Characterization of HER2-low breast cancer in young women with germline BRCA1/2 pathogenetic variants: Results of a large international retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer (BC) in women aged ≤40 years carrying germline pathogenetic variants (PVs) in BRCA1/2 genes is infrequent but often associated with aggressive features. Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-low-expressing BC has recently emerged as a novel therapeutic target but has not been characterized in this rare patient subset. METHODS: Women aged ≤40 years with newly diagnosed early-stage HER2-negative BC (HER2-0 and HER2-low) and germline BRCA1/2 PVs from 78 health care centers worldwide were retrospectively included. Chi-square test and Student t-test were used to describe variable distribution between HER2-0 and HER2-low. Associations with HER2-low status were assessed with logistic regression. Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analysis were used to assess disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival. Statistical significance was considered for p ≤ .05. RESULTS: Of 3547 included patients, 32.3% had HER2-low BC, representing 46.3% of hormone receptor-positive and 21.3% of triple-negative (TN) tumors. HER2-low vs. HER2-0 BC were more often of grade 1/2 (p < .001), hormone receptor-positive (p < .001), and node-positive (p = .003). BRCA2 PVs were more often associated with HER2-low than BRCA1 PVs (p < .001). HER2-low versus HER2-0 showed better DFS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.86; 95% CI, 0.76-0.97) in the overall population and more favorable DFS (HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.64-0.95) and overall survival (HR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.46-0.93) in the TN subgroup. Luminal A-like tumors in HER2-low (p = .014) and TN and luminal A-like in HER2-0 (p = .019) showed the worst DFS. CONCLUSIONS: In young patients with HER2-negative BC and germline BRCA1/2 PVs, HER2-low disease was less frequent than expected and more frequently linked to BRCA2 PVs and associated with luminal-like disease. HER2-low status was associated with a modestly improved prognosis.

Safety and efficacy analysis of neoadjuvant pertuzumab, trastuzumab and standard chemotherapy for HER2-positive early breast cancer: real-world data from NeoPowER study.

BACKGROUND: The addition of pertuzumab (P) to trastuzumab (H) and standard chemotherapy (CT) as neoadjuvant treatment (NaT) for patients with HER2 + breast cancer (BC), has shown to increase the pathological complete response (pCR) rate, without main safety concerns. The aim of NeoPowER trial is to evaluate safety and efficacy of P + H + CT in a real-world population. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of stage II-III, HER2 + BC patients treated with NaT: who received P + H + CT (neopower group) in 5 Emilia Romagna institutions were compared with an historical group who received H + CT (control group). The primary endpoint was the safety, secondary endpoints were pCR rate, DRFS and OS and their correlation to NaT and other potential variables. RESULTS: 260 patients were included, 48% received P + H + CT, of whom 44% was given anthraciclynes as part of CT, compared to 83% in the control group. The toxicity profile was similar, excluding diarrhea more frequent in the neopower group (20% vs. 9%). Three patients experienced significant reductions in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), all receiving anthracyclines. The pCR rate was 46% (P + H + CT) and 40% (H + CT) (p = 0.39). The addition of P had statistically correlation with pCR only in the patients receiving anthra-free regimens (OR = 3.05,p = 0.047). Preoperative use of anthracyclines (OR = 1.81,p = 0.03) and duration of NaT (OR = 1.18,p = 0.02) were statistically related to pCR. 12/21 distant-relapse events and 14/17 deaths occurred in the control group. Patients who achieve pCR had a significant increase in DRFS (HR = 0.23,p = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: Adding neoadjuvant P to H and CT is safe. With the exception of diarrhea, rate of adverse events of grade > 2 did not differ between the two groups. P did not increase the cardiotoxicity when added to H + CT, nevertheless in our population all cardiac events occurred in patients who received anthracycline-containing regimens. Not statistically significant, higher pCR rate is achievable in patients receiving neoadjuvant P + H + CT. The study did not show a statistically significant correlation between the addition of P and long-term outcomes.

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.

Real-World Data and Clinical Implications of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS)-Based Analysis in Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients.

