Letrozole is more effective neoadjuvant endocrine therapy than tamoxifen for ErbB-1- and/or ErbB-2-positive, estrogen receptor-positive primary breast cancer: evidence from a phase III randomized trial

Neoadjuvant sunitinib plus exemestane in post-menopausal women with hormone receptor-positive/HER2-negative early-stage breast cancer (SUT_EXE-08): a phase I/II trial

Neoadjuvant endocrine therapy (NET) for hormone receptor-positive (HR+) breast cancer might be as effective as chemotherapy, with a better toxicity profile. Blocking a crucial process such as angiogenesis with sunitinib may have a synergistic effect with NET. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant sunitinib plus exemestane in early-stage HR+/HER2-negative breast cancer. In this phase I/II study, postmenopausal women with HR+/HER2- stage II-III breast cancer received neoadjuvant exemestane at conventional dose of 25mg plus sunitinib in a 3 + 3 design at 25mg (3/1weeks scheme) or 37.5mg continuous dose, for 6 months. Coprimary endpoints were the recommended dose of sunitinib combined with exemestane and objective response. Secondary endpoints included safety and biomarkers of early response. For 15 months, 18 patients were enrolled, 15 at sunitinib 25mg and 3 at 37.5mg. Median age was 73, 77% of patients had T2 tumors and 67% node-positive disease. The most common grade 2 toxicity was asthenia (44%), as was hypertension (22%) for grade 3. No grade 4-5 were reported. Twelve patients (66%) achieved an objective response. VEGFR-2 levels significantly decreased after one month of treatment. Differential gene expression analysis showed downregulation of ESR1, PGR and NAT1 in post-treatment samples and upregulation of EGFR, MYC, SFRP1, and FOXC1. PAM50 analysis on 83% of patients showed a prevalence of luminal A subtype, both in pre-treatment (63.6%) and post-treatment tumors (54.5%). Sunitinib plus exemestane was associated with substantial yet reversible toxicities, providing safety, efficacy and biological impact insights of combining an antiangiogenic drug with hormone therapy in early-stage breast cancer.Trial registration: Registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00931450. 02/07/2009.

Hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer in young women: A comprehensive review

The incidence of breast cancer in ≤ 40 yr-old women (YWBC) has been steadily increasing in recent decades. Although this group of patients represents less than 10 % of all newly diagnosed BC cases it encompasses a significant burden of disease. Usually underrepresented in clinical trials, YWBCs are also characterized by late diagnoses and poorly differentiated, aggressive-subtype disease, partly explaining its poor prognosis along with a high recurrence risk, and high mortality rates. On the other hand, YWBC treatment poses unique challenges such as preservation of fertility, and long-term toxicity and adverse events. Herein, we summarize the current evidence in hormone receptor-positive YWBC including specific risk factors, clinicopathologic and genomic features, and available evidence on response to chemotherapy and endocrine therapy. Overall, we advocate for a more comprehensive multidisciplinary healthcare model to improve the outcomes and the quality of life of this subset of younger patients.

The therapeutic effect of traditional Chinese medicine on breast cancer through modulation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway

Breast cancer, the most prevalent malignant tumor among women globally, is significantly influenced by the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, which plays a crucial role in its initiation and progression. While conventional chemotherapy, the standard clinical treatment, suffers from significant drawbacks like severe side effects, high toxicity, and limited prognostic efficacy, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) provides a promising alternative. TCM employs a multi-targeted therapeutic approach, which results in fewer side effects and offers a high potential for effective treatment. This paper presents a detailed analysis of the therapeutic impacts of TCM on various subtypes of breast cancer, focusing on its interaction with the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Additionally, it explores the effectiveness of both monomeric and compound forms of TCM in the management of breast cancer. We also discuss the potential of establishing biomarkers for breast cancer treatment based on key proteins within the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Our aim is to offer new insights into the prevention and treatment of breast cancer and to contribute to the standardization of TCM.

Abemaciclib plus endocrine therapy versus chemotherapy after progression on prior palbociclib in HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer: A single center real-world study in China

BACKGROUND

Cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitor plus endocrine therapy (ET) become standard-of-care for patients with hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 negative (HR+/HER2-) metastatic breast cancer (MBC). However, the optimal therapeutic paradigm after progression on CDK4/6 inhibitor remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of abemaciclib with switching ET versus chemotherapy after progression on prior palbociclib-based ET in Chinese patients with HR+/HER2- MBC.

METHODS

From 414 consecutive patients with HR+/HER2- MBC who had been treated with palbociclib plus ET from September 2018 to May 2022 in Peking University Cancer Hospital, we identified 80 patients who received abemaciclib plus switching ET or chemotherapy after progression on palbociclib, matched for age, original stage at diagnosis, disease-free interval, and tumor burden at 1:1 ratio. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) compared using the Kaplan-Meier method. A Cox proportional hazard model was performed to identify clinical factors associated with PFS in the abemaciclib group.

RESULTS

The median PFS was 6.0 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.94-8.06) in abemaciclib group and 4.0 months (95% CI, 2.52-5.49) in chemotherapy group (p = 0.667). And, there was no difference in median PFS between the sequential and nonsequential arm (6.0 vs. 6.0 months) in the abemaciclib group though fewer lines of prior systemic therapy and longer PFS from prior palbociclib in the sequential arm. However, patients with prior palbociclib as the first-line therapy had a significantly longer median PFS versus prior palbociclib as ≥2nd-line therapy (11.0 vs. 5.0 months, p = 0.043). Based on multivariable analysis, ER+/PR+ was an independent factor associated with longer PFS. There was no significant difference in overall survival between the abemaciclib and chemotherapy groups (p = 0.069).

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicate that abemaciclib plus switching ET might be one of feasible treatment options for Chinese patients with HR+/HER2- MBC after progression on prior palbociclib-based therapy in addition to chemotherapy.

New insights into HER2-low breast cancer brain metastasis: A retrospective analysis

BACKGROUND

A considerable number of patients with breast cancer will suffer from brain metastasis in the advanced setting. The HER2 status serves as a significant prognostic factor and the reference of applying treatment for patients with breast cancer brain metastasis (BCBM).

METHODS

Between January 2010 and July 2021, patients with BCBM who had available HER2 status were identified. The patients with HER2 1+ in immunohistochemistry (IHC) or IHC 2+ and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) negative were categorized as HER2-low. Comparisons were conducted between the HER2-low and HER2-zero population. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS) after the diagnosis of BCBM. Survival outcomes were assessed using Kaplan-Meier curves with log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards model.

RESULTS

In this study, we analyzed 71 patients with the HER2-low breast cancer subtype and 64 patients with the HER2-zero subtype. Despite the limited sample size, our findings revealed a significantly better OS for patients with HER2-low cancer compared to their HER2-zero counterparts (26 m vs 20 m, p = 0.0017). This trend was particularly notable in the HR-negative group (26 m vs 13 m, p = 0.0078), whereas no significant difference was observed among the HR-positive patients. Furthermore, Cox regression analysis revealed that the HER2-low status was an independent prognostic factor for better survival in the HR-negative patients (p = 0.046 in multivariate analysis).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients diagnosed with HER2-low BCBM exhibited a more favorable prognosis than those with HER2-zero BCBM, particularly within the HR-negative subgroup. The low expression of HER2 is supposed to be linked to the prolonged survival of BCBM patients.

A Research Protocol for a Phase II Single-Arm Clinical Trial Assessing the Feasibility and Efficacy of Neoadjuvant Anastrozole in Patients With Luminal Breast Cancer and Low Proliferative Index: The ANNE Trial

INTRODUCTION

Neoadjuvant endocrine therapy (NET) is recommended for the treatment of invasive breast cancer (BC), particularly luminal subtypes, in locally advanced stages. Previous randomized studies have demonstrated the benefits of aromatase inhibitors in this context. However, NET is typically reserved for elderly or frail patients who may not tolerate neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Identifying non-responsive patients early and extending treatment for responsive ones would be ideal, yet optimal strategies are awaited.

AIMS

This non-randomized phase 2 clinical trial aims to assess NET feasibility and efficacy in postmenopausal stage II and III luminal BC patients, identifying predictive therapeutic response biomarkers. Efficacy will be gauged by patients with Ki67 ≤ 10% after 4 weeks and Preoperative Endocrine Prognostic Index (PEPI) scores 0 post-surgery. Study feasibility will be determined by participation acceptance rate (recruitment rate ≥50%) and inclusion rate (>2 patients/month).

METHODS

Postmenopausal women with luminal, HER2-tumors in stages II and III undergo neoadjuvant anastrozole treatment, evaluating continuing NET or receiving chemotherapy through early Ki67 analysis after 2 to 4 weeks. The study assesses NET extension for up to 10 months, using serial follow-ups with standardized breast ultrasound and clinical criteria-based NET suspension. Clinical and pathological responses will be measured overall and in the luminal tumor A subgroup. Toxicity, health-related quality of life, and circulating biomarkers predicting early NET response will also be evaluated.

Cost-effectiveness of abemaciclib plus endocrine therapy in high-risk HR+/HER2-early breast cancer in China

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this article is to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of abemaciclib plus endocrine therapy (ABE + ET) vs. ET as adjuvant treatment for high-risk hormone receptor-positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HR+/HER2-) early breast cancer in China.

METHODS

From the perspective of the Chinese health care system, a 5-state Markov model was developed with a lifetime horizon. Data of the monarchE phase III clinical trial were used to model the invasive disease-free survival (iDFS) and standard parameters models were used for data extrapolation. Costs were obtained from national data sources, expert opinions and published literature using 2023 US dollars and discounted by 5%. The results were evaluated in terms of life-years (LYs) and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). Sensitivity analyses and scenario analyses were performed to test the robustness of the basic results.

RESULTS

In the base-case analysis result, the model projected improved outcomes (by 0.65 LYs and 0.72 QALYs) and increased costs (by $16,057.72) for incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) of $24,841/LY and $22,385/QALY for ABE + ET vs. ET patients. The results in scenario analysis estimated the ICERs of ABE + ET treatment to be $16,959/LY and $15,264/QALY in a mixture cure model, and $13,560/LY and $12,191/QALY in a non-mixture cure model. The model was sensitive to outcome discount rate and utility of iDFS.

