First-line high-dose sequential chemotherapy with rG-CSF and repeated blood stem cell transplantation in untreated inflammatory breast cancer: toxicity and response (PEGASE 02 trial)

Radiotherapy in the Management of Non-Metastatic Inflammatory Breast Cancers: A Retrospective Observational Study

(1) Background: Inflammatory breast cancers (IBC) are characterized by a poor prognosis. This retrospective study aims to describe the clinical outcomes of non-metastatic IBC patients treated with a multidisciplinary approach with neo-adjuvant chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy. (2) Methods: This single-center retrospective study included all women patients diagnosed with non-metastatic IBC between January 2010 and January 2018 at the Institut Curie (Paris, France) and treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy. Overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and locoregional free survival (LRRFS) were calculated from the time of diagnosis. Prognostic factors for patient survival were analyzed based on univariate and multivariate regressions. (3) Results: We identified 113 patients with a median age of 51 years. 79.7% had node-positive tumors; triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) represented 34.6% of the cases. A large majority of patients (91.2%) received adjuvant post-mastectomy while ten patients (8.8%) received preoperative radiotherapy. Non-pathological complete response (non-pCR) was observed in 67.3% of patients. Radiotherapy delivered a median dose of 50 Gy to the breast or the chest wall in 25 fractions. With a median follow-up of 54 months, 5-year OS, DFS and LRRFS were 78% (CI: 70.1-86.8%), 68.1% (59.6-77.7%), and 85.2% (78.4-92.7%), respectively. In multivariate analysis, non-pCR was an adverse prognosis factor for OS, DFS, and LRRFS; pre-operative radiotherapy was an adverse prognosis factor for OS and DFS. Radiation-related adverse events were limited to acute skin toxicity (22% of Grade 2 and 2% of grade 3 dermatitis); no late radiation-induced toxicity was reported. (4) Conclusions: High locoregional control could be achieved with multidisciplinary management of non-metastatic IBC, suggesting the anti-tumor efficacy of radiotherapy in this rare but pejorative clinicopathological presentation. While comparing favorably with historical cohorts, OS and DFS could be potentially improved in the future with the use of new systemic treatments, such as PARP-inhibitors or immunotherapy.

Pathological complete response of adding targeted therapy to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for inflammatory breast cancer: A systematic review

Background

The current use of targeted therapy plus neoadjuvant chemotherapy for inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is based on data extrapolated from studies in non-IBC. We conducted a systematic review to determine whether neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus targeted therapy results in a higher pathologic complete response (pCR) rate than neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone in patients with IBC.

Method and findings

This systematic review was registered in the PROSPERO register with registration number CRD42018089465. We searched MEDLINE & PubMed, EMBASE, and EBSCO from December 1998 through July 2020. All English-language clinical studies, both randomized and non-randomized, that evaluated neoadjuvant systemic treatment with or without targeted therapy before definitive surgery and reported the pCR results of IBC patients. First reviewer extracted data and assessed the risk of bias using the Risk of Bias In Non-randomized Studies of Interventions tool. Second reviewer confirmed the accuracy. Studies were divided into 3 groups according to systemic treatment: chemotherapy with targeted therapy, chemotherapy alone, and high-dose chemotherapy with hematopoietic stem cell support (HSCS). Of 995 screened studies, 23 with 1,269 IBC patients met the inclusion criteria. For each of the 3 groups of studies, we computed a weighted average of the pCR rates across all studies with confidence interval (CI). The weighted averages (95% CIs) were as follows: chemotherapy with targeted therapy, 31.6% (26.4%-37.3%), chemotherapy alone, 13.0% (10.3%-16.2%), and high-dose chemotherapy with HSCS, 23.0% (18.7%-27.7%). The high pCR by targeted therapy group came from anti-HER2 therapy, 54.4% (44.3%-64.0%). Key limitations of this study included no randomized clinical studies that included only IBC patients.

Conclusion

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus targeted therapy is more effective than neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone for IBC patients. These findings support current IBC standard practice in particular the use of anti-HER2 targeted therapy.

Update on systemic treatment for newly diagnosed inflammatory breast cancer

Background

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare and aggressive disease, accounting for 2-4% of new cases of breast cancer. Owing to its aggressive nature, IBC represent approximately 8-10% of breast cancer deaths. Management of IBC requires a multidisciplinary team for decision-making involving a composite of systemic treatment, surgery, and radiation, or "Trimodality Treatment." Because of the rarity of the disease, systemic therapy of IBC traditionally has been extrapolated from non-IBC clinical trials.

Aim of Review

The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the development of systemic treatment of IBC from the past to the present by focusing on IBC clinical trials, including chemotherapy and targeted therapies.

Key Scientific Concepts of Review

We discuss their effects on pathologic complete response (pCR) and survival outcomes, the predictive markers, and the adverse events of these therapies. Further, we summarized the current standard treatment stratified by molecular subtypes based on clinical data. Finally, we discuss the future trend of systemic therapy, including immunotherapy and ongoing IBC clinical trials.

Inflammatory breast cancer and chest wall disease: The oncologist perspective

Chest wall inflammatory and lymphangitic breast cancer represents a clinical spectrum and a model disease. Inflammation and the immune response have a role in the natural history of this special clinical presentation. Preclinical models and biomarker studies suggest that inflammatory breast cancer comprises a more important role for the tumour microenvironment, including immune cell infiltration and vasculogenesis, especially lympho-angiogenesis. Across this clinical continuum of the chest wall disease there is an important role of the inflammation cascade. The activation of mature dendritic cells (DCs) through toll like receptors (TLRs) or by inflammatory cytokines converts immature DCs into mature DCs that present specific antigen to T cells, thereby activating them. Maturation of DCs is accompanied by co-stimulatory molecules and secretion of inflammatory cytokines polarizing lymphocytic, macrophages and fibroblast infiltration. It is unknown whether immune cells associated to the IBC microenvironment play a role in this scenario to transiently promote epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) in these cells. Immune and microenvirnment factors can induce phenotypic, morphological, and functional changes in breast cancer cells. We can hypothesize that similar inflammatory conditions in vivo may support both the rapid metastasis and tight tumor emboli that are characteristic of chest wall disease and that targeted anti-inflammatory therapy may play a role in this patient population. The current review will review biological and clinical data of this special condition.

