Outcomes and Prognostic Factors in HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients Who Had Developed Brain Metastasis in the Treatment Process.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer are at risk for developing brain metastases. Different anti-HER2 treatments can be used in the management of the disease. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the prognosis and the factors affecting the prognosis in brain metastatic patients with HER2-positive breast cancer. METHODS: Clinical and pathological features of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients and magnetic resonance imaging features at the onset of brain metastasis were recorded. Survival analyses were performed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression methods. RESULTS: Analyses of the study were performed by including 83 patients. The median age was 49 (25-76). All patients had HER2 receptor-positive tumors. Thirty-five (42.2%) patients had a hormone-positive disease. Thirty-two (38.6%) patients had de novo metastatic disease. Brain metastasis sites were found to be bilateral - 49.4%, right brain - 21.7%, left brain - 12%, and unknown - 16.9%, respectively. The median brain metastasis largest size was 16 mm (range 5-63). The median follow-up time from the post-metastasis period was 36 months. Median overall survival (OS) was found as 34.9 months (95% CI, 24.6-45.2). In multivariate analysis for factors affecting OS, estrogen receptor status (p = 0.025), number of chemotherapy agents used with trastuzumab (p = 0.010), number of HER2-based therapy (p = 0.010), and the largest size of brain metastasis (p = 0.012) were found to be statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we demonstrated the prognosis in brain metastatic patients with HER2-positive breast cancer. When the factors affecting the prognosis were evaluated, we determined that the largest size of brain metastasis, estrogen receptor positivity, and the use of TDM-1 and lapatinib plus capecitabine consecutively during the treatment process affected the prognosis of the disease.

Treatment efficacy of ribociclib or palbociclib plus letrozole in hormone receptor-positive/HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer.

Background: Ribociclib, palbociclib and abemaciclib are currently approved CDK4/6 inhibitors along with aromatase inhibitors as the first-line standard-of-care for patients with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer. Methods: The authors report retrospective real-life data for 600 patients with estrogen receptor- and/or progesterone receptor-positive and HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer who were treated with ribociclib and palbociclib in combination with letrozole. Results & conclusion: The results demonstrated that the combination of palbociclib or ribociclib with letrozole has similar progression-free survival and overall survival benefit in real life for the patient group with similar clinical features. Specifically, endocrine sensitivity may be a factor to be considered in the treatment preference.

Real-world data on efficacy and safety of first-line alectinib treatment in advanced-stage, ALK-positive non-small-cell lung cancer patients: a Turkish Oncology Group study.

Aims: In this multicenter study, the authors aimed to determine the real-life efficacy and safety of first-line alectinib. Materials & methods: This retrospective trial included advanced-stage, ALK-positive non-small-cell lung cancer patients who were treated with first-line alectinib in terms of ALK-tyrosine kinase inhibitors, regardless of previous chemotherapy. The co-primary end points were progression-free survival both for all patients and for the treatment-naive population. The secondary end points were overall response rate, overall survival, rate of CNS progression and safety. Results & conclusion: A total of 274 patients (n = 177 for treatment-naive patients) were enrolled in the study. The median progression-free survival was 26 and 28.8 months for all patients and the treatment-naive group, respectively. The overall response rate, CNS progression rate and 1-year overall survival ratio were 77.9, 12.4 and 77%. Alectinib is a highly effective therapy with a favorable safety profile.

The advancements in cancer treatment, particularly in the last two decades, have been promising. Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the most important diseases experiencing these promising developments. ALK positivity, which is caused by the rearrangement of different gene fragments between two chromosomes, affects about 5% of NSCLC patients. This provides a target for next-generation therapies. One of these targeted therapy drugs is alectinib. The authors examined the outcomes of 271 patients with body-disseminated NSCLC who received alectinib as initial targeted therapy. These patients were not chosen to participate in a clinical phase study. They were treated with an approved drug; the study also included 97 patients who had previously received chemotherapy. The median duration of survival without disease worsening was 26 months for all patients receiving alectinib treatment. This value was 28.8 months in 177 patients who had not received any treatment before alectinib. Regardless of disease status, 77% of all patients were found to be alive at the end of the first year. Alectinib treatment resulted in a significant improvement of the disease in approximately four out of five patients. The treatment's side effects were generally tolerable or manageable. Only four patients were reported to have discontinued their medication due to treatment-related side effects. These real-world findings are compatible with previous clinical research. Alectinib is an important first-line treatment option for patients with advanced, ALK-positive NSCLC.

