A Phase II Study Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of Sunitinib Malate in Combination With Weekly Paclitaxel Followed by Doxorubicin and Daily Oral Cyclophosphamide Plus G-CSF as Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Locally Advanced or Inflammatory Breast Cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is standard treatment for locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) or inflammatory breast cancer (IBC). We hypothesized that adding sunitinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor with antitumor and antiangiogenic activity, to an anthracycline and taxane regimen would improve pathologic complete response (pCR) rates to a prespecified endpoint of 45% in patients with HER2-negative LABC or IBC. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter, phase II trial of neoadjuvant sunitinib with paclitaxel (S+T) followed by doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide plus G-CSF for patients with HER2-negative LABC or IBC. Patients received sunitinib 25 mg PO daily with paclitaxel 80 mg/m2 IV weekly ×12 followed by doxorubicin 24 mg/m2 IV weekly + cyclophosphamide 60 mg/m2 PO daily with G-CSF support. Response was evaluated using pCR in the breast and the CPS + EG score (clinical-pathologic scoring + estrogen receptor [ER] and grade). RESULTS: Seventy patients enrolled, and 66 were evaluable for efficacy. Eighteen patients (27%) had pCR in the breast (10 had ER+ disease and 8 had triple-negative disease). When defining response as pCR and/or CPS + EG score ≤2, 31 (47%) were responders. In pateints with ER positive disease, 23 (64%) were responders. The most common toxicities were cytopenias and fatigue. CONCLUSIONS: Neoadjuvant S+T followed by AC+G-CSF was safe and tolerable in LABC and IBC. The study did not meet the prespecified endpoint for pCR; however, 47% were responders using pCR and/or CPS + EG score ≤2. ER positive patients had the highest response rate (64%). The addition of sunitinib to neoadjuvant chemotherapy may provide promising incremental benefit for patients with ER positive LABC.

Adjuvant continuous metronomic adriamycin + cyclophosphamide followed by weekly nab-paclitaxel for high-risk early-stage breast cancer.

Many studies have sought to optimize the dosing schedule of adjuvant chemotherapy in early-stage breast cancer. Here, we assessed the use of continuous metronomic weekly doxorubicin plus daily oral cyclophosphamide (AC) with continuous G-CSF growth factor support for 12 weeks followed by weekly nab-paclitaxel (nP) for 12 weeks. A nonrandomized phase II clinical trial was designed to assess (1) DFS at 2 years, (2) dose delivered, (3) use of nP in the adjuvant setting, and (4) toxicities. The dosing of A was 24 mg/m2 IV weekly and C was 60 mg/m2 oral daily (with scheduled filgrastim 5mcg/kg 6 days/week); nP, 100 mg/m2 IV weekly. For patients with HER2 + disease, trastuzumab was started during the nP portion of therapy and continued for 12 months. Sixty patients enrolled with a median follow-up of 6 years. Node-positive disease was present in 58% of patients. Receptor categories included hormone receptor positive/HER2 negative (n = 25; 42%); triple negative (n = 19; 32%); or HER2 positive (n = 16; 27%). DFS at 2 years was 93%. Mean dose delivered was greater than 90% for metronomic AC and 88% for nP. Treatment was well tolerated with a 2% incidence of febrile neutropenia. Continuous metronomic AC followed by nP was well tolerated in our patients with comparable DFS to historical controls.

NCCN Guidelines Insights: Antiemesis, Version 2.2017.

The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) for Antiemesis address all aspects of management for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. These NCCN Guidelines Insights focus on recent updates to the NCCN Guidelines for Antiemesis, specifically those regarding carboplatin, granisetron, and olanzapine.

Adjuvant Metronomic CMF in a Contemporary Breast Cancer Cohort: What's Old Is New.

