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Purpose: Diagnosis of breast preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions is difficult due to their similar morphology in breast biopsy specimens. To diagnose these lesions, pathologists perform immunohistochemical analysis and consult with expert breast pathologists. These additional examinations are time-consuming and expensive. Artificial intelligence (AI)-based image analysis has recently improved, and may help in ordinal pathological diagnosis. Here, we showed the significance of machine learning-based image analysis of breast preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions for facilitating high-throughput diagnosis.Methods: Images were obtained from normal mammary glands, hyperplastic lesions, preneoplastic lesions and neoplastic lesions, such as usual ductal hyperplasia (UDH), columnar cell lesion (CCL), ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), and DCIS with comedo necrosis (comedo DCIS) in breast biopsy specimens. The original enhanced convoluted neural network (CNN) system was used for analyzing the pathological images. Results: The AI-based image analysis provided the following area under the curve values (AUC): normal lesion vs. DCIS, 0.9902; DCIS vs. comedo DCIS, 0.9942; normal lesion vs. CCL, 0.9786; and UDH vs. DCIS, 1.000. Multiple comparison analysis showed precision and recall scores similar to those of single comparison analysis. Based on the Gradient-weighted Class Activation Mapping (Grad-CAM) used to visualize the important regions reflecting the result of CNN analysis, the ratio of stromal tissue in the whole weighted area was significantly higher in UDH and CCL than that in DCIS. Conclusions: These analyses may provide a more accurate and rapid pathological diagnosis of patients. Moreover, Grad-CAM identifies uncharted important histological characteristics for newer pathological findings and targets of research for understanding diseases.

Diagnosis of breast preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions is difficult due to their similar morphology in breast biopsy specimens. To diagnose these lesions, pathologists perform immunohistochemical analysis and consult with expert breast pathologists. These additional examinations are time-consuming and expensive. Artificial intelligence (AI)-based image analysis has recently improved, and may help in ordinal pathological diagnosis. Here, we showed the significance of machine learning-based image analysis of breast preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions for facilitating high-throughput diagnosis. Images were obtained from normal mammary glands, hyperplastic lesions, preneoplastic lesions and neoplastic lesions, such as usual ductal hyperplasia (UDH), columnar cell lesion (CCL), ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), and DCIS with comedo necrosis (comedo DCIS) in breast biopsy specimens. The original enhanced convoluted neural network (CNN) system was used for analyzing the pathological images. The AI-based image analysis provided the following area under the curve values (AUC): normal lesion versus DCIS, 0.9902; DCIS versus comedo DCIS, 0.9942; normal lesion versus CCL, 0.9786; and UDH versus DCIS, 1.000. Multiple comparison analysis showed precision and recall scores similar to those of single comparison analysis. Based on the gradient-weighted class activation mapping (Grad-CAM) used to visualize the important regions reflecting the result of CNN analysis, the ratio of stromal tissue in the whole weighted area was significantly higher in UDH and CCL than that in DCIS. These analyses may provide a more accurate and rapid pathological diagnosis of patients. Moreover, Grad-CAM identifies uncharted important histological characteristics for newer pathological findings and targets of research for understanding diseases.

Background The Oral Care BC-trial reported that professional oral care (POC) reduces the incidence and severity of oral mucositis in patients receiving everolimus (EVE) and exemestane (EXE). However, the effect of POC on clinical response among patients receiving EVE and EXE was not established. We compared outcomes for estrogen receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer patients who received POC to those who had not, and evaluated clinical prognostic factors. All patients simultaneously received EVE and EXE. Methods Between May 2015 and Dec 2017, 174 eligible patients were enrolled in the Oral Care-BC trial. The primary endpoint was the comparative incidence of grade 1 or worse oral mucositis, as evaluated for both the groups over 8 weeks by an oncologist. The secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Data were collected after a follow-up period of 13.9 months. Results There were no significant differences in PFS between the POC and Control Groups (P = 0.801). A BMI 2 and non-visceral metastasis were associated with longer PFS (P = 0.018 and P = 0.003, respectively) and the use of bone modifying agents (BMA) was associated with shorter PFS (P = 0.028). The PFS and OS between the POC and control groups were not significantly different in the Oral-Care BC trial. Conclusions POC did not influence the prognosis of estrogen receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer patients. Patients with non-visceral metastasis, a BMI 2, and who did not receive BMA while receiving EVE and EXE may have better prognoses. Trial registration The study protocol was registered online at the University Hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN), Japan (protocol ID 000016109), on January 5, 2015 and at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02376985).

