Effects of Second and Subsequent Lines of Chemotherapy for Metastatic Breast Cancer

Capecitabine monotherapy as first-line treatment in advanced HER2-normal breast cancer - a nationwide, retrospective study

Background and purpose: Capecitabine can be used as first-line treatment for advanced breast cancer. However, real-world data on efficacy of capecitabine in this setting is sparse. The purpose of the study is to evaluate outcomes of patients with Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (HER2)-normal advanced breast cancer treated with capecitabine monotherapy as first-line treatment.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study utilized the Danish Breast Cancer Group (DBCG) database and was conducted retrospectively across all Danish oncology departments. Inclusion criteria were female patients, with HER2-normal advanced breast cancer treated with capecitabine monotherapy as the first-line treatment from 2010 to 2020. The primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS).

RESULTS

A total of 494 patients were included. Median OS was 16.4 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 14.5-18.0), and median PFS was 6.0 months (95% CI: 5.3-6.7). Patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive disease had significantly longer OS (median: 22.8 vs. 10.5 months, p < 0.001) and PFS (median: 7.4 vs. 4.9 months, p = 0.003), when compared to ER-negative patients. Stratifying by age, patients under 45 years displayed a median PFS of 4.1 months, while those aged 45-70 years and over 70 years had median PFS of 5.7 and 7.2 months, respectively (p = 0.01).

INTERPRETATION

 In this nationwide study, the efficacy of capecitabine as a first-line treatment for HER2-normal advanced breast cancer is consistent with other, mainly retrospective, studies. However, when assessed against contemporary and newer treatments, its effectiveness appears inferior to alternative chemotherapies or targeted therapies.

Prognostic Factors for Long-Term Eribulin Response in a Cohort of Patients With HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer

CONTEXT AND AIMS

Eribulin is used in taxane and anthracycline refractory HER2-negative metastatic breast cancers (MBC). Patients treated in pivotal clinical trials achieved low survival rates, therefore, the identification of prognostic criteria for long progression-free survival (PFS) is still an unmet medical need. In this study, we sought to determine potential prognostic criteria for long-term eribulin response in HER2-negative MBC.

METHODS

Our retrospective cohort includes female patients with HER2-negative MBC treated with eribulin in Franche-Comté, France. We defined a long-term response as at least 6 months of eribulin treatment. The primary endpoint was the analysis of criteria that differ according to the progression-free survival. Secondary outcomes concerned overall survival and response rate.

RESULTS

From January 2011 to April 2020, 431 patients treated with eribulin were screened. Of them, 374 patients were included. Median PFS was 3.2 months (2.8-3.7). Eighty-eight patients (23.5%) had a long-term response to eribulin. Four discriminant criteria allowed to separate PFS in 2 arms (PFS < 3 months or > 6 months) with a 78% positive predictive value: histological grade, absence of meningeal metastasis, response to prior chemotherapy, and OMS status. We have developed a nomogram combining these 4 criteria. Median overall survival was 8.5 months (7.0-9.5).

CONCLUSION

Eribulin response in MBC can be driven by clinical and biological factors. Application of our nomogram could assist in the prescription of eribulin.

The role of dacarbazine and temozolomide therapy after treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors in malignant melanoma patients: A case series and meta-analysis

Dacarbazine (DTIC) and its oral counterpart temozolomide (TMZ) have been the most used agents in advanced malignant melanoma (MM) patients and they are still used routinely. The preferred first line treatment, immune checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs) might shape the tumor and the tumor microenvironment, possibly affecting the response to subsequent therapies. The aim of this study was to investigate the treatment effect of DTIC/TMZ in MM patients after CPI therapy in a consecutive patient cohort and through systematic literature review and meta-analysis. Thirty-five patients with advanced MM treated with DTIC/TMZ after previous CPI therapy in three Swedish regions between 2017 and 2021 were recognized and seven case series studies were identified through systematic database review. Pooled data from all 345 patients showed a median real-world progression-free survival (rwPFS) of 1.9 months and overall survival (OS) of 6.0 months. Three of these studies were included in a meta-analysis comparing DTIC/TMZ after CPI treatment, versus no previous immunotherapy, showing no statistically significant differences in rwPFS or OS but higher real-world response rate to chemotherapy for the prior-CPI treated group (Odds Ratio: 2.24; 95% Confidence Interval: 1.04-4.86). The current study supports consideration of DTIC/TMZ in later line of treatment in the immunotherapy era.

Shifting Treatment Paradigms: Improvements in HR-Positive, HER-2- Negative Breast Cancer Care in Poland from a Clinical Perspective

Patients with hormone-receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer constitute about 70% of the breast cancer population. About 35% of these patients develop distant metastases and their treatment will be palliative. Cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) inhibitors were shown to significantly improve the outcomes of these patients. In combination with endocrine therapy, they have become the standard first-line treatment for HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer. In Poland, treatment with CDK4/6 inhibitors is reimbursed only for patients participating in the drug program of the Ministry of Health. However, fulfilling the eligibility criteria for the program may be challenging both for patients and for clinicians. This may lead to a delay in treatment with CDK4/6 inhibitors or a decision to use older and less effective drugs that are more widely available. The aim of this review was to compare the efficacy of first-line therapies in patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer depending on the use of CDK4/6 inhibitors. We compared the efficacy of previous standard therapies with that of ribociclib, a CDK4/6 inhibitor, based on the median progression-free survival (PFS) as an outcome. Median PFS is not affected by the efficacy of subsequent treatment lines and is easy to interpret both for clinicians and for patients. The first-line treatment with chemotherapy or endocrine therapy (without CDK4/6 inhibitors) prolongs median PFS by several months and even to over a dozen months. The first-line treatment with endocrine therapy plus CDK4/6 inhibitors provides an opportunity to achieve a median PFS of more than 25 months and to prolong it by about 9 to 14 months.

Effect of prior treatments on post-CDK 4/6 inhibitor survival in hormone receptor-positive breast cancer

PURPOSE

Multiple treatment options exist for patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). However, limited information is available on the impact of prior treatment duration and class on survival outcome for novel therapies, such as cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) for patients with hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HR+ HER2-) MBC.

METHODS

This study used a nationwide, de-identified electronic health record-derived database to identify women with HR+ HER2- MBC who received at least one CDK 4/6i between 2011 and 2020. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated for the association between prior duration and class of cancer treatment (both early-stage and metastatic) and prior CDK 4/6i survival as well as for those with multiple CDK 4/6i.