The relationship between clinicopathological parameters and PD-L1 expression level in advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer.

Introduction: Clinicopathological parameters related to programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression levels have been investigated in several studies. However, the results of these studies are conflicting and vary in different populations. This study aimed to investigate the relation of clinicopathological parameters with PD-L1 expression level in advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer patients. Materials and Methods: The patients diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer were enrolled, retrospectively. The data of clinicopathological parameters was collected. Clinicopathological parameters in relation to PD-L1 expression levels (0%, 1-50%, and >50%) were analyzed as univariable and multivariable. Result: In total, 384 patients were enrolled. PD-L1 expression in tumor cells was between 1-50%, and >50% in 41.4%, and 23.4% of patients, respectively. There was no PD-L1 expression in 35.2% of the patients. In univariable analysis, we found that the parameters associated with PD-L1 expression levels revealed that metastatic site number, the subtype of cancer, diagnostic material type, platelet number, and LDH level were statistically significant. Adenocarcinoma frequency was higher in tumors that had PD-L1 expression >50% than in tumors that did not express PD-L1 and the difference was statistically significant (p= 0.04, coefficient= 0.3, 95% CI 0.09-0.94). Cytology as diagnostic material was significant in PD-L1 level 1-50% comparing to >50% (p= 0.02, coefficient= 2.2, 95% CI= 1.08-4.46). Conclusions: According to the results of our study, many of the clinicopathological parameters are not related to the PD-L1 level. The histological subtype and diagnostic material may affect the level of PD-L1 expression.

TIM3 expression on TILs is associated with poor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced triple-negative breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: The expression of immune checkpoint receptors (ICRs) on tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) is associated with better response to immunotherapies via immune checkpoint inhibitors. Therefore, we investigated various ICR expressions on TILs in patients with locally advanced triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). METHODS: Expressions of ICRs were examined immunohistochemically in surgical specimens (n = 61) using monoclonal antibodies for PDL-1, PD-1, TIM-3, LAG-3, and CTLA-4. Positivity was defined as staining > 1% on TILs. RESULTS: The median age was 49 (24-76) years. The majority of patients were clinically T3-4 (n = 31, 50.8%) and clinically N1-3 (n = 58, 95.1%) before NAC. Of those, 82% were found to have CTLA-4 positivity, whereas PD1, PDL-1, LAG3, and TIM-3 expressions on TILs were 62.3, 50.9, 26.2, and 68.9%. A high expression of CTLA-4 was found to be associated with a better chemotherapy response (OR = 7.94, 95% CI: 0.9-70.12, p = 0.06), whereas TIM-3 positivity was contrarily associated with a worse chemotherapy response (OR = 0.253, 95% CI: 0.066-0.974, p = 0.047) as measured by the MDACC Residual Cancer Burden Index. At a 47-month follow-up, ypN0 (DFS; HR = 0.31, 95% CI: 0.12-0.83, p = 0.02 and DSS; HR = 0.21, 95% CI: 0.07-0.62, p = 0.005) and CTLA-4 high expression on TILs (DFS; HR = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.17-0.85, p = 0.019 and DSS; HR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.15-0.78, p = 0.01) were found to be associated with improved survival. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that CTLA-4, PD-1, PDL-1, and TIM-3 were highly expressed in TNBC. Based on these high expression patterns, further studies directed towards combined therapies are warranted in advanced TNBC in future.

Nivolumab treatment for metastatic thymic epithelial tumors.

