Phase Ia/b Study of Giredestrant ± Palbociclib and ± Luteinizing Hormone-Releasing Hormone Agonists in Estrogen Receptor-Positive, HER2-Negative, Locally Advanced/Metastatic Breast Cancer.

PURPOSE: Giredestrant is an investigational next-generation, oral, selective estrogen receptor antagonist and degrader for the treatment of estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer. We present the primary analysis results of the phase Ia/b GO39932 study (NCT03332797). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with ER+, HER2-negative locally advanced/metastatic breast cancer previously treated with endocrine therapy received single-agent giredestrant (10, 30, 90, or 250 mg), or giredestrant (100 mg) ± palbociclib 125 mg ± luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist. Detailed cardiovascular assessment was conducted with giredestrant 100 mg. Endpoints included safety (primary), pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and efficacy. RESULTS: As of January 28, 2021, with 175 patients enrolled, no dose-limiting toxicity was observed, and the MTD was not reached. Adverse events (AE) related to giredestrant occurred in 64.9% and 59.4% of patients in the single-agent ± LHRH agonist and giredestrant + palbociclib ± LHRH agonist cohorts, respectively (giredestrant-only-related grade 3/4 AEs were reported in 4.5% of patients across the single-agent cohorts and 3.1% of those with giredestrant + palbociclib). Dose-dependent asymptomatic bradycardia was observed, but no clinically significant changes in cardiac-related outcomes: heart rate, blood pressure, or exercise duration. Clinical benefit was observed in all cohorts (48.6% of patients in the single-agent cohort and 81.3% in the giredestrant + palbociclib ± LHRH agonist cohort), with no clear dose relationship, including in patients with ESR1-mutated tumors. CONCLUSIONS: Giredestrant was well tolerated and clinically active in patients who progressed on prior endocrine therapy. Results warrant further evaluation of giredestrant in randomized trials in early- and late-stage ER+ breast cancer.

Discordant Humoral and T-Cell Response to mRNA SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine and the Risk of Breakthrough Infections in Women with Breast Cancer, Receiving Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 4 and 6 Inhibitors.

Few data are available about the immune response to mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in patients with breast cancer receiving cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i). We conducted a prospective, single-center study of patients with breast cancer treated with CDK4/6i who received mRNA-1273 vaccination, as well as a comparative group of healthcare workers. The primary endpoint was to compare the rate and magnitude of humoral and T-cell response after full vaccination. A better neutralizing antibody and anti-S IgG level was observed after vaccination in the subgroup of women receiving CDK4/6i, but a trend toward a reduced CD4 and CD8 T-cell response in the CDK4/6i group was not statistically significant. There were no differences in the rate of COVID-19 after vaccination (19% vs. 12%), but breakthrough infections were observed in those with lower levels of anti-S IgG and neutralizing antibodies after the first dose. A lower rate of CD4 T-cell response was also found in those individuals with breakthrough infections, although a non-significant and similar level of CD8 T-cell response was also observed, regardless of breakthrough infections. The rate of adverse events was higher in patients treated with CDK4/6i, without serious adverse events. In conclusion, there was a robust humoral response, but a blunted T-cell response to mRNA vaccine in women receiving CDK4/6i, suggesting a reduced trend of the adaptative immune response.

A single-arm study design with non-inferiority and superiority time-to-event endpoints: a tool for proof-of-concept and de-intensification strategies in breast cancer.

