Prevalence of Homologous Recombination Deficiency Among Patients With Germline RAD51C/D Breast or Ovarian Cancer.

Importance: RAD51C and RAD51D are involved in DNA repair by homologous recombination. Germline pathogenic variants (PVs) in these genes are associated with an increased risk of ovarian and breast cancer. Understanding the homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) status of tumors from patients with germline PVs in RAD51C/D could guide therapeutic decision-making and improve survival. Objective: To characterize the clinical and tumor characteristics of germline RAD51C/D PV carriers, including the evaluation of HRD status. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study included 91 index patients plus 90 relatives carrying germline RAD51C/D PV (n = 181) in Spanish hospitals from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2021. Genomic and functional HRD biomarkers were assessed in untreated breast and ovarian tumor samples (n = 45) from June 2022 to February 2023. Main Outcomes and Measures: Clinical and pathologic characteristics were assessed using descriptive statistics. Genomic HRD by genomic instability scores, functional HRD by RAD51, and gene-specific loss of heterozygosity were analyzed. Associations between HRD status and tumor subtype, age at diagnosis, and gene-specific loss of heterozygosity in RAD51C/D were investigated using logistic regression or the t test. Results: A total of 9507 index patients were reviewed, and 91 patients (1.0%) were found to carry a PV in RAD51C/D; 90 family members with a germline PV in RAD51C/D were also included. A total of 157 of carriers (86.7%) were women and 181 (55.8%) had received a diagnosis of cancer, mainly breast cancer or ovarian cancer. The most prevalent PVs were c.1026+5_1026+7del (11 of 56 [19.6%]) and c.709C>T (9 of 56 [16.1%]) in RAD51C and c.694C>T (20 of 35 [57.1%]) in RAD51D. In untreated breast cancer and ovarian cancer, the prevalence of functional and genomic HRD was 55.2% (16 of 29) and 61.1% (11 of 18) for RAD51C, respectively, and 66.7% (6 of 9) and 90.0% (9 of 10) for RAD51D. The concordance between HRD biomarkers was 91%. Tumors with the same PV displayed contrasting HRD status, and age at diagnosis did not correlate with the occurrence of HRD. All breast cancers retaining the wild-type allele were estrogen receptor positive and lacked HRD. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study of germline RAD51C/D breast cancer and ovarian cancer, less than 70% of tumors displayed functional HRD, and half of those that did not display HRD were explained by retention of the wild-type allele, which was more frequent among estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers. Understanding which tumors are associated with RAD51C/D and HRD is key to identify patients who can benefit from targeted therapies, such as PARP (poly [adenosine diphosphate-ribose] polymerase) inhibitors.

Preventing alpelisib-related hyperglycaemia in HR+/HER2-/PIK3CA-mutated advanced breast cancer using metformin (METALLICA): a multicentre, open-label, single-arm, phase 2 trial.

Background: Hyperglycaemia is an early and frequent adverse event during alpelisib treatment. METALLICA aimed to evaluate prophylactic metformin to prevent or reduce hyperglycaemia occurrence in patients with HR+/HER2-/PIK3CA-mutated advanced breast cancer (ABC). Methods: Between August 13th, 2020 and March 23rd, 2022, this 2-cohort, phase 2, multicentre, single-arm trial (NCT04300790) enrolled patients with HR+/HER2-/PIK3CA-mutated ABC: cohort A, normal glycaemia (fasting plasma glucose <100 mg/dL [<5.6 mmol/L] and HbA1c <5.7%), and cohort B, prediabetes (fasting plasma glucose 100-140 mg/dL [5.6-7.8 mmol/L] and/or haemoglobin A1C [HbA1c] 5.7-6.4%). Participants were at least 18 years old, with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-1, and up to two prior lines of endocrine therapy (ET) for ABC. Alpelisib plus ET were administered in 28-day cycles after initiation of prophylactic metformin plus ET. Primary endpoint was the incidence of grade 3-4 hyperglycaemia over the first 8 weeks. Secondary endpoints included safety, progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), and clinical benefit rate (CBR). The primary objective for cohort A and B is met with ≤7 (14.6%) and ≤4 (20%) patients with grade 3-4 hyperglycaemia over the first 8 weeks, respectively. Findings: 233 patients were screened, and 68 (20.2%) patients were enrolled in cohorts A (n = 48) and B (n = 20). Median follow-up was 7.8 months (IQR 1.4-19.6). Over the first 8 weeks, one (2.1%) of 48 patients in cohort A (95% CI: 0.5-11.1; P < 0.0001), and three (15.0%) of 20 patients in cohort B (95% CI: 5.6-37.8; P = 0.016) had grade 3-4 hyperglycaemia. Serious treatment-related adverse events occurred in seven patients (10.3%). The most common were rash (two [2.9%]), vomiting (two [2.9%]), and diarrhoea (two [2.9%]). Discontinuation of alpelisib caused by AEs was reported in nine patients (13.2%), none caused by hyperglycaemia. At data cutoff (15 June, 2022), no treatment-related deaths were observed. In the full analysis set, median PFS was 7.3 months (95% CI: 5.9-not reached), ORR was 20.6% (95% CI: 11.7-32.1%), and CBR was 52.9% (95% CI: 40.4-65.2). Interpretation: In HR+/HER2-/PIK3CA-mutated ABC, prophylactic metformin before alpelisib plus endocrine treatment has low incidence and severity of alpelicib-induced hyperglycaemia. Funding: Novartis Pharmaceuticals.