BACKGROUND: Commonly used adjuvant systemic therapies harbor high rates of severe short-term and long-term side effects but are often justified to patients because of curative intent in early-stage breast cancer. One of the oldest and least toxic adjuvant regimens, CMF (oral cyclophosphamide given with intravenous methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil), has been largely abandoned because of the perception that it underperforms for survival outcomes compared with modern regimens containing anthracycline and/or taxanes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To address this misperception, we performed a review of all consecutive breast cancer patients at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance over the past decade who received 6 months of adjuvant CMF as their sole chemotherapy regimen and determined rates for relapse-free survival (RFS), overall survival (OS), and major organ toxicity. From January 2003 to August 2013, 248 patients (median age of 52 years at the start of chemotherapy) met criteria for inclusion in this series and had a median follow-up of 67 months. RESULTS: RFS and OS at 5 years was 94.5% (91.3%-97.9%) and 98% (96%-100%), respectively. The only major organ toxicity that occurred in > 5% of patients was Grade 3 neutropenia (18.1%, 24 patients). One patient died during therapy from pneumocystis pneumonia attributed to previously undiagnosed AIDS. CONCLUSION: In a modern cohort of patients thoroughly characterized for Grade and hormone receptor status, CMF was a well-tolerated and effective adjuvant regimen for early-stage breast cancer and should be considered for appropriately selected patients.

Treatment-induced bone loss and fractures in cancer patients undergoing hormone ablation therapy: efficacy and safety of denosumab.

Hormone ablation therapy (HALT) for breast or prostate cancer accelerates the development of osteoporosis in both men and women by causing estrogen deficiency, which increases the risk for fracture by promoting bone resorption mediated by osteoclasts. Denosumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody that inhibits osteoclast formation and function, increases bone mass in patients undergoing hormone ablation therapy. In the HALT study of 1,468 men with prostate cancer on androgen-deprivation therapy, denosumab significantly reduced the risk of new vertebral fractures, increased bone mineral density (BMD), and reduced markers of bone turnover. In a study of 252 women with breast cancer undergoing adjuvant aromatase inhibitor (AI) therapy, denosumab increased BMD at 12 and 24 months, overall and in all patient subgroups. The overall rates of adverse events were similar to placebo. Clinicians should consider fracture risk assessment and therapies such as denosumab to increase bone mass in patients on hormone ablation therapy who are at high risk for fracture.

Fluoroestradiol positron emission tomography reveals differences in pharmacodynamics of aromatase inhibitors, tamoxifen, and fulvestrant in patients with metastatic breast cancer.

PURPOSE: To determine, by molecular imaging, how in vivo pharmacodynamics of estrogen-estrogen receptor (ER) binding differ between types of standard endocrine therapy. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: The ER has been a highly successful target for breast cancer treatment. ER-directed treatments include lowering ligand concentration by using aromatase inhibitors (AI) and blocking the receptor with agents like tamoxifen (TAM) or fulvestrant (FUL). We measured regional estrogen-ER binding by using positron emission tomography with (18)F-fluoroestradiol (FES PET) prior to and during treatment with AI, TAM, or FUL in a series of 30 metastatic breast cancer patients. FES PET measured in vivo estrogen binding at all tumor sites in heavily pretreated women with metastatic bone soft tissue-dominant breast cancer. In patients with uterus (n = 16) changes in uterine FES uptake were also measured. RESULTS: As expected, tumor FES uptake declined more markedly on ER blockers (TAM and FUL, average 54% decline) compared with a less than 15% average decline on estrogen-depleting AIs (P < 0.001). The rate of complete tumor blockade [FES standardized uptake value (SUV) ≤1.5] following TAM (5/5 patients) was greater than the blockade rate following FUL (4/11; 2-sided mid P = 0.019). Percent FES SUV change in the uterus showed a strong association with tumoral change (ρ = 0.63, P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: FES PET can assess the in vivo pharmacodynamics of ER-targeted agents and may give insight into the activity of established therapeutic agents. Imaging revealed significant differences between agents, including differences in the efficacy of blockade by different ER antagonists in current clinical use.

PET tumor metabolism in locally advanced breast cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy: value of static versus kinetic measures of fluorodeoxyglucose uptake.

