Locally Advanced Breast Cancer

Discussing the safety and effectiveness of transcatheter arterial embolization combined with intravenous chemotherapy in treating locally advanced breast cancer

To investigate the efficacy and safety of drug-eluting bead-transarterial chemoembolization (DEB-TACE) combined with systemic chemotherapy in HR+/Her2- locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) patients. A controlled study was conducted on LABC patients treated at Jianyang People's Hospital and the First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College from December 2020 to June 2022. The patients were randomly divided into the experimental group and the control group. The experimental group received DEB-TACE combined with the TAC regimen (175 mg/m2 paclitaxel-loaded albumin, 50 mg/m2 Doxorubicin, and 500 mg/m2 cyclophosphamide), while the control group received the TAC regimen intravenously. The therapeutic efficacy was evaluated using the mRECIST criteria. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 22.0 software, and baseline characteristics, overall response rate (ORR), pathological complete response (PCR), adverse reactions, and complications were compared between the two groups using paired t-test and chi-square test. A total of 60 patients were included, with 30 patients in the experimental group (50%) and 30 patients in the control group (50%). After the first treatment, the ORR was 90% in the experimental group and 60% in the control group (P < 0.05). The overall ORR was 100% in the experimental group and 83% in the control group (P < 0.05). PCR was achieved in 14 patients (47%) in the experimental group and 4 patients (13%) in the control group. The main adverse reactions in the experimental group were skin blistering, pigmentation, and pain. There was no statistically significant difference in vomiting and grade II or above bone marrow suppression between the two groups. No grade III or above adverse events occurred in either group. The comparison of tumor shrinkage between the two groups was P = 0.051, and axillary lymph node shrinkage was P < 0.05. The use of drug-eluting beads in combination with neoadjuvant chemotherapy is a feasible and safe treatment option for locally advanced breast cancer patients.

Computational drug repositioning for the identification of new agents to sensitize drug-resistant breast tumors across treatments and receptor subtypes

Introduction

Drug resistance is a major obstacle in cancer treatment and can involve a variety of different factors. Identifying effective therapies for drug resistant tumors is integral for improving patient outcomes.

Methods

In this study, we applied a computational drug repositioning approach to identify potential agents to sensitize primary drug resistant breast cancers. We extracted drug resistance profiles from the I-SPY 2 TRIAL, a neoadjuvant trial for early stage breast cancer, by comparing gene expression profiles of responder and non-responder patients stratified into treatments within HR/HER2 receptor subtypes, yielding 17 treatment-subtype pairs. We then used a rank-based pattern-matching strategy to identify compounds in the Connectivity Map, a database of cell line derived drug perturbation profiles, that can reverse these signatures in a breast cancer cell line. We hypothesize that reversing these drug resistance signatures will sensitize tumors to treatment and prolong survival.

Results

We found that few individual genes are shared among the drug resistance profiles of different agents. At the pathway level, however, we found enrichment of immune pathways in the responders in 8 treatments within the HR+HER2+, HR+HER2-, and HR-HER2- receptor subtypes. We also found enrichment of estrogen response pathways in the non-responders in 10 treatments primarily within the hormone receptor positive subtypes. Although most of our drug predictions are unique to treatment arms and receptor subtypes, our drug repositioning pipeline identified the estrogen receptor antagonist fulvestrant as a compound that can potentially reverse resistance across 13/17 of the treatments and receptor subtypes including HR+ and triple negative. While fulvestrant showed limited efficacy when tested in a panel of 5 paclitaxel resistant breast cancer cell lines, it did increase drug response in combination with paclitaxel in HCC-1937, a triple negative breast cancer cell line.

Conclusion

We applied a computational drug repurposing approach to identify potential agents to sensitize drug resistant breast cancers in the I-SPY 2 TRIAL. We identified fulvestrant as a potential drug hit and showed that it increased response in a paclitaxel-resistant triple negative breast cancer cell line, HCC-1937, when treated in combination with paclitaxel.

Fungating and Ulcerating Breast Cancer: Wound Closure Algorithm, Complications, and Survival Trends

Fungating breast cancer severely affects patients' daily lives, and patient management poses major oncology challenges. To present 10-year outcomes of unique tumor presentation, suggesting a focused algorithm for surgical management and providing deep analysis for factors affecting survival and surgical outcomes. Eighty-two patients with fungating breast cancer were enrolled in the period from January 2010 to February 2020 in the Mansoura University Oncology Center database. Epidemiological and pathological characteristics, risk factors, different surgical treatment techniques, and surgical and oncological outcomes were reviewed. Preoperative systemic therapy was used in 41 patients, with the majority (77.8%) showing progressive response. Mastectomy was performed in 81 (98.8%) patients, with primary wound closure in 71 (86.6%), and wide local excision in a single patient (1.2%). Different reconstructive techniques in non-primary closure operations were used. Complications were reported in 33 (40.7%) patients, of which 16 (48.5%) were of Clavien-Dindo grade II category. Loco-regional recurrence occurred in 20.7% of patients. The mortality rate during follow-up was 31.7% (n = 26). Estimated mean overall survival (with 95% CI) was 55.96 (41.98-69.9) months; estimated mean loco-regional recurrence-free survival (with 95% CI) was 38.01 (24.6-51.4) months. Surgery is a cornerstone fungating breast cancer treatment option, but at the expense of high morbidity. Sophisticated reconstructive procedures may be indicated for wound closure. A suggested algorithm based on the center's experience of wound management in difficult mastectomy cases is displayed.

Evaluation of change in tumor stiffness measured by acoustic radiation force impulse imaging for early prediction of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer

OBJECTIVES

In this study, the role of change in tumor stiffness between pre- and post-two cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) measured by Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI) imaging for predicting the response to NACT in breast cancer was analyzed.

METHODS

Fifty-two adult women with biopsy-proven locally advanced breast cancer and early-stage breast cancer who received NACT followed by either modified radical mastectomy or breast conservation surgery were included in the study. Tumor stiffness represented by shear wave velocity (SWV) in meter per second by ARFI imaging was measured before and after two cycles of NACT. Participants were categorized into responders and nonresponders based on pathological response assessment from the postoperative specimen. The association of change in tumor stiffness between pre- and post-two cycles of NACT with final pathological response status was assessed.

RESULTS

The mean change in SWV before and after completion of two cycles of NACT was 0.42 ± 0.16 and 0.17 ± 0.11 m/s in responders and nonresponders, respectively, and this difference was proven to be statistically significant (p < 0.001) suggesting that tumors that exhibit a larger reduction in tumor stiffness, respond better. An SWV reduction cut-off of 0.295 m/s between baseline and post-two cycles of NACT was also arrived at, which can discriminate between responders and nonresponders with a sensitivity and specificity of 88% and 83%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Difference in tumor stiffness measured by ARFI imaging before and after two cycles of chemotherapy can be used as a reliable early predictor of response to chemotherapy in breast cancer.

Prospective Evaluation of Response Outcomes of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Locally Advanced Breast Cancer

Introduction Breast cancer is a global health problem, with more than 1 million cases of breast cancer diagnosed worldwide each year, and is the most common cancer among Indian women. Locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) accounts for 10-20% in the Western world while in India it accounts for 40-50% of all cases. Locally advanced breast cancer is a very common clinical scenario especially in developing countries possibly due to various factors like lack of education and poor socioeconomic status. Women with the locally advanced disease require multimodality therapy and coordinated treatment planning. This study aimed to prospectively study the clinical profile of the LABC patients presenting to our institute and also to evaluate the role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in downstaging the tumor. Materials and Methods Seventy patients diagnosed with locally advanced breast cancer were enrolled in this prospective study. After thorough preoperative workup, patients were either taken up for upfront surgery or neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery. Post chemotherapy clinical response of the tumor and postoperative histopathological evaluation of the specimen was performed. Results The mean age of the patients in our study was 45 years. Out of 70 patients, 18 underwent upfront surgery, and 52 received neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery. A total of 44 cases had a clinical response to chemotherapy with 9% having a complete response. The incidence of margin positivity in the postoperative specimen was significantly lower in patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Conclusion  Locally advanced breast cancer accounted for the predominant number of breast cancer patients mostly females in their middle age. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy was effective in downstaging the tumor in the majority of cases, although complete clinical response was lower in our study. The rate of margin positivity in mastectomy specimens can also be reduced if chemotherapy is considered prior to mastectomy.