Uso de paneles de genes en pacientes con alto riesgo de cáncer digestivo hereditario: documento de posicionamiento de la AEG, SEOM, AEGH y consorcio IMPaCT-GENÓMICA / Use of multi-gene panels in patients at high risk of hereditary digestive cancer: position statement of AEG, SEOM, AEGH and IMPaCT-GENÓMICA consortium

Este documento de posicionamiento, auspiciado por la Asociación Española de Gastroenterología, la Sociedad Española de Oncología Médica, la Asociación Española de Genética Humana y el consorcio IMPaCT-Genómica, tiene como objetivo realizar recomendaciones para el uso de paneles de genes en la evaluación de individuos con alto riesgo de cáncer digestivo hereditario. Para medir la calidad de la evidencia y los niveles de recomendación se ha utilizado la metodología basada en el sistema Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE). Se obtuvo el consenso entre expertos mediante un método Delphi. El documento incluye recomendaciones sobre escenarios clínicos en los que se recomienda el uso de paneles de genes en cáncer colorrectal, síndromes polipósicos, cáncer gástrico y pancreático, así como los genes de los paneles a ser considerados en cada una de estas situaciones clínicas. También se establecen recomendaciones sobre la evaluación de mosaicismos, las estrategias de asesoramiento ante la ausencia de sujeto índice y, finalmente, el análisis constitucional tras identificación de variantes patogénicas tumorales. (AU)

This position statement, sponsored by the Asociación Española de Gastroenterología, the Sociedad Española de Oncología Médica, the Asociación Española de Genética Humana and the IMPaCT-Genómica Consortium aims to establish recommendations for use of multi-gene panel testing in patients at high risk of hereditary gastrointestinal and pancreatic cancer. To rate the quality of the evidence and the levels of recommendation, we used the methodology based on the GRADE system (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation). We reached a consensus among experts using a Delphi method. The document includes recommendations on clinical scenarios where multi-gene panel testing is recommended in colorectal cancer, polyposis syndromes, gastric and pancreatic cancer, as well as the genes to be considered in each clinical scenario. Recommendations on the evaluation of mosaicisms, counseling strategies in the absence of an index subject and, finally, constitutional analysis after identification of pathogenic tumor variants are also made. (AU)

Use of multi-gene panels in patients at high risk of hereditary digestive cancer: position statement of AEG, SEOM, AEGH and IMPaCT-GENÓMICA consortium. / Uso de paneles de genes en pacientes con alto riesgo de cáncer digestivo hereditario: documento de posicionamiento de la AEG, SEOM, AEGH y consorcio IMPaCT-GENÓMICA.