BACKGROUND: Metastatic and unresectable thymoma (T) or thymic carcinoma (TC) have limited treatment options, especially after first line. METHODS: Patients with unresectable or recurrent thymic tumors who used minimum one dose of nivolumab at any line of treatment were evaluated retrospectively. Even though nivolumab was administered 3mg/kg dosage in PRIMER study, due to toxicity and financial concerns, we used low dose regimen mostly. RESULTS: Among 46 unresectable and recurrent thymic epithelial tumors; 8 patients with TC (n = 3), T (n = 4) and mixt histology (n = 1) were reviewed. Three patients had myasthenia gravis history that had to be controlled before treatment. Four patients showed moderate (n = 2) or severe (n = 2) adverse events with nivolumab treatment. Interestingly, two severe adverse events were occurred at first dose even with 40 mg nivolumab and required cessation of treatment permanently. The median number of nivolumab received was four (range: 1-18). Best response was partial response. Two patients progressed at the 3rd and 5th month of treatment. Best duration of response for one patient with TC and one patient with T-B2 were 9 and 14 months, respectively. Median survival time after nivolumab was 7.4 months (range: 2-22.1). CONCLUSIONS: After the results of the previous study could be supported by randomized prospective studies with more number of patients, nivolumab may be considered as an option in patients with thymic epithelial tumors who have received multiple line treatments. However, given the high rate of severe toxicities, there is need to find out a reliable marker to prediction patients who will derive benefit or exhibit toxicity.

Clinical impact of PD-L1 expression in triple-negative breast cancer patients with residual tumor burden after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Studies on PD-L1 expression in breast cancer have gained importance in recent years, especially in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Our aim was to analyze the differential expression of PD-L1 to explore its correlation with response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) and patient survival. METHODS: PD-L1 expression was evaluated immunohistochemically (Ventana SP263 clone kit) by staining tumor specimen. PD-L1 positivity was defined as membranous staining > 1%, > 5%, > 10%, and > 20% on either tumor cell (TC) and /or immune cell (IC). RESULTS: Fifty patients with locally advanced TNBC, who had a partial response to NACT, were included in the study. PD-L1 staining was observed in TCs in 25 patients (50%) and in ICs in 23 patients (46%) when PD-L1 > 1% was considered positive. Patients with PD-L1 positivity on ICs were more likely to respond to chemotherapy as measured by "MD Anderson Cancer Center Residual Cancer Burden Index" (14/22, 63.6% vs. 10/27, 37%, p = 0.064). The 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) rates were 46.3% and 51.4%, respectively. A high (> 20%) tumoral PD-L1 positivity was associated with a better DFS and DSS. CONCLUSIONS: Studies in the literature mostly focused on PD-L1 expression in inflammatory cells. However, our results suggest that patients with a high PD-L1 expression on TCs were more likely to have a better outcome. Since patients with residual tumor burden who express PD-L1 on TILs were more likely to respond to NACT, an immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy in addition to NACT would be an important option for TNBC with locally advanced disease.

Combination of adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy is associated with improved survival at early stage type II endometrial cancer and carcinosarcoma.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to describe the impact of postoperative adjuvant treatment modalities and identify risk factors associated with recurrence and survival rates in women diagnosed with early stage type II endometrial cancer and carcinosarcoma. METHODS: In this retrospective study, patients diagnosed with early stage (stages I-II) carcinosarcoma and type II endometrial cancer were reviewed. All women underwent comprehensive surgical staging. Postoperative treatment options of chemotherapy (CT), radiotherapy (RT), observation (OBS) and chemotherapy-radiotherapy (CT-RT) combination were compared in terms of recurrence and survival outcome. RESULTS: In CT-RT treatment arm, recurrence rate was found as 12.5% and this result is significantly lower than the other treatment approaches (P = 0.01 CT alone: 33.3%, RT alone: 26.7%, OBS: 62.5%). Three-year disease free survival(DFS) rate and overall survival (OS) rate were statistically higher for the group of women treated with combination of CT-RT (92-95%) compared to the women treated with RT alone (65-72%), treated with CT alone (67-74%) and women who received no adjuvant therapy (38-45%). The multivariate analysis revealed that carcinosarcoma histology was associated with shortened DFS and OS (P = 0.001, P = 0.002). On the other hand, being at stage Ia (P = 0.01, P = 0.04) and receiving adjuvant treatment of CT-RT combination (P = 0.005, P = 0.002) appeared to lead to increased DFS and OS rates. CONCLUSIONS: We identified that a combination treatment of chemotherapy and radiotherapy is superior compared to other postoperative adjuvant treatment approaches concerning PFS, OS and recurrence rates in stages I-II of type II endometrial cancers and uterine carcinosarcoma.