BIK and GRP78 protein expression as possible markers of response to preoperative chemotherapy and survival in breast cancer

OBJECTIVE

BIK and GRP78 have shown differential expression profiles in breast cancer (BC) tissue, in addition to its important participation in the pathophysiology of cancer. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of BIK and GRP78 protein expression with clinical and pathologic response to preoperative chemotherapy, recurrence, disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS), in patients with BC.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Fifty-three patients who received preoperative chemotherapy where included in an observational, analytical and retrospective study to assess the BIK and GRP78 protein expression by immunohistochemistry in microarrays of BC tissue obtained before treatment. Associations between BIK and GRP78 expression with clinicopathological characteristics, clinical and pathologic response to preoperative chemotherapy, and recurrence were analyzed using Chi-square or Fisher's exact test. OS and postoperative DFS were assessed at 5-year follow-up by Kaplan-Meir curves, and the difference according to BIK and GRP78 expression was evaluated using the log-rank test. Bivariate analysis was performed using Cox risk proportion model. A p value < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.

RESULTS

BIK and GRP78 staining revealed positive expression in 37 (71.2%) and 35 patients (72.9%) respectively. Association between pathological complete response (pCR) and positive expression of BIK (p = 0.046), as well as between clinical complete response (cCR) and negative expression of GRP78 was observed (p = 0.048). Patients with expression of GRP78 had lower DFS (HR = 3.46; 95% CI 1.01-11.80; p = 0.047) and shorter OS (HR = 3.49; 95% CI 1.04 a 11.72; p = 0.043).

CONCLUSION

When finding association of GRP78 and BIK protein expression with the response (clinical and pathologic respectively) to preoperative chemotherapy, and GRP78 with DFS and OS, in patients with BC, our results suggest a potential prognostic value of both proteins; however, a larger sample size is required to confirm this.

Quantitative ultrasound radiomics in predicting response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced breast cancer: Results from multi-institutional study

BACKGROUND

This study was conducted in order to develop a model for predicting response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in patients with locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) using pretreatment quantitative ultrasound (QUS) radiomics.

METHODS

This was a multicenter study involving four sites across North America, and appropriate approval was obtained from the individual ethics committees. Eighty-two patients with LABC were included for final analysis. Primary tumors were scanned using a clinical ultrasound system before NAC was started. The tumors were contoured, and radiofrequency data were acquired and processed from whole tumor regions of interest. QUS spectral parameters were derived from the normalized power spectrum, and texture analysis was performed based on six QUS features using a gray level co-occurrence matrix. Patients were divided into responder or nonresponder classes based on their clinical-pathological response. Classification analysis was performed using machine learning algorithms, which were trained to optimize classification accuracy. Cross-validation was performed using a leave-one-out cross-validation method.

RESULTS

Based on the clinical outcomes of NAC treatment, there were 48 responders and 34 nonresponders. A K-nearest neighbors (K-NN) approach resulted in the best classifier performance, with a sensitivity of 91%, a specificity of 83%, and an accuracy of 87%.

CONCLUSION

QUS-based radiomics can predict response to NAC based on pretreatment features with acceptable accuracy.

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

Introduction

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

Method

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

Results

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

Conclusion

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

Machine Learning-Based A Priori Chemotherapy Response Prediction in Breast Cancer Patients using Textural CT Biomarkers. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2020;2020:1250-1253. [PMID: 33018214 DOI: 10.1109/embc44109.2020.9176099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0]

Early prediction of cancer response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) could permit personalized treatment adjustments for patients, which would improve treatment outcomes and patient survival. For the first time, the efficiency of quantitative computed tomography (qCT) textural and second derivative of textural (SDT) features were investigated and compared in this study. It was demonstrated that intra-tumour heterogeneity can be probed through these biomarkers and used as chemotherapy tumour response predictors in breast cancer patients prior to the start of treatment. These features were used to develop a machine learning approach which provided promising results with cross-validated AUC0.632+, accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of 0.86, 81%, 74% and 88%, respectively.Clinical Relevance- The results obtained in this study demonstrate the potential of textural CT biomarkers as response predictors of standard NAC before treatment initiation.

Immunohistochemical index prediction of breast tumor based on multi-dimension features in contrast-enhanced ultrasound

Breast cancer is the leading killer of Chinese women. Immunohistochemistry index has great significance in the treatment strategy selection and prognosis analysis for breast cancer patients. Currently, histopathological examination of the tumor tissue through surgical biopsy is the gold standard to determine immunohistochemistry index. However, this examination is invasive and commonly causes discomfort in patients. There has been a lack of noninvasive method capable of predicting immunohistochemistry index for breast cancer patients. This paper proposes a machine learning method to predict the immunohistochemical index of breast cancer patients by using noninvasive contrast-enhanced ultrasound. A total of 119 breast cancer patients were included in this retrospective study. Each patient implemented the pathological examination of immunohistochemical expression and underwent contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging of breast tumor. The multi-dimension features including 266 three-dimension features and 837 two-dimension dynamic features were extracted from the contrast-enhanced ultrasound sequences. Using the machine learning prediction method, 21 selected multi-dimension features were integrated to generate a model for predicting the immunohistochemistry index noninvasively. The immunohistochemical index of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) was predicted based on multi-dimension features in contrast-enhanced ultrasound sequence with the sensitivity of 71%, and the specificity of 79% in the testing cohort. Therefore, the noninvasive contrast-enhanced ultrasound can be used to predict the immunohistochemical index. To our best knowledge, no studies have been reported about predicting immunohistochemical index by using contrast-enhanced ultrasound sequences for breast cancer patients. Our proposed method is noninvasive and can predict immunohistochemical index by using contrast-enhanced ultrasound in several minutes, instead of relying totally on the invasive and biopsy-based histopathological examination. Graphical abstract Immunohistochemical index prediction of breast tumor based on multi-dimension features in contrast-enhanced ultrasound.

Serum Markers and Prognosis in Locally Advanced Breast Cancer

Background

Locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) represents a heterogeneous subgroup of breast cancer with an often dismal outcome. Identifying prognostic factors has acquired great significance for the selection of optimal treatment in individual patients.

Methods

Between January 1993 and December 1997, 103 patients were treated in our institution with multimodality treatment consisting of neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery, adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy; tamoxifen was added in hormone receptor-positive cases. In the search for prognostic factors well-established parameters (clinical, pathological and treatment-related) as well as new features with potential value (c-erbB-2, baseline serum levels of CA 15.3 and CEA) were included in the univariate and multivariate analysis.

Results

At a median follow-up of 92 months (range, 8-130), the estimated five-year cancer-specific overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were 71.34% and 57.7%, respectively. Among the 22 different variables studied, only 10 were significantly correlated with OS and DFS. In multivariate analysis five retained independent prognostic value for both OS and DFS: tumor grade, serum markers, features of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and lymph node status. With cutoff values of 35 U/mL for CA 15.3 and 5 ng/mL for CEA, the probability of five-year OS (Cox hazard ratio 3.91, P = 0.0009) and DFS (Cox hazard ratio 2.40, P = 0.02) decreased from 78% to 52% and from 68% to 47%, respectively, when at least one of these markers was abnormal.

Conclusions

Baseline serum levels of CEA and CA 15.3 emerged from this study as strong independent predictors of outcome in LABC, whose value adds to other established prognostic factors such as postoperative nodal status, IBC, histological grade and response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

[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.

Association between Immunohistochemical Expression of Topoisomerase IIα, Her2 and Hormone Receptors and Response to Primary Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer

The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between immunohistochemical expression of topoisomerase IIα, HER2 and hormone receptors and response to primary anthracycline-based chemotherapy in locally advanced breast cancer. We analyzed 109 medical charts of patients treated with primary anthracycline-based chemotherapy in the Women's Integral Health Care Center from 1996 to 2004. The clinical and pathological response to primary chemotherapy was associated with topoisomerase IIα and HER2 expression and hormone receptor negativity. Statistical analysis was performed using chi-squared, Fisher's exact test and Mann-Whitney test. No statistical association between clinical response and expression of topoisomerase IIa, HER2 and hormone receptor negativity was found. However, there was an association between complete pathological response and hormone receptor negativity (P = 0.0289). The present study suggested that these markers should not be considered predictors of response to primary anthracycline-based chemotherapy, and prospective studies must be designed for this purpose.