LBA3 Background: About 55% of mBC typically categorized as HER2 negative, express low levels of HER2 (IHC 1+ or IHC 2+/ISH− by ASCO/CAP 2018 guidelines) with poor outcomes in later lines (Tarantino 2020). T-DXd has shown promising efficacy in HER2-low mBC in a phase 1 study (NCT02564900; Modi 2020). This is the primary report from DESTINY-Breast04 (NCT03734029), the first randomized, multicenter, open-label, phase 3 study comparing efficacy and safety of T-DXd vs TPC in pts with HER2-low mBC treated with 1-2 prior lines of chemotherapy in the metastatic setting. Methods: 557 pts with centrally confirmed HER2-low mBC were randomly assigned 2:1 to T-DXd 5.4 mg/kg or TPC (capecitabine, eribulin, gemcitabine, paclitaxel, or nab-paclitaxel). The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) determined by blinded independent central review (BICR) in pts with hormone receptor–positive (HR+) mBC. Key secondary endpoints (hierarchically tested after the primary endpoint) include PFS by BICR in the full analysis set (FAS; HR+/−) and overall survival (OS) in pts with HR+ mBC and in FAS. Other endpoints were objective response rate, duration of response, safety, and an exploratory analysis of pts with HR− mBC. Results: As of Jan 11, 2022, 373 and 184 pts (88.7% and 88.6% HR+ mBC) were assigned to T-DXd and TPC, respectively. Median follow-up was 18.4 months (mo; 95% CI, 17.9-19.1). Median treatment duration was 8.2 mo (range, 0.2-33.3) with T-DXd and 3.5 mo (range, 0.3-17.6) with TPC. Efficacy results are in the Table. 52.6% of pts with T-DXd vs. 67.4% of pts with TPC had grade (G) ≥ 3 treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs). With T-DXd, 45 pts (12.1%; 10.0% G1/2, 1.3% G3/4, 0.8% G5) had independently adjudicated drug-related interstitial lung disease [ILD]/pneumonitis vs. 1 pt (0.6% G1) with TPC. Conclusions: DESTINY-Breast04 is the first phase 3 trial of a HER2-directed therapy in pts with HER2-low mBC to show a statistically significant and clinically meaningful benefit in PFS and OS compared to standard-of-care treatment, regardless of HR status, with a generally manageable safety profile. Funding: Daiichi Sankyo, Inc., and AstraZeneca. Clinical trial information: NCT03734029. [Table: see text]