CONCLUSION

ABE + ET might not have an economic advantage over ET at a willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold of one time the per capita GDP in China, but was expected to be more cost-effective at a WTP threshold of three times the per capita GDP. Further analysis will be conducted once data from longer-term studies become available.

Frequent upregulation of HER2 protein in hormone-receptor-positive HER2-negative breast cancer after short-term neoadjuvant endocrine therapy

BACKGROUND

Endocrine resistant metastatic disease develops in ~ 20-25% of hormone-receptor-positive (HR+) breast cancer (BC) patients despite endocrine therapy (ET) use. Upregulation of HER family receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) represent escape mechanisms in response to ET in some HR+ tumors. Short-term neoadjuvant ET (NET) offers the opportunity to identify early endocrine escape mechanisms initiated in individual tumors.

METHODS

This was a single arm, interventional phase II clinical trial evaluating 4 weeks (± 1 week) of NET in patients with early-stage HR+/HER2-negative (HER2-) BC. The primary objective was to assess NET-induced changes in HER1-4 proteins by immunohistochemistry (IHC) score. Protein upregulation was defined as an increase of ≥ 1 in IHC score following NET.

RESULTS

Thirty-seven patients with cT1-T3, cN0, HR+/HER2- BC were enrolled. In 35 patients with evaluable tumor HER protein after NET, HER2 was upregulated in 48.6% (17/35; p = 0.025), with HER2-positive status (IHC 3+ or FISH-amplified) detected in three patients at surgery, who were recommended adjuvant trastuzumab-based therapy. Downregulation of HER3 and/or HER4 protein was detected in 54.2% of tumors, whereas HER1 protein remained low and unchanged in all cases. While no significant volumetric reduction was detected radiographically after short-term NET, significant reduction in tumor proliferation rates were observed. No significant associations were identified between any clinicopathologic covariates and changes in HER1-4 protein expression on multivariable analysis.

CONCLUSION

Short-term NET frequently and preferentially upregulates HER2 over other HER family RTKs in early-stage HR+/HER2- BC and may be a promising strategy to identify tumors that utilize HER2 as an early endocrine escape pathway.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRY

Trial registration number: NCT03219476.

Frequent Upregulation Of HER2 Protein In Hormone Receptor-Positive HER2-Negative Breast Cancer After Short-Term Neoadjuvant Endocrine Therapy

Background. Endocrine resistant metastatic disease develops in ~20-25% of hormone-receptor positive (HR+) breast cancer (BC) patients despite endocrine therapy (ET) use. Upregulation of HER family receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) represent escape mechanisms in response to ET in some HR+ tumors. Short-term neoadjuvant ET (NET) offers the opportunity to identify early endocrine escape mechanisms initiated in individual tumors. Methods. This was a single arm, interventional phase II clinical trial evaluating 4 weeks (+/-1 week) of NET in patients with early-stage HR+/HER2-negative (HER2-) BC. The primary objective was to assess NET-induced changes in HER1-4 proteins by immunohistochemistry (IHC) score. Protein upregulation was defined as an increase of ≥1 in IHC score following NET. Results. Thirty-seven patients with cT1-T3, cN0, HR+/HER2- BC were enrolled. In 35 patients with evaluable tumor HER protein after NET, HER2 was upregulated in 48.6% (17/35; p=0.025), with HER2-positive status (IHC 3+ or FISH-amplified) detected in three patients at surgery, who were recommended adjuvant trastuzumab-based therapy. Downregulation of HER3 and/or HER4 protein was detected in 54.2% of tumors, whereas HER1 protein remained low and unchanged in all cases. While no significant volumetric reduction was detected radiographically after short-term NET, significant reduction in tumor proliferation rates were observed. No significant associations were identified between any clinicopathologic covariates and changes in HER1-4 protein expression on multivariable analysis. Conclusion . Short-term NET frequently and preferentially upregulates HER2 over other HER-family RTKs in early-stage HR+/HER2- BC and may be a promising strategy to identify tumors that utilize HER2 as an early endocrine escape pathway. Trial registration number: NCT03219476 Date of registration for prospectively registered trials: July 17, 2017.

Neoadjuvant endocrine therapy for luminal breast tumors: State of the art, challenges and future perspectives

Neoadjuvant endocrine treatment (NET) associates to satisfactory rates of breast conservative surgery and conversions from inoperable to operable hormone receptor-positive (HR+)/HER2-negative breast cancer (BC), with less toxicities than neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) and similar outcomes. Hence, it has been proposed as a logical alternative to NACT in patients with HR+/HER2- BC candidate to a neoadjuvant approach. Nevertheless, potential barriers to the widespread use of NET include the heterogeneous nature of patient response coupled with the long duration needed to achieve a clinical response. However, interest in NET has significantly increased in the last decade, owing to more in-depth investigation of several biomarkers for a more adequate patient selection and on-treatment benefit monitoring, such as PEPI score, Ki67 and genomic assays. This review is intended to describe the state-of-the-art regarding NET, its future perspectives and potential integration with molecular biomarkers for the optimal selection of patients, regimen and duration of (neo)adjuvant treatments.

Pathology of neoadjuvant therapy and immunotherapy testing for breast cancer

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) has become the standard of care for high-risk breast cancer, including triple-negative (TNBC) and HER2-positive disease. As a result, handling and reporting of breast specimens post-NACT is part of routine practice, and it is important for pathologists to recognise the changes in tumour cells, tumour-associated stroma and background breast tissue induced by NACT. Familiarity with characteristic stromal features enables identification of the pre-treatment tumour site and allows confident diagnosis of pathological complete response (pCR) which is important for decisions concerning adjuvant therapy. Neoadjuvant endocrine therapy (NAET) is used less frequently than NACT; however, the SARS-COVID-19 pandemic has changed practice, with increased use as bridging therapy if surgery is delayed. NAET also induces characteristic changes in the tumour and stroma. Changes in the tumour microenvironment following NACT and NAET are also described. Immunotherapy is approved for use in advanced TNBC, and there are several trials exploring its role in early TNBC in the neoadjuvant setting. The current biomarker to determine eligibility for treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors is programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) immunohistochemistry; however, this is complicated by lack of standardisation with different drugs linked to tests using different antibodies with different scoring systems. The situation in the neoadjuvant setting is further complicated by improved pCR rates for PD-L1-positive tumours in both immune therapy and placebo arms. Alternative biomarkers are urgently needed to identify which patients will derive benefit from immunotherapy and key candidates are discussed.

Neoadjuvant endocrine therapy in postmenopausal women with HR+/HER2- breast cancer

INTRODUCTION

While endocrine therapy is the standard-of-care adjuvant treatment for hormone receptor-positive (HR+) breast cancers, there is also extensive evidence for the role of pre-operative (or neoadjuvant) endocrine therapy (NET) in HR+ postmenopausal women.

AREAS COVERED

We conducted a thorough review of the published literature, to summarize the evidence to date, including studies of how NET compares to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, which NET agents are preferable, and the optimal duration of NET. We describe the importance of on-treatment assessment of response, the different predictors available (including Ki67, PEPI score, and molecular signatures) and the research opportunities the pre-operative setting offers. We also summarize recent combination trials and discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic led to increases in NET use for safe management of cases with deferred surgery and adjuvant treatments.

EXPERT OPINION

NET represents a safe and effective tool for the management of postmenopausal women with HR+/HER2- breast cancer, enabling disease downstaging and a wider range of surgical options. Aromatase inhibitors are the preferred NET, with evidence suggesting that longer regimens might yield optimal results. However, NET remains currently underutilised in many territories and institutions. Further validation of predictors for treatment response and benefit is needed to help standardise and fully exploit the potential of NET in the clinic.

Systemic therapy for early-stage breast cancer: learning from the past to build the future

The treatment of breast cancer has improved dramatically over the past century, from a strictly surgical approach to a coordinated one, including local and systemic therapies. Systemic therapies for early-stage disease were initially tested against observation or placebo only in adjuvant trials. Subsequent clinical trials focusing on treatment 'fine-tuning' had a marked increase in cohort size, duration and costs, leading to a growing interest in the neoadjuvant setting in the past decade. Neoadjuvant trial designs have the advantages of enabling the direct evaluation of treatment effects on tumour diameter and offer unique translational research opportunities through the comparative analysis of tumour biology before, during and after treatment. Current technologies enabling the identification of better predictive biomarkers are shaping the new era of (neo)adjuvant trials. An urgent need exists to reinforce collaboration between the pharmaceutical industry and academia to share data and thus establish large databases of biomarker data coupled with patient outcomes that are easily accessible to the scientific community. In this Review, we summarize the evolution of (neo)adjuvant trials from the pre-genomic to the post-genomic era and provide critical insights into how neoadjuvant studies are currently designed, discussing the need for better end points and treatment strategies that are more personalized, including in the post-neoadjuvant setting.

Estrogen Receptor-α Targeting: PROTACs, SNIPERs, Peptide-PROTACs, Antibody Conjugated PROTACs and SNIPERs

Targeting selective estrogen subtype receptors through typical medicinal chemistry approaches is based on occupancy-driven pharmacology. In occupancy-driven pharmacology, molecules are developed in order to inhibit the protein of interest (POI), and their popularity is based on their virtue of faster kinetics. However, such approaches have intrinsic flaws, such as pico-to-nanomolar range binding affinity and continuous dosage after a time interval for sustained inhibition of POI. These shortcomings were addressed by event-driven pharmacology-based approaches, which degrade the POI rather than inhibit it. One such example is PROTACs (Proteolysis targeting chimeras), which has become one of the highly successful strategies of event-driven pharmacology (pharmacology that does the degradation of POI and diminishes its functions). The selective targeting of estrogen receptor subtypes is always challenging for chemical biologists and medicinal chemists. Specifically, estrogen receptor α (ER-α) is expressed in nearly 70% of breast cancer and commonly overexpressed in ovarian, prostate, colon, and endometrial cancer. Therefore, conventional hormonal therapies are most prescribed to patients with ER + cancers. However, on prolonged use, resistance commonly developed against these therapies, which led to selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) becoming the first-line drug for metastatic ER + breast cancer. The SERD success shows that removing cellular ER-α is a promising approach to overcoming endocrine resistance. Depending on the mechanism of degradation of ER-α, various types of strategies of developed.