Comparison of breast-conserving surgery with mastectomy in locally advanced breast cancer after good response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy: A PRISMA-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The application of breast-conserving surgery (BCS) on patients with locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) with good response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) still remains controversial. The objective in this study is to analyze the safety of BCS in the management of LABC in patients with good response to NACT.

METHODS

We searched the electronic databases of Medline (Pubmed) and Cochrane Library for reports on local recurrence (LR), regional recurrence (RR), distant recurrence (DR), 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) or 5-year overall survival (OS) in patients with LABC receiving BCS or mastectomy (MT) and with good response to NACT. Based on the research results, we conducted a meta-analysis using Review Manager 5.3.

RESULTS

Our study showed that 16 studies with a combined total of 3531 patients, of whom 1465 patients underwent BCS, whereas 2066 patients underwent MT. There was no significant heterogeneity among these studies (Q statistic: P = .88; I = 0%). Patients with good response to NACT showed no significant difference in LR and RR [odd ratio (OR) = 0.83; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.60-1.15; P = .26; OR = 0.56; 95% CI: 0.33-0.93; P = .03], while we figured out a lower DR (OR = 0.51; 95% CI: 0.42-0.63; P < .01), a higher DFS (OR = 2.35; 95% CI: 1.84 to 3.01, P < .01) and a higher OS (OR = 2.12; 95% CI: 1.51 to 2.98, P < .01) in BCS compared with MT.

CONCLUSION

This meta-analysis concluded that BCS was a safe surgery for patients with LABC and had good response to NACT.

Multiparametric monitoring of chemotherapy treatment response in locally advanced breast cancer using quantitative ultrasound and diffuse optical spectroscopy

PURPOSE

This study evaluated pathological response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy using quantitative ultrasound (QUS) and diffuse optical spectroscopy imaging (DOSI) biomarkers in locally advanced breast cancer (LABC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The institution's ethics review board approved this study. Subjects (n = 22) gave written informed consent prior to participating. US and DOSI data were acquired, relative to the start of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, at weeks 0, 1, 4, 8 and preoperatively. QUS parameters including the mid-band fit (MBF), 0-MHz intercept (SI), and the spectral slope (SS) were determined from tumor ultrasound data using spectral analysis. In the same patients, DOSI was used to measure parameters relating to tumor hemoglobin and composition. Discriminant analysis and receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to classify clinical and pathological response during treatment and to estimate the area under the curve (AUC). Additionally, multivariate analysis was carried out for pairwise QUS/DOSI parameter combinations using a logistic regression model.

RESULTS

Individual QUS and DOSI parameters, including the (SI), oxy-hemoglobin (HbO2), and total hemoglobin (HbT) were significant markers for response after one week of treatment (p < 0.01). Multivariate (pairwise) combinations increased the sensitivity, specificity and AUC at this time; the SI + HbO2 showed a sensitivity/specificity of 100%, and an AUC of 1.0.

CONCLUSIONS

QUS and DOSI demonstrated potential as coincident markers for treatment response and may potentially facilitate response-guided therapies. Multivariate QUS and DOSI parameters increased the sensitivity and specificity of classifying LABC patients as early as one week after treatment.

Comparison of efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy FEC 100 and Docetaxel 75 versus AC and Docetaxel in locally advanced breast cancer: a randomized clinical study

The aim of the study was to assess and compare the clinical and pathological response and the toxicity profile between neoadjuvant chemotherapy FEC followed by docetaxel versus AC followed by docetaxel in locally advanced breast cancer patients. Between June 2013 and June 2014, 148 patients diagnosed with LABC were randomized into two groups with 74 in each group. Group 1 received AC (adriamycin 60 mg/m(2), cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m(2)) followed by docetaxel 100 mg/m(2) with primary GCSF prophylaxis and group 2 received FEC (5-fluorouracil 500 mg/m(2), epirubicin 100 mg/m(2), cyclophosphamide 500 mg/m(2)) followed by docetaxel 75 mg/m(2). MRM/BCS was performed for all patients after NACT and assessed for pathological response. Toxicity profile was assessed according to CTCAE version 4. All baseline parameters were equally matched between the two regimens. 90 % of patients completed NACT and underwent surgery. pCR rates were 31 % in group 1 and 34 % in group 2 without any difference. Any grade of hand-foot syndrome was significantly high in group 1 as compared to group 2. Grade 3 and grade 4 neutropenia and febrile neutropenia were significantly high in group 1 as compared to group 2. Median follow-up was 13.7 months (range, 2.9-25 months). There was no difference in the 2-year PFS between group 1 and group 2 (70.9 vs. 73.8 %, respectively) and OS (87.8 vs. 91.8 %, respectively) in our study population. Chemotherapy with FEC followed by docetaxel can be considered as an optimal neoadjuvant regimen in LABC as compared to AC followed by docetaxel.

Molecular types and neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer- while molecular shifting is more common in luminal a tumors, the pathologic complete response is most frequently observed in her-2 like tumors

BACKGROUND

Pathologic complete response (pCR) is one of the most important target end-points of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in patients with breast cancer (BC). In present study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between molecular subtypes and NACT in patients with BC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Using the Akdeniz University database, 106 patients who received NACT for operable breast cancer were retrospectively identified. Prognostic factors before and after NACT were assessed. According to the molecular subtypes, molecular shifting after NACT and tumoral and nodal response to NACT were analyzed.

RESULTS

The distribution of subtypes was: Luminal A, 28.3% (n=30); Luminal B, 31.1% (n=33); HER2-like, 24.5% (n=26); and basal like/ triple negative (BL/TN), 16.0% (n=17). According to molecular subtypes, pCR rates in both breast and axillary were 0%, 21.4%, 36.4% and 27.3% for luminal A, luminal B, HER2-like and BL/TN, respectively (p=0.018). Molecular subtype shifting was mostly seen in luminal A type (28.6%) after the NACT. The pCR rate in breast and axillary was significantly higher in patients with HER2-like type BC.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with HER-2 like type BC, NACT may be offered in early stages. Additionally, due to molecular shifting, adjuvant treatment schedule should be reviewed again, especially in the luminal A group.

Mithramycin A sensitizes therapy-resistant breast cancer stem cells toward genotoxic drug doxorubicin

Chemotherapy resistance is a major clinical challenge for the management of locally advanced breast cancer. Accumulating evidence suggests a major role of cancer stem cells (CSCs) in chemoresistance evoking the requirement of drugs that selectively target CSCs in combination with chemotherapy. Here, we report that mithramycin A, a known specificity protein (Sp)1 inhibitor, sensitizes breast CSCs (bCSCs) by perturbing the expression of drug efflux transporters, ATP-binding cassette sub-family G, member 2 (ABCG2) and ATP-binding cassette sub-family C, member 1 (ABCC1), survival factors, B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) and X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP), and, stemness regulators, octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (Oct4) and Nanog, which are inherently upregulated in these cells compared with the rest of the tumor population. In-depth analysis revealed that aberrant overexpression of Sp1 in bCSCs transcriptionally upregulates (1) resistance-promoting genes to protect these cells from genotoxic therapy, and (2) stemness regulators to sustain self-renewal potential of these cells. However, mithramycin A causes transcriptional suppression of these chemoresistant and self-renewal genes by inhibiting Sp1 recruitment to their promoters. Under such antisurvival microenvironment, chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin induces apoptosis in bCSCs via DNA damage-induced reactive oxygen species generation. Cumulatively, our findings raise the possibility that mithramycin A might emerge as a promising drug in combinatorial therapy with the existing chemotherapeutic agents that fail to eliminate CSCs. This will consequently lead to the improvement of therapeutic outcome for the treatment-resistant breast carcinomas.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy with sequential anthracycline-docetaxel with gemcitabine for large operable or locally advanced breast cancer: ANZ 0502 (NeoGem)

BACKGROUND

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy has a sound rationale for use in women with large operable breast cancer, and achievement of pathological complete response (pCR) is prognostic. Epirubicin and cyclophosphamide followed by docetaxel is a standard chemotherapy regimen for early breast cancer. In metastatic breast cancer the combination of gemcitabine and a taxane has shown promising results. This phase II study investigated the efficacy and safety of incorporating gemcitabine into neoadjuvant therapy.

