Will surgery be a part of breast cancer treatment in the future?

Innovative Standards in Surgery of the Breast after Neoadjuvant Systemic Therapy

BACKGROUND

The goal of neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NST) in breast cancer is to downstage tumors and downgrade treatment. Indications are constantly evolving. These changes raise practical questions for planning of surgery after NST.

SUMMARY

In this review we discuss current evolving aspects of surgery of the breast after NST. Breast-conserving surgery (BCS) eligibility increases after NST - both neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and neoadjuvant endocrine therapy. Adequate margin width in NST and upfront surgery are similar - "no tumor on ink" for invasive cancer. Oncoplastic breast surgery after NST is feasible - both for BCS and mastectomy with reconstruction. There is increasing interest in the possibility of omitting surgery in patients with a complete response to NAC. Several trials are being conducted in aim of achieving acceptable prediction of pathological complete response, by combination of imaging and percutaneous biopsy of the tumor bed, as well as assessing the safety of such an approach.

KEY MESSAGES

Surgery of the breast after NST should be determined not only according to biologic and anatomic parameters at diagnosis, but is dynamic, and must be tailored according to the response to therapy. The omission of surgery in exceptional responders after NAC is being explored.

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell immunotherapy in breast cancer: development and challenges

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is an innovative form of immunotherapy wherein autologous T-cells are genetically modified to express chimeric receptors encoding an antigen-specific single-chain variable fragment and costimulatory molecules. Moreover, CAR T-cell therapy can only work successfully in patients who have an intact immune system. Therefore, patients receiving cytotoxic chemotherapy will be immunosuppressed making CAR-T therapy less effective. In adoptive CD8+ T-cell therapy (ACT), numerous tumor-specific, engineered T-cells are sourced from patients, expanded in vitro, and infused back expressing tumor-specific antigen receptors. The most successful ACT, anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy directed against B-cell lymphoma, has proved to be efficacious. However, current efforts to utilize this approach for solid tumors, like breast cancer, have shown only modest improvement. Nevertheless, the potential efficacy of CAR-T therapy is promising in an era of immunological advances. By appropriately manipulating CAR T-cells to combat the immunosuppressive forces of the tumor microenvironment, significant eradication of the solid tumor may occur. This review discusses CAR T-cell therapy and its specificity and safety in adoptive cell transfers in breast cancer. We will highlight novel discoveries in CAR T-cell immunotherapy and the formidable barriers including suppression of T-cell function and localization at tumor sites.

Evaluating the effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on surgical outcomes after breast conserving surgery

BACKGROUND

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) increases breast-conserving surgery (BCS) rates with comparable locoregional control and survival outcomes to adjuvant therapy. More women are receiving NAC and achieving pathologic complete responses (pCR). This study sought to evaluate the effect of NAC on surgical outcomes after the adoption of a "no-ink-on-tumor" margin policy in patients undergoing primary BCS (PBSC).

METHODS

An IRB approved database was queried for women undergoing BCS for invasive breast cancer after March 2014. We compared patients who underwent NAC followed by BCS versus PBCS. Demographic, tumor, treatment, and outcome variables were compared using both univariate and multivariable analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 162 patients were evaluated. NAC patients had significantly lower re-excision rates (0% NAC vs. 9% PBCS, p = .03), margin positivity (0% NAC vs. 5% PBCS, p = .01), and greater patient satisfaction with breast cosmesis (97 NAC vs. 77 PBCS, p = .01). On multivariable analysis, NAC was not an independent predictor of lower final resection volume, total complications, or greater satisfaction with breasts when controlling for age and T category at diagnosis.

CONCLUSION

NAC followed by BCS may offer less margin positivity, lower re-excision rates, and greater patient satisfaction when compared to a contemporary PBCS cohort in the "no-ink-on-tumor" era.