Similar response profile to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, but different survival, in inflammatory versus locally advanced breast cancers

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a very aggressive form of breast cancer, as compared to locally advanced breast cancer (LABC). Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery is the standard treatment in both cases. Whether IBC is less chemosensitive than LABC remains unclear. We retrospectively compared the rate of pathological complete response (pCR) to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in IBC and LABC. Methods: Patients with IBC or LABC treated with neoadjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy followed by surgery were selected from our institutional database. The primary endpoint was the pCR rate, defined as absence of invasive tumor in breast and axillary lymph nodes. Results: A total of 450 patients were included, 144 with IBC and 306 with LABC. The pCR rate was similar between the two groups, in the whole population (31%) and in each molecular subtype separately. Univariate analyses for pCR in IBC and LABC separately identified the same predictive variables, except the pathological type that was associated with pCR in LABC only, but not in IBC. IBC patients displayed shorter 5-year metastasis-free survival and overall survival than LABC patients in the whole population (57% and 69% versus74% and 88% respectively), and in each molecular subtype separately. The IBC phenotype was an independent prognostic feature. Similarly, IBC patients displayed shorter 5-year loco-regional relapse-free survival than LABC patients (86% versus 95%). Conclusions: Similar pCR rates to chemotherapy were found in IBC and LABC, suggesting that IBC is not less chemosensitive than LABC. Survival was shorter in IBC, suggesting that the corresponding poorer prognosis is more due to a higher metastatic risk and/or other feature(s) than to a lesser chemosensitivity.

The use of systemic therapies to prevent progression of inflammatory breast cancer: which targeted therapies to add on cytotoxic combinations?

INTRODUCTION

Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare but frequently fatal disease, essentially because of its high ability to develop distant metastases. Even though the prognosis of IBC was significantly improved by multimodal management, including the systematic use of cytotoxic-based induction, the prognosis remains largely dismal. Areas covered: This review presents the main achievements in the systemic treatment of IBC during the past 30 years. It focuses more specifically on recent results obtained with targeted therapies, including anti-HER2 and anti-angiogenic agents. Novel approaches under investigation are presented. Expert commentary: Current management of IBC is subtype-specific and the largest benefit has been achieved in HER2-positive disease. The identification of breakthrough therapeutic advances is eagerly awaited and will require the development of IBC-specific clinical trials. Future clinical investigations should not only aim to increase the pathological response rate but also to eradicate distant metastases, which ultimately lead to patient death.

Long-Term Outcome of Inflammatory Breast Cancer Compared to Non-Inflammatory Breast Cancer in the Setting of High-Dose Chemotherapy with Autologous Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation

Introduction: Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare aggressive form of breast cancer. It is well known that the long-term survival and progression-free survival of IBC are worse than that of non-IBC. We report the long term outcomes of patients with IBC and non-IBC who had undergone high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) with autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (AHCT).

Methods: All 3387 patients with IBC or non-IBC who underwent HDC with AHCT between1990-2002 and registered with CIBMTR were included in this analysis. Transplant-related mortality (TRM), disease relapse/progression, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were compared between the two cohorts. Multivariate Cox regression model was used to determine the independent impact of stage on outcomes.

Results: 527 patients with IBC and 2,860 patients with non-IBC were included; the median age at transplantation (47 vs 46 years old) and median follow-up period in the 2 groups (167 vs 168 months) were similar. The most common conditioning regimen was cyclophosphamide and carboplatin based in both groups (54% in IBC and 50% in non-IBC). AHCT was well tolerated in both groups. TRM was similar in both groups (one year TRM was 2% for IBC and 3% for non-IBC, p=0.16). The most common cause of death was disease progression or relapse (81% in IBC and 75% in non-IBC). The median survival for both IBC and non-IBC was the same at 40 months. The PFS at 10 years was 27% (95% CI: 23-31%) for IBC and 24% (95% CI: 22-26%) for non-IBC (p=0.21), and the OS at 10 years was 31% (95% CI: 27-35%) for IBC and 28% (95% CI: 26-30%) for non-IBC (p=0.16). In univariate analysis, patients with stage III IBC and no active diseases at transplantation had lower PFS and OS than that in non-IBC. In multivariate analysis, controlling for age, disease status at AHCT, hormonal receptor status, time from diagnosis to AHCT, and performance status at AHCT, patients with stage III IBC had higher mortality (HR 1.16, 95% CI: 1-1.34, p= 0.0459), worse PFS (HR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.01-1.36, p= 0.0339) and higher risk of disease relapse/progression (HR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.06-1.45, p= 0.0082) as compared to stage III non-IBC. Amongst all patients a higher stage disease was associated with worse PFS, OS and disease relapse/progression.

Conclusions: Long-term outcomes of stage III IBC patients who underwent AHCT were poorer than that in non-IBC patients confirming that the poor prognosis of IBC even in the setting of HDC with AHCT.

Prognostic impact of hormone receptor- and HER2-defined subtypes in inflammatory breast cancer treated with high-dose chemotherapy: a retrospective study

Purpose: Studies examining high-dose chemotherapy with autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HDC-AHSCT) strategies in inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), showed encouraging results in terms of disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS). The lack of data regarding HER2 status in all of these studies prevented any prognostic analysis involving breast cancer subtypes. Methods: All consecutive female patients treated for IBC with HDC and AHSCT at Institut Paoli-Calmettes between 2003 and 2012 were included. Since 2005, trastuzumab was included in initial treatment. Patient, tumor and treatment characteristics were collected. Patients were categorized in three subtypes based on hormonal receptor (HR) and HER2 status of the primary tumor: Luminal, (HR+/HER2-), HER2 (HER2+, any HR), and triple negative (TN) (HER2- and HR-). The main objective was the analysis of OS according to the IHC subtypes. Results: Sixty-seven patients were included. Eleven patients received trastuzumab. Median follow up was 80.04 months (95% CI 73.2-88.08). Five-year OS and DFS for the whole population patients were 74% (95% CI 61-83) and 65 % (95% CI 52-75), respectively. OS differed across subtypes (p=0.057) : HER2 subgroup appeared to have the best prognosis with a 5-year OS of 89% (95% CI 64-97) compared to 57% (95% CI 33-76) for the TN subgroup (HR 5.38, 95% CI 1.14-25.44; p=0.034). Conclusions: In IBC patients receiving HDC-AHSCT, OS favorably compares with data available in the literature on similar groups of patients. TN patients carried the least favourable OS and HER2 patients, half of them also receiving trastuzumab, had the best outcome. These findings provide additional information and options for patients with IBC and who could potentially benefit of HDC-AHSCT.