EZH2 Protein Expression in Estrogen Receptor Positive Invasive Breast Cancer Treated With Neoadjuvant Endocrine Therapy: An Exploratory Study of Association With Tumor Response

INTRODUCTION

Neoadjuvant endocrine therapy (NET) can be used to treat estrogen receptor positive (ER+) invasive breast cancer (IBC). Tumors with Ki67>10% after 2 to 4 weeks of NET are considered resistant to endocrine therapy. Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 (EZH2) is a targetable oncoprotein and overexpression in ER+ IBC has been linked to resistance to endocrine therapy. We examined whether EZH2 expression levels in ER+ IBC could be used to predict response to NET.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We retrospectively identified 46 patients with localized ER+ HER2/neu negative IBC treated with a minimum of 4 weeks of NET. We quantified EZH2 nuclear expression in pretherapy core biopsies using a score that included intensity and percent of cells staining. Ki67 was evaluated in both pretherapy core biopsies and posttherapy tumor resections and scored according to the guidelines of the International Ki67 Working Groups, with a global weighted score. Ki67≤10% after NET was considered endocrine responsive. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the association between EZH2 expression and response to NET.

RESULTS

We found significant associations of tumor grade ( P =0.011), pretherapy Ki67 ( P =0.003), and EZH2 ( P <0.001), with response to NET. On logistic regression adjusted for tumor grade and pretherapy Ki67, increased EZH2 scores were associated with decreased odds of endocrine responsiveness, defined as posttreatment Ki67≤10% (odds ratio=0.976, 95% CI, 0.956 to 0.997; P =0.026). In addition, with EZH2 score in the model, associations of tumor grade and pretreatment Ki67 with posttreatment Ki67≤10% response to NET became not significant.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that EZH2 might be a useful biomarker to predict response to NET.

Adjuvant endocrine therapy in patients with estrogen receptor-low positive breast cancer: A prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the benefits of adjuvant endocrine therapy (ET) in low ER-positive breast cancer (1%-10%) patients. We analyzed the association between ET and breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) in these patients with respect to the regimen and the duration of ET.

METHODS

Patients were classified into three groups based on the regimen and duration of ET. The regimens included aromatase inhibitor (AI) monotherapy or sequential tamoxifen followed by an AI (AI/T + AI), or only tamoxifen and no ET. The duration of ET included 2-3 years and >3 years. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was employed to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS

Of the 10,696 patients diagnosed with breast cancer between 2010 and 2020, 407 women were identified with ER-low positive disease and met the inclusion criteria. During a median follow-up of 5.2 years, patients who received ET improved BCSS. Of them, those with AI/T + AI had increased BCSS compared to patients without ET, after adjusting for demographics and tumor characteristics, especially in ER-low/HER-2-positive breast cancer. After additional adjustment for treatment mode, the association maintained a similar trend. Patients who received >3 years of ET was associated with a better DFS. There was no significant difference in BCSS between patients with 2-3 years and >3 years of ET.

CONCLUSION

For ER-low patients, findings suggest that ET with AI/T + AI may be a reasonable treatment alternative. This effect should be assessed in randomized studies.

Neoadjuvant endocrine therapy for strongly hormone receptor-positive and HER2-negative early breast cancer: results of a prospective multi-center study

PURPOSE

For estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer, neoadjuvant endocrine therapy (NET) has been shown to be as effective as neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). We evaluated the prognostic significance of Preoperative Endocrine Prognostic Index (PEPI).

METHODS

We conducted a prospective, multi-center, non-randomized, controlled trial that enrolled postmenopausal early-stage strongly ER-positive (≥ 50%) and HER2-negative breast cancer patients. All patients were given 4-month NET before surgery. The primary objective was to investigate the 5-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) in patients who had PEPI 0-1 or pathological complete response (pCR) without chemotherapy. Patients who had PEPI 0-1 or pCR were recommended to receive adjuvant endocrine therapy only and patients had PEPI ≥ 2 may receive adjuvant chemotherapy at the discretion of the treating physician.

RESULTS

A total of 410 patients were included and 352 patients constituted the per-protocol population. Overall, 9 patients (2.5%) had pCR (ypT0/is ypN0), 128 patients (36.4%) had PEPI = 0, and 56 patients (15.9%) had PEPI = 1. After a median follow-up of 60 months (4-104 months), patients who had PEPI 0-1 or pCR showed an improved 5-year RFS [99.5% (95% CI 98.5-99.9%) for PEPI 0-1 or pCR group vs. 93.7% (95% CI 89.6-97.8%) for PEPI ≥ 2 group, P = 0.028]. No survival difference was detected between patients received adjuvant chemotherapy vs. no chemotherapy among PEPI ≥ 2 cases.

CONCLUSION

PEPI 0-1 or pCR may be used to define a group of ER-positive and HER2-negative postmenopausal early breast cancer patients with low relapse risk for whom adjuvant chemotherapy can be safely withheld. Studies on the identification and alternative treatment options for endocrine-resistant tumors are warranted.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

NCT01613560.

Human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 and endocrine resistance in hormone-dependent breast cancer

Endocrine therapies are the main treatment strategies for the clinical management of hormone-dependent breast cancer. Despite prolonged time to recurrence in the adjuvant setting and the initial clinical responses in the metastatic setting, many patients eventually encounter tumour relapse due to acquired resistance to these agents. Other patients experience a lack of tumour regression at the beginning of treatment indicating de novo resistance that significantly limits its efficacy in the clinic. There is compelling evidence that human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) overexpression contributes to resistance to endocrine therapies in oestrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer. ER+/HER2+ tumours comprise about 10% of all breast cancer cases and about 60% of the whole set of HER2+ tumours. Most patients with primary ER+/HER2+ disease will receive antibody-based HER2-targeted therapy, but this is generally for no more than one year while endocrine treatment is usually for at least 5 years. A number of HER2-kinase inhibitors are also now in clinical use or in clinical trials, and the interaction of these with endocrine treatment may differ from that of antibody treatment. In this review article, we aim to summarise knowledge on molecular mechanisms of breast cancer resistance to endocrine therapies attributable to the impact of HER2 signalling on endocrine sensitivity, to discuss data from clinical trials addressing the role of HER2 in the development of endocrine resistance in the metastatic, neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings and to explore rational new therapeutic strategies.

Chemotherapy and Physical Therapeutics Modulate Antigens on Cancer Cells

Cancer cells possess specific properties, such as multidrug resistance or unlimited proliferation potential, due to the presence of specific proteins on their cell membranes. The release of proliferation-related proteins from the membrane can evoke a loss of adaptive ability in cancer cells and thus enhance the effects of anticancer therapy. The upregulation of cancer-specific membrane antigens results in a better outcome of immunotherapy. Moreover, cytotoxic T-cells may also become more effective when stimulated ex-vivo toward the anticancer response. Therefore, the modulation of membrane proteins may serve as an interesting attempt in anticancer therapy. The presence of membrane antigens relies on various physical factors such as temperature, exposure to radiation, or drugs. Therefore, changing the tumor microenvironment conditions may lead to cancer cells becoming sensitized to subsequent therapy. This paper focuses on the therapeutic approaches modulating membrane antigens and enzymes in anticancer therapy. It aims to analyze the possible methods for modulating the antigens, such as pharmacological treatment, electric field treatment, photodynamic reaction, treatment with magnetic field or X-ray radiation. Besides, an overview of the effects of chemotherapy and immunotherapy on the immunophenotype of cancer cells is presented. Finally, the authors review the clinical trials that involved the modulation of cell immunophenotype in anticancer therapy.

The development of molecular typing in canine mammary carcinomas

Mammary tumors are the most frequent neoplasia in old female dogs and present challenges in diagnosis and prognosis owing to heterogeneity. Along with the rapid development of biotechnology, the molecular subtyping of canine mammary carcinomas has been researched, and provides an important reference basis for diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and even prediction of recurrence rate. Therefore, the molecular classification of canine mammary carcinomas has gained a broad clinical application prospect. However, the existing molecular markers of canine mammary carcinomas are still unable to meet the expanding clinical needs with poor clinical feasibility. Thus, it is urgent to develop more applicable biomarkers appropriate for personalized treatment modalities. At present, the molecular typing of canine mammary carcinomas is not fully understood, and it is first reviewed in this study.

The Evolving Role of Neoadjuvant Therapy for Operable Breast Cancer

The role of neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) for localized breast cancer has evolved tremendously over the past several years. Currently, NAT is the preferred option for high-risk early triple-negative (TN) and HER2-positive (HER2+) breast cancers and is indicated for some estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancers. In addition to traditional absolute indications for NAT, relative indications such as the assessment of outcomes at the time of surgery and guidance of treatment escalation and de-escalation have greatly evolved in recent years. Pathologic complete response (pCR) and the Residual Cancer Burden (RCB) index are highly prognostic for disease recurrence and survival, mainly in patients with TN or HER2+ disease. Furthermore, post-NAT escalation strategies have been shown to improve long-term outcomes of patients who do not achieve pCR. Additionally, by allowing the direct assessment of drug effect on the tumor, the neoadjuvant setting has become an attractive setting for the exploration of novel agents and the identification of predictive biomarkers. Neoadjuvant trial design has also evolved, using adaptive treatment approaches that enable treatment de-escalation or escalation based on response. However, despite multiple practice-changing neoadjuvant trials and the addition of various new agents to the neoadjuvant setting for early breast cancer, many key questions remain. For example, patient selection for neoadjuvant immunotherapy in TN breast cancer, de-escalation methods in HER2+ breast cancer, and the use of gene expression profiles to guide NAT recommendations in ER+ breast cancer. This article reviews the current approach for NAT in localized breast cancer as well as evolving NAT strategies, the key remaining challenges, and the ongoing work in the field.

