Prognostic value of HPV circulating tumor DNA detection and quantification in locally advanced cervical cancer.

Background: Cervical cancers are mainly caused by an oncogenic HPV. For locally advanced stages, the standard treatment is radio-chemotherapy (RTCT) followed by brachytherapy. Nevertheless, the prognosis remains highly heterogeneous between patients. Objective: We investigated the prognostic value of HPV circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in locally advanced cervical cancers alongside that of Squamous Cell Carcinoma Antigen (SCC-A). Methods: This single-center retrospective study included patients treated in curative intent for an IB3 to IVA squamous cell cervical cancer. Quantification of HPV ctDNA in serum collected at diagnosis was performed using a multiplex digital PCR assay for the simultaneous detection of 8 HPV genotypes. Results: Among the 97 patients included, 76 patients (78.4%) were treated by RTCT, followed by brachytherapy for 57 patients (60%). HPV ctDNA was detected in 59/97 patients at diagnosis (60.8%). This detection was associated with lymph node invasion (p=0.04) but not with tumor stage. A high level of SCC-A at diagnosis was associated with tumor stage (p=0.008) and lymph node invasion (p=0.012). In univariate analysis, better disease-free survival (DFS) was associated with optimal RTCT regimen (p=0.002), exposure to brachytherapy (p=0.0001) and a low SCC-A at diagnosis (continuous analysis, p=0.002). Exploratory analysis revealed that 3/3 patients (100%) whose HPV ctDNA was still detectable at the end of treatment relapsed, while 6/22 patients (27.3%) whose HPV ctDNA was negative at the end of treatment relapsed. Conclusion: HPV ctDNA detection at diagnosis of locally advanced cervical squamous cell carcinomas is frequent and related to node invasion, but not to DFS. The prognostic value of HPV ctDNA detection after treatment warrants specific studies.

[French national standard for the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of upper aero-digestive tract - General principles of treatment]. / Référentiel national de traitement des carcinomes épidermoïdes des voies aérodigestives supérieures ­ Principes généraux de traitement.

OBJECTIVES: The management of upper aerodigestive tract cancers is a complex specialty. It is essential to provide an update to establish optimal care. At the initiative of the INCa and under the auspices of the SFORL, the scientific committee, led by Professor Béatrix Barry, Dr. Gilles Dolivet, and Dr. Dominique De Raucourt, decided to develop a reference framework aimed at defining, in a scientific and consensus-based manner, the general principles of treatment for upper aerodigestive tract cancers applicable to all sub-locations. METHODOLOGY: To develop this framework, a multidisciplinary team of practitioners was formed. A systematic analysis of the literature was conducted to produce recommendations classified by grades, in accordance with the standards of the French National Authority for Health (HAS). RESULTS: The grading of recommendations according to HAS standards has allowed the establishment of a reference for patient care based on several criteria. In this framework, patients benefit from differentiated care based on prognostic factors they present (age, comorbidities, TNM status, HPV status, etc.), conditions of implementation, and quality criteria for indicated surgery (operability, resectability, margin quality, mutilation, salvage surgery), as well as quality criteria for radiotherapy (target volume, implementation time, etc.). The role of medical and postoperative treatments was also evaluated based on specific criteria. Finally, supportive care must be organized from the beginning and throughout the patients' care journey. CONCLUSION: All collected data have led to the development of a comprehensive framework aimed at harmonizing practices nationally, facilitating decision-making in multidisciplinary consultation meetings, promoting equality in practices, and providing a state-of-the-art and reference practices for assessing the quality of care. This new framework is intended to be updated every 5 years to best reflect the latest advances in the field.

Prognostic value of circulating short-length DNA fragments in unresected glioblastoma patients.

