The impact of geriatric characteristics and comorbidities on distant metastases and other cause mortality in older women with non-metastatic breast cancer treated with primary endocrine therapy.

INTRODUCTION: In recent years, primary surgical treatment of older women with non-metastatic breast cancer has decreased in favor of primary endocrine therapy (PET). PET can be considered in women with a remaining life expectancy of less than five years. The aim of this study was to (1) assess the risk of distant metastases and other cause mortality over ten years in women aged 65 and older with stage I-III breast cancer treated with PET, (2) whether this was associated with geriatric characteristics and comorbidities and to (3) describe the reasons on which the choice for PET was made. METHODS: Women were included from the retrospective FOCUS cohort, which comprises all incident women diagnosed with breast cancer aged 65 or older between January 1997 and December 2004 in the Comprehensive Cancer Center Region West in the Netherlands. We selected women (N = 257) with stage I-III breast cancer and treated with PET from this cohort. Patient characteristics (including comorbidity, polypharmacy, walking, cognitive and sensory impairment), treatment and tumor characteristics were retrospectively extracted from charts. Outcomes were distant metastasis and other cause mortality. Cumulative incidences were calculated using the Cumulative Incidence for Competing Risks method (CICR); and subdistribution hazard ratios (SHR) were tested between groups based on age, geriatric characteristics and comorbidity with the Fine and Gray model. RESULTS: Women treated with PET were on average 84 years old and 41% had one or more geriatric characteristics. Other cause mortality exceeded the cumulative incidence of distant metastasis over ten years (83 versus 5.6%). The risk of dying from another cause further increased in women with geriatric characteristics (SHR 2.06, p < 0.001) or two or more comorbidities (SHR 1.72, p < 0.001). Often the reason for omitting surgery was not recorded (52.9%), but if recorded surgery was omitted mainly at the patient's request (18.7%). DISCUSSION: This study shows that the cumulative incidence of distant metastasis is much lower than other cause mortality in older women with breast cancer treated with PET, especially in the presence of geriatric characteristics or comorbidities. This confirms the importance of assessment of geriatric characteristics to aid counseling of older women.

Efficacy and safety of durvalumab with olaparib in metastatic or recurrent endometrial cancer (phase II DOMEC trial).

BACKGROUND: Patients with advanced endometrial cancer have a poor prognosis, and treatment options are limited. The investigator-initiated, multicenter, phase II DOMEC trial (NCT03951415) is the first trial to report data on efficacy and safety of combined treatment with PD-L1 and PARP inhibition for advanced endometrial cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with metastatic or recurrent endometrial cancer were enrolled. Patients received durvalumab 1500 mg intravenously q4w and olaparib 300 mg 2dd until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or patient withdrawal. Patients with at least 4 weeks of treatment were evaluable for analysis. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival at 6 months. Evidence for efficacy was defined as progression-free survival at 6 months in ≥50% of patients. Secondary endpoints included safety, objective response and overall survival. RESULTS: From July 2019, through November 2020, 55 patients were enrolled. At data cut-off (September 2021), 4 of the 50 evaluable patients were still on treatment. Seventeen patients (34%) were progression-free at 6 months. Objective response rate was 16% (95% CI, 8.3 to 28.5) with 1 complete and 7 partial responses. With a median follow-up of 17.6 months, median progression-free survival was 3.4 months (95% CI, 2.8 to 6.2) and median overall survival was 8.0 months (95% CI, 7.5 to 14.3). Grade 3 treatment-related adverse events occurred in 8 patients (16%), predominantly anemia. There were no grade 4 or 5 treatment-related adverse events. CONCLUSION: The combination of durvalumab and olaparib was well tolerated, but did not meet the prespecified 50% 6-month progression-free survival in this heterogeneous patient population with advanced endometrial cancer.

Chemotherapy resistance and stromal targets in breast cancer treatment: a review.

