Definitive results of a phase III adjuvant trial comparing three chemotherapy regimens in women with operable, node-positive breast cancer: the NSABP B-38 trial

GAIN2 trial overall survival with intense versus tailored dose dense chemotherapy in early breast cancer

GAIN-2 trial evaluated the optimal intense dose-dense (idd) strategy for high-risk early breast cancer. This study reports the secondary endpoints pathological complete response (pCR) and overall survival (OS). Patients (n = 2887) were randomized 1:1 between idd epirubicin, nab-paclitaxel, and cyclophosphamide (iddEnPC) versus leukocyte nadir-based tailored regimen of dose-dense EC and docetaxel (dtEC-dtD) as adjuvant therapy, with neoadjuvant therapy allowed after amendment. At median follow-up of 6.5 years (overall cohort) and 5.7 years (neoadjuvant cohort, N = 593), both regimens showed comparable 5-year OS rates (iddEnPC 90.8%, dtEC-dtD 90.0%, p = 0.320). In the neoadjuvant setting, iddEnPC yielded a higher pCR rate than dtEC-dtD (51.2% vs. 42.6%, p = 0.045). Patients achieving pCR had significantly improved 5-year iDFS (88.7% vs. 70.1%, HR 0.33, p < 0.001) and OS rates (93.9% vs. 83.1%, HR 0.32, p < 0.001), but OS outcomes were comparable regardless of pCR status. Thus, iddEnPC demonstrates superior pCR rates compared to dtEC-dtD, yet with comparable survival outcomes.

Does the Dose of Standard Adjuvant Chemotherapy Affect the Triple-negative Breast Cancer Benefit from Extended Capecitabine Metronomic Therapy? An Exploratory Analysis of the SYSUCC-001 Trial

Purpose

Results from studies of extended capecitabine after the standard adjuvant chemotherapy in early stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) were inconsistent, and only low-dose capecitabine from the SYSUCC-001 trial improved disease-free survival (DFS). Adjustment of the conventional adjuvant chemotherapy doses affect the prognosis and may affect the efficacy of subsequent treatments. This study investigated whether the survival benefit of the SYSUCC-001 trial was affected by dose adjustment of the standard adjuvant chemotherapy or not.

Patients and Methods

We reviewed the adjuvant chemotherapy regimens before the extended capecitabine in the SYSUCC-001 trial. Patients were classified into "consistent" (standard acceptable dose) and "inconsistent" (doses lower than acceptable dose) dose based on the minimum acceptable dose range in the landmark clinical trials. Cox proportional hazards model was used to investigate the impact of dose on the survival outcomes.

Results

All 434 patients in SYSUCC-001 trial were enrolled in this study. Most of patients administered the anthracycline-taxane regimen accounted for 88.94%. Among patients in the "inconsistent" dose, 60.8% and 47% received lower doses of anthracycline and taxane separately. In the observation group, the "inconsistent" dose of anthracycline and taxane did not affect DFS compared with the "consistent" dose. Moreover, in the capecitabine group, the "inconsistent" anthracycline dose did not affect DFS compared with the "consistent" dose. However, patients with "consistent" taxane doses benefited significantly from extended capecitabine (P=0.014). The sufficient dose of adjuvant taxane had a positive effect of extended capecitabine (hazard ratio [HR] 2.04; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02 to 4.06).

Conclusion

This study found the dose reduction of adjuvant taxane might negatively impact the efficacy of capecitabine. Therefore, the reduction of anthracycline dose over paclitaxel should be given priority during conventional adjuvant chemotherapy, if patients need dose reduction and plan for extended capecitabine.

The impact of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents administration concomitantly with adjuvant anti-HER2 treatments on the outcomes of patients with early breast cancer: a sub-analysis of the ALTTO study

PURPOSE

To assess whether erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESA) administration impacts the outcomes of patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer (EBC).

METHODS

ALTTO (NCT00490139) patients were categorized by ESA use during adjuvant anti-HER2 treatment. Disease-free-survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), and time-to-distant recurrence (TTDR) were analyzed by ESA administration, with subgroup analyses according to prognostic factors. Log-rank tests and Cox modeling were performed. Adverse events (AEs) of ESA-interest were compared.

RESULTS

Among 8381 patients recruited in ALTTO, 123 (1.5%) received ESA concomitantly with study treatment. The median age of patients receiving ESA was 54 years, 39.0% premenopausal, most had tumor size > 2 cm (56.9%), node-positive (58.5%), and positive estrogen receptor expression (61.8%). Median follow-up was shorter in the ESA group [6.1 years (IQR 5.3-7.0) vs. 6.9 years (6.0-7.1); p < 0.001]. There was no DFS difference by ESA administration (log-rank p = 0.70), with 3- and 7-year DFS of 89.2% (95% CI 81.8-93.8%) and 81.6% (71.4-88.5%) in ESA group vs. 88.3% (87.6-89.0%) and 80.0% (79.1-80.9%) in No-ESA group. In subgroup analyses, the interaction of ESA administration with menopausal status was statistically significant (unadjusted p = 0.024; stratified p = 0.033), favoring premenopausal women receiving ESA. We observed no significant association of ESA administration with OS (log-rank p = 0.57; 7-year OS in ESA 88.6% vs. 90.0% in non-ESA) or TTDR. ESA-interest AEs were experienced by eight (6.5%) patients receiving ESA and 417 (5.1%) in the No-ESA group (p = 0.41).

CONCLUSION

ESA administration to patients receiving adjuvant anti-HER2 treatment for HER2-positive EBC was safe and not associated with a negative impact on survival outcomes.

Ten-year clinical outcome, toxicity and compliance of dose-dense sequential adjuvant administration of cyclophosphamide & epirubicin followed by docetaxel in patients with early breast cancer: A hellenic cooperative oncology group observational study (HE 10/10) with concurrent investigation of significance of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes

BACKGROUND

Dose-dense sequential (dds) chemotherapy has changed the clinical outcome of patients with early breast cancer (BC). To investigate the impact of dose intensity (DI) in the adjuvant setting of BC, this observational trial (HE 10/10) was conducted assessing the long-term survival outcome, safety and toxicity of a currently widely used chemotherapeutic regimen. In addition, the prognostic significance of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and infiltrating CD8+ lymphocytes were also evaluated in the same cohort.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Totally, 1054 patients were prospectively enrolled in the current study with 1024 patients being eligible, while adequate tissue was available for 596 of them. TILs, CD8+ lymphocytes in intratumoral areas in contact with malignant cells (iCD8), CD8+ lymphocytes in tumor stroma (sCD8) as well as the total number of CD8+ lymphocytes within the tumor area (total CD8) were assessed by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

Within a median follow-up of 125.18 months, a total of 200 disease-free survival (DFS) events (19.5%) were reported. Importantly, the 10-year DFS and OS rates were 78.4% (95% CI 75.0-81.5) and 81.7% (95% CI 79.0-84.1), respectively. Interestingly, higher CD8+ T cells as well as TILs in the tumor microenvironment were associated with an improved long-term survival outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, this study confirms the significance of dds adjuvant chemotherapeutic regimen in terms of long-term survival outcome, safety and toxicity as well as the prognostic significance of TILs and infiltrating CD8+ lymphocytes in BC patients with early-stage disease.

Selection of breast cancer subtypes to improve benefits of intensive dose‑dense chemotherapy: A systematic meta‑analysis

Breast cancer (BC) is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer mortality among women worldwide. A large number of patients experience recurrence and BC-associated mortality following adjuvant chemotherapy. The present study aimed to determine the most suitable pathological subtype of BC to benefit from intensive dose-dense (DD) chemotherapy. A total of four electronic databases were searched from inception up to March 10, 2023. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and retrospective studies comparing DD chemotherapy with standard chemotherapy in patients with BC were included. Pairwise random effects and network meta-analyses were performed to summarize efficacy and safety outcomes. A total of 27 original studies including 27,580 patients with BC were included. In terms of efficacy, the present study evaluated overall survival, disease-free survival, event-free survival, recurrence-free survival, pathological complete response and objective remission rate. Significant differences were identified in overall, hormone receptor+ (HR+) and HR- subgroups. Furthermore, from the network analysis, the HR+ and Her2- subgroups had the highest ranking, and these findings suggested that HR+/Her2- patients with BC should adhere to a treatment strategy including intensive DD chemotherapy, which is also characterized by an acceptable safety profile. In conclusion, patients with HR+ and Her2- BC were revealed to be the most suitable pathological type and are most likely to benefit from intense DD chemotherapy. The present study was registered with PROSPERO, CRD2022420351567.

Overall Survival Following Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Versus Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Clinically Node Negative T1 Triple Negative Breast Cancer

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to compare the overall survival (OS) of upfront surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) versus neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) followed by surgery in patients with clinical T1 clinically node negative triple negative breast cancer (TNBC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed 48,329 women with cT1N0 TNBC from 2006 to 2016 in the National Cancer Database (NCDB). Patients were categorized into five pathologic subgroups based on ACT versus NACT and definitive pathologic stage after surgery: ACT with unchanged stage (pT0-1N0), ACT with pathologic upstage (any nodal disease, > pT1N0), NACT with pCR (ypT0-isN0), NACT with stable disease (SD) (ypT1N0), and NACT with progressive disease (PD) (any nodal disease, > ypT1N0). The primary outcome was 5 year OS.

RESULTS

Patients with TNBC who underwent upfront surgery followed by ACT had better OS compared with those who received NACT (p < 0.001). The hazard ratio (HR) for death for NACT compared with ACT was 1.42 (95% CI 1.26-1.59, p < 0.001) on multivariate analysis. Patients who underwent upfront surgery followed by ACT and whose pathological stage was unchanged from clinical stage had similar outcomes compared with those who received NACT and attained pCR with 5 year OS of 92.7% versus 93.3% (p = 0.34). Patients with clinical T1cN0 tumors who underwent NACT with pCR had better outcomes compared with those who underwent ACT with unchanged stages. (p = 0.025).