PURPOSE: Changes in tumor metabolism from positron emission tomography (PET) in locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NC) are predictive of pathologic response. Serial dynamic [(18)F]-FDG (fluorodeoxyglucose) PET scans were used to compare kinetic parameters with the standardized uptake value (SUV) as predictors of pathologic response, disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS). EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Seventy-five LABC patients underwent FDG PET prior to and at midpoint of NC. FDG delivery (K(1)), FDG flux (K(i)), and SUV measures were calculated and compared by clinical and pathologic tumor characteristics using regression methods and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Associations between K(1), K(i), and SUV and DFS and OS were evaluated using the Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: Tumors that were hormone receptor negative, high grade, highly proliferative, or of ductal histology had higher FDG K(i) and SUV values; on an average, FDG K(1) did not differ systematically by tumor features. Predicting pathologic response in conjunction with estrogen receptor (ER) and axillary lymph node positivity, kinetic measures (AUC = 0.97) were more robust predictors than SUV (AUC = 0.84, P = 0.005). Changes in K(1) and K(i) predicted both DFS and OS, whereas changes in SUV predicted OS only. In multivariate modeling, only changes in K(1) remained an independent prognosticator of DFS and OS. CONCLUSION: Kinetic measures of FDG PET for LABC patients treated with NC accurately measured treatment response and predicted outcome compared with static SUV measures, suggesting that kinetic analysis may hold advantage of static uptake measures for response assessment.

Phase III comparison of standard doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide versus weekly doxorubicin and daily oral cyclophosphamide plus granulocyte colony-stimulating factor as neoadjuvant therapy for inflammatory and locally advanced breast cancer: SWOG 0012.

PURPOSE: Patients with inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) or locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) were randomly assigned to 21-day doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide administered for five cycles (standard arm) versus weekly doxorubicin and daily oral cyclophosphamide administered with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor support for 15 weeks (continuous arm). All patients had subsequent weekly paclitaxel for 12 weeks before surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients (n = 372) were randomly assigned to the standard arm (n = 186) or the continuous arm (n = 186) stratified by disease type (LABC, n = 256; IBC, n = 116). The primary outcome was microscopic pathologic complete response (pCR) at surgery. Secondary outcomes included disease-free survival, overall survival, and toxicity. RESULTS: More patients in the standard arm had grade 3 to 4 leukopenia and neutropenia, but there were more instances of stomatitis/pharyngitis and hand-foot skin reaction in the continuous arm. Assessed among 356 eligible patients, pCR was not different between the treatment groups stratified by disease type (P = .42). In subset analysis, higher pCR rates were observed in the continuous arm versus the standard arm only for stage IIIB disease (P = .0057) and in IBC (P = .06). Comparison of overall survival and disease-free survival showed no difference between treatment groups (P = .37 and P = .87, respectively). CONCLUSION: No significant clinical benefit was seen for the investigational arm in this trial overall.

Screening for clonal hematopoiesis as a predictive marker for development of therapy-related myeloid neoplasia (t-MN) following neoadjuvant therapy for breast cancer: a Southwest Oncology Group study (S0012).

A serious complication associated with breast cancer treatment is the increased risk for development of therapy-related myeloid neoplasms (t-MN). To determine whether dose-intensive adjuvant regimens for breast cancer induce genetic damage to hematopoietic stem cells, defined by the emergence of clonal hematopoiesis, and whether detection of clonal hematopoiesis could be used as an early marker for the subsequent development of t-MN, the Southwest Oncology Group designed a pilot clonality investigation to estimate the incidence of clonal hematopoiesis during and shortly after completion of the dose intensive neoadjuvant regimens for high-risk breast cancer patients. Peripheral blood samples from 274 patients obtained prior to treatment, at time of surgery, and at 6 and 12 months post-surgery were examined by two different clonality assays: the HUMARA (HUMan Androgen Receptor) assay to estimate the incidence of early genetic damage by clonal proliferation, and microsatellite instability (MSI) testing to screen for LOH or defective DNA mismatch repair mechanisms. Clonal hematopoiesis was negative in 93.5% of the samples analyzed. Five patients showed a HUMARA-positive/MSI-negative pattern, and no patients showed a HUMARA-negative/MSI-positive pattern. With a median follow-up of 3.1 years, one patient in our study developed t-AML at 3 years 5 months after randomization. Our results indicate that clonal hematopoiesis assays performed within the 2 years following dose-intensive neoadjuvant therapy failed to identify an emerging clonal hematopoietic stem cell population. Longer clinical follow-up will be necessary to define better the positive predictive value of detecting clonal hematopoiesis in the HUMARA+/MSI- cases.

