Oncological status is not a determinant of refraining from breast reconstruction among 490 candidates for mastectomy and post-mastectomy radiotherapy

BACKGROUND

Although breast reconstruction in the setting of post-mastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) is controversial, we offer nipple-sparing mastectomy and immediate implant-based breast reconstruction ([N]SSM/IIBR) to women needing primary mastectomy regardless of PMRT. Nevertheless, some of these women have no reconstruction.

PURPOSE

To assess the uptake of breast reconstruction in women who undergo PMRT and the patient characteristics associated with such uptake. Additionally, we assessed the determinants of forgoing breast reconstruction.

METHODOLOGY

Demographic, physical and oncological characteristics of women who underwent mastectomy, PMRT and breast reconstruction were compared to the characteristics of those who did not undergo breast reconstruction from 2013 through 2018. As determinants of delaying or refraining from breast reconstruction, we distinguished between an oncological reason, patient's preference, patient's co-morbidity, combined tobacco abuse and obesity and the need for PMRT.

RESULTS

490 women received PMRT. Of these, 396 women (81%) underwent combined [N]SSM/IIBR and PMRT or mastectomy and PMRT with delayed breast reconstruction. Ninety-four additional women (19%) did not undergo breast reconstruction. The latter group differed significantly from those who did in demographic and physical characteristics but not in terms of oncological diagnosis and history. Patient's preference was the single most frequent determinant of not performing either immediate or delayed breast reconstruction among these 94 women. Oncological status was not a major determinant in refraining from reconstruction.

CONCLUSION

The significant difference in non-oncological characteristics between the reconstructed and non-reconstructed women confirms the importance of these characteristics in the preference for either reconstruction or non-reconstruction.

Early breast cancer: concept and therapeutic review

OBJECTIVE

Breast cancer treatment has evolved significantly over the years, both in terms of local and systemic approaches. Halsted's radical mastectomy gave way to modified mastectomies and to conservative surgeries, along with breast reconstruction and repair. Although the use of new drugs has directly increased the survival of patients submitted to adjuvant or neoadjuvant systemic therapies, the de-escalation of drugs may also be beneficial in numerous cases. Therefore, breast cancer treatment must be increasingly customized and assessed using a multidisciplinary approach. This study aimed to review the concept and therapy of early breast cancer.

METHODS

A narrative review of the literature was carried out in the PubMed database in December 2022, where the keywords for the searches were as follows: early breast cancer, surgical treatment of breast cancer, systemic treatment of breast cancer, neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer, adjuvant treatment of luminal breast cancer, early triple negative tumor, and early positive Her-2 tumor. Articles that were historically important in the treatment of breast cancer and articles that impacted management with scientific relevance were selected for this review.

DISCUSSION

As new evidence continues to update existing knowledge, breast cancer treatment is becoming increasingly personalized and must now take into account the different tumor variants and their clinical stages, the age of patients and relevant comorbidities, as well as personal expectations and desires.

CONCLUSION

This literature review of current studies shows that the primary therapy for patients with early breast cancer continues to be surgery, although a customized and multidisciplinary approach is now required.

The effect of chemotherapy on the complication rates of breast reconstruction: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The impact of chemotherapy on complications following breast reconstruction surgery (BRS) is currently inconclusive. This meta-analysis investigates the impact of chemotherapy on complication rates in BRS.

METHODS

Preferred Reporting in Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines was used to search relevant studies published from January 2006 to March 2022. The complication rates of neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NST) and adjuvant systemic therapy (AST) were analyzed via RevMan software 5.4, and a P value of< 0.05 was considered significant. The quality of selected studies was performed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale for quality assessment.

RESULTS

A total of 18 studies comprising 49,217 patients were included. There was no significant difference in the total complications rate, major complications, or minor complications between NST and BRS or control. The rate of wound dehiscence was higher in the NST group compared with the BRS only group [RR= 1.54, 95% CI, (1.08, 2.18), P = 0.02], and the rate of infection was lower in the NST group compared with the BRS only group, [RR= 0.75, 95% CI, (0.61, 0.94), P = 0.01]. No significant difference in the rates of hematoma, seroma, skin necrosis, and implant loss was detected between NST and AST, or NST with BRS only. No statistically significant differences in total complication rates were observed between flap and implant BRS types (P = 0.88).

CONCLUSION

No significant differences between AST and NST were detected for complications. Significantly, NST had more wound dehiscence and less infection rates compared with BRS only groups, possibly reflecting selection bias or issues in the design of reported studies.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

I.

Axillary pathologic response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgery according to breast cancers subtypes and survival impact

PURPOSE

To retrospectively assess the rate of pathologic complete response in the axilla according to breast cancer biologic subtypes, and to study the impact of nodal response on survival.

METHODS

Inclusion criteria were all T-stage breast cancers with initial lymph node involvement, non-metastatic, treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery with axillary lymph node dissection, managed at the George-François Leclerc Cancer Center in Dijon, France, between 2000 and 2018.

RESULTS

Among 437 patients included, the rate of complete nodal response rate varied according to tumor subtypes: 69.4% in Hormone Receptors (HR)-/HER2-positive, 47.4% in HR-/HER2-negative, 46.7% in HR+/HER2-positive, 8.5% in HR+/HER2-negative. By multivariate analysis, the factors significantly associated with complete nodal response were HER2-positive profile (OR 4.48 [2.14-9.65], P<0.001 if HR+; OR 8.02 [3.54-18.74], P<0.001 if HR-), triple negative tumors (OR 3.01 [1.40-6.58], P=0.005), SBRIII grade (OR 6.85 [2.28-29.58], P=0.002) and breast complete response (OR 18.69 [9.67-38.53], P<0.001). Five-year recurrence rates were 15.7% in ypN0, 23% in ypN1, 41.2% in ypN2, 50% in ypN3 patients (P<0.001). Five-year overall survival rates were 92.2% in ypN0, 85.7% in ypN1, 72.2% in ypN2, 65.4% in ypN3 patients (P<0.001).

CONCLUSION

The impact of nodal response on survival was significant. Pathologic complete response in the axilla appears to be a good surrogate marker of long-term outcome in patients treated for these cancers.

[How is our practice of mastectomy? Analysis based on population data in a French department]

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this research was to study the evolution of the mastectomy rate in patients with breast cancer between 1998 and 2015, based on population data from the Côte d'Or breast cancer registry of the FRANCIM network ("France cancer incidence and mortality").

METHODS

In this study on population register we included patients who had presented a primary breast cancer (invasive cancer and/or carcinoma in situ [CIS]) between 1998 and 2015 in the Côte d'Or department. We estimated the annual proportions of mastectomies, then calculated their evolution trends over this period.

RESULTS

Between 1998 and 2015, 7093 patients were included. The overall proportion of mastectomies was stable at 28% and did not respond to a time trend (Sen's slope of 0.2% per year; P=0.289). There was an increase in the proportion of lobular carcinomas (slope at 0.3% per year; P <0.05), with a rising proportion of mastectomy for lobular carcinomas (slope at 0.6% per year; P<0.05) but decreasing for ductal (slope at -0.8% per year; P<0.05). The proportion of mastectomy was stable for plurifocal cancers but the proportion of plurifocal cancers increased over time (slope at 0.8% per year; P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Therefore, mastectomy remained a stable practice over the 18 years of analysis in the Côte d'Or region. However, this overall stability is the result of variations in the profiles of diagnosed cancers and surgical practices.

Establishment of a new cell line of canine inflammatory mammary cancer: IMC-118

Canine inflammatory mammary cancer (IMC) has long been regarded as an attractive animal model for research into human inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), Although some canine mammary tumour cell lines corresponding to human mammary cancer cell lines have been established, there is still a need to supplement the canine mammary tumour cell bank. The goal of this study was to create a new type of IMC cell line. The primary tumour, IMC-118, was identified as IMC by pathology examination. Immunohistochemistry analysis revealed negative immunoreactivity to oestrogen receptor (ER), but positive immunoreactivity to progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2). Immunofluorescence (IF) analysis revealed that the IMC-118 cell line from this primary tumour was negative for ER but positive for PR and HER-2, and was also positive for epithelial and mesenchymal cell markers. This cell line was cultured stably for more than 50 passages and grew well after cryopreservation. In vivo, tumour masses and metastases in the lungs were discovered after inoculating the IMC-118 cells into the nude mice model. As a result, a novel canine IMC cell line, IMC-118, was effectively established, and could be employed as a promising model for immunotherapy and epithelial-mesenchymal transition mechanism of IMC research in both dogs and humans.