This position statement, sponsored by the Asociación Española de Gastroenterología, the Sociedad Española de Oncología Médica, the Asociación Española de Genética Humana and the IMPaCT-Genómica Consortium aims to establish recommendations for use of multi-gene panel testing in patients at high risk of hereditary gastrointestinal and pancreatic cancer. To rate the quality of the evidence and the levels of recommendation, we used the methodology based on the GRADE system (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation). We reached a consensus among experts using a Delphi method. The document includes recommendations on clinical scenarios where multi-gene panel testing is recommended in colorectal cancer, polyposis syndromes, gastric and pancreatic cancer, as well as the genes to be considered in each clinical scenario. Recommendations on the evaluation of mosaicisms, counseling strategies in the absence of an index subject and, finally, constitutional analysis after identification of pathogenic tumor variants are also made.

Safety and efficacy of ribociclib plus letrozole in patients with HR+, HER2- advanced breast cancer: Results from the Spanish sub-population of the phase 3b CompLEEment-1 trial.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality in Spanish women. Ribociclib in combination with endocrine therapy (ET) has shown superiority in prolonging survival in patients with hormone receptor-positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-) advanced breast cancer (ABC) vs. ET alone. METHODS: CompLEEment-1 is a single-arm, open-label phase 3b trial evaluating ribociclib plus letrozole in a broad population of patients with HR+, HER2- ABC. The primary endpoints were safety and tolerability. Here we report data for Spanish patients enrolled in CompLEEment-1. RESULTS: A total of 526 patients were evaluated (median follow-up: 26.97 months). Baseline characteristics showed a diverse population with a median age of 54 years. At study entry, 56.5% of patients had visceral metastases and 8.7% had received prior chemotherapy for advanced disease. Rates of all-grade and Grade ≥3 adverse events (AEs) were 99.0% and 76.2%, respectively; 21.3% of patients experienced a serious AE, and 15.8% of AEs led to treatment discontinuation. AEs of special interest of neutropenia, increased alanine aminotransferase, increased aspartate aminotransferase and QTcF prolongation occurred in 77.8%, 14.8%, 11.4% and 4.0% of patients, respectively. Patients aged >70 years experienced increased rates of all-grade and Grade ≥3 neutropenia and anemia. Efficacy results were consistent with the global study. CONCLUSIONS: Results from Spanish patients enrolled in CompLEEment-1 are consistent with global data showing efficacy and a manageable safety profile for ribociclib plus letrozole treatment in patients with HR+, HER2- ABC, including populations of interest (NCT02941926). TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02941926.

Pre-operative ribociclib plus letrozole versus chemotherapy: Health-related quality of life outcomes from the SOLTI CORALLEEN trial.

INTRODUCTION: In the phase II CORALLEEN trial, patients with PAM50 luminal B early breast cancer (EBC) were randomised to neoadjuvant ribociclib plus letrozole (R + L) or chemotherapy based on anthracyclines and taxanes. Results from the primary efficacy analysis showed a similar proportion of patients with response at surgery in both groups. How health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes with R + L compare with chemotherapy in EBC setting is still unknown. Here, we report the results of the HRQoL analysis from the CORALLEEN study. METHODS: A total of 106 women were randomised 1:1 to receive neoadjuvant R + L (n = 52) or chemotherapy (n = 54). Patient-reported outcomes were assessed using two questionnaires: EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-BR23. Change from baseline in the global health status, functional, and symptom scales was analysed using linear mixed-effect models, and between-treatment differences were estimated along with 95% confidence interval (95% CI). RESULTS: At baseline, the overall questionnaire available rate was 94.3%, and patient-reported outcomes were similar between treatment groups. At the end of the study treatment (24 weeks), patients receiving R + L showed better global health status scores with a between-treatment difference of 17.7 points (95% CI 9.2-26.2; p-value <0.001). The R + L group also presented numerically better outcomes in all functional and symptom scales. The larger between-treatment differences in symptom severity were found in fatigue (-28.9; 95% CI -38.5 to -19.3), appetite loss (-23; 95% CI -34.9 to -11.2) and systematic therapy side-effects (-11.4; 95% CI -18.3 to -4.6). CONCLUSIONS: Neoadjuvant R + L was associated with better HRQoL outcomes compared with chemotherapy in patients with luminal B EBC. REGISTRATION IDENTIFICATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03248427.

Sapanisertib plus Fulvestrant in Postmenopausal Women with Estrogen Receptor-Positive/HER2-Negative Advanced Breast Cancer after Progression on Aromatase Inhibitor.