1000 Background: In the DESTINY-Breast03 (NCT03529110) primary analysis (data cutoff [DCO], May 21, 2021), T-DXd showed superiority over T-DM1 in pts with HER2+ mBC, with a significant improvement of progression-free survival by blinded independent central review (HR, 0.284; 95% CI, 0.217-0.373; P < 0.001), and a safety profile consistent with prior studies. This analysis provides updated safety data with longer follow-up. Methods: Pts were randomized 1:1 to T-DXd or T-DM1. Prespecified safety analysis of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) was conducted; endpoints included time to event, duration of event, and resolution. Results: At DCO (September 7, 2021), 116 (45.1%) pts vs 39 (14.9%) pts remained on treatment in the T-DXd vs T-DM1 arms; median treatment duration was 16.1 mo (range, 0.7-33.0) for T-DXd vs 6.9 mo (range, 0.7-28.5) for T-DM1. Any-grade (G), G≥3, and serious AE (SAE) rates were similar for T-DXd vs T-DM1 (99.6% vs 95.4%; 53.3% vs 49.8%; and 21.0% vs 19.2%), while exposure-adjusted incidence rates (EAIRs; per pt-year) for G≥3 and SAEs were lower for T-DXd vs T-DM1 (0.42 vs 0.70 and 0.17 vs 0.27). Median time to TEAE associated with drug discontinuation or dose reduction was longer with T-DXd vs T-DM1 (224.0 vs 147.0 d and 96.0 v 19.0 d, respectively). Most TEAEs in ≥20% of pts were hematologic or gastrointestinal. Median time to first onset of select any-G TEAEs was 70.0 vs 42.0 d for anemia, 196.0 vs 168.0 d for lymphopenia, 132.0 vs 8.0 d for thrombocytopenia, 22.0 vs 24.0 d for fatigue, 74.5 vs 92.0 d for leukopenia, and 64.0 vs 105.0 d for neutropenia, with T-DXd vs T-DM1, respectively. In both arms, most nausea and vomiting events were G1/2; while G≥3 events with T-DXd vs T-DM1 were 6.6% vs 0.4% for nausea and 1.6% vs 0.8% for vomiting, respectively. Rates of nausea, vomiting, and alopecia were highest in cycle 1 and lower in subsequent cycles for T-DXd. Rates of hematologic events were generally lower in earlier cycles vs cycle ≥8 in both arms. Rates of adjudicated, drug-related ILD/pneumonitis were 10.9% (1 G2 event since previous DCO) with T-DXd vs 1.9% with T-DM1, with no G4/5 events. Median time to first adjudicated, drug-related ILD/pneumonitis event was 5.9 vs 9.5 mo for T-DXd vs T-DM1, respectively; at DCO, most events resolved (57.1% vs 80.0%), and follow-up is ongoing. Conclusions: In this updated safety analysis, T-DXd demonstrated a tolerable safety profile consistent with prior studies. Despite longer treatment duration with T-DXd, EAIRs of G≥3 and SAEs were lower for T-DXd vs T-DM1. Rates of ILD/pneumonitis for T-DXd were similar to those in the previous DCO. Nausea, vomiting, and alopecia rates decreased over time. This longer safety update reinforces the consistent safety profile of T-DXd, supporting the clinical benefit of T-DXd over T-DM1 in patients with HER2+ mBC. Clinical trial information: NCT03529110.

Background Activation of the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) pathway via PIK3CA mutations occurs in 28%-46% of hormone receptor-positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-negative (HER2−) advanced breast cancers (ABCs) and is associated with poor prognosis. The SOLAR-1 trial showed that the addition of alpelisib to fulvestrant treatment provided statistically significant and clinically meaningful progression-free survival (PFS) benefit in PIK3CA-mutated, HR+, HER2− ABC. Patients and methods Men and postmenopausal women with HR+, HER2− ABC whose disease progressed on or after aromatase inhibitor (AI) were randomized 1 : 1 to receive alpelisib (300 mg/day) plus fulvestrant (500 mg every 28 days and once on day 15) or placebo plus fulvestrant. Overall survival (OS) in the PIK3CA-mutant cohort was evaluated by Kaplan–Meier methodology and a one-sided stratified log-rank test was carried out with an O'Brien–Fleming efficacy boundary of P ≤ 0.0161. Results In the PIK3CA-mutated cohort (n = 341), median OS [95% confidence interval (CI)] was 39.3 months (34.1-44.9) for alpelisib-fulvestrant and 31.4 months (26.8-41.3) for placebo-fulvestrant [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.86 (95% CI, 0.64-1.15; P = 0.15)]. OS results did not cross the prespecified efficacy boundary. Median OS (95% CI) in patients with lung and/or liver metastases was 37.2 months (28.7-43.6) and 22.8 months (19.0-26.8) in the alpelisib-fulvestrant and placebo-fulvestrant arms, respectively [HR = 0.68 (0.46-1.00)]. Median times to chemotherapy (95% CI) for the alpelisib-fulvestrant and placebo-fulvestrant arms were 23.3 months (15.2-28.4) and 14.8 months (10.5-22.6), respectively [HR = 0.72 (0.54-0.95)]. No new safety signals were observed with longer follow-up. Conclusions Although the analysis did not cross the prespecified boundary for statistical significance, there was a 7.9-month numeric improvement in median OS when alpelisib was added to fulvestrant treatment of patients with PIK3CA-mutated, HR+, HER2− ABC. Overall, these results further support the statistically significant prolongation of PFS observed with alpelisib plus fulvestrant in this population, which has a poor prognosis due to a PIK3CA mutation. ClinicalTrials.gov Id NCT02437318.