A randomized, double-blind, phase III, non-inferiority clinical trial comparing the efficacy and safety of TA4415V (a proposed Trastuzumab biosimilar) and Herceptin (Trastuzumab reference product) in HER2-positive early-stage breast Cancer patients

Background

This study compared efficacy and safety of TA4415V, a trastuzumab biosimilar, with reference trastuzumab in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–positive (HER2-positive) early-stage breast cancer treated in the neoadjuvant setting in Iran.

Methods

Patients were randomly assigned to receive neoadjuvant TA4415V or reference trastuzumab concurrently with docetaxel (TH phase) for 4 cycles after treatment with 4 cycles of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide (AC phase). Chemotherapy was followed by surgery. The primary endpoint was the comparison of pathologic complete response (pCR) rate in the per-protocol population. Secondary endpoints included comparisons of overall response rate (ORR), breast-conserving surgery (BCS), safety, and immunogenicity.

Results

Ninety-two participants were analyzed in the per-protocol population (TA4415V, n = 48; reference trastuzumab, n = 44). The pCR rates were 37.50% and 34.09% with TA4415V and reference drug, respectively. The 95% CI of the estimated treatment outcome difference (− 0·03 [95% CI − 0.23 to 0.16]) was within the non-inferiority margin. No statistically significant difference was observed between the groups for other efficacy variables in the ITT population: ORR (89.13% vs. 83.33%; p = 0.72) and BCS (20.37% vs. 12.96%; p = 0.42) in the TA4415V and reference drug group, respectively.

At least one grade 3 or 4 adverse events occurred in 27 (50%) patients in the TA4415V group versus 29 (53.70%) in the reference trastuzumab group (p = 0.70). The decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), as an adverse event of special interest (AESI) for trastuzumab, was compared between treatment groups in TH phase. Results demonstrated an LVEF decrease in 7 (12.96%) and 9 (16.67%) patients in TA4415V and reference trastuzumab groups, respectively (p = 0.59). Anti-drug antibodies (ADA) were not detected in any samples of groups.

Conclusions

Non-inferiority for efficacy was demonstrated between TA4415V and Herceptin based on the ratio of pCR rates in HER2-positive early breast cancer patients. In addition, ORR and BCS, as secondary endpoints, were not significantly different. Safety profile and immunogenicity were also comparable between the two groups.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40360-022-00599-x.

Impact of Locoregional Treatment on Survival in Young Patients with Early-Stage Breast Cancer undergoing Upfront Surgery

BACKGROUND

Randomized, controlled trials comparing breast-conserving therapy (BCT) with mastectomy have demonstrated equivalent overall survival (OS), but recent observational studies have shown improved OS in patients undergoing BCT. These studies provide limited data on young patients who are traditionally offered mastectomy due to perceived higher disease risk. This study examines the OS in a contemporary series of young women with breast cancer undergoing upfront BCT compared with mastectomy.

METHODS

Women ≤40 years old with primary invasive T1-T2, N0-N1 breast cancer were identified from the National Cancer Database between 2006 and 2016. Patient cohorts were based according to locoregional treatment: BCT, mastectomy alone (Mx), and mastectomy with radiotherapy (Mx/RT). Kaplan-Meier method followed by Cox proportional-hazards regression with inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) were performed to account for treatment selection bias effects in OS.

RESULTS

A total of 15,611 patients met the study criteria; 9,509 patients (60.9%) had BCT, 4,020 (25.8%) had Mx/RT, and 2,082 (13.3%) had Mx alone. The median follow-up was 4.6 years (interquartile range [IQR] 3.0-6.4). After IPTW-adjustment, the 5-year OS was similar for BCT (95%), Mx (95%), and Mx/RT (94%), and there was no significant difference in OS in Mx (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.16, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.90-1.51) and Mx/RT (HR = 1.08, 95% CI 0.88-1.34) compared with BCT. Mx/RT was associated with decreased survival in patients with pT2N0 (HR = 1.78, 95% CI 1.12-2.84).

CONCLUSIONS

Among young patients with early-stage breast cancer, overall survival was equivalent regardless of surgical approach. Breast-conserving therapy remains a safe option in young women despite the clinical tendency to offer upfront mastectomy in young patients.

Radiotherapy of Breast Cancer-Professional Guideline 1st Central-Eastern European Professional Consensus Statement on Breast Cancer

The international radiotherapy (RT) expert panel has revised and updated the RT guidelines that were accepted in 2020 at the 4th Hungarian Breast Cancer Consensus Conference, based on new scientific evidence. Radiotherapy after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) is indicated in ductal carcinoma in situ (stage 0), as RT decreases the risk of local recurrence (LR) by 50-60%. In early stage (stage I-II) invasive breast cancer RT remains a standard treatment following BCS. However, in elderly (≥70 years) patients with stage I, hormone receptor-positive tumour, hormonal therapy without RT can be considered. Hypofractionated whole breast irradiation (WBI) and for selected cases accelerated partial breast irradiation are validated treatment alternatives to conventional WBI administered for 5 weeks. Following mastectomy, RT significantly decreases the risk of LR and improves overall survival of patients who have 1 to 3 or ≥4 positive axillary lymph nodes. In selected cases of patients with 1 to 2 positive sentinel lymph nodes axillary dissection can be substituted with axillary RT. After neoadjuvant systemic treatment (NST) followed by BCS, WBI is mandatory, while after NST followed by mastectomy, locoregional RT should be given in cases of initial stage III-IV and ypN1 axillary status.

Time to treatment and hospital visits for patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer in a single payer system

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) requires coordination of various services to ensure timely and accurate delivery of care. This can result in multiple hospital visits and extend time to treatment (TTT). The primary purpose of our study was to evaluate time to NAC for patients at a regional cancer centre. Healthcare resource use in the form of hospital visits before NAC was also evaluated.

METHODS

A retrospective chart analysis of patients with invasive breast cancer who underwent NAC between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2018 was performed.

RESULTS

Overall, 286 patients underwent NAC. Median TTT was 22 days (range: 2-105). Median number of visits between first consultation and NAC was 5 (range: 0-12). Majority of additional visits were for diagnostic imaging/interventions, with a median number of 4 visits (range: 0-10). Each additional hospital visit increased time to NAC treatment by 14%.

CONCLUSIONS

Women undergoing NAC require multiple visits before initiating treatment-the majority of these visits are for diagnostic imaging. These results support the need for the coordination of multidisciplinary care and diagnostic imaging for breast cancer patients undergoing NAC to reduce hospital visits, improve the patient experience, and reduce TTT.

Young Women with Breast Cancer: Chemotherapy or Surgery First? An Evaluation of Time to Treatment for Invasive Breast Cancer

Background

Breast cancer in young women (ages 18–40 years) is rare, yet remains a leading cause of cancer-related death. Time to treatment (TTT) is an increasingly important factor in breast cancer outcomes, specifically time to systemic therapy. Our objective was to review patterns of care for young women presenting with invasive breast cancer and compare TTT for surgery first versus neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC).

Patients and Methods

A retrospective chart review of young women with non-metastatic, non-inflammatory invasive breast cancer between 2012 and 2018 at a single institution was completed. The primary outcome was time to first treatment (surgery or NAC).

Results

One hundred forty-two young women were treated for invasive breast cancer during the study period. The majority of patients underwent surgery first (57.7%) compared with NAC (42.3%). Women who underwent NAC were more likely to have abnormal lymph nodes on imaging (p = 0.002) and clinical exam (p < 0.0001) and were also more likely to have larger tumor sizes (p < 0.05). The majority of triple negative patients underwent NAC first (88% [14/16]). Median TTT was significantly longer for surgery (27 [range 7–70] days) versus (20.5 [3–50] days) chemotherapy (p = 0.004). Median number of additional hospital visits prior to surgery was 4 (range 1–8) versus 5 (0–11) for NAC (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Young women with breast cancer who undergo NAC have a shorter TTT and clinically similar median number of hospital visits compared with women undergoing surgery first. These results support the use of NAC in young women, when indicated, as additional workup and consultations prior to NAC do not delay care.