CONCLUSIONS

For cT1N0 TNBC patients, OS of upfront surgery followed by ACT was not inferior to those who underwent NACT. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy was associated with better outcomes in cT1c patients who attained pCR.

Nab-paclitaxel weekly versus dose-dense solvent-based paclitaxel followed by dose-dense epirubicin plus cyclophosphamide in high-risk HR+/HER2- early breast cancer: results from the neoadjuvant part of the WSG-ADAPT-HR+/HER2- trial

BACKGROUND

In high-risk hormone receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HR+/HER2-) early breast cancer (EBC), nanoparticle albumin-bound (nab)-paclitaxel showed promising efficacy versus solvent-based (sb)-paclitaxel in neoadjuvant trials; however, optimal patient and therapy selection remains a topic of ongoing research. Here, we investigate the potential of Oncotype DX® recurrence score (RS) and endocrine therapy (ET) response (low post-endocrine Ki67) for therapy selection.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Within the WSG-ADAPT trial (NCT01779206), high-risk HR+/HER2- EBC patients were randomized to (neo)adjuvant 4× sb-paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 q2w or 8× nab-paclitaxel 125 mg/m2 q1w, followed by 4× epirubicin + cyclophosphamide (90 mg + 600 mg) q2w; inclusion criteria: (i) cN0-1, RS 12-25, and post-ET Ki67 >10%; (ii) cN0-1 with RS >25. Patients with cN2-3 or (G3, baseline Ki67 ≥40%, and tumor size >1 cm) were allowed to be included without RS and/or ET response testing. Associations of key factors with pathological complete response (pCR) (primary) and survival (secondary) endpoints were analyzed using statistical mediation and moderation models.

RESULTS

Eight hundred and sixty-four patients received neoadjuvant nab-paclitaxel (n= 437) or sb-paclitaxel (n = 427); nab-paclitaxel was superior for pCR (20.8% versus 12.9%, P = 0.002). pCR was higher for RS >25 versus RS ≤25 (16.0% versus 8.4%, P = 0.021) and for ET non-response versus ET response (15.1% versus 6.0%, P = 0.027); no factors were predictive for the relative efficacy of nab-paclitaxel versus sb-paclitaxel. Patients with pCR had longer distant disease-free survival [dDFS; hazard ratio 0.42, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.20-0.91, P = 0.024]. Despite favorable prognostic association of RS >25 versus RS ≤25 with pCR (odds ratio 3.11, 95% CI 1.71-5.63, P ≤ 0.001), higher RS was unfavorably associated with dDFS (hazard ratio 1.03, 95% CI 1.01-1.05, P = 0.010).

CONCLUSIONS

In high-risk HR+/HER2- EBC, neoadjuvant nab-paclitaxel q1w appears superior to sb-paclitaxel q2w regarding pCR. Combining RS and ET response assessment appears to select patients with highest pCR rates. The disadvantage of higher RS for dDFS is reduced in patients with pCR. These are the first results from a large neoadjuvant randomized trial supporting the use of RS to help select patients for neoadjuvant chemotherapy in high-risk HR+/HER2- EBC.

Recent Developments in Combination Chemotherapy for Colorectal and Breast Cancers with Topoisomerase Inhibitors

DNA topoisomerases are important enzymes that stabilize DNA supercoiling and resolve entanglements. There are two main types of topoisomerases in all cells: type I, which causes single-stranded DNA breaks, and type II, which cuts double-stranded DNA. Topoisomerase activity is particularly increased in rapidly dividing cells, such as cancer cells. Topoisomerase inhibitors have been an effective chemotherapeutic option for the treatment of several cancers. In addition, combination cancer therapy with topoisomerase inhibitors may increase therapeutic efficacy and decrease resistance or side effects. Topoisomerase inhibitors are currently being used worldwide, including in the United States, and clinical trials on the combination of topoisomerase inhibitors with other drugs are currently underway. The primary objective of this review was to comprehensively analyze the current clinical landscape concerning the combined application of irinotecan, an extensively investigated type I topoisomerase inhibitor for colorectal cancer, and doxorubicin, an extensively researched type II topoisomerase inhibitor for breast cancer, while presenting a novel approach for cancer therapy.

Anthracycline-containing and taxane-containing chemotherapy for early-stage operable breast cancer: a patient-level meta-analysis of 100 000 women from 86 randomised trials

BACKGROUND

Anthracycline-taxane chemotherapy for early-stage breast cancer substantially improves survival compared with no chemotherapy. However, concerns about short-term and long-term side-effects of anthracyclines have led to increased use of taxane chemotherapy without anthracycline, which could compromise efficacy. We aimed to better characterise the benefits and risks of including anthracycline, and the comparative benefits of different anthracycline-taxane regimens.

METHODS

We did an individual patient-level meta-analysis of randomised trials comparing taxane regimens with versus without anthracycline, and updated our previous meta-analysis of anthracycline regimens with versus without taxane, as well as analysing 44 trials in six related comparisons. We searched databases, including MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and meeting abstracts to identify trials assessing anthracycline and taxane chemotherapy. Adjuvant or neoadjuvant trials were eligible if they began before Jan 1, 2012. Primary outcomes were breast cancer recurrence and cause-specific mortality. Log-rank analyses yielded first-event rate ratios (RRs) and CIs.

FINDINGS

28 trials of taxane regimens with or without anthracycline were identified, of which 23 were deemed eligible, and 15 provided data on 18 103 women. Across all 15 trials that provided individual data, recurrence rates were 14% lower on average (RR 0·86, 95% CI 0·79-0·93; p=0·0004) with taxane regimens including anthracycline than those without. Non-breast cancer deaths were not increased but there was one additional acute myeloid leukaemia case per 700 women treated. The clearest reductions in recurrence were found when anthracycline was added concurrently to docetaxel plus cyclophosphamide versus the same dose of docetaxel plus cyclophosphamide (10-year recurrence risk 12·3% vs 21·0%; risk difference 8·7%, 95% CI 4·5-12·9; RR 0·58, 0·47-0·73; p<0·0001). 10-year breast cancer mortality in this group was reduced by 4·2% (0·4-8·1; p=0·0034). No significant reduction in recurrence risk was found for sequential schedules of taxane plus anthracycline when compared with docetaxel plus cyclophosphamide (RR 0·94, 0·83-1·06; p=0·30). For the analysis of anthracycline regimens with versus without taxane, 35 trials (n=52 976) provided individual patient data. Larger recurrence reductions were seen from adding taxane to anthracycline regimens when the cumulative dose of anthracycline was the same in each group (RR 0·87, 0·82-0·93; p<0·0001; n=11 167) than in trials with two-fold higher cumulative doses of non-taxane (mostly anthracycline) in the control group than in the taxane group (RR 0·96, 0·90-1·03; p=0·27; n=14 620). Direct comparisons between anthracycline and taxane regimens showed that a higher cumulative dose and more dose-intense schedules were more efficacious. The proportional reductions in recurrence for taxane plus anthracycline were similar in oestrogen receptor-positive and oestrogen receptor-negative disease, and did not differ by age, nodal status, or tumour size or grade.

INTERPRETATION

Anthracycline plus taxane regimens are most efficacious at reducing breast cancer recurrence and death. Regimens with higher cumulative doses of anthracycline plus taxane provide the greatest benefits, challenging the current trend in clinical practice and guidelines towards non-anthracycline chemotherapy, particularly shorter regimens, such as four cycles of docetaxel-cyclophosphamide. By bringing together data from almost all relevant trials, this meta-analysis provides a reliable evidence base to inform individual treatment decisions, clinical guidelines, and the design of future clinical trials.

FUNDING

Cancer Research UK, UK Medical Research Council.

Enhancing Targeted Therapy in Breast Cancer by Ultrasound-Responsive Nanocarriers

Currently, the response to cancer treatments is highly variable, and severe side effects and toxicity are experienced by patients receiving high doses of chemotherapy, such as those diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer. The main goal of researchers and clinicians is to develop new effective treatments that will be able to specifically target and kill tumor cells by employing the minimum doses of drugs exerting a therapeutic effect. Despite the development of new formulations that overall can increase the drugs’ pharmacokinetics, and that are specifically designed to bind overexpressed molecules on cancer cells and achieve active targeting of the tumor, the desired clinical outcome has not been reached yet. In this review, we will discuss the current classification and standard of care for breast cancer, the application of nanomedicine, and ultrasound-responsive biocompatible carriers (micro/nanobubbles, liposomes, micelles, polymeric nanoparticles, and nanodroplets/nanoemulsions) employed in preclinical studies to target and enhance the delivery of drugs and genes to breast cancer.

Effect of Epirubicin Plus Paclitaxel vs Epirubicin and Cyclophosphamide Followed by Paclitaxel on Disease-Free Survival Among Patients With Operable ERBB2-Negative and Lymph Node-Positive Breast Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial

IMPORTANCE

Adjuvant therapy is an important and effective treatment for breast cancer. However, there is a lack of head-to-head clinical trials comparing the regimens epirubicin plus paclitaxel (EP) vs epirubicin and cyclophosphamide followed by paclitaxel (EC-P) in breast cancer.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the noninferiority of a cyclophosphamide-free (EP) regimen compared with the standard EC-P regimen for patients with operable hormone receptor-positive, ERBB2 (formerly HER2)-negative, lymph node-positive breast cancer.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This prospective, open-label, phase 3, noninferiority randomized clinical trial was conducted from June 1, 2010, to June 30, 2016, in the Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing. Patients with hormone receptor-positive, ERBB2-negative, lymph node-positive operable breast cancer were included and randomized into 2 treatment groups. Data were analyzed from June 30, 2016, to November 1, 2022.

