Predictors of willingness to participate in window-of-opportunity breast trials

Attitudes and barriers to participation in window-of-opportunity trials reported by White and Asian/Asian British ethnicity patients who have undergone treatment for endometrial cancer

PURPOSE

Window-of-opportunity trials (WOT) are a study design that have been used to investigate drug activity in endometrial cancer (EC). Recruitment to cancer clinical trials by patients from ethnic minority groups is reported to be lower than for patients of White ethnicity.

METHODS

A verbal questionnaire was conducted with White and Asian/Asian British ethnicity patients who had undergone treatment for EC. Strategic purposeful sampling was used to recruit patients from diverse social/educational backgrounds. Questions explored: background knowledge of clinical research, WOT study design, and views on medications that might be investigated. Thematic analysis was used to explore motivations for WOT participation and perceived barriers.

RESULTS

In total, 21 patients were recruited to the study (15 White and 6 Asian/Asian British). Views on optimum time to receive trial information differed, preferences ranging from 'at the time of diagnosis' to 'a few days after diagnosis'. The choice of medication under investigation had a strong influence on potential willingness to participate, with greater interest reported in medications derived from vitamins or food supplements rather than hormone-based drugs. Potential barriers to participation included concern over potential side-effects and the emotional/physical burden of a cancer diagnosis prior to major surgery.

DISCUSSION

This study provides important insights into patients' views on WOT participation in EC and raises issues that need to be considered for future trial design and participant recruitment materials. The timing and format of study information and type of substance under investigation were factors influencing potential participation. Future studies should consider using multi-lingual visual information videos to address information needs, as this may encourage participation by ethnic minority patients.

Patient perspectives on window of opportunity clinical trials in early-stage breast cancer

PURPOSE

Window of opportunity trials (WOT) are increasingly common in oncology research. In WOT participants receive a drug between diagnosis and anti-cancer treatment, usually for the purpose of investigating that drugs effect on cancer biology. This qualitative study aimed to understand patient perspectives on WOT.

METHODS

We recruited adults diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer awaiting definitive therapy at a single-academic medical center to participate in semi-structured interviews. Thematic and content analyses were performed to identify attitudes and factors that would influence decisions about WOT participation.

RESULTS

We interviewed 25 women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. The most common positive attitudes toward trial participation were a desire to contribute to research and a hope for personal benefit, while the most common concerns were the potential for side effects and how they might impact fitness for planned treatment. Participants indicated family would be an important normative factor in decision-making and, during the COVID-19 pandemic, deemed the absence of family members during clinic visits a barrier to enrollment. Factors that could hinder participation included delay in standard treatment and the requirement for additional visits or procedures. Ultimately, most interviewees stated they would participate in a WOT if offered (N = 17/25).

CONCLUSION

In this qualitative study, interviewees weighed altruism and hypothetical personal benefit against the possibility of side effect from a WOT. In-person family presence during trial discussion, challenging during COVID-19, was important for many. Our results may inform trial design and communication approaches in future window of opportunity efforts.

Window of Opportunity trials for biomarker discovery in breast cancer

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Window of Opportunity (WOO) studies have gain their place in current clinical and translational research in breast cancer patients. This review provides current information and future applications of this specific type of research.

RECENT FINDINGS

So far, WOO trials in breast cancer patients have demonstrated their utility in breast cancer research as: first they allow administering a treatment for a short period of time to treatment-naïve patients whose tumors have not developed mechanisms of resistance or heterogeneity because of previous therapies. Second, it brings a unique opportunity for translational research providing easy access to tumor tissue in order to evaluate antitumor effect from initial biopsy and from surgical resection specimen. They provide the perfect scenario for biomarker discovery and validation in an efficient and timely manner and valuable information about drug pharmacodynamics. Several issues need to be contemplated when designing and performing this type of trials including choice of a biological surrogate endpoint of efficacy as standard clinical activity endpoints are not feasible.

SUMMARY

Despite some limitations like the absence of information about secondary mechanisms of resistance, WOO trials represent an important support for drug development and biomarker discovery in breast cancer patients.