PURPOSE: This phase II study investigated daily or weekly sapanisertib (a selective dual inhibitor of mTOR complexes 1 and 2) in combination with fulvestrant. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Postmenopausal women with estrogen receptor-positive (ER+)/HER2-negative (HER2-) advanced or metastatic breast cancer following progression during/after aromatase inhibitor treatment were randomized to receive fulvestrant 500 mg (28-day treatment cycles), fulvestrant plus sapanisertib 4 mg daily, or fulvestrant plus sapanisertib 30 mg weekly, until progressive disease, unacceptable toxicity, consent withdrawal, or study completion. RESULTS: Among 141 enrolled patients, baseline characteristics were balanced among treatment arms, including prior cyclin-dependent kinase-4/6 (CDK4/6) inhibitor treatment in 33% to 35% of patients. Median progression-free survival (PFS; primary endpoint) was 3.5 months in the single-agent fulvestrant arm, compared with 7.2 months for fulvestrant plus sapanisertib daily [HR, 0.77; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.47-1.26] and 5.6 months for fulvestrant plus sapanisertib weekly (HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.53-1.45). The greatest PFS benefits were seen in patients who had previously received CDK4/6 inhibitors. The most common adverse events were nausea, vomiting, and hyperglycemia, all occurring more frequently in the combination therapy arms. Treatment discontinuation due to adverse events occurred more frequently in the two combination therapy arms than with single-agent fulvestrant (32% and 36% vs. 4%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Fulvestrant plus sapanisertib daily/weekly resulted in numerically longer PFS in patients with ER+/HER2- advanced or metastatic breast cancer, compared with single-agent fulvestrant. The combination was associated with increased toxicity. Further development of sapanisertib using these dosing schedules in this setting is not supported by these data.

Health-related quality of life with palbociclib plus endocrine therapy versus capecitabine in postmenopausal patients with hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer: Patient-reported outcomes in the PEARL study.

BACKGROUND: The PEARL study showed that palbociclib plus endocrine therapy (palbociclib/ET) was not superior to capecitabine in improving progression-free survival in postmenopausal patients with metastatic breast cancer resistant to aromatase inhibitors, but was better tolerated. This analysis compared patient-reported outcomes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The PEARL quality of life (QoL) population comprised 537 patients, 268 randomised to palbociclib/ET (exemestane or fulvestrant) and 269 to capecitabine. Patients completed the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BR23 and EQ-5D-3L questionnaires. Changes from the baseline and time to deterioration (TTD) were analysed using linear mixed-effect and stratified Cox regression models, respectively. RESULTS: Questionnaire completion rate was high and similar between treatment arms. Significant differences were observed in the mean change in global health status (GHS)/QoL scores from the baseline to cycle 3 (2.9 for palbociclib/ET vs. -2.1 for capecitabine (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4-8.6; P = 0.007). The median TTD in GHS/QoL was 8.3 months for palbociclib/ET versus 5.3 months for capecitabine (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.55-0.89; P = 0.003). Similar improvements for palbociclib/ET were also seen for other scales as physical, role, cognitive, social functioning, fatigue, nausea/vomiting and appetite loss. No differences were observed between the treatment arms in change from the baseline in any item of the EQ-5D-L3 questionnaire as per the overall index score and visual analogue scale. CONCLUSION: Patients receiving palbociclib/ET experienced a significant delay in deterioration of GHS/QoL and several functional and symptom scales compared with capecitabine, providing additional evidence that palbociclib/ET is better tolerated. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02028507 (ClinTrials.gov). EUDRACT STUDY NUMBER: 2013-003170-27.

Real-world effectiveness of dual HER2 blockade with pertuzumab and trastuzumab for neoadjuvant treatment of HER2-positive early breast cancer (The NEOPETRA Study).