Background: The Oral Care BC-trial reported that professional oral care (POC) reduces the incidence and severity of oral mucositis in patients receiving everolimus (EVE) and exemestane (EXE). However, the effect of POC on clinical response among patients receiving EVE and EXE was not established. We compared outcomes for estrogen receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer patients who received POC to those who had not, and evaluated clinical prognostic factors. All patients simultaneously received EVE and EXE. Methods: Between May 2015 and Dec 2017, 174 eligible patients were enrolled in the Oral Care-BC trial. The primary endpoint was the comparative incidence of grade 1 or worse oral mucositis, as evaluated for both the groups over 8 weeks by an oncologist. The secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Data were collected after a follow-up period of 13.9 months. Results: There were no significant differences in PFS between the POC and Control Groups (P = 0.801). A BMI < 25 mg/m2 and non-visceral metastasis were associated with longer PFS (P = 0.018 and P = 0.003, respectively) and the use of bone modifying agents (BMA) was associated with shorter PFS (P = 0.028). The PFS and OS between the POC and control groups were not significantly different in the Oral-Care BC trial. Conclusions: POC did not influence the prognosis of estrogen receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer patients. Patients with non-visceral metastasis, a BMI < 25 mg/m2, and who did not receive BMA while receiving EVE and EXE may have better prognoses.Trial registration: The study protocol was registered online at the University Hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN), Japan (protocol ID 000016109), on January 5, 2015 and at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02376985).

In the original publication of the article, the author group and acknowledgements were published incorrectly.

Background Alpelisib (α-selective phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor) plus fulvestrant is approved in multiple countries for men and postmenopausal women with PIK3CA-mutated, hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative advanced breast cancer following progression on or after endocrine therapy. A detailed understanding of alpelisib's safety profile should inform adverse event (AE) management and enhance patient care. Patients and methods AEs in the phase III SOLAR-1 trial were assessed in patients with and without PIK3CA mutations. The impact of protocol-specified AE-management recommendations was evaluated, including an amendment to optimize hyperglycemia and rash management. Results Patients were randomly assigned to receive fulvestrant plus alpelisib (n = 284) or placebo (n = 287). The most common grade 3/4 AEs with alpelisib were hyperglycemia (grade 3, 32.7%; grade 4, 3.9%), rash (grade 3, 9.9%), and diarrhea (grade 3, 6.7%). Median time to onset of grade ≥3 toxicity was 15 days (hyperglycemia, based on fasting plasma glucose), 13 days (rash), and 139 days (diarrhea). Metformin alone or in combination with other antidiabetic agents was used by most patients (87.1%) with hyperglycemia. Preventive anti-rash medication resulted in lower incidence (any grade, 26.7% versus 64.1%) and severity of rash (grade 3, 11.6% versus 22.7%) versus no preventative medication. Discontinuations due to grade ≥3 AEs were lower following more-detailed AE management guidelines (7.9% versus 18.1% previously). Patients with PIK3CA mutations had a median alpelisib dose intensity of 248 mg/day. Median progression-free survival with alpelisib was 12.5 and 9.6 months for alpelisib dose intensities of ≥248 mg/day and Conclusions Hyperglycemia and rash occurred early during alpelisib treatment, while diarrhea occurred at a later time point. Early identification, prevention, and intervention, including concomitant medications and alpelisib dose modifications, resulted in less severe toxicities. Reductions in treatment discontinuations and improved progression-free survival at higher alpelisib dose intensities support the need for optimal AE management. ClinicalTrials.gov Id NCT02437318.