Over the last two decades, the use of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) in medical oncology has increased the likelihood of identifying druggable mutations that may be potentially susceptible to targeted treatments. The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) currently does not recommend the use of the NGS test to determine the therapeutic course of patients with metastatic breast cancer (mBC) in daily clinical practice. However, the aim of this work is to evaluate the potential contribution of the NGS test in selecting targeted therapies for patients with mBC. Data were retrospectively collected from 101 patients diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer and treated at the Modena Cancer Center between January 2015 and April 2022. A NGS test was performed on the tumor tissue of each patient at the Laboratory of Molecular Pathology of the University Hospital of Modena. This study analyzed the clinical-pathological characteristics and mutational profile of the population using NGS tests, with a focus on actionable mutations that could be targeted in advanced stages of clinical development. The indicator of this study was to quantify the actionable mutations that resulted in a change of cancer treatment. In total, 101 patients with metastatic breast cancer were analyzed, including 86 with luminal phenotype, 10 who were HER2-positive and 5 who were triple-negative. Median age was 52 years. NGS analysis was conducted on 47 samples of primary breast cancer, 52 on metastatic sites of disease and 2 on liquid biopsies. A total of 85 gene mutations were found. The most common mutations were identified in the PIK3CA (47%), FGFR (19%) and ERBB2 genes (12%), and to a lesser extent in other genes. Of the 61 patients with pathogenic mutations, 46 (75%) had at least one actionable mutation. Of these, nine received treatment with a molecular target drug: eight patients with a mutation of the PIK3CA gene were treated with alpelisib and fulvestrant; one patient with FGFR1/2 amplifications received TAS120. Median PFS for these patients was 3.8 months. The study results show that using the NGS test on cancer tissue of metastatic breast cancer could influence the therapeutic choices, considering the small sample size and limited follow-up. About 9% of the study population had their therapy modified based on the results of NGS. The growing number of detectable mutations and increased accessibility of the test may lead to a greater number of potential therapeutic implications for the NGS assay. Perspectives suggest that NGS analysis can be implemented in daily clinical practice, particularly in contexts where a Molecular Tumor Board (MTB) is active.

Healthcare Professional Communication on Sexual Health: A Report from the Italian Working Group on Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Sexual function is an important concern for adolescent and young adult (AYA) with cancer. The aim of this study was to explore the attitude of Italian health care professionals who deal with AYA patients with cancer toward sexual health communication. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 11-question survey was developed by the AIOM (Associazione Italiana di Oncologia Medica) and AIEOP (Associazione Italiana Ematologia Oncologia Pediatrica) AYA workgroup and sent to AIOM and AIEOP members. RESULTS: The sample comprised 360 respondents, 54.2% AIEOP and 45.8% AIOM members. Eighty percent were physicians, 14.5% nurses, 4.7% psychologists, and 0.8% other professionals. Medical oncologists are more used to investigate about AYA sexual health than pediatric oncologists (58.2% vs. 46.2%), even if pediatrics more frequently refer patients to specific and shared protocol (40% vs. 26.1%). Both AIOM and AIEOP participants mostly talk about sexual health only on request or occasionally (78.8% and 79%, respectively). Clinician-reported barriers to communication identified in this study are lack of preparation and embarrassment for both the categories, plus the presence/interference of parents for pediatrics and lack of time for medical oncologists. Overall, less than 5% of clinicians in our survey received specific training on potential sexual health issues in AYA patients with cancer and only 2% felt adequately prepared to speak about it. CONCLUSION: Sexual health is a key component of comprehensive care for AYA with cancer during treatments. This study highlighted the need of Italian providers for specific training and guidelines on sex-related health issues encountered by AYA patients.

