Systemic Treatment for Brain Metastasis and Leptomeningeal Disease in Breast Cancer Patients.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Breast cancer with brain metastasis (BCBM) and leptomeningeal disease (LMD) are important clinical problems. Traditionally, patients with metastases to the brain and meninges were excluded from clinical trials; hence, robust, evidence-based treatment recommendations are lacking. In this review, we outline the systemic treatment options and ongoing clinical trials. RECENT FINDINGS: Several recent studies have added to the systemic treatment options available. Antibody-drug conjugates have changed the therapeutic landscape. Combination treatment modalities that target multiple mechanisms including disruption of the blood brain barrier are increasingly being studied. Breast cancer with brain metastases and LMD is a heterogenous disease. While the prognosis remains grim, with more systemic treatment options, patients with BCBM are now living longer. Many ongoing clinical trials hold promise to further improve outcomes.

Ethnicity-Specific Differences in Liver Transplant Outcomes Among Adults With Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis: 2005-2017 United Network for Organ Sharing/Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Lack of effective medical therapies for primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) leads to continued disease progression to end-stage liver disease requiring liver transplantation (LT). Few studies have specifically evaluated whether ethnic disparities in LT outcomes exist among adults awaiting LT. We aimed to evaluate ethnicity-specific differences in LT outcomes among adults with PSC in the US. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated US adults (aged ≥ 18 years) with PSC without hepatocellular carcinoma listed for LT using the 2005-2017 United Network for Organ Sharing database. Ethnicity-specific differences in overall waitlist survival and probability of receiving LT were evaluated using competing risks regression analyses and adjusted multivariable Cox proportional hazards models. Overall survival after LT was evaluated with Kaplan-Meier methods and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: Among 4046 patients with PSC listed for LT (69.2% men, 82.2% non-Hispanic white, 12.4% African American, 3.9% Hispanic, 1.6% Asian), significantly higher risk of waitlist death was men vs. women (Standardized hazard ratio (SHR) = 1.50, 95% CI: 1.05-2.12, P = 0.025), but no ethnicity-specific differences were observed. Compared with non-Hispanic whites, Hispanics had significantly lower probability of receiving LT (SHR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.54-0.98, P = 0.035). Among patients with PSC and end-stage liver disease who underwent LT, African Americans had significantly higher risk of post-LT death compared with non-Hispanic whites (SHR = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.21-2.32, P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Among a large cohort of US adults with PSC awaiting LT, significant ethnicity-specific disparities in LT outcomes were observed. Lower probability of LT in Hispanics and significantly higher risk of post-LT death in African Americans were observed.