STAT3 as a Potential Target for Tumor Suppressive Effects of 15-Deoxy-Δ12,14-prostaglandin J2 in Triple Negative Breast Cancer

STAT3 plays a prominent role in proliferation and survival of tumor cells. Thus, STAT3 has been considered to be a prime target for development of anti-cancer therapeutics. The electrophilic cyclopentenone prostaglandin,15-deoxy-Δ^12,14-prostaglandin J₂ (15d-PGJ₂) has been well recognized for its capability to modulate intracellular signaling pathways involved in cancer cell growth and progression. We previously reported that 15d-PGJ₂ had potent cytotoxicity against harvey-ras transformed human mammary epithelial cells through direct interaction with STAT3. In this study, we have attempted to verify the inhibitory effects of 15d-PGJ₂ on STAT3 signaling in human breast tumor cells. The triple negative breast cancer cell lines, MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 displaying constitutive phosphorylation of STAT3 on the tyrosine 705 (Tyr705) residue, underwent apoptosis upon inhibition of STAT3 by 15d-PGJ₂. In contrast, estrogen receptor positive MCF-7 breast cancer cells that do not exhibit elevated STAT3 phosphorylation were much less susceptible to 15d-PGJ₂-induced apoptosis as assessed by PARP cleavage. Furthermore, 15d-PGJ₂ inhibited interleukin-6-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of STAT3 in LNCaP cells. According to molecular docking studies, 15d-PGJ₂ may preferentially bind to the cysteine 259 residue (Cys259) present in the coiled-coil domain of STAT3. Site-directed mutagenesis of STAT3 identified Cys259 to be the critical amino acid for the 15d-PGJ₂-induced apoptosis as well as epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Taken together, these findings suggest STAT3 inactivation through direct chemical modification of its Cys259 as a potential therapeutic approach for treatment of triple negative breast cancer treatment.

Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy, Endocrine Therapy, and Targeted Therapy for Breast Cancer: ASCO Guideline

PURPOSE

To develop guideline recommendations concerning optimal neoadjuvant therapy for breast cancer.

METHODS

ASCO convened an Expert Panel to conduct a systematic review of the literature on neoadjuvant therapy for breast cancer and provide recommended care options.

RESULTS

A total of 41 articles met eligibility criteria and form the evidentiary basis for the guideline recommendations.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Patients undergoing neoadjuvant therapy should be managed by a multidisciplinary care team. Appropriate candidates for neoadjuvant therapy include patients with inflammatory breast cancer and those in whom residual disease may prompt a change in therapy. Neoadjuvant therapy can also be used to reduce the extent of local therapy or reduce delays in initiating therapy. Although tumor histology, grade, stage, and estrogen, progesterone, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expression should routinely be used to guide clinical decisions, there is insufficient evidence to support the use of other markers or genomic profiles. Patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) who have clinically node-positive and/or at least T1c disease should be offered an anthracycline- and taxane-containing regimen; those with cT1a or cT1bN0 TNBC should not routinely be offered neoadjuvant therapy. Carboplatin may be offered to patients with TNBC to increase pathologic complete response. There is currently insufficient evidence to support adding immune checkpoint inhibitors to standard chemotherapy. In patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive (HR-positive), HER2-negative tumors, neoadjuvant chemotherapy can be used when a treatment decision can be made without surgical information. Among postmenopausal patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative disease, hormone therapy can be used to downstage disease. Patients with node-positive or high-risk node-negative, HER2-positive disease should be offered neoadjuvant therapy in combination with anti-HER2-positive therapy. Patients with T1aN0 and T1bN0, HER2-positive disease should not be routinely offered neoadjuvant therapy.Additional information is available at www.asco.org/breast-cancer-guidelines.

Neoadjuvant immunotherapy in breast cancer: a paradigm shift?

Despite advances in clinical management, a proportion of patients with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) recur after local treatment. The concept of neoadjuvant systemic therapy has been widely adopted to improve clinical outcomes of patients with TNBC and other breast tumour types. Recently, promising data were reported from the first prospective phase III, randomised trial assessing neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitor pembrolizumab versus placebo in patients with early-stage TNBC. The addition of pembrolizumab resulted in a significant increase in pathologic complete response (pCR) rates. Similarly, in the IMpassion031 trial, the use of atezolizumab in combination with neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with early-stage TNBC led to improved pCR rates compared to placebo, regardless of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression. Ongoing trials are testing other PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in combination with neoadjuvant chemotherapy in TNBC and other tumour subtypes. However, not all patients benefit from the addition of immunotherapy, while a proportion of patients experiences serious adverse events. It is critical to identify predictive biomarkers of response, to accurately select patients who will benefit from immunotherapy, thus sparing the rest from ineffective treatments with unnecessary toxicity and treatment costs. In this review, we summarise the literature on reported and ongoing neoadjuvant clinical trials evaluating immunotherapy in breast cancer.

The use of 18F-FDG positron emission tomography to detect mediastinal lymph nodes in metastatic breast cancer

BACKGROUND

To assess the predictive value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography (FDG-PET/CT) in detecting mediastinal lymph node metastasis with histopathologic verification in breast cancer (BC) patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Between February 2012 and October 2019, 37 BC patients who underwent histopathological verification for FDG-PET positive mediastinal lymph nodes were retrospectively analyzed. Nine patients (24%) were screened before beginning treatment, while 27 (76%) were screened at the time of disease progression, an average of 39 months after completion of initial treatment.

RESULTS

The histopathologic diagnosis revealed lymph node metastasis from BC in 15 patients (40%) and benign disease in 22 patients (60%). The standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of mediastinal lymph nodes was significantly higher in patients with lymph node metastasis compared to those with benign histology (9.0 ± 3.5 vs. 5.9 ± 2.4; P = 0.007). The cut-off value of SUVmax after the ROC curve analysis for pathological lymph node metastasis was 6.4. Two of the 15 patients with mediastinal SUVmax ≤ 6.4 and 13 of the 22 patients with SUVmax > 6.4 had lymph node metastasis. Age and pathological findings were prognostic factors for overall survival in univariate analysis. The treatment decision was changed in 19 patients (51%) after mediastinoscopic evaluation of the entire cohort.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first study to support the need for pathologic confirmation of a positive PET/CT result following evaluation of mediastinal lymph nodes for staging BC, either at initial diagnosis or at the time of progression. Treatment decisions were consequently altered for nearly half of the patients.

Caveolin-1 inhibits breast cancer stem cells via c-Myc-mediated metabolic reprogramming

Breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) are considered to be the root of breast cancer occurrence and progression. However, the characteristics and regulatory mechanisms of BCSCs metabolism have been poorly revealed, which hinders the development of metabolism-targeted treatment strategies for BCSCs elimination. Herein, we demonstrated that the downregulation of Caveolin-1 (Cav-1) usually occurred in BCSCs and was associated with a metabolic switch from mitochondrial respiration to aerobic glycolysis. Meanwhile, Cav-1 could inhibit the self-renewal capacity and aerobic glycolysis activity of BCSCs. Furthermore, Cav-1 loss was associated with accelerated mammary-ductal hyperplasia and mammary-tumor formation in transgenic mice, which was accompanied by enrichment and enhanced aerobic glycolysis activity of BCSCs. Mechanistically, Cav-1 could promote Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL)-mediated ubiquitination and degradation of c-Myc in BCSCs through the proteasome pathway. Notably, epithelial Cav-1 expression significantly correlated with a better overall survival and delayed onset age of breast cancer patients. Together, our work uncovers the characteristics and regulatory mechanisms of BCSCs metabolism and highlights Cav-1-targeted treatments as a promising strategy for BCSCs elimination.

Circulating lncRNA H19 may be a useful marker of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Novel biomarkers are needed to predict the effectiveness of the treatment of presurgical neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in breast cancer (BC).

OBJECTIVE

This is an exploratory study to assess the impact of 3 cancer-related long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) (H19, MALAT1 and GA5) in blood plasma of patients with BC in predicting the response to NAC.

METHODS

The plasma levels of RNAs were relatively measured by quantitative PCR at baseline, and at the end of the fourth cycle of NAC in patients with locally advanced BC.

RESULTS

Only H19 was associated with patients' characteristics, and with the response to NAC. Higher plasma expression of H19 was associated with younger age at diagnosis, triple negative tumors, and Ki-67 index. Patients with a pathological complete response (20%) had lower pre-therapeutic levels of H19 compared with the non-complete responders (relative levels 0.1 vs 0.2, respectively, P: 0.04). In addition, the patients with higher degree of downstaging of initial tumors had lower baseline levels of H19 among non-complete responders.

CONCLUSION

Our study reveals that H19, but not MALAT1 and GAS5, may be a useful marker of response to NAC in BC.