Therapy resistance is a known problem in breast cancer and is associated with a variety of mechanisms. The role of the tumor microenvironment in cancer development and resistance mechanisms is becoming increasingly understood. Tumor-stroma is the main component of the tumor microenvironment. Stromal cells like cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are believed to contribute to chemotherapy resistance via the production of several secreted factors like cytokines and chemokines. CAFs are found to influence disease progression; patients with primary tumors with a high amount of tumor-stroma have a significantly worse outcome. Therefore the role of CAFs resistance mechanisms makes them a promising target in anti-cancer therapy. An overview of recent advances in strategies to target breast cancer stroma is given and the current literature regarding these stromal targets is discussed. CAF-specific proteins as well as secreted molecules involved in tumor-stroma interactions provide possibilities for stroma-specific therapy. The development of stroma-specific therapy is still in its infancy and the available literature is limited. Within the scope of personalized treatment, biomarkers based on the tumor-stroma have future potential for the improvement of treatment via image-guided surgery (IGS) and PET scanning.

Using a quality of life (QoL)-monitor: preliminary results of a randomized trial in Dutch patients with early breast cancer.

PURPOSE: The diagnosis and treatment of cancer negatively affect patients' physical, functional and psychological wellbeing. Patients' needs for care cannot be addressed unless they are recognized by healthcare providers (HCPs). The use of quality of life (QoL) assessments with feedback to HCPs might facilitate the identification and discussion of QoL-topics. METHODS: 113 patients with stage I-IIIB breast cancer treated with chemotherapy were included in this randomized controlled trial. Patients were randomly allocated to receive either usual care, or usual care with an intervention consisting of a QoL-monitor assessing QoL, distress and care needs before every chemotherapy cycle visit. Patients completed questionnaires regarding QoL, illness perceptions, self-efficacy, and satisfaction with communication. From the 2nd visit onwards, patients in the intervention arm and their HCPs received a copy of the QoL overview and results were shown in patients' medical files. Audio-recordings and patients' self-reports were used to investigate effects on communication, patient management and patient-wellbeing. A composite score for communication was calculated by summing the number of QoL-topics discussed during each consultation. RESULTS: Use of the QoL-monitor resulted in a higher communication score (0.7 topics increase per visit, p = 0.04), especially regarding the disease-specific and psychosocial issues (p < 0.01). There were no differences in patient management, QoL, illness perceptions or distress. Patients in the experimental arm (n = 60) had higher scores on satisfaction with communication (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Use of a QoL-monitor during chemotherapy in patients with early breast cancer might result in a more frequent discussion of QoL-topics, associated with high levels of patients' satisfaction.

Higher ER load is not associated with better outcome in stage 1-3 breast cancer: a descriptive overview of quantitative HR analysis in operable breast cancer.

PURPOSE: In breast cancer, hormone receptor (HR) status is generally a qualitative measure; positive or negative. Quantitatively measured oestrogen and progesterone receptors (ER and PR) are frequently proposed prognostic and predictive markers, some guidelines even provide different treatment options for patients with strong versus weak expression. AIM: To evaluate quantitative HR load assessed by immunohistochemistry as a prognostic and predictive measure in stage 1-3 breast cancer. METHODS: We reviewed all the available literature on quantitatively measured HRs using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: All included studies (n = 19) comprised a cohort of 30,754 patients. Only 2 out of 17 studies found a clear correlation between higher quantitative ER and better disease outcome. Only one trial examined quantitative ER both as prognostic and predictive marker and found no association between ER% and survival. Ten studies examined quantitative PR load, only two of those found a significant correlation between higher PR load and better disease outcome. Two trials examined quantitative PR both as prognostic and predictive marker, neither found any association between PR% and disease outcome. CONCLUSIONS: There is no clear evidence for using quantitatively assessed ER and PR as prognostic nor predictive marker in patients with stage 1-3 breast cancer. We recommend only using a qualitative HR status in future guidelines and treatment considerations.