BACKGROUND: Liquid biopsy application is still challenging in glioblastoma patients and the usefulness of short-length DNA (slDNA) fragments is not established. The aim was to investigate slDNA concentration as a prognostic marker in unresected glioblastoma patients. METHODS: Patients with unresected glioblastoma and treated by radiochemotherapy (RT/TMZ) were included. Plasmas were prospectively collected at three times: before (pre-) RT, after (post-) RT and at the time of progression. Primary objective was to investigate the impact on survival of slDNA concentration [slDNA] variation during RT/TMZ. Secondary objectives were to explore the association between tumor volume, corticosteroid exposition and [slDNA]; and the impact of slDNA detection at pre-RT on survival. RESULTS: Thirty-six patients were analyzed: 11 patients (30.6 %) experienced [slDNA] decrease during RT/TMZ, 22 patients (61.1 %) experienced increase and 3 patients (8.3 %) had stability. Decrease of [slDNA] during RT/TMZ was associated with better outcome compared to increase or stability: median OS, since end of RT, of 13.2 months [11.4 - NA] vs 10.1 months [7.8 - 12.6] and 6.8 months [4.5 - NA], p = 0.015, respectively. slDNA detection at pre-RT time was associated with improved OS: 11.7 months in the slDNA(+) group versus 8.8 months in the slDNA(-) group, p = 0.004. [slDNA] was not associated with corticosteroids exposition or tumor volume. No influence on survival was observed for both whole cfDNA concentration or slDNA peak size. CONCLUSION: [slDNA] decrease during radiochemotherapy phase is a favorable prognostic marker on OS for unresected glioblastoma patients. Larger and independent cohorts are now required. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrial, NCT02617745. Registered 1 December 2015, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02617745?term=glioplak&draw=2&rank=1.

Pregnancy After Breast Cancer in Young BRCA Carriers: An International Hospital-Based Cohort Study.

Importance: Young women with breast cancer who have germline pathogenic variants in BRCA1 or BRCA2 face unique challenges regarding fertility. Previous studies demonstrating the feasibility and safety of pregnancy in breast cancer survivors included limited data regarding BRCA carriers. Objective: To investigate cumulative incidence of pregnancy and disease-free survival in young women who are BRCA carriers. Design, Setting, and Participants: International, multicenter, hospital-based, retrospective cohort study conducted at 78 participating centers worldwide. The study included female participants diagnosed with invasive breast cancer at age 40 years or younger between January 2000 and December 2020 carrying germline pathogenic variants in BRCA1 and/or BRCA2. Last delivery was October 7, 2022; last follow-up was February 20, 2023. Exposure: Pregnancy after breast cancer. Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary end points were cumulative incidence of pregnancy after breast cancer and disease-free survival. Secondary end points were breast cancer-specific survival, overall survival, pregnancy, and fetal and obstetric outcomes. Results: Of 4732 BRCA carriers included, 659 had at least 1 pregnancy after breast cancer and 4073 did not. Median age at diagnosis in the overall cohort was 35 years (IQR, 31-38 years). Cumulative incidence of pregnancy at 10 years was 22% (95% CI, 21%-24%), with a median time from breast cancer diagnosis to conception of 3.5 years (IQR, 2.2-5.3 years). Among the 659 patients who had a pregnancy, 45 (6.9%) and 63 (9.7%) had an induced abortion or a miscarriage, respectively. Of the 517 patients (79.7%) with a completed pregnancy, 406 (91.0%) delivered at term (≥37 weeks) and 54 (10.4%) had twins. Among the 470 infants born with known information on pregnancy complications, 4 (0.9%) had documented congenital anomalies. Median follow-up was 7.8 years (IQR, 4.5-12.6 years). No significant difference in disease-free survival was observed between patients with or without a pregnancy after breast cancer (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.81-1.20). Patients who had a pregnancy had significantly better breast cancer-specific survival and overall survival. Conclusions and Relevance: In this global study, 1 in 5 young BRCA carriers conceived within 10 years after breast cancer diagnosis. Pregnancy following breast cancer in BRCA carriers was not associated with decreased disease-free survival. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03673306.

Treatment Response, Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes and Clinical Outcomes in Inflammatory Breast Cancer-Treated with Neoadjuvant Systemic Therapy.

