population-based database will yield the best possible estimate of the trend in improvement of survival for patients with IBC.

Evolving Treatment Strategies for Inflammatory Breast Cancer: A Population-Based Survival Analysis

Purpose

To determine if mastectomy (Mx) use, chemotherapy (CT) intensity, or treatment sequence of CT, radiation therapy (RT), and Mx have improved outcome for inflammatory breast cancer (IBC).

Patients and Methods

A retrospective analysis of 485 patients with IBC diagnosed in British Columbia between 1980 and 2000 analyzed locoregional relapse-free survival (LRFS) and breast cancer–specific survival (BCSS) by treatment intent and treatment received. Curative intent was defined as delivery of more than four cycles of anthracycline-based CT plus locoregional RT in patients without distant metastases.

Results

Median follow-up among survivors was 6.5 years. Median BCSS was 1.0 and 3.2 years for patients with distant metastases at diagnosis or those who were curatively treated, respectively. Among patients treated curatively (n = 308), there were no significant differences in LRFS or BCSS with timing of Mx before or after CT/RT, time between diagnosis and RT, or the sequence of RT and CT. Patients receiving more intensive CT had improved 10-year BCSS compared with standard CT (43.7% v 26.3%; P = .04). Ten-year LRFS for patients having Mx after CT, Mx before CT, and without Mx was 62.8%, 58.6%, and 34.4%, respectively (P = .0001); the corresponding 10-year BCSS was 36.9%, 19.9%, and 22.5%, respectively (P = .005). On multivariate analysis, Mx was associated with improved LRFS (P = .04). Independent prognostic factors for BCSS were menopausal status (P = .02), estrogen receptor status (P = .02), and CT type (P = .05).

Conclusion

This retrospective analysis suggested that mastectomy, in conjunction with CT and RT, seemed to enhance locoregional control, whereas modern CT regimens seemed to improve BCSS.

Update on inflammatory breast cancer

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is both the least frequent and the most severe form of epithelial breast cancer. The diagnosis is based on clinical inflammatory signs and is reinforced by pathological findings. Significant progress has been made in the management of IBC in the past 20 years. Yet survival among IBC patients is still only one-half that among patients with non-IBC. Identification of the molecular determinants of IBC would probably lead to more specific treatments and to improved survival. In the present article we review recent advances in the molecular pathogenesis of IBC. A more comprehensive view will probably be obtained by pan-genomic analysis of human IBC samples, and by functional in vitro and in vivo assays. These approaches may offer better patient outcome in the near future.

Long-term follow-up for locally advanced and inflammatory breast cancer patients treated with multimodality therapy

PURPOSE

To determine long-term event-free (EFS) and overall survival (OS) for patients with stage III breast cancer treated with combined-modality therapy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Between 1980 and 1988, 107 patients with stage III breast cancer were prospectively enrolled for study at the National Cancer Institute and stratified by whether or not they had features of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC). Patients were treated to best response with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, methotrexate, fluorouracil, leucovorin, and hormonal synchronization with conjugated estrogens and tamoxifen. Patients with pathologic complete response received definitive radiotherapy to the breast and axilla, whereas patients with residual disease underwent mastectomy, lymph node dissection, and radiotherapy. All patients underwent six additional cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy.

RESULTS

OS and EFS were obtained with a median live patient follow-up time of 16.8 years. The 46 IBC patients had a median OS of 3.8 years and EFS of 2.3 years, compared with 12.2 and 9.0 years, respectively, in stage IIIA breast cancer patients. Fifteen-year OS survival was 20% for IBC versus 50% for stage IIIA patients and 23% for stage IIIB non-IBC. Pathologic response was not associated with improved survival for stage IIIA or IBC patients. Presence of dermal lymphatic invasion did not change the probability of survival in clinical IBC patients.

CONCLUSION

Fifteen-year follow-up of stage IIIA and inflammatory breast cancer is rarely reported; IBC patients have a poor long-term outlook.