Improving outcomes for women aged 70 years or above with early breast cancer: research programme including a cluster RCT

Background

In breast cancer management, age-related practice variation is widespread, with older women having lower rates of surgery and chemotherapy than younger women, based on the premise of reduced treatment tolerance and benefit. This may contribute to inferior outcomes. There are currently no age- and fitness-stratified guidelines on which to base treatment recommendations.

Aim

We aimed to optimise treatment choice and outcomes for older women (aged ≥ 70 years) with operable breast cancer.

Objectives

Our objectives were to (1) determine the age, comorbidity, frailty, disease stage and biology thresholds for endocrine therapy alone versus surgery plus adjuvant endocrine therapy, or adjuvant chemotherapy versus no chemotherapy, for older women with breast cancer; (2) optimise survival outcomes for older women by improving the quality of treatment decision-making; (3) develop and evaluate a decision support intervention to enhance shared decision-making; and (4) determine the degree and causes of treatment variation between UK breast units.

Design

A prospective cohort study was used to determine age and fitness thresholds for treatment allocation. Mixed-methods research was used to determine the information needs of older women to develop a decision support intervention. A cluster-randomised trial was used to evaluate the impact of this decision support intervention on treatment choices and outcomes. Health economic analysis was used to evaluate the cost–benefit ratio of different treatment strategies according to age and fitness criteria. A mixed-methods study was used to determine the degree and causes of variation in treatment allocation.

Main outcome measures

The main outcome measures were enhanced age- and fitness-specific decision support leading to improved quality-of-life outcomes in older women (aged ≥ 70 years) with early breast cancer.

Results

(1) Cohort study: the study recruited 3416 UK women aged ≥ 70 years (median age 77 years). Follow-up was 52 months. (a) The surgery plus adjuvant endocrine therapy versus endocrine therapy alone comparison: 2854 out of 3416 (88%) women had oestrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer, 2354 of whom received surgery plus adjuvant endocrine therapy and 500 received endocrine therapy alone. Patients treated with endocrine therapy alone were older and frailer than patients treated with surgery plus adjuvant endocrine therapy. Unmatched overall survival and breast-cancer-specific survival were higher in the surgery plus adjuvant endocrine therapy group (overall survival: hazard ratio 0.27, 95% confidence interval 0.23 to 0.33; p < 0.001; breast-cancer-specific survival: hazard ratio 0.41, 95% confidence interval 0.29 to 0.58; p < 0.001) than in the endocrine therapy alone group. In matched analysis, surgery plus adjuvant endocrine therapy was still associated with better overall survival (hazard ratio 0.72, 95% confidence interval 0.53 to 0.98; p = 0.04) than endocrine therapy alone, but not with better breast-cancer-specific survival (hazard ratio 0.74, 95% confidence interval 0.40 to 1.37; p = 0.34) or progression-free-survival (hazard ratio 1.11, 95% confidence interval 0.55 to 2.26; p = 0.78). (b) The adjuvant chemotherapy versus no chemotherapy comparison: 2811 out of 3416 (82%) women received surgery plus adjuvant endocrine therapy, of whom 1520 (54%) had high-recurrence-risk breast cancer [grade 3, node positive, oestrogen receptor negative or human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 positive, or a high Oncotype DX® (Genomic Health, Inc., Redwood City, CA, USA) score of > 25]. In this high-risk population, there were no differences according to adjuvant chemotherapy use in overall survival or breast-cancer-specific survival after propensity matching. Adjuvant chemotherapy was associated with a lower risk of metastatic recurrence than no chemotherapy in the unmatched (adjusted hazard ratio 0.36, 95% confidence interval 0.19 to 0.68; p = 0.002) and propensity-matched patients (adjusted hazard ratio 0.43, 95% confidence interval 0.20 to 0.92; p = 0.03). Adjuvant chemotherapy improved the overall survival and breast-cancer-specific survival of patients with oestrogen-receptor-negative disease. (2) Mixed-methods research to develop a decision support intervention: an iterative process was used to develop two decision support interventions (each comprising a brief decision aid, a booklet and an online tool) specifically for older women facing treatment choices (endocrine therapy alone or surgery plus adjuvant endocrine therapy, and adjuvant chemotherapy or no chemotherapy) using several evidence sources (expert opinion, literature and patient interviews). The online tool was based on models developed using registry data from 23,842 patients and validated on an external data set of 14,526 patients. Mortality rates at 2 and 5 years differed by < 1% between predicted and observed values. (3) Cluster-randomised clinical trial of decision support tools: 46 UK breast units were randomised (intervention, n = 21; usual care, n = 25), recruiting 1339 women (intervention, n = 670; usual care, n = 669). There was no significant difference in global quality of life at 6 months post baseline (difference –0.20, 95% confidence interval –2.7 to 2.3; p = 0.90). In women offered a choice of endocrine therapy alone or surgery plus adjuvant endocrine therapy, knowledge about treatments was greater in the intervention arm than the usual care arm (94% vs. 74%; p = 0.003). Treatment choice was altered, with higher rates of endocrine therapy alone than of surgery in the intervention arm. Similarly, chemotherapy rates were lower in the intervention arm (endocrine therapy alone rate: intervention sites 21% vs. usual-care sites 15%, difference 5.5%, 95% confidence interval 1.1% to 10.0%; p = 0.02; adjuvant chemotherapy rate: intervention sites 10% vs. usual-care site 15%, difference 4.5%, 95% confidence interval 0.0% to 8.0%; p = 0.013). Survival was similar in both arms. (4) Health economic analysis: a probabilistic economic model was developed using registry and cohort study data. For most health and fitness strata, surgery plus adjuvant endocrine therapy had lower costs and returned more quality-adjusted life-years than endocrine therapy alone. However, for some women aged > 90 years, surgery plus adjuvant endocrine therapy was no longer cost-effective and generated fewer quality-adjusted life-years than endocrine therapy alone. The incremental benefit of surgery plus adjuvant endocrine therapy reduced with age and comorbidities. (5) Variation in practice: analysis of rates of surgery plus adjuvant endocrine therapy or endocrine therapy alone between the 56 breast units in the cohort study demonstrated significant variation in rates of endocrine therapy alone that persisted after adjustment for age, fitness and stage. Clinician preference was an important determinant of treatment choice.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that, for older women with oestrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer, there is a cohort of women with a life expectancy of < 4 years for whom surgery plus adjuvant endocrine therapy may offer little benefit and simply have a negative impact on quality of life. The Age Gap decision tool may help make this shared decision. Similarly, although adjuvant chemotherapy offers little benefit and has a negative impact on quality of life for the majority of older women with oestrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer, for women with oestrogen-receptor-negative breast cancer, adjuvant chemotherapy is beneficial. The negative impacts of adjuvant chemotherapy on quality of life, although significant, are transient. This implies that, for the majority of fitter women aged ≥ 70 years, standard care should be offered.

Limitations

As with any observational study, despite detailed propensity score matching, residual bias cannot be excluded. Follow-up was at median 52 months for the cohort analysis. Longer-term follow-up will be required to validate these findings owing to the slow time course of oestrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer.

Future work

The online algorithm is now available (URL: https://agegap.shef.ac.uk/; accessed May 2022). There are plans to validate the tool and incorprate quality-of-life and 10-year survival outcomes.

Trial registration

This trial is registered as ISRCTN46099296.

Funding

This project was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Programme Grants for Applied Research programme and will be published in full in Programme Grants for Applied Research; Vol. 10, No. 6. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Occult Invasive Lobular Carcinoma Presenting as an Axillary Skin Metastatic Lesion Underwent Neoadjuvant Endocrine Therapy and Surgical Resection: A Case Report and Review of Literature

Introduction

Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) is the second most common type of breast cancer accounting for 5–15% of all breast cancer cases. It usually presents with nonspecific signs and symptoms. Occult breast cancer presenting as an axillary mass is rare, with prevalence of 0.3–1%, less likely with isolated cutaneous breast metastasis as a first presentation. There are limited data in the literature on patients who underwent endocrine therapy and complete surgical resection.

Case Presentation

A 54-year-old woman with left axillary skin swelling that had been persisting for 6 years was diagnosed with ILC 18 months ago presenting with an ulcerated axillary skin lesion and was managed with letrozole in another facility as she was estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) positive. She received letrozole for 18 months and had a partial response in the form of healing of the ulcer with persistent subcutaneous nodules. Her breast mammogram, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging findings were unremarkable; however, there were few prominent left axillary lymph nodes. A biopsy of the left axillary lymph node was positive for malignancy, consistent with ILC. A skin punch biopsy of the axillary skin lesion showed ILC extending to the dermis with no background breast tissue. The patient underwent left modified radical mastectomy with excision of the left axillary skin lesion. The breast specimen comprised 0.4 mm of ILC as the primary malignancy and nine positive axillary lymph node malignancies. The patient received adjuvant radiotherapy and continued to receive letrozole. There were no signs of complications or recurrence during the follow-up period.

Conclusion

Ulcerated skin lesions in the axilla should raise concerns regarding breast cancer metastasis. In cases of isolated cutaneous breast metastases, surgical excision can be considered in combination with endocrine therapy.

Psychological Distress, Coping Strategies, and Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Patients Under Neoadjuvant Therapy: Protocol of a Systematic Review

Introduction

Women with breast cancer eligible for neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) present a disorder of biopsychosocial variables and alteration of their quality of life. They cope with this changing by adopting psychological adjustment strategies, either passive or active. This systematic review aims to investigate the psychological distress, coping strategies, and quality of life in breast cancer patients under neoadjuvant therapy.