METHODS

Female patients with operable breast cancer that was clinically T2 (≥3 cm) or T3-4, N0-1, M0 were enrolled to receive 24 weeks of neoadjuvant chemotherapy using epirubicin and cyclophosphamide followed by docetaxel and gemcitabine, plus trastuzumab if HER2-positive. The primary endpoint was the pathological complete response (pCR) rate in the breast in separate HER2-negative and HER2-positive cohorts. Secondary endpoints included pCR in both the breast and axillary lymph nodes, clinical and radiological response rates, disease free survival and safety.

RESULTS

81 patients were enrolled: 63 HER2-negative and 18 HER2-positive. 67 (84%) completed all cycles of chemotherapy, and 78 (96%) proceeded to surgery. pCR was achieved by 12 (20%) patients with HER2-negative, and 9 (53%) with HER2-positive disease. At the first interim analysis, addition of prophylactic G-CSF was recommended due to excess neutropenia. The HER2-negative cohort was closed to accrual because it did not meet the pre-specified target for pCR, and the HER2-positive cohort was closed due to slow accrual. At a median follow-up of 24 months, 12 of 81 (15%) patients had experienced a relapse of their breast cancer.

CONCLUSION

Neoadjuvant gemcitabine, when added to docetaxel, after epirubicin and cyclophosphamide, did not reach the pre-specified expectations for pCR rate in HER2-negative tumours. Excess neutropenia was observed, requiring growth factor support. Addition of gemcitabine to docetaxel in this schedule cannot be recommended. Australia and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (www.anzctr.org.au) registration number ACTRN12606000191594.

Neo-adjuvant capecitabine chemotherapy in women with newly diagnosed locally advanced breast cancer in a resource-poor setting (Nigeria): efficacy and safety in a phase II feasibility study

The majority of clinical trials of neo-adjuvant therapy for breast cancer have been conducted in resource-rich countries. We chose Nigeria, a resource-poor country, as the major site for a phase II feasibility open-label multicenter clinical trial designed to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of neo-adjuvant capecitabine in locally advanced breast cancer (LABC). Planned treatment consisted of 24 weeks of capecitabine at a dose of 1,000 mg/m(2) twice daily (2,000 mg/m(2) total per day). The primary endpoints were overall, partial, complete clinical response rate (OCR, PCR, CCR) and complete pathologic response (cPR). A total of 16 patients were recruited from August 2007 to April 2010. The study was terminated early as a result of slow accrual. After the first three cycles of therapy, PCR were seen in five of 16 patients (31%; 95% CI 11-59%). Of the remaining 11 patients, eight had no response (NR) or stable disease (SD), and three had progressive disease (PD). Seven patients proceeded with further therapy of which had SD. OCR at the end of eight cycles was 44% (95% CI 20-70%). Clinical response and radiologic response by ultrasonomammography were highly concordant (spearman correlation 0.70). The most common adverse effect was Grade 1 hand-foot syndrome, which was seen in 75% of patients. Despite several limitations, we successfully carried out this phase II feasibility study of neo-adjuvant capecitabine for LABC in Nigeria. Capecitabine monotherapy showed good overall response rates with minimal toxicity and further studies are warranted.

Correlation of levels of IL-6 with tumor burden and receptor status in patients of locally advanced carcinoma breast

Inflammatory pathways have garnered considerable interest in the recent past as an important mediator of the molecular mechanisms leading to carcinogenesis. The present study was conducted to evaluate the correlation of levels of IL-6 with tumor burden and receptor status in patients of locally advanced carcinoma breast. This prospective study was conducted by the collaborative efforts of the departments of Surgery and Biochemistry, Maulana Azad Medical College and associated Lok Nayak Hospital and GB Pant Hospitals, New Delhi. The study population comprised of 30 cases of locally advanced breast carcinoma recruited from the surgical outpatient department. The various parameters that were evaluated include detailed clinico-pathological profile and IL-6 levels. Tissue specimens received after surgeries were examined for the various characteristics indicative of tumor prognosis. Majority of the patients was in the age group of 41-50 years and was postmenopausal. The serum level of IL-6 increased as the disease progressed from T3N1M0 to T4dN2M0 (41.4 ± 31.9 vs. 164.0 ± 31.1 pg/ml respectively). There was significant correlation of IL-6 levels with lymph node involvement, tumor grade, mitotic index and adipose tissue invasion. Emerging molecular markers are being investigated for breast cancer prognosis assessment and prediction of response to chemotherapy including selection of best possible treatment modality. Our study showed that there is progressive increase in IL-6 levels as the stage of disease progresses.

Pathologic complete response predicts recurrence-free survival more effectively by cancer subset: results from the I-SPY 1 TRIAL--CALGB 150007/150012, ACRIN 6657

PURPOSE

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer provides critical information about tumor response; how best to leverage this for predicting recurrence-free survival (RFS) is not established. The I-SPY 1 TRIAL (Investigation of Serial Studies to Predict Your Therapeutic Response With Imaging and Molecular Analysis) was a multicenter breast cancer study integrating clinical, imaging, and genomic data to evaluate pathologic response, RFS, and their relationship and predictability based on tumor biomarkers.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Eligible patients had tumors ≥ 3 cm and received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. We determined associations between pathologic complete response (pCR; defined as the absence of invasive cancer in breast and nodes) and RFS, overall and within receptor subsets.

RESULTS

In 221 evaluable patients (median tumor size, 6.0 cm; median age, 49 years; 91% classified as poor risk on the basis of the 70-gene prognosis profile), 41% were hormone receptor (HR) negative, and 31% were human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positive. For 190 patients treated without neoadjuvant trastuzumab, pCR was highest for HR-negative/HER2-positive patients (45%) and lowest for HR-positive/HER2-negative patients (9%). Achieving pCR predicted favorable RFS. For 172 patients treated without trastuzumab, the hazard ratio for RFS of pCR versus no pCR was 0.29 (95% CI, 0.07 to 0.82). pCR was more predictive of RFS by multivariate analysis when subtype was taken into account, and point estimates of hazard ratios within the HR-positive/HER2-negative (hazard ratio, 0.00; 95% CI, 0.00 to 0.93), HR-negative/HER2-negative (hazard ratio, 0.25; 95% CI, 0.04 to 0.97), and HER2-positive (hazard ratio, 0.14; 95% CI, 0.01 to 1.0) subtypes are lower. Ki67 further improved the prediction of pCR within subsets.

CONCLUSION

In this biologically high-risk group, pCR differs by receptor subset. pCR is more highly predictive of RFS within every established receptor subset than overall, demonstrating that the extent of outcome advantage conferred by pCR is specific to tumor biology.

Atypical ezrin localization as a marker of locally advanced breast cancer

Locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) was initially characterized as a large primary tumor (≥5 cm), associated with or without skin or chest-wall involvement, fixed axillary lymph nodes, or disease spread to the ipsilateral internal mammary or supraclavicular nodes. Since 2002, LABC has been reclassified to include smaller stage IIB tumors (2 to <5 cm) with lymph node involvement, or stages IIIA-IIIB (≥5 cm) with or without nodal involvement. Despite the rather common presentation of LABC, it remains a poorly understood and highly variable clinical presentation of breast cancer that is a challenge to treatment. Here, we characterized a panel of breast tumors of known stage, grade, and key clinical-pathological parameters for the expression of the protein ezrin, which is involved in promoting signaling of the PI3K-Akt-mTOR pathway in response to extracellular and tumor micro-environmental signals, and is involved in breast cancer invasion and metastasis. We show that ezrin, which resides primarily in the apical membrane in normal breast epithelium, relocalizes primarily to the cytoplasm in >80 % of traditional (T3) invasive ductal LABC tumors (≥5 cm). Cytoplasmic ezrin is very strongly associated with a single characteristic in breast cancer-large tumor size. In contrast, in large non-malignant fibroadenomas, ezrin staining was similar to that of normal breast epithelium. Small (T1, 1 cm) invasive ductal carcinomas displayed largely apical membrane and perinuclear ezrin localization with weak cytoplasmic staining. Cytoplasmic ezrin localization was also associated with positive lymph node status, but no other clinical-pathological features, including hormone receptor status, histological or nuclear grade of tumor cell. The cytoplasmic relocalization of ezrin may therefore represent a novel marker for large malignant tumor size, reflecting the unique biology of LABC.

The efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant chemotherapy +/- letrozole in postmenopausal women with locally advanced breast cancer: a randomized phase III clinical trial

This two-arm randomized clinical study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant concurrent chemotherapy and letrozole in postmenopausal women with locally advanced breast carcinoma. One hundred and one postmenopausal women aged 50-83 years with pathologically proven locally advanced (clinical stage T3, T4 and/or N2, N3) breast cancer were randomly assigned to receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone (control arm, n = 51) or neoadjuvant chemotherapy concurrent with letrozole 2.5 mg (study arm, n = 50). Chemotherapy consisted of a median 4 (range 3-5) cycles of intravenous 5-fluorouracil 600 mg/m(2), doxorubicin 60 mg/m(2), and cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m(2), every three weeks. All patients subsequently underwent modified radical mastectomy approximately two weeks after the last cycle of chemotherapy. Pathologic complete response rates were 25.5% and 10.2% in the study and the control group, respectively (P = 0.049). Similarly, clinical complete response rates were 27.6% and 10.2% in the study and the control group, respectively (P = 0.037). In the subgroup analysis of hormone receptor-positive cases, the complete response rates were more prominent in study group compared with control group. Common treatment-related side effects such as nausea, vomiting, bone marrow suppression, and mucositis were similar in both groups, but hot flush was more prevalent in study group compared with control group (P = 0.023). The addition of letrozole concurrently with neoadjuvant chemotherapy provides a higher clinical and pathologic response rates with acceptable toxicity compared with chemotherapy alone in postmenopausal women with locally advanced sensitive breast cancer.

Breast conservation surgery: state of the art

Breast conservation surgery is available to the vast majority of women with breast cancer. The combination of neoadjuvant therapies and oncoplastic surgical techniques allows even large tumours to be managed with a breast-conserving approach. The relationship between breast size and the volume of tissue to be excised determines the need for volume displacement or replacement. Such an approach can also be used in the management of carefully selected cases of multifocal or multicentric breast cancer. The role of novel techniques, such as endoscopic breast surgery and radiofrequency ablation, is yet to be precisely defined.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy shows similar response in patients with inflammatory or locally advanced breast cancer when compared with operable breast cancer: a secondary analysis of the GeparTrio trial data

PURPOSE Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by mastectomy is the treatment of choice in patients with inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) or locally advanced breast cancer (LABC), but it is considered less effective in these diseases than in operable breast cancer (OBC). We report a prospective comparison of the GeparTrio trial of patients with IBC (cT4 days) or LABC (cT4a-c or cN3; stage IIIB or IIIC) and patients with OBC (cT2-3). PATIENTS AND METHODS Participants were stratified by stage and were randomly assigned to six or eight cycles of docetaxel/doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide (TAC) or to two cycles of TAC followed by four cycles of vinorelbine/capecitabine. We present results of a secondary aim of the study, which was to compare pathologic complete response (pCR; ie, no remaining invasive/noninvasive tumor in breast and lymph nodes) in different stage groups. Results A total of 287 patients with IBC (n = 93) or LABC (n = 194) and 1,777 patients with OBC were entered onto the trial. At baseline, parameters were as follows for the three types of cancer, respectively: median tumor sizes: 8.0 cm, 7.0 cm, and 4.0 cm (P < .001); multiple lesions: 31.2%, 27.3%, and 19.6% (P < .001); nodal involvement: 86.6%, 71.2%, and 51.6% (P < .001); grade 3: 44.4%, 30.4%, and 39.9% (P = .178); lobular-invasive type: 7.5%, 17.5%, and 13.3% (P = .673); negative hormone receptor status: 38.0%, 20.0%, and 36.4% (P = .008); and positive human growth factor receptor 2 status: 45.1%, 38.9%, and 35.7% (P = .158). Response rates for IBC, LABC, and OBC, respectively, were 8.6%, 11.3%, and 17.7% for pCR (P = .002); 71.0%, 69.6%, and 83.4% for overall response by physical or sonographic examination (P < .001); and 12.9%, 33.0%, and 69.9% for breast conservation (P < .001). All P values were for IBC and LABC versus OBC. However, tumor stage itself was not an independent predictor for pCR in multivariable analysis (odds ratio, 1.51; 95% CI, 0.88 to 2.59; P = .13). CONCLUSION No evidence of a difference in response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy was found by tumor stage when analysis was adjusted for baseline characteristics.

Long-term outcomes in stage IIIB breast cancer patients who achieved less than a pathological complete response (<pCR) after primary chemotherapy

PURPOSE

Pathological complete response (pCR) to primary chemotherapy is the main determinant for improved disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). The primary endpoints of our study were the long-term DFS and OS rates in homogeneously treated stage IIIB breast cancer patients who failed to achieve a pCR (<pCR), in relation to residual tumor burden. The secondary endpoint was the prognostic relevance of hormone receptor (HR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER)-2 status.

METHODS

We analyzed 58 of 74 consecutive stage IIIB patients treated between 1996 and 2001 who achieved <pCR following a primary cisplatin, epirubicin, and vinorelbine regimen for up to six cycles. At the time of patient accrual, trastuzumab was not available. After definitive surgery, pathological residual disease remained in 40 (69%) patients in both the breast and axilla, in 14 (24%) patients in only the breast, and in four (7%) patients in only the axilla.

RESULTS

Fifty-eight (78%) of 74 patients achieved <pCR and 16 (22%) had pCR both in the breast and axilla. After a median follow-up of 99 months (range, 72-134 months), in patients with <pCR the estimated 10-year DFS and OS rates were 37.6% and 50.3%, respectively, significantly worse than in the pCR group (p = .003 and p = .008, respectively). Patients with four or more axillary nodes involved had a significantly worse 10-year DFS rate (28.9% versus 62.7%; p = .036). Patients with HR(-) tumors had significantly lower 10-year DFS (17.3% versus 46.4%; p = .018) and OS (17.3% versus 70.2%; p = .002) rates. Overall, the triple-negative (TN) group showed only a marginally significantly worse OS rate (p = .048). HER-2 status alone, in the absence of trastuzumab, did not appear to significantly affect outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data suggest that, in stage IIIB patients who achieve <pCR, the number of residual nodes and HR(-) status are strong predictors of poor outcomes. After a long follow-up time, HER-2 expression does not appear to significantly affect DFS and OS. TN patients showed a trend toward early recurrence and death.

Concordance of clinical and molecular breast cancer subtyping in the context of preoperative chemotherapy response

ER, PR and HER2 status in breast cancer are important markers for the selection of drug therapy. By immunohistochemistry (IHC), three major breast cancer subtypes can be distinguished: Triple negative (TN(IHC)), HER2+(IHC) and Luminal(IHC) (ER+(IHC)/HER2-(IHC)). By using the intrinsic gene set defined by Hu et al. five molecular subtypes (Basal(mRNA), HER2+(mRNA), Luminal A(mRNA), Luminal B(mRNA) and Normal-like(mRNA)) can be defined. We studied the concordance between analogous subtypes and their prediction of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. We classified 195 breast tumors by both IHC and mRNA expression analysis of patients who received neoadjuvant treatment at the Netherlands Cancer institute for Stage II-III breast cancer between 2000 and 2007. The pathological complete remission (pCR) rate was used to assess chemotherapy response. The IHC and molecular subtypes showed high concordance with the exception of the HER2+(IHC) group. 60% of the HER2+(IHC) tumors were not classified as HER2+(mRNA). The HER2+(IHC)/Luminal A or B(mRNA) group had a low response rate to a trastuzumab-chemotherapy combination with a pCR rate of 8%, while the HER2+(mRNA) group had a pCR rate of 54%. The Luminal A(mRNA) and Luminal B(mRNA) groups showed similar degrees of response to chemotherapy. Neither the PR status nor the endocrine responsiveness index subdivided the ER+(IHC) tumors accurately into Luminal A(mRNA) and Luminal B(mRNA) groups. Molecular subtyping suggests the existence of a HER2+(IHC)/Luminal(mRNA) group that responds poorly to trastuzumab-based chemotherapy. For Luminal(IHC) and triple negative(IHC) tumors, further subdivision into molecular subgroups does not offer a clear advantage in treatment selection.