Is there any effect of first-day usage of a totally implantable venous access device on complications?

BACKGROUND: Our aim was to evaluate whether it is safe to use a totally implantable venous access device (TIVAD) on the day of implantation. METHODS: We investigated data from 1315 cancer patients divided into two groups according to the time interval between TIVAD placement and the first use of the TIVAD to adminster chemotherapy: patients whose devices were used during the first 24 h after placement were enrolled into group 1 and patients whose devices were first used more than 24 h after device placement were enrolled into group 2. RESULTS: Early complications were all related to device insertion and occurred before chemotherapy administration. Infection and venous thrombosis were the most frequent complications during the first 6 months after TIVAD insertion in both groups. However, the frequency of late complications was statistically the same for the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The early use of TIVADs appears safe. Usage of the catheter for chemotherapy administration during the first 24 h after insertion has no effect on the rate of complications.

Outcomes of the patients with metastatic male breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: The goal of this research is to investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of men with metastatic breast cancer (mMBC). METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the data of 28 patients was conducted. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were used to assess overall survival (OS) and prognostic variables. RESULTS: At the time of diagnosis, the median age was 57 years (range 26-86). The most prevalent pathological subtype was invasive ductal carcinoma (92.6%). HER2 positivity was 21.6% in patients, with estrogen and progesterone receptor positivity at 96.4% and 71.4%, respectively. Bone-75%, lung-39.3%, brain-21.4%, and adrenal gland-10.7% were the most prevalent metastatic sites. Trastuzumab-based chemotherapy was given to six patients. During the study period, 14 patients (or half) died. All patients had a median OS of 42.6 months (range: 21.6-63.7). The OS rates after 1, 3, and 5 years were 95.7%, 54.2%, and 36.6%, respectively. The number of metastatic locations (P = 0.045), brain metastasis (P = 0.033), and a history of regular alcohol intake (P = 0.008) were all shown to be statistically significant factors affecting OS in univariate analysis. However, multivariate analysis did not support the findings. In addition, we discovered that trastuzumab-based therapy and de-novo metastatic disease had no effect on OS for mMBC. CONCLUSIONS: The data on mMBC is restricted because of its rarity. The prognosis of mMBC was shown to be poor in this investigation. Despite the small number of patients, we discovered that in univariate analysis, having brain metastases, the number of metastatic locations, and a history of alcohol intake may be prognostic factors.

Comparative analysis of doublet chemotherapy regimens plus bevacizumab in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer.