Methods

Cochrane Library, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Web of Science, and Wiley Online library represent the databases that were searched to identify relevant published articles until September 27, 2021. Full-text published articles, written in English and assessing the main outcomes (namely: psychological distress, coping strategies, and quality of life) in women with breast cancer under NAT will be included. Also, we will integrate papers dealing with the related bio psychosocial variables to the main variables. The paper selection, data extraction, and quality assessment of selected studies will be performed independently by two researchers, and disagreements will be resolved through discussions. We will bring together the results of all of the included studies to draw conclusions based on the body of evidence. The narrative approach will be adopted to analyze the results and conclusions extracted and we would perform quantitative groupings if we have similar data.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethical approval is not required as the proposed systematic review will not use primary data. The results of this review will be disseminated through publication in a peer-reviewed journal and conference presentation(s). PROSPERO registration number: CRD42021230300.

Locally advanced breast cancer

Locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) is defined here as inoperable breast adenocarcinoma without distant metastases. Patients with LABC require a multidisciplinary approach. Given the risk of distant metastasis, staging exams are necessary. The incidence of LABC (stages IIIB and IIIC) has decreased in recent years. LABC has rarely been investigated separately: patients with LABC have participated both in clinical trials of palliative and of neoadjuvant therapy. Most trials did not analyze responses and long-term outcomes independently; thus, the treatment of patients with LABC is extrapolated from studies of patients with less or more advanced disease. Pathologic confirmation and molecular profiling are essential for the choice of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Preoperative endocrine therapy may be considered in certain clinical situations; the addition of a CDK4/6 inhibitor is being investigated. HER2 positive LABCs are targeted with anti-HER2 agents combined with chemotherapy. PD-1 and PD-L1 antibodies in ‘triple-negative’ LABC are promising. Excellent responses to neoadjuvant therapy enable conservative surgery in many patients; however, inflammatory breast cancer may still indicate mastectomy. Postoperative radiotherapy is usually indicated. Target volumes include breast/chest wall, axillary, supraclavicular and internal mammary nodal basins. Preoperative radiation therapy can be useful in patients without response to systemic therapies. Palliative surgery for poor responders after neoadjuvant systemic and radiation therapy can be considered. Multidisciplinary teams can optimize local control and prevent relapses. However, modest improvement in survival was achieved between 2000 and 2014 underscoring the unmet need in patients with LABC who will benefit from specific research efforts in this disease entity.

Surrogate endpoints for early-stage breast cancer: a review of the state of the art, controversies, and future prospects

Drug approval for early-stage breast cancer (EBC) has been historically granted in the context of registration trials based on adequate outcomes such as disease-free survival and overall survival. Improvements in long-term outcomes have made it more difficult to demonstrate the clinical benefit of a new cancer drug in large, randomized, comparative clinical trials. Therefore, the use of surrogate endpoints rather than traditional measures allows for cancer drug trials to proceed with smaller sample sizes and shorter follow-up periods, which reduces drug development time. Among surrogate endpoints for breast cancer, the increase in pathological complete response (pCR) rates was considered appropriate for accelerated drug approval. The association between pCR and long-term outcomes was strongest in patients with aggressive tumor subtypes, such as triple-negative and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive/hormone receptor-negative breast cancers. Whereas in hormone receptor-positive/HER2-negative EBC, the most accepted surrogate markers for endocrine therapy-based trials include changes in Ki67 and the preoperative endocrine prognostic index. Beyond the classic endpoints, further prognostic tools are required to provide EBC patients with individualized and effective therapies, and the neoadjuvant setting provides an excellent platform for drug development and biomarker discovery. Nowadays, the availability of multigene signatures is offering a standardized quantitative and reproducible tool to potentiate the efficacy of standard treatment for high-risk patients and develop de-escalated treatments for patients at lower risk of relapse. In this article, we first evaluate the surrogacies used for long-term outcomes and the underlying evidence supporting the use of each surrogate endpoint for the accelerated or regular drug approval process in EBC. Next, we provide an overview of the most recent studies and innovative strategies in a (neo)adjuvant setting as a platform to accelerate new drug approval. Finally, we highlight some clinical trials aimed at tailoring systemic treatment of EBC using prognosis-related factors or early biomarkers of drug sensitivity or resistance.

Suggested Modifications to the Management of Patients With Breast Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Web-Based Survey Study

BACKGROUND

Management of patients with cancer in the current era of the COVID-19 pandemic poses a significant challenge to health care systems. Breast cancer is the most common cancer internationally. Breast cancer is a disease that involves surgery, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, targeted therapy, radiotherapy, and, more recently, immunotherapy in its management plan. The immune system requires months to recover from these medications, and this condition is even worse in patients with metastatic breast cancer who need ongoing treatment with these drugs. Some of these drugs, such as inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6, can cause rare but life-threating lung inflammation. Patients with breast cancer who have metastatic disease to the lungs can experience deterioration of disease symptoms with COVID-19 infection. Oncologists treating patients with breast cancer are facing a difficult situation regarding treatment choice. The impact that COVID-19 has had on breast cancer care is unknown, including how to provide the best care possible without compromising patient and community safety.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to explore the views of oncologists regarding the management of patients with breast cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

A web-based SurveyMonkey questionnaire was submitted to licensed oncologists involved in breast cancer management in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and United Arab Emirates. The survey focused on characteristics of the participants, infection risk among patients with cancer, and possible treatment modifications related to different types of breast cancer.

RESULTS

The survey was completed by 82 participants. For early hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer, 61 of the 82 participants (74%) supported using neoadjuvant hormonal therapy in selected patients, and 58% (48/82) preferred giving 6 over 8 cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy when indicated. Only 43% (35/82) preferred inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 with hormonal therapy as the first-line treatment in all patients with metastatic HR-positive disease. A total of 55 of the 82 participants (67%) supported using adjuvant trastuzumab for 6 instead of 12 months in selected patients with HER2-positive breast cancer. For metastatic HER2-positive, HR-positive breast cancer, 80% of participants (66/82) supported the use of hormonal therapy with dual anti-HER2 blockade in selected patients. The preferred choice of first-line treatment in metastatic triple negative patients with BRCA mutation and programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) <1% was poly(adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase inhibitor according to 41% (34/82) of the participants, and atezolizumab with nab-paclitaxel was preferred for PD-L1 >1% according to 71% (58/82) of the participants.

CONCLUSIONS

Several modifications in breast cancer management were supported by the survey participants. These modifications need to be discussed on a local basis, taking into account the local infrastructure and available resources.

Controversies in Breast Cancer Surgery

Breast surgical oncology is a rapidly evolving field with significant advances shaped by practice-changing research. Three areas of ongoing controversy are (1) high rates of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) in the United States despite uncertain benefit, (2) indications for and use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) and endocrine therapy (NET), and (3) staging and treatment of the axilla, particularly after neoadjuvant systemic therapy. We discuss the patient populations for whom CPM may or may not be beneficial, indications for NACT and NET, and the trend toward de-escalation of locoregional axillary treatment.

Neoadjuvant Endocrine Therapy in Clinical Practice: A Review

Importance

In clinical practice, neoadjuvant endocrine therapy (NET) is rarely used despite being an effective treatment modality able to downstage tumors and facilitate breast-conserving surgery.

Observations

Using data from studies conducted since 2000, we provide readers with a critical in-depth review on clinical aspects related to the application of NET in the treatment of hormone receptor (HR)-positive/ERBB2 (formerly HER2)-negative breast cancer. This includes an overview of patient-selection criteria, regimen choice, treatment duration, evaluation of response by imaging, interpretation of pathology after treatment, and surgical considerations. Areas of controversy include the use of gene-expression tests for patient selection, treatment of premenopausal women, surgical management of the axilla after NET, and adjuvant systemic therapy decision-making, including the use of chemotherapy.

Conclusions and Relevance

NET is an optimal treatment modality for a considerable proportion of postmenopausal women diagnosed with HR-positive tumors. The treatment landscape for HR-positive breast cancer is evolving, with novel agents and the growing use of gene expression profiling to define treatment selection. As such, it is likely that NET use will increase and the practical considerations outlined here will become more important.

Clinical Outcomes Following Letrozole Treatment according to Estrogen Receptor Expression in Postmenopausal Women: LETTER Study (KBCSG-006)

Purpose

In this trial, we investigated the efficacy and safety of adjuvant letrozole for hormone receptor (HR)-positive breast cancer. Here, we report the clinical outcome in postmenopausal women with HR-positive breast cancer treated with adjuvant letrozole according to estrogen receptor (ER) expression levels.

Methods

In this multi-institutional, open-label, observational study, postmenopausal patients with HR-positive breast cancer received adjuvant letrozole (2.5 mg/daily) for 5 years unless they experienced disease progression or unacceptable toxicity or withdrew their consent. The patients were stratified into the following 3 groups according to ER expression levels using a modified Allred score (AS): low, intermediate, and high (AS 3–4, 5–6, and 7–8, respectively). ER expression was centrally reviewed. The primary objective was the 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate.

Results

Between April 25, 2010, and February 5, 2014, 440 patients were enrolled. With a median follow-up of 62.0 months, the 5-year DFS rate in all patients was 94.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 91.8–96.6). The 5-year DFS and recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates did not differ according to ER expression; the 5-year DFS rates were 94.3% and 94.1%in the low-to-intermediate and high expression groups, respectively (p = 0.6), and the corresponding 5-year RFS rates were 95.7% and 95.4%, respectively (p = 0.7). Furthermore, 25 patients discontinued letrozole because of drug toxicity.

Conclusion

Treatment with adjuvant letrozole showed very favorable treatment outcomes and good tolerability among Korean postmenopausal women with ER-positive breast cancer, independent of ER expression.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01069211

Time to Treatment Initiation for Breast Cancer During the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic

PURPOSE

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed significant pressures on healthcare systems, raising concern that related care delays will result in excess cancer-related deaths. Because data regarding the impact on patients with breast cancer are urgently needed, we aimed to provide a preliminary estimate of the impact of COVID-19 on time to treatment initiation (TTI) for patients newly diagnosed with breast cancer cared for at a large academic center.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective study of patients with newly diagnosed early-stage breast cancer between January 1, 2020, and May 15, 2020, a time period during which care was affected by COVID-19, and an unaffected cohort diagnosed between January 1, 2018 and May 15, 2018. Outcomes included patient volume, TTI, and initial treatment modality. Adjusted TTI was compared using multivariable linear regression.