Prognostic Value of HER2 to CEP17 Ratio on Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization Ratio in Patients with Nonmetastatic HER2-Positive Inflammatory and Noninflammatory Breast Cancer Treated with Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy with or without Trastuzumab

BACKGROUND

We previously reported that in patients with HER2-positive (HER2+) locally advanced breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant trastuzumab-containing regimens, high HER2 to centromere enumerator probe 17 ratio on fluorescence in situ hybridization (HER2 FISH ratio) was an independent predictor of high pathologic complete response (pCR) rate, which translated into improved recurrence-free survival (RFS). We sought to determine whether high HER2 FISH ratio is a predictor of pCR and prognosis in patients with HER2+ nonmetastatic inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) and non-IBC treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy with or without trastuzumab.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study included all patients with histologically proven stage III, HER2+ primary IBC, and non-IBC treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy with or without trastuzumab and definitive surgery during 1999-2012. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were applied to assess the effect of covariates on pCR. Kaplan-Meier estimates with log-rank test were employed for survival analysis. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the effect of covariates on RFS and overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

The study included 555 patients with stage III, HER+ breast cancer, 181 patients with IBC, and 374 with non-IBC. In the IBC cohort, HER2 FISH ratio was not significantly associated with pCR, RFS, or OS. In the non-IBC cohort, higher HER2 FISH ratio was significantly associated with higher pCR rate and longer OS.

CONCLUSION

HER2 FISH ratio showed prognostic value among patients with HER2+ non-IBC but not HER2+ IBC treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. This disparity may be due to the underlying aggressive nature of IBC.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

The findings of this study indicate that the HER2 to fluorescence in situ hybridization ratio as a continuous variable has promise as a predictor of pathologic complete response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with HER2-positive (HER2+) noninflammatory breast cancer (non-IBC) regardless of the results on HER2 immunohistochemical testing. In the future, some patients with HER2+ non-IBC and a high HER2 FISH ratio might even be offered personalized treatment options, such as nonsurgical treatment.

Chemoresistance was correlated with elevated expression and activity of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase in breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) catalyses degradation of the essential amino acid tryptophan leading to the production of immunosuppressive kynurenine and tryptophan exhausting. IDO expression and activity contribute to aggressive tumor growth, inferior therapeutic gain and poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to explore the association between chemoresistance and IDO expression, activity in breast cancer METHODS: Immunohistochemistry was applied for evaluating IDO expression in biopsy tissues. Serum IDO activity was examined via High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Western blots (WB), HPLC and Real-time PCR (RT-PCR) were used to analyze IDO protein, IDO enzyme activity and IDO gene expression in original and paclitaxel-resistant cells respectively. Logistic regression and survival analysis were applied to explore the association between chemoresistance and IDO expression, activity in breast cancer.

RESULTS

IDO expression in tumor tissues was associated with serum IDO activity (P = 0.004). Both IDO expression in tumor and serum activity were associated with clinical tumor stage, node stage and estrogen receptor (ER) status (all P < 0.05); clinical response and pathologic complete response (pCR) to NAC were both related to IDO expression and activity prior NAC (all P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed IDO activity before NAC was the only independent factor affected pCR (P = 0.032). ROC curves showed that the IDO expression and activity had discriminative ability for predicting the clinical response and pCR. In the prognostic analysis, patients with high IDO expression had significantly impaired overall survival (5 year survival rate: 53.57% vs 80.00%) and progression-free survival (5 year survival rate: 46.43% vs 72.00%, P = 0.031 and P = 0.046). In vitro, significantly increased IDO protein, IDO mRNA expression and IDO enzyme activity in paclitaxel-resistant cells were demonstrated in comparing of sensitive cells.

CONCLUSION

IDO expression and activity associated with advanced breast cancer, poor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and prognosis. IDO expression and activity were significantly increased in paclitaxel-resistant breast cancer cells.

XIAOPI Formula Inhibits Breast Cancer Stem Cells via Suppressing Tumor-Associated Macrophages/C-X-C Motif Chemokine Ligand 1 Pathway

Macrophages are the most abundant stromal cells associated with the host immune system in multiple malignancies including breast cancer. With proven clinical efficacy and no noticeable adverse effects, XIAOPI formula (XPS) has been approved for breast hyperplasia treatment by the State Food and Drug Administration of China (SFDA) in 2018. The existing knowledge about the anti-breast cancer activities and mechanisms of XPS has been very limited. The present study aimed to investigate whether XPS could exert an anti-breast cancer effect by regulating tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in tumor microenvironment. Herein, breast cancer cells and TAMs were co-cultured using the transwell co-culture system to simulate the coexistence of them. XPS could significantly inhibit the proliferation, colony formation, breast cancer stem cells (CSCs) subpopulation, mammosphere formation abilities as well as stemness-related genes expression in both human and mouse breast cancer cells in the co-culture system. Additionally, XPS could suppress M2 phenotype polarization as well as C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 1 (CXCL1) expression and secretion of TAMs. Notably, further mechanistic explorations verified TAMs/CXCL1 as the critical target of XPS in inhibiting breast CSCs self-renewal in the co-culture system as the exogenous CXCL1 administration could abrogate the inhibitory effect of XPS on breast CSCs self-renewal. More importantly, XPS significantly inhibited mammary tumor growth, breast CSCs subpopulation, and TAMs/CXCL1 activity in mouse 4T1-Luc xenografts in vivo without any detectable side effects. Taken together, this study not only uncovers the immunomodulatory mechanism of XPS in treating breast cancer but also sheds novel insights into TAMs/CXCL1 as a potential molecular target for breast CSCs elimination.

Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Use for Nonmetastatic Breast Cancer at Five Public South African Hospitals and Impact on Time to Initial Cancer Therapy

In sub‐Saharan Africa, clinical decisions can be affected by resource constraints. This article analyzes the clinical and sociodemographic factors associated with receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy among patients from a previously existing cohort: women enrolled in the prospective South African Breast Cancer and HIV Outcomes study.

Background.

In the U.S., neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for nonmetastatic breast cancer (BC) is used with extensive disease and aggressive molecular subtypes. Little is known about the influence of demographic characteristics, clinical factors, and resource constraints on NAC use in Africa.

Materials and Methods.

We studied NAC use in a cohort of women with stage I–III BC enrolled in the South African Breast Cancer and HIV Outcomes study at five hospitals. We analyzed associations between NAC receipt and sociodemographic and clinical factors, and we developed Cox regression models for predictors of time to first treatment with NAC versus surgery.

Results.

Of 810 patients, 505 (62.3%) received NAC. Multivariate analysis found associations between NAC use and black race (odds ratio [OR] 0.49; 95% confidence limit [CI], 0.25–0.96), younger age (OR 0.95; 95% CI, 0.92–0.97 for each year), T‐stage (T4 versus T1: OR 136.29; 95% CI, 41.80–444.44), N‐stage (N2 versus N0: OR 35.64; 95% CI, 16.56–76.73), and subtype (triple‐negative versus luminal A: OR 5.16; 95% CI, 1.88–14.12). Sites differed in NAC use (Site D versus Site A: OR 5.73; 95% CI, 2.72–12.08; Site B versus Site A: OR 0.37; 95% CI, 0.16–0.86) and time to first treatment: Site A, 50 days to NAC versus 30 days to primary surgery (hazard ratio [HR] 1.84; 95% CI, 1.25–2.71); Site D, 101 days to NAC versus 126 days to primary surgery (HR 0.49; 95% CI, 0.27–0.89).

Conclusion.

NAC use for BC at these South African hospitals was associated with both tumor characteristics and heterogenous resource constraints.

Implications for Practice.

Using data from a large breast cancer cohort treated in South Africa's public healthcare system, the authors looked at determinants of neoadjuvant chemotherapy use and time to initiate treatment. It was found that neoadjuvant chemotherapy was associated with increasing tumor burden and aggressive molecular subtypes, demonstrating clinically appropriate care in a lower resource setting. Results of this study also showed that time to treatment differences between chemotherapy and surgery varied by hospital, suggesting that differences in resource limitations were influencing clinical decision making. Practice guidelines and care quality metrics designed for low‐ and middle‐income countries should accommodate heterogeneity of available resources.

[Comparative study of inflammatory and non-inflammatory locally advanced breast cancer - the experience of a Moroccan hospital]

OBJECTIVES

The locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) covers large tumor heterogeneity. It consists of non-inflammatory LABC and inflammatory breast cancer (IBC). This study aimed to compare the epidemiological, clinical and pathological, as well as the prognosis of IBC versus non-inflammatory LABC.