UNICANCER-PEGASE 07 study: a randomized phase III trial evaluating postoperative docetaxel-5FU regimen after neoadjuvant dose-intense chemotherapy for treatment of inflammatory breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare and aggressive disease requiring a multimodal treatment. We evaluated the benefit of adding docetaxel-5-fluorouracil (D-5FU) regimen after preoperative dose-intense (DI) epirubicin-cyclophosphamide (EC) and locoregional treatment in IBC patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

PEGASE 07 was a national randomized phase III open-label study involving 14 hospitals in France. Women with nonmetastatic IBC were eligible and randomly assigned to receive either four cycles of DI EC (E 150 mg/m(2) and C 4000 mg/m(2) every 3 weeks with repeated hematopoietic stem cell support), then mastectomy with axillary lymph node dissection, and radiotherapy (arm A) or the same treatment followed by four cycles of D-5FU (D 85 mg/m(2), day 1 and 5FU 750 mg/m(2)/day continuous infusion, days 1-5 every 3 weeks) administered postradiotherapy (arm B). Patients with hormone receptor-positive tumors received hormonal therapy. Disease-free survival (DFS) was the primary end point. Secondary end points included tolerance, pathological complete response (pCR) rate, and overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

Between January 2001 and May 2005, 174 patients were enrolled and treated (87 in each arm). Median follow-up was similar in both arms: 59.6 months [95% confidence interval (CI) 58.4-60.3] in arm A and 60.5 months (95% CI 58.3-61.4) in arm B. The estimated 5-year DFS rates were not different: 55% (95% CI 43.9-64.7) in arm A and 55.5% (95% CI 44.3-65.3) in arm B [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.94 (0.61-1.48); P = 0.81]. Identical results were observed for 5-year OS: 70.2% (95% CI 59.1-78.8) in arm A and 70% (95% CI 58.8-78.7) in arm B [HR = 0.93 (0.55-1.60); P = 0.814]. Following DI EC induction, in-breast and global (breast plus nodes) pCR were 28.9% and 20.1%, respectively. Estrogen receptor and pCR status were independently associated with survival.

CONCLUSION

The addition of D-5FU after preoperative DI EC and standard local therapy did not improve DFS in IBC.

CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02324088.

[Systemic treatments of inflammatory breast cancer: an overview]

The poor prognosis of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is due to its strong metastatic potential. During the last three decades, the introduction of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (CT), and its improvement with successive additions of anthracyclines and then taxanes, allowed to double the survival. However, the 5-year survival still remains lower than 50%, with the pathological complete response (pCR) to neoadjuvant CT being a major prognostic factor. Since 1995, several innovative approaches have been evaluated. Initially, the trials of high-dose CT with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation have generated promising results, but ultimately failed to change standards of treatment, in particular because of its toxicity. More recently, a few targeted therapies, combined to conventional CT, have been assessed, due to the frequent overexpression of HER2 and EGFR and the important vascularization of IBC. Trastuzumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting HER2, has shown a clear advantage in terms of pCR and survival in studies dedicated to, HER2-positive locally advanced breast cancers, including IBC. Lapatinib, a dual tyrosine kinase inhibitor anti-HER2 and EGFR, has shown significant activity in two phase II studies dedicated to HER2-positive IBC. The interest of HER2-double blockade by the combination of trastuzumab-pertuzumab combined to docetaxel has been demonstrated in term of pCR in the NEOSPHERE study which also included HER2-positive IBC. Among the anti-angiogenic drugs tested in studies dedicated to IBC, bevacizumab has given the most interesting results in term of efficacy/toxicity ratio. In the Beverly 2 study HER2-positive IBC patients were treated by the combination chemotherapy, trastuzumab and bevacizumab: the rate of pCR was 64%, and the 3-year disease-free and overall survivals were 68% and 90%, respectively; the increase of endothelial cells circulating was inversely correlated to the probability of pCR. All those treatments have been extrapolated from standard breast cancers. Thus, a deep molecular knowledge of IBC appears to be critical in order to develop specific treatments effectively targeting its particular aggressiveness.

Antiangiogenic therapy in recurrent breast cancer with lymphangitic spread to the chest wall: A randomized phase II trial of bevacizumab with sequential or concurrent oral vinorelbine and capecitabine

OBJECTIVES

To assess efficacy of bevacizumab in combination with oral chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer with lymphangitic spread to the chest wall (LBC). To identify surrogate biomarkers of response to bevacizumab.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We randomly assigned patients to receive bevacizumab plus either sequential or concurrent oral vinorelbine and capecitabine every 3 weeks. The primary endpoint was time to ultimate progression (TTP); the response rate and overall survival (OS) were secondary endpoints. We performed gene expression profiling on baseline tissue samples collected from triple negative LBC. We assessed circulating endothelial cells (CEC), circulating endothelial progenitors (CEP) and circulating pericyte progenitors (CPP).

RESULTS

A total of 66 patients were enrolled. There was no difference in TTP (median TTP 5.3 vs. 4.8 months, p = 0.21) and in OS (median OS 15.8 vs 11.9 months; p = 0.25) when comparing concurrent vs sequential treatment, respectively. Response rate was 25% vs 28% in the concurrent vs sequential arm (p = 1.00), respectively. A set of 16 genes predictive of response to bevacizumab was identified. The counts of CEPs and viable CECs below the median value were associated with an improved overall survival: 26.6 vs 9.5 months for CEPs and 22.6 vs 11.0 months for viable CECs, respectively (p = 0.02).