Strong CD8+ lymphocyte infiltration in combination with expression of HLA class I is associated with better tumor control in breast cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

PURPOSE: Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are associated with pathological complete response (pCR) and survival after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in patients with early breast cancer. We investigated the prognostic and predictive role of TILs, macrophages, and HLA class 1 expression after NAC with or without the potentially immune modulating compound zoledronic acid (ZA). METHODS: Baseline tumor biopsies from 196 patients in the NEOZOTAC trial were analyzed for CD8 (cytotoxic T-cells), FoxP3 (regulatory T-cells), CD68 (macrophages), and HLA class I (HCA2/HC10) expression by immunohistochemistry and subsequently related to pCR and disease-free survival (DFS). RESULTS: A strong intratumoral CD8+ infiltration or expression of HLA class 1 by cancer cells was associated with a higher pCR rate (p < 0.05). Clinical benefit of high CD8+ T-cell infiltration was found when cancer cells expressed HLA class 1 (pCR: 21.8% vs. 6.7%, p = 0.04) but not when HLA class 1 expression was lost or downregulated (pCR: 5.9% vs. 0%, p = 0.38). Interaction analyses revealed survival benefit between HLA class 1 expression and strong CD8+ T-cell infiltration, whereas in the absence or downregulation of HLA class 1 expression, high levels of CD8+ T-cells were associated with survival disadvantage (p for interaction 0.01; hazard ratio 0.41, 95% CI 0.15-1.10, p = 0.08 and hazard ratio 7.67, 95% CI 0.88-66.4, p = 0.07, respectively). Baseline immune markers were not related to ZA treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Strong baseline tumor infiltration with CD8+ T-cells in the presence of tumoral HLA class 1 expression in patients with HER2-negative breast cancer is related to a higher pCR rate and a better DFS after NAC.

Cross-cultural comparison of breast cancer patients' Quality of Life in the Netherlands and Japan.

PURPOSE: Cultural differences are hypothesized to influence patients' Quality of Life (QoL) reports. However, there is a lack of empirical cross-cultural studies comparing QoL of patients with cancer. This study aims to compare QoL of women with breast cancer in the Netherlands and Japan, and to investigate the association of QoL with sociodemographic, clinical, and psychological variables (illness perceptions). METHODS: Dutch (n = 116) and Japanese (n = 148) women with early breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy completed the EORTC QLQ-C30 and Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire immediately before their second cycle of chemotherapy. RESULTS: Dutch women reported poorer Physical, Role, Emotional, and Cognitive functioning than Japanese women. Additionally, illness perceptions were significantly different in Japan and the Netherlands, but these did not vary across treatment type. In Japan, QoL of women receiving AC-chemotherapy was better than that of women receiving FEC-chemotherapy, whereas in the Netherlands, QoL did not vary as a function of chemotherapy. Illness perceptions about symptom severity, adverse consequences, and emotional representations were negatively related to most domains of patients' QoL in both countries. Adding illness perceptions as covariates to the ANOVA analyses rendered the effects of country and treatment type on QoL non-significant. CONCLUSIONS: Comparing Dutch and Japanese women with early breast cancer revealed important differences in treatment modalities and illness perceptions which both appear to influence QoL. Perceptions about cancer have been found to vary across cultures, and our study suggests that these perceptions should be considered when performing cross-cultural studies focusing on patient-reported outcomes.