METHODS

This is a retrospective study of 150 cases of IBC and non-inflammatory LABC collected in medical oncology department of the CHU Hassan II of Fez during a period of 4 years [January 2009-January 2013]. Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Analysis of the various prognostic factors was performed according to the Cox model.

RESULTS

IBC represented 28.7% of LABC. The median age was 47 years. The median tumor size was greater in non-inflammatory LABC compared with IBC (9.5 versus 6cm; P=0.0014). Lymph node invasion was more common in the IBC (49.7% versus 45.9%; P=0.01). An SBR grade 3 was more frequently noted in the IBC (P=0.011). The two groups were well balanced with regard to HR, HER2 status and pathologic complete response. Non-inflammatory LABC had the best OS and DFS (24 vs. 22 months; P=0.03 and 18 vs. 17 months; P=0.025 respectively).

CONCLUSION

IBC has a worse prognosis compared to non-inflammatory LABC. New therapeutic approaches are needed to improve the prognosis of these patients.

Adjacent skin rotation flap for large defect in primary breast tumor

BACKGROUNDS

Surgical resection of large primary breast tumor often results in large chest wall defects. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of using adjacent skin rotation (ASR) flap in patients with giant primary breast tumor.

METHODS

A total of 26 giant primary breast tumor patients treated with ASR flap were included in this study. The postoperative conditions, including operating time, blood loss, length of hospital stay, and clinical complications were observed. Meanwhile, the information on 17 breast tumor patients treated with transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous (TRAM) flap were collected and assigned to a control group.

RESULTS

The mean defect size after mastectomy was 16.7 × 13.4 cm, while the median follow-up period was 13 months after surgery. A total of 15.4% patients had developed with local complications, and one of them had more than one complication. When comparing the postoperative outcomes, statistically significant differences were found between the two groups with respect to operating time, blood loss, and length of hospital stay (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

ASR flap is a reliable technique for immediate reconstruction of massive chest wall defects in patients with giant primary breast tumor.

Validation of the 21-gene test as a predictor of clinical response to neoadjuvant hormonal therapy for ER+, HER2-negative breast cancer: the TransNEOS study

Purpose

The Recurrence Score test is validated to predict benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy. TransNEOS, a translational study of New Primary Endocrine-therapy Origination Study (NEOS), evaluated whether Recurrence Score results can predict clinical response to neoadjuvant letrozole.

Methods

NEOS is a phase 3 clinical trial of hormonal therapy ± adjuvant chemotherapy for postmenopausal patients with ER+, HER2-negative, clinically node-negative breast cancer, after six months of neoadjuvant letrozole and breast surgery. TransNEOS patients had tumors ≥ 2 cm and archived core-biopsy samples taken before neoadjuvant letrozole and subsequently sent for Recurrence Score testing. The primary endpoint was to evaluate clinical (complete or partial) response to neoadjuvant letrozole for RS < 18 versus RS ≥ 31. Secondary endpoints included evaluation of clinical response and rate of breast-conserving surgery (BCS) by continuous Recurrence Score result, ESR1 and PGR single-gene scores, and ER gene-group score.

Results

Of 295 TransNEOS patients (median age 63 years; median tumor size 25 mm; 66% grade 1), 53.2% had RS < 18, 28.5% had RS18–30, and 18.3% had RS ≥ 31. Clinical response rates were 54% (RS < 18), 42% (RS18–30), and 22% (RS ≥ 31). A higher proportion of patients with RS < 18 had clinical responses (p < 0.001 vs. RS ≥ 31). In multivariable analyses, continuous Recurrence Score result (p < 0.001), ESR1 score (p = 0.049), PGR score (p < 0.001), and ER gene-group score (p < 0.001) were associated with clinical response. Recurrence Score group was significantly associated with rate of BCS after neoadjuvant treatment (RS < 18 vs. RS ≥ 31, p = 0.010).

Conclusion

The Recurrence Score test is validated to predict clinical response to neoadjuvant letrozole in postmenopausal patients with ER+, HER2-negative, clinically node-negative breast cancer.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1007/s10549-018-4964-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Risk factors of locoregional relapse in locally advanced breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy following mastectomy and radiotherapy

We seek to investigate the prognostic factors that could possibly increase the locoregional recurrence of breast cancer patients who do not achieve pathological complete response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and to build a prognostic nomogram to predict patients' outcome. The retrospective analysis included 510 patients who had received neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery and radiotherapy. 62 locoregional events occurred after a median 61 months of follow-up. The five-year cumulative incidence of local recurrence and regional recurrence were 8.63% and 4.31%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that positivity for ≥ 4 lymph nodes and Ki-67 index ≥ 14% were independent factors. According to our prognostic model, the 5-year locoregional free survival rates in the low, intermediate, and high-risk groups were 95.5%, 89.1%, and 67.1%, respectively (p < 0.001). Annual recurrence curves indicated that the relapse peak after mastectomy emerged in the first 1 year. Positivity for ≥ 4 lymph nodes and Ki-67 index ≥ 14% were independent factors for locoregional recurrence. This prognostic model has considerable clinical value in predicting locoregional recurrence, which could help clinicians to design appropriate locoregional treatment specifically and to perform surveillance individually.

Response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer judged by PERCIST - multicenter study in Japan

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to evaluate therapeutic response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and predict breast cancer recurrence using Positron Emission Tomography Response Criteria in Solid Tumors (PERCIST).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Fifty-nine breast cancer patients underwent fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) before and after NAC prior to planned surgical resection. Pathological complete response (pCR) of the primary tumor was evaluated using PERCIST, while effects of clinicopathological factors on progression-free survival (PFS) were examined using log-rank and Cox methods.

RESULTS

Fifty-six patients and 54 primary tumors were evaluated. Complete metabolic response (CMR), partial metabolic response, stable metabolic disease, and progressive metabolic disease were seen in 45, 7, 3, and 1 patients, respectively, and 43, 7, 3, and 1 primary tumors, respectively. Eighteen (33.3%) of the 54 primary tumors showed pCR. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy of PERCIST to predict pCR were 100% (18/18), 30.6% (11/36), 41.9% (18/43), 100% (11/11), and 53.7% (29/54), respectively. An optimal percent decrease in peak standardized uptake value for a primary tumor corrected for lean body mass (SULpeak) of 84.3% was found to have a sensitivity of 77.8% (14/18), specificity of 77.8% (28/36), PPV of 63.6% (14/22), NPV of 87.5% (28/32), and accuracy of 77.8% (42/54). Seven (12.5%) of the 56 patients developed recurrent disease (median follow-up 28.1 months, range 11.4-96.4 months). CMR (p = 0.031), pCR (p = 0.024), and early TNM stage (p = 0.033) were significantly associated with longer PFS.

CONCLUSION

PERCIST is useful for predicting pathological response and prognosis following NAC in breast cancer patients. However, FDG-PET/CT showed a tendency toward underestimation of the residual tumor, and relatively low specificity and PPV of PERCIST showed that a combination of other imaging modalities would still be needed to predict pCR.

Tumor Biology Predicts Pathologic Complete Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Patients Presenting with Locally Advanced Breast Cancer

BACKGROUND

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is used to convert patients with inoperable locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) to operability, but has not traditionally been used to avoid mastectomy or axillary dissection in this subset.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to determine the rates of pathologic complete response (pCR) in LABC patients, and identify factors predictive of pCR to determine if responding patients might be suitable for limited surgery.

METHODS

From 2006 to 2016, 1522 patients received NAC followed by surgery; 321 had advanced disease in the breast (cT4) and/or in the nodes (cN2/N3). pCR rates were assessed by T and N stage, and receptor subtype.

RESULTS

Of 321 LABC patients, 223 were cT4, 77 were cN2, and 82 were cN3. Forty-three percent were hormone receptor (HR) positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) negative (HR+/HER2-), 23% were triple negative, and 34% were HER2+. The overall pCR rate was 25% and differed by receptor subtype (HR+/HER2- 7%, triple negative 23%, HER2+ 48%; p < 0.001). Breast pCR occurred in 27% of patients and was similar in T4 versus non-T4 disease (29% vs. 22%; p = 0.26). Nodal pCR was achieved in 38% of cN+ patients and did not differ by nodal stage (cN1 43%, cN2 36%, cN3 32%; p = 0.23). Nodal pCR was significantly more common than breast pCR (p = 0.014) across all tumor subtypes. Receptor subtype was the only predictor of overall pCR (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

In patients with LABC, pCR after NAC was seen in 25%, and did not differ by T or N stage. Tumor biology, but not extent of disease, predicted pCR. Studies assessing the feasibility of surgical downstaging with NAC in LABC patients are warranted.