Background: The Oral Care BC-trial reported that professional oral care (POC) reduces the incidence and severity of oral mucositis in patients receiving everolimus (EVE) and exemestane (EXE). However, the effect of POC on clinical response among patients receiving EVE and EXE was not established. We compared outcomes for estrogen receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer patients that received POC to those that had not and evaluated clinical prognostic factors. All patients simultaneously received EVE and EXE. Methods: Between May 2015 and Dec 2017, 174 eligible patients were enrolled in the Oral Care-BC trial. The primary endpoint was the comparative incidence of grade 1 or worse oral mucositis, as evaluated by an oncologist over 8 weeks between groups. The secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Data were collected after a follow-up period of 13.9 months. Results: There were no significant differences in PFS between the POC and Control Groups ( P = 0.801). A BMI < 25 mg/m 2 and non-visceral metastasis were associated with longer PFS ( P = 0.018 and P = 0.003, respectively) and the use of bone modifying agents (BMA) was associated with shorter PFS ( P = 0.028). The PFS and OS between the POC and control groups were not significantly different in the Oral-Care BC trial. Conclusions: POC did not influence the prognosis of estrogen receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer patients. Patients with non-visceral metastasis, a BMI < 25 mg/m 2 , and who did not receive BMA while receiving EVE and EXE may have better prognoses. Trial registration: The study protocol was registered online at the University Hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN), Japan (protocol ID 000016109), on January 5, 2015 and at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02376985).

Additional file 1. Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) 2013 Checklist: recommended items to address in a clinical trial protocol and related documents.

While human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) target therapies have significantly improved the prognosis of patients with HER2-enriched breast cancer, differing clinical benefits and gene expression analyses suggest a divergent HER2 subgroup. We aimed to investigate whether the basal HER2 subtype of breast cancer has distinguished characteristics. We performed a substudy by using data from a retrospective multi-institutional cohort of JBCRG-C03. Between 2001 and 2011, we identified 184 eligible patients who received concurrent neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) with trastuzumab for hormone receptor-negative and HER2-positive breast cancer. We defined basal HER2 subtype breast cancer as HER2-positive, ER/PgR-negative, and basal markers (EGFR, CK14 or CK5/6) positive by immunohistochemistrical evaluation. The pathologic complete response (pCR) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates were compared between the two subtypes. A total of 127 (69.0%) patients achieved pCR after NAC and 29 (15.8%) patients experienced events of DFS within a 42 month median follow-up period (interquartile range 26–58 months). Although the basal HER2 subtype was related with poor DFS (3 year DFS: non-basal HER2, 95.0%; basal HER2, 86.9%; adjusted HR 3.4; 95% CI 1.2–14.5), neither the subtype (pCR: non-basal HER2, 75%; basal HER2, 66.7%; adjusted OR 0.60; 95% CI 0.27–1.28) nor the degree of expression of basal markers was significantly related with the pCR rate. Basal HER2 phenotype showed poor DFS, but equivalent pCR rate after concurrent neo-adjuvant chemotherapy with trastuzumab. A different treatment approach to basal-HER2 type is needed even for cases that achieved adequate clinical response after NAC.