Cancer Predisposition Genes in Adolescents and Young Adults (AYAs): a Review Paper from the Italian AYA Working Group.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The present narrative systematic review summarizes current knowledge on germline gene mutations predisposing to solid tumors in adolescents and young adults (AYAs). RECENT FINDINGS: AYAs with cancer represent a particular group of patients with specific challenging characteristics and yet unmet needs. A significant percentage of AYA patients carry pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants (PV/LPVs) in cancer predisposition genes. Nevertheless, knowledge on spectrum, frequency, and clinical implications of germline variants in AYAs with solid tumors is limited. The identification of PV/LPV in AYA is especially critical given the need for appropriate communicative strategies, risk of second primary cancers, need for personalized long-term surveillance, potential reproductive implications, and cascade testing of at-risk family members. Moreover, these gene alterations may potentially provide novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets that are lacking in AYA patients. Among young adults with early-onset phenotypes of malignancies typically presenting at later ages, the increased prevalence of germline PV/LPVs supports a role for genetic counseling and testing irrespective of tumor type.

Role of Intrinsic Subtype Analysis with PAM50 in Hormone Receptors Positive HER2 Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review.

Endocrine therapy (ET), associated with CDK 4/6 inhibitors, represents the first choice of treatment for HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer (mBC). Primary or secondary endocrine resistance could develop; however validated biomarkers capable of predicting such a conditions are not available. Several studies have shown that HR+/HER2- mBC comprises five intrinsic subtypes. The purpose of this systematic review was to analyze the potential correlations between intrinsic subtype, efficacy of treatment, and patient outcome. Five papers that analyzed the intrinsic subtype with PAM50 assay in patients (pts) with HR+/HER2- mBC treated with ET (alone or in combination) within seven phase III clinical trials (EGF30008, BOLERO-2, PALOMA-2,3, MONALEESA-2,3,7) were identified. Non-luminal subtypes are more frequent in endocrine-resistant pts and in metastatic sites (vs. primary tumors), have less benefit from ET, and worse prognosis. Among these, HER2-enriched subtypes are similar to HER2+ tumors and benefit from the addition of anti-HER2 agents (lapatinib) and, for less clear reasons, of ribociclib (unconfirmed data for palbociclib and everolimus). Basal-like subtypes are similar to triple-negative tumors, making them more sensitive to chemotherapy. The intrinsic subtype is also not static but can vary over time with the evolution of the disease. Currently, the intrinsic subtype does not play a decisive role in the choice of treatment in clinical practice, but has potential prognostic and predictive value that should be further investigated.

BRCA mutation carriers' perception about benefits and risks associated with combined hormonal contraceptives use.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the actual perceptions about combined hormonal contraceptives (CHCs) use in BRCA mutation carriers in comparison to women from the general population. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional, observational study involving two Italian referral centres for hereditary cancers. An identical questionnaire investigating how CHC use could affect the risk of developing some types of cancer, specific diseases, and symptoms was administered to 85 BRCA mutation carriers and 85 healthy women without this genetic mutation (control group). Women's perceptions were evaluated using specific questions and Likert scales (-5 to +5). RESULTS: Perceptions about the effects of CHC use on developing specific diseases and symptoms did not differ between BRCA mutation carriers and controls. Conversely, the protective effects of CHC use on colorectal (p = .02), uterine body (p = .01) and ovarian (p = .01) cancers were unknown by BRCA mutation carriers. Moreover, BRCA mutation carriers recognised the association between CHC use and a higher risk of breast (p = .0008) and uterine cervix cancer (p = .007). CONCLUSIONS: Investing time and effort in transmitting the correct key messages about oncological risk related to CHC use could potentially increase their use in BRCA mutation carriers.

