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Background: Cancer patients are at high risk of psychological problems and COVID-19 infection, which makes them even more vulnerable to mood disorders. Our objectives were to analyze the level of anxiety and depression among patients with advanced cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic and to analyze the association between sociodemographic, clinical, and psychological factors in patients with advanced cancer. Methods: A prospective, cross-sectional, multicenter study was conducted in 15 oncology departments in Spain. Patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic cancer who were candidates for systemic treatment were included. Patients completed demographic information and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), Michel´s Uncertainty in Illness Scale (MUIS), Mental Adjustment to Cancer (MAC), and Cancer Worry Scale (CWS). Results: A total of 374 patients were recruited (April 2020-2021). The mean age was 64.2 years (34-88) and 48.7% were women. The most frequent were lung (30.7%) and colon (14.2%) cancers and most had metastases (78.6%). The most frequent therapy was chemotherapy (57.9%). The prevalence of anxiety and depression was 35% and 34%, respectively. Anxiety and depression levels were higher in women (p=0.001 and p=0.003, respectively). Patients 18 months (p=0.033) had more anxiety symptoms. Logistic regression analysis revealed that women, patients with coping based on anxious preoccupation and hopelessness had higher risk of anxiety and depression (all, p

Our group has previously reported that women with inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) continue to have worse outcome compared with those with non-IBC. We undertook this population-based study to see if there have been improvements in survival among women with stage III IBC, over time.We searched the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Registry to identify female patients diagnosed with stage III IBC between 1990 and 2010. Patients were divided into four groups according to year of diagnosis: 1990-1995, 1996-2000, 2001-2005, and 2006-2010. Breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared across groups using the log-rank test. Cox models were then fit to determine the association of year of diagnosis and BCSS after adjusting for patient and tumor characteristics.A total of 7679 patients with IBC were identified of whom 1084 patients (14.1%) were diagnosed between 1990 and 1995, 1614 patients (21.0%) between 1996 and 2000, 2683 patients (34.9%) between 2001 and 2005, and 2298 patients (29.9%) between 2006 and 2010. The 2-year BCSS for the whole cohort was 71%. Two-year BCSS were 62%, 67%, 72%, and 76% for patients diagnosed between 1990-1995, 1996-2000, 2001-2005, and 2006-2010, respectively (P0.0001). In the multivariable analysis, increasing year of diagnosis (modeled as a continuous variable) was associated with decreasing risks of death from breast cancer (HR = 0.98, 95% confidence interval 0.97-0.99, P0.0001).There has been a significant improvement in survival of patients diagnosed with IBC over a two-decade time span in this large population-based study. This suggests that therapeutic strategies researched and evolved in the context of non-IBC have also had a positive impact in women with IBC.

Background Everolimus synergistically enhances taxane-induced cytotoxicity in breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo in addition to demonstrating a direct antiproliferative activity. We aim to determine pharmacodynamics changes and response of adding everolimus to standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Patients and methods Phase II study in patients with primary TNBC randomized to T-FEC (paclitaxel 80 mg/m2 i.v. weekly for 12 weeks, followed by 5-fluorouracil 500 mg/m2, epirubicin 100 mg/m2, and cyclophosphamide 500 mg/m2 every 3 weeks for four cycles) versus TR-FEC (paclitaxel 80 mg/m2 i.v. and everolimus 30 mg PO weekly for 12 weeks, followed by FEC). Tumor samples were collected to assess molecular changes in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, at baseline, 48 h, 12 weeks, and at surgery by reverse phase protein arrays (RPPA). Clinical end points included 12-week clinical response rate (12-week RR), pathological complete response (pCR), and toxicity. Results Sixty-two patients were registered, and 50 were randomized, 27 received T-FEC, and 23 received TR-FEC. Median age was 48 (range 31–75). There was downregulation of the mTOR pathway at 48 h in the TR-FEC arm. Twelve-week RR by ultrasound were 29.6% versus 47.8%, (P = 0.075), and pCR were 25.9% versus 30.4% (P = 0.76) for T-FEC and TR-FEC, respectively. mTOR downregulation at 48 h did not correlate with 12-week RR in the TR-FEC group (P = 0.58). Main NCI grade 3/4 toxicities included anemia, neutropenia, rash/desquamation, and vomiting in both arms. There was one case of grade 3 pneumonitis in the TR-FEC arm. No grade 3/4 stomatitis occurred. Conclusion The addition of everolimus to paclitaxel was well tolerated. Everolimus downregulated mTOR signaling but downregulation of mTOR at 48 h did not correlate with 12-week RR in the TR-FEC group. Clinical trial number NCT00499603.