I-SPY 2: an adaptive breast cancer trial design in the setting of neoadjuvant chemotherapy

I-SPY 2 (investigation of serial studies to predict your therapeutic response with imaging and molecular analysis 2) is a process targeting the rapid, focused clinical development of paired oncologic therapies and biomarkers. The framework is an adaptive phase II clinical trial design in the neoadjuvant setting for women with locally advanced breast cancer. I-SPY 2 is a collaborative effort among academic investigators, the National Cancer Institute, the US Food and Drug Administration, and the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries under the auspices of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health Biomarkers Consortium.

A pilot study to assess the feasibility of evaluation of markers of response to chemotherapy at one day & 21 days after first cycle of chemotherapy in carcinoma of breast: a prospective non-randomized observational study

BACKGROUND

Interest in translational studies aimed at investigating biologic markers in predicting response to primary chemotherapy (PCT) in breast cancer has progressively increased. We conducted a pilot study to evaluate feasibility of evaluating biomarkers of response to PCT at one & 21 days after first cycle.

METHODS

Adult, non-pregnant, non-lactating women with histologically confirmed infiltrating duct carcinoma underwent serial core biopsies after first cycle of PCT and these were scored for Ki-67, Bcl-2 and Caspase-3 using immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

We recruited 30 patients with a mean age of 51 years. We were successful 95.6% times in performing a core biopsy and of these 84.6% had adequate tissue in the cores harvested. After a mean of 4 cycles of PCT, 26 patients underwent surgery and good response was noted in 9 patients (30%) using Miller-Payne criteria. There was a trend noted in all markers, which appeared different in those with good response and poor response. Good responders had significantly higher Ki-67 and significantly lower Bcl-2 at baseline and a significant decrease in Ki-67 and Caspase-3 at 21 days after the first chemotherapy.

CONCLUSION

We report a detectable change in biomarkers as early as 24-48 hours after the first chemotherapy along with a definite trend in change that can possibly be used to predict response to chemotherapy in an individual patient. The statistical significance and clinical utility of such changes needs to be evaluated and confirmed in larger trials.

Multidisciplinary Therapy of Locally Far‐Advanced or Inflammatory Breast Cancer with Fixed Perioperative Sequence of Epirubicin, Vinorelbine, and Fluorouracil Chemotherapy, Surgery, and Radiotherapy: Long‐Term Results

BACKGROUND

Based on phase II data in advanced breast cancer (BC), the fluorouracil, epirubicin, and vinorelbine (FEN) combination was assessed as perioperative chemotherapy, integrated in a multidisciplinary treatment for locally advanced BC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients with newly diagnosed inoperable (stage IIIB or inflammatory) BC. Multimodality treatment protocol consisted of four preoperative courses of fluorouracil (600 mg/m(2) day 1), epirubicin (75 mg/m(2) day 1), and vinorelbine (25 mg/m(2) day1 and day 8), all i.v. every 21 days, followed by radical or conservative surgery according to clinical response and four postoperative identical chemotherapy courses aimed to eradicate micrometastatic disease. Locoregional radiotherapy was offered to all patients after the completion of chemotherapy followed by hormonotherapy according to hormone receptor status. The primary end points of the study were: (a) clinical and pathological response, (b) downstaging and conversion to operable disease, and (c) recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

Forty-eight women, one stage IIIA, 27 (56.2%) stage IIIB, two stage IIIC (4.1%), and 12 (25%) with inflammatory BC, aged 34-75 years (median, 52), were accrued. Thirty-eight and 34 patients completed the planned pre- and postoperative chemotherapy, respectively. Totals of 175 and 135 cycles were administered pre- and postoperatively, respectively. Toxicity of both phases, mainly hematologic, was in general acceptable without treatment-related death. Venous reactions were a frequent problem. All but three tumors were converted to operable, 31.3% with breast conservation. The clinical response rate (RR) was 77.7% (22.2% complete) and pathological RR was 73.3% (complete, 20% in both primary and axilla). After a median follow-up of 72 months, 62.5% and 16.7% of patients remain relapse free at 3 and 5 years, respectively, while 83% and 58.3% were alive 3 and 5 years, respectively, after the start of chemotherapy. Median RFS and OS have not yet been reached, and are currently 37+ and 62+ months, respectively.

CONCLUSION

This fixed number of FEN perioperative courses schedule followed by radiotherapy is safe and highly active in inducing both local and distant control of locally far-advanced BC. This strategy is at least not inferior to other established regimens or strategies for locally far-advanced BC, while the integration of taxanes or new targeted agents may help show its true value for this challenging clinical entity.

Monitoring the therapeutic response of locally advanced breast cancer patients: Sequential in vivo proton MR spectroscopy study

PURPOSE

To evaluate the use of the water-to-fat (W-F) value obtained from in vivo proton ((1)H) MR spectroscopy (MRS) as a response indicator of cytologically confirmed patients with locally advanced breast cancer (LABC), and to monitor the therapeutic response of such patients to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Serial (1)H MR spectra were recorded both before and after the completion of chemotherapy in 33 LABC patients (with infiltrating ductal carcinoma (IDC)) at 1.5T. In addition, spectra from normal breast tissues of 28 healthy volunteers were recorded.

RESULTS

Malignant breast tissues showed elevated W-F values compared to normal breast tissues of controls. Statistically significant higher pretherapy W-F value (P < 0.01) was observed in patients compared to controls. In patients who received NACT resulting in the reduction of the primary tumor size, the W-F value showed a decrease that was statistically significant (P < 0.01). Analysis of the MR data further indicates that the W-F value had no correlation with the menstrual status of the patients. A comparison of pretherapy W-F value with pretherapy tumor volume showed a fair correlation (P = 0.05), while the posttherapy W-F value showed no such correlation with the posttherapy tumor volume.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates that simple, conventional in vivo (1)H MRS is a useful technique for monitoring the therapeutic response of breast cancer patients. The observed trend in the reduction of W-F value provides a noninvasive response indicator to monitor the clinical outcome of locally advanced breast cancer patients to NACT.

Management of Women who Present with T4 Breast Cancer

The purpose of this study was to review the clinical presentation and outcome of women who present with large or locally invasive (T4) breast carcinoma. This retrospective study was conducted at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, a state tertiary care referral institution. One hundred twenty-nine women between the ages of 28 and 85 years (mean, 55 years) presented with T4 breast carcinoma. Follow-up was available for 128 women. Only 23 women have survived (18%), 5 of whom (21.7%) have metastatic disease. Mean survival for those who died was 21.6 months, compared to 76.3 months for survivors. Survival was not influenced by tumor characteristics ( P > 0.5), but was strongly influenced by nodal status ( P < 0.001) and by the presence of metastases at the time of diagnosis ( P < 0.001). Survival was strongly related to mode of therapy ( P < 0.01), but this was principally related to very high mortality rates in women who received no therapy (100%), surgery only (92.3%), or chemotherapy only (95%). The best survival was seen in women who received chemotherapy prior to surgery (40%); their survival was superior to that of women treated initially by surgery, followed by chemotherapy (16.3%, P = 0.04). However, when women who presented with metastatic disease were excluded, survival was not different between these two groups ( P = 0.18). Despite public education efforts and the wide availability of screening programs for breast carcinoma, many women still present with locally advanced disease. Outcome can be favorable in the absence of node involvement or metastatic disease, even in the presence of large, fungating tumors. Multimodality therapy gives the best results, but early surgery may be required for progression of disease during chemotherapy or because of extensive ulceration at initial presentation.