PURPOSE: Neoadjuvant clinical trials with dual HER2 blockade with pertuzumab and trastuzumab plus chemotherapy demonstrated high rates of pathological complete response (pCR) in HER2-positive early breast cancer (BC). We investigated whether the benefit on pCR seen in clinical trials is confirmed in a real-world setting. METHODS: Multicenter, retrospective study in patients with HER2-positive early BC receiving neoadjuvant treatment with pertuzumab and trastuzumab in routine clinical practice (n = 243). The primary endpoint was total pCR (tpCR) (ypT0/is ypN0). RESULTS: A total of 243 evaluable patients were included. Pertuzumab and trastuzumab were combined with anthracyclines and taxanes in 74.1% of patients, with single-agent taxane in 11.1% of patients and with platinum-based chemotherapy (CT) in 14.4% of patients. The tpCR rate was 66.4%:71% with anthracyclines and taxanes, 59.3% with single-agent taxane, and 48.6% with platinum-based combinations. The tpCR rate was higher among patients with hormone receptor (HR)-negative tumors (80.9%) vs HR-positive tumors (55.4%) (p < 0.001). A pCR in the breast (ypT0/is) was achieved in 67.6% of patients. Of 143 patients who showed radiological complete response (rCR) (62%), 112 (78.3%) patients also achieved tpCR. Assessment of rCR by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed the highest negative predictive value (NPV) for predicting tpCR (83.5%). Breast-conserving surgery was performed in 58.7% of patients. Grade 3 and grade 4 toxicities were reported in 33 (18.2%) and 12 (6.6%) patients, respectively. No toxicity leading to death was reported. CONCLUSIONS: This real-world analysis shows that neoadjuvant pertuzumab, trastuzumab, and chemotherapy achieve comparable or even higher rates of tpCR than those seen in clinical trials. The pCR benefit is higher in HR-negative tumors. The assessment of rCR by MRI showed the highest ability for predicting pCR. In addition, this neoadjuvant strategy confers an acceptable safety profile.

Ribociclib plus letrozole versus chemotherapy for postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative, luminal B breast cancer (CORALLEEN): an open-label, multicentre, randomised, phase 2 trial.

BACKGROUND: In hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative early stage breast cancer, cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) inhibition in combination with endocrine therapy could represent an alternative to multiagent chemotherapy. We aimed to evaluate the biological and clinical activity of neoadjuvant ribociclib plus letrozole in the luminal B subtype of early stage breast cancer. METHODS: CORALLEEN is a parallel-arm, multicentre, randomised, open-label, phase 2 trial completed across 21 hospitals in Spain. We recruited postmenopausal women (≥18 years) with stage I-IIIA hormone receptor-positive, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status 0-1, HER2-negative breast cancer and luminal B by PAM50 with histologically confirmed, operable primary tumour size of at least 2 cm in diameter as measured by MRI. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) using a web-based system and permuted blocks of 25 to receive either six 28-days cycles of ribociclib (oral 600 mg once daily for 3 weeks on, 1 week off) plus daily letrozole (oral 2·5 mg/day) or four cycles of doxorubicin (intravenous 60 mg/m2) and cyclophosphamide (intravenous 600 mg/m2) every 21 days followed by weekly paclitaxel (intravenous 80 mg/m2) for 12 weeks. The total duration of the neoadjuvant therapy was 24 weeks. Randomisation was stratified by tumour size and nodal involvement. Samples were prospectively collected at baseline (day 0), day 15, and surgery. The primary endpoint was to evaluate the proportion of patients with PAM50 low-risk-of-relapse (ROR) disease at surgery in the modified intention-to-treat population including all randomly assigned patients who received study drug and had a baseline and at least one post-baseline measurement of ROR score. The PAM50 ROR risk class integrated gene expression data, tumour size, and nodal status to define prognosis. This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03248427. FINDINGS: Between July 27, 2017 to Dec 7, 2018, 106 patients were enrolled. At baseline, of the 106 patients, 92 (87%) patients had high ROR disease (44 [85%] of 52 in the ribociclib and letrozole group and 48 [89%] of 54 in the chemotherapy group) and 14 (13%) patients had intermediate-ROR disease (eight [15%] and six [11%]). Median follow-up was 200·0 days (IQR 191·2-206·0). At surgery, 23 (46·9%; 95% CI 32·5-61·7) of 49 patients in the ribociclib plus letrozole group and 24 (46·1%; 32·9-61·5) of 52 patients in the chemotherapy group were low-ROR. The most common grade 3-4 adverse events in the ribociclib plus letrozole group were neutropenia (22 [43%] of 51 patients) and elevated alanine aminotransferase concentrations (ten [20%]). The most common grade 3-4 adverse events in the chemotherapy group were neutropenia (31 [60%] of 52 patients) and febrile neutropenia (seven [13%]). No deaths were observed during the study in either group. INTERPRETATION: Our results suggest that some patients with high-risk, early stage, hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer could achieve molecular downstaging of their disease with CDK4/6 inhibitor and endocrine therapy. FUNDING: Novartis, Nanostring, Breast Cancer Research Foundation-AACR Career Development Award.