RESULTS

Of 5363 patients, the median survival from first CDK 4/6 inhibitor administration was 3.3 years. When compared to patients with no prior treatments, patients with < 1 year of prior treatment duration had a 30% increased hazard of death (HR, 1.30; 95% CI 1.15-1.46), those with 1 to < 3 years a 68% increased hazard of death (HR 1.68; 95% CI 1.49-1.88), and those with 3 or more years a 55% increased hazard of death (HR 1.55; 95% CI 1.36, 1.76). Patients who received prior therapy (endocrine or chemotherapy) before their CDK 4/6i had worse outcomes than those who received no prior therapy. Similar results were seen when comparing patients in the metastatic setting alone. Finally, patients who received a different CDK 4/6i after their first saw a lower hazard of death compared to patients who received subsequent endocrine or chemotherapy after their first CDK 4/6i.

CONCLUSION

Prior treatment duration and class are associated with a decreased overall survival after CDK 4/6 inhibitor administration. This highlights the importance for clinicians to consider prior treatment and duration in treatment decision-making and for trialists to stratify by these factors when randomizing patients or reporting results of future studies.

METTL3 depletion contributes to tumour progression and drug resistance via N6 methyladenosine-dependent mechanism in HR+HER2-breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Chemotherapy is an important strategy for the treatment of hormone receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HR+HER2-) breast cancer (BC), but this subtype has a low response rate to chemotherapy. Growing evidence indicates that N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A) is the most common RNA modification in eukaryotic cells and that methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) participates in tumour progression in several cancer types. Therefore, exploring the function of METTL3 in HR+HER2- BC initiation and development is still important.

METHODS

mRNA and protein expression levels were analysed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blotting, respectively. Cell proliferation was detected by CCK-8 and colony formation assays. Cell cycle progression was assessed by flow cytometry. Cell migration and invasion were analysed by wound healing assays and transwell assays, respectively, and apoptosis was analysed by TUNEL assays. Finally, m⁶A modification was analysed by methylated RNA immunoprecipitation.

RESULTS

Chemotherapy-induced downregulation of the m⁶A modification is regulated by METTL3 depletion in HR+HER2- BC. METTL3 knockdown in MCF-7/T47D cells decreased the drug sensitivity of HR+HER2- BC cells by promoting tumour proliferation and migration and inhibiting apoptosis. Mechanistically, CDKN1A is a downstream target of METTL3 that activates the AKT pathway and promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT). Moreover, a decrease in BAX expression was observed when m⁶A modification was inhibited with METTL3 knockdown, and apoptosis was inhibited by the reduction of caspase-3/-9/-8.

CONCLUSION

METTL3 depletion promotes the proliferation and migration and decreases the drug sensitivity of HR+HER2- BC via regulation of the CDKN1A/EMT and m⁶A-BAX/caspase-9/-3/-8 signalling pathways, which suggests METTL3 played a tumour-suppressor role and it could be a potential biomarker for predicting the prognosis of patients with HR+HER2- BC.

Clinical Efficacy and Whole-Exome Sequencing of Liquid Biopsies in a Phase IB/II Study of Bazedoxifene and Palbociclib in Advanced Hormone Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer

PURPOSE

Sensitivity to endocrine therapy (ET) is critical for the clinical benefit from the combination of palbociclib plus ET in hormone receptor-positive/HER2-negative (HR+/HER2-) advanced breast cancer. Bazedoxifene is a third-generation selective estrogen receptor (ER) modulator and selective ER degrader with activity in preclinical models of endocrine-resistant breast cancer, including models harboring ESR1 mutations. Clinical trials in healthy women showed that bazedoxifene is well tolerated.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We conducted a phase Ib/II study of bazedoxifene plus palbociclib in patients with HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer who progressed on prior ET (N = 36; NCT02448771).

RESULTS

The study met its primary endpoint, with a clinical benefit rate of 33.3%, and the safety profile was consistent with what has previously been seen with palbociclib monotherapy. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 3.6 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 2.0-7.2]. An activating PIK3CA mutation at baseline was associated with a shorter PFS (HR = 4.4; 95% CI, 1.5-13; P = 0.0026), but activating ESR1 mutations did not impact the PFS. Longitudinal plasma circulating tumor DNA whole-exome sequencing (WES; N = 68 plasma samples) provided an overview of the tumor heterogeneity and the subclonal genetic evolution, and identified actionable mutations acquired during treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

The combination of palbociclib and bazedoxifene has clinical efficacy and an acceptable safety profile in a heavily pretreated patient population with advanced HR+/HER2- breast cancer. These results merit continued investigation of bazedoxifene in breast cancer.

Sacituzumab Govitecan-hziy in Breast Cancer

Trophoblast cell-surface antigen-2 (Trop-2) is a transmembrane calcium signal transducer and its overexpression is common in many types of malignant epithelial tumors, including breast cancer (BC). Sacituzumab govitecan-hziy (SG), the anti-Trop-2 antibody-drug conjugate, resulted in a significant survival benefit over chemotherapy in patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC). The greatest efficacy was observed in those who had a medium or high Trop-2 score. However, the importance of Trop-2 as a potential predictive factor requires further research. Elderly patients also appear to benefit from treating with SG. While the early results are encouraging, the ultimate benefit of SG in patients with brain metastases has yet to be determined. Early phase studies have shown that SG is also active in hormone receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HR+/HER2-) metastatic BC. The most common side effects of SG are nausea, neutropenia and diarrhea. Currently, several clinical trials are in progress with SG in monotherapy and in combination treatment for various types of BC. Taken together, SG should be considered as a new standard of care in patients with pretreated mTNBC. This review summarizes the development and highlights recent advances of the SG in BC.

Palliative chemotherapy for breast cancer: A population-based cohort study of emergency hospital admissions and place of death

OBJECTIVE

Patients with incurable breast cancer may be treated with chemotherapy to improve cancer-related symptoms, quality of life and survival. We examined the association between use of palliative chemotherapy towards the end of life in breast cancer patients and outcomes including unplanned hospital admission and place of death.

METHODS

A total of 10,966 women, treated with palliative chemotherapy for breast cancer (diagnosed 1995-2017 in England) within the 2 years prior to death (death between 2014 and 2017), were analysed. Logistic regression (outcome = emergency hospital admission in last 90 days of life yes/no; outcome = place of death hospital/other) was performed, adjusting for line of palliative chemotherapy in the last 90 days of life and patient demographics.

RESULTS

The odds of hospital admission reduced with increasing line of chemotherapy received (1st line odds ratio [OR] = 2.7, 2nd line OR = 2.1, 3rd line OR = 1.9, 4th+ line OR = 1.7; baseline chemotherapy) in last 90 days of life. A similar relationship was observed for hospital death (1st line OR = 2.4, 2nd line OR = 2.1, 3rd line OR = 1.7, 4th+ line OR = 1.5).