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare (1%-5%), aggressive form of breast cancer, accounting for approximately 10% of breast cancer mortality. In the localized setting, standard of care is neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) ± anti-HER2 therapy, followed by surgery. Here we investigated associations between clinicopathologic variables, stromal tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (sTIL), and pathologic complete response (pCR), and the prognostic value of pCR. We included 494 localized patients with IBC treated with NACT from October 1996 to October 2021 in eight European hospitals. Standard clinicopathologic variables were collected and central pathologic review was performed, including sTIL. Associations were assessed using Firth logistic regression models. Cox regressions were used to evaluate the role of pCR and residual cancer burden (RCB) on disease-free survival (DFS), distant recurrence-free survival (DRFS), and overall survival (OS). Distribution according to receptor status was as follows: 26.4% estrogen receptor negative (ER-)/HER2-; 22.0% ER-/HER2+; 37.4% ER+/HER2-, and 14.1% ER+/HER2+. Overall pCR rate was 26.3%, being highest in the HER2+ groups (45.9% for ER-/HER2+ and 42.9% for ER+/HER2+). sTILs were low (median: 5.3%), being highest in the ER-/HER2- group (median: 10%). High tumor grade, ER negativity, HER2 positivity, higher sTILs, and taxane-based NACT were significantly associated with pCR. pCR was associated with improved DFS, DRFS, and OS in multivariable analyses. RCB score in patients not achieving pCR was independently associated with survival. In conclusion, sTILs were low in IBC, but were predictive of pCR. Both pCR and RCB have an independent prognostic role in IBC treated with NACT. SIGNIFICANCE: IBC is a rare, but very aggressive type of breast cancer. The prognostic role of pCR after systemic therapy and the predictive value of sTILs for pCR are well established in the general breast cancer population; however, only limited information is available in IBC. We assembled the largest retrospective IBC series so far and demonstrated that sTIL is predictive of pCR. We emphasize that reaching pCR remains of utmost importance in IBC.

Clinical relevance of circulating ESR1 mutations during endocrine therapy for advanced hormone-dependent endometrial carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: Endocrine therapy is frequently administered in patients with hormone dependent (HR+) metastatic endometrial cancer. ESR1 mutations have emerged as a key mechanism of aromatase inhibitor (AI) resistance in HR + metastatic breast cancer and can be monitored using circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). The aim of this study was to explore the incidence and clinical relevance of circulating ESR1 mutations in patients treated by AI or megestrol acetate (M) for advanced endometrial carcinoma. METHODOLOGY: This single-center retrospective study was performed at the Henri Becquerel Center (Rouen) and looked for circulating ESR1 gene mutations by droplet digital PCR (E380Q, L536R, Y537S, Y537N, Y537C, D538G, S463P) in patients with advanced HR + endometrial carcinoma treated between 2008 and 2020 for at least 30 days by AI or M. Analyses were performed before exposure and at progression/during endocrine therapy. RESULTS: Twenty-two patients were included: 13 were treated with AI, 12 of whom progressed; 9 patients were treated with M, 8 of whom progressed. 68.1% of the patients had low-grade endometrial carcinoma and 54.5% had received chemotherapy in the metastatic setting. The median duration of treatment was 152 days (min 47 - max 629) with AI and 155 days (min 91-max 1297) with M. Under AI, there was no ESR1 mutation at baseline, and one Y537C mutation at progression with a variant allele frequency (VAF) of 0.14%. Under M, one patient had a Y537C (VAF 0.2%) at baseline that disappeared during treatment. Another patient had a Y537S mutation emergence at progression after 91 days of treatment (VAF 1.83%). There was no significant difference between the circulating DNA concentration before and after hormone therapy (p = 0.16). CONCLUSION: ESR1 mutations do not seem to be involved in the mechanisms of resistance to AI or M in HR+ endometrial cancer. The clinical relevance of their detection is not demonstrated.

Real-world clinical and survival outcomes of patients with early relapsed triple-negative breast cancer from the ESME national cohort.