Oncologist, patient, and companion questions during pretreatment consultations about adjuvant cancer treatment: a shared decision-making perspective.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the occurrence of questions that foster shared decision making, in particular cancer patients' understanding of treatment decisions and oncologists' understanding of patients' priorities, during consultations in which preference-sensitive decisions are discussed. Specifically, (a) regarding patient understanding, do oncologists ask about patients' preexisting knowledge, information preferences, and understanding and do patients and companions ask about the disease and treatment, and (b) regarding patient priorities, do oncologists ask about patients' treatment- and decision-related preferences and do patients and companions ask about the decision? METHODS: Audiotaped pretreatment consultations of 100 cancer patients with 32 oncologists about (neo)adjuvant treatment were coded and analyzed to document question type, topic, and initiative. RESULTS: The oncologists ascertained prior knowledge in 50 patients, asked 24 patients about preferred (probability) information, and invited questions from 56 patients. The oncologists asked 32 patients about treatment preferences and/or for consent. Respectively, one-third and one-fifth of patients and companions asked about treatment benefits compared with three-quarters of them who asked about treatment harms and/or procedures. CONCLUSIONS: It would be helpful to patients if oncologists more often assessed patients' existing knowledge to tailor their information provision. Also, patients could receive treatment recommendations that better fit their personal situation if oncologists collected information on patients' views about treatments. Moreover, by educating patients to ask about treatment alternatives, benefits, and harms, patients may gain a better understanding of the choice they have.

A phase I trial combining carboplatin/doxorubicin with tocilizumab, an anti-IL-6R monoclonal antibody, and interferon-α2b in patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND: The immune system is important in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Interleukin-6 is associated with chemoresistance and an immune-suppressive tumor microenvironment. We investigated whether a combination of chemotherapeutics, blockade of interleukin 6 (IL-6) receptor (IL-6R; tocilizumab), and immune enhancer interferon-α (Peg-Intron) is feasible, safe, and able to enhance immunity in patients with recurrent EOC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this dose-escalation study, patients received tocilizumab 1, 2, 4, or 8 mg/kg i.v., q4 weeks during the first three cycles of carboplatin (AUC5) plus doxorubicin [pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) 30 mg/m(2) or doxorubicin 50 mg/m(2) i.v., day 1, q4 weeks, for six cycles]. At the highest tocilizumab dose (8 mg/kg), Peg-Intron (1 µg/kg s.c.) was added. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were collected for immunomonitoring at baseline, after three and six cycles. Dose-limiting toxicity (DLT), CA-125, and radiologic response were evaluated. RESULTS: In the 23 patients enrolled, no DLT was established. The most frequent grade 3/4 adverse events (CTCAE v4.03) were neutropenia (23%), febrile neutropenia (19%), and ileus (19%). No treatment-related deaths occurred. Using CT evaluation, 11 of 21 assessable patients responded, 6 had stable disease and 3 progressive disease. Patients receiving highest dose tocilizumab showed a functional blockade of IL-6R with increased levels of serum IL-6 (P = 0.02) and soluble IL-6R (P = 0.008). Consequently, immune cells displayed decreased levels of pSTAT3, myeloid cells produced more IL-12 and IL-1ß while T cells were more activated and secreted higher amounts of effector cytokines interferon-γ and tumor necrosis factor-α. An increase in sIL-6R was potentially associated with a survival benefit (P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Functional IL-6R blocking is feasible and safe in EOC patients treated with carboplatin/(pegylated liposomal)doxorubicin, using 8 mg/kg tocilizumab. This combination is recommended for phase II evaluation based on immune parameters. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTER: NCT01637532.

Quality assessment of estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor testing in breast cancer using a tissue microarray-based approach.

Assessing hormone receptor status is an essential part of the breast cancer diagnosis, as this biomarker greatly predicts response to hormonal treatment strategies. As such, hormone receptor testing laboratories are strongly encouraged to participate in external quality control schemes to achieve optimization of their immunohistochemical assays. Nine Dutch pathology departments provided tissue blocks containing invasive breast cancers which were all previously tested for estrogen receptor and/or progesterone receptor expression during routine practice. From these tissue blocks, tissue microarrays were constructed and tested for hormone receptor expression. When a discordant result was found between the local and TMA result, the original testing slide was revised and staining was repeated on a whole-tissue block. Sensitivity and specificity of individual laboratories for testing estrogen receptor expression were high, with an overall sensitivity and specificity [corrected] of 99.7 and 95.4%, respectively. Overall sensitivity and specificity of progesterone receptor testing were 94.8 and 92.6%, respectively. Out of 96 discordant cases, 36 cases would have been concordant if the recommended cut-off value of 1% instead of 10% was followed. Overall sensitivity and specificity of estrogen and progesterone receptor testing were high among participating laboratories. Continued enrollment of laboratories into quality control schemes is essential for achieving and maintaining the highest standard of care for breast cancer patients.