CONCLUSION

This study finds palliative chemotherapy towards the end of life to be associated with increased odds of unplanned hospital admissions and hospital death. These findings can be used to inform discussions between patients and healthcare professionals towards the end of life.

Impact of the line of treatment on progression-free survival in patients treated with T-DM1 for metastatic breast cancer

Background

Trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) is indicated as second-line treatment for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive metastatic or unresectable locally advanced breast cancer, after progression on trastuzumab and a taxane-based chemotherapy.

We wished to determine if the line of treatment in which T-DM1 is administered has an impact on progression-free survival (PFS) and in particular, if prior treatment with capecitabine/lapatinib or pertuzumab modifies PFS of further treatment with T-DM1.

Patients and methods

We performed a multicenter retrospective study in 3 Belgian institutions. We evaluated PFS with T-DM1 in patients treated for HER2 positive metastatic or locally advanced unresectable breast cancer between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2016.

Results

We included 51 patients. The median PFS was 9.01 months. The line of treatment in which T-DM1 (1st line, 2nd line, 3rd line or 4+ lines) was administered had no influence on PFS (hazard ratio 0.979, CI95: 0.835–1.143).

There was no significant difference in PFS whether or not patients had received prior treatment with capecitabine/lapatinib (9.17 vs 5.56 months, p-value 0.875).

But, patients who received pertuzumab before T-DM1 tended to exhibit a shorter PFS (3.55 months for T-DM1 after pertuzumab vs 9.50 months for T-DM1 without pretreatment with pertuzumab), even if this difference was not statistically significant (p-value 0.144).

Conclusion

Unlike with conventional chemotherapy, the line of treatment in which T-DM1 is administered does not influence PFS in our cohort of patients with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer.

Objective Response to First-Line Treatment as a Predictor of Overall Survival in Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Retrospective Analysis from Two Centers over a 25-Year Period

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> The purpose of this study was to study the efficacy of subsequent treatment lines for metastatic breast cancer (MBC), as well as the association between radiologic objective response rate (ORR) and overall survival (OS). <b><i>Methods:</i></b> In this retrospective study, consecutive patients treated for MBC in two centers in Greece from January 1, 1992, to December 31, 2016, were identified and clinicopathologic data regarding tumor characteristics and administered treatments were collected. The efficacy per treatment line in terms of ORR, progression-free survival (PFS) and OS, as well as the prognostic value of ORR at first line were investigated. <b><i>Results:</i></b> A total of 977 patients with MBC were identified; 950 received any treatment. At first line, ORR was 43.5%, PFS 11.4 months (95% CI 10.4–12.4), and median OS 52.4 months (95% CI 47.7–57.1). Lower ORR and shorter PFS were observed with each subsequent line. Median OS was significantly longer for patients that had an objective response at first line, 61.9 months (95% CI 51.1–69.7) for responders versus 41.3 months (95% CI 44.1–63.3) for nonresponders (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001). In multivariable analysis, failure to achieve an objective response was an independent predictor of poor survival (hazard ratio 1.70, 95% CI 1.34–2.15, <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001). <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Late treatment lines for MBC seem to have limited efficacy, while response to first-line therapy is associated with long-term survival. The latter should be considered in the treatment strategy of patients with MBC.

Healthcare Use during the Last Six Months of Life in Patients with Advanced Breast Cancer

Simple Summary

In the last decades, new treatment options for advanced (breast) cancer have resulted in increased use of health care resources near the end of life. We assessed health care use near the end of life of patients with advanced breast cancer (ABC). In this study, we have shown that ICU admission, and CPR occurred rarely during the last six months of life of ABC patients. However, hospital admissions occurred often, especially in patients who received new chemotherapy within 30 days of end of life. Those patients were also more likely to die in the hospital. However, death was most often due to disease progression. To improve quality of life near the end of life of advanced breast cancer patients, it is vital to develop tools to help clinicians identify those patients who will benefit from chemotherapy at the end of life.

Abstract

New treatment options in cancer have resulted in increased use of health care resources near the end of life. We assessed health care use near the end of life of patients with advanced breast cancer (ABC). From the Southeast Netherlands Breast cancer (SONABRE) registry, we selected all deceased patients diagnosed with ABC in Maastricht University Medical Center between January 2007 and October 2017. Frequency of health care use in the last six months of life was described and predictors for health care use were assessed. Of 203 patients, 76% were admitted during the last six months, 6% to the intensive care unit (ICU) and 2% underwent cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Death in hospital occurred in 25%. Nine percent of patients received a new line of chemotherapy ≤30 days before death, which was associated with age <65 years and <1 year survival since diagnosis of metastases. In these patients, the hospital admission rate was 95%, of which 79% died in the hospital, mostly due to progressive disease (80%). In conclusion, the frequency of ICU-admission, CPR or a new line of chemotherapy ≤30 days before death was low. Most patients receiving a new line of chemotherapy ≤30 days before death, died in the hospital.

PRO B: evaluating the effect of an alarm-based patient-reported outcome monitoring compared with usual care in metastatic breast cancer patients-study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Background

Despite the progress of research and treatment for breast cancer, still up to 30% of the patients afflicted will develop distant disease. Elongation of survival and maintaining the quality of life (QoL) become pivotal issues guiding the treatment decisions. One possible approach to optimise survival and QoL is the use of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) to timely identify acute disease-related burden. We present the protocol of a trial that investigates the effect of real-time PRO data captured with electronic mobile devices on QoL in female breast cancer patients with metastatic disease.

Methods

This study is a randomised, controlled trial with 1:1 randomisation between two arms. A total of 1000 patients will be recruited in 40 selected breast cancer centres. Patients in the intervention arm receive a weekly request via an app to complete the PRO survey. Symptoms will be assessed by study-specific optimised short forms based on the EORTC QLQ-C30 domains using items from the EORTC CAT item banks. In case of deteriorating PRO scores, an alarm is sent to the treating study centre as well as to the PRO B study office. Following the alarm, the treating breast cancer centre is required to contact the patient to inquire about the reported symptoms and to intervene, if necessary. The intervention is not specified and depends on the clinical need determined by the treating physician. Patients in the control arm are prompted by the app every 3 months to participate in the PRO survey, but their response will not trigger an alarm. The primary outcome is the fatigue level 6 months after enrolment. Secondary endpoints include among others hospitalisations, use of rescue services and overall QoL.

Discussion

Within the PRO B intervention group, we expect lower fatigue levels 6 months after intervention start, higher levels of QoL, less unplanned hospitalisations and less emergency room visits compared to controls. In case of positive results, our approach would allow a fast and easy transfer into clinical practice due to the use of the already nationwide existing IT infrastructure of the German Cancer Society and the independent certification institute OnkoZert.