INTERVENTIONS

Patients received adjuvant epirubicin (75 mg/m2) and paclitaxel (175 mg/m2) every 3 weeks for 6 cycles (EP regimen) or epirubicin (90 mg/m2) and cyclophosphamide (600 mg/m2) every 3 weeks for 4 cycles followed by paclitaxel (175 mg/m2) every 3 weeks for 4 cycles (EC-P regimen) as the intention-to-treat (ITT) population.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The primary outcome was disease-free survival (DFS), and the secondary outcomes included overall survival (OS), distant DFS, and safety.

RESULTS

A total of 900 patients were registered, and 813 eligible patients (median age, 48 [IQR, 41-56] years) were randomly assigned to the EP group (n = 407) or the EC-P group (n = 406) after the surgical procedure. Through a median follow-up of 93.6 (IQR, 60.9-114.1) months, the hazard ratio (HR) of DFS for EP vs EC-P was 0.82 (95% CI, 0.62-1.10; 5-year DFS, 86.0% vs 80.6%; noninferior P = .001). The 5-year OS for the ITT population treated with the EP or the EC-P regimen was 94.7% vs 95.0%, respectively (HR, 0.95 [95% CI, 0.61-1.49]). Patients in the EP group had more frequent toxic effect events than those in the EC-P group.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

In this prospective, open-label, phase 3, randomized clinical trial, the EP regimen was noninferior to the EC-P regimen. These findings supported that the EP regimen could be an effective adjuvant chemotherapy regimen for women with ERBB2-negative breast cancer.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01134523.

A systemic review of taxanes and their side effects in metastatic breast cancer

Taxanes-containing chemotherapy constitutes an essential backbone for both early and metastatic breast cancer (mBC). However, the two major taxane drugs—paclitaxel and docetaxel—have distinct safety profiles. In this review, we summarize the safety outcome and management following treatment with both taxanes from selected clinical trials. We utilized PubMed to perform literature search before April 2021. Five phase III randomized controlled trials with reports of individual taxane adverse events (AEs) were included in this review. Grade 3/4 AEs were summarized and discussed extensively. The rates of grade 3/4 neutropenia were higher with docetaxel than with paclitaxel. For non-hematologic grade 3/4 AEs, peripheral neuropathy was more frequent with paclitaxel while fluid retention was more frequent with docetaxel. Compared to paclitaxel, docetaxel had a higher rate of grade 3/4 gastrointestinal AEs. Grade 3/4 myalgia were generally comparable between the two taxanes. Except for neutropenia, the incidence rate of grade 3/4 AEs of taxanes was generally manageable. Peripheral neuropathy was more common with paclitaxel while grade 3/4 neutropenia was more common with docetaxel.

Systemic Treatment of Breast Cancer. 1st Central-Eastern European Professional Consensus Statement on Breast Cancer

This text is based on the recommendations accepted by the 4th Hungarian Consensus Conference on Breast Cancer, modified based on the international consultation and conference within the frames of the Central-Eastern European Academy of Oncology. The professional guideline primarily reflects the resolutions and recommendations of the current ESMO, NCCN and ABC5, as well as that of the St. Gallen Consensus Conference statements. The recommendations cover classical prognostic factors and certain multigene tests, which play an important role in therapeutic decision-making. From a didactic point of view, the text first addresses early and then locally advanced breast cancer, followed by locoregionally recurrent and metastatic breast cancer. Within these, we discuss each group according to the available therapeutic options. At the end of the recommendations, we summarize the criteria for treatment in certain rare clinical situations.

Dose-dense sequential adjuvant chemotherapy in the trastuzumab era: final long-term results of the Hellenic Cooperative Oncology Group Phase III HE10/05 Trial

BACKGROUND

Dose-dense sequential chemotherapy with anthracyclines and taxanes achieved an 18% reduction of recurrence risk in early breast cancer (BC). The optimal chemotherapy schedule and interval between cycles remain under investigation.

METHODS

Overall, 990 patients were randomised to receive either three cycles of epirubicin (E, 110 mg/m²) every 2 weeks followed by 3 cycles of paclitaxel (T, 200 mg/m²) every 2 weeks followed by three cycles of intensified CMF (Control Arm A, E-T-CMF) that was previously used in BC or three cycles of epirubicin followed by three cycles of CMF followed by nine consecutive weekly cycles of docetaxel (wD) 35 mg/m² (Arm B, E-CMF-wD) or nine consecutive weekly cycles of paclitaxel (wT) 80 mg/m² (Arm C, E-CMF-wT). Trastuzumab was administered for HER2-positive disease.

RESULTS

At a median follow-up of 13.3 years, 330 disease-free survival (DFS) events (33.3%) were reported. DFS and overall survival (OS) did not differ between patients in the combined B and C arms versus arm A either in the entire cohort (HR = 0.90, P = 0.38 and HR = 0.85, P = 0.20) or among trastuzumab-treated patients (HR = 0.69, P = 0.13 and HR = 0.67, P = 0.13). Thirty-four patients (3.4%) developed secondary neoplasms.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, no significant differences in survival were found amongst the studied regimens after a long-term observational period.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12610000151033.

The impact of anthracyclines in intermediate and high-risk HER2-negative early breast cancer-a pooled analysis of the randomised clinical trials PlanB and SUCCESS C

Background

Anthracycline/cyclophosphamide-taxane-containing chemotherapy (AC-T) is the standard of care in the adjuvant treatment of HER2-negative early breast cancer (EBC), but recent studies suggest omission of anthracyclines for reduced toxicity without compromising efficacy.

Methods

Based on individual patient data (n = 5924) pooled from the randomised Phase III trials PlanB and SUCCESS C, we compared disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) between intermediate to high-risk HER2-negative EBC-patients treated with either six cycles of docetaxel/cyclophosphamide (TC6) or an AC-T regime using univariable and adjusted multivariable Cox regression models.

Results

AC-T conferred no significant DFS or OS advantage in univariable (DFS: hazard ratio (HR) for TC vs. AT 1.05, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.89–1.24, P = 0.57; OS: HR 1.00, 95% CI: 0.80–1.26, P = 1.00) and adjusted multivariable analysis (DFS: HR 1.01, 95% CI: 0.86–1.19, P = 0.91; OS: HR 0.97, 95% CI: 0.77–1.22, P = 0.79). Patients receiving TC6 had significantly fewer grade 3–4 adverse events. Exploratory subgroup analysis showed that AC-T was associated with significantly better DFS and OS in pN2/3 patients, specifically in those with lobular histology.

Conclusion

For most patients with HER2-negative EBC, AC-T is not associated with a survival benefit compared to TC6. However, patients with lobular pN2/pN3 tumours seem to benefit from anthracycline-containing chemotherapy.

Preventing taxane-related peripheral neuropathy, pain and nail toxicity: a prospective self-controlled trial comparing hilotherapy with frozen gloves in early breast cancer

PURPOSE

The prevention of taxane-related toxicities at the extremities is highly important for patients' treatment and quality-of-life. Several studies endorse hand/foot-cooling using frozen gloves as a prophylactic intervention. Unlike frozen gloves, hilotherapy produces cooling at a constant temperature. Comparative data with frozen gloves are unavailable.

METHODS

This prospective self-controlled study explores the efficacy of hilotherapy at the right hand and foot compared to frozen gloves at the left in patients with early breast cancer treated with weekly paclitaxel 80 mg/m² or three-weekly docetaxel 75 mg/m². Patient-reported outcomes were collected at baseline, 6, 12, 18 and 24 weeks after the start of treatment. Primary and secondary endpoints were the incidence of any-grade and ≥ grade 2 side-effects (peripheral neuropathy, pain and nail toxicities), and perceived comfort of both interventions.

RESULTS

Sixty-two patients participated. The incidence of any-grade side-effects was similar on both sides, 85.5% with hilotherapy and 90.3% with frozen gloves (p = 1.000). The incidence of ≥ grade 2 side-effects at the extremities was significantly lower with hilotherapy: 43.6% compared to 61.3% with frozen gloves (p = 0.013). Perceived comfort was significantly better for hilotherapy than for frozen gloves (p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

Compared to frozen gloves, continuous cooling of hands and feet using hilotherapy produces better prevention of ≥ grade 2 patient-reported side-effects at the extremities (peripheral neuropathy, pain and nail toxicities). Perceived comfort was significantly better for hilotherapy. From a clinical and patient perspective, hilotherapy is a better alternative for preventing clinically significant taxane-related side-effects.

Phase III randomised trial comparing intense dose-dense chemotherapy to tailored dose-dense chemotherapy in high-risk early breast cancer (GAIN-2)

BACKGROUND

The GAIN-2 trial was designed to identify a superior intense dose-dense (idd) strategy for high-risk patients with early breast cancer. Here, we report an interim analysis, at which the predefined futility boundary was crossed.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

GAIN-2 was an open-label, randomised, multicentre phase III trial. Two thousand eight hundred and eighty seven patients were randomised 1:1 between three courses each of idd epirubicin (E) 150 mg/m², nab-paclitaxel (nP) 330 mg/m² and cyclophosphamide (C) 2000 mg/m² (iddEnPC) versus four cycles of leucocyte nadir-based tailored and dose-dense EC (dtEC) followed by four cycles of tailored and dose-dense docetaxel (dtD) (dtEC-dtD).