Background: Pertuzumab provided overall and progression-free survival (PFS) benefits in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients (pts) in the CLEOPATRA (Clinical evaluation of docetaxel, pertuzumab and trastuzumab) study. However, few studies have described the efficacy of other drugs in combination with pertuzumab plus trastuzumab. Here, we present a pre-specified analysis of eribulin in combination with pertuzumab plus trastuzumab as first- and second-line therapy for advanced or metastatic breast cancer (AMBC) in a multicenter, open-label phase II study (UMIN000012232, JBCRG-M03). Methods: HER2-positive AMBC with no or single prior chemotherapy for AMBC were enrolled. All pts were administered trastuzumab and taxane as adjuvant or first-line chemotherapy. Treatment consisted of eribulin 1.4 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8 of a 21-day cycle and trastuzumab (8 mg/kg loading dose, then 6 mg/kg) plus pertuzumab (840 mg/body loading dose, then 420 mg/ body) once every 3 weeks, all administered intravenously. The primary endpoint was PFS, and secondary endpoints included overall response rate (ORR) and safety. PFS was determined using Kaplan–Meier analysis. Tumor response was assessed according to RECIST ver. 1.1. Results: Fifty pts were enrolled from November 2013 to April 2016. Forty-nine pts were eligible for safety analysis and the full analysis set (FAS) included 46 pts. The median age was 56 years (23–70), and 8 (16%) and 41 (84%) pts were treated in first- and second-line settings, respectively. Eleven pts (23.9%) were de-novo Stage 4, and 35 pts (76.1%) had progressed in metastatic disease after completion of local therapy. Median PFS was 9.3 months (M) (95% confidence interval [CI]: 6.4–12.3). Table 1 shows the efficacy data for each treatment line and includes ORR, complete response rate (CR), partial response rate (PR), stable disease rate (SD), progressive disease rate (PD), not evaluable rate (NE) and PFS in the FAS. The median relative dose intensities of eribulin, trastuzumab, and pertuzumab were 93.3% (77.0%–100%), 100% (96.0%–100%), and 100% (89.7%–100%), respectively, in the FAS. The grade 3/4 adverse events (AE) were neutropenia in 5 pts (10.2%), including 2 pts (4.1%) with febrile neutropenia; hypertension in 3 pts (6.1%), and other AEs in only one patient. The average of the ejection fraction did not decrease significantly. Symptomatic left ventricular systolic dysfunction was not observed. Conclusion: In pts with HER2-positive AMBC, first- and second-line therapy of eribulin in combination with pertuzumab plus trastuzumab demonstrated substantial antitumor activity with an acceptable safety profile. We are planning a phase III study comparing eribulin with taxanes in combination with pertuzumab plus trastuzumab for the treatment of HER2-positive AMBC. Efficacy data for each treatment lineTreatment LineTotal (n=46)First line (n=8)Second line (n=38)PFS (95% CI), months9.3 (6.4-12.3)20.8 (2.8-38.7)8.7 (7.2-10.2)ORR (%)28 (60.9)7 (87.5)21 (55.3)CR (%)8 (17.4)3 (37.5)5 (13.2)PR (%)20 (43.5)4 (50.0)16 (42.1)SD (%)11 (23.9)1 (12.5)10 (26.3)PD (%)5 (10.9)05 (13.2)NE (%)2 (4.3)02 (5.3) Citation Format: Kawaguchi H, Yamashita T, Masuda N, Kitada M, Narui K, Hattori M, Yoshinami T, Matsunami N, Yanagihara K, Kawasoe T, Nagashima T, Bando H, Yano H, Hasegawa Y, Nakamura R, Kashiwaba M, Morita S, Ohno S, Toi M. Phase II study of eribulin in combination with pertuzumab plus trastuzumab for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive advanced or metastatic breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2017 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-21-07.

A 63-year-old man was diagnosed with multiple lung metastases from anaplastic thyroid cancer and received lenvatinib. Follow-up computed tomography on day 34 of lenvatinib treatment showed pneumothorax. The pneumothorax was temporarily improved with chest drainage. However, pleurodesis was performed to treat a relapse of the pneumothorax. Pneumothorax during chemotherapy for a malignant tumor is considered a relatively rare complication. This case is the first documentation that pneumothorax may develop during lenvatinib treatment. The possible development of pneumothorax should be considered when lenvatinib is used in patients with lung metastasis.