BRCA mutation carriers' perceptions on postmenopausal hormone therapy: An Italian study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the actual perceptions of postmenopausal hormone therapy (HT) in BRCA mutation carriers (BRCAmc) in comparison with women from the general population. METHODS: Questionnaire-based study of 83 BRCAmc and a control group of 89 women without a genetic mutation. Perceptions were evaluated by specific questions and Likert scales (-5-+5). RESULTS: Present and past users of HT were more frequent in the control group (p = 0.01), with a longer time of use (p = 0.03). The preferred route of administration of HT was 'oral' (54.6%). The most frequently reported adverse effect of HT was venous thrombosis (0.8), while a protective effect on bone health was reported. No noticeable beneficial effects of HT have been recognised for hot flushes (0.2) and vaginal dryness (0.1). The most frequently perceived beneficial and adverse effects of HT were not significantly different between BRCA mutation carriers and controls. The greatest oncological fear was breast cancer (1.0). The protective role of HT on colorectal cancer was not known (0.1). These oncological impacts were mostly overestimated in BRCAmc, however this was not significant. Few BRCAmc would think of taking HT after risk-reducing surgeries. CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge of the effects of HT on BRCAmc is relatively poor and they are likely to overstate its negative effects and underestimate its health benefits; however, this is not significant in comparison to the general population. More and better information should be given to BRCAmc to allow them to make informed decisions about the use of HT, especially before undergoing risk-reducing surgeries.

Combined endocrine approaches vs endocrine therapy alone as first line treatment in elderly patients with hormone receptor-positive, HER2 negative, advanced breast cancer: to prescribe for the patient or the physician? A meta-analysis of phase II and III randomized clinical trials.

BACKGROUND: Elderly patients are underrepresented in clinical study where combined endocrine strategies were compared to endocrine therapy (ET) in hormone receptors positive, HER2 negative, metastatic breast cancer. The role of the new endocrine approaches in elderly women is still unclear. METHODS: We performed a meta-analysis of first line phase II/III randomized trials on ET versus combined strategies considering clinical benefit and safety profile. Trials with hazard ratio (HR) for PFS in elderly patients were included. RESULTS: Overall, the meta-analysis showed a PFS advantage for the experimental arms [HR 0.77, p 0.016] with a significant high/moderate heterogeneity [I2 65.46%, p 0.005]. For patients on CDK 4/6 inhibitors and ET, HR was 0.57 (p < 0.0001), with low heterogeneity [I2 0.0001%, p 0.96]. Hematological adverse events, as well as diarrhea with Abemaciclib, were significantly higher in elderly population. CONCLUSIONS: The magnitude of PFS benefit due to the combined strategies in elderly patients is similar to those reported in the overall clinical trial population. Adding CDK4/6 inhibitors to ET significantly prolongs PFS, even if toxicity profile have to be carefully considered. Future trials should be designed taking into account patients' age, geriatric assessment and comorbidity.

Breast ultrasonography (BU) in the screening protocol for women at hereditary-familial risk of breast cancer: has the time come to rethink the role of BU according to different risk categories?

This article evaluates the breast cancer (BC) screening efficacy of biannual ultrasound (US) in three different risk categories. In a single-center, prospective, nonrandomized comparison study, BRCA mutation carriers and women with high risk (HR) or intermediate risk (IR) received mammography (MMG), ultrasound, (US) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), scheduled according to the risk categories. Single and combined sensitivity were evaluated in specific groups of risk and the US performance at six-monthly interval was notably considered. Among 2,313 asymptomatic women at different risk (136 mutation carriers, 1,749 at HR and 428 at IR) 211 developed a BC, of which 193 (91.5%) were screen detected BC (SDBC) and 18 (8.5%) were interval BC (IBC). The SDBC detection rate (DR) was 11.2 per 1.000 person-years (37.9, 8.5 and 16.1 for BRCA, HR and IR, respectively); 116 BC were detected by MMG (DR = 6.6 × 1,000 persons-years), 62 by US (DR = 3.6 × 1,000 persons-years) and 15 by MRI, that was applied only in 60 BRCA women (DR = 37 × 1,000 persons-years). At the six-monthly US, 52 BC were detected (DR = 3.0 × 1,000 persons/years), of which 8 were BRCA-related. The most sensitive technique was MRI (93.7%) followed by MMG (55%) and US (29.4%). Combined sensitivity for MMG plus US was 100% in HR and 80.4% for IR women (p < 0.01). In BRCA mutated patients, MRI alone with annual US performed after six months, could be offered. In HR patients, MMG plus biannual US provide the most sensitive diagnosis and for IR group an annual MMG could be sufficient.