Thyroid function alters during neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer patients: results from the NEOZOTAC trial (BOOG 2010-01).

This side study investigated the effect of chemotherapy on thyroid function and the extent to which it can predict pathological complete response (pCR) in patients with early breast cancer taking part in NEOZOTAC phase III trial, randomizing between neoadjuvant chemotherapy with or without additional zoledronic acid. Moreover, we examined the impact of thyroid function on toxicity. Serum samples of 38 patients were available for analyses. Free thyroxin (fT4) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels were compared between baseline and before the 6th cycle and between subjects with and without pCR. The relation between toxicity and the variation in fT4 and TSH levels during chemotherapy was tested. Samples at baseline and before the 6th cycle were available for 31 and 21 patients, respectively. The mean baseline fT4 level was 16.0 pmol/L and TSH level 1.11 mU/L, and these did not differ between both arms at each time point. During six cycles of chemotherapy, fT4 levels decreased (p = 0.0001), and TSH levels increased significantly (p = 0.019). Interestingly, the decrease of fT4 was significantly greater in patients without nausea, vomiting, or neuropathy, than in patients with those side effects (p = 0.037, p = 0.043, and p = 0.050, respectively). Baseline TSH levels tended to be higher in patients with pCR (p = 0.035 univariate analysis and p = 0.074 multivariate analysis). Chemotherapy blunts thyroid function, which was associated with less side effects. These data urge further evaluation of the effects of thyroid function on toxicity and outcome of breast cancer therapy.

Addition of zoledronic acid to neoadjuvant chemotherapy does not enhance tumor response in patients with HER2-negative stage II/III breast cancer: the NEOZOTAC trial (BOOG 2010-01).

BACKGROUND: The role of zoledronic acid (ZA) when added to the neoadjuvant treatment of breast cancer (BC) in enhancing the clinical and pathological response of tumors is unclear. The effect of ZA on the antitumor effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy has not prospectively been studied before. PATIENTS AND METHODS: NEOZOTAC is a national, multicenter, randomized study comparing the efficacy of TAC (docetaxel, adriamycin and cyclophosphamide i.v.) followed by granulocyte colony-stimulating factor on day 2 with or without ZA 4 mg i.v. q 3 weeks inpatients withstage II/III, HER2-negative BC. We present data on the pathological complete response (pCR in breast and axilla), on clinical response using MRI, and toxicity. Post hoc subgroup analyses were undertaken to address the predictive value of menopausal status. RESULTS: Addition of ZA to chemotherapy did not improve pCR rates (13.2% for TAC+ZA versus 13.3% for TAC). Postmenopausal women (N = 96) had a numerical benefit from ZA treatment (pCR 14.0% for TAC+ZA versus 8.7% for TAC, P = 0.42). Clinical objective response did not differ between treatment arms (72.9% versus 73.7%). There was no difference in grade III/IV toxicity between treatment arms. CONCLUSIONS: Addition of ZA to neoadjuvant chemotherapy did not improve pathological or clinical response to chemotherapy. Further investigations are warranted in postmenopausal women with BC, since this subgroup might benefit from ZA treatment.

Improved survival of patients with cervical cancer treated with image-guided brachytherapy compared with conventional brachytherapy.

