Real-world experience with pertuzumab and trastuzumab combined with chemotherapy in neoadjuvant treatment for patients with early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer: the NEOPERSUR study.

PURPOSE: HER2-targeted therapies have dramatically improved outcomes of patients with HER2-positive breast cancer (BC), as demonstrated in neoadjuvant trials. This study aims to provide real-world evidence on the use and effectiveness of combined pertuzumab, trastuzumab and chemotherapy (CT) in early-stage HER2-positive BC. METHODS: A retrospective, multicentre study was conducted on patients diagnosed with HER2-positive early BC treated with neoadjuvant pertuzumab and trastuzumab plus CT at 13 Spanish sites. The primary endpoint was pathological complete response (pCR). RESULTS: A total of 310 patients were included. Pertuzumab and trastuzumab were combined with anthracyclines and taxanes, carboplatin and docetaxel, and taxane-based CT in 77.1%, 16.5%, and 6.5% of patients, respectively. Overall, the pCR rate was 62.2%. The pCR was higher amongst patients with hormone receptor-negative tumours and with tumours expressing higher levels of Ki-67 (> 20%). After postoperative adjuvant treatment, 13.9% of patients relapsed. Those patients who did not achieve pCR, with tumours at advanced stages (III), and with node-positive disease were more likely to experience distant relapse. Median overall survival (OS) and distant disease-free survival (D-DFS) were not reached at the study end. The estimated mean OS and D-DFS times were 7.5 (95% CI 7.3-7.7) and 7.3 (95% CI 7.1-7.5) years, respectively (both were significantly longer amongst patients who achieved pCR). Grade 3-4 anti-HER2 related toxicities were reported in six (1.9%) patients. CONCLUSION: Neoadjuvant pertuzumab and trastuzumab plus CT achieve high pCR rates in real-life patients with HER2-positive early BC, showing an acceptable safety profile. Innovative adjuvant strategies are essential in patients at high risk of distant disease recurrence.

Targeted axillary dissection in breast cancer by marking lymph node metastasis with a magnetic seed before starting neoadjuvant treatment.

We report the first documented clinical case of the use of magnetic seeds to mark axillary lymph node metastasis in breast cancer before neoadjuvant chemotherapy. After chemotherapy, the patient showed a complete radiological response. One single sentinel lymph node was detected using a radiotracer, while the marked node was intraoperative magnetometer-guided identified. The analysis of the nodes showed negative sentinel lymph node and positive marked node, and the subsequent targeted axillary dissection was performed. Marking axillary positive lymph nodes with a magnetic seed is a simple and effective procedure for the intraoperative localisation of the node after neoadjuvant treatment.

Leiomyo-adenomatoid tumor of the uterus: a distinct morphological entity?

INTRODUCTION: The morphologic and immunohistochemical findings of a well-circumscribed leiomyoadenomatoid tumor located in the posterior uterine wall are reported. CASE REPORT: The patient was a 55-year-old white woman who complained of peri/postmenopausal and irregular bleeding during the past 4 months. The adenomatoid component was intermingled with bland smooth muscle fascicles and was composed of vacuolated cells, tubules, and slit-like structures crossed by epithelial bridges. Immunohistochemistry revealed positivity to epithelial and mesothelial markers in the adenomatoid component and strong immunoreaction for smooth muscle markers in the leiomyomatous one. CONCLUSIONS: The well-defined circumscription and the presence of mesothelial component intermingled with the leiomyomatous proliferation favors the hypothesis that a leiomyo-adenomatoid tumor should be considered as a subtype of adenomatoid tumor with distinctive morphological features. Only four previous cases of this rare neoplasm have been reported to date, one in the epydidimis and the other three cases in the uterine wall, one of them affecting also to the right ovary.