Metastatic HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Is There an Optimal Sequence of Therapy?

Biobanks in chronic disease management: A comprehensive review of strategies, challenges, and future directions

Biobanks, through the collection and storage of patient blood, tissue, genomic, and other biological samples, provide unique and rich resources for the research and management of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer. These samples contain valuable cellular and molecular level information that can be utilized to decipher the pathogenesis of diseases, guide the development of novel diagnostic technologies, treatment methods, and personalized medical strategies. This article first outlines the historical evolution of biobanks, their classification, and the impact of technological advancements. Subsequently, it elaborates on the significant role of biobanks in revealing molecular biomarkers of chronic diseases, promoting the translation of basic research to clinical applications, and achieving individualized treatment and management. Additionally, challenges such as standardization of sample processing, information privacy, and security are discussed. Finally, from the perspectives of policy support, regulatory improvement, and public participation, this article provides a forecast on the future development directions of biobanks and strategies to address challenges, aiming to safeguard and enhance their unique advantages in supporting chronic disease prevention and treatment.

The efficiency and safety of low-dose apatinib combined with oral vinorelbine in pretreated HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Apatinib is an oral small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor that blocks vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2. Oral vinorelbine is a semisynthetic chemotherapeutic agent of vinorelbine alkaloids. Apatinib and oral vinorelbine have been proved to be effective in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer (mBC). At present, several small sample clinical trials have explored the efficacy of apatinib combined with oral vinorelbine in the treatment of mBC.

METHODS

This retrospective study included 100 human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2)-negative mBC patients who received low-dose apatinib (250 mg orally per day) plus oral vinorelbine until disease progression or intolerance during February 2017 and March 2023. The progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), clinical benefit rate (CBR), disease control rate (DCR), and safety were analyzed by SPSS 26.0 software and GraphPad Prism 8 software. Cox proportional hazards regression model for univariate and multivariate was used to identify factors significantly related to PFS and OS.

RESULTS

The median follow-up time for this study was 38.1 months. Among 100 patients with HER2-negative mBC, 66 were hormone receptor (HR)-positive/HER2-negative and 34 were triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The median PFS and OS were 6.0 months (95% CI, 5.2-6.8 months) and 23.0 months (95% CI, 19.9-26.1 months). There were no statistical differences in PFS (p = 0.239) and OS (p = 0.762) between the HR-positive /HER2-negative and TNBC subgroups. The ORR, CBR, and DCR were 21.0%, 58.0%, and 78.0%, respectively. Ninety-five patients (95.0%) experienced varying grades of adverse events (AEs) and 38.0% of patients for Grades 3-4. The most common Grades 3-4 AEs that we observed were neutropenia (30.0%) and leukopenia (25.0%).

CONCLUSION

Low-dose apatinib combined with oral vinorelbine demonstrates potential efficacy and well tolerated for pretreated HER2-negative mBC.

Unexpected "Lazarus response" to single-agent bevacizumab in heavily pretreated patients with HER2-positive breast cancer

Early clinical trials aimed to halt cancer progression by inhibiting the growth of new blood vessels in tumors through single-agent targeted therapy with bevacizumab. These trials largely proved unsuccessful. However, bevacizumab turned out to be efficient when administered in combination with other anticancer drugs. The efficacy of this approach is explained by the ability of bevacizumab to eliminate immature blood vessels thus normalizing intratumoral blood flow and improving the delivery of cytotoxic or targeted agents. This report describes four cases of heavily pretreated patients with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer, who had no meaningful treatment options left, and who received single-agent bevacizumab as an empirical last-resort therapy. Three of these patients had severe complaints, and they demonstrated striking symptomatic relief within the first day of this treatment. In addition to the observed "Lazarus response", which was likely attributed to the bevacizumab-driven resolution of edema, some evidence of a direct antitumor effect was observed. These data may call for the reconsideration of bevacizumab monotherapy in patients with HER2-associated breast cancer, and perhaps in some other categories of cancer patients.

Exploring the clinical outcomes and safety profile of inetetamab treatment in metastatic breast cancer patients: A multicenter assessment of a Chinese-origin recombinant Anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody

BACKGROUND

Inetetamab is a novel recombinant humanized anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of inetetamab and predictive factors for response in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients.

METHODS

A cohort of HER2-positive MBC patients who received inetetamab-based therapy between June 2020 and August 2021 was evaluated. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS), and the secondary endpoints included objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR). Adverse events (AEs) were graded according to the National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria.

RESULTS

A total of 141 patients were included in the final analysis. The median PFS of the entire cohort was 7.1 months. The median number of treatment lines administered was three. The ORR was 36.9 %, and the DCR was 80.9 %. The most frequently employed treatment strategy was inetetamab + chemotherapy (49/141, 34.8 %), followed by inetetamab + HER2-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (HER2-TKIs) + chemotherapy, inetetamab + pertuzumab + chemotherapy, inetetamab + endocrine treatment and inetetamab + HER2-TKIs. Cox multivariate analysis revealed that PFS was associated with liver metastasis (hazard ratio [HR] 2.112, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.334-3.343, p = 0.001), previous HER2-TKI treatment (HR 2.019, 95 % CI 1.133-3.597, p = 0.017) and estrogen receptor positivity (HR 0.587, 95 % CI 0.370-0.934, p = 0.024). The toxicity was tolerable, with neutropenia being the most common treatment-related grade 3/4 AE (14.9 %).

CONCLUSION

Inetetamab demonstrates effectiveness with a manageable safety profile, offering a promising therapeutic option for HER2-positive breast cancer patients who have shown resistance to prior anti-HER2 treatments.