Invasive ductal breast carcinoma response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy: noninvasive monitoring with functional MR imaging pilot study

PURPOSE

To investigate if the extraction flow product (EFP), as determined on dynamic contrast material-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) images, could be a potential marker of tumor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced breast cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Fourteen women with proven breast cancer underwent MR imaging prior to and following neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Dynamic gradient-echo and echo-planar MR images were acquired before and after injection of gadopentetate dimeglumine. Precontrast T1s were measured before EFP maps were calculated by using a multicompartmental model. Mean EFP (EFPmean) and distribution analysis of EFP (EFPcount) were measured in tumors before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and were compared with tumor response at MR imaging. The significance of the difference in EFP values between the responders and nonresponders was calculated with a two-tailed Student t test.

RESULTS

EFPmean after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in partial responders and nonresponders was 33 mL x 100 g-1 x min-1 +/- 9.8 and 54.2 mL x 100 g-1 x min-1 +/- 10.3, respectively (P <.005). EFPmean decreased after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the responders and nonresponders by 37% +/- 30 and -5% +/- 35, respectively (P >.05). An increase in EFPmean values was observed only in nonresponders who received taxanes. For regimens without taxanes, EFPmean decreased regardless of the morphologic response. EFPcount decreased for all the responders by 77% +/- 33 and increased for all the nonresponders by 45% +/- 68 (P <.02).

CONCLUSION

EFPcount appears to provide functional information regarding changes in tumor angiogenesis due to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Functional MR imaging of the breast may be useful in monitoring tumor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Final results of a randomized phase III trial comparing cyclophosphamide, epirubicin, and fluorouracil with a dose-intensified epirubicin and cyclophosphamide + filgrastim as neoadjuvant treatment in locally advanced breast cancer: an EORTC-NCIC-SAKK multicenter study

PURPOSE

To compare the efficacy of a standard anthracycline-based regimen to a dose-intensified anthracycline regimen in locally advanced breast cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Locally advanced breast cancer patients were randomly assigned onto a study comparing cyclophosphamide (C; 75 mg/m(2) orally days 1 to 14), epirubicin (E; 60 mg/m(2) intravenously [IV] days 1, 8), and fluorouracil (F; 500 mg/m(2) IV days 1, 8) six cycles every 28 days versus E (120 mg/m(2) IV day 1), C (830 mg/m(2) IV day 1), and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (filgrastim; 5 micro g/kg/d subcutaneously days 2 to 13) six cycles every 14 days. The study was designed to detect a 15% improvement; that is, from 50% to 65% in median progression-free survival (PFS) in favor of the dose-intensified regimen.

RESULTS

A total of 448 patients were enrolled over a period of 3 years. The median dose intensity delivered for C and E reached, respectively, 85% and 87% of that planned in the CEF arm and 96% and 95% of that planned in the EC arm. The dose-intensified arm was slightly more emetogenic and generated more grade 3 to 4 anemia but less febrile neutropenia episodes. After a median follow-up of 5.5 years, 277 events have been reported. The median PFS was 34 and 33.7 months for CEF and EC, respectively (P =.68), and the 5-year survival rate was 53% and 51% for CEF and EC, respectively (P =.94).

CONCLUSION

Dose-intensified EC does not provide a measurable therapeutic benefit over CEF as neoadjuvant chemotherapy for unselected locally advanced breast cancer patients.

Prediction of outcome in locally advanced breast cancer by post-chemotherapy nodal status and baseline serum tumour markers

In spite of the apparent improvement in outcome in locally advanced breast cancer, the prognosis remains dismal in many patients. The aim of this study was to define prognostic subgroups within this heterogeneous entity. Between 1990 and 1999, 104 consecutive patients with locally advanced breast cancer were treated by a multimodality programme consisting of 4-6 courses of CAF induction chemotherapy followed by surgery, breast-conserving when feasible. In most cases, chemotherapy was then resumed, up to a total of eight courses, followed by locoregional radiation therapy. Patients with hormone receptor-positive tumours received tamoxifen (20 mg day(-1)) for 5 years. At a median follow-up of 57 months, the 5-year overall survival for the entire group and the disease-free survival for the 94 operated patients were 65% and 53%, respectively. Univariate analysis identified 10 prognostic factors of overall and disease-free survival, of which four retained significance on multivariate analysis: inflammatory breast cancer (P=0.0000, P=0.0004, respectively), baseline tumour markers (P=0.003 for both), post-chemotherapy number of involved nodes (P=0.003; P=0.017) and extracapsular spread (P=0.052; P=0.014). In conclusion, besides inflammatory features, baseline tumour markers and post-chemotherapy nodal status are strong predictors of outcome in locally advanced breast cancer.

Primary chemotherapy in the treatment of breast cancer: the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center experience

The use of primary systemic (neoadjuvant) therapy has become widespread in the treatment of patients with locally advanced and operable breast cancer. The utilization of this therapeutic approach provides several advantages. By monitoring changes in the dimension of the tumor, efficacy can be evaluated or assessed in vivo; unnecessary toxicity can be avoided by allowing the physician to discontinue ineffective therapy. Furthermore, downstaging of a tumor through primary therapy may allow for breast-conserving surgery in patients with large operable breast cancer and render inoperable tumors resectable. Also, the use of primary therapy can provide a pathological complete response, which correlates with prolonged periods of remission. Treatment with FAC (5-fluorouracil/doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide) has proven to be effective as neoadjuvant therapy in locally advanced breast cancer in several trials. More recently, the integration of taxanes into primary therapy regimens has been explored with promising results. Studies have suggested that the use of primary therapy, particularly the use of FAC, should perhaps become the standard in patients with locally advanced disease. The history of clinical trials focusing on primary therapy in breast cancer at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center will be reviewed.

Premenopausal Breast Cancer

Modern treatment of premenopausal breast cancer is based on well-established prognostic and predictive factors for disease outcome such as nodal status, hormone receptor expression, tumour size, tumour grading and patient age. The development of strategies according to such individual risk profiles has resulted in significant improvements both in overall and disease-free survival. An abundant number of new prognostic and predictive factors in addition to those already mentioned may help to increase our understanding of the biology of breast cancer and to individualize therapy in premenopausal patients. Although less than 10% of patients directly benefit, it is estimated that approximately each year the life of more than 4000 women in Germany will be saved or prolonged by adjuvant treatment. Whether dose intensive modifications and new antineoplastic drugs can improve disease outcome will be clarified when ongoing studies have increased observation time. At present, hormone ablation via surgical, radiotherapeutical or drug-induced castration in addition to selective estrogen response modifiers (SERM), such as tamoxifen, with or without chemotherapy remains the cornerstone of adjuvant treatment in premenopausal patients with breast cancer. In advanced disease, new highly effective hormonal and other target-oriented antineoplastic agents with few adverse effects have been recently introduced. However, overall survival in metastatic disease remains poor, even when intensive or high-dose chemotherapy is used. Special attention must be given to longer follow up and potential toxic long-term adverse effects of therapy when new regimens are applied in clinical trials.

Determining MDR1/P-glycoprotein expression in breast cancer

The mechanism of chemotherapy resistance in breast cancer is unresolved. MDR1/P-glycoprotein (P-Gp) over-expression confers multidrug resistance in vitro and might play a role in clinical breast cancer. Studies using clinical samples have yielded conflicting results. MDR1/P-Gp mRNA expression was determined relative to the expression in normal human liver using TaqMan real-time RT-PCR (corrected for expression of the housekeeping gene PBGD). Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed with monoclonal antibodies against P-Gp (JSB1, C219). The positive control was SW1573/2R160, the intermediate control SW1573 and the negative control GLC4/ADR. We assayed 9 breast-cancer cell lines by RT-PCR and IHC, 52 carcinoma samples by RT-PCR and 168 samples by IHC. SW1573/2R160 contained high levels of MDR1/P-Gp mRNA (1.0, equal to liver) and showed strong membranous staining. Expression of MDR1/P-Gp mRNA in SW1573 (0.05) and GLC4/ADR (3.2 x 10(-5)) was not detectable by IHC. Very low levels of MDR1/P-Gp mRNA were measured in breast-cancer cell lines (mean 3.1 x 10(-4), range 1 to 12 x 10(-4)), but P-Gp was not detected by IHC. In 25 specimens from chemotherapy-naive patients, MDR1/P-Gp mRNA levels varied from 1 to 11 x 10(-2) (mean 3.9 x 10(-2)). In sections of 80 chemotherapy-naive tumors, no membrane-bound staining was observed in the tumor cells. Tumors of 27 anthracycline-treated patients had comparable MDR1/P-Gp mRNA expression levels (mean 5.4 x 10(-2)). P-Gp was undetectable in 88 tumor samples of patients who had received anthracycline-based chemotherapy. In breast cancer, MDR1/P-Gp mRNA is low or absent and P-Gp levels in cancer cells are too low to detect by IHC. Chemotherapy exposure does not result in detectable MDR1/P-Gp over-expression.