Residual microcalcifications after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced breast cancer: comparison of the accuracies of mammography and MRI in predicting pathological residual tumor

Background

The aims of this study were to correlate residual mammographic microcalcifications after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) with pathological results and to compare the accuracy of mammography (MG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in predicting the size of residual tumors.

Methods

The imaging findings and pathological results for 29 patients with residual microcalcifications after NAC were reviewed. We compared the agreement of the measured extent of residual microcalcifications based on MG and residual enhancement based on MRI with the residual tumor size based on pathology.

Results

At final pathology, residual microcalcifications were malignant in 55.2% of cases and benign in 44.8% of cases. In 36% of non-pCR cases, the remaining microcalcifications were benign. Compared with the measurements of residual tumor obtained from pathology, MG showed poor agreement, and MRI showed moderate agreement, for the entire group (concordance correlation coefficient [CCC] = 0.196 vs. 0.566). Regarding the receptor status, the agreement of measurements obtained by MG was superior to that obtained by MRI (CCC = 0.5629, 0.5472 vs. 0.4496, 0.4279) for ER(+) and HER2(−) tumors. In ER(−) tumors, the measurements obtained by MG showed the lowest agreement with the pathological tumor size, which had the highest agreement with those obtained by MRI (CCC = − 0.0162 vs. 0.8584).

Conclusions

Residual mammographic microcalcifications after NAC did not correlate with malignancy in 44.8% of cases. Residual microcalcifications on MG were poorly correlated with pathological tumor size, and MRI might be more reliable for predicting residual tumor size after NAC. Tumor receptor status affected the accuracy of both MG and MRI for predicting residual tumor size after NAC.

Trial registration

CRIS, KCT0002281; registered 6 April 2015, retrospectively registered

Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities Are More Pronounced in Inflammatory Breast Cancer Than Other Breast Cancers

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare yet aggressive form of breast cancer. We examined differences in patient demographics and outcomes in IBC compared to locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) and all other breast cancer patients from the Breast and Prostate Cancer Data Quality and Patterns of Care Study (POC-BP), containing information from cancer registries in seven states. Out of 7,624 cases of invasive carcinoma, IBC and LABC accounted for 2.2% (N = 170) and 4.9% (N = 375), respectively. IBC patients were more likely to have a higher number (P = 0.03) and severity (P = 0.01) of comorbidities than other breast cancer patients. Among IBC patients, a higher percentage of patients with metastatic disease versus nonmetastatic disease were black, on Medicaid, and from areas of higher poverty and more urban areas. Black and Hispanic IBC patients had worse overall and breast cancer-specific survival than white patients; moreover, IBC patients with Medicaid, patients from urban areas, and patients from areas of higher poverty and lower education had worse outcomes. These data highlight the effects of disparities in race and socioeconomic status on the incidence of IBC as well as IBC outcomes. Further work is needed to reveal the causes behind these disparities and methods to improve IBC outcomes.

Normalization of compression-induced hemodynamics in patients responding to neoadjuvant chemotherapy monitored by dynamic tomographic optical breast imaging (DTOBI)

We characterize novel breast cancer imaging biomarkers for monitoring neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) and predicting outcome. Specifically, we recruited 30 patients for a pilot study in which NACT patients were imaged using dynamic tomographic optical breast imaging (DTOBI) to quantify the hemodynamic changes due to partial mammographic compression. DTOBI scans were obtained pre-treatment (referred to as day 0), as well as 7 and 30 days into therapy on female patients undergoing NACT. We present data for the 13 patients who participated in both day 0 and 7 measurements and had evaluable data, of which 7 also returned for day 30 measurements. We acquired optical images over 2 minutes following 4-8 lbs (18-36 N) of compression. The timecourses of tissue-volume averaged total hemoglobin (HbT), as well as hemoglobin oxygen saturation (SO₂) in the tumor vs. surrounding tissues were compared. Outcome prediction metrics based on the differential behavior in tumor vs. normal areas for responders (>50% reduction in maximum diameter) vs. non-responders were analyzed for statistical significance. At baseline, all patients exhibit an initial decrease followed by delayed recovery in HbT, and SO₂ in the tumor area, in contrast to almost immediate recovery in surrounding tissue. At day 7 and 30, this contrast is maintained in non-responders; however, in responders, the contrast in hemodynamic time-courses between tumor and normal tissue starts decreasing at day 7 and substantially disappears at day 30. At day 30 into NACT, responding tumors demonstrate "normalization" of compression induced hemodynamics vs. surrounding normal tissue whereas non-responding tumors did not. This data suggests that DTOBI imaging biomarkers, which are governed by the interplay between tissue biomechanics and oxygen metabolism, may be suitable for guiding NACT by offering early predictions of treatment outcome.

Prognostic Significance of Inner Quadrant Involvement in Breast Cancer Treated with Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy

PURPOSE

In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the initial tumor location as a prognostic factor in breast cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC).

METHODS

Between March 2002 and January 2007, a total of 179 patients with stage II/III breast cancer underwent NAC followed by breast surgery. Using physical and radiologic findings, patients were grouped by their initial tumor location into inner/both quadrant (upper/lower inner quadrant involvement +/- multicentric tumor involving outer quadrant; n=97) and outer quadrant (n=82) tumor groups. All patients received neoadjuvant docetaxel/doxorubicin chemotherapy. One hundred two patients underwent modified radical mastectomy and 77 patients underwent breast-conserving surgery. Adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) and hormonal therapy were administered after surgery when indicated. While 156 patients underwent postoperative RT, 23 did not. The median follow-up duration was 61.1 (12-106) months.

RESULTS

The 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival rates of all patients were 74.8% and 89.9%, respectively. Patients with inner/both quadrant tumors had lower 5-year DFS than those with outer quadrant tumors (67.7% vs. 83.4%, respectively; hazard ratio [HR]=1.941, p=0.034). A nodal ratio >25% was also an independent adverse prognostic factor for DFS (HR=3.276; p<0.001). There was no significant difference in DFS (p=0.592) after RT on the internal mammary node (IMN). Treatment failed in 44 out of 179 patients (24.6%), of which 27 patients had inner/both quadrant tumors. Twenty-one out of 27 patients had distant failures.

CONCLUSION

Among breast cancer patients treated with NAC, those with inner/both quadrant tumors had lower DFS than those with outer quadrant tumors. More aggressive neoadjuvant and/or adjuvant chemotherapy with IMN RT is required for improved disease control and long-term survival.

Efficacy of carboplatin-based preoperative chemotherapy for triple-negative breast cancer. A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Objectives:

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of carboplatin-based preoperative chemotherapy in triple-negative breast cancer patients (TNBC).

Methods:

PubMed, EMBASE, the Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, major clinical trial registries, and abstract collections from major international meetings were systematically searched for relevant randomized controlled trials. Endpoints included rates of pathologic complete response (pCR), overall response (ORR), breast-conserving surgery (BCS) and toxicity. Pooled relative risk (RR) was calculated for each endpoint using a fixed- or random-effect model depending on the heterogeneity among included studies.

Results:

A total of 5 randomized controlled trials involving 1007 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Carboplatin-based chemotherapy was associated with a pooled pCR rate of 53.3%, which was significantly higher than the rate associated with non-carboplatin therapy (37.8%, RR: 1.41, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.23 to 1.62, p<0.00001). Compared with non-carboplatin therapy (48.1%), carboplatin-based chemotherapy increased BCS rate (59.7%, RR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.06 to 1.46, p=0.007). Carboplatin-based chemotherapy was associated with similar ORR as non-carboplatin therapy. Carboplatin-based chemotherapy was associated with higher incidence of grade 3 or 4 anemia, neutropenia, febrile neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia than non-carboplatin therapy, while the 2 regimens were associated with similar incidence of fatigue, leucopenia, and nausea/vomiting.

Conclusion:

The available evidence suggests that carboplatin-based preoperative chemotherapy is associated with significantly better pCR and BCS rates than non-carboplatin-based therapy in TNBC patients.