The science and practice of bone health in oncology: managing bone loss and metastasis in patients with solid tumors.

Cancer and its treatment can compromise bone health, leading to fracture, pain, loss of mobility, and hypercalcemia of malignancy. Bone metastasis occurs frequently in advanced prostate and breast cancers, and bony manifestations are commonplace in multiple myeloma. Osteoporosis and osteopenia may be consequences of androgen-deprivation therapy for prostate cancer, aromatase inhibition for breast cancer, or chemotherapy-induced ovarian failure. Osteoporotic bone loss and bone metastasis ultimately share a pathophysiologic pathway that stimulates bone resorption by increasing the formation and activity of osteoclasts. Important mediators of pathologic bone metabolism include substances produced by osteoblasts, such as RANKL, the receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand, which spurs osteoclast differentiation from myeloid cells. Available therapies are targeted to various steps in cascade of bone metastasis.

Effect of denosumab on bone mineral density in women receiving adjuvant aromatase inhibitors for non-metastatic breast cancer: subgroup analyses of a phase 3 study.

Denosumab increased lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD) versus placebo in a 2-year, randomized, placebo-controlled, phase 3 study of patients with hormone-receptor-positive, non-metastatic breast cancer and low bone mass who were receiving adjuvant aromatase inhibitor therapy. In subgroup analyses at 12 and 24 months, we evaluated factors (duration and type of aromatase inhibitor, tamoxifen use, age, time since menopause, body mass index, T-score) that might influence BMD at the lumbar spine, total hip, femoral neck, and 1/3 radius. Patients were randomized to receive placebo (n = 125) or 60 mg denosumab (n = 127) subcutaneously every 6 months. In all subgroups, 12 or 24 months' treatment with denosumab was associated with larger BMD gains than placebo across multiple skeletal sites. Most increases were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Twice-yearly administration of denosumab, regardless of patient subgroup or skeletal site, resulted in consistent increases in BMD versus placebo at 12 and 24 months.

Randomized trial of denosumab in patients receiving adjuvant aromatase inhibitors for nonmetastatic breast cancer.

PURPOSE: Adjuvant aromatase inhibitor therapy is well established in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, but such therapy is complicated by accelerated bone loss and increased fracture risk. We investigated the ability of denosumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody against receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB ligand, to protect against aromatase inhibitor-induced bone loss. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eligible women with hormone receptor-positive nonmetastatic breast cancer treated with adjuvant aromatase inhibitor therapy were stratified by duration of aromatase inhibitor therapy (< or = 6 v > 6 months), received supplemental calcium and vitamin D, and were randomly assigned to receive placebo (n = 125) or subcutaneous denosumab 60 mg (n = 127) every 6 months. At enrollment, all patients were required to have evidence of low bone mass, excluding osteoporosis. The primary end point was percentage change from baseline at month 12 in lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD). RESULTS: At 12 and 24 months, lumbar spine BMD increased by 5.5% and 7.6%, respectively, in the denosumab group versus placebo (P < .0001 at both time points). Increases were observed as early as 1 month and were not influenced by duration of aromatase inhibitor therapy. Increases in BMD were also observed at the total hip, total body, femoral neck, and the predominantly cortical one-third radius. Bone turnover markers decreased with denosumab treatment. Overall incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs) was similar between treatment groups. CONCLUSION: In women with nonmetastatic breast cancer and low bone mass who were receiving adjuvant aromatase inhibitor therapy, twice-yearly administration of denosumab led to significant increases in BMD over 24 months at trabecular and cortical bone, with overall AE rates similar to those of placebo.

Tumor metabolism and blood flow changes by positron emission tomography: relation to survival in patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced breast cancer.