RESULTS

The duration of median follow-up was 45.8 (range 0.0-88.3) months. Trial objectives included invasive disease-free survival (iDFS) as the primary end-point. A total of 593 patients received the treatment as neoadjuvant chemotherapy. At the time of futility interim analysis, 414 events for iDFS were reported. Overall, there was no difference in iDFS between iddEnPC and dtEC-dtD with 4-year iDFS rates of 84.3% (95% confidence interval (CI) 82.0-86.4%). Among all predefined subgroups, hormone receptor-positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HR+/HER2-), lobular cancer and ≤50 years subgroups predicted for better iDFS in the dtEC-dtD arm. Overall, 88.1% of patients completed all treatment in both arms. Haematological toxicity grade 3/4 and grade 3/4 non-haematological adverse events were significantly higher with iddEnPC (iddEnPC 50.8% vs dtEC-dtD 45.1%, P = 0.002), especially arthralgia and peripheral sensory neuropathy. Two treatment-related deaths occurred during dtEC-dtD, corresponding to a low mortality rate of 0.07%.

CONCLUSIONS

iDFS is equal in both regimens, but tailoring dose-dense chemotherapy improved outcomes in HR+/HER2-, lobular cancer and patients ≤50 years.

Potentially Overestimated Efficacy of Nanoparticle Albumin-bound Paclitaxel compared with Solvent-based Paclitaxel in Breast Cancer: A Systemic Review and Meta-analysis

Background: Nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-PTX) has exhibited clinical efficacy in breast cancer treatment, but toxicities can be yielded more at the same time. We did this meta-analysis aiming to unambiguously compare nab-PTX with conventional solvent-based paclitaxel (sb-PTX) in breast cancer patients of all stages.

Method: Pubmed, Embase and Cochrane Library were searched for head-to-head randomized controlled trials of nab-PTX and sb-PTX in breast cancer. Risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence interval was used for dichotomous variables while Hazard ratio (HR) was used for time-to-event outcomes.

Results: Our review finally included 9 studies with 3508 patients. Nab-PTX showed a benefit on objective response rate (ORR) (RR=1.22 [1.04-1.43], P=0.01) as well as non-inferiority compared with sb-PTX in disease control rate (DCR) (RR=1.01 [0.98-1.04], P=0.44), overall survival (OS) (HR=0.99 [0.93-1.05], P=0.81) and disease free survival/progression free survival (DFS/PFS) (HR=0.92 [0.81-1.05], P=0.21). However, when it comes to toxicities (fatigue, nausea or vomiting, peripheral sensory neuropathy and adverse event related discontinuation), results favored sb-PTX (RR=2.89 [1.07-7.8], 3.15 [1.78-5.59], 2.11 [1.32-3.37], 2.02 [1.61-2.53]; P<0.05). Patients with metastatic tumors or undergoing conventional schedule responses better to nab-PTX than the compared groups (RR of ORR in metastatic vs early or locally advanced patients: 1.46 [1.09-1.96] vs 1.01 [0.94-1.08]; conventional vs dose dense group: 1.59 [1.23-2.06] vs 1.01 [0.91-1.12]).

Conclusions: Nab-PTX can improve ORR compared with paclitaxel and should be given priority to when aiming to reduce tumor load in breast cancer. Sb-PTX of dose dense schedule is recommended when toxicity of nab-PTX is hard to bear for breast cancer patients.

Microfluidic-assisted fabrication of phosphatidylcholine-based liposomes for controlled drug delivery of chemotherapeutics

Microfluidic enables precise control over the continuous mixing of fluid phases at the micrometre scale, aiming to optimize the processing parameters and to facilitate scale-up feasibility. The optimization of parameters to obtain monodispersed drug-loaded liposomes however is challenging. In this work, two phosphatidylcholines (PC) differing in acyl chain length were selected, and used to control the release of the chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin hydrochloride, an effective drug used to treat breast cancer. Microfluidics was used to rapidly screen manufacturing parameters and PC formulations to obtain monodispersed unilamellar liposomal formulations with a reproducible size (i.e. < 200 nm). Cholesterol was included in all liposomal formulations; some formulations also contained DMPC(1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) and/or DSPC(1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine). Systematic variations in microfluidics total flow rate (TFR) settings were performed, while keeping a constant flow rate ratio (FRR). A total of six PC-based liposomes were fabricated using the optimal manufacturing parameters (TFR 500 μL/min, FRR 0.1) for the production of reproducible, stable liposome formulations with a narrow size distribution. Liposomes actively encapsulating doxorubicin exhibited high encapsulation efficiencies (>80%) for most of the six formulations, and sustained drug release profiles in vitro over 48 h. Drug release profiles varied as a function of the DMPC/DSPC mol content in the lipid bilayer, with DMPC-based liposomes exhibiting a sustained release of doxorubicin when compared to DSPC liposomes. The PC-based liposomes, with a slower release of doxorubicin, were tested in vitro, as to investigate their cytotoxic activity against three human breast cancer cell lines: the non-metastatic ER+/PR + MCF7 cells, the triple-negative aggressive MDA-MB 231 cells, and the metastatic HER2-overexpressing/PR + BT474 cells. Similar cytotoxicity levels to that of free doxorubicin were reported for DMPC₅ and DMPC₃ binary liposomes (IC₅₀ ~ 1 μM), whereas liposomes composed of a single PC were less cytotoxic (IC₅₀ ~ 3-4 μM). These results highlight that microfluidics is suitable for the manufacture of monodispersed and size-specific PC-based liposomes in a controlled single-step; furthermore, selected PC-based liposome represent promising nanomedicines for the prolonged release of chemotherapeutics, with the aim of improving outcomes for patients.

Updated Standardized Definitions for Efficacy End Points (STEEP) in Adjuvant Breast Cancer Clinical Trials: STEEP Version 2.0

PURPOSE

The Standardized Definitions for Efficacy End Points (STEEP) criteria, established in 2007, provide standardized definitions of adjuvant breast cancer clinical trial end points. Given the evolution of breast cancer clinical trials and improvements in outcomes, a panel of experts reviewed the STEEP criteria to determine whether modifications are needed.

METHODS

We conducted systematic searches of ClinicalTrials.gov for adjuvant systemic and local-regional therapy trials for breast cancer to investigate if the primary end points reported met STEEP criteria. On the basis of common STEEP deviations, we performed a series of simulations to evaluate the effect of excluding non-breast cancer deaths and new nonbreast primary cancers from the invasive disease-free survival end point.

RESULTS

Among 11 phase III breast cancer trials with primary efficacy end points, three had primary end points that followed STEEP criteria, four used STEEP definitions but not the corresponding end point names, and four used end points that were not included in the original STEEP manuscript. Simulation modeling demonstrated that inclusion of second nonbreast primary cancer can increase the probability of incorrect inferences, can decrease power to detect clinically relevant efficacy effects, and may mask differences in recurrence rates, especially when recurrence rates are low.

CONCLUSION

We recommend an additional end point, invasive breast cancer-free survival, which includes all invasive disease-free survival events except second nonbreast primary cancers. This end point should be considered for trials in which the toxicities of agents are well-known and where the risk of second primary cancer is small. Additionally, we provide end point recommendations for local therapy trials, low-risk populations, noninferiority trials, and trials incorporating patient-reported outcomes.

Breast Cancer Therapeutics and Biomarkers: Past, Present, and Future Approaches

Breast cancer (BC) is the leading cause of cancer death in women and the second-most common cancer. An estimated 281 550 new cases of invasive BC will be diagnosed in women in the United States, and about 43 600 will die during 2021. Continual research has shed light on all disease areas, including tumor classification and biomarkers for diagnosis/prognosis. As research investigations evolve, new classes of drugs are emerging with potential benefits in BC treatment that are covered in this manuscript. The initial sections present updated classification and terminology used for diagnosis and prognosis, which leads to the following topics, discussing the past and present treatments available for BC. Our review will generate interest in exploring the complexity of the cell cycle and its association with cancer biology as part of the plethora of target factors toward developing newer drugs and effective therapeutic management of BC.

Protroca: A Noninterventional Study on Prophylactic Lipegfilgrastim against Chemotherapy-Induced Neutropenia in Nonselected Breast Cancer Patients

Background

Protroca evaluated the efficacy and safety of primary and secondary prophylaxis of neutropenia with lipegfilgrastim (Lonquex®) in breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy (CT).

Patients and Methods

Of the 255 patients enrolled, 248 patients were evaluable for the intent-to-treat (ITT) and 194 patients for the per-protocol set. Primary and secondary end points after lipegfilgrastim treatment were assessed.

Results

Nine patients of the ITT set receiving lipegfilgrastim as primary prophylaxis (n = 222) had febrile neutropenia of grade 3-4 (5 patients) or infection of grade 3-4 (4 patients); 1/26 of those receiving secondary prophylaxis had an event. Dose reductions were performed in 9.5% of the patients. Postponement of cancer CT cycles for >3 days occurred in <15% of patients; 10.8% (92/851 AEs) and 8% (2/25 SAEs) of documented adverse events and serious adverse events, respectively, were related to lipegfilgrastim.

Conclusions

Application of lipegfilgrastim was effective as primary and secondary prophylaxis in the prevention of CT-induced neutropenia in breast cancer.

Molecular Subtype May Be More Associated With Prognosis and Chemotherapy Benefit Than Tumor Size in T1N0 Breast Cancer Patients: An Analysis of 2,168 Patients for Possible De-Escalation Treatment

Purpose

Breast cancer (BC) patients with T1N0 tumors have relatively favorable clinical outcomes. However, it remains unclear whether molecular subtypes can aide in prognostic prediction for such small, nodal-negative BC cases and guide decision-making about escalating or de-escalating treatments.

Patients and Methods

T1N0 BC patients diagnosed between 2009 and 2017 were included and classified into three subgroups according to receptor status: 1) hormonal receptor (HR)+/human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2)−; 2) HER2+; and 3) triple negative (TN) (HR−/HER2−). Patients’ characteristics and relapse events were reviewed. Kaplan–Meier analysis and Cox regression were used to assess the iDFS and BCSS. The effects of risk factors and adjuvant treatment benefits were evaluated by calculating hazard ratios (HRs) for invasive disease-free survival (iDFS) and breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) with Cox proportional hazards models.