CONCLUSIONS

Oral chemotherapy and bevacizumab (BEVIX) is an active regimen in patients with LBC. We support the importance of using LBC as a biological model for investigating angiogenesis inhibitors. CECs and CEPs biomarkers have been identified as predictive markers of outcome and warrant further investigation.

[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.

Phase II clinical trial with gemcitabine and paclitaxel sequential monotherapy as first-line treatment for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (SLCG 01-04)

BACKGROUND

In advanced-stage (IIIB or IV) non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), combination chemotherapy has demonstrated response rates of 20% and a 1-year survival rate of 30%. We conducted a multicentre, open-label, nonrandomised phase II trial to determine the efficacy and tolerability of sequential monotherapy with gemcitabine followed by paclitaxel in chemotherapy-naïve patients with advanced NSCLC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Between December 2002 and July 2004, the Spanish Lung Cancer Group (SLCG) conducted a study in which 34 patients with advanced (stage IIIB or IV) NSCLC received 1200 mg/m(2) of i.v. gemcitabine on days 1, 8 and 15 of each 28-day cycle for a total of 3 cycles followed by 100 mg/m(2) of weekly i.v. paclitaxel for a maximum of 8 weeks. If objective response or stable disease was achieved, 70 mg/m(2) of weekly i.v. paclitaxel was maintained until disease progression was evident or toxic effects were intolerable. Lung Cancer Symptom Scale (LCSS) analysis was performed. Baseline levels of serum VEGF, EGFR, telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) and K-ras mutations were analysed. The primary endpoint was the objective response rate.

RESULTS

The median age of the 34 patients who were enrolled was 67 years (range 46-77), but later 8 patients were excluded; 78.8% were men, 81.8% had performance status 1 and also 81.8% had metastatic disease at diagnosis. The objective response rate was 28% (95% CI, 14.2-47.8); the median overall survival was 7.2 months (95% CI, 2.1-12.3) and the median time to progression (TTP) was 3.1 months (95% CI, 2.5-5.3). Grade 3 or 4 drug-related haematological toxicities were observed in 6 patients. Patients with lower baseline serum VEGF levels had significantly longer survival.

CONCLUSIONS

Sequential therapy with gemcitabine followed by paclitaxel was well tolerated with a low proportion of grade 3 or 4 adverse events, the absence of unexpected toxicity and with an improvement in quality of life. Unfortunately, the response rate did not meet the minimally required rate of 20% and the study was prematurely closed. VEGF was identified as a poor prognostic factor for TTP and survival.

Inflammatory breast cancer: the disease, the biology, the treatment

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare and aggressive form of invasive breast cancer accounting for 2.5% of all breast cancer cases. It is characterized by rapid progression, local and distant metastases, younger age of onset, and lower overall survival compared with other breast cancers. Historically, IBC is a lethal disease with less than a 5% survival rate beyond 5 years when treated with surgery or radiation therapy. Because of its rarity, IBC is often misdiagnosed as mastitis or generalized dermatitis. This review examines IBC's unique clinical presentation, pathology, epidemiology, imaging, and biology and details current multidisciplinary management of the disease, which comprises systemic therapy, surgery, and radiation therapy.

Systemic therapy of inflammatory breast cancer from high-dose chemotherapy to targeted therapies: the French experience

BACKGROUND

Aggressiveness of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is related to its metastatic potential. The introduction of primary chemotherapy in the multimodality treatment has dramatically changed the prognosis. However, survival remains poor. Since 1995, innovative systemic therapies have been assessed in France in multicentric clinical trials, initially centered on high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), and, more recently, on targeted therapies.

METHODS

The authors present the rationale and first results of these French studies specifically dedicated to nonmetastastic IBC.

RESULTS

More than 380 patients have been included in 5 trials. The first 3 trials enrolled 329 women and concerned HDC (PEGASE 02, 05, 07). PEGASE 02 and PEGASE 05 showed a high pathological complete response rate (30%) after primary sequential HDC, and suggested that more than 4 cycles does not seem to provide any benefit. PEGASE 07 tested adjuvant maintenance chemotherapy after neoadjuvant HDC. Analysis is ongoing. The 2 other trials currently underway combine targeted therapies with conventional-dose chemotherapy in ERBB2-negative (Beverly 1 trial; bevacizumab) and ERBB2-positive (Beverly 2; bevacizumab and trastuzumab) IBC.

CONCLUSIONS

HDC with HSCT remains experimental with high pCR rates and which likely benefits to subgroups of patients that remain to be identified. Targeted therapies, such as anti-ERBB2 and antiangiogenic drugs, are being tested, and should improve survival as demonstrated in non-IBC. With emerging targeted drugs, there is hope that a cure becomes an achievable goal for more patients. Because of the rarity and the heterogeneity of disease, well-designed large-scale collaborative studies are mandatory.

International expert panel on inflammatory breast cancer: consensus statement for standardized diagnosis and treatment

BACKGROUND

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) represents the most aggressive presentation of breast cancer. Women diagnosed with IBC typically have a poorer prognosis compared with those diagnosed with non-IBC tumors. Recommendations and guidelines published to date on the diagnosis, management, and follow-up of women with breast cancer have focused primarily on non-IBC tumors. Establishing a minimum standard for clinical diagnosis and treatment of IBC is needed.

METHODS

Recognizing IBC to be a distinct entity, a group of international experts met in December 2008 at the First International Conference on Inflammatory Breast Cancer to develop guidelines for the management of IBC.

RESULTS

The panel of leading IBC experts formed a consensus on the minimum requirements to accurately diagnose IBC, supported by pathological confirmation. In addition, the panel emphasized a multimodality approach of systemic chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

The goal of these guidelines, based on an expert consensus after careful review of published data, is to help the clinical diagnosis of this rare disease and to standardize management of IBC among treating physicians in both the academic and community settings.

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.