Trial registration

DRKS (German Clinical Trials Register) DRKS00024015. Registered on 15 February 2021

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13063-021-05642-6.

Efficacy of tucatinib for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer after HER2-targeted therapy: a network meta-analysis

Aim: A systematic literature review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials in patients receiving therapy for HER2+ unresectable/metastatic breast cancer after ≥1 HER2-directed therapy was conducted to compare progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Methods: Hazard ratios (HRs) and relative differences from fractional polynomials (FPs) for PFS and OS were assessed by Bayesian network meta-analyses. Results: For PFS, surface under the cumulative rankogram (SUCRA) ranked tucatinib plus trastuzumab with capecitabine as highest in both HR and FP analyses, followed by T-DM1 monotherapy and neratinib plus capecitabine. For OS, SUCRA ranked tucatinib plus trastuzumab with capecitabine as highest in both HR and FP analyses, followed by pertuzumab plus trastuzumab with capecitabine and T-DM1 monotherapy, with similar scores. Conclusion: Tucatinib plus trastuzumab with capecitabine, and T-DM1 monotherapy, consistently showed improved PFS and OS versus lapatinib/trastuzumab plus capecitabine and non-targeted treatments.

Functional capacity of women with breast neoplasm undergoing palliative chemotherapy

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the functional capacity of women with breast neoplasm undergoing palliative chemotherapy.

METHOD

Cross-sectional study with an analysis of medical records of women with breast cancer undergoing palliative chemotherapy.

RESULTS

Out of one hundred evaluated records, most registered 50 years or older (66%), primary education (53%), an income of 1 to 2 minimum wages (87%), invasive ductal carcinoma (95%), positive hormone receptor (64%), and histological grade 1 and 2 (57%). Performance status 0 (49%), 1 (39%), and 2 (12%) were prevalent; these imply, respectively, active patients, with mild and moderate activity restriction. One to four chemotherapy schemes were associated with the inappetence (p =0.00) and weight loss (p =0.001) symptoms. The main complications were neuropathy (31%), medullary compression syndrome (21%), neutropenia (9%), and death (28%).

CONCLUSION

Out of the analyzed women, 88% presented functional capacity 0 and 1, had no or mild restriction of daily activities, were multiply treated, and manifested manageable symptoms. Others, however, presented moderate to severe clinical complications during the treatment, progressing to exclusive palliative care or death.

An Overview of PARP Inhibitors for the Treatment of Breast Cancer

Loss-of-function mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 are detected in at least 5% of unselected patients with breast cancer (BC). These BC susceptibility genes encode proteins critical for DNA homologous recombination repair (HRR). This review provides an update on oral poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors for the treatment of BC. Olaparib and talazoparib are PARP inhibitors approved as monotherapies for deleterious/suspected deleterious germline BRCA-mutated, HER2-negative BC. Olaparib is approved in the USA for metastatic BC and in Europe for locally advanced/metastatic BC. Talazoparib is approved for locally advanced/metastatic BC in the USA and Europe. In phase 3 trials, olaparib and talazoparib monotherapies demonstrated significant progression-free survival benefits compared with chemotherapy. Common toxicities were effectively managed by supportive treatment and dose interruptions/reductions. Veliparib combined with platinum-based chemotherapy has also shown promise for locally advanced/metastatic BC in a phase 3 trial. Differences in efficacy and safety across PARP inhibitors (olaparib, talazoparib, veliparib, niraparib, rucaparib) may relate to differences in potency of PARP trapping on DNA and cytotoxic specificity. PARP inhibitors are being investigated in early BC, in novel combinations, and in patients without germline BRCA mutations, including those with somatic BRCA mutations and other HRR gene mutations. Ongoing phase 2/3 studies include PARP inhibitors combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors for the treatment of triple-negative BC. Wider access to testing for BRCA and other mutations, and to genetic counseling, are required to identify patients who could benefit from PARP inhibitor therapy. The advent of PARP inhibitors has potential benefits for BC treatment beyond the locally advanced/metastatic setting.

Outcome beyond third-line chemotherapy for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer in the French ESME program

Purpose

Among metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients, those with a triple-negative breast cancer phenotype (mTNBC) have the worst prognosis, but the benefit of chemotherapy beyond second line on outcome remains uncertain. The purpose of this study was to identify predictive factors of outcome after third- or fourth-line chemotherapy.

Methods

The ESME-MBC database is a French prospective real-life cohort with homogeneous data collection, including patients who initiated first-line treatment for MBC (2008–2016) in 18 cancer centers. After selection of mTNBC cases, we searched for independent predictive factors (Cox proportional-hazards regression models) for overall survival (OS) on third- and fourth-line chemotherapy (OS3, OS4). We built prognostic nomograms based on the main prognostic factors identified.

Results

Of the 22,266 MBC cases in the ESME cohort, 2903 were mTNBC, 1074 (37%) and 598 (20%) of which had received at least 3 or 4 lines of chemotherapy. PFS after first- and second-line chemotherapy (PFS1, PFS2) and number of metastatic sites ≥3 at baseline were identified by multivariate analysis as prognostic factors for both OS3 (HR = 0.76 95%CI[0.66–0.88], HR = 0.55 95%CI[0.46–0.65], HR = 1.36 95%CI[1.14–1.62], respectively), and OS4 (HR = 0.76 95%CI[0.63–0.91], HR = 0.56 95%CI[0.45–0.7], HR = 1.37 95%CI[1.07–1.74]), respectively. In addition, metastasis-free interval was identified as a prognostic factor for OS3 (p = 0.01), while PFS3 influenced OS4 (HR = 0.75 95%CI[0.57–0.98]). Nomograms predicting OS3 and OS4 achieved a C-index of 0.62 and 0.61, respectively.

Conclusion

The duration of each previous PFS is a major prognostic factor for OS in mTNBC patients receiving third- or fourth-line chemotherapy. The clinical utility of nomograms including this information was not demonstrated.

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After 3rd- or 4th-line therapy, PFS remained linear in the majority of women with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer.

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The duration of each previous PFS had an impact on the OS associated with subsequent lines.

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PFS2 was more strongly predictive of outcome than PFS1 for third-line therapy.

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PFS2 and PFS3 had an impact on outcome irrespective of PFS1 for fourth-line therapy.

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The clinical utility of nomograms including duration of each previous PFS to predict OS was not sufficient.