Results

In total, 2,168 patients (1,435 HR+/HER2−, 427 HER2+, 306 TN) were enrolled. The 5-year iDFS rates were 93.6, 92.7, and 90.6% for HR+/HER2−, HER2+, and TN patients, respectively (P = 0.039). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that molecular subtype (P = 0.043), but not tumor size (P = 0.805), was independently associated with iDFS in T1N0 BC. TN patients [HRs = 1.77, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.11–2.84, P = 0.018] had a higher recurrence risk than HR+/HER2− patients. Adjuvant chemotherapy benefit was not demonstrated in all T1N0 patients but interacted with molecular subtype status. TN (adjusted HRs = 2.31, 95% CI = 0.68–7.54) and HER2+ (adjusted HRs = 2.26, 95% CI = 0.95–5.63) patients receiving chemotherapy had superior iDFS rates. Regarding BCSS, molecular subtype tended to be related to outcome (P = 0.053) and associated with chemotherapy benefit (P = 0.005).

Conclusion

Molecular subtype was more associated with disease outcome and chemotherapy benefit than tumor size in T1N0 BC patients, indicating that it may guide possible clinical de-escalating therapy in T1N0 BC.

Sequential vs concurrent adjuvant chemotherapy of anthracycline and taxane for operable breast cancer

Background

Whether a sequential or concurrent regimen of anthracyclines and taxanes is superior for breast cancer is controversial. We compared the efficacy of two regimens in patients with operable breast cancer based on all relevant published data of phase III randomized controlled trials.

Methods

A comprehensive literature search on PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases was performed up to May 2020. Meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the different efficacy on disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) for the two chemotherapy regimens. Subgroup analyses were further carried out in terms of node status and anthracycline selection.

Results

Compared to the concurrent regimen, the sequential regimen did not improve the DFS or OS in the population studied. Subgroup analysis showed that in node-positive patients, the sequential regimen had better DFS, but not OS, than the concurrent regimen. In sequential regimen, patients who received doxorubicin and taxanes had improved DFS and OS than patients who were administered epirubicin and taxanes. Furthermore, for patients who received doxorubicin and taxanes, compared to the sequential regimen, fewer cycles (4 cycles) of concurrent treatment resulted in a worse DFS and OS, which can be rescued by more cycles (6 cycles).

Conclusions

The sequential regimen of anthracyclines and taxanes for patients with operable breast cancer did not yield a significant benefit in DFS or OS over the concurrent regimen. The sequential regimen, however, provided a better DFS than concurrent regimen for node-positive patients. Interestingly, further subgroup analysis showed that for node-positive patients who were given doxorubicin and taxanes, more cycles (6 cycles) of the concurrent regimen may rescue the efficacy for fewer cycles (4 cycles).

Effects of adjuvant chemotherapy on recurrence rate in T1abN0M0 triple-negative breast cancer: A meta-analysis

PURPOSE

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is known for its higher recurrence rate in short-term (3-5 years) follow-up and limited systemic therapeutic methods (chemotherapy). Current literature debates over whether chemotherapy should be given to TNBC with a very early disease stage (T1a/bN0). This meta-analysis aimed to compare short-term recurrence rate between patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy or not for this population.

METHODS

We performed a comprehensive search in databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane library from January 2008 to December 2019. Raw data on local or distance recurrence events was extracted, odds ratio (OR) values, 95% confidence interval (CI) values, and P values were then calculated.

RESULTS

9 studies out of 426 were included in the meta-analysis. Our main results showed that breast cancer recurrence rate in T1a/bN0 TNBC patients receiving chemotherapy was significantly lower than those without chemotherapy (OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.37-0.78, P = 0.001). Similar results were detected in the T1b group (OR 0.45, 95% CI 0.26-0.78). The main result remained stable after sensitivity analysis. No significant publication bias was found.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results revealed that adjuvant chemotherapy reduced recurrence rate for T1mi/a/bN0 TNBC, especially for T1bN0. The benefit of chemotherapy for T1mi/aN0 disease is still debated.

Gemcitabine as adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with high-risk early breast cancer-results from the randomized phase III SUCCESS-A trial

Background

When chemotherapy is indicated in patients with early breast cancer, regimens that contain anthracyclines and taxanes are established standard treatments. Gemcitabine has shown promising effects on the response and prognosis in patients with metastatic breast cancer. The SUCCESS-A trial (NCT02181101) examined the addition of gemcitabine to a standard chemotherapy regimen in high-risk early breast cancer patients.

Methods

A total of 3754 patients with at least one of the following characteristics were randomly assigned to one of the two treatment arms: nodal positivity, tumor grade 3, age ≤ 35 years, tumor larger than 2 cm, or negative hormone receptor status. The treatment arms received either three cycles of 5-fluorouracil, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide, followed by three cycles of docetaxel (FEC → Doc); or three cycles of FEC followed by three cycles of docetaxel and gemcitabine (FEC → Doc/Gem). The primary study aim was disease-free survival (DFS), and the main secondary objectives were overall survival (OS) and safety.

Results

No differences were observed in the 5-year DFS or OS between FEC → Doc and FEC → Doc/Gem. The hazard ratio was 0.93 (95% CI, 0.78 to 1.12; P = 0.47) for DFS and 0.94 (95% CI, 0.74 to 1.19; P = 0.60) for OS. For patients treated with FEC → Doc and FEC → Doc/Gem, the 5-year probabilities of DFS were 86.6% and 87.2%, and the 5-year probabilities of OS were 92.8% and 92.5%, respectively.

Conclusion

Adding gemcitabine to a standard chemotherapy does not improve the outcomes in patients with high-risk early breast cancer and should therefore not be included in the adjuvant treatment setting.

Trial registration

Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02181101 and EU Clinical Trials Register EudraCT 2005-000490-21. Registered September 2005.

Comparative Effectiveness of Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Early-Stage Breast Cancer: A Network Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

There are several regimens recommended by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) for HER2-negative operable breast cancer. To our knowledge, no trials have yet been performed comparing these regimens head to head. We performed a network meta-analysis comparing the efficacy of NCCN-recommended chemotherapy regimens.

METHODS

We searched Medline, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and World Health Organization (WHO) International Clinical Trials Registry Platform from inception to February 2020. We included randomized clinical trials comparing adjuvant regimens in predominantly node-positive operable breast cancer patients. We compared (1) DDACT, (2) TCx4 cycles, (3) TAC, and (4) ACWKT. Common comparators were (5) AC, (6) ACT, and (7) ACD. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. The Cochrane risk of bias tool assessed quality of the studies. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated as measures of treatment effects with AC as reference. We used Bayesian hierarchical random-effects models with noninformative priors for mixed multiple treatment comparisons. Effectiveness was estimated by disease-free and overall survival using ORs. Sensitivity analyses were performed. Safety outcomes included febrile neutropenia.

RESULTS

We identified 7 randomized controlled trials with 16,332 patients. TC (odds ratio [95% confidence interval], 0.71 [0.36-1.40]), TAC (0.77 [0.37-1.57]), ACWKT (0.68 [0.34-1.38]), and DDACT (0.72 [0.35-1.42]) were similar for overall survival. TC (0.64 [0.36-1.14]), TAC (0.67 [0.39-1.15]), ACWKT (0.63 [0.37-1.07]), and DDACT (0.59 [0.35-1.01]) had similar disease-free survival benefit. With regard to toxicity, TAC (2.67 [0.30-21.04]) had the highest odds of febrile neutropenia.

CONCLUSION

The current generation of regimens are similar in efficacy. Given the lower toxicity of TCx4 comparatively, it is an acceptable alternative for lower-risk early-stage HER2-negative breast cancers.

Application of the ESMO-Magnitude of Clinical Benefit Scale (V.1.1) to the field of early breast cancer therapies

Click here to listen to the Podcast BACKGROUND: The European Society for Medical Oncology-Magnitude of Clinical Benefit Scale (ESMO-MCBS) is a validated value scale for solid tumour anticancer treatments. Form 1 of the ESMO-MCBS, used to grade therapies with curative intent including adjuvant therapies, has only been evaluated for a limited number of studies. This is the first large-scale field testing in early breast cancer to assess the applicability of the scale to this data set and the reasonableness of derived scores and to identify any shortcomings to be addressed in future modifications of the scale.

METHOD

Representative key studies and meta-analyses of the major modalities of adjuvant systemic therapy of breast cancer were identified for each of the major clinical scenarios (HER2-positive, HER2-negative, endocrine-responsive) and were graded with form 1 of the ESMO-MCBS. These generated scores were reviewed by a panel of experts for reasonableness. Shortcomings and issues related to the application of the scale and interpretation of results were identified and critically evaluated.

RESULTS

Sixty-five studies were eligible for evaluation: 59 individual studies and 6 meta-analyses. These studies incorporated 101 therapeutic comparisons, 61 of which were scorable. Review of the generated scores indicated that, with few exceptions, they generally reflected contemporary standards of practice. Six shortcomings were identified related to grading based on disease-free survival (DFS), lack of information regarding acute and long-term toxicity and an inability to grade single-arm de-escalation scales.

CONCLUSIONS

Form 1 of the ESMO-MCBS is a robust tool for the evaluation of the magnitude of benefit studies in early breast cancer. The scale can be further improved by addressing issues related to grading based on DFS, annotating grades with information regarding acute and long-term toxicity and developing an approach to grade single-arm de-escalation studies.

