Validation of metastasis-free survival as a surrogate endpoint for overall survival in localized prostate cancer in the era of docetaxel for castration-resistant prostate cancer

BACKGROUND

Prior work from the Intermediate Clinical Endpoints in Cancer of the Prostate (ICECaP) consortium (ICECaP-1) demonstrated that metastasis-free survival (MFS) is a valid surrogate for overall survival (OS) in localized prostate cancer (PCa). This was based on data from patients treated predominantly before 2004, prior to docetaxel being available for the treatment of metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). We sought to validate surrogacy in a more contemporary era (ICECaP-2) with greater availability of docetaxel and other systemic therapies for mCRPC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Eligible trials for ICECaP-2 were those providing individual patient data (IPD) after publication of ICECaP-1 and evaluating adjuvant/salvage therapy for localized PCa, and which collected MFS and OS data. MFS was defined as distant metastases or death from any cause, and OS was defined as death from any cause. Surrogacy was evaluated using a meta-analytic two-stage validation model, with an R2 ≥ 0.7 defined a priori as clinically relevant.

RESULTS

A total of 15 164 IPD from 14 trials were included in ICECaP-2, with 70% of patients treated after 2004. The median follow-up was 8.3 years and the median postmetastasis survival was 3.1 years in ICECaP-2, compared with 1.9 years in ICECaP-1. For surrogacy condition 1, Kendall's tau was 0.92 for MFS with OS at the patient level, and R2 from weighted linear regression (WLR) of 8-year OS on 5-year MFS was 0.73 (95% confidence interval 0.53-0.82) at the trial level. For condition 2, R2 was 0.83 (95% confidence interval 0.64-0.89) from WLR of log[hazard ratio (HR)]-OS on log(HR)-MFS. The surrogate threshold effect on OS was an HR(MFS) of 0.81.

CONCLUSIONS

MFS remained a valid surrogate for OS in a more contemporary era, where patients had greater access to docetaxel and other systemic therapies for mCRPC. This supports the use of MFS as the primary outcome measure for ongoing adjuvant trials in localized PCa.

Early within therapy naming probes as a clinically-feasible predictor of anomia treatment response

This study investigated the relationship between early within-therapy probe naming performance and anomia therapy outcomes in individuals with aphasia. Thirty-four adults with chronic, post-stroke aphasia participated in the Aphasia Language Impairment and Functioning Therapy (Aphasia LIFT) programme, comprised of 48 h of comprehensive aphasia therapy. Sets of 30 treated and 30 untreated items identified at baseline were probed during impairment therapy which targeted word retrieval using a combined semantic feature analysis and phonological component analysis approach. Multiple regression models were computed to determine the relationship between baseline language and demographic variables, early within-therapy probe naming performance (measured after 3 h of impairment therapy) and anomia treatment outcomes. Early within-therapy probe naming performance emerged as the strongest predictor of anomia therapy gains at post-therapy and at 1-month follow-up. These findings have important clinical implications, as they suggest that an individual's performance after a brief period of anomia therapy may predict response to intervention. As such, early within-therapy probe naming may provide a quick and accessible tool for clinicians to identify potential response to anomia treatment.

Examining Dose Frameworks to Improve Aphasia Rehabilitation Research

The effect of treatment dose on recovery of post-stroke aphasia is not well understood. Inconsistent conceptualization, measurement, and reporting of the multiple dimensions of dose hinders efforts to evaluate dose-response relations in aphasia rehabilitation research. We review the state of dose conceptualization in aphasia rehabilitation and compare the applicability of 3 existing dose frameworks to aphasia rehabilitation research-the Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type (FITT) principle, the Cumulative Intervention Intensity (CII) framework, and the Multidimensional Dose Articulation Framework (MDAF). The MDAF specifies dose in greater detail than the CII framework and the FITT principle. On this basis, we selected the MDAF to be applied to 3 diverse examples of aphasia rehabilitation research. We next critically examined applicability of the MDAF to aphasia rehabilitation research and identified the next steps needed to systematically conceptualize, measure, and report the multiple dimensions of dose, which together can progress understanding of the effect of treatment dose on outcomes for people with aphasia after stroke. Further consideration is required to enable application of this framework to aphasia interventions that focus on participation, personal, and environmental interventions and to understand how the construct of episode difficulty applies across therapeutic activities used in aphasia interventions.

Aphasia Recovery: When, How and Who to Treat?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

We now know that speech and language therapy (SALT) is effective in the rehabilitation of aphasia; however, there remains much individual variability in the response to interventions. So, what works for whom, when and how?

RECENT FINDINGS

This review evaluates the current evidence for the efficacy of predominantly impairment-focused aphasia interventions with respect to optimal dose, intensity, timing and distribution or spacing of treatment. We conclude that sufficient dose of treatment is required to enable clinical gains and that e-therapies are a promising and practical way to achieve this goal. In addition, aphasia can be associated with other cognitive deficits and may lead to secondary effects such as low mood and social isolation. In order to personalise individual treatments to optimise recovery, we need to develop a greater understanding of the interactions between these factors.

Influence of Cognitive Ability on Therapy Outcomes for Anomia in Adults With Chronic Poststroke Aphasia

PURPOSE

The relationship between cognitive abilities and aphasia rehabilitation outcomes is complex and remains poorly understood. This study investigated the influence of language and cognitive abilities on anomia therapy outcomes in adults with aphasia.