Triplet Therapy with Palbociclib, Taselisib, and Fulvestrant in PIK3CA-Mutant Breast Cancer and Doublet Palbociclib and Taselisib in Pathway-Mutant Solid Cancers

Cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) and PI3K inhibitors synergize in PIK3CA-mutant ER-positive HER2-negative breast cancer models. We conducted a phase Ib trial investigating the safety and efficacy of doublet CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib plus selective PI3K inhibitor taselisib in advanced solid tumors, and triplet palbociclib plus taselisib plus fulvestrant in 25 patients with PIK3CA-mutant, ER-positive HER2-negative advanced breast cancer. The triplet therapy response rate in PIK3CA-mutant, ER-positive HER2-negative cancer was 37.5% [95% confidence interval (CI), 18.8-59.4]. Durable disease control was observed in PIK3CA-mutant ER-negative breast cancer and other solid tumors with doublet therapy. Both combinations were well tolerated at pharmacodynamically active doses. In the triplet group, high baseline cyclin E1 expression associated with shorter progression-free survival (PFS; HR = 4.2; 95% CI, 1.3-13.1; P = 0.02). Early circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) dynamics demonstrated high on-treatment ctDNA association with shorter PFS (HR = 5.2; 95% CI, 1.4-19.4; P = 0.04). Longitudinal plasma ctDNA sequencing provided genomic evolution evidence during triplet therapy. SIGNIFICANCE: The triplet of palbociclib, taselisib, and fulvestrant has promising efficacy in patients with heavily pretreated PIK3CA-mutant ER-positive HER2-negative advanced breast cancer. A subset of patients with PIK3CA-mutant triple-negative breast cancer derived clinical benefit from palbociclib and taselisib doublet, suggesting a potential nonchemotherapy targeted approach for this population.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 1.

Combination Strategies to Improve Targeted Radionuclide Therapy

In recent years, targeted radionuclide therapy (TRT) has emerged as a promising strategy for cancer treatment. In contrast to conventional radiotherapy, TRT delivers ionizing radiation to tumors in a targeted manner, reducing the dose that healthy tissues are exposed to. Existing TRT strategies include the use of 177Lu-DOTATATE, 131I-metaiodobenzylguanidine, Bexxar, and Zevalin, clinically approved agents for the treatment of neuroendocrine tumors, neuroblastoma, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, respectively. Although promising results have been obtained with these agents, clinical evidence acquired to date suggests that only a small percentage of patients achieves complete response. Consequently, there have been attempts to improve TRT outcomes through combinations with other therapeutic agents; such strategies include administering concurrent TRT and chemotherapy, and the use of TRT with known or putative radiosensitizers such as poly(adenosine diphosphate ribose) polymerase and mammalian-target-of-rapamycin inhibitors. In addition to potentially achieving greater therapeutic effects than the respective monotherapies, these strategies may lead to lower dosages or numbers of cycles required and, in turn, reduce unwanted toxicities. As of now, several clinical trials have been conducted to assess the benefits of TRT-based combination therapies, sometimes despite limited preclinical evidence being available in the public domain to support their use. Although some clinical trials have yielded promising results, others have shown no clear survival benefit from particular combination treatments. Here, we present a comprehensive review of combination strategies with TRT reported in the literature to date and evaluate their therapeutic potential.

Sacituzumab govitecan in previously treated hormone receptor-positive/HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer: final results from a phase I/II, single-arm, basket trial

BACKGROUND

Trophoblast cell-surface antigen-2 (Trop-2) is expressed in epithelial cancers, including hormone receptor-positive (HR+) metastatic breast cancer (mBC). Sacituzumab govitecan (SG; Trodelvy®) is an antibody-drug conjugate composed of a humanized anti-Trop-2 monoclonal antibody coupled to SN-38 at a high drug-to-antibody ratio via a unique hydrolyzable linker that delivers SN-38 intracellularly and in the tumor microenvironment. SG was granted accelerated FDA approval for metastatic triple-negative BC treatment in April 2020.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We analyzed a prespecified subpopulation of patients with HR+/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-) HR+/HER2- mBC from the phase I/II, single-arm trial (NCT01631552), who received intravenous SG (10 mg/kg) and whose disease progressed on endocrine-based therapy and at least one prior chemotherapy for mBC. End points included objective response rate (ORR; RECIST version 1.1) assessed locally, duration of response (DOR), clinical benefit rate, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety.

RESULTS

Fifty-four women were enrolled between 13 February 2015 and 1 June 2017. Median (range) age was 54 (33-79) years and all received at least two prior lines of therapy for mBC. At data cut-off (1 March 2019), 12 patients were still alive. Key grade ≥3 treatment-related toxicities included neutropenia (50.0%), anemia (11.1%), and diarrhea (7.4%). Two patients discontinued treatment due to treatment-related adverse events. No treatment-related deaths occurred. At a median follow-up of 11.5 months, the ORR was 31.5% [95% confidence interval (CI), 19.5%-45.6%; 17 partial responses]; median DOR was 8.7 months (95% CI 3.7-12.7), median PFS was 5.5 months (95% CI 3.6-7.6), and median OS was 12 months (95% CI 9.0-18.2).

CONCLUSIONS

SG shows encouraging activity in patients with pretreated HR+/HER2- mBC and a predictable, manageable safety profile. Further evaluation in a randomized phase III trial (TROPiCS-02) is ongoing (NCT03901339).

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01631552; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01631552.

Machine learning model to predict oncologic outcomes for drugs in randomized clinical trials

Predicting oncologic outcome is challenging due to the diversity of cancer histologies and the complex network of underlying biological factors. In this study, we determine whether machine learning (ML) can extract meaningful associations between oncologic outcome and clinical trial, drug-related biomarker and molecular profile information. We analyzed therapeutic clinical trials corresponding to 1102 oncologic outcomes from 104 758 cancer patients with advanced colorectal adenocarcinoma, pancreatic adenocarcinoma, melanoma and nonsmall-cell lung cancer. For each intervention arm, a dataset with the following attributes was curated: line of treatment, the number of cytotoxic chemotherapies, small-molecule inhibitors, or monoclonal antibody agents, drug class, molecular alteration status of the clinical arm's population, cancer type, probability of drug sensitivity (PDS) (integrating the status of genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic biomarkers in the population of interest) and outcome. A total of 467 progression-free survival (PFS) and 369 overall survival (OS) data points were used as training sets to build our ML (random forest) model. Cross-validation sets were used for PFS and OS, obtaining correlation coefficients (r) of 0.82 and 0.70, respectively (outcome vs model's parameters). A total of 156 PFS and 110 OS data points were used as test sets. The Spearman correlation (r_s ) between predicted and actual outcomes was statistically significant (PFS: r_s = 0.879, OS: r_s = 0.878, P < .0001). The better outcome arm was predicted in 81% (PFS: N = 59/73, z = 5.24, P < .0001) and 71% (OS: N = 37/52, z = 2.91, P = .004) of randomized trials. The success of our algorithm to predict clinical outcome may be exploitable as a model to optimize clinical trial design with pharmaceutical agents.