De-escalation trials in oncology evaluate therapies that aim to improve the quality of life of patients with low-risk cancer by avoiding overtreatment. Non-inferiority randomized trials are commonly used to investigate de-intensified regimens with similar efficacy to that of standard regimens but with fewer adverse effects (ESMO evidence tier A). In cases where it is not feasible to recruit the number of patients needed for a randomized trial, single-arm prospective studies with a hypothesis of non-inferiority can be conducted as an alternative. Single-arm studies are also commonly used to evaluate novel treatment strategies (ESMO evidence tier B). A single-arm design that includes both non-inferiority and superiority primary objectives will enable the ranking of clinical activity and other parameters such as safety, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics data. Here, we describe the statistical principles and procedures to support such a strategy. The non-inferiority margin is calculated using the fixed margin method. Sample size and statistical analyses are based on the maximum likelihood method for exponential distributions. We present example analyses in metastatic and adjuvant settings to illustrate the usefulness of our methodology. We also explain its implementation with nonparametric methods. Single-arm designs with non-inferiority and superiority analyses are optimal for proof-of-concept and de-escalation studies in oncology.

A Phase I Study of the Pan-Notch Inhibitor CB-103 for Patients with Advanced Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma and Other Tumors.

PURPOSE: CB-103 selectively inhibits the CSL-NICD (Notch intracellular domain) interaction leading to transcriptional downregulation of oncogenic Notch pathway activation. This dose-escalation/expansion study aimed to determine safety, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary antitumor activity. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Patients ≥18 years of age with selected advanced solid tumors [namely, adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC)] and hematologic malignancies were eligible. CB-103 was dosed orally in cycles of 28 days at escalating doses until disease progression. Notch-activating mutations were required in a dose confirmatory cohort. Endpoints included dose-limiting toxicities (DLT), safety, tumor response, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics. Exploratory analyses focused on correlates of Notch and target gene expression. RESULTS: Seventy-nine patients (64, 12 dose-escalation cohorts; 15, confirmatory cohort) enrolled with 54% receiving two or more lines of prior therapy. ACC was the dominant tumor type (40, 51%). Two DLTs were observed [elevated gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), visual change]; recommended phase II dose was declared as 500 mg twice daily (5 days on, 2 days off weekly). Grade 3-4 treatment-related adverse events occurred in 15 patients (19%), including elevated liver function tests (LFTs), anemia, and visual changes. Five (6%) discontinued drug for toxicity; with no drug-related deaths. There were no objective responses, but 37 (49%) had stable disease; including 23 of 40 (58%) patients with ACC. In the ACC cohort, median progression-free survival was 2.5 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.5-3.7] and median overall survival was 18.4 months (95% CI, 6.3-not reached). CONCLUSIONS: CB-103 had a manageable safety profile and biological activity but limited clinical antitumor activity as monotherapy in this first-in-human study. SIGNIFICANCE: CB-103 is a novel oral pan-Notch inhibitor that selectively blocks the CSL-NICD interaction leading to transcriptional downregulation of oncogenic Notch pathway activation. This first-in-human dose-escalation and -confirmation study aimed to determine the safety, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary antitumor efficacy of CB-103. We observed a favorable safety profile with good tolerability and biological activity but limited clinical single-agent antitumor activity. Some disease stabilization was observed among an aggressive NOTCH-mutant ACC type-I subgroup where prognosis is poor and therapies are critically needed. Peripheral downregulation of select Notch target gene levels was observed with escalating doses. Future studies exploring CB-103 should enrich for patients with NOTCH-mutant ACC and investigate rational combinatorial approaches in tumors where there is limited success with investigational or approved drugs.

Maintained complete response to talazoparib in a BRCA-2 mutated metastatic luminal breast cancer: case report and review of literature.

PARP inhibitors are progressively becoming a part of our therapeutic arsenal against BRCA-defective tumors, because of their capacity to induce synthetic lethality in cells with a deficiency in the homologous recombination repair system. Olaparib and talazoparib have been approved for metastatic breast cancer in carriers of germline BRCA mutations, which are found in approximately 6% of patients with breast cancer. We report the case of a patient with metastatic breast cancer, carrier of a germline mutation in BRCA2, with a complete response to first-line treatment with talazoparib, maintained after 6 years. To the best of our knowledge, this is the longest response reported with a PARP inhibitor in a BRCA-mutated tumor. We have made a review of literature, regarding the rationale for PARP inhibitors in carriers of BRCA mutations and their clinical relevance in the management of advanced breast cancer, as well as their emerging role in early stage disease, alone and in combination with other systemic therapies.

