Long-term follow-up after preoperative trastuzumab and chemotherapy for HER2-overexpressing breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy and trastuzumab is an established treatment for locally advanced HER2-positive breast cancer, providing favorable rates of clinical response and pCR. Minimal data describe long-term outcomes after neoadjuvant HER2-directed therapy. This study aimed to explore long-term efficacy and toxicity after neoadjuvant trastuzumab and chemotherapy for HER2-positive breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eligible patients participated in 1 of 2 single-arm phase II neoadjuvant trials, receiving either paclitaxel/trastuzumab (TH) or vinorelbine/trastuzumab (NH) for stage II-III HER2-positive disease. Postoperative chemotherapy, with or without trastuzumab, was offered. Charts were reviewed to identify recurrence, death, and treatment-related toxicities. Association of long-term outcomes with baseline characteristics and pathological response to primary therapy was explored. RESULTS: Eighty patients were identified; 33 (41.3%) received TH and 47 (58.8%) received NH. Fourteen (17.5%) had pCR at surgery. Most (96.3%) received anthracycline-based adjuvant chemotherapy; 78.7% of NH patients also received adjuvant trastuzumab. At a median follow-up of 8.8 years, 23 (28.8%) patients have experienced recurrence, with 16 breast cancer-related deaths. Four-year RFS in patients with pCR was 92.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 79.4%-100%) versus 72.4% without pCR (95% CI, 63.9%-82.1%). All initial symptomatic cardiotoxicity resolved during extended follow-up. New symptomatic cardiotoxicity in long-term follow-up was rare, primarily occurring in patients requiring retreatment with a cardiotoxic agent. CONCLUSION: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy and trastuzumab for HER2-positive breast cancer resulted in favorable long-term survival with minimal late toxicity. Trends in this data set suggest an association between pCR and improved long-term RFS. Retreatment with cardiotoxic agents might increase risk of late cardiotoxicity.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy in pregnant women with breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SNB) in pregnant women with breast cancer is uncommonly pursued given concern for fetal harm. This study evaluated efficacy and safety outcomes in pregnant breast cancer patients undergoing SNB. METHODS: Patients who underwent SNB while pregnant were identified from a retrospective parent cohort of women diagnosed with breast cancer during pregnancy. Chart review was performed to tabulate patient/tumor characteristics, method/outcome of SNB, and short-term maternal/fetal outcomes. RESULTS: Within a cohort of 81, 47 clinically node-negative patients had surgery while pregnant: 25 (53.2 %) SNB, 20 (42.6 %) upfront axillary lymph node dissection, and 2 (4.3 %) no lymph node surgery. Of SNB patients, 8, 9, and 8 had SNB in the first, second, and third trimesters, respectively. 99 m-Technetium (99-Tc) alone was used in 16 patients, methylene blue dye alone in 7 patients, and 2 patients had unknown mapping method. Mapping was successful in all patients. There were no SNB-associated complications. At a median of 2.5 years from diagnosis, there was one locoregional recurrence, one new primary contralateral tumor, three distant recurrences, and one breast cancer death. Among patients who underwent SNB, there were 25 liveborn infants, of whom 24 were healthy, and 1 had cleft palate (in the setting of other maternal risk factors). CONCLUSIONS: SNB in pregnant breast cancer patients appears to be safe and accurate using either methylene blue or 99-Tc. This is one of the largest reported experiences of SNB during pregnancy; however, numbers remain limited. SNB rates in this cohort were lower than in non-pregnant breast cancer patients.

Metastatic basal cell carcinoma of the posterior neck: case report and review of the literature.

Although primary basal cell carcinoma (BCC) represents an extremely common malignancy, metastases derived from BCC are exceedingly rare. The prognosis for metastatic BCC is poor, and little consensus exists regarding predictive factors or optimal treatment strategies. Here, we present the case of a 63-year-old man with BCC of the neck who subsequently developed multiple metastases to subcutaneous tissue, lymph nodes, and the parotid gland. Risk factors and clinical features of metastatic BCC are reviewed, as is the relationship of histopathologic subtype to metastatic behavior. Current chemotherapeutic and targeted therapies also are discussed in the context of recent advances in molecular biology.