Understanding Breast cancer: from conventional therapies to repurposed drugs

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and is considered a developed country disease. Moreover, is a heterogenous disease, existing different types and stages of breast cancer development, therefore, better understanding of cancer biology, helps to improve the development of therapies. The conventional treatments accessible after diagnosis, have the main goal of controlling the disease, by improving survival. In more advance stages the aim is to prolong life and symptom palliation care. Surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy are the main options available, which must be adapted to each person individually. However, patients are developing resistance to the conventional therapies. This resistance is due to alterations in important regulatory pathways such as PI3K/AKt/mTOR, this pathway contributes to trastuzumab resistance, a reference drug to treat breast cancer. Therefore, is proposed the repurposing of drugs, instead of developing drugs de novo, for example, to seek new medical treatments within the drugs available, to be used in breast cancer treatment. Providing safe and tolerable treatments to patients, and new insights to efficacy and efficiency of breast cancer treatments. The economic and social burden of cancer is enormous so it must be taken measures to relieve this burden and to ensure continued access to therapies to all patients. In this review we focus on how conventional therapies against breast cancer are leading to resistance, by reviewing those mechanisms and discussing the efficacy of repurposed drugs to fight breast cancer.

Secondary analyses of the randomized phase III Stop&Go study: efficacy of second-line intermittent versus continuous chemotherapy in HER2-negative advanced breast cancer

Background: Previously, we showed that reintroduction of the same (first-line) chemotherapy at progression could only partially make up for the loss in efficacy as compared to continuously delivered first-line chemotherapy. Here, we report the probability of starting second-line study chemotherapy in the Stop&Go trial, and the progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of patients who received both the first- and second-line treatment in an intermittent versus continuous schedule.Methods: First-line chemotherapy comprised paclitaxel plus bevacizumab, second-line capecitabine or non-pegylated liposomal doxorubicin, given per treatment line as two times four cycles (intermittent) or as eight consecutive cycles (continuous).Results: Of the 420 patients who started first-line treatment within the Stop&Go trial (210:210), a total of 270 patients continued on second-line study treatment (64% of all), which consisted of capecitabine in 201 patients and of non-pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in 69 patients, evenly distributed between the treatment arms. Median PFS was 3.7 versus 5.0 months (HR 1.07; 95% CI: 0.82-1.38) and median OS 10.9 versus 12.4 months (HR 1.27; 95% CI: 0.98-1.66) for intermittent versus continuous second-line chemotherapy. Second-line PFS was positively influenced by prior hormonal therapy for metastatic disease and longer first-line PFS duration, while triple-negative tumor status had a negative influence. Patients with a shorter time to progression (TTP) in first-line (≤10 months) had a higher probability of starting second-line treatment if they received intermittent compared to continuous chemotherapy (OR 1.97; 95% CI: 1.02-3.80).Conclusion: We recommend continuous scheduling of both the first- and second-line chemotherapy for advanced breast cancer.

The role of chemotherapy in treatment of advanced breast cancer: an overview for clinical practice

This review aims to evaluate the role of chemotherapy-containing regimens in the treatment of advanced breast cancer (ABC), with the purpose to optimize selection, sequencing and duration of treatment with the currently available agents for clinical practice. Data from observational as well as randomized phase II and III studies were included. Chemotherapy yielded a median overall survival (OS) of 2 years in registration studies, with comparable efficacy of different agents. Combining chemotherapy agents did not yield OS improvement and caused greater toxicity compared with single-agent chemotherapy. Continuing chemotherapy till progression or unacceptable toxicity generated greater efficacy without detrimental impact on quality of life compared with a limited amount of cycles. In real-world studies, benefits after third-line chemotherapy were modest compared with first- and second-line. Furthermore, effects of previous chemotherapy predicted effects of next-line therapy in real-world. Physicians increasingly prescribed capecitabine or taxanes as first- or second-line chemotherapy over time.

Prior acquired resistance to paclitaxel relays diverse EGFR-targeted therapy persistence mechanisms

Secondary drug resistance stems from dynamic clonal evolution during the development of a prior primary resistance. This collateral type of resistance is often a characteristic of cancer recurrence. Yet, mechanisms that drive this collateral resistance and their drug-specific trajectories are still poorly understood. Using resistance selection and small-scale pharmacological screens, we find that cancer cells with primary acquired resistance to the microtubule-stabilizing drug paclitaxel often develop tolerance to epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs), leading to formation of more stable resistant cell populations. We show that paclitaxel-resistant cancer cells follow distinct selection paths under EGFR-TKIs by enriching the stemness program, developing a highly glycolytic adaptive stress response, and rewiring an apoptosis control pathway. Collectively, our work demonstrates the alterations in cellular state stemming from paclitaxel failure that result in collateral resistance to EGFR-TKIs and points to new exploitable vulnerabilities during resistance evolution in the second-line treatment setting.

Treatment According to a Comprehensive Molecular Profiling Can Lead to a Better Outcome in Heavily Pretreated Patients With Metastatic Cancer: Data of a Pooled Analysis

PURPOSE

Improvements in systemic treatment have led to a prolongation of survival and quality of life in patients with metastatic tumors in recent years. However, despite this improved standard of care, it is expected that the progression-free survival (PFS) for patients with refractory cancers will continue to decline over subsequent therapy lines. In those patients, studies and meta-analyses showed that treatment based on multiplatform molecular profiling (MMP) of tumor tissue may derive a clinical benefit. The aim of this study was to analyze if molecular-based therapy may prolong PFS compared with the PFS of the immediately prior therapy.

METHODS

We pooled clinical data of 140 patients treated within 3 recently conducted pilot studies and included an additional 21 patients who were treated within the ongoing ONCO-T-PROFILE program. The PFS of the molecular-based treatment was compared with the PFS of the previous therapy using Kaplan-Meier curves.

RESULTS

In heavily pretreated cancer patients, the PFS could be significantly improved using molecular-based treatment options (120.0 vs. 89.5 days). More than 50% of patients showed a clinical benefit from MMP-guided therapy as defined by a PFS ratio of 1.3 or greater.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that pretreated cancer patients can benefit from incorporation of molecular profiling, as demonstrated by not only an increase of the PFS ratio but also PFS. Further randomized trials in specific tumor subtypes may help establish specific patient populations who might benefit most from MMP guidance.