Background Treatment options for patients (pts) with BRAFV600 wild type advanced melanoma following failure on anti–programmed death receptor 1 (aPD-1) therapy are limited. Melanoma is strongly driven by MAPK signaling. The MEK inhibitor cobimetinib inhibits MAPK signaling and increases immune cell infiltrate in the tumor, providing a strong rationale for combining cobimetinib with the anti–PD ligand-1 (PD-L1) antibody atezolizumab. Methods This multisite, phase Ib study enrolled pts with BRAFV600 wild type advanced melanoma with disease progression on or after aPD-1 therapy (≤12 weeks before study entry) to 2 cohorts. In cohort A, pts received oral cobimetinib 60 mg (once daily, 21 days on, 7 days off) and IV atezolizumab 840 mg (every 2 weeks). In cohort B, pts received identical treatment except in cycle 1, in which cobimetinib was dosed alone for the first 14 days. Paired pretreatment and during-treatment (cycle 2) tumor biopsies were mandated in cohort B. The co-primary endpoints were confirmed objective response rate per RECIST v1.1 and disease control rate (DCR; complete response, partial response [PR], or stable disease [SD] at 16 weeks). Safety was a secondary endpoint (CTCAE v4.0). Results At data cutoff (March 1, 2019), 103 pts were enrolled in cohorts A (n = 92) and B (n = 11); 50 pts had >16 weeks of follow-up and were included in this analysis. Of these 50 pts, 8 (16%) had PR as best confirmed response and 18 (36%) had SD; the DCR was 38% (PR = 8; SD at 16 weeks=11). Prior aPD-1 therapy in 9 pts with unconfirmed PR included pembrolizumab (n = 5), nivolumab (n = 1), pembrolizumab + ipilimumab (n = 2), or nivolumab + ipilimumab (n = 1). For the 7 pts with confirmed PR whose tumor PD-L1 status could be established, 6 were positive (≥1% PD-L1+ cells) and 1 was negative ( Conclusions Preliminary efficacy and safety data for the combination of cobimetinib and atezolizumab in pts who have disease progression on/after prior aPD-1 therapy suggest that this is a feasible and active option warranting further exploration. Clinical trial identification NCT03178851. Editorial acknowledgement ApotheCom, Yardley, PA, USA. Legal entity responsible for the study Roche. Funding Roche. Disclosure S.K. Sandhu: Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony, Research grant / Funding (institution), Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Bristol-Myers Squibb; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony, Research grant / Funding (institution): Merck Serono; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony, Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Janssen; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy: Merck Sharp and Dohme; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony, Research grant / Funding (institution): Roche Genentech; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Amgen; Research grant / Funding (institution), Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Merck; Research grant / Funding (institution): Endocyte. V.G. Atkinson: Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony, Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Bristol-Myers Squibb; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony, Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: MSD; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: Merck Serono; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy: Pierre Fabre; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony, Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Roche; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: Novartis; Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Onco-Sec. M. Gonzalez Cao: Honoraria (self), Honoraria (institution), Advisory / Consultancy: Bristol-Myers Squibb; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy: Pierre Fabre; Honoraria (institution), Research grant / Funding (institution), Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Roche; Honoraria (institution): MSD; Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony, Research grant / Funding (institution): AstraZeneca; Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Takeda. T. Medina: Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution): Bristol-Myers Squibb; Advisory / Consultancy: Array; Research grant / Funding (institution): Dynavax; Research grant / Funding (institution): Immunocore; Research grant / Funding (institution): Nektar; Research grant / Funding (institution): Merck; Research grant / Funding (institution): Genentech; Research grant / Funding (institution): Checkmate. A. Soria Rivas: Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: Roche; Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: Novartis; Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony, Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Bristol-Myers Squibb; Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony, Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: MSD; Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: Merck Serono. I. Caro: Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options, Full / Part-time employment: Roche Genentech. L. Roberts: Full / Part-time employment: Genentech. Y. Song: Full / Part-time employment: Roche/Genentech. Y. Yan: Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options, Full / Part-time employment: Roche/Genentech. G.V. Long: Advisory / Consultancy: Aduro; Advisory / Consultancy: Amgen; Advisory / Consultancy: Bristol-Myers Squibb; Advisory / Consultancy: Mass-Array; Advisory / Consultancy: Merck Sharp and Dohme; Advisory / Consultancy: Novartis; Advisory / Consultancy: Oncosec; Advisory / Consultancy: Pierre Fabre; Advisory / Consultancy: Roche.