Relationship between chemotherapy-induced adverse reactions and health-related quality of life in patients with breast cancer

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Chemotherapy does not only affect cancer cells; it also affects, to a greater or lesser degree, all other cells in the body. This toxicity should be assessed according to its severity, frequency, and duration, taking into account objective and subjective dimensions in its assessment. This assessment is a highly relevant aspect when providing care to chemotherapy patients, mainly due to the impact of the treatment on the patient's quality of life, as well as the vital risk it may imply under certain circumstances. For all this, the objective of this study was to assess the relationship between chemotherapy-associated adverse reactions and health-related quality of life in breast cancer patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

With this purpose, a descriptive cross-sectional study was developed on 110 breast cancer patients who were treated with docetaxel, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide.

RESULTS

It is worth highlighting the negative effect of nausea, dysgeusia, peripheral neuropathy, loss of appetite, myalgia, and peripheral edema on the quality of life. Likewise, it is worth mentioning peripheral neuropathy as the toxicity that affects a greater number of quality-of-life indicators.

CONCLUSIONS

To sum up, it would be necessary to make health professionals aware of the importance of chemotherapy-associated adverse reactions.

Effect of dose-dense adjuvant chemotherapy in hormone receptor positive/HER2-negative early breast cancer patients according to immunohistochemically defined luminal subtype: an exploratory analysis of the GIM2 trial

BACKGROUND

Luminal A-like and luminal B-like subtypes have different sensitivity to (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy, but their role in predicting dose-dense (DD) efficacy in the high-risk setting is unknown. In this exploratory analysis of the Gruppo Italiano Mammella 2 (GIM2) trial, we investigated DD efficacy according to luminal-like subtypes.

METHODS

Patients with node-positive early breast cancer were randomised to receive either DD or standard-interval (SI) anthracycline-based chemotherapy followed by paclitaxel. In our analysis, luminal A-like cohort was identified as having a Ki67 < 20% and a progesterone receptor (PgR) ≥ 20%; luminal B-like cohort as having a Ki67 ≥ 20% and/or a PgR < 20%.

RESULTS

Out of 2003 patients enrolled in the GIM2 trial, 412 had luminal A-like and 638 luminal B-like breast cancer. After a median follow-up of 7.9 years, disease-free survival (DFS) was 80.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 76.4-84.5) and 70.5% (66.5-74.2) in luminal A-like and luminal B-like cohorts; overall survival (OS) was 91.6% (88.2-94.1) and 85.1% (81.7-87.9), respectively. We found no significant interaction between treatment and luminal subtype (interaction p = 0.603 and 0.535 for DFS and OS, respectively). When DD efficacy was investigated separately in each cohort, luminal-B like cohort appeared to benefit more from the DD schedule both in terms of DFS (unadjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.72 [95% CI 0.54-0.96]) and OS (unadjusted HR 0.61 [95% CI 0.40-0.94]), compared with the luminal A-like cohort (unadjusted HR for DFS 0.89 [95% CI 0.59-1.33]; unadjusted HR for OS 0.83 [95% CI 0.45-1.54]).

CONCLUSIONS

No significant interaction between luminal-like subtype and treatment was observed. Patients in the luminal B-like cohort seemed to benefit more from DD schedule.

An Exploratory Randomized Trial of Physical Therapy for the Treatment of Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy

Background. Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common side effect of taxane treatment and cannot currently be prevented or adequately treated. Physical therapy is often used for neural rehabilitation following injury but has not been evaluated in this patient population. Methods. Single-blind, randomized controlled exploratory study compared standard care to a physical therapy home program (4 visits) throughout adjuvant taxane chemotherapy for stage I-III patients with breast cancer (n = 48). Patient questionnaires and quantitative sensory testing evaluated the treatment effect throughout chemotherapy to 6 months post treatment. Nonrandomized subgroup analysis observed effect of general exercise on sensory preservation comparing those reporting moderate exercise throughout chemotherapy to those that did not exercise regularly. Clinical Trial Registration. clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02239601). Results. The treatment group showed strong trends toward less pain (odds ratio [OR] 0.41, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.17-1.01; P = .053) and pain decreased over time (OR 0.85, 95% CI 0.76-0.94; P = .002). Pain pressure thresholds (P = .034) and grip dynamometry (P < .001) were improved in the treatment group. For the nonrandomized subgroup analysis, participants reporting general exercise had preservation of vibration (Left P = .001, Right P = .001) and normal heat pain thresholds (Left P = .021, Right P = .039) compared with more sedentary participants. Conclusion. Physical therapy home program may improve CIPN pain in the upper extremity for patients with breast cancer, and general exercise throughout chemotherapy treatment was observed to have correlated to preservation of sensory function. Further research is required to confirm the impact of a physical therapy home program on CIPN symptoms.

Influence of the Sense of Coherence, the Doctor-Patient Relationship, Optimism and Non-Haematological Adverse Reactions on Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumour in women around the world. The objective of this study was to quantify the number of non-haematological adverse reactions associated with chemotherapy, as well as to assess the effect of the sense of coherence, optimism-pessimism and the quality of the doctor-patient relationship on the quality of life of breast cancer patients. To this end, a cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted involving 110 breast cancer patients who were treated with docetaxel, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide during the period 2012-2014. The difference in the quality of life in patients who have five or fewer toxicities compared to those with more than six is highlighted. This difference is not as important when comparing patients with 6 to 10 toxicities and those with more than 10. The multivariate model used in this study corroborates the direct implication of the sense of coherence on the quality of life and adds the number of adverse reactions as a new construct. This has virtually the same impact on the quality of life of these patients, but in reverse. In conclusion, to improve the quality of life of breast cancer patients it would be necessary to have an impact on the number of adverse reactions involved in chemotherapeutic treatment, as well as on psychological interventions, with the sense of coherence as a possible starting point.

Pneumocystis jirovecii in a patient on dose-dense chemotherapy for early breast cancer

A 70-year-old woman underwent adjuvant chemotherapy with dose-dense doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide for early breast cancer. After her fourth cycle of chemotherapy, she developed severe fatigue and cough with rapid-onset hypoxic respiratory failure. Investigations demonstrated extensive bilateral consolidation with positive bronchial washings for Pneumocystis jirovecii by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Despite high-dose trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, she progressed to multi-organ failure and succumbed. Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) has traditionally rarely occurred in women on adjuvant breast cancer chemotherapy but may pose a more serious risk in dose-dense regimes due to higher concurrent exposure to anti-emetic corticosteroids. Clinicians are alerted to the need for vigilance of this rare complication and for rationalization of dexamethasone dosage to mitigate this risk, particularly in the era of modern triple-agent anti-emetic regimens.

Does chemotherapy improve survival in patients with nodal positive luminal A breast cancer? A retrospective Multicenter Study

Background

In this study based on the BRENDA data, we investigated the impact of endocrine ± chemotherapy for luminal A, nodal positive breast cancer on recurrence free (RFS) and overall survival (OS). In addition, we analysed if tumor size of luminal A breast cancer influences survival in patients with the same number of positive lymph nodes.

Methods

In this retrospective multi-centre cohort study data of 1376 nodal-positive patients with primary diagnosis of luminal A breast cancer during 2001–2008 were analysed. The results were stratified by therapy and adjusted by age, tumor size and number of affected lymph nodes.

Results

In our study population, patients had a good to excellent prognosis (5-year RFS: 91% and tumorspecific 5-year OS 96.5%). There was no significant difference in RFS stratified by patients with only endocrine therapy and with endocrine plus chemo-therapy. Patients with 1–3 affected lymph nodes had no significant differences in OS treated only with endocrine therapy or with endocrine plus chemotherapy, independent of tumor size. Patients with large tumors and more than 3 affected lymph nodes had a significant worse survival as compared to the small tumors. However, despite the worse prognosis of those, adjuvant chemotherapy failed in order to improve RFS.

Conclusions

According to our data, nodal positive patients with luminal A breast cancer have, if any, a limited benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy. Tumor size and nodal status seem to be of prognostic value in terms of survival, however both tumor size as well as nodal status were not predictive for a benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy.

Examining the cost-effectiveness of baseline left ventricular function assessment among breast cancer patients undergoing anthracycline-based therapy

BACKGROUND

There is a lack of consensus to guide which breast cancer patients require left ventricular function assessment (LVEF) prior to anthracycline therapy; the cost-effectiveness of screening this patient population has not been previously evaluated.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective analysis of the Yale Nuclear Cardiology Database, including 702 patients with baseline equilibrium radionuclide angiography (ERNA) scan prior to anthracycline and/or trastuzumab therapy. We sought to examine associations between abnormal baseline LVEF and potential cardiac risk factors. Additionally, we designed a Markov model to determine the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of ERNA screening for women aged 55 with stage I-III breast cancer from a payer perspective over a lifetime horizon.

RESULTS

An abnormal LVEF was observed in 2% (n = 14) of patients. There were no significant associations on multivariate analysis performed on self-reported risk factors. Our analysis showed LVEF screening is cost-effective with ICER of $45,473 per QALY gained. For a willingness-to-pay threshold of $100,000/ QALY, LVEF screening had an 81.9% probability of being cost-effective. Under the same threshold, screening was cost-effective for non-anthracycline cardiotoxicity risk of RR ≤ 0.58, as compared to anthracycline regimens.

CONCLUSIONS

Age, preexisting cardiac risk factors and coronary artery disease did not predict a baseline abnormal LVEF. While the prevalence of an abnormal baseline LVEF is low in patients with breast cancer, our results suggest that cardiac screening prior to anthracycline is cost-effective.

Increasing the dose intensity of chemotherapy by more frequent administration or sequential scheduling: a patient-level meta-analysis of 37 298 women with early breast cancer in 26 randomised trials

BACKGROUND

Increasing the dose intensity of cytotoxic therapy by shortening the intervals between cycles, or by giving individual drugs sequentially at full dose rather than in lower-dose concurrent treatment schedules, might enhance efficacy.