Challenging Endocrine Sensitivity of Hormone Receptor-Positive/HER2-Negative Advanced Breast Cancer with the Combination of Eribulin and Endocrine Therapy: The REVERT Study.

BACKGROUND: Luminal advanced breast cancer (ABC) patients eventually progress on endocrine therapy. REVERT aimed to explore whether eribulin could restore endocrine sensitivity in a randomized, non-comparative phase II trial. METHODS: Aromatase inhibitor (AI)-resistant patients with luminal ABC were randomized 1:1 to receive eribulin +/- AI. Patients were stratified by prior cyclin-dependent kinases 4/6 inhibitor (CDK4/6i) treatment. The primary endpoint was an investigator-assessed overall response rate (ORR) according to RECIST version 1.1 in the eribulin + AI arm. An interim analysis was planned with 11 evaluable patients according to a two-stage Simon design. RESULTS: Twenty-two patients were enrolled (15 eribulin + AI arm; 7 eribulin arm). The trial was terminated early in March 2021, with eight (36.4%) patients still on treatment. ORR was 26.7% in the eribulin + AI arm (95% CI, 7.8-55.1%; p = 0.0541). In the eribulin arm, two (28.6%) patients had an objective response (95% CI, 3.7-71.0%). The difference between the study arms was not significant (p = 0.918). The addition of AI to eribulin also failed to show improvement in other efficacy endpoints. A significant interaction between the treatment arm and previous CDK4/6i treatment was observed for ORR (p = 0.018) and progression-free survival (p = 0.084). Overall, the toxicity profile was consistent with the known safety profile of eribulin. No treatment-related deaths were reported. CONCLUSION: Eribulin + AI does not seem to improve outcomes compared with eribulin monotherapy in patients with AI-resistant luminal ABC. This chemo-endocrine approach deserves further investigation after progression to CDK4/6i-based therapy.

Cytological and molecular characterization of secretory breast carcinoma.

Secretory breast carcinoma is a rare neoplasm, histologically well-characterized, and secondary to ETV6-NTRK3 gene fusion, whose cytological features are scarcely described in the literature. We report the case of a woman with a history of secretory breast carcinoma 8 years before, who presented a periareolar nodule. A recurrence was diagnosed by fine-needle aspiration based on the cytomorphological features and pan-TRK immunocytochemistry on the cell block, and the patient underwent a mastectomy. The histology and molecular studies performed on the surgical specimen (immunohistochemistry, FISH and NGS) confirmed the diagnosis. Cytological smears showed abundant epithelial cellularity, in groups and single cells. These cells showed moderate atypia, with abundant cytoplasm. We observed intracytoplasmic inclusions and extracellular metachromatic globules. Immunocytochemical and immunohistochemical studies showed a triple negative breast tumour. NTRK overexpression was demonstrated with immunocytochemistry against pan-TRK on the cell block, as well as with immunohistochemistry in the surgical specimen. NTRK3 rearrangement was proved by FISH. In the primary tumour and in the recurrence, we demonstrated ETV6-NTRK3 fusion by NGS. After conducting a literature review, we have found 26 articles describing the cytological features of secretory breast carcinoma in 33 patients. The smears were described as groups of epithelial cells with vacuolated cytoplasm, single signet ring cells and a globular extracellular secretion. In only two cases molecular confirmation of the diagnosis with ETV6-NTRK3 fusion was proven, although not in the cytological specimen, but in the subsequent biopsy. The distinct cytological features of secretory breast carcinoma can help in its diagnosis, thus guiding the molecular studies. This is the first reported case that proves TRK overexpression, as a fusion surrogate, in the cytological sample.