PURPOSE: Patients with locally advanced breast carcinoma (LABC) receive preoperative chemotherapy to provide early systemic treatment and assess in vivo tumor response. Serial positron emission tomography (PET) has been shown to predict pathologic response in this setting. We evaluated serial quantitative PET tumor blood flow (BF) and metabolism as in vivo measurements to predict patient outcome. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty-three women with primary LABC underwent dynamic [(18)F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and [(15)O]water PET scans before and at midpoint of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The FDG metabolic rate (MRFDG) and transport (FDG K(1)) parameters were calculated; BF was estimated from the [(15)O]water study. Associations between BF, MRFDG, FDG K(1), and standardized uptake value and disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated using the Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: Patients with persistent or elevated BF and FDG K(1) from baseline to midtherapy had higher recurrence and mortality risks than patients with reductions. In multivariable analyses, BF and FDG K(1) changes remained independent prognosticators of DFS and OS. For example, in the association between BF and mortality, a patient with a 5% increase in tumor BF had a 67% higher mortality risk compared with a patient with a 5% decrease in tumor BF (hazard ratio = 1.67; 95% CI, 1.24 to 2.24; P < .001). CONCLUSION: LABC patients with limited or no decline in BF and FDG K(1) experienced higher recurrence and mortality risks that were greater than the effects of clinical tumor characteristics. Tumor perfusion changes over the course of neoadjuvant chemotherapy measured directly by [(15)O]water or indirectly by dynamic FDG predict DFS and OS.

Serial 2-[18F] fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) to monitor treatment of bone-dominant metastatic breast cancer predicts time to progression (TTP).

BACKGROUND: The response of bone-dominant (BD) breast cancer to therapy is difficult to assess by conventional imaging. Our preliminary studies have shown that quantitative serial 2-[(18)F] fluoro-2-deoxy-D: -glucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) correlates with therapeutic response of BD breast cancer, but the relationship to long-term outcome measures is unknown. Our goal was to evaluate the prognostic power of serial FDG PET in BD breast cancer patients undergoing treatment. METHODS: We reviewed medical records of 405 consecutive breast cancer patients referred for FDG PET. Of these, 28 demonstrated metastatic BD breast cancer, were undergoing treatment, had at least 2 serial PET scans, and had abnormal FDG uptake on the first scan. Standardized uptake value (SUV) for the most conspicuous bone lesion at the initial scan, absolute change in SUV over an interval of 1-17 months, and percent change in SUV were considered as predictors of time-to-progression (TTP) and time to skeletal-related event (t-SRE). RESULTS: Using proportional hazards regression, smaller percentage decreases in SUV (or increases in SUV) were associated with a shorter TTP (P < 0.006). A patient with no change in SUV was twice as likely to progress compared to a patient with a 42% median decrease in SUV. A higher SUV on the initial FDG PET predicted a shorter t-SRE (hazard ratio = 1.30, P < 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Changes in serial FDG PET may predict TTP in BD metastatic breast cancer patients. However, larger prospective trials are needed to validate changes in FDG PET as a surrogate endpoint for treatment response.

Quantitative fluoroestradiol positron emission tomography imaging predicts response to endocrine treatment in breast cancer.

PURPOSE: In breast cancer, [(18)F]fluoroestradiol (FES) positron emission tomography (PET) correlates with estrogen receptors (ER) expression and predicts response to tamoxifen. We tested the ability of FES-PET imaging to predict response to salvage hormonal treatment in heavily pretreated metastatic breast cancer patients, predominantly treated with aromatase inhibitors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Initial FES uptake measurements in 47 patients with ER-positive tumors were correlated with subsequent tumor response to 6 months of hormonal treatment. Most patients had bone dominant disease and prior tamoxifen exposure. Response was compared to initial FES-PET uptake, measured qualitatively and quantitatively using standardized uptake value (SUV) and estradiol-binding flux. RESULTS: Eleven of 47 patients (23%) had an objective response. While no patients with absent FES uptake had a response to treatment, the association between qualitative FES-PET results and response was not significant (P = .14). However, quantitative FES uptake and response were significantly associated; zero of 15 patients with initial SUV less than 1.5 responded to hormonal therapy, compared with 11 of 32 patients (34%) with SUV higher than 1.5 (P < .01). In the subset of patients whose tumors did not overexpress HER2/neu, 11 of 24 patients (46%) with SUV higher than 1.5 responded. CONCLUSION: Quantitative FES-PET can predict response to hormonal therapy and may help guide treatment selection. Treatment selection using quantitative FES-PET in our patient series would have increased the rate of response from 23% to 34% overall, and from 29% to 46% in the subset of patients lacking HER2/neu overexpression. A multi-institutional collaborative trial would permit definitive assessment of the value of FES-PET for therapeutic decision making.