METHOD

Thirty-four adults with chronic aphasia participated in Aphasia Language Impairment and Functioning Therapy. A language and cognitive assessment battery, including 3 baseline naming probes, was administered prior to therapy. Naming accuracy for 30 treated and 30 untreated items was collected at posttherapy and 1-month follow-up. Multiple regression models were computed to evaluate the relationship between language and cognitive abilities at baseline and anomia therapy outcomes.

RESULTS

Both language and cognitive variables significantly influenced anomia therapy gains. Verbal short-term memory ability significantly predicted naming gains for treated items at posttherapy (β = -.551, p = .002) and for untreated items at posttherapy (β = .456, p = .014) and 1-month follow-up (β = .455, p = .021). Furthermore, lexical-semantic processing significantly predicted naming gains for treated items at posttherapy (β = -.496, p = .004) and 1-month follow-up (β = .545, p = .012).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that individuals' cognitive ability, specifically verbal short-term memory, affects anomia treatment success. Further research into the relationship between cognitive ability and anomia therapy outcomes may help to optimize treatment techniques.

p53 as a marker of prognosis in African American (AA) women with breast cancer

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Background: Prior reports suggest that p53 may be of prognostic value in AA women with breast cancer. However, it remains to be determined whether p53 status would add prognostic value beyond the commonly used factors of stage and Intrinsic Subtype Classification (subtype). We evaluated p53 status as a prognostic factor among AA women treated at an urban community hospital. Methods: Cox proportional hazards regression models [results reported as hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI)] were used to select and evaluate prognostic factors [including stage, age, tumor grade of differentiation (grade), p53 status, subtype, & ER/PR status] for all-cause mortality in 331 consecutively treated AA women with breast cancer [42 months follow-up] and known subtype [luminal A = ER+, &/or PR+, & HER2-; luminal B = ER+, &/or PR+, & HER2+; HER2+ = ER-, PR-, & HER2+; basal = ER-, PR-, HER2-, cytokeratin (CK) 5/6+ &/or HER1+; & unclassified = negative for all 5 markers] and p53 [Pab1801 antibody] immunohistochemical status. Results: Tumors in 28% of women were p53+ and there were no chemotherapy and radiation treatment differences according to p53 status. However, 59% of p53+ women were ER/PR negative [Odds Ratio (OR), 0.37; 95% CI, 0.22–0.54; p=0.0003] and hence endocrine therapy was significantly less frequent in p53+ women [OR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.23–0.69; p=0.0008]. p53+ tumors were also significantly more likely to be grade 3 [OR, 4.35; CI, 1.33–14.14; p=0.013]. Baseline prognostic factors were: stage [(II-IV/I) HR, 2.29; 95% CI, 1.86–2.81; p<0.0001]; age [HR, 1.003 per year; 95% CI, 0.99–1.02; p=0.697]; grade [(high/low) HR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.22–2.37; p=0.0008]; p53 status [(±) HR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.15–2.72; p=0.012]; subtype [(all other/luminal A) HR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.14–1.55; p=0.0004]; ER/PR status [(±) HR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.32–0.69; p=0.0001]. Cox multivariable models indicated that p53 status [HR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.01–2.51; p=0.044] remained a significant prognostic factor when considered with stage [HR, 2.20; 95% CI, 1.71–2.84; p<0.001] and subtype [HR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.04–1.49; p=0.016] and the other above-mentioned factors. Conclusions: Study results indicate that p53 status should be included with stage and subtype as markers to assess prognosis in AA women with breast cancer.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Long-term outcomes after invasive breast tumor recurrence (IBTR) in women with DCIS in NSABP B-17 and B-24

520

Background: DCIS patients treated with lumpectomy have a very favorable outcome but are at risk for IBTR. Local control is improved by radiotherapy (RT) and adjuvant tamoxifen (TAM). Local failures, specifically invasive IBTRs (I-IBTR), may impact on long-term outcome. We present long-term outcome results from a cohort of DCIS patients from two NSABP randomized trials. Patients and Methods: A total of 2,615 women with primary DCIS from NSABP B-17 and B-24 (randomized from 1985 to 1994) were included. Median follow-up was > 12 yrs. In B-17 treatment was lumpectomy (LO, 403) or lumpectomy with whole breast irradiation (LRT, 410). In B-24 patients received LRT (901) or LRT plus TAM [901]. Hazard ratio and cumulative incidence of IBTR were examined by treatment. Mortality hazard was evaluated in relation to prior IBTR. Results: IBTR was a first failure in 465 patients (243 invasive, 222 noninvasive). The 12 year cumulative incidence of all IBTRs was 32.9% for LO, 15.8% LRT, and 12.5% LRT+TAM. RT significantly reduced I-IBTR (LRT/LO hazard ratio (HR) = 0.39; 95% confidence interval (CI) =0.26 to 0.59). TAM conferred additional benefit on I-IBTR (LRT+TAM/LRT HR=0.68; 95% CI= 0.48 to 0.97). Overall mortality was low. Women with I-IBTR had a two-fold greater mortality risk relative to those without I-IBTR (HR=2.08; 95% CI = 1.46 to 2.98). The effect was greater for LRT patients (HR=3.04; 95% CI= 1.92 to 4.84) than for LO patients (HR=1.17; 95% CI = 0.57 to 2.39). For LRT+TAM patients, the effect was similar to that for LRT patients HR=1.91; 95% CI= 0.76 to 4.78). Conclusions: As in cases of I- IBTR after an invasive index tumor, the occurrence of an I-IBTR with a DCIS index tumor, particularly after RT, confers increased risk for subsequent mortality.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Outcomes in white (W) patients (pts) and those of African (A) descent receiving adjuvant therapy for colon cancer (CC)