Among all gynecological malignancies, ovarian cancer is the predominant cause of mortality. Hence, various chemotherapy protocols have been established for managing metastatic ovarian cancer cases. The present study aimed to assess and compare the efficacy of dual chemotherapy regimens plus bevacizumab in patients diagnosed with recurrent platinum-sensitive epithelial ovarian cancer. This was a retrospective observational study. Data on the clinical, pathological, radiological, and treatment characteristics of the patients were recorded. Survival analyses were performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Moreover, multivariate Cox regression analysis was conducted. Data of a total of 198 patients with a median follow-up duration of 18.7 months after bevacizumab treatment were analyzed. Serous carcinoma was found to be the most common pathological subtype in the analyzed patients, accounting for 85.8% of all cases. In total, 46.5% (n = 92), 38.4% (n = 76) and 15.2% (n = 30) patients had received gemcitabine plus carboplatin, paclitaxel plus carboplatin (PC), and gemcitabine plus cisplatin combined with bevacizumab, respectively. The complete response rate was 18.7%, partial response rate was 56.1%, stable disease rate was 6.6%, and progressive disease rate was 18.7%. The patients received bevacizumab treatment at a median of 9 cycles and doublet chemotherapy at a median of 7 cycles. The median progression-free survival was 11.9 (95% CI: 9.2-14.5) months, and the median overall survival (OS) was 24.7 (95% CI: 19.9-29.4) months. The results showed that a history of surgery prior to bevacizumab treatment was a significant factor affecting OS (P = .006). Patients who had received gemcitabine plus carboplatin with bevacizumab (28 months) had significantly better OS than patients who had received paclitaxel plus carboplatin (20.1 months) and gemcitabine plus cisplatin (17 months) (P = .009). Doublet chemotherapy regimens plus bevacizumab are safe and effective against recurrent platinum-sensitive epithelial ovarian cancer. Gemcitabine plus carboplatin with bevacizumab was superior to other treatment regimens in terms of OS outcomes.

Clinical factors predicting objective response to bevacizumab-based chemotherapies in advanced and recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND: Bevacizumab-based chemotherapies are commonly administered in the treatment of patients diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). The primary aim of this study was to assess the factors that predict the objective response to bevacizumab-based therapies in cases of advanced and recurrent EOC. METHODS: The retrospective data of 264 patients with EOC from the current study were collected between 2009 and 2022 at our clinic. Survival analyses were conducted utilizing the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test. Binary logistic regression analysis was employed to assess the factors predicting the objective response. RESULTS: A predominant subset of patients (83%) presented with serous adenocarcinoma, exhibiting a high-grade differentiation at 87%. The vast majority (80%) of the cohort experienced disease recurrence. Three-fourths of the cases received bevacizumab in combination with platinum-based doublet chemotherapy. In the multivariate analysis, clinical factors such as a disease recurrence (P=0.031), upfront tumor debulking surgery before bevacizumab (P=0.009), doublet chemotherapy (P=0.003), and the presence of malignant pleural effusion (P=0.024) emerged as significant determinants influencing the Objective Response Rate (ORR) in patients undergoing bevacizumab-based therapy. The ORR was 67.5% (N.=178), comprising 15.2% complete responses (N.=40) and 52.1% partial responses (N.=138). The median Progression-Free Survival (PFS) and Overall Survival (OS) were estimated at 10.2 months (95% CI, 8.60-11.9) and 20.1 months (95% CI, 16.0-24.2), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The responses to bevacizumab-based chemotherapies could be predict by the presence of malignant pleural effusion, disease recurrence, upfront tumor debulking surgery and doublet regimen of chemotherapy.

Treatment outcomes and prognostic factors in patients with driver mutant non-small cell lung cancer and de novo brain metastases.

Central nervous system (CNS) metastases can be seen at a rate of 30% in advanced stages for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Growing evidence indicates the predictive roles of driver gene mutations in the development of brain metastases (BM) in recent years, meaning that oncogene-driven NSCLC have a high incidence of BM at diagnosis. Today, 3rd generation targeted drugs with high intracranial efficacy, which can cross the blood-brain barrier, have made a positive contribution to survival for these patients with an increased propensity to BM. It is important to update the clinical and pathological factors reflected in the survival with real-life data. A multi-center, retrospective database of 306 patients diagnosed with driver mutant NSCLC and initially presented with BM between between November 2008 and September 2022 were analyzed. The median progression-free survival (mPFS) was 12.25 months (95% CI, 10-14.5). While 254 of the patients received tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), 51 patients received chemotherapy as first line treatment. The median intracranial PFS (iPFS) was 18.5 months (95% CI, 14.8-22.2). The median overall survival (OS) was 29 months (95% CI, 25.2-33.0). It was found that having 3 or less BM and absence of extracranial metastases were significantly associated with better mOS and iPFS. The relationship between the size of BM and survival was found to be non-significant. Among patients with advanced NSCLC with de novo BM carrying a driver mutation, long-term progression-free and overall survival can be achieved with the advent of targeted agents with high CNS efficacy with more conservative and localized radiotherapy modalities.