OBJECTIVE: Since the Group Européen de Curiethérapie and the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (GEC-ESTRO) published recommendations for 3D MRI-based image-guided adaptive brachytherapy (IGBT) in the treatment of cervical cancer, many institutions have implemented this technique and favourable results were documented. We investigated if introduction of IGBT in our centre indeed improved treatment outcomes and reduced toxicity compared to conventional brachytherapy (CBT). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was done of outcomes of patients with stage IB-IVA cervical cancer treated with primary radiation therapy with curative intent between 2000 and 2012. Outcome measures were overall and disease-free survival, pelvic control, distant metastasis and treatment related adverse events (AE). RESULTS: 126 patients were analysed; 43 had been treated with CBT between 2000-2007, and 83 with IGBT between 2007-2012. External beam radiation (mean; 46.6Gy) was combined with concurrent weekly cisplatin (51.6%), or hyperthermia (24.6%); radiation alone was used in 23.8%. Median follow-up was 121.8months for CBT patients, vs. 42.3months for IGBT. Complete remission was achieved in 83.7% of patients in the CBT group and in 98.8% of IGBT patients (p<0.01). Overall survival at 3years was 51% and 86%, respectively (p=0.001). Pelvic recurrence was found in 32% vs. 7% (p<0.001). Most patients had low grade adverse events. High grade (3-4) AE occurred in 15.4% vs. 8.4% at 3years (p=0.06). CONCLUSION: Introduction of IGBT for cervical cancer has led to significantly increased 3-year locoregional control and survival rates, whilst reducing late morbidity.

Reliability of core needle biopsy for determining ER and HER2 status in breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have assessed the concordance of estrogen receptor (ER) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status between core needle biopsy (CNB) and resection specimens, usually in small patient series and with discordant results. PATIENTS AND METHODS: ER and HER2 status determined on CNB and tissue micro-arrays of resected tumors were compared for patients treated at the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC). When results were discordant, whole-sized slides were analyzed. Additionally, literature was searched for published patient series and combined with our data to assess the concordance of ER and HER2 determination between CNB and resection specimens. RESULTS: In the LUMC series, concordance for ER status was 99.1%. Combined concordance from 20 studies and the LUMC patient series was 93.7%. For HER2 testing, concordance was 96.2% for patients in the LUMC series. Our study and three others have investigated the concordance when HER2 was determined according to the American Society of Clinical Oncology and College of Pathology guidelines and overall concordance was 97.8%. CONCLUSIONS: Concordance between CNB and surgical specimens was high for both ER and HER2 testing. However, we recommend retesting ER-negative CNB results on the surgical specimen and performing in situ hybridization assays on HER2 immunohistochemistry 3+ CNBs to confirm HER2 status.

Quantitative assessment of lymph vascular space invasion (LVSI) provides important prognostic information in node-negative breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Some studies investigating the prognostic value of lymph vascular space invasion (LVSI) have shown an association between LVSI and disease-free survival. Definitive criteria and optimal determination of this parameter remain unclear, however, especially regarding the clinical relevance of LVSI quantification. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A subset of node-negative breast carcinomas from premenopausal patients from the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer trial 10854 (assessing efficacy of perioperative chemotherapy patients with T1-T3, N0-2, and M0 breast cancer (BC) was selected and scored for LVSI. In 358 evaluable breast carcinomas, the number of LVSI foci and tumor cells was determined in the largest tumor embolus within the lymph vessels. These two parameters were multiplied to calculate the LVSI tumor burden (LVSI TB). The optimal cutoff for this parameter was calculated in a test set (N = 120), tested in a validation set (N = 238), and compared with simple quantitation of the number of LVSI foci. RESULTS: Tumors with a single LVSI focus are not associated with increased risk for relapse [hazard ratio (HR) 1.423, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.762-2.656]. The LVSI TB had higher sensitivity and specificity compared with simple determination of the number of LVSI foci. LVSI TB was independently associated with disease-free survival in the validation set (HR 2.366, 95% CI 1.369-4.090, P = 0.002) in multivariate analysis and provided prognostic information in both the low- and high-risk node-negative BC groups (P < 0.001 and P = 0.007, respectively). CONCLUSION: The determination of the number of LVSI foci multiplied by the number of tumor cells gives the most reliable quantitative assessment of this parameter, which can provide prognostic information in node-negative BC.