In this study, we used functional proteomics to determine the molecular characteristics of residual triple receptor-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients after neoadjuvant systemic chemotherapy (NCT) and their relationship with patient outcomes in order to identify potential targets for therapy.Protein was extracted from 54 residual TNBCs, and 76 proteins related to breast cancer signaling were measured by reverse phase protein arrays (RPPAs). Univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were fitted for each protein. Survival outcomes were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier product limit method. Training and cross validation were carried out. The coefficients estimated from the multivariable Cox model were used to calculate a risk score (RS) for each sample.Multivariable analysis using the top 25 proteins from univariable analysis at a false discovery rate (FDR) of 0.3 showed that AKT, IGFBP2, LKB1, S6 and Stathmin were predictors of recurrence-free survival (RFS). The cross-validation model was reproducible. The RS model calculated based on the multivariable analysis was -1.1086 × AKT + 0.2501 × IGFBP2 - 0.6745 × LKB1+1.0692 × S6 + 1.4086 × stathmin with a corresponding area under the curve, AUC = 0.856. The RS was an independent predictor of RFS (HR = 3.28, 95%CI = 2.07-5.20, P0.001).We found a five-protein model that independently predicted RFS risk in patients with residual TNBC disease. The PI3 K pathway may represent potential therapeutic targets in this resistant disease.

We sought to determine the prognostic value of pathologic response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy with concurrent trastuzumab.Two hundred and twenty-nine women with HER2/neu (HER2)-overexpressing breast cancer were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus trastuzumab between 2001 and 2008. Patients were grouped based on pathologic complete response (pCR, n = 114) or less than pCR (pCR, n = 115); as well as by pathologic stage. Locoregional recurrence-free (LRFS), distant metastasis-free (DMFS), recurrence-free (RFS), and overall survival (OS) rates were compared.The median follow-up was 63 (range 53-77) months. There was no difference in clinical stage between patients with pCR orpCR. Compared with patients achievingpCR, those with the pCR had higher 5-year rates of LRFS (100% versus 95%, P = 0.011), DMFS (96% versus 80%, P0.001), RFS (96% versus 79%, P0.001), and OS (95% versus 84%, P = 0.006). Improvements in RFS and OS were seen with decreasing post-treatment stage. Failure to achieve a pCR was the strongest independent predictor of recurrence (hazard ratio [HR] = 4.09, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.67-10.04, P = 0.002) and death (HR = 4.15, 95% CI: 1.39-12.38, P = 0.011).pCR and lower pathologic stage after neoadjuvant chemotherapy with trastuzumab are the strongest predictors of recurrence and survival and are surrogates of the long-term outcome in patients with HER2-overexpressing disease.

Background The purpose of this study was to determine the functional proteomic characteristics of residual breast cancer and hormone receptor (HR)-positive breast cancer after neoadjuvant systemic chemotherapy, and their relationship with patient outcomes. Methods Reverse phase protein arrays of 76 proteins were carried out. A boosting approach in conjunction with a Cox proportional hazard model defined relapse predictors. A risk score (RS) was calculated with the sum of the coefficients from the final model. Survival outcomes and associations of the RS with relapse were estimated. An independent test set was used to validate the results. Results Test (n = 99) and validation sets (n = 79) were comparable. CoxBoost revealed a three-biomarker (CHK1pS345, Caveolin1, and RAB25) and a two-biomarker (CD31 and Cyclin E1) model that correlated with recurrence-free survival (RFS) in all residual breast cancers and in HR-positive disease, respectively. Unsupervised clustering split patients into high- and low risk of relapse groups with different 3-year RFS (P ≤ 0.001 both). RS was a substantial predictor of RFS (P = 0.0008 and 0.0083) after adjustment for other substantial characteristics. Similar results were found in validation sets. Conclusions We found models that independently predicted RFS in all residual breast cancer and in residual HR-positive disease that may represent potential targets of therapy in this resistant disease.