The efficiency of the acupressure in prevention of the chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.

PURPOSE: This experimental study was planned to assess the efficiency of the acupressure in prevention of the chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). METHODS: This single-blinded randomized trial was performed at Istanbul University Institute of Oncology between October 2010 and January 2011. The patients, diagnosed with breast, gynecological, or lung cancer treated by doxorubicin-based- or cisplatin-based treatment were included in the study. Taking the consent of the patients, they were divided into experimental (n = 67) and control groups (n = 53) in line with the randomization list prepared before. The patient description form, Rhodes Index of Nausea, Vomiting, and Retching (INVR), and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General were used in data collection. Non-parametric tests were applied. RESULTS: The patients in the experimental and control groups were identical in terms of sociodemographic features and their conditions. Most of the patients were married (84 %), and some were primary school graduates (41.7 %) and had mid-level income (54.2 %). In nausea-vomiting-retching, experiences of the patients before using a placebo and a real acupressure were identical and similar changes had been observed during 5 days after the treatment. It has been determined that there was no difference between the groups statistically. A similar result has been observed when the impact of acupressure on the subgroups of sociodemographic features and condition were examined, and it has been concluded that real acupressure application cannot increase the quality of life. CONCLUSION: It has been determined that CINV is directly related to the treatment, and acupressure wristband was not an effective approach in preventing CINV.

Termination of trastuzumab in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients who received trastuzumab beyond progression.

The purpose of the study was to assess the prognosis of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients who received trastuzumab beyond progression and investigate the predictors of complete response. HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients who received long-term trastuzumab were included in the study. Predictors of complete response were analyzed with binary regression analysis. The prognosis of patients who had their trastuzumab-based treatment terminated was assessed. Eighty patients were involved in the study. The patients were received with trastuzumab for a median of 62 months (12-191). A complete response was observed in 60 (75%) patients. The median duration to development of complete response was found as 14.8 months (2.4-55). In logistic regression analysis: using endocrine therapy with trastuzumab (p = 0.04), menopausal status (p = 0.03), and the number of metastatic sites (p = 0.01) were found to be statistically significant factors for a complete response. Trastuzumab-based therapy of fifteen patients was terminated, six (40%) patients continued to receive an aromatase inhibitor, and nine (60%) patients were followed up without treatment. After termination of trastuzumab, at a median follow-up of 32 months (11-66), recurrence was detected in two (13.3%) patients. We detected that menopausal status, the number of metastatic sites, and using endocrine therapy with trastuzumab were predictors of complete response in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients who received long-term trastuzumab-based therapy. We observed that HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients may be completely cured with trastuzumab-based therapy. There are no defined criteria for termination of trastuzumab treatment in this selected patient group. It is necessary to confirm our data with multicenter studies involving a large number of patients.

Prognostic Factors Influencing Progression-Free Survival in HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients Who Were Treated With A Combination of Lapatinib and Capecitabine.

Objective: The aim was to assess the prognostic variables in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive metastatic breast cancer patients receiving lapatinib plus capecitabine. Materials and Methods: Retrospective data on HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients who received lapatinib and capecitabine were analyzed. Survival outcome was obtained with Cox regression analysis and the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: The study included 102 patients. Forty-four (43.1%) patients had de novo metastatic disease. The most frequent metastatic sites were, in order, bone (61.8%), brain (57.8%), liver (35.3%), and lung (34.3%). All of the patients had previously received chemotherapy based on trastuzumab. With combined lapatinib and capecitabine, complete response was observed in 7.8%, partial response in 30.4%, and stable disease in 24.5%. Progression-free survival was 8 (95% confidence interval, 5.1-10.8) months. In multivariable analysis, endocrine therapy (p = 0.02), de novo metastatic disease (p = 0.02), and age (p = 0.02) were prognostic factors for progression-free survival. However, the number of chemotherapy cycles with trastuzumab, palliative radiotherapy, history of breast surgery, and the number of metastatic sites were not significant in this respect. Conclusion: These results have demonstrated the effectiveness of lapatinib plus capecitabine in metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer patients. Furthermore, unfavorable prognostic factors for progression-free survival were shown to be hormone-negative tumor, de novo metastatic disease, and young age.