METHODS

To clarify the relative benefits and risks of dose-intense and standard-schedule chemotherapy in early breast cancer, we did an individual patient-level meta-analysis of trials comparing 2-weekly versus standard 3-weekly schedules, and of trials comparing sequential versus concurrent administration of anthracycline and taxane chemotherapy. The primary outcomes were recurrence and breast cancer mortality. Standard intention-to-treat log-rank analyses, stratified by age, nodal status, and trial, yielded dose-intense versus standard-schedule first-event rate ratios (RRs).

FINDINGS

Individual patient data were provided for 26 of 33 relevant trials identified, comprising 37 298 (93%) of 40 070 women randomised. Most women were aged younger than 70 years and had node-positive disease. Total cytotoxic drug usage was broadly comparable in the two treatment arms; colony-stimulating factor was generally used in the more dose-intense arm. Combining data from all 26 trials, fewer breast cancer recurrences were seen with dose-intense than with standard-schedule chemotherapy (10-year recurrence risk 28·0% vs 31·4%; RR 0·86, 95% CI 0·82-0·89; p<0·0001). 10-year breast cancer mortality was similarly reduced (18·9% vs 21·3%; RR 0·87, 95% CI 0·83-0·92; p<0·0001), as was all-cause mortality (22·1% vs 24·8%; RR 0·87, 95% CI 0·83-0·91; p<0·0001). Death without recurrence was, if anything, lower with dose-intense than with standard-schedule chemotherapy (10-year risk 4·1% vs 4·6%; RR 0·88, 95% CI 0·78-0·99; p=0·034). Recurrence reductions were similar in the seven trials (n=10 004) that compared 2-weekly chemotherapy with the same chemotherapy given 3-weekly (10-year risk 24·0% vs 28·3%; RR 0·83, 95% CI 0·76-0·91; p<0·0001), in the six trials (n=11 028) of sequential versus concurrent anthracycline plus taxane chemotherapy (28·1% vs 31·3%; RR 0·87, 95% CI 0·80-0·94; p=0·0006), and in the six trials (n=6532) testing both shorter intervals and sequential administration (30·4% vs 35·0%; RR 0·82, 95% CI 0·74-0·90; p<0·0001). The proportional reductions in recurrence with dose-intense chemotherapy were similar and highly significant (p<0·0001) in oestrogen receptor (ER)-positive and ER-negative disease and did not differ significantly by other patient or tumour characteristics.

INTERPRETATION

Increasing the dose intensity of adjuvant chemotherapy by shortening the interval between treatment cycles, or by giving individual drugs sequentially rather than giving the same drugs concurrently, moderately reduces the 10-year risk of recurrence and death from breast cancer without increasing mortality from other causes.

FUNDING

Cancer Research UK, Medical Research Council.

Ten-year results of intense dose-dense chemotherapy show superior survival compared with a conventional schedule in high-risk primary breast cancer: final results of AGO phase III iddEPC trial

Background

Primary breast cancer (BC) patients with extensive axillary lymph-node involvement have a limited prognosis. The Arbeitsgemeinschaft fuer Gynaekologische Onkologie (AGO) trial compared intense dose-dense (idd) adjuvant chemotherapy with conventionally scheduled chemotherapy in high-risk BC patients. Here we report the final, 10-year follow-up analysis.

Patients and methods

Enrolment took place between December 1998 and April 2003. A total of 1284 patients with 4 or more involved axillary lymph nodes were randomly assigned to receive 3 courses each of idd sequential epirubicin, paclitaxel and cyclophosphamide (iddEPC) q2w or standard epirubicin/cyclophosphamide followed by paclitaxel (EC → P) q3w. Event-free survival (EFS) was the primary end point.

Results

A total of 658 patients were assigned to receive iddEPC and 626 patients were assigned to receive EC → P. The median duration of follow-up was 122 months. EFS was 47% (95% CI 43% to 52%) in the standard group and 56% (95% CI 52% to 60%) in the iddEPC group [hazard ratio (HR) 0.74, 95% CI 0.63-0.87; log-rank P = 0.00014, one-sided]. This benefit was independent of menopausal, hormone receptor or HER2 status. Ten-year overall survival (OS) was 59% (95% CI 55% to 63%) for patients in the standard group and 69% (95% CI 65% to 73%) for patients in the iddEPC group (HR = 0.72, 95% CI 0.60-0.87; log-rank P = 0.0007, two-sided). Nine versus two cases of secondary myeloid leukemia/myelodysplastic syndrome were observed in the iddEPC and the EC → P arm, respectively.

Conclusion

The previously reported OS benefit of iddEPC in comparison to conventionally dosed EC → P has been further increased and achieved an absolute difference of 10% after 10 years of follow-up.

Quality of life during and after adjuvant anthracycline-taxane-based chemotherapy with or without Gemcitabine in high-risk early breast cancer: results of the SUCCESS A trial

PURPOSE

In high-risk early breast cancer, adjuvant taxane-Gemcitabine combinations result in a recurrence-free survival similar to single-agent taxanes. However, haematologic toxicities and need for dose reductions are more frequent in combinations. Which option ultimately provides a better quality of life (QoL) is unknown. We compared the QoL curves before, during, and up to one year after three cycles of Fluorouracil-epirubicin-cyclophosphamide followed by three cycles of Docetaxel-Gemcitabine or Docetaxel.

METHODS

Overall, 3691 women with recent R0-resection of a primary epithelial breast cancer participated in the nationwide SUCCESS A clinical trial. The centres sent QoL questionnaires of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer before and up to 15 months after randomisation to Docetaxel-Gemcitabine versus Docetaxel. Multilevel analysis by chemotherapy arm estimated the QoL time curves, questionnaire return, and dropout.

RESULTS

The combination caused one-point higher global QoL (95% confidence ±1; p = 0.05) and 1.1 lower odds of adherence to the outcome (95% confidence 1.0-1.1; p = 0.23) than the monotherapy. In both groups, a 10-point decrease during therapy preceded a 16-point increase after chemotherapy (p < 0.001). The secondary QoL outcomes showed transient superiority of the combination at the end of chemotherapy. Discontinuation from chemotherapy and its reasons were equal in both groups.

CONCLUSIONS

While patients perceive a one-point QoL difference as meaningless, a six-point increase is clinically relevant for them. That is, both regimens cause the same relevant long-term QoL improvement. With the similar recurrence-free survival, the lower toxicity, and the shorter chemotherapy duration in mind, taxanes without Gemcitabine are the preference. This challenges previous recommendations supporting combinations.

Statistical modeling and prediction of clinical trial recruitment

Real-time prediction of clinical trial accrual can support logistical planning, ensuring that studies meet but do not exceed sample size targets. We describe a novel, simulation-based prediction method that is founded on a realistic model for the underlying processes of recruitment. The model reflects key features of enrollment such as the staggered initiation of new centers, heterogeneity in enrollment capacity, and declining accrual within centers. The model's first stage assumes that centers join the trial (ie, initiate accrual) according to an inhomogeneous Poisson process in discrete time. The second part assumes that each center's enrollment pattern reflects an early plateau followed by a slow decline, with a burst at the end of the trial following the announcement of an imminent closing date. By summing up achieved and projected enrollment, one can predict accrual as a function of time and, thereby, the time when the trial will achieve a planned enrollment target. We applied our method retrospectively to two real-world trials: NSABP B-38 and REMATCH (Randomized Evaluation of Mechanical Assistance for the Treatment of Congestive Heart Failure). In both studies, the proposed method produced prediction intervals for time to completion that were more accurate than those from conventional predictions that assume a constant rate of enrollment, estimated either from the entire trial to date or over a recent time window. The advantage is substantial in the early stages of NSABP B-38. We conclude that a method based on a realistic accrual model offers improved accuracy in the prediction of enrollment landmarks, especially at the early stages of large trials that involve many centers.

Factors Determining Anthracycline Use in Hormone Receptor Positive, Early-Stage Breast Cancer

BACKGROUND

Anthracyclines are associated with significant toxicities whereas nonanthracyclines have proven to be better tolerated. A 21-gene assay allows clinicians to predict who will not benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy and avoid systemic toxicities. Physicians are using the recurrence score to guide chemotherapy selection, despite the lack of evidence. In this study we examined factors associated with prescribing patterns for an anthracycline-based chemotherapy in hormone receptor-positive stage I to III breast cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This was a retrospective study using the Michigan Breast Oncology Quality Initiative data set (February 1, 2006 to December 31, 2015). Women with histologically confirmed stage I to III invasive breast cancer with estrogen receptor and/or progesterone receptor-positive, HER2/neu-negative receptor status were included. We used χ² analysis to determine associations of these characteristics with the 21-gene assay score and anthracycline use.

RESULTS

A total of 17,788 patients were evaluated. Most tumors were stage I (60%). Most procedures were lumpectomy with radiation (66%). Anthracyclines were used more often in stage III patients (69%), younger patients (40% for patients younger than 65 years), and those with higher 21-gene recurrence scores. Patients with low recurrence scores were more likely to receive anthracyclines if lymph node-positive (10%) than if lymph node-negative (1%; P < .001). Patients with high recurrence scores and lymph node-positive status were just as likely to receive an anthracycline-based as a nonanthracycline-based regimen (47.5% vs. 49.2%; P = .89).

CONCLUSION

These data indicate that medical oncologists might be anticipating the results of Adjuvant Chemotherapy Guided by a 21-Gene Expression Assay in Breast Cancer study (TAILORx) and the Clinical Outcomes in ER+HER2-node-positive Breast Cancer Patients Who Were Treated According to the Recurrence Score Results: Evidence From a Large Prospectively Designed Registry (RxPonder) trials and are avoiding the potential serious complications associated with anthracycline treatment in patients least likely to receive benefit.