4017

Background: Published reports suggest that CC pts of A descent have inferior survival compared to W pts. Whether these differences are explained by clinical factors at diagnosis, socioeconomic factors impacting access to care, or intrinsic differences in the biology of the tumors or the response to therapy is unclear. Pts in clinical trials have data collected for important baseline clinical factors and should receive comparable oncologic care regardless of socioeconomic factors. Methods: We analyzed data from 13,435 individual pts on 11 phase III adjuvant CC trials accrued from 1977 to 2002. Analysis was restricted to stage II and III pts, with race reported as black or white. Endpoints were overall survival (OS - time to death), recurrence-free survival (RFS - time to recurrence or death), and recurrence-free interval (RFI - time to recurrence censoring for death). Cox models stratified by study controlled for gender, stage, age, and treatment type (rx) to determine the effect of race. Kaplan-Meier estimates (KM) were adjusted (adj) by the Xie-Liu method for study, gender, stage, age, and rx. Results: A pts (n=1134, 8.4%) were younger than W (median 58 vs 61, p<0.001) and more likely female (55 vs 45%, p<0.001). A pts had poorer OS than W pts ( table ). OS results were consistent in subsets defined by gender, stage, and age. RFS results were attenuated compared to OS, but still favored improved RFS in W pts ( table ). RFI results were further attenuated and not significantly different by race ( table ). Conclusions: Even with identical rx for CC in controlled clinical trials, A pts have poorer OS and RFS than W pts. The OS deficit was consistent across subgroups, and neither deficit was explained by differences in gender, stage, age, or rx. RFI was similar for both races, suggesting that the OS and RFS differences may be largely due to deaths unrelated to CC.

[Table: see text]

[Table: see text]

Disclosure patterns and decision making preferences in BRCA 1/2 mutation carriers with young adult and minor children

1015

Background: Genetic testing of minors for adult-onset diseases has generally been discouraged. Yet, limited data suggests that many BRCA mutation carriers discuss their test results with their minor children. How parents make the decision to share this information and the effects on their health, their child and the family remains unknown. Methods: We sought to evaluate disclosure patterns and decision making practices among BRCA1/2 mutation carriers with children under the age of 25. 42 parents (with 86 children) completed a semi-structured telephone interview regarding communication of their genetic test results to their children. Chi-squared tests to assess associations between parent/child characteristics and disclosure were computed using robust variance estimates to account for clustering by family unit. Results: 55% of parents discussed hereditary risk of cancer and/or their genetic test results with at least one child. Factors associated with disclosure included older child age (p<0.001), female parent gender (p=0.049), parent history of prophylactic surgery (mastectomy: p = 0.021, oophorectomy: p<0.001) and education limited to high school (p=0.085). Child gender and parent’s history of cancer were not significantly associated with disclosure. Most participants reported themselves (45%) or their spouse (40%) as the most important person in the decision to disclose. Reports of physician (14%) and genetic counselor (21%) involvement were low. Conclusions: Parental decisions to disclose BRCA test results to children are complex and may reflect differences in perceptions of genetic disease. Further research is needed to understand parental motivations for disclosure and to define a role for health care professionals to improve counseling and recommendations regarding the risks and benefits of early communication of genetic risk to children.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Duration of adjuvant tamoxifen therapy

The benefit of using adjuvant tamoxifen to treat breast cancer has been firmly established for patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive tumors, regardless of age, lymph node status, or menopausal status. Uncertainty remains, however, regarding the optimal duration of tamoxifen therapy. We reviewed the findings of randomized clinical trials that directly compared alternative treatment durations. Trials comparing short-term adjuvant treatment with tamoxifen (i.e., 1-3 years) with treatments having durations of about 5 years consistently have demonstrated additional benefits stemming from the longer therapy. Trials testing 5 years of treatment with longer durations have, in the aggregate, suggested no additional benefit for the patient. Nevertheless, the number of recurrences reported to date in these trials is not large, and the results of the individual trials are heterogeneous. Furthermore, as a result of tamoxifen's "carryover" effect, duration trials require considerable follow-up before definitive results can be established. Until more definitive data become available, adjuvant treatment with tamoxifen should be limited to 5 years outside the clinical trials setting. Continued accrual of ER-positive patients to ongoing tamoxifen duration trials, including the Adjuvant Tamoxifen Treatment Offer More (aTTom) and Adjuvant Tamoxifen Longer Against Shorter (ATLAS) trials, is appropriate. Alternatively, patients who remain disease free after 5 years of tamoxifen therapy should be encouraged to participate in trials testing crossover to other hormonal interventions, including selective ER modulators or aromatase inhibitors.