Biology and management of inflammatory breast cancer

Inflammatory breast cancer is an aggressive subtype of a locally advanced breast cancer that is thought to account for approximately 1-5% of all newly diagnosed breast cancers diagnosed in the USA. Historically, IBC was considered to be a uniformly fatal disease with less than 5% of patients surviving past 5 years. With the advent of a multidisciplinary approach to management, survival outcomes have improved with 5-year survival rates of over 40% being reported. Research efforts are now focused on trying to better understand the epidemiological and molecular characteristics of this disease to further improve survival. Two genes, Rhoc GTPase and WISP3, have been identified that have been found to be concordantly altered in the majority of inflammatory breast cancer tumors and may serve as potential targets for future therapeutic agents. The purpose of this review is to summarize the latest epidemiological and molecular characteristics of IBC, describe the difficulties encountered in trying to clinically diagnose this entity, highlight the importance of a multidisciplinary approach and present some of the latest data on the management of this disease.

Strategies to improve long-term outcome in stage IIIB inflammatory breast cancer: multimodality treatment including dose-intensive induction and high-dose chemotherapy

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare clinicopathologic entity with a poor prognosis, lagging far behind any other form of nonmetastatic breast cancer. Since the advent of systemic chemotherapy over 35 years ago, only minimal progress has been made in long-term outcome. Although multiple randomized trials of high-dose chemotherapy and autologous progenitor cell transplantation (ASCT) for the treatment of breast cancer have yielded disappointing results, these data are not necessarily relevant to IBC, a distinct clinical and pathologic entity. Therefore, the optimal multimodality therapy for IBC is not well established, and remains unsatisfactory. We treated 21 women with nonmetastatic IBC with a multimodality strategy including high-dose melphalan (Mel)/etoposide and ASCT. The treatment was overall tolerated with acceptable morbidity, and no post-ASCT 100-day mortality. With a median potential follow-up of approximately 8 years, the estimated progression-free survival (PFS), event-free survival (EFS), and overall survival (OS) at 6 years from on-study date are: 67%, 55%, and 69%, respectively. These results from a small phase II study are among the most promising of mature outcome data for IBC. They strongly suggest, along with results of several already published phase II trials, that ASCT could play a significant role in the first line treatment of IBC.

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.

Inflammatory breast cancer outcome with epirubicin-based induction and maintenance chemotherapy: ten-year results from the French Adjuvant Study Group GETIS 02 Trial

BACKGROUND

The authors evaluated the long-term efficacy and side effects in patients with nonmetastatic, unilateral, inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) who received homogeneous treatment with intensive induction chemotherapy followed by a maintenance regimen.

METHODS

One hundred twenty patients were randomized to receive high-dose fluorouracil, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide (FEC-HD) (fluorouracil 750 mg/m(2) on Days 1 to 4, epirubicin 35 mg/m(2) on Days 2 to 4, and cyclophosphamide 400 mg/m(2) on Days 2 to 4 for 4 cycles every 21 days) with or without lenograstim. Locoregional treatment consisted of surgery and/or radiotherapy. Maintenance chemotherapy was FEC 75 (fluorouracil 500 mg/m(2), epirubicin 75 mg/m(2), and cyclophosphamide 500 mg/m(2) on Day 1 every 21 days for 4 cycles). No hormone treatment was allowed.

RESULTS

The safety of the FEC-HD regimen was described previously. Among 102 patients who underwent surgery, a pathologic complete response (pCR) was achieved by 23.5% of patients with breast tumors and by 31.4% of patients with involved axillary lymph nodes. The overall pCR rate was 14.7%. One hundred nine patients received FEC 75. After a median 10 years of follow-up, the disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 35.7% and 41.2%, respectively. The median DFS was 39 months (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 25-53 months), and the median survival was 61 months (95% CI, 43-79 months). Five patients developed a temporary decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction without congestive heart failure. In the lenograstim group, 1 patient developed acute myeloblastic leukemia M2, and 1 patient developed myelodysplastic syndrome.

CONCLUSIONS

FEC-HD induction chemotherapy followed by FEC 75 maintenance regimen had moderate and acute long-term toxicities and lead to high DFS and OS rates in patients with IBC.

Post-operative sequential high-dose chemotherapy with haematopoietic stem cell support as front-line treatment in advanced ovarian cancer: a phase II multicentre study

In spite of multimodal management including aggressive surgery and chemotherapy, the prognosis of advanced ovarian cancer (AOC) remains poor. Multicycle high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) with haematopoietic stem cell (HSC) support has been shown to be a promising procedure in various cancers including AOC. We conducted a phase II multicentre study to evaluate feasibility, toxicity and efficacy of post-operative front-line sequential HDC with HSC support in AOC. Thirty four patients with stage IIIC/IV received a post-operative sequential combination of high-dose cyclophosphamide/epirubicin (D1, D21) with HSC harvesting, high-dose carboplatin (D42, D98) followed by HSC infusion, and dose-dense paclitaxel (D63, D77, D119, D133). Rh-G-CSF (filgrastim) was administered following all cycles. Primary endpoint was pathological complete response rate (pCR). Thirty patients received at least 7 of the scheduled 8 cycles. Haematological toxicity was significant but manageable. Grade 3/4 extra-haematopoietic toxicities were relatively uncommon and reversible. No toxicity-related death was observed. The observed pCR was 37% and did not reach the initial endpoint. Post-operative front-line sequential HDC in AOC is feasible and safe in a multicentre setting. The observed pCR does not support a clear advantage over conventional treatment. This approach remains an experimental strategy to further optimise and validate.

Dermal lymphatic emboli in inflammatory and noninflammatory breast cancer: a French-Tunisian joint study in 337 patients

BACKGROUND

We studied whether dermal lymphatic emboli (DLE) add independent prognostic information to the clinical definition of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The study was performed in 2 centers, one each in France and Tunisia. For every patient with IBC, 1-3 patients with noninflammatory breast cancer (non-IBC) were included. All patients were to have a surgical tumor biopsy, including a sample of the skin surrounding the tumor. The endpoint was the risk of a relapse at 2 years, which was estimated using univariate and multivariate Cox models.