Highlights • Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma constitutes, Introduction Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) constitutes less than of all sarcomas in adults and rarely involves the breast. We herein present a patient with UPS of the breast with lung and bone metastases. This case was treated by eribulin as first chemotherapy, and performed mastectomy for local control. Case presentation A 55-year-old female presented a tumor measuring over 5 cm with pain in the right breast. Pathology of the incisional biopsy specimen led to a diagnosis of UPS. Computed tomography revealed a right tumor, right pubic tumor with osteolysis, and multiple lung metastases. She was started on eribulin; however, the tumor grew in size, indicating progressive disease, and the patient underwent simple mastectomy for local control. Pathological evaluation of the excised tumor was consistent with UPS. The patient elected palliative treatment and died due to respiratory failure caused by multiple lung metastases that exacerbated four months after surgery. Discussion Soft tissue sarcomas with distant metastases are treated with chemotherapy; however, there are currently no effective chemotherapeutic agents for UPS of the breast. Given the potential efficacy of eribulin in soft tissue tumors and the easy management of associated side effects, the patient was treated with eribulin, which however was insufficient for disease control. Conclusion The prognosis of UPS with distant metastasis remains poor. Treatment approaches including chemotherapy and surgery should be considered based on the patient's general condition, prognosis, and expectations on quality of life.

The JBCRG-C06 Safari study showed that earlier fulvestrant 500 mg (F500) use, a longer time from diagnosis to F500 use, and no prior palliative chemotherapy were associated with significantly longer time to treatment failure (TTF) among Japanese patients with estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) advanced breast cancer (ABC). The objective of this sub-group analysis was to further examine data from the Safari study, focusing on ER + and human epidermal growth factor receptor-negative (HER2-) cases.The Safari study (UMIN000015168) was a retrospective, multi-center cohort study, conducted in 1,072 patients in Japan taking F500 for ER + ABC. The sub-analysis included only patients administered F500 as second-line or later therapy (n = 960). Of these, 828 patients were HER2-. Results Multivariate analysis showed that advanced age (≥65 years; p = .035), longer time (≥3 years) from ABC diagnosis to F500 use (p .001), no prior chemotherapy (p .001), and F500 treatment line (p .001) were correlated with prolonged TTF (median = 5.39 months).In ER+/HER2- patients receiving F500 as a second-line or later therapy, treatment line, advanced age, no prior palliative chemotherapy use, and a longer period from ABC diagnosis to F500 use were associated with longer TTF.

This retrospective study evaluated the effect of clinical background and treatment line on time to treatment failure (TTF) in advanced/metastatic breast cancer (AMBC) patients receiving F500 in Japan (UMIN 000015168). Patients who commenced F500 treatment were registered at 16 sites in Japan. Correlations between baseline clinicopathological factors, treatment line, and TTF were investigated by Kaplan–Meier analysis. TTF data were analyzed using univariate analysis and multivariate analysis with a Cox proportional hazards model. Data for 1072 patients were available; 1031 patients (96.2%) were evaluable for efficacy. F500 was administered as first-line treatment in 2.0%, second-line in 22.7%, third-line in 26.7%, and ≥fourth-line in 48.6% patients. Median TTF was 5.4 months. Multivariate analysis found that earlier F500 use (first and second vs. third vs. ≥fourth line; hazard ratio (HR) = 0.80, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.74–0.86; P