Limited T cell response to SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine among patients with cancer receiving different cancer treatments.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with cancer (PC) are at high risk of acquiring COVID-19 and can develop more serious complications. Deeper understanding of vaccines immunogenicity in this population is crucial for adequately planning vaccines programs. The ONCOVac study aimed to comprehensively assess the immunogenicity of mRNA-1273 vaccine in terms of humoral and cellular response. METHODS: We conducted a prospective, single-center study including patients with solid tumours treated with cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i), immunotherapy (IT) or chemotherapy (CT). Patients were enrolled previously to vaccination with mRNA-1273. We also involved health care workers (HCW) to serve as a control group. We took blood samples before first dose administration (BL), after first dose (1D), and after second dose (2D). The primary objective was to compare the rate and magnitude of T cell response after second dose whereas safety and humoral response were defined as secondary objectives. We also collected patient reported outcomes after both the first and second vaccine dose and a six-month follow-up period to diagnose incident COVID-19 cases was planned. RESULTS: The rate of specific anti-S serologic positivity (anti-S IgG cut-off point at 7,14 BAU/mL) was significantly higher in HCW compared to PC after 1D (100% versus 83.8%; p = 0.04), but similar after 2D (100% versus 95.8%; p = 0.5). This difference after 1D was driven by PC treated with CT (100% versus 64.5%; p = 0.001). Cellular response after 2D was significantly lower in PC than in HCW for both CD4+ (91.7% versus 59.7%; p = 0.001) and CD8+ (94.4% versus 55.6%; p < 0.001) T cells. We found a difference on pre-existing CD4+ T cell response in HCW comparing to PC (36% and 17%, p = 0.03); without difference in pre-existing CD8+ T cell response (31% and 23%, p = 0.5). After excluding patients with pre-existing T cell response, PC achieved even lower CD4+ (50.9% versus 95.5%, p < 0.001) and CD8+ (45.5% versus 95.5%, p < 0.001) T cell response compared with HCW. Regarding safety, PC reported notably more adverse events than HCW (96.6% versus 69.2%, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that PC showed a similar humoral response but a lower T cell response following two doses of mRNA-1273 vaccination. Further studies are needed to complement our results and determine the implication of low T cell response on clinical protection of PC against COVID-19.

Pembrolizumab Plus Gemcitabine in the Subset of Triple-Negative Advanced Breast Cancer Patients in the GEICAM/2015-04 (PANGEA-Breast) Study.

The PANGEA-Breast trial evaluated a new chemo-immunotherapeutic combination that would synergistically induce long-term clinical benefit in HER2-negative advanced breast cancer patients. Treatment consisted of 21-day cycles of 200 mg of pembrolizumab (day 1) plus gemcitabine (days 1 and 8). The primary objective was the objective response rate (ORR). The tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) density and PD-L1 expression in tumor, and the myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) level in peripheral blood, were analyzed to explore associations with treatment efficacy. Considering a two-stage Simon's design, the study recruitment was stopped after its first stage as statistical assumptions were not met. A subset of 21 triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients was enrolled. Their median age was 49 years; 15 patients had visceral involvement, and 16 had ≤3 metastatic locations. Treatment discontinuation due to progressive disease (PD) was reported in 16 patients. ORR was 15% (95% CI 3.2-37.9). Four patients were on treatment >6 months before PD. Grade ≥3 treatment-related adverse events were observed in 8 patients, where neutropenia was the most common. No association was found between TILs density, PD-L1 expression or MDSCs levels and treatment efficacy. ORR in TNBC patients also did not meet the assumptions, but 20% were on treatment >6 months.

Pembrolizumab plus eribulin in hormone-receptor-positive, HER2-negative, locally recurrent or metastatic breast cancer (KELLY): An open-label, multicentre, single-arm, phase â ¡ trial.