Ixazomib in combination with carboplatin in pretreated women with advanced triple-negative breast cancer, a phase I/II trial of the AGMT (AGMT MBC-10 trial)

Background

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) comprises a heterogeneous group of diseases which are generally associated with poor prognosis. Up to now, no targeted treatment beyond anti-VEGF therapy has been approved for TNBC and cytotoxic agents remain the mainstay of treatment. Ixazomib is a selective and reversible inhibitor of the proteasome, which has been mainly investigated in the treatment of multiple myeloma. In a preclinical study TNBC cells were treated with the first-generation proteasome inhibitor bortezomib in combination with cisplatin and synergistic efficacy was demonstrated. Clinical data are available for carboplatin plus bortezomib in metastatic ovarian and lung cancers showing remarkable antitumor activity and good tolerability (Mol Cancer 11:26 2012, J Thorac Oncol 4:87–92 2009, J Thorac Oncol 7:1032–1040, 2012). Based on this evidence, the phase I/II MBC-10 trial will evaluate the toxicity profile and efficacy of the second-generation proteasome inhibitor ixazomib in combination with carboplatin in patients with advanced TNBC.

Methods

Patients with metastatic TNBC pretreated with at least one prior line of chemotherapy for advanced disease with a confirmed disease progression and measurable disease according to RECIST criteria 1.1 are eligible for this study. Patients will receive ixazomib in combination with carboplatin on days 1, 8, and 15 in a 28-day cycle. The phase I part of this study utilizes an alternate dose escalation accelerated titration design. After establishing the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), the efficacy and safety of the combination will be further evaluated (phase II, including 41 evaluable patients). All patients will continue on study drugs until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity or discontinuation for any other reason. Primary endpoint of the phase II is overall response rate, secondary endpoints include progression-free survival, safety, and quality of life. This trial is open for patient enrollment since November 2016 in six Austrian cancer centers. Accrual is planned to be completed within 2 years.

Discussion

Based on preclinical and clinical findings an ixazomib and carboplatin combination is thought to be effective in metastatic TNBC patients. The MBC-10 trial is accompanied by a broad biomarker program investigating predictive biomarkers for treatment response and potential resistance mechanisms to the investigational drug combination.

Trial registration

EudraCT Number: 2016–001421-13 received on March 31, 2016, ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02993094 first posted on December 15, 2016. This trial was registered prospectively.

Is progression-free survival a more relevant endpoint than overall survival in first-line HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer?

BACKGROUND

Hormone receptor-positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-), metastatic breast cancer (MBC) accounts for 73% of all MBCs. Endocrine therapy (ET) is the basis of first-line (1L) therapy for patients with HR+/HER2- MBC. Novel therapies have demonstrated improvements in progression-free survival (PFS) compared to ET. The clinical relevance of PFS is being debated, as there is no proven direct correlation with overall survival (OS) benefit to date. We reviewed studies of HR+/HER2- MBC to assess PFS and other factors that influence OS and treatment response, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

METHODS

The Embase®, Medline®, and Cochrane databases were systematically searched to identify studies in adult women with HR+/HER2- MBC, published between January 2006 and January 2017, and written in English. Phase II and III randomized controlled trials (RCTs), observational, and retrospective studies were included.

RESULTS

Seventy-nine RCTs were identified: 58 (73%) in the 1L+ setting and 21 (27%) in second-line or greater settings. PFS hazard ratios (HRs) were reported in 61 (77%) studies; 31 (39%) reported significant PFS improvements. OS was reported in 44 (41%) studies; 12 (15%) reported significant OS improvements. Significant improvements in both PFS and OS were reported in only 6 (8%) studies (1 Phase II; 5 Phase III). Patients with HER2- MBC received, on average, ≥5 lines of therapy, with no consistent treatment pathway. Baseline characteristics, prior therapies, and the type and number of post-progression therapies significantly impacted OS. PFS, response rates, and HRQoL decreased with each line of therapy (EuroQol 5 Dimensions: 0.78 1L vs. 0.70 post-progression).

CONCLUSION

Few RCTs in HR+/HER2- MBC have demonstrated significant improvements in OS. Factors other than choice of 1L therapy impact OS, including post-progression therapies, which cannot be controlled in RCTs. This study emphasizes the importance of PFS improvement in 1L treatment of HR+/HER2- MBC.

Ongoing unmet needs in treating estrogen receptor-positive/HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer

Estrogen receptor-positive (ER+)/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HER2-) advanced or metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is the most common MBC subtype and currently remains incurable, with a median overall survival of 24.8 months (95% confidence interval, 21.3-30.3). Common sites of metastases are bone, viscera, and brain, causing significant symptoms that negatively affect patient functioning, quality of life (QoL), and work productivity. Guidelines state that endocrine therapy (ET) is preferable to chemotherapy as first-line treatment for patients with ER+ MBC, regardless of limited visceral metastases, unless rapid tumor response is required or ET resistance is suspected. Although response rates up to 40% have been reported for first-line MBC treatment, the majority of initial responders eventually develop ET resistance. Notwithstanding the steep decline in efficacy between first and later lines of ET, some patients may receive chemotherapy earlier than necessary. Although new treatments have been approved for patients with ER+/HER2- advanced or MBC in the past decade, neither survival nor QoL appear to have improved significantly. Thus, there remain significant unmet needs for this patient population, including improved survival, maintaining or improving patient QoL, and emphasizing the importance of treatment selection to assist healthcare practitioners managing patient care. In this review, we identify current challenges and unmet needs in this patient population, review cutting-edge treatments, and provide clinically relevant suggestions for treatment selection that can optimize outcomes and patients' health-related QoL.

Gemcitabine and Vinorelbine Combination Chemotherapy in Taxane-Pretreated Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Phase II Study of the Kinki Multidisciplinary Breast Oncology Group (KMBOG) 1015

Background: This phase II study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the chemotherapy combination of gemcitabine and vinorelbine in taxane-pretreated Japanese metastatic breast cancer patients. Methods: In this multicenter, phase II, single-arm study, patients with recurrent or metastatic HER2-negative breast cancer were administered gemcitabine (1,200 mg/m2) and vinorelbine (25 mg/m2) intravenously on days 1 and 8 every 3 weeks. The primary endpoint was the objective response rate, and other endpoints included progression-free survival, overall survival, and safety. Results: A total of 42 patients were enrolled in this study. The objective response rate and clinical benefit rate were 24 and 43%, respectively. The median progression-free survival was 4.0 months. The median overall survival was 11.1 months. Grade 3/4 neutropenia was the most common hematologic toxicity, occurring in 22 patients (54%). Nonhematologic toxicity was moderate and transient, with fatigue (48%) being the most common condition and no severe adverse event reported. Conclusion: The combination of gemcitabine and vinorelbine is an effective and tolerable regimen for HER2-negative, taxane-pretreated, metastatic breast cancer patients in Japan.