RESULTS

Three hundred sixty-six patients were included. There was an 18.8% decrease in patient volume in 2020 (n = 164) versus 2018 (n = 202). There was no association between time of diagnosis (pre-COVID-19 or during COVID-19) and adjusted TTI (P = .926). There were fewer in situ diagnoses in the 2020 cohort (P = .040). There was increased use of preoperative systemic therapy in 2020 (43.9% overall, 20.7% chemotherapy, and 23.2% hormonal therapy) versus 2018 (16.4% overall, 12.4% chemotherapy, and 4.0% hormonal therapy) (P < .001).

CONCLUSION

TTI was maintained among patients diagnosed and treated for breast cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic at a single large academic center. There was a decrease in patient volume, specifically in patients with in situ disease and a shift in initial therapy toward the use of preoperative hormonal therapy.

Changes in Management Strategy and Impact of Neoadjuvant Therapy on Extent of Surgery in Invasive Lobular Carcinoma of the Breast: Analysis of the National Cancer Database (NCDB)

Background

Given reports of low response rates to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC), we evaluated whether use of alternative strategies such as neoadjuvant endocrine therapy (NET) is increasing. Additionally, we investigated whether NET is associated with more breast conservation surgery (BCS) and less extensive axillary surgery in those with ILC.

Patients and Methods

We queried the NCDB from 2010 to 2016 and identified all women with stage I–III hormone receptor positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 negative (HR+/HER2−) ILC who underwent surgery. We used Cochrane–Armitage tests to evaluate trends in utilization of the following treatment strategies: NAC, short-course NET, long-course NET, and primary surgery. We compared rates of BCS and extent of axillary surgery stratified by clinical stage and tumor receptor subtype for each treatment strategy.

Results

Among 69,312 cases of HR+/HER2− ILC, NAC use decreased slightly (from 4.7 to 4.2%, p = 0.007), while there was a small but significant increase in long-course NET (from 1.6 to 2.7%, p < 0.001). Long-course NET was significantly associated with increased BCS in patients with cT2–cT4 disease and less extensive axillary surgery in clinically node positive patients with HR+/HER2− tumors.

Conclusions

Primary surgery remains the most common treatment strategy in patients with ILC. However, NAC use decreased slightly over the study period, while the use of long-course NET had a small increase and was associated with more BCS and less extensive axillary surgery.

Neoadjuvant endocrine therapy in women with operable breast cancer: A retrospective analysis of real-world use

BACKGROUND

A retrospective study of the real-world use of neoadjuvant endocrine therapy (NET) is important for standardizing its role in breast cancer care.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In a consecutive series of women with operable breast cancer who received NET for ≥28 days, NET objectives, NET outcomes, adjuvant chemotherapy use after NET, and survivals, were examined for the correlation with clinicopathological factors.

RESULTS

NET objectives were for surgery extent reduction in 49 patients, surgery avoidance in 31, and treatment until scheduled surgery in 8. The mean duration of NET was 349.5 (range, 34-1923), 869.8 (range, 36-4859), and 55.8 (range, 39-113) days in the above cohorts (success: 79.6%, 64.5%, and 100%), respectively, with significant difference. In patients of the former two cohorts, better progression-free survival was significantly correlated with stage 0 or I, ductal carcinoma in situ or invasive ductal carcinoma, ≥71% estrogen receptor (ER) positivity, and the surgery extent reduction cohort than the other counterparts. Postoperative chemotherapy use was significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis, a high Ki67 labeling index, lymphovascular invasion, and a high Preoperative Endocrine Prognostic Index, at surgery after NET. Better recurrence-free survival after surgery was significantly correlated with high ER expression after NET and high PgR expression before and after NET.

CONCLUSIONS

NET can help to reduce the surgery extent or to avoid surgery in women with breast cancer of early-stage, ductal carcinoma, or high ER expression. NET may also contribute to appropriate decision of postoperative systemic therapy to improve survivals.

Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy or Endocrine Therapy for Invasive Ductal Carcinoma of the Breast With High Hormone Receptor Positivity and Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 Negativity

IMPORTANCE

Although neoadjuvant endocrine therapy (NET) is an alternative to chemotherapy for strongly hormone receptor (HR)-positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (ERBB2)-negative breast cancer, evidence is currently lacking regarding the probable survival outcomes of NET in comparison with those of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) for this cancer.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate all-cause mortality among patients with strongly HR-positive and ERBB2-negative breast cancer treated with NET vs NACT.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This cohort study included patients with a diagnosis of invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) with strong HR positivity and ERBB2 negativity, treated between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2016, with follow-up from the index date (ie, date of IDC diagnosis) to December 31, 2018. The data came from the Taiwan Cancer Registry Database. Data were analyzed from January to November 2020.

EXPOSURES

NET vs NACT for IDC with strong HR positivity and ERBB2 negativity.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The primary end point was all-cause mortality. Propensity score matching was performed, and Cox proportional hazard models were used to analyze all-cause mortality among patients undergoing different neoadjuvant treatments.

RESULTS

A total of 640 patients (297 [46.4%] aged 20-49 years) undergoing NET (145 patients [22.7%]) or NACT (495 patients [77.3%]) were eligible for further analysis. In the multivariate Cox regression analyses, the adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) for all-cause mortality among the NET cohort compared with the NACT cohort was 2.67 (95% CI, 1.95-3.51; P < .001). The aHRs for age were 1.13 (95% CI, 1.03-2.24), 1.25 (95% CI, 1.13-2.45), and 1.37 (95% CI, 1.17-3.49) for all-cause mortality among patients aged 50 to 59, 60 to 69, and 70 years or older, respectively, compared with those aged 20 to 49 years (P = .002); the aHR for all-cause mortality among premenopausal women was 1.35 (95% CI, 1.13-1.56) compared with postmenopausal women (P < .001); and that of patients with a Charlson Comorbidity Index score of 2 or greater was 1.77 (1.37-2.26) compared with those with a score of 0 (P < .001). The aHRs of all-cause mortality for clinical tumor stage 2, 3, and 4 compared with 1 were 1.84 (95% CI, 1.07-3.40), 1.97 (95% CI, 1.03-3.77), and 2.49 (95% CI, 1.29-4.81), respectively (P = .009). The aHRs for all-cause mortality by clinical nodal (cN) stages were 1.49 (95% CI, 1.13-1.99) and 1.84 (95% CI, 1.31-2.61) for cN stage 1 and cN stages 2 or 3, respectively, compared with cN stage 0 (P = .005); those for differentiation were 1.77 (95% CI, 1.24-2.54) and 2.31 (95% CI, 1.61-3.34) for differentiation grade 2 and differentiation grade 3, respectively, compared with differentiation grade 1 (P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

The findings of this study suggest that for patients with strongly HR-positive and ERBB2-negative IDC, NACT may be considered the first choice for neoadjuvant treatment.

When the World Throws You a Curve Ball: Lessons Learned in Breast Cancer Management

In the care of patients with operable breast cancer, there has been a shift toward increasing use of neoadjuvant therapy. There are benefits to neoadjuvant therapy, such as monitoring for response, as well as an increased rate of breast conservation and reduction of potential morbidity associated with breast surgery, including axillary management. Among patients with highly proliferative tumors, such as HER2-positive or triple-negative breast cancer, those with residual disease are at higher risk of recurrence, which informs the recommended systemic therapy in the adjuvant setting. For instance, in patients with residual disease after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and HER2-targeted therapy, there is a role for adjuvant trastuzumab emtansine for those with residual disease at the time of surgery. The same holds true regarding the role of adjuvant capecitabine in patients with residual disease after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. With the added complexities of treating patients in the era of the COVID-19 outbreak, additional considerations are critical, including initiation of surgery within an appropriate time from completion of neoadjuvant therapy. National consensus guidelines on time to surgery must be developed to improve measurement and comparison across systems. In addition, there is emerging radiation treatment management research addressing a number of factors, including hypofractionation, role of proton beam therapy, safe omission of radiotherapy, and preoperative radiotherapy with or without drug combination. In this article, the multidisciplinary approach of treating patients with operable breast cancer is highlighted, with updates and future considerations described.

Advanced Approaches to Breast Cancer Classification and Diagnosis

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has recently reported a 66% increase in the global number of cancer deaths since 1960. In the US alone, about one in eight women is expected to develop invasive breast cancer(s) (breast cancer) at some point in their lifetime. Traditionally, a BC diagnosis includes mammography, ultrasound, and some high-end molecular bioimaging. Unfortunately, these techniques detect BC at a later stage. So early and advanced molecular diagnostic tools are still in demand. In the past decade, various histological and immuno-molecular studies have demonstrated that BC is highly heterogeneous in nature. Its growth pattern, cytological features, and expression of key biomarkers in BC cells including hormonal receptor markers can be utilized to develop advanced diagnostic and therapeutic tools. A cancer cell's progression to malignancy exhibits various vital biomarkers, many of which are still underrepresented in BC diagnosis and treatment. Advances in genetics have also enabled the development of multigene assays to detect genetic heterogeneity in BC. However, thus far, the FDA has approved only four such biomarkers-cancer antigens (CA); CA 15-3, CA 27-29, Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), and circulating tumor cells (CTC) in assessing BC in body fluids. An adequately structured portable-biosensor with its non-invasive and inexpensive point-of-care analysis can quickly detect such biomarkers without significantly compromising its specificity and selectivity. Such advanced techniques are likely to discriminate between BC and a healthy patient by accurately measuring the cell shape, structure, depth, intracellular and extracellular environment, and lipid membrane compositions. Presently, BC treatments include surgery and systemic chemo- and targeted radiation therapy. A biopsied sample is then subjected to various multigene assays to predict the heterogeneity and recurrence score, thus guiding a specific treatment by providing complete information on the BC subtype involved. Thus far, we have seven prognostic multigene signature tests for BC providing a risk profile that can avoid unnecessary treatments in low-risk patients. Many comparative studies on multigene analysis projected the importance of integrating clinicopathological information with genomic-imprint analysis. Current cohort studies such as MINDACT, TAILORx, Trans-aTTOM, and many more, are likely to provide positive impact on long-term patient outcome. This review offers consolidated information on currently available BC diagnosis and treatment options. It further describes advanced biomarkers for the development of state-of-the-art early screening and diagnostic technologies.