Increasing BMI is associated with both endometrioid and serous histotypes among endometrial rather than ovarian cancers: a case-to-case study.

AIM: Although obesity has been associated with endometrioid (type I) and, to a lesser extent, with serous (type II) endometrial cancer (EC), the association with the same histotypes of ovarian cancer (OC) remains unclear. Therefore, we intended to compare the role of BMI in carcinogenesis of endometrioid and the serous malignancies, at both ovarian and endometrial level. METHODS: A retrospective case-to-case study was performed in the University Hospital of Bologna (Italy), through the review of primary EC matched with the corresponding OC cases in the same period (1988-2017). RESULTS: We included 1052 women diagnosed with EC (n = 897 endometrioid, n = 52 serous) and 955 women affected by OC (n = 132 endometrioid, n = 627 serous). EC patients had higher median BMI than women diagnosed with OC (27.3 [23.4-31.9] vs 24.9 [21.7-27.5], p < 0.01). After controlling for confounding, 1 unit increase in BMI was associated with a 5% higher odds of endometrial as opposed to ovarian cancer (OR for ovarian as opposed to endometrial cancer 0.95; 95% CI 0.91-0.98, p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Increasing BMI is associated with endometrial rather than ovarian cancer, among both serous and endometrioid histotypes.

Evaluation of Transvaginal Ultrasound plus CA-125 Measurement and Prophylactic Salpingo-Oophorectomy in Women at Different Risk Levels of Ovarian Cancer: The Modena Study Group Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of transvaginal ultrasound (TVU) and serum CA-125 measurement in women at different risk of developing ovarian cancer/fallopian tube cancer (OC/FTC) and the incidence of primary peritoneal cancer (PPC) after risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO). METHODS: Between 2002 and 2014, 661 women at different risk of OC/FTC/PPC due to a family history or BRCA1/2 gene mutation were offered TVU and CA-125 measurement or RRSO as prevention strategies. The detection rate of OC/FTC/PPC was evaluated, and the sensitivity and specificity for CA-125 measurement and TVU were calculated. Survival and event analysis was performed for diagnosed patients. RESULTS: After a median follow-up of 112 months, 12 OC/FTC/PPC cases were detected (2.6/1,000 persons/year). The screening sensitivity was 70%, with 73% for BRCA carriers. Six (50%) of 12 cancers were stage I or II. Among 41 women who underwent RRSO, 2 BRCA1 carriers developed a PPC (4.9%). At 61-month follow-up, overall and event-free survival were 75 and 64%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The cancer detection rate in women with BRCA mutation or a strong family history supports the effectiveness of our surveillance program for early diagnosis. Screening for women at lower risk of OC/FTC is not recommended. A residual risk of PPC after RRSO remains for BRCA1 carriers.

Molecular Biomarkers for Prediction of Targeted Therapy Response in Metastatic Breast Cancer: Trick or Treat?

In recent years, the study of genomic alterations and protein expression involved in the pathways of breast cancer carcinogenesis has provided an increasing number of targets for drugs development in the setting of metastatic breast cancer (i.e., trastuzumab, everolimus, palbociclib, etc.) significantly improving the prognosis of this disease. These drugs target specific molecular abnormalities that confer a survival advantage to cancer cells. On these bases, emerging evidence from clinical trials provided increasing proof that the genetic landscape of any tumor may dictate its sensitivity or resistance profile to specific agents and some studies have already showed that tumors treated with therapies matched with their molecular alterations obtain higher objective response rates and longer survival. Predictive molecular biomarkers may optimize the selection of effective therapies, thus reducing treatment costs and side effects. This review offers an overview of the main molecular pathways involved in breast carcinogenesis, the targeted therapies developed to inhibit these pathways, the principal mechanisms of resistance and, finally, the molecular biomarkers that, to date, are demonstrated in clinical trials to predict response/resistance to targeted treatments in metastatic breast cancer.

Molecular characterization and targeted therapeutic approaches in breast cancer.