RESULTS

Three hundred thirty-seven patients were included (150 in France and 187 in Tunisia). The IBC status was divided into 2 clinical categories according to the extent of inflammation in the breast (localized IBC, which was defined as clinical inflammation in the tumor area, vs. diffuse IBC, which was defined as inflammation of at least two thirds of the breast). In total, 57 patients presented with localized IBC, 71 with diffuse IBC, and 209 with non-IBC. Dermal lymphatic emboli were found in 7% of non-IBC cases, in 25% of localized IBC cases, and in 45% of diffuse IBC cases. We found a significant interaction between the presence of DLE and diffuse IBC (P = 0.01). In patients with diffuse IBC, the presence of DLE increased the risk of relapse 3-fold. Conversely, DLE were not associated with the risk of relapse in patients with non-IBC, nor in patients with localized IBC. In patients with diffuse IBC and no DLE, the risk of relapse was similar to that of patients with localized IBC.

CONCLUSION

A DLE status might be a useful prognostic indicator exclusively in patients with diffuse IBC. However, because all patients with localized and diffuse IBC generally receive similar types of treatment, additional information on the presence or absence of DLE will not have an impact on treatment practice.

Multivariate analysis of survival in inflammatory breast cancer: impact of intensity of chemotherapy in multimodality treatment

The prognosis of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is poor. We evaluated clinical and biopathological characteristics that could affect survival in 74 women with nonmetastatic IBC consecutively treated in our institution between 1976 and 2000. Patients received primary anthracycline-based chemotherapy at conventional doses (n=20) or high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) with haematopoietic stem cell support (HSCS) (n=54). After chemotherapy, 84% of patients underwent mastectomy, 95% were given radiotherapy and 55% tamoxifen. Immunohistochemistry data (ER, PR, ERBB2, P53) on pre-chemotherapy specimens suggested strong differences between IBC and non-IBC. The rate of pathological complete response to chemotherapy was 26% (27% with HDC and 17% with conventional doses, not significant). No single factor was found predictive of response. With a median follow-up of 48 months after diagnosis, the 5-year projected disease-free survival (DFS) was 24% and overall survival (OS) 41%. In multivariate analysis, the strongest independent prognostic factor was the delivery of HDC. The 5-year DFS and OS of patients were respectively 28 and 50% with HDC and 15 and 18% with conventional chemotherapy. These results and comparisons with other series of patients suggest a role for HDC with HSCS as part of the therapeutic approach in IBC. Further prospective studies are required to confirm it.

Proliferation markers predictive of the pathological response and disease outcome of patients with breast carcinomas treated by anthracycline-based preoperative chemotherapy

The cell proliferation rate has been correlated to the response of breast carcinomas to preoperative chemotherapy (CT) and to disease outcome. However, this parameter is not yet used to select which tumours should be treated with preoperative CT. Furthermore, there is no consensus in the method used to evaluate cell proliferation. In poor prognosis breast carcinomas (PPBCs) treated by intensive preoperative CT, we compared the predictive value of S phase fraction (SPF), mitotic index (MI) and Ki67. We also evaluated the prognostic significance of the variation of the MI after CT. A series of 55 T2-T4N0N1M0 breast carcinomas were treated with 4 cycles of cyclophosphamide, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and doxorubicin. SPF was determined by flow cytometry on pre-therapeutic needle aspiration products. MI and Ki67 were evaluated on pre-therapeutic biopsy samples and on the tumours after CT. Fifteen patients (27%) had a pathological complete response (pCR), whereas 40 (73%) had residual disease. All three proliferative markers were found to have predictive value, but this value was higher for MI than for SPF (P = 0.04) and Ki67 (P = 0.03): the rate of pCR was 50% in cases with MI > 17/3.3 mm2, but was only 7% in cases with MI under this threshold (P = 0.0003). A significant decrease of MI (mean 10.97) was observed after CT (P = 0.001). Furthermore, we observed that even for patients with residual tumour, the variation of MI after CT was a prognostic parameter and overall survival. The sequential analysis of MI in breast cancers treated by preoperative CT thus provides a surrogate for predicting long-term outcome.

Prognostic indicators and survival in patients with stage IIIB inflammatory breast carcinoma after dose-intense chemotherapy

PURPOSE

To improve treatment outcome for patients presenting with inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), we have sequentially developed and tested single and tandem dose-intense chemotherapy regimens (DICT). Tumor- and treatment-related factors were analyzed to generate a prognostic model.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Between May 1989 and April 2002, 120 patients received conventional-dose chemotherapy, surgery, and sequentially developed single- or tandem-cycle DICT. Disease- and treatment-specific features were subjected to univariate and multivariate analysis to correlate with outcome.

RESULTS

At a median follow-up of 61 months (range, 21 to 161 months), estimated 5-year relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were 44% (95% CI, 34% to 53%) and 64% (95% CI, 55% to 73%), respectively. In an age-adjusted multivariate analysis, RFS was better in patients with estrogen receptor (ER)/progesterone receptor (PR)-positive tumors (P =.002), for patients with fewer than four involved axillary nodes before DICT (P =.01), and in patients treated with radiation therapy (P =.001) and tandem DICT (P =.049). OS was improved in patients with ER/PR-positive tumors (P =.002), in those with fewer than four involved axillary nodes before DICT (P =.03), and in patients treated with radiation therapy (P =.002).

CONCLUSION

This retrospective analysis suggests that either single or tandem DICT can be administered safely and may benefit selected patients with stage IIIB IBC. Those with receptor-negative IBC and with four or more involved axillary nodes before DICT need improved neoadjuvant and postadjuvant intensification therapy. A prospective randomized trial of single versus tandem DICT would be required to confirm the potential benefit of tandem DICT in the setting of IBC.

High-dose chemotherapy for breast cancer: the French PEGASE experience

BACKGROUND

Early studies of high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) for breast cancer were limited by small numbers and the lack of adequate control groups. The French PEGASE Group was founded to perform larger and properly randomized comparative studies of this approach.

METHODS

The program was created to determine the effects of intensive chemotherapy for breast cancer. The seven PEGASE protocols addressed HDC as adjuvant therapy (01 and 06) and as treatment for inflammatory nonmetastatic disease (02, 05, and 07) and metastatic disease (03 and 04). Two of these protocols are ongoing.

RESULTS

The PEGASE 01 adjuvant therapy trial showed that 3-year disease-free survival was significantly better in the HDC arm but overall survival was unchanged. The ongoing phase III 06 trial is studying a higher dosage regimen. The HDC trials for metastatic and inflammatory nonmetastatic disease are encouraging.