BACKGROUND: Pembrolizumab has modest activity if used in patients with hormone-receptor-positive (HR+), HER2-negative, previously treated metastatic breast cancer (BC). Our study investigated whether there would be any clinical benefit in combining chemotherapy with pembrolizumab in a similar patient population. METHODS: This single-arm, phase Ⅱ trial enrolled women aged ≥18 years with HR+, HER2-negative, inoperable, locally recurrent or metastatic BC. Patients were previously treated with hormonal therapy and 1-2 chemotherapy regimens for locally recurrent and/or metastatic BC. On each 21-day cycle, patients received intravenous pembrolizumab 200 mg on day 1 and eribulin 1∙23 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8. The primary endpoint was the clinical benefit rate. Analysis of safety and activity was carried out in all patients who met the screening criteria and received at least 1 dose of study treatment. The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03222856. RESULTS: Of the 44 patients enrolled between January 29 and October 17, 2018, clinical benefit was achieved in 25 (56∙8%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 41∙0-71∙7), objective response in 18 (40∙9%, 95% CI: 26∙3-56∙8), median progression-free survival was 6∙0 months (95% CI: 3∙7-8∙4), and 1-year overall survival was 59∙1% (95% CI: 45∙8-76∙2). The most common treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs) of any grade were neutropenia (20 [45∙5%]), anaemia (17 [38∙6%]), alopecia (19 [43∙2%]), asthenia (19 [43∙2%]), diarrhoea (14 [31∙8%]), fatigue (14 [31∙8%]), and peripheral neuropathy (12 [27∙3%]). Serious AEs occurred in 14 (31∙8%) patients including febrile neutropenia (3 [6∙8%]), neutropenia (2 [4∙5%]), fever (2 [4∙5%]) and peripheral neuropathy (2 [4∙5%]). Immune-related AEs occurred in 11 (25∙0%) patients. One (2∙3%) patient died of cardiac arrest unrelated to study treatment. CONCLUSION: Pembrolizumab plus eribulin demonstrates encouraging antitumour activity in patients with heavily pre-treated, HR+, HER2-negative, locally recurrent or metastatic BC. The safety and tolerability of the combination is similar to eribulin or pembrolizumab monotherapy.

Inclusion of non-inferiority analysis in superiority-based clinical trials with single-arm, two-stage Simon's design.

INTRODUCTION: Non-inferiority (NI) analysis is not usually considered in the early phases of clinical development. In some negative phase II trials, a post-hoc NI analysis justified additional phase III trials that were successful. However, the risk of false positive achievements was not controlled in these early phase analyses. We propose to preplan NI analyses in superiority-based Simon's two-stage designs to control type I and II error rates. METHODS: Simulations have been proposed to assess the control of type I and II errors rates with this method. A total of 12,768 two-stage Simon's design trials were constructed based on different assumptions of rejection response probability, desired response probability, type I and II errors, and NI margins. P-value and type II error were calculated with stochastic ordering using Uniformly Minimum Variance Unbiased Estimator. Type I and II errors were simulated using the Monte Carlo method. The agreement between calculated and simulated values was analyzed with Bland-Altman plots. RESULTS: We observed the same level of agreement between calculated and simulated type I and II errors from both two-stage Simon's superiority designs and designs in which NI analysis was allowed. Different examples has been proposed to explain the utility of this method. CONCLUSION: Inclusion of NI analysis in superiority-based single-arm clinical trials may be useful for weighing additional factors such as safety, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamic, and biomarker data while assessing early efficacy. Implementation of this strategy can be achieved through simple adaptations to existing designs for one-arm phase II clinical trials.

Trastuzumab Emtansine Plus Non-Pegylated Liposomal Doxorubicin in HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer (Thelma): A Single-Arm, Multicenter, Phase Ib Trial.