Findings from recent National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project adjuvant studies in stage I breast cancer

Before 1989, credible information about the treatment of breast cancer was derived mainly from randomized clinical trials that enrolled women with either metastatic (stage IV); locally advanced (stage III); or primary, operable, axillary lymph node-positive (stage II) disease. This report provides information from six recent National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) trials involving lymph node-negative (stage I) patients. Findings from NSABP B-13 demonstrated, through 14 years of follow-up, improvements in disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival from methotrexate and fluorouracil (MF), regardless of age, in women with estrogen receptor (ER)-negative tumors. Results from NSABP B-19, which was conducted with similar patients, demonstrated, through 8 years, a greater overall DFS and survival advantage with cyclophosphamide and MF (CMF) than that observed with MF. Findings from NSABP B-23, in which patients similar to those in B-13 and B-19 were randomly assigned to receive CMF plus placebo, CMF plus tamoxifen (TAM), doxorubicin (Adriamycin) and cyclophosphamide (AC) plus placebo, or AC plus TAM, demonstrated no difference in relapse-free survival (RFS) or overall survival among the four groups through 5 years, either for all patients or relative to age. NSABP B-14, which was carried out in women with ER-positive tumors, compared the outcomes of those who received either placebo or TAM. Through 14 years, superior DFS and overall survival advantages, as well as a reduction in contralateral breast cancer, were observed with TAM. No additional benefit resulted from TAM administration beyond 5 years. Findings from NSABP B-20, a second study conducted in patients with ER-positive tumors, showed, after 8 years, both a DFS and an overall survival advantage from TAM plus either MF or CMF over that achieved with TAM alone. A recent meta-analysis in women with negative lymph nodes and either ER-negative or ER-positive tumors of less than or equal to 1 cm in size was conducted using patients from five NSABP trials. After 8 years, the RFS in women with ER-negative tumors was greater in the group treated with surgery and chemotherapy than in those who underwent surgery alone. In women with ER-positive tumors, RFS and overall survival advantages were observed from the addition of chemotherapy to TAM when that treatment regimen was compared with TAM alone. In addition, evidence has been presented from NSABP B-21, a trial evaluating radiation therapy (XRT) and/or TAM for the prevention of ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR) after lumpectomy in women with tumors less than or equal to 1 cm. Findings have shown that XRT is superior to TAM and that XRT + TAM is superior to XRT alone for preventing IBTR. The findings demonstrate that chemotherapy and/or hormonal therapy is effective for the management of women with negative axillary lymph nodes and either ER-negative or ER-positive tumors. Because it also has been proven effective in women with tumors less than or equal to 1 cm, such therapy might also be considered in the treatment of that patient population.

Prevention of invasive breast cancer in women with ductal carcinoma in situ: an update of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project experience

The National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) conducted two sequential randomized clinical trials to aid in resolving uncertainty about the treatment of women with small, localized, mammographically detected ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). After removal of the tumor and normal breast tissue so that specimen margins were histologically tumor-free (lumpectomy), 818 patients in the B-17 trial were randomly assigned to receive either radiation therapy to the ipsilateral breast or no radiation therapy. B-24, the second study, which involved 1,804 women, tested the hypothesis that, in DCIS patients with or without positive tumor specimen margins, lumpectomy, radiation, and tamoxifen (TAM) would be more effective than lumpectomy, radiation, and placebo in preventing invasive and noninvasive ipsilateral breast tumor recurrences (IBTRs), contralateral breast tumors (CBTs), and tumors at metastatic sites. The findings in this report continue to demonstrate through 12 years of follow-up that radiation after lumpectomy reduces the incidence rate of all IBTRs by 58%. They also demonstrate that the administration of TAM after lumpectomy and radiation therapy results in a significant decrease in the rate of all breast cancer events, particularly in invasive cancer. The findings from the B-17 and B-24 studies are related to those from the NSABP prevention (P-1) trial, which demonstrated a 50% reduction in the risk of invasive cancer in women with a history of atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) or lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) and a reduction in the incidence of both DCIS and LCIS in women without a history of those tumors. The B-17 findings demonstrated that patients treated with lumpectomy alone were at greater risk for invasive cancer than were women in P-1 who had a history of ADH or LCIS and who received no radiation therapy or TAM. Although women who received radiation benefited from that therapy, they remained at higher risk for invasive cancer than women in P-1 who had a history of LCIS and who received placebo or TAM. Thus, if it is accepted from the P-1 findings that women at increased risk for invasive cancer are candidates for an intervention such as TAM, then it would seem that women with a history of DCIS should also be considered for such therapy in addition to radiation therapy. That statement does not imply that, as a result of the findings presented here, all DCIS patients should receive radiation and TAM. It does suggest, however, that, in the treatment of DCIS, the appropriate use of current and better therapeutic agents that become available could diminish the significance of breast cancer as a public health problem.