CONCLUSIONS

Many clinicians no longer subscribe to the concept of HDC for breast cancer. Overall outcomes from management of poor-risk breast cancer remain poor, however, and it is possible that some selected subgroups of patients may benefit from such an approach.

Can sequential administration minimise the cost of high dose chemotherapy? An economic assessment in inflammatory breast cancer

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the potential cost savings of using sequential high dose chemotherapy (HDC), with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (filgrastim) and stem cell support, rather than single course administration of HDC with bone marrow transplantation (BMT) or peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT).

PERSPECTIVE

French public hospital perspective.

METHODS

Direct medical costs of sequential treatment, estimated on the basis of physical quantities of resources consumed by 95 patients with inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) included in a French pilot multicentric trial (PEGASE 02), were compared with those of historical control groups of patients treated with single course HDC, either with BMT (n = 27) or PBSCT (n = 14). Costs were evaluated in 1998 French francs (1 Euro = 6.55957 French francs).

RESULTS

The total cost of sequential HDC was significantly lower than that for single course HDC both with BMT (-29%; 22,755 Euros vs 32,284 Euros; p < 0.001) or PBSCT (-16%; 22,755 Euros vs 27,209 Euros; p = 0.026). This was mainly due to a reduction in the length of hospitalisation in transplantation units.

CONCLUSION

According to our results, economic arguments cannot be used against the widespread use of sequential HDC for patients with IBC. However, further economic evaluations based on overall and disease-free survivals alongside a randomised clinical trial are still needed to definitively establish the cost effectiveness of sequential administration of HDC.

A phase I/II study of 4 monthly courses of high-dose cyclophosphamide and thiotepa for metastatic breast cancer patients

This pilot phase I/II study intended to determine the maximum tolerated dose of cyclophosphamide and thiotepa administered on four consecutive courses with peripheral blood progenitor cell and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor support, as first-line therapy for hormone-refractory metastatic breast cancer patients. Twenty-eight patients were entered in the study. After two courses of epirubicin (120 mg m(-2)) and cyclophosphamide (2 g m(-2)) followed by granulocyte-colony stimulating factor injection and leukaphereses, patients received four cycles of cyclophosphamide and thiotepa. Each cycle was followed by peripheral blood progenitor cell and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor supports, then repeated every 28 to 35 days. Six escalating dose levels of cyclophosphamide and thiotepa were planned, beginning at cyclophosphamide 1.5 g m(-2) and thiotepa 200 mg m(-2). At least three patients were enrolled for each dose level. Eighteen patients completed the study. The maximum tolerated dose was 3000 mg m(-2) cyclophosphamide and 400 mg m(-2) thiotepa per course. Haematological toxicity was manageable on an outpatient basis and did not increase significantly with dose escalation. Dose-limiting toxicity was chemotherapy-induced immunosuppression, which resulted in one toxic death and two life-threatening infections. Median times to treatment failure and survival were 11 and 26 months, respectively. Three patients were alive, free of disease 30 months after completion of the study. Such therapy allows for high-dose intensity and high cumulative doses on a short period of time with manageable toxicity.

High-dose chemotherapy in advanced breast cancer

Based on in vitro and animals studies which assess dose effect relationship specially for alkylating agent, and on the importance on dose intensity in human protocols, high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell support has been widely evaluated in various tumours, particularly in breast cancer. Moreover, in the last few years, the utilization of hematopoietic growth factors and peripheral stem cells has permitted a large diffusion of this approach. However, there is not yet clear data on the place of such a treatment in breast cancer. Few randomized trials are available, with mature data. Only one shows an advantage for high-dose therapy in metastatic disease. In adjuvant setting, sample sizes are too small or follow-up not long enough to draw any definitive conclusion on the place of high-dose consolidation chemotherapy in breast cancer. In inflammatory breast cancer, which is a much more less frequent disease, encouraging results have been published in phase two studies, looking at pathological response, or in pilot studies. The next few years will give a mature date of randomized trials which evaluate high-dose chemotherapy given after conventional treatment in metastatic or high risk disease. Effort should be done to better evaluate this strategy in terms of cost and quality of life and to design new studies aimed to evaluate front line multiple intensification.

Adjuvant therapy of primary breast cancer: a review of key findings from the 7th international conference, St. Gallen, February 2001

Breast cancer research has developed at a rapid pace over the last decades. Recent discoveries promise to provide individualized treatment options, increased long-term survival for women with breast cancer, and the possibility of moving toward curative intent in the treatment of advanced breast cancer. Age, race, tumor size, histological tumor type, axillary nodal status, standardized pathological grade, and hormone-receptor status are accepted as established prognostic and/or predictive factors for selection of systemic adjuvant treatment of breast cancer. The role of other promising new factors, such as p53 mutations, HER-2 status, plasminogen activator system, histological evidence of vascular invasion, and quantitative parameters of angiogenesis will be determined in ongoing prospective studies. Currently, 5 years' treatment with adjuvant tamoxifen in women with hormone-positive receptor status, is regarded as the optimal duration of treatment. Long-term follow-up on the randomized trials will determine the added benefit of treatment beyond 5 years. Ovarian ablation has shown a reduction in recurrence and death, and the exact role and extent of adjuvant chemotherapy in premenopausal women with hormone-responsive tumors is under discussion. Combination hormonal and chemo-hormonal therapies are also being evaluated. There are no convincing data on the survival impact of tamoxifen as a preventative therapy for breast cancer: longer-term follow-up is required, and the planned meta-analyses in 2005 should help shed light on this issue. Statistically significant benefits have been observed with adjuvant chemotherapy (particularly with anthracycline-containing regimens in premenopausal women) versus no adjuvant chemotherapy. The optimal length of adjuvant anthracycline/cyclophosphamide (AC) regimens needs further evaluation as do randomized comparisons of AC to cyclophosphamide/ doxorubicin/5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and cyclophosphamide/epirubicin/5-FU. Although taxanes promise to provide an additive benefit to adjuvant chemotherapy regimens, the Cancer and Leukemia Group B 9344 and the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project B-28 studies evaluating paclitaxel in the adjuvant setting have not yet demonstrated statistically significant benefits on disease-free survival and overall survival. In the year 2000, all adjuvant therapy studies conducted by the Co-operative Groups in both node-negative and node-positive disease involve a taxane. High-dose chemotherapy evaluations are still ongoing. The numerous prospective adjuvant therapy trials (hormonal; selective estrogen-receptor modulators; aromatase inhibitors; chemotherapy, involving anthracyclines/taxanes/platinum/trastuzumab; biological factors; elderly women (>70 years); high-risk patients; radiotherapy in 1-3 positive lymph nodes), and neoadjuvant studies might further define the chances to enhance cure rates in the treatment of primary breast cancer.