The paper assesses the dose-limiting toxicities and the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) combined with non-pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (NPLD) in HER2-positive (HER2+) metastatic breast cancer (MBC). This single-arm, open-label, phase Ib trial (NCT02562378) enrolled anthracycline-naïve HER2+ MBC patients who had progressed on trastuzumab and taxanes. Patients received a maximum of 6 cycles of NPLD intravenously (IV) at various dose levels (45, 50, and 60 mg/m2) in the "3 plus 3" dose-escalation part. During expansion, they received 60 mg/m2 of NPLD every 3 weeks (Q3W) plus standard doses of T-DM1. The MTD was T-DM1 3.6 mg/kg plus NPLD 60 mg/m2 administered IV Q3W. No clinically relevant worsening of cardiac function was observed. Among all evaluable patients, the overall response rate was 40.0% (95%CI, 16.3-67.7) with a median duration of response of 6.9 months (95%CI, 4.8-9.1). Clinical benefit rate was 66.7% (95%CI, 38.4-88.2) and median progression-free survival was 7.2 months (95%CI, 4.5-9.6). No significant influence of NPLD on T-DM1 pharmacokinetics was observed. The addition of NPLD to T-DM1 is feasible but does not seem to improve the antitumor efficacy of T-DM1 in HER2+ MBC patients.

High Frequency of ERBB2 Activating Mutations in Invasive Lobular Breast Carcinoma with Pleomorphic Features.

Background: Characterisation of molecular alterations of pleomorphic lobular carcinoma (PLC), an aggressive subtype of invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC), have not been yet completely accomplished. Methods: To investigate the molecular alterations of invasive lobular carcinoma with pleomorphic features, a total of 39 tumour samples (in situ and invasive lesions and lymph node metastases) from 27 patients with nuclear grade 3 invasive lobular carcinomas were subjected to morphological, immunohistochemical and massive parallel sequencing analyses. Results: Our observations indicated that invasive lobular carcinomas with pleomorphic features were morphologically and molecularly heterogeneous. All cases showed absence or aberrant expression of E-cadherin and abnormal expression of ß-catenin and p120. CDH1 (89%), PIK3CA (33%) and ERRB2 (26%) were the most common mutated genes. ERBB2 mutations preferentially affected the tyrosine-kinase activity domain, being the most frequent the targetable mutation p.L755S (57%). We also observed higher frequency of mutations in ARID1B, KMT2C, MAP3K1, TP53 and ARID1A in PLC than previously reported in classic ILC. Alterations related to progression from in situ to invasive carcinoma and/or to lymph node metastases included TP53 mutation, amplification of PIK3CA and CCND1 and loss of ARID1A expression. Conclusions: The high frequency of ERBB2 mutations observed suggests that ERBB2 mutation testing should be considered in all invasive lobular carcinomas with nuclear grade 3.

Etirinotecan pegol for the treatment of breast cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Advanced breast cancer is incurable for most patients with limited therapeutic options. As such, there is a critical need for new and novel agents that lack cross-resistance and mitigate overlapping toxicities. AREAS COVERED: This review examines etirinotecan pegol as a promising new agent for the treatment of refractory metastatic breast cancer. Etirinotecan pegol is the first topoisomerase I inhibitor with a novel design: a long-acting polymer conjugate of irinotecan molecularly engineered to concentrate in vascularized tumors and provide sustained circulation time of SN38 for prolonged tumor cell exposure. Etirinotecan pegol pharmacology is reviewed in this paper along with safety and efficacy data from preclinical and clinical trials. In the phase II advanced breast cancer setting, etirinotecan pegol provided promising activity, which was maintained in poor prognostic subgroups, with low rates of neutropenia and neuropathy - issues plaguing our currently available agents. EXPERT OPINION: Etirinotecan pegol demonstrates anti-tumor activity and improved tolerability in patients with refractory metastatic breast cancer. As a novel topoisomerase I inhibitor in breast cancer, etirinotecan pegol holds great therapeutic potential, allowing the challenge of resistance in the advanced disease setting to be addressed.