Prevention of invasive breast cancer in women with ductal carcinoma in situ: an update of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project experience

The National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) conducted two sequential randomized clinical trials to aid in resolving uncertainty about the treatment of women with small, localized, mammographically detected ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). After removal of the tumor and normal breast tissue so that specimen margins were histologically tumor-free (lumpectomy), 818 patients in the B-17 trial were randomly assigned to receive either radiation therapy to the ipsilateral breast or no radiation therapy. B-24, the second study, which involved 1,804 women, tested the hypothesis that, in DCIS patients with or without positive tumor specimen margins, lumpectomy, radiation, and tamoxifen (TAM) would be more effective than lumpectomy, radiation, and placebo in preventing invasive and noninvasive ipsilateral breast tumor recurrences (IBTRs), contralateral breast tumors (CBTs), and tumors at metastatic sites. The findings in this report continue to demonstrate through 12 years of follow-up that radiation after lumpectomy reduces the incidence rate of all IBTRs by 58%. They also demonstrate that the administration of TAM after lumpectomy and radiation therapy results in a significant decrease in the rate of all breast cancer events, particularly in invasive cancer. The findings from the B-17 and B-24 studies are related to those from the NSABP prevention (P-1) trial, which demonstrated a 50% reduction in the risk of invasive cancer in women with a history of atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) or lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) and a reduction in the incidence of both DCIS and LCIS in women without a history of those tumors. The B-17 findings demonstrated that patients treated with lumpectomy alone were at greater risk for invasive cancer than were women in P-1 who had a history of ADH or LCIS and who received no radiation therapy or TAM. Although women who received radiation benefited from that therapy, they remained at higher risk for invasive cancer than women in P-1 who had a history of LCIS and who received placebo or TAM. Thus, if it is accepted from the P-1 findings that women at increased risk for invasive cancer are candidates for an intervention such as TAM, then it would seem that women with a history of DCIS should also be considered for such therapy in addition to radiation therapy. That statement does not imply that, as a result of the findings presented here, all DCIS patients should receive radiation and TAM. It does suggest, however, that, in the treatment of DCIS, the appropriate use of current and better therapeutic agents that become available could diminish the significance of breast cancer as a public health problem.

Five versus more than five years of tamoxifen for lymph node-negative breast cancer: updated findings from the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project B-14 randomized trial

BACKGROUND

Previously reported information from B-14, a National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial, demonstrated that patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer and negative axillary lymph nodes experienced a prolonged benefit from 5 years of tamoxifen therapy. When these women were rerandomized to receive either placebo or more prolonged tamoxifen therapy, they obtained no additional advantage from tamoxifen through 4 years of follow-up. Because the optimal duration of tamoxifen administration continues to be controversial and because there have been 3 more years of follow-up and a substantial increase in the number of events since our last report, an update of the B-14 study is appropriate.

METHODS

Patients (n = 1172) who had completed 5 years of tamoxifen therapy and who were disease free were rerandomized to receive placebo (n = 579) or tamoxifen (n = 593). Survival, disease-free survival (DFS), and relapse-free survival (RFS) were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method; the differences between the treatment groups were assessed by the log-rank test. Relative risks of failure (with 95% confidence intervals) were determined by the Cox proportional hazards model. P values were two-sided.

RESULTS

Through 7 years after reassignment of tamoxifen-treated patients to either placebo or continued tamoxifen therapy, a slight advantage was observed in patients who discontinued tamoxifen relative to those who continued to receive it: DFS = 82% versus 78% (P =.03), RFS = 94% versus 92% (P =.13), and survival = 94% versus 91% (P =.07), respectively. The lack of benefit from additional tamoxifen therapy was independent of age or other characteristics.

CONCLUSION

Through 7 years of follow-up after rerandomization, there continues to be no additional benefit from tamoxifen administered beyond 5 years in women with ER-positive breast cancer and negative axillary lymph nodes.

Prognosis and treatment of patients with breast tumors of one centimeter or less and negative axillary lymph nodes

BACKGROUND

Uncertainty about prognosis and treatment of axillary lymph node-negative patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-negative or ER-positive invasive breast tumors of 1 cm or less prompted the analysis of data from five National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project randomized clinical trials.

METHODS

Two hundred thirty-five patients with ER-negative tumors and 1024 patients with ER-positive tumors were identified in these trials. Patients with ER-negative tumors received surgery alone or surgery and chemotherapy. Patients with ER-positive tumors received surgery alone; surgery and tamoxifen; or surgery, tamoxifen, and chemotherapy. End points were relapse-free survival (RFS), event-free survival, and overall survival. A result was considered to be statistically significant with a P value of.05 or less; all statistical tests were two-sided.

RESULTS

The 8-year RFS of women with ER-negative tumors who received surgery alone or with chemotherapy was 81% and 90%, respectively (P = .06). Survival was similar in both groups (93% and 91%; P = .65). The 8-year RFS of women with ER-positive tumors was 86% after surgery alone, 93% when tamoxifen was added (P = .01), and 95% after the addition of tamoxifen and chemotherapy (P = .07 compared with tamoxifen). Survival in the three groups was 90%, 92% (P = .41), and 97%, respectively. The difference between the latter two groups was significant (P = .01). Regardless of ER status or treatment, overall mortality was 8%; one half of the deaths were related to breast cancer. Several covariates affected the risk of recurrence in ER-negative and ER-positive patients. Risk was greater in women with tumors of 1 cm than in those with tumors of less than 1 cm, in women aged 49 years or younger than in those aged 50 years or older, and in women with infiltrating ductal or lobular carcinoma than in those with other histologic tumor types.