Neoadjuvant systemic therapy in breast cancer: Challenges and uncertainties

The management of locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) remains a major clinical issue, despite progress achieved in diagnosis and therapy. Preoperative or neoadjuvant therapy has gained interest since breast cancer has been regarded as a systemic disease. Comparing adjuvant versus neoadjuvant treatment, the neoadjuvant approach offers the advantage of downstaging the disease and testing the efficacy of therapy administered to patients. A large number of clinical trials have attempted to define the optimal neoadjuvant treatment, but little attention has been paid to the sequence of chemotherapy. Moreover, the integration of antibodies against Human Epidermal Receptor-2 (HER-2) and other biological therapies that may improve the long-term control of breast cancer patients, have a special clinical interest. In this review, we will discuss these topics attempting to answer the questions why, when and which regimen to use for patients with LABC. Especially, the introduction of the platina derivatives in neoadjuvant trials with their exceptional high pathological complete response rates are challenging to rethink the optimal treatment options in early and locally advanced breast cancer.

Serum microRNA-21 expression as a prognostic and therapeutic biomarker for breast cancer patients

MiRNA-21 is recognized as the main active candidate and high expression in many solid tumors consequential cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and closely related to metastasis of disease. The study aimed to evaluate the serum miRNA-21 expression and therapy outcome in breast cancer patients and cell lines. Seventy-five histopathologically confirmed newly diagnosed breast cancer patients were included in the study; before and after therapy, patient's blood sample were collected and analyzed for serum microRNA-21 expression by quantitative real-time PCR. In patients, 8.9 mean fold increased microRNA-21 expression was observed compared to controls. Increased expression was found to be associated with advanced stage (11.72-fold), lymph node involvement (11.12-fold), and distant metastases (20.17-fold). After treatment significant decrease in miRNA-21 expression was observed and found to be significant (p < 0.0001). Patients treated with neoadjuvant therapy had significant impact on miRNA-21 suppression and found to be significantly associated with different clinicopathological features of patients. Increased miRNA-21 expression was also found to be significantly associated with poor survival of breast cancer patients (p = 0.002). MicroRNA-21 expression could be used as promising predictive indicators for breast cancer prognosis. MicroRNA-21 over-expression was associated with response to neoadjuvant therapy and may perhaps be considered as primary treatment choice.

Potential Clinical Applications of 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Magnetic Resonance Mammography in Breast Cancer

The whole-body positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance (MR) scan is a cutting edge technology providing comprehensive structural information from MR imaging and functional features from PET in a single session. Recent research findings and clinical experience have shown that ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) whole-body PET/MR imaging has a diagnostic performance comparable with or superior to that of PET/CT in the field of oncology, including for breast cancer. In particular, FDG PET/MR mammography in the prone position with the breast hanging in a pendant manner can provide more comprehensive information about the metabolism, anatomy, and functional features of a breast lesion than a whole-body PET/MR scan. This article reports on current state-of-the-art PET/MR mammography in patients with breast cancer and the prospects for potential application in the future.

[Not Available]

NEOADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY IN HER2-POSITIVE AND TRIPLE-NEGATIVE BREAST CANCER: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is a standard option in the management of operable breast cancer, as effective as adjuvant chemotherapy in term of survival and with the potential to increase the rate of breast conservation. In HER2+ and triple-negative breast cancers, neoadjuvant chemotherapy is associated with a high probability of pathological complete response, which strongly predicts survival outcome. In HER2+ breast cancer, trastuzumab, in combination with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, mostly anthracyclines and taxane-based, demonstrated a significant increase in pathological complete response rate. Recently, dual HER2 blockade strategies (lapatinib-trastuzumab or pertuzumab-trastuzumab) demonstrated a significant improvement in terms of pathological complete response over trastuzumab. In triple-negative breast cancer, recent data indicate that incorporating platinum compounds to neoadjuvant chemotherapy also significantly improves this parameter. Yet, in both subtypes, whether these substantial improvements may lead to significant benefits in terms of survival and breast conserving surgery remains to be demonstrated.

Early Evaluation of Relative Changes in Tumor Stiffness by Shear Wave Elastography Predicts the Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Patients With Breast Cancer

OBJECTIVES

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy plays an important role in comprehensive therapy for breast cancer, but response prediction is imperfect. Shear wave elastography (SWE) is a novel technique that can quantitatively evaluate tissue stiffness. In this study, we sought to investigate the application value of SWE for early prediction of the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer.

METHODS

We prospectively evaluated tumor stiffness in 62 patients with breast cancer using SWE, which was performed at baseline and after the second cycle of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. After chemotherapy, all of the patients underwent surgery. We investigated the correlations between the relative changes in tumor stiffness (Δ stiffness) after 2 cycles of chemotherapy and the pathologic response to the therapy.

RESULTS

Compared with baseline values, tumor stiffness after 2 cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy was significantly decreased in responders (P < .001) but not in nonresponders (P = .172). The Δstiffness was significantly higher in responders (-42.194%) than in nonresponders (-23.593%; P = .001). As determined at either the baseline or after the second cycle of chemotherapy, tumor stiffness was significantly lower in responders than in nonresponders (P = .033 and .009, respectively). The Δ stiffness threshold for distinguishing between responders and nonresponders was -36.1% (72.92% sensitivity and 85.71% specificity). Furthermore, correlating Δ stiffness with clinical and pathologic characteristics, we found that estrogen and progesterone receptor expression showed statistically significant correlations with Δ stiffness (estrogen receptor, P = .008; progesterone receptor, P = .023).

CONCLUSIONS

Early evaluation of relative changes in tumor stiffness using SWE could effectively predict the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer and might indicate better therapeutic strategies on a timelier basis.

SWOG S0800 (NCI CDR0000636131): addition of bevacizumab to neoadjuvant nab-paclitaxel with dose-dense doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide improves pathologic complete response (pCR) rates in inflammatory or locally advanced breast cancer

SWOG S0800, a randomized open-label Phase II clinical trial, compared the combination of weekly nab-paclitaxel and bevacizumab followed by dose-dense doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide (AC) with nab-paclitaxel followed or preceded by AC as neoadjuvant treatment for HER2-negative locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) or inflammatory breast cancer (IBC). Patients were randomly allocated (2:1:1) to three neoadjuvant chemotherapy arms: (1) nab-paclitaxel with concurrent bevacizumab followed by AC; (2) nab-paclitaxel followed by AC; or (3) AC followed by nab-paclitaxel. The primary endpoint was pathologic complete response (pCR) with stratification by disease type (non-IBC LABC vs. IBC) and hormone receptor status (positive vs. negative). Overall survival (OS), event-free survival (EFS), and toxicity were secondary endpoints. Analyses were intent-to-treat comparing bevacizumab to the combined control arms. A total of 215 patients were accrued including 11 % with IBC and 32 % with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The addition of bevacizumab significantly increased the pCR rate overall (36 vs. 21 %; p = 0.019) and in TNBC (59 vs. 29 %; p = 0.014), but not in hormone receptor-positive disease (24 vs. 18 %; p = 0.41). Sequence of administration of nab-paclitaxel and AC did not affect the pCR rate. While no significant differences in OS or EFS were seen, a trend favored the addition of bevacizumab for EFS (p = 0.06) in TNBC. Overall, Grade 3-4 adverse events did not differ substantially by treatment arm. The addition of bevacizumab to nab-paclitaxel prior to dose-dense AC neoadjuvant chemotherapy significantly improved the pCR rate compared to chemotherapy alone in patients with triple-negative LABC/IBC and was accompanied by a trend for improved EFS. This suggests reconsideration of the role of bevacizumab in high-risk triple-negative locally advanced breast cancer.

Expression of Polo-Like Kinase 4(PLK4) in Breast Cancer and Its Response to Taxane-Based Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy

PURPOSE

Polo-like kinase 4(PLK4) is an important evolutionarily regulator involved in centrosome duplication. We here investigated the expression of PLK4 mRNA and PLK4 in breast cancer, and evaluated its predictive value for response to taxane-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

METHOD

The PLK4 mRNA expression was measured in breast cancer tissues and corresponding normal breast tissues from 30 breast cancer patients by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).The association of the expression of PLK4 with clinicopathological parameters and prognostic significance was evaluated in 154 cases of invasive breast cancer. In addition, we immunohistochemically examined the changes of PLK4 expression in biopsy and postoperative tumor specimens of another 64 breast cancer patients who received taxane-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

RESULTS

The level of PLK4 mRNA expression in cancerous tissues had a significant difference compared to the corresponding normal breast tissues (P=0.021). There is a correlation of PLK4 expression with higher incidence of lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis or surrounding recurrence (P=0.043; P=0.006). High PLK4 expression was found to be a detrimental prognostic factor measured by overall survival (OS) (P=0.003) and progress-free survival (PFS) (P=0.003). Moreover, the results demonstrated that PLK4 expression was a negative predictor of response to taxane-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (rs= - 0.253, P=0.044).