Window of opportunity treatment in breast cancer

Window of opportunity therapies, which involve short-term administration of systemic therapy between cancer diagnosis and surgery, have raised significant interest in recent years as a mean of assessing the sensitivity of a patient's cancer to therapy prior to surgery. There is now compelling evidence that in patients with early stage hormone-receptor positive breast cancer, a 2-week preoperative treatment with standard hormone therapies in a preoperative window period provides important prognostic information, which in turn helps to aid decision-making regarding treatment options. Changes in short-term biomarker endpoints such as cell proliferation measured by Ki-67 can act as surrogate markers of long-term outcomes. Paired tissues obtained pre- and post-investigational treatment, without having to subject the patient to additional biopsies, can then be used to conduct translational research to investigate predictive biomarkers and pharmacodynamics. In this review, we will examine the utility and challenges of window of opportunities therapies in breast cancer in the current literature, and the current Australian and international trial landscape in this clinical space.

Window-of-Opportunity Study of Valproic Acid in Breast Cancer Testing a Gene Expression Biomarker

Purpose

The anticancer activity of valproic acid (VPA) is attributed to the inhibition of histone deacetylase. We previously published the genomically derived sensitivity signature for VPA (GDSS-VPA), a gene expression biomarker that predicts breast cancer sensitivity to VPA in vitro and in vivo. We conducted a window-of-opportunity study that examined the tolerability of VPA and the ability of the GDSS-VPA to predict biologic changes in breast tumors after treatment with VPA.

Patients and Methods

Eligible women had untreated breast cancer with breast tumors larger than 1.5 cm. After a biopsy, women were given VPA for 7 to 12 days, increasing from 30 mg/kg/d orally divided into two doses per day to a maximum of 50 mg/kg/d. After VPA treatment, serum VPA level was measured and then breast surgery or biopsy was performed. Tumor proliferation was assessed by using Ki-67 immunohistochemistry. Histone acetylation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells was assessed by Western blot. Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging scans were performed before and after VPA treatment.

Results

Thirty women were evaluable. The median age was 54 years (range, 31-73 years). Fifty-two percent of women tolerated VPA at 50 mg/kg/d, but 10% missed more than two doses as a result of adverse events. Grade 3 adverse events included vomiting and diarrhea (one patient) and fatigue (one patient). The end serum VPA level correlated with a change in histone acetylation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (ρ = 0.451; P = .024). Fifty percent of women (three of six) with triple-negative breast cancer had a Ki-67 reduction of at least 10% compared with 17% of other women. Women whose tumors had higher GDSS-VPA were more likely to have a Ki-67 decrease of at least 10% (area under the curve, 0.66).

Conclusion

VPA was well tolerated and there was a significant correlation between serum VPA levels and histone acetylation. VPA treatment caused a decrease in proliferation of breast tumors. The genomic biomarker correlated with decreased proliferation. Inhibition of histone deacetylase is a valid strategy for drug development in triple-negative breast cancer using gene expression biomarkers.

POWERPIINC (PreOperative Window of Endocrine TheRapy Provides Information to Increase Compliance) trial: Changes in tumor proliferation index and quality of life with 7 days of preoperative tamoxifen

OBJECTIVES

A decrease in Ki67 during neoadjuvant therapy predicts response to tamoxifen. Previous trials have shown a decreased Ki67 in breast tumors with as little as two or more weeks of preoperative tamoxifen. Shortening the preoperative treatment time in window of opportunity clinical trials makes these trials more attractive to women. POWERPIINC examined the effect of 7 days of preoperative tamoxifen on breast tumor proliferation and patient symptoms.

METHODS

Women with untreated stage I/II, ER-positive, invasive breast cancer with no contraindications to tamoxifen were enrolled. Women received 20 mg of tamoxifen for 7 days up to the day of surgery. Proliferation was assessed by Ki67 immunohistochemistry before and after 7 days of tamoxifen. Symptoms and QOL were assessed by the FACT-ES and MENQOL. Adherence was measured by pill counts.

RESULTS

52 women were enrolled, and 44 were evaluable for Ki67. The median age was 58.5 years, and the median tumor diameter was 1.2 cm. Most women (73%) were post-menopausal. Most tumors were PR positive (88%) and HER2-negative (92%). The Ki67 decreased by a geometric mean of 40% (95% CI 29%-63%), and 73% (95% CI 57%-85%) of women had tumors with decreased proliferation (p = 0.0001 by paired t-test). Adherence to taking tamoxifen during the preoperative period was 100%. Women reported minimal bother from psychosocial or physical symptoms at baseline or on the day of surgery.