BACKGROUND: Early metastatic relapse of triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC) after anthracyclins and/or taxanes based (A/T) primary treatment represents a highly aggressive cancer situation requiring urgent characterisation and handling. Epidemio-Strategy-Medico-Economical-Metastatic Breast Cancer (ESME-MBC) database, a multicenter, national, observational cohort (NCT03275311) provides recent data on this entity. METHODS: All ESME patients diagnosed between 2008 and 2020 with mTNBC occurring as a relapse after a systemic neoadjuvant/adjuvant taxane and/or anthracycline-based chemotherapy were included. Early relapses were defined by a metastatic diagnosis up to 12 months of the end of neo/adjuvant A/T chemotherapy. We assessed overall survival (OS) and progression-free-survival under first-line treatment (PFS1) by early versus late relapse (≥12 months). RESULTS: Patients with early relapse (N = 881, 46%) were younger and had a larger tumour burden at primary diagnosis than those with late relapses (N = 1045). Early relapse rates appeared stable over time. Median OS was 10.1 months (95% CI 9.3-10.9) in patients with early relapse versus 17.1 months (95% CI 15.7-18.2) in those with late relapse (adjusted hazard-ratio (aHR): 1.92 (95% CI 1.73-2.13); p < 0.001). The median PFS1 was respectively 3.1 months (95% CI 2.9-3.4) and 5.3 months (95% CI 5.1-5.8); (aHR: 1.66; [95% CI 1.50-1.83]; p < 0.001). Among early relapsed patients, a higher number of metastatic sites, visceral disease but not treatment types, were independently associated with a poorer OS. CONCLUSION: These real-world data provide strong evidence on the dismal prognosis, higher treatment resistance and major unmet medical need associated with early relapsed mTNBC. Database registration: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier NCT032753.

Associated Factors with Breast Nurses Unplanned Interventions in Patients Treated for an Early Breast Cancer.

Background: The presence of a breast nurse is recommended to advise and guide early breast cancer patients before and during chemotherapy/radiation therapy, and at the end of planned treatments. Nevertheless, some patients will need extra guidance. Little is known about the predisposing factors for additional requests. Aim and Objective: Determine time, reasons, and risk factors for breast nurse unplanned solicitations. Design and Methods: This monocentric retrospective study included all early breast cancer patients treated with chemotherapy during 1 year. Unplanned solicitations (in person, by phone, or by e-mail) were recorded in the medical file. They were extracted and stratified in four categories: treatment adverse events, medical condition, psychological support, and counselling. Results: 368 unplanned solicitations were observed for 265 patients, 140 patients (52.8%) asked for at least one unplanned solicitation and 57 (21.5%) asked for at least three. There was no significant difference between the four categories. Most of unplanned solicitations occurred significantly during chemotherapy, essentially after first docetaxel infusion (57% of calls). In univariate and multivariate analyses, anxiolytic treatment was significantly associated with more unplanned solicitations (OR = 2, p = 0.02), while a personal breast cancer history was associated with fewer unplanned solicitations (OR = 0.49, p = 0.05). Conclusion: Breast nurse unplanned solicitations during adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy in early breast cancers are frequent. Even if patients with anxiolytic treatment have a slightly higher risk of solicitation, no typical profile of a patient who will need extra support exists. Because of its known toxicity, the first cycle of docetaxel is associated with a clear increase in solicitations. Despite physicians' consultations, breast nurses guidance, and leaflets on supportive care and treatments side effects, optimal patient management during early breast cancer remains challenging. Further randomized studies testing more customized tools are required to improve patient support.

Preoperative Radiation Therapy for Chemorefractory Localized Inflammatory Breast Cancer.

PURPOSE: Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare breast cancer subtype. Chemorefractory nonmetastatic IBC, defined by locoregional progression under neoadjuvant chemotherapy, is a rare situation with few therapeutic options. Owing to the rarity of this clinical presentation and the lack of specific data, no specific management guidelines exist. We evaluated whether preoperative radiation therapy/chemoradiotherapy could achieve locoregional control after first-line neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with IBC. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Patients with chemorefractory disease receiving preoperative radiation therapy were identified from a retrospective multicenter cohort of consecutive patients with IBC diagnosed between 2010 and 2017 at 7 oncology centers in France. RESULTS: Overall, 18 patients among the 364 patients (5%) treated for IBC had progressive disease during neoadjuvant chemotherapy. These patients had aggressive tumors with lymph node involvement at diagnosis (n = 17; 94.4%), triple-negative subtype (n = 11; 61.1%), Scarff Bloom and Richardson grade 3 (n = 10; 55.6%), and high Ki67 (median, 56.0%). After preoperative radiation therapy, all patients had a complete (n = 1; 5.6%) or partial (n = 17; 94.4%) locoregional response. One patient (5.6%) experienced acute grade 3 dermatitis. Twelve (66.7%) patients underwent surgery as planned. The estimated median follow-up was 31 months. The median overall survival, disease-free survival, distant metastases-free survival, and locoregional recurrence-free survival were 19 months, 4.5 months, 5 months, and 6 months, respectively. Ultimate locoregional control was obtained for 11 patients (61.1%), and 13 patients (72.2%) experienced metastatic progression. Triple-negative subtype (hazard ratio [HR], 15.54; P = .011) and surgery (HR, 0.23; P = .030) were significantly associated with overall survival in the univariate analysis. In multivariate analyses, the triple-negative subtype remained a significant prognostic factor (HR, 13.04; P = .021) for overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative radiation therapy is a feasible approach with acceptable toxicities. It allowed surgery and ultimate locoregional control in a majority of patients. The lack of translation into better survival has been a challenge, in part owing to the metastatic propensity of patients with chemorefractory IBC, especially in the overrepresented triple-negative population in this series.