Effect of Relaxation With Guided Imagery on The Physical and Psychological Symptoms of Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy

Background:

Breast cancer patients frequently experience psychological distress during the chemotherapy period.

Objectives:

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of relaxation with guided imagery on patients with breast cancer.

Patients and Methods:

A two-group, pretest-posttest, quasi-experimental design with a randomized controlled trial was conducted. Sixty-five breast cancer patients from one medical center in Taiwan were enrolled in the study. These patients were randomly assigned to the experimental group (n = 32) or to the control group (n = 33). Both groups received chemotherapy self-care education, but the experimental group also received relaxation with guided imagery training. The training on relaxation with guided imagery was conducted before chemotherapy, and the patients were supplied with a compact disc detailing the performance of relaxation with guided imagery for 20 minutes daily at home for 7 days after chemotherapy.

Results:

The experimental group showed significant decreases in insomnia (-0.34 ± 0.83, P < 0.05), pain (-0.28 ± 0.58, P < 0.05), anxiety (-3.56 ± 2.94, P < 0.00), and depression (-2.38 ± 2.70, P < 0.00) between the pretest and the posttest. Comparing the two groups, statistically significant differences were found in the overall symptom distress (B = 0.11, P < 0.05), insomnia (B = 0.50, P <0.05), depression (B = 0.38, P < 0.05), and numbness in physical symptoms (B = 0.38, P < 0.05), as well as in anxiety (B = 3.08, P < 0.00) and depression (B = 1.86, P < 0.00) in psychological distress. One week of relaxation with guided imagery can significantly improve the overall symptoms of distress, insomnia, depression, physical symptoms, and anxiety, and can decrease psychological distress.

Conclusions:

Relaxation with guided imagery had a positive effect on mediating anxiety and depression in breast cancer patients.

Health-related quality of life in patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer treated with eribulin mesylate or capecitabine in an open-label randomized phase 3 trial

The clinical benefit of eribulin versus capecitabine was evaluated using health-related quality of life (HRQoL) data from a phase 3 randomized trial in patients with pretreated advanced/metastatic breast cancer (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00337103). The study population has been described previously (Kaufman et al. in J Clin Oncol 33:594–601, 2015). Eligible patients received eribulin (1.4 mg/m² intravenously on days 1 and 8) or capecitabine (1.25 g/m² orally twice daily on days 1–14) per 21-day cycles. HRQoL was assessed using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality-of-life Questionnaire-Core 30 questions (QLQ-C30) and breast module-23 questions (QLQ-BR23), administered at baseline through 24 months, until disease progression or other antitumor treatment initiation. Minimally important difference (MID) and time to symptom worsening (TSW) were investigated. 1062 (96.4 %) Patients completed the EORTC questionnaire at baseline; overall, compliance was ≥80 %. Patients receiving capecitabine versus eribulin had significantly worse symptoms (higher scores) for nausea/vomiting (MID 8; P < 0.05) and diarrhea (MID 7; P < 0.05). Treatment with eribulin versus capecitabine, led to worse systemic therapy side-effects (dry mouth, different tastes, irritated eyes, feeling ill, hot flushes, headaches, and hair loss; MID 10; P < 0.01). Clinically meaningful worsening was observed for future perspective (MID 10; P < 0.05) with capecitabine and for systemic therapy side-effects scale (MID 10; P < 0.01) with eribulin. Patients receiving capecitabine experienced more-rapid deterioration in body image (by 2.9 months) and future perspective (by 1.4 months; P < 0.05) compared with those on eribulin; the opposite was observed for systemic side-effects where patients receiving eribulin experienced more-rapid deterioration than those receiving capecitabine (by 2 months; P < 0.05). Eribulin and capecitabine were found to have similar impact on patient functioning with no overall difference in HRQoL. Patients receiving eribulin reported worse systemic side-effects of chemotherapy but reduced gastrointestinal toxicity compared with capecitabine.

Development and Preliminary Evaluation of Psychometric Properties of Symptom-Management Self-Efficacy Scale for Breast Cancer Related to Chemotherapy

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to develop and preliminarily evaluate the reliability and validity of the Symptom-Management Self-Efficacy Scale-Breast Cancer (SMSES-BC) related to chemotherapy.

METHODS

The study included three stages. This paper presents the results of stage 2 and stage 3. In total, 34 items in the SMSES-BC were found during stage 1 from qualitative findings, a literature review, and expert suggestions; the 34 items were used for the psychometric properties test. Test-retest reliability and Cronbach α were assessed in the first sample, which included 45 participants for the pilot test (stage 2). The second sample, which included 152 patients, was used to assess the construct validity and concurrent validity (stage 3).

RESULTS

The pilot test results revealed a test-retest reliability of .73 (p < .001) and Cronbach α coefficient of .96 for the total scale. Three factors (managing chemotherapy-related symptoms, acquiring problem solving, and managing emotional and interpersonal disturbances) were identified from exploratory factor analysis. Correlation coefficient r was .40 (p < .001), which supported the association between SMSES-BC and the General Self-Efficacy Scale for concurrent validity.

CONCLUSIONS

The study results demonstrate acceptable reliability and validity for the SMSES-BC that was developed for measuring symptom-management self-efficacy related to chemotherapy for patients with breast cancer. This study suggests further research to validate the construct of the SMSES-BC.

Acute myeloblastic leukemia in patients with multiple myeloma

Background

The continuum of anti-HER2 agents is a standard treatment of HER2 + metastatic breast cancer (MBC). This study evaluated the efficacy of lapatinib plus vinorelbine in patients progressed on both trastuzumab and lapatinib treatments.

Methods

A total of 149 patients were randomly assigned to lapatinib with vinorelbine (LV) (n = 75; lapatinib, 1000 mg daily; vinorelbine 20 mg/m² D1, D8 q3w) or vinorelbine (V) (n = 74; 30 mg/m² D1, D8 q3w). The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) rate at 18 weeks.

Results

The median number of previous anti-HER2 therapies was 2 (range 2–5). There was no significant difference in PFS rate at 18 weeks between LV and V arms (45.9% vs 38.9%, p = 0.40). ORR was 19.7% in LV arm, and 16.9% in V arm (p = 0.88). PFS and OS did not differ between two arms (LV vs V; median PFS, 16 vs 12 weeks, HR = 0.86, 95% CI 0.61–1.22; median OS, 15.0 vs 18.9 months, HR = 1.07, 95% CI 0.72–1.58). Toxicity profiles were similar in both arms and all were manageable.

Conclusions

Lapatinib plus vinorelbine treatment was tolerable; however, it failed to demonstrate the clinical benefits over vinorelbine alone in patients with HER2 + MBC after progression on both trastuzumab and lapatinib.

Clinical trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT01730677.