Weekly paclitaxel treatment in the first-line therapy of classic Kaposi sarcoma: A real-life study.

Kaposi sarcoma is an angioproliferative disease associated with human herpes virus 8 infection. Classic Kaposi sarcoma (CKS) usually develops in older age. Although CKS often does not require systemic therapy, systemic therapy can be administered in progressively symptomatic patients. In this real-life study, we purposed to determine effectiveness and safety of weekly paclitaxel therapy in the first-line treatment of CKS. In this cross-sectional retrospective study, we analyzed the clinical data of 44 patients with CKS who received first-line paclitaxel therapy between January 2000 and December 2020. Paclitaxel was administered by intravenous infusion 80 to 100 mg/weekly. The median age of the patients was 67 years (range, 39-86 years), and majority male (77.2%). All patients had cutaneous involvement in extremities. The median follow-up time from paclitaxel treatment was 39.1 (range, 3.7-173.5) months. The median progression free survival from start of therapy was 35.1 months (range, 2-144 months). Complete response, partial response and stable disease were observed in 7 (15.9%), 28 (63.7%) and 6 (13.6) patients, respectively. Objective control rate was 79.6%, and the median response time after the last dose of paclitaxel was 18.2 months. A total of 4 patients (9.1%) had grade 3 to 4 neutropenia, but it was not complicated by febrile neutropenia. Three patients (6.8%) experienced grade 3 to 4 peripheral neuropathy. No patient had grade 3 to 4 allergic reaction. There was no drug-related death. According to our results, paclitaxel is an effective therapy option with an acceptable safety profile for patients with advanced CKS.

Efficacy and outcomes of systemic chemotherapy in posttransplant and immunosuppression associated Kaposi sarcoma: Twenty years experience of a tertiary cancer center.

Kaposi sarcoma is a malignant angioproliferative disease, and human herpesvirus-8 plays a major role in its etiology. Iatrogenic Kaposi sarcoma (IKS) can occur in patients undergoing immunosuppressive therapy. The treatment strategy for patients with IKS is immunosuppressive therapy modification. However, it is unclear which chemotherapy drug is the most effective and safe in the treatment of IKS. Therefore, we investigated the efficacy and safety of systemic treatment in patients with IKS at our tertiary cancer center. This cross-sectional retrospective study analyzed the clinical data of 22 patients diagnosed with IKS between January 2000 and January 2020. The patients were divided into the following 2 groups according to the transplantation status: organ transplant recipient (OTR) group and non-organ transplant recipient (non-OTR) group. Of the 22 patients, 12 were included in the OTR group and 10 were included in the non-OTR group. The median patient age at diagnosis was 52.1 years in the OTR group and 68.1 years in the non-OTR group. The median overall survival (OS) was 65.4 months in the OTR group, while the median OS was not reached in the non-OTR group. There was no statistically significant difference in OS between the 2 groups (P = .45). The 5-year OS rate among all patients was 54%. In the OTR group, the objective response rate and disease control rate were 50% and 83%, respectively, and in the non-OTR group, the objective response rate and disease control rate were 60% and 90%, respectively. Chemotherapy was well tolerated in both groups. Hematological toxicities were the main dose-limiting adverse events. Grade III/IV leucopenia and neutropenia were observed in 5 and 4 patients, respectively; however, no patient experienced febrile neutropenia. No chemotherapy-related death occurred. Systemic chemotherapy is an effective treatment and can be considered for disease control in patients with an aggressive disease course, who do not experience regression with immunosuppressive therapy modification.