Neoadjuvant Endocrine Therapy in Breast Cancer Management: State of the Art

Endocrine therapy is the mainstay of treatment in HR+/HER2- breast cancers, which represent about 70% of all breast cancers. Neoadjuvant therapy has been developed since the 1990s to address several issues, including breast-conserving surgery (BCS) and improvement of survival rates. For a long time, neoadjuvant endocrine therapy (NET) was confined to frail patients in order to improve surgery outcome. Since the 2000s, NET now plays a central role as a research tool for predictive endocrine sensitivity biomarkers and targeted therapies. One of the major issues in early HR+/HER2- breast cancer is to identify patients in whom chemotherapy can be safely withheld. In vivo assessment of response to NET might be the best treatment strategy to address this issue.

Recommendations for the management of breast cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic from the Japan Breast Cancer Society

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 remains a major global crisis and continues to spread relentlessly around the world. In Japan, the number of infected people has incrementally increased since April 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has exerted a major impact not only on our daily lives but also on healthcare. As the infection continues to spread, many medical institutions have devoted all efforts to minimize the risk of infection not only for patients but also for medical personnel by prioritizing medical care, reserving treatment, and extending consultation intervals. Cancer treatment is one of the priorities for medical care even during an epidemic infection as there is a concern of decreasing curability or therapeutic effect from postponement. As the COVID-19 situation evolves rapidly, we created an informative triage to provide appropriate medical treatment to breast cancer patients. In this triage, we offer guidance on preparing for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in breast cancer patients, prioritizing triage and diagnostic procedures, and providing advice on surgical, radiation, and oncological treatments.

ER staining levels affect HER2 staining and heterogeneity

PURPOSE

This study explored the relationship of ER expression levels with HER2 staining properties and heterogeneity and discussed the differences in HER2 assessment caused by the 2018 ASCO/CAP guideline updates from that of the 2013 version.

METHODS

HER2-positive breast cancer was divided into three groups of the high hormone receptor expression (LH-high) group, low expression (LH-low) group, or negative (NLH) group to (1) compare differences in the percentage of the HER2 IHC test score of 2 + based on the 2013 ASCO/CAP guideline and in the intratumor heterogeneity of HER2 expression for breast cancer with an IHC score of 3 + among these groups, (2) compare the HER2/CEP17 ratio and the average HER2 copy number, and classified ISH groupings according to the 2018 ASCO/CAP guideline algorithm.

RESULTS

(1) Of 244 HER2-positive breast cancers, the cases with a HER2 IHC score of 2 + (n = 54, 22.1%) were significantly more common in the LH-high group (n = 45, P < 0.001). The frequency of heterogeneity was low (n = 25, 10.2%) for the HER2 score of 3 + (n = 190, 77.9%), and significantly higher in the LH-high group (n = 19, 76%, P = 0.002). (2) In a HER2 IHC score of 2 + , Group 2 which is deemed HER2 negative according to the revised 2018 ASCO/CAP guideline was observed in 17 (39.5%) out of 43 cases, of which 16 cases (94.1%) were in the LH-high group.

CONCLUSIONS

The LH-high group is a heterogeneous group largely consisting of heterogeneous cases with HER2 IHC scores of 2 + or 3 + . NLH, in contrast, is a homogenous group.

Recent advances in neoadjuvant therapy for breast cancer

Neoadjuvant trials for early breast cancer have accelerated the identification of novel active agents, enabling streamlined conduct of registration trials with fewer subjects. Measurement of neoadjuvant drug effects has also enabled the identification of patients with high risk of distant recurrence and has justified development of additional adjuvant approaches to improve outcomes. Neoadjuvant evaluation of new drugs was significantly improved by the introduction of pathologic complete response (pCR) rate as a quantitative surrogate endpoint for distant disease-free survival (DDFS) and event free survival (EFS). The neoadjuvant phase 2 platform trial I-SPY 2 simultaneously tests multiple drugs across multiple breast cancer subtypes using Bayesian methods of adaptive randomization for assessment of drug efficacy. In addition to the pCR endpoint, the I-SPY 2 trial has demonstrated that the residual cancer burden (RCB) score measures gradations of tumor response that correlate with DDFS and EFS across treatments and subtypes. For HER2-positive and triple-negative breast cancers that have failed to attain pCR with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), effective modifications of adjuvant treatment have improved outcomes and changed the standard of care for these subtypes. Neoadjuvant therapy is therefore preferred for stage II and III, as well as some stage I, HER2-positive and triple-negative tumors. Neoadjuvant endocrine therapy (NET) strategies have also emerged from innovative trials for stage II and III estrogen receptor (ER)-positive/HER2-negative tumors, as in the ALTERNATE trial. From neoadjuvant trials, opportunities have emerged to de-escalate therapy on the basis of metrics of response to chemotherapy or hormonal therapy. Neoadjuvant therapy for early breast cancer is therefore emerging as a promising approach to accelerate new drug development, optimize treatment strategies, and (where appropriate) de-escalate neoadjuvant therapy.

Bridging the age gap in breast cancer. Impacts of omission of breast cancer surgery in older women with oestrogen receptor positive early breast cancer. A risk stratified analysis of survival outcomes and quality of life

BACKGROUND

Age-related breast cancer treatment variance is widespread with many older women having primary endocrine therapy (PET), which may contribute to inferior survival and local control. This propensity-matched study determined if a subgroup of older women may safely be offered PET.

METHODS

Multicentre, prospective, UK, observational cohort study with propensity-matched analysis to determine optimal allocation of surgery plus ET (S+ET) or PET in women aged ≥70 with breast cancer. Data on fitness, frailty, cancer stage, grade, biotype, treatment and quality of life were collected. Propensity-matching (based on age, health status and cancer stage) adjusted for allocation bias when comparing S+ET with PET.

FINDINGS

A total of 3416 women (median age 77, range 69-102) were recruited from 56 breast units-2854 (88%) had ER+ breast cancer: 2354 had S+ET and 500 PET. Median follow-up was 52 months. Patients treated with PET were older and frailer than patients treated with S+ET. Unmatched overall survival was inferior in the PET group (hazard ratio, (HR) 0.27, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.23-0.33, P < 0.001). Unmatched breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) was also inferior in patients treated with PET (HR: 0.41, CI: 0.29-0.58, P < 0.001 for BCSS). In the matched analysis, PET was still associated with an inferior overall survival (HR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.53-0.98, P = 0.04) but not BCSS (HR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.40-1.37, P = 0.34) although at 4-5 years subtle divergence of the curves commenced in favor of surgery. Global health status diverged at certain time points between groups but over 24 months was similar when adjusted for baseline variance.

INTERPRETATION

For the majority of older women with early ER+ breast cancer, surgery is oncologically superior to PET. In less fit, older women, with characteristics similar to the matched cohort of this study (median age 81 with higher comorbidity and functional impairment burdens, the BCSS survival differential disappears at least out to 4-5 year follow-up, suggesting that for those with less than 5-year predicted life-expectancy (>90 years or >85 with comorbidities or frailty) individualised decision making regarding PET versus S+ET may be appropriate and safe to offer. The Age Gap online decision tool may support this decision-making process (https://agegap.shef.ac.uk/).

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

ISRCTN: 46099296.

Hormone Receptor Expression on Endocrine Therapy in Patients with Breast Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the role of hormone receptor expression on endocrine therapy in patients with breast cancer.

METHODS

The databases were used to collect the effect of high expression and low expression of hormone receptors on the efficacy of endocrine therapy in breast cancer. Two evaluators independently screened the literature based on preset inclusion and exclusion criteria. The quality of the article was evaluated using a modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) system. The survival data included in the literature were extracted and the ln(hazard ratio (HR)) and se[ln(HR)] of the overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates were calculated according to different level of hormone receptors. The RevMan 5.3 software was used to evaluate the meta-analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 13 relevant literature were included in the study. There were 8318 estrogen receptor (ER)-positive and 7926 progesterone receptor (PR)-positive patients. Overall survival, DFS, and RFS rates in high expression of ER(+) patients were significantly higher in low expression of ER(+) patients (OS HR = .59, 95% confidence interval (CI): .46-.76, P < .0001; DFS HR = .62, 95%CI: .50-.76, P < .00001; RFS HR = .44, 95% CI: .33-.58, P < .00001). In patients with high expression of PR(+), OS, DFS, and RFS rates were significantly higher than those with low expression of PR(+) (OS HR = .66, 95% CI: .57-.78, P < .00001; DFS HR = .52, 95% CI: .42-.65, P < .00001; RFS HR = .24, 95% CI: .11-.53, P = .0004).

CONCLUSION

The expression of ER and PR are powerful predictors of adjuvant endocrine therapy response. Breast cancer patients with high expression of hormone receptors benefit more from endocrine therapy and have better prognosis.

Optimal Treatment Duration of Neoadjuvant Endocrine Therapy for Women Aged 60 Years or Older with Estrogen Receptor-Positive, HER2-Negative Invasive Breast Cancer

BACKGROUND

Neoadjuvant endocrine therapy is not the standard of care for breast cancer, primarily because the optimal treatment duration remains unclear. This phase 2 prospective multicenter study analyzed time to progression, time to maximal response, and time to treatment failure for neoadjuvant exemestane.

METHODS

Inclusion criteria were women aged ≥60 years with Stage II or III breast cancer classified as estrogen receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative. Response was defined as a ≥10% and minimum of 3 mm decrease in tumor size, as compared with the most recent or smallest value, and no new lesion. Progression was defined as a >10% and minimum of over 3 mm increase in tumor size, as compared with the most recent or smallest value, or a new lesion. Maximal response was defined as the final recorded response.