The prognostic role of TGF-ß signaling pathway in breast cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: The transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) pathway has dual effects on tumor growth. Seemingly, discordant results have been published on the relation between TGF-ß signaling markers and prognosis in breast cancer. Improved prognostic information for breast cancer patients might be obtained by assessing interactions among TGF-ß signaling biomarkers. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The expression of nuclear Smad4, nuclear phosphorylated-Smad2 (p-Smad2), and the membranous expression of TGF-ß receptors I and II (TßRI and TßRII) was determined on a tissue microarray of 574 breast carcinomas. Tumors were stratified according to the Smad4 expression in combination with p-Smad2 expression or Smad4 in combination with the expression of both TGF-ß receptors. RESULTS: Tumors with high expression of TßRII, TßRI and TßRII, and p-Smad2 (P = 0.018, 0.005, and 0.022, respectively), and low expression of Smad4 (P = 0.005) had an unfavorable prognosis concerning progression-free survival. Low Smad4 expression combined with high p-Smad2 expression or low expression of Smad4 combined with high expression of both TGF-ß receptors displayed an increased hazard ratio of 3.04 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.390-6.658] and 2.20 (95% CI 1.464-3.307), respectively, for disease relapse. CONCLUSIONS: Combining TGF-ß biomarkers provides prognostic information for patients with stage I-III breast cancer. This can identify patients at increased risk for disease recurrence that might therefore be candidates for additional treatment.

Prognostic significance of the tumor-stroma ratio: validation study in node-negative premenopausal breast cancer patients from the EORTC perioperative chemotherapy (POP) trial (10854).

The tumor-stroma ratio has previously been shown to be prognostic for patients with invasive breast cancer. We present a validation study to assess the prognostic significance in lymph node-negative, premenopausal patients from the perioperative chemotherapy trial (POP trial, 10854) conducted by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer. The POP trial assessed the efficacy of one course of perioperative chemotherapy (consisting of fluorouracil, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide). Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained sections were retrieved from a subset of premenopausal, node-negative patients from this trial and were scored for the percentage of intra-tumoral stroma. The tumor-stroma ratio was associated with disease-free survival in univariate and multivariate analysis. Tumors with a high tumor-stroma ratio had an increased hazard of 1.853 for disease relapse (95 %CI 1.327-2.585, P < 0.001) independent of other parameters. Combining other parameters with the tumor-stroma ratio improved risk stratification. For triple-negative tumors, the tumor-stroma ratio was associated with an increased hazard for disease relapse, independent of other parameters (HR 2.711, 95 %CI 1.111-6.614, P = 0.028). The tumor-stroma ratio was also independently associated with locoregional recurrence even in breast cancer patients ≤40 years of age (HR 2.201, 95 %CI 1.038-4.669, P = 0.040). This study validates the prognostic value of the tumor-stroma ratio. This parameter can be easily assessed on HE slides and can be implemented next to pathological staging reports to determine patient prognosis.

Gene expression signatures in older patients with breast cancer: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Gene expression signatures have emerged to predict prognosis and guide the use of adjuvant therapy in patients with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the prognostic and predictive value of commercially available gene expression signatures as a tool in adjuvant treatment decision-making in older patients with breast cancer. METHODS: PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Emcare were reviewed for relevant articles published before December 2021. Eligible studies were randomised trials and cohort studies that externally validated commercially available gene expression signatures in patients aged 65 years and older, including studies that presented subanalyses of this age group. Data extraction and risk of bias assessment was performed independently by two investigators. RESULTS: Fifteen studies were included. Most studies investigated Oncotype DX, while results from other gene expression signatures were limited. Several studies underlined the prognostic performance of Oncotype DX and Prosigna Risk of Recurrence in older patients. Moreover, Oncotype DX was predictive for older patients with an intermediate-risk recurrence score; chemotherapy could be spared in both lymph node-positive and lymph node-negative disease. CONCLUSIONS: Prognostic performance has been demonstrated in older patients for several gene expression signatures. However, additional validation in patients with high-risk tumours is needed before gene expression signatures can be implemented in clinical practice as a prediction tool for adjuvant chemotherapy decision-making in the older age group.