CONCLUSIONS

Chemotherapy and/or tamoxifen should be considered for the treatment of women with ER-negative or ER-positive tumors of 1 cm or less and negative axillary lymph nodes.

Intracellular mRNA cleavage induced through activation of RNase P by nuclease-resistant external guide sequences

Most antisense oligonucleotide experiments are performed with molecules containing RNase H-competent backbones. However, RNase H may cleave nontargeted mRNAs bound to only partially complementary oligonucleotides. Decreasing such "irrelevant cleavage" would be of critical importance to the ability of the antisense biotechnology to provide accurate assessment of gene function. RNase P is a ubiquitous endogenous cellular ribozyme whose function is to cleave the 5' terminus of precursor tRNAs to generate the mature tRNA. To recruit RNase P, complementary oligonucleotides called external guide sequences (EGS), which mimic structural features of precursor tRNA, were incorporated into an antisense 2'-O-methyl oligoribonucleotide targeted to the 3' region of the PKC-alpha mRNA. In T24 human bladder carcinoma cells, these EGSs, but not control sequences, were highly effective in downregulating PKC-alpha protein and mRNA expression. Furthermore, the downregulation is dependent on the presence of, and base sequence in, the T-loop. Similar observations were made with an EGS targeted to the bcl-xL mRNA.

Pathologic findings from the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast Project (NSABP) eight-year update of Protocol B-17: intraductal carcinoma

BACKGROUND

This report is an 8-year update of the authors' previous findings from National Surgical Adjuvant Breast Project (NSABP) Protocol B-17, which relates to the influence of pathologic characteristics on the natural history and treatment of intraductal carcinoma (DCIS).

METHODS

Nine pathologic features observed in a pathologic subset of 623 of 814 evaluable women enrolled in this randomized clinical trial were assessed for their role in the prediction of second ipsilateral breast tumors (IBT), other events, and selection of breast irradiation (XRT) following lumpectomy.

RESULTS

The frequency of subsequent IBT was reduced from 31% to 13% (P = 0.0001) by XRT. The average annual hazard rates for IBT were reduced by XRT for all pathologic features examined. Four characteristics were individually noted to be significantly related to IBT, but only moderate-to-marked and absent-to-slight comedo necrosis were found to be independent high and low risk predictors, respectively, for such an event in patients of both treatment groups. XRT effected a 7% absolute reduction at 8 years in the low risk group. Despite a relatively high incidence (approximately 40%) of IBT consisting of invasive cancer, mortality due to breast carcinoma after DCIS for the entire cohort was found to be only 1.6% at 8 years.

CONCLUSIONS

The degree of comedo necrosis in patients with DCIS appears to be sufficient for discriminating between high and low risks for IBT following lumpectomy for DCIS. Although margin status, unlike in our previous report, was found to have only a slight or borderline influence on the frequency of IBT at 8 years, excision of DCIS with free margins is advised. The low risk group exhibits a statistically significant reduction of IBT from XRT. The decision to forgo XRT in the treatment of this singular subset of patients would appear to depend on clinical considerations and the input of informed patients rather than being standard practice. [See editorial on pages 375-7, this issue.]

Tamoxifen in treatment of intraductal breast cancer: National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project B-24 randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

We have shown previously that lumpectomy with radiation therapy was more effective than lumpectomy alone for the treatment of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). We did a double-blind randomised controlled trial to find out whether lumpectomy, radiation therapy, and tamoxifen was of more benefit than lumpectomy and radiation therapy alone for DCIS.

METHODS

1804 women with DCIS, including those whose resected sample margins were involved with tumour, were randomly assigned lumpectomy, radiation therapy (50 Gy), and placebo (n=902), or lumpectomy, radiation therapy, and tamoxifen (20 mg daily for 5 years, n=902). Median follow-up was 74 months (range 57-93). We compared annual event rates and cumulative probability of invasive or non-invasive ipsilateral and contralateral tumours over 5 years.

FINDINGS

Women in the tamoxifen group had fewer breast-cancer events at 5 years than did those on placebo (8.2 vs 13.4%, p=0.0009). The cumulative incidence of all invasive breast-cancer events in the tamoxifen group was 4.1% at 5 years: 2.1% in the ipsilateral breast, 1.8% in the contralateral breast, and 0.2% at regional or distant sites. The risk of ipsilateral-breast cancer was lower in the tamoxifen group even when sample margins contained tumour and when DCIS was associated with comedonecrosis.

INTERPRETATION

The combination of lumpectomy, radiation therapy, and tamoxifen was effective in the prevention of invasive cancer.

Lumpectomy and radiation therapy for the treatment of intraductal breast cancer: findings from National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project B-17

PURPOSE

In 1993, findings from a National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) trial to evaluate the worth of radiation therapy after lumpectomy concluded that the combination was more beneficial than lumpectomy alone for localized intraductal carcinoma-in-situ (DCIS). This report extends those findings.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Women (N = 818) with localized DCIS were randomly assigned to lumpectomy or lumpectomy plus radiation (50 Gy). Tissue was removed so that resected specimen margins were histologically tumor-free. Mean follow-up time was 90 months (range, 67 to 130). Size and method of tumor detection were determined by central clinical, mammographic, and pathologic assessment. Life-table estimates of event-free survival and survival, average annual rates of occurrence for specific events, relative risks for event-specific end points, and cumulative probability of specific events comprising event-free survival are presented.