RESULTS

This study included 24 women, most of whom had T2 N0 tumors with high estrogen receptor expression. We initially observed a response in 23 patients (96%); however, 6 patients (25%) later experienced progression. Time to progression, time to maximal response, and time to treatment failure ranged from 7 to 22 months (estimated median, 35), 1 to 22 months (estimated median, 10), and 2 to 22 months (estimated median, 22), respectively. Treatment duration varied widely, but the estimated optimal duration of neoadjuvant exemestane therapy was 22 to 35 months in patients seeking to avoid surgery and 10 months in patients wishing to receive breast-conserving surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

Neoadjuvant exemestane therapy is long effective for older women with hormone-sensitive breast cancer.

Predictive role of HER2-status on the effectiveness of endocrine adjuvant treatment in postmenopausal breast cancer patients: a population-based cohort study

PURPOSE

There are conflicting results on the potential role of HER2-status on the efficacy of aromatase inhibitors (AIs) and tamoxifen (TAM) in patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive breast cancer (BC). The purpose of this population-based cohort study was to investigate the potential benefit of AIs compared to TAM as adjuvant therapy in postmenopausal BC patients by HER2-status in the era of modern therapy with HER2-blockade.

METHODS

A population-based cohort study was performed including all postmenopausal women diagnosed with HR-positive BC without distant metastasis between 2007 and 2012 in three healthcare regions in Sweden. We analyzed the breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) and overall survival (OS) in two distinct cohorts (HER2-negative, HER2-positive) based on the type of endocrine therapy (ET) used. A propensity score matching was performed separately in the HER2-negative and HER2-positive cohorts, respectively.

RESULTS

After propensity score matching, 4368 patients with HER2-negative and 214 patients with HER2-positive BC were available for analysis. In the HER2-negative cohort, an improved BCSS [Hazard Ratio (HR): 0.51; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.34-0.77, p value < 0.001] and a trend toward improved OS (HR: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.41-1.08, p value = 0.093) in favor of AI-based therapy was observed. In the HER2-positive cohort, no statistically significant difference between AI-based ET and TAM was found in terms of either BCSS or OS, although the direction of HR was similar as in the HER2-negative cohort (HR for BCSS: 0.84; 95% CI: 0.14-5.04, p = 0.849; HR for OS: 0.62; 95% CI: 0.10-3.38, p = 0.345).

CONCLUSION

Our study results, based on propensity-matched cohorts, did not support any predictive value of HER2-status on endocrine therapy in postmenopausal BC patients. AI-based ET remains the treatment of choice for postmenopausal BC patients with HR-positive disease in the modern era of HER2-directed therapy irrespective of HER2-status.

The Evolving Complexity of Treating Hormone Receptor-Positive, Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-2 (HER2)-Negative Breast Cancer: Special Considerations in Older Breast Cancer Patients-Part I: Early-Stage Disease

The median age for breast cancer diagnosis is 62 years, but a disproportionate number of patients are over the age of 75 years and the majority of those have hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2)-negative cancers. This review provides a logical algorithm to guide providers through the many complicated issues involved in adjuvant systemic therapy decisions in older patients with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer. For this subtype of breast cancer, the mainstay of treatment is surgery and adjuvant endocrine therapy with tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor (AI). Adjuvant chemotherapy is added to the treatment regimen when the benefits of treatment are deemed to outweigh the risks, making the risk-benefit discussion particularly important in older women. Traditional tools for cancer risk assessment and genomic expression profiles (GEPs) are under-utilized in older patients, but yield equally useful information about cancer prognosis as they do in younger patients. Additionally, there are tools that estimate life-limiting toxicity risk from chemotherapy and life expectancy, which are both important issues in the risk-benefit discussion. For very low-risk cancers, such as non-invasive and small lymph node (LN)-negative cancers, the benefits of any adjuvant therapy is likely outweighed by the risks, but endocrine therapy might be considered to prevent future new breast cancers. For invasive tumors that are > 5 mm (T1b or larger) or involve LNs, adjuvant endocrine therapy is recommended. Generally, AIs should be included, though tamoxifen is effective and should be offered when AIs are not tolerated. Bone-preserving agents and high-dose vitamin D are options to preserve bone density or treat osteoporosis, especially in older women who are taking AIs. Where the risk-reducing benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy outweighs the toxicity risk, adjuvant chemotherapy should be considered. Adjuvant chemotherapy has similar benefits in older and younger patients and standard regimens are preferred. Several exciting clinic trials are underway and have included older patients, including those adding molecularly targeted agents, cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitors and everolimus, to endocrine therapy in the adjuvant setting. The high incidence of breast cancer in older women should drive us to design clinical trials for this population and emphasize their inclusion in ongoing trials as much as possible.

Androgen receptor expression is useful to predict the therapeutic effect in HER2-positive breast carcinoma

PURPOSE

Although HER2-positive (HER2+) invasive breast carcinomas (BC) have a different clinical therapeutic responsiveness according to estrogen and progesterone receptor expression, the relationship with androgen receptors (AR), which are the same family of steroid hormones, is poorly understood. We investigated the relationship between AR expression in HER2 BCs and therapeutic responsiveness and prognosis in this study.

METHODS

We evaluated patients with HER2 (H) + invasive BC undergoing surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (± HER2-targeted therapies) from 2007-2017, classified as hormone receptor-positive (Allred score: 2-8) (luminal B: LH) and receptor-negative groups (Allred: score 0) (non-luminal: NLH). AR expression was assessed by immunostaining pre-neoadjuvant chemotherapy biopsy specimens, positive with Allred score ≥ 4. The pathological complete response, disease-free survival, and overall survival rates were compared between AR-positive and AR-negative groups.

RESULTS

We classified 82 patients with HER2 + invasive BC into LH (n = 45, 54.9%) and NLH groups (n = 37, 45.1%), and AR + was observed in 43 patients (52.4%) (LH: 23, 51.1%; NLH: 20, 54.1%; p = 0.79). Quasi-pathological complete response was observed in 40 patients (48.8%) (LH: 18, 40%; NLH: 22, 59.5%; p = 0.08) overall, and in 31 AR + patients (72.1%) (LH: 15, 34.9%; NLH: 16, 37.2%), significantly higher than in the AR - group for both subgroups (p < 0.001). Regarding prognosis, disease-free survival was relatively better in the AR + group in all HER2 + BCs (p = 0.085), and overall survival was significantly better in the AR + group for NLH (p = 0.029).

CONCLUSIONS

High AR expression may be a useful predictor of therapeutic effects and prognosis in both subgroups of HER2 + BCs.

Neoadjuvant endocrine therapy in locally advanced estrogen or progesterone receptor-positive breast cancer: determining the optimal endocrine agent and treatment duration in postmenopausal women-a literature review and proposed guidelines

Introduction

For patients with locally advanced estrogen receptor or progesterone receptor-positive breast cancer, neoadjuvant endocrine therapy (NET) facilitates down-staging of the tumor and increased rates of breast-conserving surgery. However, NET remains under-utilized, and there are very limited clinical guidelines governing which therapeutic agent to use, or the optimal duration of treatment in postmenopausal women. This literature review aims to discuss the evidence surrounding (1) biomarkers for patient selection for NET, (2) the optimal neoadjuvant endocrine agent for postmenopausal women with locally advanced breast cancer, and (3) the optimal duration of NET. In addition, we make initial recommendations towards developing a clinical guideline for the prescribing of NET.

Method

A wide-ranging search of online electronic databases was conducted using a truncated PIC search strategy to identify articles that were relevant to these aims and revealed a number of key findings.

Results

Randomized trials have consistently demonstrated that aromatase inhibitors are more effective than tamoxifen, in terms of objective response rate and rate of BCS, and should be used as first-line NET. The three available aromatase inhibitors have so far been demonstrated to be biologically equivalent, with the choice of aromatase inhibitor not having been shown to affect clinical outcomes. There is increasing evidence for extending the duration of NET beyond 3 to 4 months, to at least 6 months or until maximal clinical response is achieved. While on-treatment levels of the proliferation marker Ki67 are predictive of long-term outcome, the choice of adjuvant therapy in patients who have received NET and then surgery is best guided by the preoperative endocrine prognostic index, or PEPI, which incorporates Ki67 with other clinical parameters.

Conclusion

This study reveals that in appropriately selected patients, NET can provide equivalent clinical benefit to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the same cohort, if suitable treatments and durations are chosen. Our findings highlight the need for better defined biomarkers both for guiding patient selection and for measuring outcomes. Development of standard guidelines for the prescribing of NET has the potential to improve both clinical outcomes and quality of life in this patient cohort.

Clinical Significance of ZNF711 in Human Breast Cancer

Purpose

To investigate the clinicopathologic and prognostic significance of the zinc-finger protein 711 (ZNF711) in breast cancer (BCa).

Materials and Methods

The relevance of ZNF711 in BCa was analyzed using bioinformatics. The expression of ZNF711 was detected by immunohistochemistry in paraffin blocks of BCa. To evaluate its clinical significance, the correlation between the expression of ZNF711 and BCa clinical indicators, including estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2), was analyzed. Finally, the Kaplan-Meier method was applied to explore the prognostic value of ZNF711.

Results

ZNF711 expression was decreased in BCa and was negatively correlated with ER expression (P < 0.05) and positively correlated with HER-2 expression (P < 0.01), but there was no significant correlation between ZNF711 and PR expression. ZNF711 expression was not correlated with age, tumor diameter, or lymph node metastasis; however, ZNF711 expression was correlated with staging in BCa. Survival analysis results showed that the ZNF711-positive group patients had a poorer prognosis compared with the ZNF711-negative group.

Conclusion

The expression of ZNF711 was deceased in BCa and closely related to ER and HER-2 expression. Therefore, ZNF711 could not only serve as a predictor of BCa with poor prognosis but also as a potential biomarker for targeted therapy.