The objective of this retrospective study was to determine factors impacting survival among women with inflammatory breast cancer (IBC).The Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Registry (SEER) was searched to identify women with stage III/IV IBC diagnosed between 2004 and 2007. IBC was identified within SEER as T4d disease as defined by the sixth edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer. The Kaplan-Meier product-limit method was used to describe inflammatory breast cancer-specific survival (IBCS). Cox models were fitted to assess the multivariable relationship of various patient and tumor characteristics and IBCS.Two thousand three hundred and eighty-four women with stage IIIB/C and IV IBC were identified. Two-year IBCS among women with stage IIIB, IIIC and IV disease was 81%, 67% and 42%, respectively (P0.0001). In the multivariable model, patients with stage IIIB disease and those with stage IIIC disease had a 63% [hazard ratio (HR) 0.373, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.296-0.470, P0.001] and 31% (HR 0.691, 95% CI 0.512-0.933, P = 0.016) decreased risk of death from IBC, respectively, compared with women with stage IV disease. Other factors significantly associated with decreased risk of death from IBC included low-grade tumors, being of white/other race, undergoing surgery, receiving radiation therapy and hormone receptor-positive disease. Among women with stage IV disease, those who underwent surgery of their primary had a 51% decreased risk of death compared with those who did not undergo surgery (HR = 0.489, 95% CI 0.339-0.704, P0.0001).Although IBC is an aggressive subtype of locally advanced breast cancer, it is heterogeneous with various factors affecting survival. Furthermore, our results indicate that a subgroup of women with stage IV IBC may benefit from aggressive combined modality management.

Background: We evaluated discordance in expression measurements for estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and HER2 between primary and recurrent tumors in patients with recurrent breast cancer and its effect on prognosis. Methods: A total of 789 patients with recurrent breast cancer were studied. ER, PR, and HER2 status were determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and/or FISH. Repeat markers for ER, PR, and HER2 were available in 28.9%, 27.6%, and 70.0%, respectively. Primary and recurrent tumors were classified as triple receptor-negative breast cancer (TNBC) or receptor-positive breast cancer (RPBC, i.e. expressing at least one receptor). Discordance was correlated with clinical/pathological parameters. Results: Discordance for ER, PR, and HER2 was 18.4%, 40.3%, and 13.6%, respectively. Patients with concordant RPBC had significantly better post-recurrence survival (PRS) than discordant cases; patients with discordant receptor status had similarly unfavorable survival as patients with concordant TNBC. IHC scores for ER and PR showed weak concordance between primary and recurrent tumors. Concordance of HER2–FISH scores was higher. Conclusions: Concordance of quantitative hormone receptor measurements between primary and recurrent tumors is modest consistent with suboptimal reproducibility of measurement methods, particularly for IHC. Discordant cases have poor survival probably due to inappropriate use of targeted therapies. However, biological change in clinical phenotype cannot be completely excluded.

Background: We investigated the expression of CXCR4, CCR7, estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and HER2-neu in human metastatic breast cancers to determine whether these biological biomarkers were preferentially expressed in any organ-specific metastases. Materials and methods: CXCR4, CCR7, ER, PR and HER2-neu expression levels were evaluated by immunohistochemical staining using paraffin-embedded tissue sections of metastatic breast cancers (n = 41) obtained by either diagnostic biopsy or surgical resection. Results: The metastatic sites included the following: bone (n = 15), brain (n = 14), lung (n = 6), liver (n = 2), and omental metastases (n = 2). CXCR4 was expressed in 41% of cases, CCR7 expression was demonstrated in 10%, and HER2-neu overexpression was present in 27%. CXCR4 was more likely to be expressed in bone metastases than visceral metastases (67% versus 26%, P = 0.020). Visceral sites demonstrated a lower rate of CXCR4 positivity (33% and 23%, respectively, for lung and brain metastases). Similarly, CCR7 was more likely to be found in bone metastases than visceral sites (27% versus 0%, P = 0.037). Conclusions: These results indicate that CXCR4 can contribute to the homing of breast cancer cells to the bone. This finding might have important clinical implications since patients with metastatic bone disease may achieve the highest benefit from a CXCR4-targeted therapy.