Despite the wide improvements in breast cancer (BC) detection and adjuvant treatment, BC is still responsible for approximately 40,000 deaths annually in the United States. Novel biomarkers are fundamental to assist clinicians in BC detection, risk stratification, disease subtyping, prediction of treatment response, and surveillance, allowing a more tailored approach to therapy in both primary and metastatic settings. In primary BC, the development of molecular profiling techniques has added prognostic and predictive information to conventional biomarkers--estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. Moreover, the application of next-generation sequencing and reverse-phase protein microarray methods in the metastatic setting holds the promise to further advance toward a personalized management of cancer. The improvement in our understanding on BC biology associated with the study of the genomic aberrations characterizing the most common molecular subtypes allows us to explore new targets for drug development. Finally, the integration of cancer stem cell-targeted therapies and immune therapies in future combination regimens increases our chances to successfully treat a larger proportion of women with more aggressive and resistant metastatic disease. This article reviews the current state of novel biological markers for BC, the evidence to demonstrate their clinical validity and utility, and the implication for therapeutic targeting.

Twenty-years experience with de novo metastatic breast cancer.

Although new treatments have been widely studied to improve the survival of patients with metastatic breast cancer (BC), prognosis continues to be poor with an average survival time no longer than 3 years. We carried on a population-based study with the purpose of evaluating the outcome of metastatic breast cancer in the province of Modena from 1990 to 2009. We examined the Modena Cancer Registry and evaluated the 5-year overall survival (OS) of women diagnosed with a de novo metastatic breast cancer between 1990 and 2009, defining 5 periods of 4 years each. After a median follow-up time of 29 months, the 5-year OS was 11% for years 1990-1993, 15% for years 1994-1997, 12% for years 1998-2001, 20% for years 2002-2005 and 29% for years 2006-2009 (p = 0.012). Overall, although no OS differences were noted in the first decade analyzed, a real advantage has been shown in the last two cohorts. In a multivariate analysis, the 5-year OS was significantly increased only for hormone receptor positive and HER2+ tumors, whereas chemotherapy treatments were not significant independent predictors of survival in "de novo" metastatic BC (p = 0.08). Our analysis confirms that the prognosis of de novo metastatic breast cancer has improved overtime, particularly in the last decade. Trastuzumab, LH-RH analogues and aromatase inhibitors have determined a significant clinical benefit and cost-effectiveness in metastatic breast cancer treatment.

DCE-MRI Radiomic analysis in triple negative ductal invasive breast cancer. Comparison between BRCA and not BRCA mutated patients: Preliminary results.

OBJECTIVE: The research aimed to determine whether and which radiomic features from breast dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) MRI could predict the presence of BRCA1 mutation in patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective study included consecutive patients histologically diagnosed with TNBC who underwent breast DCE-MRI in 2010-2021. Baseline DCE-MRIs were retrospectively reviewed; percentage maps of wash-in and wash-out were computed and breast lesions were manually segmented, drawing a 5 mm-Region of Interest (ROI) inside the tumor and another 5 mm-ROI inside the contralateral healthy gland. Features for each map and each ROI were extracted with Pyradiomics-3D Slicer and considered first separately (tumor and contralateral gland) and then together. In each analysis the more important features for BRCA1 status classification were selected with Maximum Relevance Minimum Redundancy algorithm and used to fit four classifiers. RESULTS: The population included 67 patients and 86 lesions (21 in BRCA1-mutated, 65 in non BRCA-carriers). The best classifiers for BRCA mutation were Support Vector Classifier and Logistic Regression in models fitted with both gland and tumor features, reaching an Area Under ROC Curve (AUC) of 0.80 (SD 0.21) and of 0.79 (SD 0.20), respectively. Three features were higher in BRCA1-mutated compared to non BRCA-mutated: Total Energy and Correlation from gray level cooccurrence matrix, both measured in contralateral gland in wash-out maps, and Root Mean Squared, selected from the wash-out map of the tumor. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed the feasibility of a radiomic study with breast DCE-MRI and the potential of radiomics in predicting BRCA1 mutational status.