Adjuvant Docetaxel in Node-Negative Breast Cancer Patients: A Randomized Trial of AGO-Breast Study Group, German Breast Group, and EORTC-Pathobiology Group.

BACKGROUND: In node-negative breast cancer (NNBC), a high risk of recurrence is determined by clinico-pathological or tumor-biological assessment. Taxanes may improve adjuvant chemotherapy. METHODS: NNBC 3-Europe, the first randomized phase-3 trial in node-negative breast cancer (BC) with tumor-biological risk assessment, recruited 4146 node-negative breast cancer patients from 2002 to 2009 in 153 centers. Risk assessment was performed by clinico-pathological factors (43%) or biomarkers (uPA/PAI-1, urokinase-type plasminogen activator/its inhibitor PAI-1). High-risk patients received six courses 5-fluorouracil (500 mg/m2), epirubicin (100 mg/m2), cyclophosphamide (500 mg/m2) (FEC), or three courses FEC followed by three courses docetaxel 100 mg/m2 (FEC-Doc). Primary endpoint was disease-free survival (DFS). RESULTS: In the intent-to-treat population, 1286 patients had received FEC-Doc, and 1255 received FEC. Median follow-up was 45 months. Tumor characteristics were equally distributed; 90.6% of tested tumors had high uPA/PAI-1-concentrations. Planned courses were given in 84.4% (FEC-Doc) and 91.5% (FEC). Five-year-DFS was 93.2% (95% C.I. 91.1-94.8) with FEC-Doc and 93.7% (91.7-95.3) with FEC. Five-year-overall survival was 97.0% (95.4-98.0) for FEC-Doc and 96.6% % (94.9-97.8) for FEC. CONCLUSIONS: With adequate adjuvant chemotherapy, even high-risk node-negative breast cancer patients have an excellent prognosis. Docetaxel did not further reduce the rate of early recurrences and led to significantly more treatment discontinuations.

Effect of a single dose of intravenous ketamine on the wish to hasten death in palliative care: A case report in advanced cancer.

OBJECTIVES: The suffering experienced by some patients at the end of their lives can lead to a wish to hasten death (WTHD). It is sometimes an existential suffering, refractory to palliative care even if well conducted, which leads to this desire. Since several years, in psychiatry, the rapid anti-suicidal effects of a single injection of ketamine have been proven. WTHD and suicidal ideation have similarities. The injection of a single dose of ketamine could have an efficiency on the desire to hasten death. METHODS: We report the case of a woman with advanced breast cancer expressing a WTHD, treated by ketamine. RESULTS: A 78-year-old woman expressed a WTHD (request for euthanasia) because of existential suffering following a loss of autonomy related to cancer. The suicide item was 4 on the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). She had no associated pain or depression. A single dose of intravenous ketamine 1 mg/kg over 40 min plus 1 mg of midazolam was injected. She had no adverse effects. From D1 post-injection to D3, the WTHD disappeared completely with a MADRS suicide item at 0. At D5, the WTHD started to reappear, and at D6, the previous speech was completely back. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESULTS: These results suggest an effect of ketamine on WTHD. This opens up the possibility of treating existential suffering at the end of life. The optimal dosage of this treatment would have to be determined as well as a maintenance of efficacy scheme.

Extended follow-up of a phase 2 trial of xevinapant plus chemoradiotherapy in high-risk locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: a randomised clinical trial.