Purpose: Recent studies have indicated that expression of chemokine receptors CXCR4 and CCR7 could be an indicator of the metastatic potential of breast cancer. Expression of CXCR4 and CCR7 along with the biomarkers HER2-neu and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) was investigated in inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) to evaluate their prognostic implications. Experimental design: CXCR4, CCR7, and EGFR were evaluated by immunohistochemical staining (IHC) of paraffin-embedded tissue sections. HER2-neu amplification was assessed by FISH and/or IHC. All patients received chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. Results: Forty-four cases diagnosed with IBC from 1994 to 2002 were included in the study. In all, 18 (40.9%) patients had positive CXCR4, 10 (22.7%) had positive CCR7, 21 (47.7%) had positive HER2-neu, and EGFR was positive in 12 of 40 patients (30%). The 5-year overall survival (OS) was 24.8% for CXCR4-positive disease versus 42.3% for CXCR4-negative patients (P = 0.53) and 20.0% for CCR7-positive disease versus 41.9% for CCR7-negative patients (P = 0.24). EGFR-positive disease had significantly worse OS compared with EGFR-negative disease (P = 0.01). Conclusions: These data demonstrate the expression of growth factor and chemokine receptors in IBC. The expression of these receptors is associated with increased risk of recurrence and death, and thus, they may represent potential therapeutic targets in IBC.

Background: We examined if inclusion of a taxane and more prolonged preoperative chemotherapy improves pathologic complete response (pCR) rate in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer compared with three to four courses of 5-fluorouracil, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide (FAC). Patients and methods: Pooled analysis of results from seven consecutive neo-adjuvant chemotherapy trials including 1079 patients was carried out. These studies were conducted at MD Anderson Cancer Center from 1974 to 2001. Four hundred and twenty-six (39.5%) patients received taxane-based neo-adjuvant therapy. pCR rates and survival times were analyzed as a function of chemotherapy regimen and ER status. Multivariate logistic and Cox regression analysis were carried out to identify variables associated with pCR and survival. Results: Patients with ER-negative cancer had higher overall pCR rate than patients with ER-positive tumors (20.1% versus 4.9%, P < 0.001). In ER-negative patients, the pCR rates were 29% and 15% with and without a taxane (P < 0.001). In ER-positive patients, the pCR rates were 8.8% and 2.0% with and without a taxane (P < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, clinical tumor size (P < 0.001), ER-negative status (P < 0.001) and inclusion of a taxane (P = 0.01) were independently associated with pCR. For patients with pCR, survival was similar regardless of ER status or the type of regimen that induced pCR. Conclusion: pCR rates increased for patients with both ER-positive and ER-negative tumors as regimens started to include a taxane and became longer. This indicates that a subset of patients with ER-positive breast cancer benefits from more aggressive chemotherapy, similarly to patients with ER-negative tumors.

2 Hematopathology, 3 Pathology, 5 Background: Bortezomib (VELCADE � ) is a potent inhibitor of the 26S proteasome with broad antitumor activity. We performed a phase II study of bortezomib to evaluate its clinical effects in patients with metastatic breast cancer. Patients and methods: Twelve patients with metastatic breast cancer were treated with bortezomib (VELCADE � ) at a dosage of 1.5 mg/m 2 administered biweekly for 2 weeks with 1 week of rest in a 21-day cycle. The primary objective was clinical response rate. Toxicity and pharmacodynamics data were also obtained. Results: No objective responses were observed. One patient had stable disease, and 11 others experienced disease progression. The median survival time was 4.3 months (range, 0.9-37 months). The most common grade 3 or 4 toxicities included fatigue (58%; n= 7) and skin rash (33%; n= 4). The mean inhibition of specific chymotryptic activity was 53.1% (± 13.33%). A statistically significant reduction in the plasma interleukin-6 level was seen (P = 0.0354). Conclusion: Bortezomib was well tolerated but showed limited clinical activity against metastatic breast cancer when used as a single agent. The future development of this agent for the treatment of breast cancer should be guided