Update Breast Cancer 2019 Part 1 - Implementation of Study Results of Novel Study Designs in Clinical Practice in Patients with Early Breast Cancer

For many years, small but significant advancements have been made time and again in the prevention and treatment of early breast cancer. The so-called panel gene analyses are becoming more and more important in prevention, since the risk due to the tested genes is better understood and as a result, concepts for integration in health care can be developed. In the adjuvant situation, the first study in the so-called post-neoadjuvant situation was able to demonstrate a clear improvement in the prognosis with an absent pathological complete remission following trastuzumab or pertuzumab + trastuzumab. Additional studies with this post-neoadjuvant therapeutic concept are still being conducted at present. The CDK4/6 inhibitors which had shown a significant improvement in progression-free survival in a metastatic situation are currently being tested in the adjuvant situation in large therapeutic studies. These and other new data for the treatment or prevention of primary breast cancer are presented in this review against the backdrop of current studies.

Overview of Breast Cancer Therapy

Breast cancer treatment is multidisciplinary. Most women with early stage breast cancer are candidates for breast-conserving surgery with radiotherapy or mastectomy. The risk of local recurrence and the chance of survival does not differ with these approaches. Sentinel node biopsy is used for axillary staging, and individualized approaches are minimizing the need for axillary dissection in women with positive sentinel nodes. Adjuvant systemic therapy is used in most women based on proven survival benefit, and molecular profiling to individualize treatment based on risk is now a clinical reality for patients with hormone receptor-positive cancers.

Intense dose-dense epirubicin, paclitaxel, cyclophosphamide versus weekly paclitaxel, liposomal doxorubicin (plus carboplatin in triple-negative breast cancer) for neoadjuvant treatment of high-risk early breast cancer (GeparOcto-GBG 84): A randomised phase III trial

BACKGROUND

GeparOcto compared efficacy and safety of two chemotherapy regimens in high-risk early breast cancer (BC): sequential treatment with intense dose-dense epirubicin, paclitaxel, and cyclophosphamide (iddEPC) and weekly treatment with paclitaxel plus non-pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (M, Myocet®) with additional carboplatin (PM(Cb)) in triple-negative BC (TNBC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients with cT1c-cT4a-d and centrally assessed human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER)2-positive BC or TNBC were eligible, irrespective of nodal status, luminal B-like tumours only if pN+. Patients were randomised (stratified by BC subtype, Ki67, lymphocyte-predominant BC) to receive 18 weeks of E (150 mg/m²) followed by P (225 mg/m²) followed by C (2000 mg/m²), each q2w for 3 cycles or weekly P (80 mg/m²) plus M (20 mg/m²) plus, in TNBC, Cb (area under curve (AUC) 1.5). HER2-positive BC patients additionally received trastuzumab (6 [loading dose 8]mg/kg q3w) and pertuzumab (420 [840]mg q3w) with all P and C cycles. Primary end-point was pathological complete response (pCR, ypT0/is ypN0), secondary end-points included other pCR definitions, pCR in stratified subpopulations, tolerability and compliance. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT02125344.

RESULTS

945/961 randomised patients started treatment. The median age was 48 years; 7.6% had cT3-4, 46% cN+, 66% G3, 40% HER2-positive, 43% TNBC. pCR rate with iddEPC was 48.3%, with PM(Cb) 48.0%, respectively (PM(Cb) versus iddEPC odds ratio 0.99; 95% confidence interval 0.77-1.28, P = 0.979) with no significant differences observed in TNBC, HER2-positive, luminal B-like subtypes. 16.4% with iddEPC and 34.1% with PM(Cb) discontinued treatment (P < 0.001), mainly due to adverse events; two patients on PM(Cb) died.

CONCLUSIONS

In high-risk early BC there is no difference in pCR rates following neoadjuvant treatment with iddEPC or weekly PM(Cb), respectively. iddEPC is one of the effective dose-dense regimens feasible in daily practice.

Absolute benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy in contemporary clinical trials: A systemic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Many adjuvant breast cancer trials have observed smaller than anticipated differences between experimental and control groups. Accurate estimation of the absolute benefits of treatment is essential for the planning of clinical trials.

METHODS

We searched PubMed to identify contemporary randomized trials comparing different adjuvant chemotherapy regimens in breast cancer. The absolute difference in 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall-survival between experimental and control groups were extracted, weighted by individual study sample size and pooled. Analyses were performed for estrogen receptor (ER) negative and ER-positive disease. Meta-regression explored the influence of patients and tumor characteristics and median follow-up on the benefit from treatment.

RESULTS

Analysis included 19 studies comprising 41,564 patients. Studies comparing chemotherapy regimens of different generations showed the largest difference in 5-year DFS (+7.4% for 3rd vs. 2nd generation and +5.9% for 2nd vs. 1st generation for ER-negative disease, and +2.3% for 3rd vs. 2nd generation and +1.8% for 2nd vs. 1st generation for ER-positive disease). Studies comparing chemotherapy regimens from the same generation showed smaller differences in DFS in both subgroups. Meta-regression showed that larger tumors and nodal involvement had significant greater magnitude of effect on 5-year DFS for ER-negative, but not ER-positive disease. Age and menopausal status had no effect in either subgroup.

CONCLUSIONS

Absolute differences between adjuvant chemotherapy regimens of the same generation are small even in ER-negative disease. Enrichment of trials for patients with poor clinical features results in larger magnitudes of benefit from treatment at 5 years in ER-negative, but not ER-positive disease.

Anthracycline and taxane-based chemotherapy versus docetaxel and cyclophosphamide in the adjuvant treatment of HER2-negative breast cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

PURPOSE

Standard adjuvant chemotherapy for HER2-negative breast cancer consists generally in an anthracycline and taxane-based regimen (A+T). The TC (docetaxel and cyclophosphamide) regimen arises as a potential alternative, although individual randomized controlled trials (RCTs) could not demonstrate the non-inferiority of TC over A+T. This is a systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs comparing 6 cycles of TC versus sequential A+T in the adjuvant treatment of HER2-negative breast cancer.

METHODS

A systematic literature search was performed to identify RCTs comparing TC versus A+T. Disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were assessed. Subgroup analyses of DFS according to hormone receptor status, lymph node involvement, and menopausal status were performed. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for DFS and OS were extracted from each trial, and a pooled analysis was conducted using the random-effect model. The Higgins' I-Squared Test was used to quantify heterogeneity.

RESULTS

Seven RCTs were included (12,741 patients). Overall, no difference was observed between TC and A+T in DFS (HR 1.08, 95% CI 0.96-1.20) and OS (HR 1.05; 95% CI 0.90-1.22). A trend favoring A+T was observed in hormone receptor-negative (HR 1.12, 95% CI 0.93-1.34) and N2 patients (HR 1.25; 95% CI 0.82-1.90). Emesis/vomiting, mucositis, thrombocytopenia and sensory neuropathy were significantly more frequent with A+T.

CONCLUSION

As adjuvant treatment of HER2-negative breast cancer, sequential A+T regimen was associated with increased risk of toxicities and no clear survival benefit as compared to 6 cycles of TC. Higher-risk patients may benefit the most from A+T, whilst TC may be an efficacious and less toxic alternative for lower-risk patients.

Clinical Validation of PITX2 DNA Methylation to Predict Outcome in High-Risk Breast Cancer Patients Treated with Anthracycline-Based Chemotherapy

Background: Breast cancer patients at high risk for recurrence are treated with anthracycline-based chemotherapy, but not all patients do equally benefit from such a regimen. To further improve therapy decision-making, biomarkers predicting outcome are of high unmet medical need. Methods: The percent DNA methylation ratio (PMR) of the promoter gene coding for the Paired-like homeodomain transcription factor 2 (PITX2) was determined by a validated methylation-specific real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. The multicenter study was conducted in routinely collected archived formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue from 205 lymph node-positive breast cancer patients treated with adjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy. Results: The cut-off for the PITX2 methylation status (PMR = 12) was confirmed in a randomly selected cohort (n = 60) and validated (n = 145) prospectively with disease-free survival (DFS) at the 10-year follow-up. DFS was significantly different between the PMR ≤ 12 versus the PMR > 12 group with a hazard ratio (HR) of 2.74 (p < 0.001) in the validation cohort and also for the patient subgroup treated additionally with endocrine therapy (HR 2.47; p = 0.001). Conclusions: Early-stage lymph node-positive breast cancer patients with low PITX2 methylation do benefit from adjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy. Patients with a high PITX2 DNA methylation ratio, approximately 30%, show poor outcome and should thus be considered for alternative chemotherapy regimens.

What Is the Best Management of cN0pN1(sn) Breast Cancer Patients?

Although the majority of breast cancer patients are clinically node-negative (cN0) at diagnosis, 15-20% will have a metastatic sentinel lymph node (SLN, pN1(sn)). While a less radical approach regarding axillary surgery in cN0 patients with a positive SLN biopsy is advocated, the limitations of 5 published trials on axillary management in pN1(sn) are discussed intensely in the literature and support the performance of ongoing validation and extension trials, especially considering the lack of data in the setting of mastectomy. As locoregional radiotherapy has a significant effect on both recurrence and survival, a standardization of locoregional radiotherapy in the situation of SLN biopsy alone in pN1(sn) patients has to be defined in the future, and de-escalation trials should embrace a truly multidisciplinary approach. This is also of utmost importance considering the fact that high-volume nodal disease requires an intensified adjuvant chemotherapy strategy to which patients omitting axillary dissection cannot be stratified. Finally, there is mounting evidence that the therapeutic role of extensive axillary surgery in low-volume nodal disease is negligible, and multidisciplinary and translational efforts must be undertaken to individualize treatment in order to gain a reasonable balance between necessary staging information and unnecessary treatment-related morbidity.