Present state and future prospects: a review of cooperative groups' adjuvant and neoadjuvant trials in breast cancer

In patients with operable breast cancer, adjuvant hormonal therapy and adjuvant chemotherapy result in significant and long-term reductions in the rates of disease recurrence and death. These reductions are evident in both patients with node-negative as well as in those with node-positive disease. However, several issues in the adjuvant treatment of breast cancer still remain unresolved. These issues were recently considered at the 2000 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Development Conference, which reviewed the current state of knowledge on adjuvant therapy and outlined strategies for future research. In the area of adjuvant hormonal therapy, tamoxifen is still the gold standard, and present evidence supports the use of tamoxifen for patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive tumors irrespective of age, menopausal status, nodal status, or tumor size. Optimal duration of tamoxifen therapy is about 5 years. Future research directions include evaluating the benefit of extending tamoxifen beyond 5 years, the contribution of ovarian ablation, and the role of hormonal manipulations involving selective ER modulators and aromatase inhibitors instead of or in addition to tamoxifen. In the area of adjuvant chemotherapy, polychemotherapy regimens have been consistently found to be superior to single agents, and anthracycline-containing regimens produce a small but statistically significant improvement in survival when compared with regimens not containing an anthracycline. High-dose adjuvant chemotherapy with stem cell support has not been proven superior to standard regimens. Neoadjuvant therapy offers the possibility of testing in vivo the sensitivity of individual tumors to particular cytotoxic regimens and, hence, of improving ultimate disease control, as well as reducing the extent of local therapy. The contribution and optimal integration of taxanes in the adjuvant setting are yet to be established but are the subject of intense research effort. Similarly, novel targeted therapies such as trastuzumab and bisphosphonates are currently being evaluated in adjuvant studies

Paclitaxel in the multimodality treatment for inflammatory breast carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Inflammatory breast carcinoma (IBC) is a rare but aggressive form of breast carcinoma. Anthracycline-based regimens represent the standard of treatment for IBC. Reports of significant clinical activity of paclitaxel in metastatic breast carcinoma led the authors to investigate the role of this drug in the management of IBC.

METHODS

Forty-four patients with IBC were enrolled between February 1994 and January 1998. The treatment plan consisted of induction chemotherapy (IC), mastectomy, adjuvant chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Forty-two patients received IC with four cycles of fluorouracil, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide. If the clinical response was less than partial, patients were "crossed over" to paclitaxel before mastectomy. All patients received adjuvant paclitaxel. Patients unresectable after paclitaxel were offered high-dose chemotherapy with autologous peripheral blood progenitor cell support.

RESULTS

Thirty-four patients (81%) achieved an objective clinical remission; 3 patients (7%) achieved a clinical complete remission, 31 (74%) a partial remission. Six patients (14%) achieved pathologic complete remission. Sixteen patients were treated with paclitaxel, 7 of them (44%) were able to undergo mastectomy. Median time to progression (TTP) was 22 months. Median overall survival (OS) was 46 months. Concordance between clinical and pathologic response was documented in only 8 patients (24%). No differences in TTP and OS compared with a historical group of 178 IBC patients treated with anthracycline-based regimens.

CONCLUSIONS

Paclitaxel improves tumor resectability in anthracycline-refractory IBC. The impact of paclitaxel on the prognosis of IBC needs to be better evaluated in future trials using more dose-intensive schedules of administration. New imaging modalities may contribute to improve assessment of response to IC.

Locally advanced breast cancer

Over the past 20 years, the prognosis for women diagnosed with locally advanced breast cancer (LABC; clinical stages IIB through IIIB) has improved significantly with recognition of the efficacy of multimodal therapy for reducing both local and distant recurrences, even in patients with inflammatory breast cancer (IBC). Most patients will respond to induction, or neoadjuvant, chemotherapy (NAC) with an anthracycline-based regimen, enabling many patients with large but operable tumors to undergo breast-conserving surgery (BCS) and enabling resection in most patients with inoperable disease. However, only a small percentage of patients achieve a pathologic complete response (CR) with this approach. Long-term disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) correlate with the extent of residual disease in the breast and axillary nodes following NAC. The addition of paclitaxel or docetaxel, either in combination with an anthracycline or as a separate regimen administered before or after anthracycline-based therapy, increases clinical and pathologic response rates and may improve DFS. With the possible exception of patients with IBC, BCS does not compromise outcome. Partial mastectomy should be accompanied by standard nodal dissection in patients with clinically or radiographically positive axillae; in patients with negative axillae, sentinel lymph node (SLN) sampling, with subsequent axillary dissection reserved for patients with involved nodes, may reduce postoperative morbidity. Patients who received only anthracycline-based NAC who are found to have significant residual disease in the breast or involved axillary nodes at surgery should receive adjuvant chemotherapy with paclitaxel. Postoperative radiation to the residual breast or chest wall and regional nodal areas reduces locoregional recurrences, but its impact on OS remains controversial. Adjuvant hormonal therapy with tamoxifen improves DFS and OS in patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive tumors, and ovarian ablation should be considered in premenopausal patients with HR-positive tumors and multiple involved nodes or stage IIIB disease. Neoadjuvant hormonal therapy with either tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor may benefit frail or elderly patients with HR-positive tumors for whom chemotherapy is not an option. No advantage has been demonstrated for high-dose chemotherapy requiring hematopoietic stem-cell support as either NAC or adjuvant therapy in LABC. Newer treatment approaches, including trastuzumab (Herceptin, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA), in patients with Her-2-overexpressing tumors or other biologic agents, do not have a proven role in the management of LABC at this time.