INTRODUCTION: We report long-term efficacy and overall survival (OS) results from a randomised, double-blind, phase 2 study (NCT02022098) investigating xevinapant plus standard-of-care chemoradiotherapy (CRT) vs. placebo plus CRT in 96 patients with unresected locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (LA SCCHN). METHODS: Patients were randomised 1:1 to xevinapant 200 mg/day (days 1-14 of a 21-day cycle for 3 cycles), or matched placebo, plus CRT (cisplatin 100 mg/m2 every 3 weeks for 3 cycles plus conventional fractionated high-dose intensity-modulated radiotherapy [70 Gy/35 F, 2 Gy/F, 5 days/week for 7 weeks]). Locoregional control, progression-free survival, and duration of response after 3 years, long-term safety, and 5-year OS were assessed. RESULTS: The risk of locoregional failure was reduced by 54% for xevinapant plus CRT vs. placebo plus CRT but did not reach statistical significance (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.46; 95% CI, 0.19-1.13; P = .0893). The risk of death or disease progression was reduced by 67% for xevinapant plus CRT (adjusted HR 0.33; 95% CI, 0.17-0.67; P = .0019). The risk of death was approximately halved in the xevinapant arm compared with placebo (adjusted HR 0.47; 95% CI, 0.27-0.84; P = .0101). OS was prolonged with xevinapant plus CRT vs. placebo plus CRT; median OS not reached (95% CI, 40.3-not evaluable) vs. 36.1 months (95% CI, 21.8-46.7). Incidence of late-onset grade ≥3 toxicities was similar across arms. CONCLUSIONS: In this randomised phase 2 study of 96 patients, xevinapant plus CRT demonstrated superior efficacy benefits, including markedly improved 5-year survival in patients with unresected LA SCCHN.

Long-Term Results with Everolimus in Advanced Hormone Receptor Positive Breast Cancer in a Multicenter National Real-World Observational Study.

Everolimus is the first oral targeted therapy widely used in advanced HR+/HER2- breast cancer. We sought to evaluate the impact of everolimus-based therapy on overall survival in the ESME-MBC database, a national metastatic breast cancer cohort that collects retrospective data using clinical trial-like methodology including quality assessments. We compared 1693 patients having received everolimus to 5928 patients not exposed to everolimus in the same period. Overall survival was evaluated according to treatment line, and a propensity score with the inverse probability of treatment weighting method was built to adjust for differences between groups. Crude and landmark overall survival analyses were all compatible with a benefit from everolimus-based therapy. Adjusted hazard ratios for overall survival were 0.34 (95% CI: 0.16-0.72, p = 0.0054), 0.34 (95% CI: 0.22-0.52, p < 0.0001), and 0.23 (95% CI: 0.14-0.36, p < 0.0001) for patients treated with everolimus in line 1, 2, and 3 and beyond, respectively. No clinically relevant benefit on progression-free survival was observed. Causes for everolimus discontinuation were progressive disease (56.2%), adverse events (27.7%), and other miscellaneous reasons. Despite the limitations inherent to such retrospective studies, these results suggest that adding everolimus-based therapy to the therapeutic sequences in patients with advanced HR+/HER2- breast cancer may favorably affect overall survival.

Impact of lymphopenia on efficacy of nivolumab in head and neck cancer patients.

INTRODUCTION: Lymphopenia has been correlated with poorer survival in patients with metastatic cancers treated with anti-PD-1 immunotherapy. Treatments such as chemotherapy, surgery or radiotherapy can induce lymphopenia. Radiation-induced lymphopenia is common and prolonged in head and neck cancer (HNSCC) patients. We evaluated the impact of lymphopenia, on efficacy of anti PD-1 nivolumab immunotherapy in HNSCC patients. METHODS: a multicenter retrospective study included consecutive patients treated with nivolumab for recurrent/metastatic (R/M) HNSCC between January 2017 and June 2019. Lymphopenia was defined as lymphocyte counts below 1000 cells/mm3 upon initiation of nivolumab. Logistical regression was performed on factors associated with lymphopenia and ROC analyses assessed association between lymphopenia and survival. RESULTS: median age was 65. Of the 100 included patients, 60% had been treated by surgery, 67% had had first-line chemotherapy, and 89% loco-regional radiotherapy, 65% had concurrent chemotherapy with radiotherapy. Lymphopenia occurred in 56 (56%) patients upon initiation of nivolumab, with 29 (29%) patients having radiation-related lymphopenia. Prior locoregional radiotherapy was the only factor associated with lymphopenia upon initiation of nivolumab by logistical regression (OR 0.144 [0.029-0.706], p - 0.017). Lymphopenia upon initiation of nivolumab did not affect progression-free survival (PFS) (p - 0.815), overall survival (OS) (p - 0.783) or disease control rate (DCR) (p - 0.125). Locoregional symptomatology (HR - 2.37 [1.24-4.54], p - 0.009), metastatic symptomatology (HR - 4.74 [2.21-10.15], and persistent lymphopenia under nivolumab (HR 3.96 [1.19-13.17] p - 0.034) were associated with poorer OS in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Lymphopenia upon initiation of nivolumab was not associated with poorer survival in R/M HNSCC patients, but persistence of lymphopenia during immunotherapy might be a prognostic marker of patient survival.