RESULTS

The benefit of lumpectomy plus radiation was virtually unchanged between 5 and 8 years of follow-up and was due to a reduction in invasive and noninvasive ipsilateral breast tumors (IBTs). Incidence of locoregional and distant events remained similar in both treatment groups; deaths were only infrequently related to breast cancer. Incidence of noninvasive IBT was reduced from 13.4% to 8.2% (P = .007), and of invasive IBT, from 13.4% to 3.9% (P < .0001). All cohorts benefited from radiation regardless of clinical or mammographic tumor characteristics.

CONCLUSION

Through 8 years of follow-up, our findings continue to indicate that lumpectomy plus radiation is more beneficial than lumpectomy alone for women with localized, mammographically detected DCIS. When evaluated according to the mammographic characteristics of their DCIS, all groups benefited from radiation.

Tamoxifen and chemotherapy for lymph node-negative, estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer

BACKGROUND

The B-20 study of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) was conducted to determine whether chemotherapy plus tamoxifen would be of greater benefit than tamoxifen alone in the treatment of patients with axillary lymph node-negative, estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer.

METHODS

Eligible patients (n = 2306) were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups following surgery. A total of 771 patients with follow-up data received tamoxifen alone; 767 received methotrexate, fluorouracil, and tamoxifen (MFT); and 768 received cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, fluorouracil, and tamoxifen (CMFT). The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate disease-free survival, distant disease-free survival, and survival. Reported P values are two-sided.

RESULTS

Through 5 years of follow-up, chemotherapy plus tamoxifen resulted in significantly better disease-free survival than tamoxifen alone (90% for MFT versus 85% for tamoxifen [P = .01]; 89% for CMFT versus 85% for tamoxifen [P = .001]). A similar benefit was observed in both distant disease-free survival (92% for MFT versus 87% for tamoxifen [P = .008]; 91% for CMFT versus 87% for tamoxifen [P = .006]) and survival (97% for MFT versus 94% for tamoxifen [P = .05]; 96% for CMFT versus 94% for tamoxifen [P = .03]). Compared with tamoxifen alone, MFT and CMFT reduced the risk of ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence after lumpectomy and the risk of recurrence at other local, regional, and distant sites. Risk of treatment failure was reduced after both types of chemotherapy, regardless of tumor size, tumor estrogen or progesterone receptor level, or patient age; however, the reduction was greatest in patients aged 49 years or less. No subgroup of patients evaluated in this study failed to benefit from chemotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings from this and other NSABP studies indicate that patients with breast cancer who meet NSABP protocol criteria, regardless of age, lymph node status, tumor size, or estrogen receptor status, are candidates for chemotherapy.

Coronary heart disease mortality and adjuvant tamoxifen therapy

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Data from randomized clinical trials in Scotland and Sweden testing the efficacy of tamoxifen therapy in patients with breast cancer have suggested that the drug may also reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. In view of these findings, we examined mortality from coronary heart disease among patients with early stage breast cancer who were enrolled in the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project B-14 trial of tamoxifen therapy.

METHODS

Deaths occurring among women who were randomly assigned to 5 years of either tamoxifen or placebo in the first phase of the B-14 trial were reviewed to determine the cause. Three categories of heart disease-related death were defined: 1) death from a definite fatal myocardial infarction, 2) death from definite fatal coronary heart disease/possible myocardial infarction, and 3) death from possible fatal coronary heart disease. Comparisons of the findings by treatment group were made on the basis of average annual hazard (i.e., death) rates and the corresponding relative hazard of death.

RESULTS

The average annual death rate from coronary heart disease was lower for patients who received tamoxifen than for patients who received placebo, but the difference was not statistically significant. There were eight definite heart-related deaths (i.e., definite fatal myocardial infarction or definite fatal coronary heart disease/possible myocardial infarction) among the patients who received tamoxifen, yielding an average annual rate of 0.62 per 1000 patients. There were 12 definite heart-related deaths among the patients who received placebo, yielding an average annual rate of 0.94 per 1000. The corresponding relative hazard of death from definite fatal heart disease (tamoxifen versus placebo) was 0.66 (95% confidence interval = 0.27-1.61). Eleven deaths in the tamoxifen group and 10 deaths in the placebo group were classified as possible cases of fatal coronary heart disease. When these cases and the definite cases were considered together, the average annual death rate for the patients who received tamoxifen was 1.48 per 1000, and the rate for the patients who received placebo was 1.73 per 1000. The corresponding relative hazard of death was 0.85 (95% confidence interval = 0.46-1.58).

CONCLUSIONS

The findings from the B-14 trial are consistent with the findings from the Scottish and the Swedish trials, suggesting that tamoxifen treatment reduces coronary heart disease among patients with breast cancer. Continued follow-up of the patients in these trials and in ongoing prevention trials is needed to accumulate enough data so that reliable conclusions can be drawn about the benefits of tamoxifen in preventing heart disease.