Breast cancer survivors' perceptions of survivorship care options.

PURPOSE: As the number of breast cancer survivors increases, a durable model of comprehensive survivor care is needed, incorporating providers and/or visit types both within and outside of oncology. The objective of this study was to explore survivors' comfort with different clinician types or with a telephone/Internet-based virtual visit as components of survivorship care. METHODS: Breast cancer survivors participating in a general survivorship survey completed an additional breast cancer-specific questionnaire evaluating the self-perceived impact of follow-up visits to various clinician types, or follow-up by a virtual visit, on survival, worrying, and stress related to cancer. RESULTS: A total of 218 breast cancer survivors completed the questionnaire. Most favored medical oncologist follow-up visits over those with primary care physicians (PCPs) or nurse practitioners (NPs) in terms of reduced worrying about cancer (odds ratio [OR], 2.21; P < .001), reduced stress around the visit (OR, 1.40; P = .002), and improved effect on cancer survival (OR, 2.38; P < .001). However, the majority also displayed substantial comfort with both PCPs and NPs in the same domains. Patients rated a virtual visit as having a less favorable impact on cancer survival and cancer-related worrying compared with in-person visits with clinicians. CONCLUSION: Breast cancer survivors are comfortable with both PCPs and NPs providing follow-up care, although they indicate a preference for medical oncologists. Given patients' negative impressions of a virtual visit, increased familiarity with and research investigating this emerging concept are needed. The NP-led survivorship clinic model, with increased guidance for PCPs, offers a promising route for improving quality of and satisfaction with survivor care.

Knowledge base and caretaker-child communication about HIV in peri-urban schoolchildren of Lusaka, Zambia.

Peri-urban communities, which face health risks of both urban and rural environments, have grown extensively with recent global urbanization. These communities' combination of multiple HIV risk factors with the lack of a formalized sexual education system sets the stage for high-risk behavior in peri-urban youth. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of children (ages 5-17, N=331) and accompanying caretakers in peri-urban Lusaka, Zambia, using both closed- and open-ended questions to investigate HIV knowledge and communication. We found that while 67% of children had heard of HIV, only 26% and 23% could accurately name a major mode of transmission and prevention, respectively. In a multivariate model, increasing age was the only significant demographic correlate of a child's ability to offer accurate responses to either question. Though HIV/AIDS knowledge levels were high in the eldest (14-17-year old) age group, in the 10-13-year-old age group accurate modes of transmission and prevention were provided by only 41% and 33% of study participants, respectively. Sharp instruments, particularly razor blades, were mentioned nearly as frequently as sexual intercourse with respect to both transmission and prevention, a response trend that predominated in the youngest age group but persisted into the oldest. Seventy percent of caretakers had not spoken with their child about HIV. A history of caretaker-child communication about HIV was associated with an increased likelihood of a child offering an accurate mode of transmission (OR 2.70, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.41-5.18, p=0.0029) or prevention (OR 3.43, 95% CI 1.78-6.60, p=0.0002), in multivariate analyses. Our results demonstrate a lack of knowledge and dialog about HIV in the pre-adolescent subset of high-risk peri-urban youth, and uncover undue emphasis on razor blades as a major mode of disease transmission.

Schistosomiasis haematobium prevalence and risk factors in a school-age population of peri-urban Lusaka, Zambia.

Given association of the parasite Schistosoma haematobium with coastal and rural/agricultural populations, there is little documentation to date of infection patterns in today's rapidly urbanizing non-coastal regions. We conducted an observational study of 5-17-year-old school children (N = 1583) in peri-urban compounds of Lusaka, Zambia. Demographic information, medical history, physical examination findings and urinalysis results were recorded. Prevalence of schistosomiasis in the population was 20.72%. Significant risk factors for infection were male gender [odds ratio (OR) 2.42], age of 9-12 years or 13-17 years (OR 3.33 and 3.26, respectively, compared with 5-8-year-olds) and single and/or double orphan status (OR 1.43). Clinical officers detected schistosomiasis with a sensitivity of 24.70% and a specificity of 98.17% after history and physical examination. These results reveal that peri-urban populations have a significant but under-recognized vulnerability to infection, and suggest that only history and physical examination are inadequate for identifying a treatment population.