Switch to fulvestrant and palbociclib versus no switch in advanced breast cancer with rising ESR1 mutation during aromatase inhibitor and palbociclib therapy (PADA-1): a randomised, open-label, multicentre, phase 3 trial.

BACKGROUND: In advanced oestrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, acquired resistance to aromatase inhibitors frequently stems from ESR1-mutated subclones, which might be sensitive to fulvestrant. The PADA-1 trial aimed to show the efficacy of an early change in therapy on the basis of a rising ESR1 mutation in blood (bESR1mut), while assessing the global safety of combination fulvestrant and palbociclib. METHODS: We did a randomised, open-label, phase 3 trial in 83 hospitals in France. Women aged at least 18 years with oestrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-2 were recruited and monitored for rising bESR1mut during first-line aromatase inhibitor (2·5 mg letrozole, 1 mg anastrozole, or 25 mg exemestane, orally once per day, taken continuously) and palbociclib (125 mg orally once per day on days 1-21 of a 28-day cycle) therapy. Patients with newly present or increased bESR1mut in circulating tumour DNA and no synchronous disease progression were randomly assigned (1:1) to continue with the same therapy or to switch to fulvestrant (500 mg intramuscularly on day 1 of each 28-day cycle and on day 15 of cycle 1) and palbociclib (dosing unchanged). The randomisation sequence was generated within an interactive web response system using a minimisation method (with an 80% random factor); patients were stratified according to visceral involvement (present or absent) and the time from inclusion to bESR1mut detection (<12 months or ≥12 months). The co-primary endpoints were investigator-assessed progression-free survival from random assignment, analysed in the intention-to-treat population (ie, all randomly assigned patients), and grade 3 or worse haematological adverse events in all patients. The trial is registered with Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03079011), and is now complete. FINDINGS: From March 22, 2017, to Jan 31, 2019, 1017 patients were included, of whom 279 (27%) developed a rising bESR1mut and 172 (17%) were randomly assigned to treatment: 88 to switching to fulvestrant and palbociclib and 84 patients to continuing aromatase inhibitor and palbociclib. At database lock on July 31, 2021, randomly assigned patients had a median follow-up of 35·3 months (IQR 29·2-41·4) from inclusion and 26·0 months (13·8-34·3) from random assignment. Median progression-free survival from random assignment was 11·9 months (95% CI 9·1-13·6) in the fulvestrant and palbociclib group versus 5·7 months (3·9-7·5) in the aromatase inhibitor and palbociclib group (stratified HR 0·61, 0·43-0·86; p=0·0040). The most frequent grade 3 or worse haematological adverse events were neutropenia (715 [70·3%] of 1017 patients), lymphopenia (66 [6·5%]), and thrombocytopenia (20 [2·0%]). The most common grade 3 or worse adverse events in step 2 were neutropenia (35 [41·7%] of 84 patients in the aromatase inhibitor and palbociclib group vs 39 [44·3%] of 88 patients in the fulvestrant and palbociclib group) and lymphopenia (three [3·6%] vs four [4·5%]). 31 (3·1%) patients had grade 3 or worse serious adverse events related to treatment in the overall population. Three (1·7%) of 172 patients randomly assigned had one serious adverse event in step 2: one (1·2%) grade 4 neutropenia and one (1·2%) grade 3 fatigue among 84 patients in the aromatase inhibitor and palbociclib group, and one (1·1%) grade 4 neutropenia among 88 patients in the fulvestrant and palbociclib group. One death by pulmonary embolism in step 1 was declared as being treatment related. INTERPRETATION: PADA-1 is the first prospective randomised trial showing that the early therapeutic targeting of bESR1mut results in significant clinical benefit. Additionally, the original design explored in PADA-1 might help with tackling acquired resistance with new drugs in future trials. FUNDING: Pfizer.