Five versus more than five years of tamoxifen therapy for breast cancer patients with negative lymph nodes and estrogen receptor-positive tumors

BACKGROUND

In 1982, the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project initiated a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial (B-14) to determine the effectiveness of adjuvant tamoxifen therapy in patients with primary operable breast cancer who had estrogen receptor-positive tumors and no axillary lymph node involvement. The findings indicated that tamoxifen therapy provided substantial benefit to patients with early stage disease. However, questions arose about how long the observed benefit would persist, about the duration of therapy necessary to maintain maximum benefit, and about the nature and severity of adverse effects from prolonged treatment.

PURPOSE

We evaluated the outcome of patients in the B-14 trial through 10 years of follow-up. In addition, the effects of 5 years versus more than 5 years of tamoxifen therapy were compared.

METHODS

In the trial, patients were initially assigned to receive either tamoxifen at 20 mg/day (n = 1404) or placebo (n = 1414). Tamoxifen-treated patients who remained disease free after 5 years of therapy were then reassigned to receive either another 5 years of tamoxifen (n = 322) or 5 years of placebo (n = 321). After the study began, another group of patients who met the same protocol eligibility requirements as the randomly assigned patients were registered to receive tamoxifen (n = 1211). Registered patients who were disease free after 5 years of treatment were also randomly assigned to another 5 years of tamoxifen (n = 261) or to 5 years of placebo (n = 249). To compare 5 years with more than 5 years of tamoxifen therapy, data relating to all patients reassigned to an additional 5 years of the drug were combined. Patients who were not reassigned to either tamoxifen or placebo continued to be followed in the study. Survival, disease-free survival, and distant disease-free survival (relating to failure at distant sites) were estimated by use of the Kaplan-Meier method; differences between the treatment groups were assessed by use of the logrank test. The relative risks of failure (with 95% confidence intervals [CIs]) were determined by use of the Cox proportional hazards model. Reported P values are two-sided.

RESULTS

Through 10 years of follow-up, a significant advantage in disease-free survival (69% versus 57%, P < .0001; relative risk = 0.66; 95% CI = 0.58-0.74), distant disease-free survival (76% versus 67%, P < .0001; relative risk = 0.70; 95% CI = 0.61-0.81), and survival (80% versus 76%, P = .02; relative risk = 0.84; 95% CI = 0.71-0.99) was found for patients in the group first assigned to receive tamoxifen. The survival benefit extended to those 49 years of age or younger and to those 50 years of age or older. Tamoxifen therapy was associated with a 37% reduction in the incidence of contralateral (opposite) breast cancer (P = .007). Through 4 years after the reassignment of tamoxifen-treated patients to either continued-therapy or placebo groups, advantages in disease-free survival (92% versus 86%, P = .003) and distant disease-free survival (96% versus 90%, P = .01) were found for those who discontinued tamoxifen treatment. Survival was 96% for those who discontinued tamoxifen compared with 94% for those who continued tamoxifen treatment (P = .08). A higher incidence of thromboembolic events was seen in tamoxifen-treated patients (through 5 years, 1.7% versus 0.4%). Except for endometrial cancer, the incidence of second cancers was not increased with tamoxifen therapy.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

The benefit from 5 years of tamoxifen therapy persists through 10 years of follow-up. No additional advantage is obtained from continuing tamoxifen therapy for more than 5 years.

Sequential methotrexate and fluorouracil for the treatment of node-negative breast cancer patients with estrogen receptor-negative tumors: eight-year results from National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) B-13 and first report of findings from NSABP B-19 comparing methotrexate and fluorouracil with conventional cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil

PURPOSE

To compare sequential methotrexate (M) and fluorouracil (F) (M-->F) with surgery (National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project [NSABP] B-13) and cyclophosphamide (C), M, and F with M-->F (NSABP B-19), in patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-negative tumors and negative axillary nodes.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 760 patients were randomized to B-13; 1,095 patients with the same eligibility requirements were randomized to B-19. Disease-free survival (DFS), distant disease-free survival (DDFS), and survival were determined using life-table estimates.

RESULTS

A significant benefit in overall DFS (74% v 59%; P < .001) was demonstrated at 8 years in all B-13 patients who received M-->F (69% v 56% [P = .006] in those <or= 49 years of age, and 81% v 63% [P = .002] in those >or= 50 years). A survival advantage was evident in older patients (89% v 80%; P = .03). In B-19, through 5 years, an overall DFS advantage (82% v 73%; P < .001) and a borderline survival advantage (88% v 85%; P = .06) were evident with CMF. The DFS (84% v 72%; P < .001) and survival (89% v 84%; P = .04) benefits from CMF were greater in women aged <or= 49 years. M-->F or CMF after lumpectomy and breast irradiation resulted in a low probability of ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR). In B-13, the frequency of IBTR was 2.6% following M-->F versus 13.4% in women treated by lumpectomy; it was 0.6% following CMF in B-19. Toxicity >or= grade 3 was more frequent among CMF patients in B-19. The age-related difference in CMF benefit was not related to amount of drug received.

CONCLUSION

M-->F and CMF are effective for node-negative patients with ER-negative tumors. The incidence of local-regional or distant metastases and IBTR decreased after either therapy. The benefit from either therapy was evident in all patients, but the CMF advantage was greater in those <or= 49 years. Because it is less toxic, M-->F may be used in patients with medical problems that would preclude CMF administration.