Residual tumor uptake of [99mTc]-sestamibi after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced breast carcinoma predicts survival.

BACKGROUND: Studies utilizing serial [99mTc]-sestamibi (MIBI) scintimammography have reported accurate prediction of tumor response in patients with locally advanced breast carcinoma (LABC) undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The pathologic response of LABC to presurgical treatment regimens is a prognostic indicator of survival. The authors tested whether MIBI uptake posttherapy predicted survival. METHODS: Sixty-two patients with LABC underwent MIBI scintimammography just before chemotherapy and 2 months after treatment initiation. An additional MIBI scan was performed if treatment lasted >3 months. The affected breast was imaged within 10 minutes after injection to reflect early uptake, which the authors have shown to be related to tumor blood flow. MIBI uptake was quantified using the lesion-to-normal breast (L:N) ratio. Most patients (93%) received weekly dose-intensive doxorubicin-based treatment. Disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were compared with posttherapy primary MIBI uptake and with other established prognostic factors for neoadjuvantly treated LABC, namely, primary tumor pathologic response and posttherapy axillary lymph node status. RESULTS: Patients with high uptake on the last observed MIBI scan (i.e., the L:N ratio was greater than the median value) had poorer DFS and OS (P<0.01 and P=0.01, respectively). Residual MIBI uptake retained independent prognostic significance in preliminary multivariate analysis that included other established prognostic markers. CONCLUSIONS: High primary breast tumor MIBI uptake after neoadjuvant chemotherapy predicted poor survival, suggesting serial MIBI imaging may provide a useful quantitative surrogate end point for neoadjuvant chemotherapy trials. Given the association between MIBI uptake and tumor blood flow, this prognostic capability may be related to retained tumor vascularity after treatment.

Evaluation of the internal mammary lymph nodes by FDG-PET in locally advanced breast cancer (LABC).

The presence of internal mammary (IM) lymph node metastases in breast cancer predicts outcome and may alter treatment. Standard imaging has limited usefulness for evaluation of the IM chain because of low sensitivity. Our preliminary studies suggested that [F-18]-2-fluoro-d-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) improves the detection of IM and mediastinal metastases. We therefore performed a retrospective review of women who underwent FDG-PET prior to treatment to determine the benefit of PET for imaging IM disease. The records of 28 consecutive patients undergoing FDG-PET prior to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for suspected locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) were reviewed. The presence of abnormal IM uptake on FDG-PET was noted. IM uptake on FDG PET was compared with standard radiographic imaging and was correlated with putative risk factors for IM involvement and with clinical patterns of failure. Patients did not undergo IM biopsy; however, patterns of failure were assessed to validate the FDG-PET findings. Clearly abnormal FDG uptake in the IM nodes was seen in 7 of 28 women (25%). Prospective conventional chest imaging failed to identify IM metastases in any patient. IM uptake on PET was associated with large size of the primary tumor (P = 0.03) and with inflammatory disease (P = 0.04). The presence of IM FDG uptake predicted failure by a pattern consistent with spread from IM lymph node metastasis. FDG-PET appears to be a useful noninvasive modality to detect IM metastases in LABC. Pathologic verification in a prospective study is necessary to confirm these findings.