Biological considerations in locally advanced breast cancer treated with anthracycline-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy: thymidine labelling index is an independent indicator of clinical outcome

The present retrospective study aims to determine the clinical value of thymidine labelling index (TLI) together with other established clinical and biological factors in 116 locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) patients treated with anthracycline-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy, surgery, adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy. TLI was determined in 71 LABC patients with a median of 2.62% (0-23.64%) and a mean of 4.71% +/- 5.54. As a result of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, 85 patients (73%) responded to chemotherapy (CT), whereas 31 patients were unresponsive (27%). No relationship has been found between the pretreatment biological variables including TLI, estrogen receptor (ER), progesteron receptor (PgR) status and clinical parameters such as the chemotherapy response rates and axillary lymph node involvement following chemotherapy. Median follow-up was 35 months (18-97 months) and the 3-year overall survival (OS) and disease free survival (DFS) rates were 71.6% and 52.2%, respectively. In univariate analysis, patients with inflammatory breast cancer, high TLI-index (> or = 2.62%), lymph node (LN) positivity or > 3 positive lymph nodes following neoadjuvant chemotherapy and without any response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy were found to have worse DFS and OS-rates and high local and systemic recurrence rates. In multivariate analysis, TLI was estimated as the most powerful independent factor affecting the OS in LABC patients among the other established clinical and biological parameters (p = 0.02). These results suggest that TLI is an important independent indicator of clinical outcome in patients with LABC and these patients with high TLI levels require more effective treatment modalities.

Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Chinese Women with Locally Advanced Breast Cancer

Locally advanced breast cancer carries a poor prognosis and is still prevalent in developing countries. The current management usually involves administration of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT). From March 1990 through December 1997, 173 Chinese patients with tumor size greater than 4 cm were treated; 38 received NCT and the other 135 postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. The regimens for NCT were FEC (5-fluorouracil 600 mg/m2, epirubicin 50 mg/m2, and cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m2) for 29 patients and Adriamycin 75 mg/m2 for the rest of the group. Postoperatively the NCT patients received the standard CMF regimen (oral cyclophosphamide 100 mg/m2 for 14 days and intravenous methotrexate 40 mg/m2 and 5-fluorouracil 600 mg/m2 on days one and eight of each cycle). The postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy group received only the CMF regimen. Tumor response after NCT was measured clinically and histologically. The response rate was 75 per cent with 13.2 per cent being complete response. Although there is no difference in response rate the actual reduction in size was greater for patients receiving Adriamycin than FEC ( P = 0.001). The only predictive factor of response to NCT was the type of chemotherapy administered. None of the tumor characteristics such as size, nodal status, histological grading, lymphovascular permeation, hormonal receptor status, and c- erb-B2 expression were found to be significant. The overall 5-year probability of survival was 0.44, and there was no difference between groups. The factor important for prognosis was axillary nodal status on histology. The use of NCT did not improve outcome. In summary our results showed that NCT was feasible for Chinese women and good response could be achieved. However, it is the axillary nodal status that determines the final outcome.

Gamma probe sentinel node localization and biopsy in breast cancer patients treated with a neoadjuvant chemotherapy scheme

The aim of this study was to analyse the accuracy of scintigraphic and gamma probe sentinel node (SN) localization in breast cancer patients who have been submitted to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NC). Seventy-six patients with single breast cancer were included in the study, and were classified into two groups. Group 1 consisted of 40 women who had received NC, and Group 2 consisted of 36 women who did not receive NC. All patients received 111 MBq (3 mCi) of 99Tcm-nanocolloid in 3 ml, by peritumoural injection. Anterior and lateral thoracic scans were obtained 2 h post-injection. The following day (18-24 h post-injection) the patients underwent surgery and sentinel nodes were localized by using a gamma probe. Complete axillary lymph node dissection was performed in all patients. Histological analysis included haematoxylin-eosin in all cases and immunohistochemistry in 10 cases. In Group 1, SNs were localized in 36/40 patients, histological analysis was performed in 34 and there were four false negatives (22%). In Group 2, SNs were localized in 32/36 patients, histological analysis was performed in 29 and there were two false negatives (9%). Predictive negative values were 78% and 90% in Groups 1 and 2, respectively. In summary, sentinel node localization in breast cancer patients submitted to previous neoadjuvant chemotherapy is less accurate than in patients who do not receive this therapy. The procedure is not sufficiently accurate to localize the sentinel node, thus it cannot be recommended in these patients.

Long-term results of combined-modality therapy for locally advanced breast cancer with ipsilateral supraclavicular metastases: The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center experience

PURPOSE

To determine outcomes in local-regional control, disease-free survival, and overall survival in patients with locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) who present with ipsilateral supraclavicular metastases and who are treated with combined-modality therapy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Seventy patients with regional stage IV LABC, which is defined by our institution as LABC with ipsilateral supraclavicular adenopathy without evidence of distant disease, received treatment on three prospective trials of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. All patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and fluorouracil, or cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone. Patients then received local therapy that consisted of either total mastectomy and axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) or segmental mastectomy and ALND before or after irradiation. Patients with no response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy were treated with surgery and/or radiotherapy. After completion of local therapy, chemotherapy was continued for four to 15 cycles, followed by radiotherapy. Patients older than 50 years who had estrogen receptor-positive tumors received tamoxifen for 5 years.

RESULTS

Median follow-up was 11.6 years (range, 4.8 to 22.6 years). Disease-free survival rates at 5 and 10 years were 34% and 32%, respectively. The median disease-free survival was 1.9 years. Overall survival rates at 5 and 10 years were 41% and 31%, respectively. The median overall survival was 3.5 years. The overall response rate (partial and complete responses) to induction chemotherapy was 89%. No treatment-related deaths occurred.

CONCLUSION

Patients with ipsilateral supraclavicular metastases but no other evidence of distant metastases warrant therapy administered with curative intent, ie, combined-modality therapy consisting of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy. Patients with ipsilateral supraclavicular metastases should be included in the stage IIIB category of the tumor-node-metastasis classification because their clinical course and prognosis are similar to those of patients with stage IIIB LABC.

MMP-2 positivity and age less than 40 years increases the risk for recurrence in premenopausal patients with node-positive breast carcinoma

Node-positive breast carcinoma is associated with a poor prognosis. Some patients benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy but new treatment modalities should still be developed in order to further increase the cure rate in this patient group. Prognostic factors are needed to define patients for such studies. Here, the prognostic value of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and age was evaluated in 108 premenopausal, node-positive breast carcinoma patients treated with an adjuvant chemotherapy. Expression of MMP-2 protein was studied in paraffin-embedded tissue sections from primary tumors by using specific MMP-2 monoclonal antibody in an immunohistochemical staining. Age less than 40 years predicted 5-year recurrence free survival (RFS) as unfavorable, being 74% in patients 41-49 years of age and 54% in those under age 40 (p = 0.02). The 5-year RFS rate was 85% in patients with an MMP-2 negative primary tumor while it was 65% in the MMP-2 positive patient group. This difference was not, however, statistically significant (p = 0.07). Correlation between hematogenous metastasis and MMP-2 positivity in breast carcinoma was demonstrated for the first time (p = 0.03). A risk group for a relapse was identified using MMP-2 immunohistochemistry and age. The RFS rate in patients less than 40 years with an MMP-2 positive primary tumor was only 50% while it was 74% in other premenopausal patients (p = 0.007). Young age and MMP-2 positivity may, thus, associate with early relapse in node-positive breast carcinoma.