Real-Time Detection of ESR1 Mutation in Blood by Droplet Digital PCR in the PADA-1 Trial: Feasibility and Cross-Validation with NGS.

The clinical actionability of circulating tumor DNA requires sensitive detection methods with a short turnaround time. In the PADA-1 phase 3 trial (NCT03079011), metastatic breast cancer patients treated with an aromatase inhibitor and palbociclib were screened every 2 months for activating ESR1 mutations in blood (bESR1mut). We report the feasibility of the droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) and cross-validation with next-generation sequencing (NGS). bESR1mut testing was centralized in two platforms using the same ddPCR assay. Results were reported as copies/mL of plasma and mutant allele frequency (MAF). We analyzed 200 positive ddPCR samples with an NGS assay (0.5-1% sensitivity). Overall, 12,552 blood samples were collected from 1017 patients from 83 centers. Among the 12,525 available samples with ddPCR results, 11,533 (92%) were bESR1mut-negative. A total of 267 patients newly displayed bESR1mut (26% patients/2% samples) with a median copy number of 14/mL (range: 4-1225) and a median MAF of 0.83% (0.11-35), 648 samples (20% patients/5% samples) displayed persistent bESR1mut, and 77 (<1%) samples encountered a technical failure. The median turnaround time from blood drawing to result notification was 13 days (Q1:9; Q3:21 days). Among 200 ddPCR-positive samples tested, NGS detected bESR1mut in 168 (84%); 25 of the 32 cases missed by NGS had low MAF and/or low coverage. In these 200 samples, bESR1mut MAF by both techniques had an excellent intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC = 0.93; 95% CI [0.85; 0.97]). These results from a large-scale trial support the feasibility and accuracy of real-time bESR1mut tracking by ddPCR, opening new opportunities for therapeutic interventions.

Randomised, open-label, multicentric phase III trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of palbociclib in combination with endocrine therapy, guided by ESR1 mutation monitoring in oestrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer patients: study design of PADA-1.

INTRODUCTION: The combination of a CDK4/6 inhibitor with an aromatase inhibitor (AI) has recently become the gold standard for AI-sensitive first line treatment of oestrogen receptor-positive (ER+) HER2-negative (HER2-) advanced breast cancer. However, most patients receiving this combination will ultimately progress and require further therapies.Several studies have demonstrated that the onset of a ESR1 gene mutation lead to AIs resistance in the advanced setting. ESR1 mutations can be detected in circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) using a digital PCR assay. Our study aims to prove the clinical efficacy of periodic monitoring for emerging or rise of ESR1 mutations in ctDNA to trigger an early change from AI plus palbociclib to fulvestrant plus palbociclib treatment while assessing global safety. METHODS: PADA-1 is a randomised, open-label, multicentric, phase III trial conducted in patients receiving AI and palbociclib as first line therapy for metastatic ER +HER2- breast cancer. 1000 patients will be included and treated with palbociclib in combination with an AI. Patients will be screened for circulating blood ESR1 mutation detection at regular intervals. Patients for whom a rising circulating ESR1 mutation is detected without tumour progression (up to N=200) will be randomised (1:1) between (1) Arm A: no modification of therapy; and (2) Arm B: palbociclib in combination with fulvestrant, a selective ER down-regulator. At tumour progression, an optional crossover will be offered to patients randomised in arm A. The coprimary endpoints are (1) Grade ≥3 haematological toxicities and their associations with baseline characteristics and (2) progression-free survival in randomised patients. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study has been approved by the French medicines agency (ANSM) and by an ethics committee (ref 01/17_1 CPP Ouest-IV Nantes) in January 2017. The trial results will be published in academic conference presentations and international peer-reviewed journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBERS: EudraCT: 2016-004360-18; NCT03079011.