CONCLUSION

The findings of this current study indicated that PLK4 expression in breast cancer could be a potential prognostic factor and a negative predictor of response to taxane-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Docetaxel, cyclophosphamide, and trastuzumab as neoadjuvant chemotherapy for HER2-positive primary breast cancer

BACKGROUND

The standard primary systemic therapy for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive (HER2+) breast cancer is anthracyclines and/or taxanes combined with trastuzumab, which demonstrates a high pathological complete response (pCR). A pCR is a predictive marker of prognosis. However, results slightly differ, depending on the hormone receptor status. The efficacy and tolerability of docetaxel, cyclophosphamide, and trastuzumab (HER-TC) as neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) remain unclear. We performed a prospective multicenter study of HER-TC NAC for HER2+ primary breast cancer.

METHODS

Eligible patients had a clinical diagnosis of HER2+ invasive breast cancer greater than 1 cm but less than 7 cm and a tumor stage of N0 or N1. T hey were diagnosed between July 2011 and February 2014. For NAC, four cycles of HER-TC (6 mg/kg loading dose, 8 mg/kg, 75, and 600 mg/m²) were administered intravenously every 3 weeks. We investigated the pCR of the primary breast tumors. A pCR was defined as no histological evidence of invasive carcinoma or the appearance of only ductal carcinoma in situ.

RESULTS

We enrolled 42 patients. The completion rate for four cycles of HER-TC was 97.6 % (41/42 patients). The overall pCR rate was 43.9 % (18/41 patients). The pCR rate for patients with the luminal HER2 subtype [estrogen receptor (ER)-positive+, HER2+] and the HER2-enriched subtype (ER-, HER2+) was 40.0 % (8/20 patients) and 47.6 % (10/21 patients), respectively. A pCR was achieved with nearly the same probability for each subtype.

CONCLUSIONS

Four cycles of HER-TC may be a NAC option for HER2-positive breast cancer.

Non-anthracycline-containing docetaxel and cyclophosphamide regimen is associated with sustained worse outcome compared with docetaxel, anthracycline and cyclophosphamide in neoadjuvant treatment of triple negative and HER2-positive breast cancer patients: updated follow-up data from NATT study

Objective

A previous study demonstrated that non-anthracycline-containing docetaxel plus cyclophosphamide (TC) regimen was inferior to docetaxel, anthracycline and cyclophosphamide (TAC) in neoadjuvant treatment of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-(HER2)-positive breast cancer in a short-term follow-up. Herein, long-term follow-up survival outcomes have been investigated.

Methods

TNBC or HER2-positive patients were randomized to receive 6 cycles of TC or TAC neoadjuvant treatment. The primary endpoint was pathological complete remission (pCR). Secondary endpoints included clinical response rate, event-free survival (EFS), and overall survival (OS).

Results

A cohort of 96 patients consisted of 45 in TC and 51 in TAC arm. With a median follow-up period of 53 (range, 8–76) months, the patients achieving pCR post neoadjuvant chemotherapy exhibited superior EFS and OS than patients without pCR (P<0.05). TAC treatment resulted in consistently better EFS than TC treatment: the estimated 5-year EFS was 66.1% vs. 29.8% (P=0.002). Moreover, the estimated 5-year OS was also in favor of TAC: 88.4% vs. 51.6% (P<0.001). Multivariable analysis demonstrated that the treatment regimen was an independent prognostic factor, and patients treated with TAC had a superior EFS [hazard ratio (HR), 0.48; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.26–0.90; P=0.021] and OS (HR, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.08–0.60; P=0.003).

Conclusions

The updated long-term follow-up data demonstrated a sustained benefit in EFS and OS from anthracycline-containing TAC treatment, indicating that anthracycline is an essential and effective drug in this clinical trial.

Neoadjuvant Bevacizumab plus Chemotherapy versus Chemotherapy Alone to Treat Non-Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials

Purpose

Results from previous randomised controlled trials (RCTs) investigating whether the addition of bevacizumab to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) could statistically significantly increase the pathological complete response (pCR) and to identify which subgroup would benefit most from such regimens have produced conflicting results. This meta-analysis was designed to assess the efficacy and safety of bevacizumab plus chemotherapy compared with chemotherapy alone in the neoadjuvant setting.

Methods

A literature search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, and the Cochrane library was performed to identify eligible studies. The primary endpoint of interest was pCR. The secondary endpoints were clinical complete rate (cCR), surgery rate, breast-conserving surgery (BCS) rate, and toxicity. The meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager software version 5.3.

Results

Nine RCTs matched the selection criteria, yielding a total of 4967 patients (bevacizumab plus chemotherapy: 50.1%, chemotherapy alone: 49.9%). The results of this meta-analysis demonstrated that the addition of bevacizumab to NAC significantly increased the pCR rate (odds ratio [OR] = 1.34 [1.18–1.54]; P < 0.0001) compared with chemotherapy alone. Subgroup analysis showed that the effect of bevacizumab was more pronounced in patients with HER2-negative cancer (OR = 1.34 [1.17–1.54]; P < 0.0001) compared with HER2-positive cancer (OR = 1.69 [0.90–3.20]; P = 0.11). Similarly, in patients with HER2-negative cancer, the effect of bevacizumab was also more pronounced in patients with HR-negative cancer (OR = 1.38 [1.09–1.74]; P = 0.007) compared with HR-positive cancer (OR = 1.36 [0.78–2.35]; P = 0.27). No significant differences were observed between the groups with respect to cCR, surgery rate, or BCS rate. Additionally bevacizumab was associated with a higher incidence of neutropenia, febrile neutropenia, and hand–foot syndrome.

Conclusions

Higher proportions of patients achieved pCR when bevacizumab was added to NAC compared with when they received chemotherapy alone; acceptable toxicities were also found. Subgroup analysis demonstrated that patients with histologically confirmed HER2-negative and HR-negative breast cancer benefited the most.

High HER2/Centromeric Probe for Chromosome 17 Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization Ratio Predicts Pathologic Complete Response and Survival Outcome in Patients Receiving Neoadjuvant Systemic Therapy With Trastuzumab for HER2-Overexpressing Locally Advanced Breast Cancer

BACKGROUND

The present study was performed to determine whether the human epidermal growth factor receptor-related 2 (HER2)/centromeric probe for chromosome 17 fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) ratio is a predictor of a pathologic complete response (pCR), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and/or overall survival (OS) in patients receiving neoadjuvant systemic treatment (NST) with trastuzumab (NST-T) for HER2+ locally advanced breast cancer (LABC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The present retrospective study included 555 patients with HER2+ LABC who had undergone NST and definitive surgery (1999-2012); 373 had concurrently received trastuzumab. HER2-positivity was considered present with an immunohistochemical score of 3+ and/or HER2 FISH ratio of ≥2.0. We used logistic regression analysis and Cox proportional hazard modeling to determine whether a high HER2 FISH ratio, either as a continuous variable or with a cutoff of ≥7.0, would predict for pCR (no invasive disease in the breast and no tumor in the ipsilateral axillary lymph nodes), RFS, and/or OS.

RESULTS

The pCR group's median HER2 FISH ratio was significantly higher than that of the non-pCR group (6.4 vs. 5.2; p = .003). The logistic regression model demonstrated that the independent predictors of pCR included a high HER2 FISH ratio as a continuous variable (p = .04). The multicovariate Cox proportional hazard model showed that a high HER2 FISH ratio (with a cutoff of ≥7.0 or as a continuous variable) was a significant prognostic indicator of longer RFS time (p = .047 and p = .04, respectively). Similarly, a high HER2 FISH ratio of ≥7.0 was associated with longer OS (p = .06).

CONCLUSION

A high HER2 FISH ratio is a predictor of pCR in patients with HER2+ LABC who receive NST-T.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

This study demonstrated the optimal predictive and prognostic value of a HER2/centromeric probe for chromosome 17 FISH ratio for primary HER2+ breast cancer treated with trastuzumab combined with neoadjuvant systemic treatment (NST-T). This suggests that a high HER2 FISH ratio is a potential indicator for a high pathologic complete response rate and a better prognosis when patients are treated with NST-T.