89Zr-Trastuzumab PET/CT Imaging of HER2-Positive Breast Cancer for Predicting Pathological Complete Response after Neoadjuvant Systemic Therapy: A Feasibility Study.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 20% of invasive ductal breast malignancies are human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive. These patients receive neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NAT) including HER2-targeting therapies. Up to 65% of patients achieve a pathological complete response (pCR). These patients might not have needed surgery. However, accurate preoperative identification of a pCR remains challenging. A radiologic complete response (rCR) on MRI corresponds to a pCR in only 73% of patients. The current feasibility study investigates if HER2-targeted PET/CT-imaging using Zirconium-89 (89Zr)-radiolabeled trastuzumab can be used for more accurate NAT response evaluation. METHODS: HER2-positive breast cancer patients scheduled to undergo NAT and subsequent surgery received a 89Zr-trastuzumab PET/CT both before (PET/CT-1) and after (PET/CT-2) NAT. Qualitative and quantitative response evaluation was performed. RESULTS: Six patients were enrolled. All primary tumors could be identified on PET/CT-1. Four patients had a pCR and two a pathological partial response (pPR) in the primary tumor. Qualitative assessment of PET/CT resulted in an accuracy of 66.7%, compared to 83.3% of the standard-of-care MRI. Quantitative assessment showed a difference between the SUVR on PET/CT-1 and PET/CT-2 (ΔSUVR) in patients with a pPR and pCR of -48% and -90% (p = 0.133), respectively. The difference in tumor-to-blood ratio on PET/CT-1 and PET/CT-2 (ΔTBR) in patients with pPR and pCR was -79% and -94% (p = 0.133), respectively. Three patients had metastatic lymph nodes at diagnosis that were all identified on PET/CT-1. All three patients achieved a nodal pCR. Qualitative assessment of the lymph nodes with PET/CT resulted in an accuracy of 66.7%, compared to 50% of the MRI. CONCLUSIONS: NAT response evaluation using 89Zr-trastuzumab PET/CT is feasible. In the current study, qualitative assessment of the PET/CT images is not superior to standard-of-care MRI. Our results suggest that quantitative assessment of 89Zr-trastuzumab PET/CT has potential for a more accurate response evaluation of the primary tumor after NAT in HER2-positive breast cancer.

First-line chemotherapy for malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) versus other histological soft tissue sarcoma subtypes and as a prognostic factor for MPNST: an EORTC soft tissue and bone sarcoma group study.

BACKGROUND: the role of chemotherapy in advanced malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) is unclear. PATIENTS AND METHODS: chemotherapy-naive soft tissue sarcomas (STS) patients treated on 12 pooled nonrandomized and randomized European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Soft Tissue and Bone Sarcoma Group trials were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical outcomes, overall survival, progression-free survival (PFS) and response were determined for MPNST and other STS histotypes and compared. Additionally, prognostic factors within the MPNST population were defined. Studied cofactors were demographics, sarcoma history, disease extent and chemotherapy regimen. RESULTS: after a median follow-up of 4.1 years, 175 MPNST out of 2675 eligible STS patients were analyzed. Outcome was similar for MPNST versus other STS histotypes, with a response rate, median PFS and overall survival of 21% versus 22%, 17 versus 16 weeks and 48 versus 51 weeks, respectively. Performance status was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival. Chemotherapy regimen was an independent prognostic factor for response (P < 0.0001) and PFS (P = 0.009). Compared with standard first-line doxorubicin, the doxorubicin-ifosfamide regimen had the best response, whereas ifosfamide had the worst prognosis. CONCLUSION: this series indicates the role of chemotherapy in treatment of advanced MPNST. This first comparison showed similar outcomes for MPNST and other STS histotypes. The apparent superiority of the doxorubicin-ifosfamide regimen justifies further investigations of this combination in randomized trials.