Metastatic inflammatory breast cancer: survival outcomes and prognostic factors in the national, multicentric, and real-life French cohort (ESME).

BACKGROUND: Primary inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare and aggressive entity whose prognosis has been improved by multimodal therapy. However, 5-year overall survival (OS) remains poor. Given its low incidence, the prognosis of IBC at metastatic stage is poorly described. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study aimed to compare OS calculated from the diagnosis of metastatic disease between IBC patients and non-IBC patients in the Epidemiological Strategy and Medical Economics database (N = 16 702 patients). Secondary objectives included progression-free survival (PFS) after first-line metastatic treatment, identification of prognostic factors for OS and PFS, and evolution of survival during the study period. RESULTS: From 2008 to 2014, 7465 patients with metastatic breast cancer and known clinical status of their primary tumor (T) were identified (582 IBC and 6883 non-IBC). Compared with metastatic non-IBC, metastatic IBC was associated with less hormone receptor-positive (44% versus 65.6%), more human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive (30% versus 18.6%), and more triple-negative (25.9% versus 15.8%) cases, more frequent de novo M1 stage (53.3% versus 27.7%; P < 0.001), and shorter median disease-free interval (2.02 years versus 4.9 years; P < 0.001). With a median follow-up of 50.2 months, median OS was 28.4 months [95% confidence interval (CI) 24.1-33.8 months] versus 37.2 months (95% CI 36.1-38.5 months) in metastatic IBC and non-IBC cases, respectively (P < 0.0001, log-rank test). By multivariate analysis, OS was significantly shorter in the metastatic IBC group compared with the metastatic non-IBC group [hazard ratio = 1.27 (95% CI 1.1-1.4); P = 0.0001]. Survival of metastatic IBC patients improved over the study period: median OS was 24 months (95% CI 20-31.9 months), 29 months (95% CI 21.7-39.9 months), and 36 months (95% CI 27.9-not estimable months) if diagnosis of metastatic disease was carried out until 2010, between 2011 and 2012, and from 2013, respectively (P = 0.003). CONCLUSION: IBC is independently associated with adverse outcome when compared with non-IBC in the metastatic setting.

Efficacy and tolerance of everolimus in 123 consecutive advanced ER positive, HER2 negative breast cancer patients. A two center retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Since the publication of the Bolero-2 trial, everolimus has entered the routine care for advanced endocrine resistant luminal breast cancer (BC). We evaluated our practice 2 years after the French marketing authorization (July 2012). METHODS: One hundred and twenty three consecutive patients were treated with everolimus combined with endocrine treatment in two French Cancer Centers. All patients had luminal (ER positive, HER2 negative) BC and had been previously treated with endocrine therapy for advanced disease. RESULTS: Median age at initiation of everolimus was 63 y (36-84). Median delay from cancer diagnosis to everolimus was 12.6 y (1.3-34.8). Grade 2 or 3 side effects were experienced by 49.6% and 32.5% of the patients, respectively. Most frequent side effects were grade 2/3 mucositis (32.6%/11.2%), grade 1/2 decreased appetite (24.4%/13.8%), and grade 1/2 rash (28.5%/13.8%). At a median follow up of 10 months, median progression free survival was 9 months (0.4-26+), and median overall survival was 21 months (0.4-26+). CONCLUSIONS: In routine practice everolimus efficacy appears very close to the Bolero-2 results, although in more heavily pretreated patients. Everolimus based therapy appears feasible and side effects are similar to those previously reported. These data support the use of everolimus in daily practice.

Neoadjuvant treatment with docetaxel plus lapatinib, trastuzumab, or both followed by an anthracycline-based chemotherapy in HER2-positive breast cancer: results of the randomised phase II EORTC 10054 study.

BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant trials conducted using a double HER2 blockade with lapatinib and trastuzumab, combined with different paclitaxel-containing chemotherapy regimens, have shown high pathological complete response (pCR) rates, but at the cost of important toxicity. We hypothesised that this toxicity might be due to a specific interaction between paclitaxel and lapatinib. This trial assesses the toxicity and activity of the combination of docetaxel with lapatinib and trastuzumab. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with stage IIA to IIIC HER2-positive breast cancer received six cycles of chemotherapy (three cycles of docetaxel followed by three cycles of fluorouracil, epirubicin, cyclophosphamide). They were randomised 1 : 1 : 1 to receive during the first three cycles either lapatinib (1000 mg orally daily), trastuzumab (4 mg/kg loading dose followed by 2 mg/kg weekly), or trastuzumab + lapatinib at the same dose. The primary end point was pCR rate defined as ypT0/is. Secondary end points included safety and toxicity. pCR rate defined as ypT0/is ypN0 was assessed as an exploratory analysis. In June 2012, arm A was closed for futility based on the results from other studies. RESULTS: From October 2010 to January 2013, 128 patients were included in 14 centres. The percentage of the 122 assessable patients with pCR in the breast, and pCR in the breast and nodes, was numerically highest in the lapatinib + trastuzumab group (60% and 56%, respectively), intermediate in the trastuzumab group (52% and 52%), and lowest in the lapatinib group (46% and 36%). Frequency (%) of the most common grade 3-4 toxicities in the lapatinib /trastuzumab/lapatinib + trastuzumab arms were: febrile neutropenia 23/15/10, diarrhoea 9/2/18, infection (other) 9/4/8, and hepatic toxicity 0/2/8. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates a numerically modest pCR rate increase with double anti-HER2 blockade plus chemotherapy, but suggests that the use of docetaxel rather than paclitaxel may not reduce toxicity. CLINICALTRIALSGOV: NCT00450892.

[Intramedullary metastases and syringomyelic cavities]. / Métastases médullaires et cavités syringomyéliques.

Intramedullary metastases from a non neurogenic cancer are relatively rare, representing approximately 1-2,1% of metastatic sites according to published autopsy reports. Their association with syrinx is extremely rare. Four cases have been described in the last 30 years. We report the case of a 60 year old female with past medical history of Peutz-Jeghers disease, who presented with clinical signs suggestive of medullary lesions of the cervical spine. MR imaging showed tumoral lesions at different levels associated with syrinx. Surgical biopsy confirmed the intramedullary lesions which, by pathology, were found to be of metastatic origin.

[Mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma. A retrospective anatomic-clinical study of 26 cases]. / Lymphomes médiastinaux à grandes cellules B. Etude anatomoclinique rétrospective de 26 cas.

Mediastinal B-cell lymphomas (with or without sclerosis) have been recently recognized as an entity with particular clinical features. We report 26 patients with a mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma. They represent 5% of the patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and 2% of all non-Hodgkin's lymphoma seen in our centre between 1962 and 1990. They include 19 females (73%) and 7 males (27%). The sex ratio was 2.7 and the median age was 44 years (range: 17-84 years). Compressive symptoms in relation with a bulky mediastinum were present in 21 cases (80%) and with B symptoms in 5 cases. All these patients received 2 to 4 cycles of chemotherapy with a CHOP-like protocol (epirubicin or doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine and prednisone) followed in 24 cases by mediastinum irradiation (40 Gy). Two patients progressed during chemotherapy and did not receive radiotherapy. Nineteen patients had a consolidation chemotherapy according to the same protocol. Twenty-one patients achieved a complete remission after chemotherapy or radiotherapy and 5 failed. Two patients relapsed at 10 months and 9 years. Seventeen patients are alive and in first complete remission with a median follow-up of 102 months (range: 60-260 months). Using the Kaplan-Meier method, the overall survival at 5 and 10 years was respectively 77 and 61% and the relapse-free survival was respectively 68 and 57%. These results confirm the previous findings concerning this distinct entity which is characterized by a predilection for young women, compressive symptoms, a slow response to treatment and a rather good prognosis.