Multicenter retrospective study to evaluate the impact of trabectedin plus pegylated liposomal doxorubicin on the subsequent treatment in women with recurrent, platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer.

Debulking surgery, followed by taxane/platinum-based chemotherapy has traditionally been the first-line treatment for advanced ovarian cancer. However, most patients will experience recurrence afterwards, and receive subsequent lines of therapy. It has been proposed that extending the treatment-free interval of platinum can improve the response to a subsequent platinum-based chemotherapy, and reduce associated toxicities in women with recurrent, platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer. The aim was to determine the impact, in clinical practice, of trabectedin with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (trabectedin/PLD) on the subsequent platinum-based therapy in these patients, and to explore the prognosis for breast cancer gene status and the expression of diverse genes. This was a multicenter, retrospective, postauthorization study that involved 79 patients. Germline or somatic mutations of breast cancer gene 1/2 were present in 21.5%. The median time between trabectedin/PLD and the onset of the subsequent treatment was 6.7 months. The overall response rate during the trabectedin/PLD period was 36.7%. In the subsequent first-line platinum-based therapy, the overall response rate was 51.4%. Progression-free survival and overall survival were 11.8 and 25.4 months, respectively, from the onset of trabectedin/PLD treatment. Partially platinum-sensitive (between 6 and 12 months) and platinum-sensitive patients (treatment-free interval of platinum≥12 months) showed no differences in progression-free survival and overall survival. Grade 3 neutropenia and asthenia were reported in 15.2 and 10.1% of patients, respectively. Most frequent adverse events in more than 10% of patients were neutropenia (45.6%), asthenia (43.0%), nausea (25.3%), and anemia (13.9%). The intercalation with a nonplatinum regimen may improve the response to a subsequent platinum-based therapy in women with recurrent, platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer.

Evaluation of a Streamlined Oncologist-Led BRCA Mutation Testing and Counseling Model for Patients With Ovarian Cancer.

Purpose There is a growing demand for BRCA1/ 2 mutation ( BRCAm) testing in patients with ovarian cancer; however, the limited number of genetic counselors presents a potential barrier. To facilitate more widespread BRCAm testing in ovarian cancer, pretest counseling by the oncology team could shorten testing turnaround times and ease the pressure on genetic counselors. Patients and Methods The prospective, observational Evaluating a Streamlined Onco-genetic BRCA Testing and Counseling Model Among Patients With Ovarian Cancer (ENGAGE) study evaluated a streamlined, oncologist-led BRCAm testing pathway. The analysis population comprised 700 patients with ovarian cancer at 26 sites in the United States, Italy, and Spain. The primary objectives were to assess turnaround time and, using questionnaires, to evaluate stakeholder satisfaction (patients, oncologists, and geneticists or genetic counselors) with the oncologist-led BRCAm testing pathway. Results The median overall turnaround time was 9.1 weeks (range, 0.9 to 37.1 weeks), with median turnaround times in the United States, Italy, and Spain of 4.1 weeks (range, 0.9 to 37.1 weeks), 20.4 weeks (range, 2.9 to 35.4 weeks), and 12.0 weeks (range, 2.0 to 36.7 weeks), respectively. Patient satisfaction with the oncologist-led BRCAm testing pathway was high, with > 99% of patients expressing satisfaction with pre- and post- BRCAm test counseling. Oncologist satisfaction with the BRCAm testing pathway was also high, with > 80% agreeing that the process for performing BRCAm testing worked well and that counseling patients on BRCAm testing was an efficient use of their time. Oncologists expressed higher levels of satisfaction with the BRCAm testing pathway than did geneticists or genetic counselors. Conclusion The results of the ENGAGE study demonstrate that an oncologist-led BRCAm testing process is feasible in ovarian cancer. Development of local BRCAm testing guidelines similar to the one used in this study could allow faster treatment decisions and better use of resources in the management of patients with ovarian cancer.