Objective To review the use of Ipilimumab (IPI) in patients with melanoma aged ≥70 years treated within the Expanded Access Programme (EAP) in Spain. Patients and methods The GEM distributed a questionnaire to the treating physicians, to collect data on demographics, response, survival and toxicity from patients enrolled in the EAP in Spain. IPI was administered IV at 3-weekly dose of 3 mg/kg, for 4 cycles. We have focused on patients aged 70 or more years with previously treated, advanced melanoma. Results Information on 30 patients is available. Median age was 75 years (70-81), 53.3% were males. Liver and CNS metastases were respectively present in 26.7% and 13.3% of the patients; 53.3% had 3 or more metastatic sites, and 51.7% had elevated LDH. Performance status (ECOG) was 0-1 in 93.3%. Up to 26.7% of the patients had received previous adjuvant treatment, which consisted of high dose interferon in 75%. All patients had received previous first line chemotherapy, including 26.7% with 2 or more lines. Medium time from the diagnosis of metastatic disease to the first dose of IPI was 14.2 months. A total of 76.7% of the patients completed the 4 intended doses of IPI. Main reasons for early discontinuation were death or progression in all patients, with no patient discontinuing due to toxicity. Responses were evaluable in 26 patients: PR: 6 (20%) -including 3 (10%) with a delayed PR after an initial PD; SD: 3 (10%), and PD: 17 (56.7%). Out of the 4 non-evaluable patients, 3 had just completed treatment and 1 was still on therapy at the time of the data collection. So far, reinduction treatment has not been offered to any patient. Estimated median survival (Kaplan -Meier) is 180 days (5.9 months) (95% CI 119.7-240.2). One year survival rate is 21%. Prognostic factors of survival at baseline were peripheral blood lymphocytes > 1000 /mL (p = 0.005) and LDH > 1.5 X ULN (p = 0.027) The reported toxicity per patient has been mild: skin: 23.3% grade I and 13.3% grade II; liver 6.7% grade I; and diarrhea 6.7% grade I, 3.3% grade III-IV. Only 4 patients experienced toxicity grade III to IV. Conclusions Ipilimumab efficacy in older patients, when it is used outside a clinical trial setting, is in line to published phase III data. There is no increase in toxicity, making this treatment a valid option for older patients with previously treated metastatic melanoma. Disclosure J.A. Lopez Martin: Participation in Avisory Boards of BMS and speaker in educational activities of BMS. A. Berrocal: Participation in Advisory Boards and speaker in educational activities sponsored by BMS. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Purpose This study aimed to identify predictive proteomic biomarkers of outcome in women with estrogen and/or progesterone receptor-positive (ER/PR-positive) breast cancer after adjuvant tamoxifen, with sufficient power to alter patient management. Methods Using reverse phase protein arrays (RPPA), 140 antibodies were applied to a training set of 197 ER/PR-positive breast cancers to identify predictors. An algorithm was developed that predicted patient outcomes using a subset of antibodies. Since RPPA is a useful exploratory tool but does not lend itself as a practical clinical tool to assay validated biomarkers, quantitative immunofluorescence for selected proteins was applied to 313 ER/PR-positive breast cancers (test set) for validation. Seventy-seven other ER/PR-positive cancers with transcriptional profiling data were used to compare the performance of the proteomic biomarkers and established genomic predictors. All patients were treated with adjuvant tamoxifen after loco-regional therapy. Results Two different combinations (4-protein/3-protein models) of four proteins (CCNB1/PAI1/PR/BCL2), subdivided lymph node-negative breast cancer patients into low-, medium- and high-risk groups with significantly different 10-year recurrence-free survival. The proteomic markers predicted 10-year distant metastasis-free survival in lymph node-negative patients in the test set in the low-, medium- and high-risk groups as follows: 0.9, 0.8, 0.7 (4-protein model (p = 0.05)), 0.91, 0.8, 0.74 (3-protein model (p = 0.004)), with 74%/64% patients in the low-risk groups, respectively. The proteomic models outperformed clinical variables and genomic predictors in multivariate analyses. Conclusion This study validates proteomic biomarkers that can be assayed in a practical inexpensive manner using immunofluorescence to identify lymph node-negative ER/PR-positive patients with excellent outcomes after adjuvant tamoxifen. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Purpose BMS-936558 is a monoclonal antibody that blocks the PD-1 co-inhibitory receptor expressed by activated T cells. This study describes its activity and safety in pts with previously treated advanced MEL. Methods BMS-936558 was administered IV q2wk to pts with various tumors at 0.1 - 10 mg/kg during dose-escalation and/or cohort expansion. Pts received up to 12 cycles (4 doses/cycle) of treatment or until unacceptable toxicity, confirmed progressive disease, or complete response. Clinical activity was assessed by RECIST v1.0. Results As of Feb 24, 2012, 104 MEL pts had received BMS-936558 at 0.1 (n = 17), 0.3 (n = 19), 1 (n = 31), 3 (n = 17), or 10 mg/kg (n = 20). ECOG performance status was 0/1/2 in 63/38/3 pts, respectively. Most pts (67/104) had received prior immunotherapy (IT); prior anti-CTLA-4, -PD-1, or -PD-L1 was not permitted. The number of prior therapies was 1 (39%), 2 (35%), or ≥3 (26%). Median therapy duration was 20 wks (range 2.0 - 121.7 wks). The incidence of grade 3 - 4 related AEs was 20% and included gastrointestinal (4%), endocrine (2%), and hepatobiliary disorders (1%). There were no drug-related deaths in MEL pts. Clinical activity (responses or prolonged stable disease) was observed at all doses (Table). Of the 26/94 (28%) evaluable responders, 19 (73%) are ongoing ranging from 1.9+ to 24.9+ months. For the 23 responders followed ≥6 months from first dose on study, 16 (70%) are progression free. ORs occurred in pts with visceral or bone metastases. Six pts (6%; 95% CI 2 - 13%) had prolonged SD (≥24 wk); 3 pts had a persistent decrease in target lesion tumor burden in the presence of new lesions and were not categorized as responders. Conclusions BMS-936558 had durable clinical benefit in pts with advanced MEL, including those who had received prior IT. Additional long-term follow-up data will be reported. Dose, (mg/kg) No. ptsa ORR, No. pts (%) [95% CI] PFSR at 24 wk (%) [95% CI] 0.1 14 4 (29) [8 - 58] 40 [13 - 66] 0.3 16 3 (19) [4 - 46] 31 [9 - 54] 1 27 8 (30) [14 - 50] 45 [26 - 65] 3 17 7 (41) [18 - 67] * 55 [30 - 80] 10 20 4 (20) [6 - 44] 30 [9 - 51] * 1 CR aResponse-evaluable pts dosed by 7/01/2011 ORR = objective response rate ([{CR + PR} ÷ n] × 100); PFSR = progression-free survival rate. Disclosure J. Sosman: Research Funding: Bristol-Myers Squibb (myself). M. Sznol: Consultant or Advisory Role: Bristol-Myers Squibb (myself, compensated). Research Funding: Bristol-Myers Squibb (myself, clinical trials funding). D.F. McDermott: Advisory Board Role: Bristol-Myers Squibb (myself). R. Carvajal: Research Funding: Bristol-Myers Squibb (myself). S.L. Topalian: Consultant or Advisory Role: Bristol-Myers Squibb (myself, immediate family member, uncompensated). Research Funding: Bristol-Myers Squibb (myself). J.M. Wigginton: Employment or Leadership Position: Bristol-Myers Squibb (myself, employment, compensated). Stock Ownership: Bristol-Myers Squibb (myself). G. Kollia: Employment or Leadership Role: Bristol-Myers Squibb (employment, myself, compensated). Stock Ownership: Bristol-Myers Squibb/BMY stocks (myself). A. Gupta: Employment or Leadership Role: Bristol-Myers Squibb (employment, myself, compensated). Stock Ownership: Bristol-Myers Squibb (myself). F.S. Hodi: Consultant or Advisory Role: Bristol-Myers Squibb (myself, uncompensated). Research Funding: Bristol-Myers Squibb (myself). All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.