Impact of FDG PET on defining the extent of disease and on the treatment of patients with recurrent or metastatic breast cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to evaluate the impact of FDG PET on defining the extent of disease and on the treatment of patients with advanced breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The medical records of 125 consecutive patients with recurrent or metastatic breast cancer referred for FDG PET from January 1998 through May 2002 were retrospectively reviewed. The rationale for FDG PET referral and the impact of FDG PET on subsequent treatment decisions for patients were determined by chart review. The impact of FDG PET on defining the extent of disease was determined by comparing the FDG PET interpretation at the time of the examination with findings from conventional imaging (CI) performed before FDG PET. FDG PET results were confirmed in nearly half (n = 61) of the patients by histopathology (n = 23) or follow-up imaging (n = 38; mean follow-up interval, 21.3 months). RESULTS: Patients were referred for FDG PET for the following reasons: evaluation of disease response or viability after therapy (n = 43 [35%]), local recurrence, with intent of aggressive local treatment (n = 39 [31%]), equivocal findings on CI (n = 25 [20%]), evaluation of disease extent in patients with known metastases (n = 13 [10%]), and elevated tumor markers with unknown disease site (n = 5 [4%]). Compared with CI findings, the extent of disease increased in 54 (43%), did not change in 41 (33%), and decreased in 30 (24%) of 125 patients using FDG PET. Results of FDG PET altered the therapeutic plan in 40 (32%), directly helped to support the therapeutic plan in 34 (27%), and did not change the plan devised before FDG PET in 51 (41%) of 125 patients. FDG PET altered therapy most frequently in the patients suspected of having locoregional recurrence and in those being evaluated for treatment response versus other referral categories (p = 0.04). For patients with confirmation of FDG PET findings, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of FDG PET were 94%, 91%, and 92%, respectively. CONCLUSION: FDG PET contributes significantly to defining the extent of disease and deciding on treatment of patients with advanced breast cancer.

HER-2 testing in breast cancer using parallel tissue-based methods.

CONTEXT: Testing for HER-2 oncogene in breast cancer has increased because of its role as a prognostic and predictive factor. Some advocate gene testing by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) vs protein testing by immunohistochemistry as the method which most accurately evaluates and predicts response to the anti-HER-2 antibody, trastuzumab. However, critical examination of FISH on a screening basis has yet to be performed. OBJECTIVES: To determine the correlation between FISH and immunohistochemistry results by determining HER-2/neu gene status on tumor sections with indeterminate immunohistochemistry results (2+ score), confirm gene amplification on tumor sections with positive results (3+ score), and verify gene status on tumor sections with negative results (0 or 1+ score). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: A quality control and quality assurance program for HER-2 testing by FISH, which used tumor specimens from 2963 patients (median age, 56 years) with breast cancer received from 135 hospitals and cancer centers in 29 states, was performed at a reference laboratory from January 1, 1999, to May 15, 2003. Every specimen evaluated by FISH was parallel tested with immunohistochemistry tests. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: With FISH as the presumed standard testing method, the positive and negative predictive values and sensitivity and specificity of immunohistochemistry were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 3260 clinical HER-2 tests by FISH were performed on 2963 serially referred breast cancer specimens. Of these, 2933 tests were successful and 2913 breast cancer specimens had both FISH and immunohistochemistry results available. With FISH as the standard testing method, the positive predictive value of positive immunohistochemistry score (3+) was 91.6%, and the negative predictive value of negative immunohistochemistry score (0 or 1+) was 97.2%. The sensitivity of immunohistochemistry tests, including tumor sections with scores of 2+ or 3+, was 92.6% and the specificity of immunohistochemistry tests with scores of 3+ was 98.8%. The FISH test had a significantly higher failure rate (5% vs 0.08%) and reagent cost (140 dollars vs 10 dollars), and longer testing (36 hours vs 4 hours) and interpretation times (7 minutes vs 45 seconds) vs immunohistochemistry tests. CONCLUSIONS: A testing algorithm for HER-2 determination is most efficient by using immunohistochemistry as the method of choice, with FISH performed for cancers with indeterminate results (2+ score). Successful quality control and quality assurance programs are a prerequisite for such approaches.