Analysis of Lynch Syndrome Mismatch Repair Genes in Women with Endometrial Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Endometrial cancer is the second most frequent neoplasm in women with Lynch syndrome (LS). We sought to assess whether analyzing women with endometrial cancer would identify families with LS not identified with current clinical criteria. METHODS: We included women diagnosed with endometrial cancer younger than 50 years and also older if they had a family cancer history associated with LS. In blood samples obtained, we analyzed mutations in mismatch repair (MMR) genes, as well as protein expression by immunohistochemistry and microsatellite instability (MSI) in tumour tissue. RESULTS: A total of 103 patients were enrolled. We detected 14 pathogenic mutations and 4 genetic variants of unknown clinical significance in MMR genes. We found MSI in 41.66% of the women with a pathogenic mutation. In this group, 76.92% showed loss of at least one MMR protein. Women with mutations were younger at diagnosis, but all of them had a family history compatible with LS. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of the MMR genes, in particular MSH6, seems to be appropriate in women with endometrial cancer and a family history of tumours associated with LS.

Factors Associated with the Selection of First-line Bevacizumab plus Chemotherapy and Clinical Response in HER2-negative Metastatic Breast Cancer: ONCOSUR AVALOX Study.

AIM: To evaluate factors associated with the selection of first-line bevacizumab plus chemotherapy and clinical response in HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer (MBC) in clinical practice in Spain. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All consecutive adult female patients with HER2-negative MBC who had received first-line bevacizumab plus chemotherapy for at least 3 months were enrolled in the present study. RESULTS: A total of 292 evaluable patients were included; 25% had triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and 75% had hormone receptor-positive breast cancer (HRPBC). Nearly 40% of patients had ≥3 metastatic sites, mainly located in the bone (48%) and liver (40%). Bevacizumab was mostly combined with paclitaxel (67.1%). ER-positive tumors were only identified as an independent factor associated with the choice of treatment (odds ratio (OR): 0.538; p=0.02). The overall response rate (ORR) was 63.7% (TNBC: 57.5%; HRPBC: 65.9%). Patients aged 36-50 years (OR: 3.03; p=0.028) and those with metastases at sites other than the bone (OR: 0.38; p=0.001) and ≥3 metastatic sites (OR: 1.41; p=0.018) were more likely to achieve objective responses. CONCLUSION: First-line bevacizumab plus chemotherapy, mainly paclitaxel, is an effective and well-tolerated treatment option for HER2-negative MBC, particularly in more aggressive disease.

SOLTI NeoPARP: a phase II randomized study of two schedules of iniparib plus paclitaxel versus paclitaxel alone as neoadjuvant therapy in patients with triple-negative breast cancer.

Iniparib is an investigational agent with antitumor activity of controversial mechanism of action. Two previous trials in advanced triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) in combination with gemcitabine and carboplatin showed some evidence of efficacy that was not confirmed. This phase II randomized neoadjuvant study was designed to explore its activity and tolerability with weekly paclitaxel (PTX) as neoadjuvant treatment in TNBC patients. 141 patients with Stage II-IIIA TNBC were randomly assigned to receive PTX (80 mg/m(2), d1; n = 47) alone or in combination with iniparib, either once-weekly (PWI) (11.2 mg/kg, d1; n = 46) or twice-weekly (PTI) (5.6 mg/kg, d1, 4; n = 48) for 12 weeks. Primary endpoint was pathologic complete response (pCR) in the breast. pCR rate was similar among the three arms (21, 22, and 19 % for PTX, PWI, and PTI, respectively). Secondary efficacy endpoints were comparable: pCR in breast and axilla (21, 17, and 19 %); best overall response in the breast (60, 61, and 63 %); and breast conservation rate (53, 54, and 50 %). Slightly more patients in the PTI arm presented grade 3/4 neutropenia (4, 0, and 10 %). Grade 1/2 (28, 22, and 29 %), but no grade 3/4 neuropathy, was observed. There were no differences in serious adverse events and treatment-emergent adverse events leading to treatment discontinuation among the three arms. Addition of iniparib to weekly PTX did not add relevant antitumor activity or toxicity. These results do not support further evaluation of the combination of iniparib at these doses plus paclitaxel in early TNBC.

Tratamiento del melanoma coroideo. Estudio de 13 casos / Treatment of choroidal melanoma. Study of 13 cases

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