CONCLUSION

Seven days of tamoxifen showed a similar relative decrease in Ki67 as that reported for longer courses, was acceptable to women, and could be considered for window of opportunity studies.

Presurgical window of opportunity trial design as a platform for testing anticancer drugs: Pros, cons and a focus on breast cancer

The high attrition rate is a major issue in anticancer drug development. Among the alternative trial designs, presurgical window of opportunity trials envision a short course treatment in the time window between diagnostic biopsy and surgery in a moderately-sized patient population. This approach allows testing therapeutics when pre- and post-treatment tumor tissues are available for comprehensive molecular analyses. The emerging evidence may help define the ability of a given agent to modulate its target(s) and help obtain a broader picture of the molecular changes operated by the treatment. The resulting gain may outweigh the potential harms for patients in the early disease setting. Window of opportunity trials have been extensively applied to breast cancer. Overall, a wider use of these trial designs might lead to the identification of potential responders, ineffective drugs or combinations, and ultimately contribute to enhance the efficiency of the clinical developmental process.

Evaluating the feasibility of performing window of opportunity trials in breast cancer

BACKGROUND

The waiting period to surgery represents a valuable "window of opportunity" to evaluate novel therapeutic strategies. Interventional studies performed during this period require significant multidisciplinary collaboration to overcome logistical hurdles. We undertook a one-year prospective window of opportunity study to assess feasibility.

METHODS

Eligible newly diagnosed postmenopausal, estrogen receptor positive breast cancer patients awaiting primary surgery received anastrozole daily until surgery. Feasibility was assessed by (a) the proportion of patients who consented and (b) completed the study. Comparison of pre- and poststudy Ki67 labelling index and cleaved caspase 3 scores (CC3) was performed.

RESULTS

22/131 (16.8%) patients were confirmed eligible and 20/22 (91%) patients completed the study. 19/20 (95%) patients agreed to undergo optional additional tissue biopsies. The mean duration of anastrozole use was 24.7 (15-44) days. There were a statistically significant decline in mean Ki67 indices of 48.8% (p < 0.001) and a trend towards significance in the decline of CC3 (p = 0.17) when comparing pre- with posttreatment values.

CONCLUSION

window of opportunity trials in breast cancer are a feasible way of assessing the biologic efficacy of different therapies in the presurgical setting. The majority of eligible women were willing to participate including undergoing additional tissue biopsies.

Disparate Perceptions of Weight Between Sexual Minority and Heterosexual Female College Students

PURPOSE

To compare body mass index (BMI; calculated from self-reported height and weight) and self-described weight status between heterosexual and lesbian, bisexual, questioning (LBQ) female college students and identify factors associated with overweight/obesity.

METHODS

Participants included females (n=18,440) from the National College Health Assessment survey. Mean BMI, t-tests of weight status, and chi-square tests of characteristics between LBQ and heterosexual females were calculated. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals from logistic regression models were used to estimate the likelihood of self-described "slightly overweight" status, self-described "very overweight" status, BMI 25.0-29.9 lb/in(2) (overweight), and BMI ≥30.0 lb/in(2) (obese) for female college students.

RESULTS

LBQ females were significantly heavier than heterosexual females overall and for each additional year in school. Covariates that increased the odds of all four dependent variables (self-described "slightly" and "very" overweight status, overweight BMI, and obese BMI) included good/fair health (vs. excellent/very good health), trying to lose weight (vs. staying the same), and older age. LBQ status (vs. heterosexual) was also associated with the dependent variables "very overweight" status and obese BMI; however, LBQ status was not associated with self-described "slightly overweight" status or overweight BMI. Female college students who had an obese BMI, self-described as "slightly" or "very" overweight, were significantly less likely to meet the physical activity guidelines (vs. meeting the guidelines).

CONCLUSION

With the increasing prevalence in weight gain for female college students and higher overall BMIs for LBQ females, promoting healthy habits during college provides an opportunity to short-circuit this trend, especially in the LBQ college population.