Background Trastuzumab (Tmab), pertuzumab (Pmab), and taxane has been a standard first-line treatment for recurrent or metastatic human epidermal growth factor (HER2)-positive breast cancer (HER2+ mBC) but has some safety issues due to taxane-induced toxicities. This has led to ongoing efforts to seek less toxic alternatives to taxanes that are equally effective when used in combination with Tmab plus Pmab. This study aims to show the non-inferiority of eribulin, a non-taxane microtubule inhibitor, against taxane, as a partner for dual HER2 blockade. Methods/design This multicenter, randomized, open-label, parallel-group, phase III study will involve a total of 480 Japanese women with HER2+ mBC who meet the following requirements: (1) age 20–70 years; (2) no prior cytotoxic chemotherapy (excluding trastuzumab-emtansine) for mBC; (3) ≥ 6 months after prior neoadjuvant or adjuvant cytotoxic chemotherapy; (4) presence of any radiologically evaluable lesion; (5) left ventricular ejection fraction ≥ 50%; (6) Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status score of 0 or 1; (7) adequate organ function; and (8) life expectancy of at least 6 months. They will be randomized 1:1 to receive eribulin (1.4 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8) or taxane (docetaxel 75 mg/m2 on day 1 or paclitaxel 80 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, and 15) in combination with Tmab (8 mg/kg then 6 mg/kg) plus Pmab (840 mg then 420 mg) on day 1 of each 21-day cycle. The treatment will be continued until disease progression or unmanageable toxicity. The primary endpoint is progression-free survival as per investigator according to RECIST v1.1 criteria. Key secondary endpoints include objective response rate, overall survival, quality of life and safety. Non-inferiority will be tested with two margins of 1.33 and 1.25 in a stepwise manner. If non-inferiority is shown with a margin of 1.25, superiority will then be tested. Discussion If this study shows the non-inferiority, or even superiority, of Tmab, Pmab, and eribulin against the existing taxane-containing regimen, this new regimen may become a standard first- or second-line treatment option for HER2+ mBC in Japan. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT03264547. Registered on 28 June 2017.

The aim of the present study was to identify novel prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for breast cancer; thus, genes that are frequently overexpressed in several types of breast cancer were screened. Kinesin family member 20A (KIF20A) was identified as a candidate molecule during this process. Immunohistochemical staining performed using tissue microarrays from 257 samples of different breast cancer subtypes revealed that KIF20A was expressed in 195 (75.9%) of these samples, whereas it was seldom expressed in normal breast tissue. KIF20A protein was expressed in all types of breast cancer observed. However, it was more frequently expressed in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)‑positive and triple‑negative breast cancer than in the luminal type. Moreover, KIF20A expression was significantly associated with the poor prognosis of patients with breast cancer. A multivariate analysis indicated that KIF20A expression was an independent prognostic factor for patients with breast cancer. The suppression of endogenous KIF20A expression using small interfering ribonucleic acids or via treatment with paprotrain, a selective inhibitor of KIF20A, significantly inhibited breast cancer cell growth through cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase and subsequent mitotic cell death. These results suggest that KIF20A is a candidate prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for different types of breast cancer.

Background The incidence of oral mucositis (any grade) after everolimus treatment is 58% in the general population and 81% in Asian patients. This study hypothesized that professional oral care (POC) before everolimus treatment could reduce the incidence of everolimus‐induced oral mucositis. Materials and Methods This randomized, multicenter, open‐label, phase III study evaluated the efficacy of POC in preventing everolimus‐induced mucositis. Patients were randomized into POC and control groups (1:1 ratio) and received everolimus with exemestane. Patients in the POC group underwent teeth surface cleaning, scaling, and tongue cleaning before everolimus initiation and continued to receive weekly POC throughout the 8‐week treatment period. Patients in the control group brushed their own teeth and gargled with 0.9% sodium chloride solution or water. The primary endpoint was the incidence of all grades of oral mucositis. We targeted acquisition of 200 patients with a 2‐sided type I error rate of 5% and 80% power to detect 25% risk reduction. Results Between March 2015 and December 2017, we enrolled 175 women from 31 institutions, of which five did not receive the protocol treatment and were excluded. Over the 8 weeks, the incidence of grade 1 oral mucositis was significantly different between the POC group (76.5%, 62 of 82 patients) and control group (89.7%, 78 of 87 patients; p = .034). The incidence of grade 2 (severe) oral mucositis was also significantly different between the POC group (34.6%, 28 of 82 patients) and control group (54%, 47 of 87 patients; p = .015). As a result of oral mucositis, 18 (22.0%) patients in the POC group and 28 (32.2%) in the control group had to undergo everolimus dose reduction. Conclusion POC reduced the incidence and severity of oral mucositis in patients receiving everolimus and exemestane. This might be considered as a treatment option of oral care for patients undergoing this treatment. Clinical trial identification number: NCT 02069093. Implications for Practice The Oral Care‐BC trial that prophylactically used professional oral care (POC), available worldwide, did not show a greater than 25% difference in mucositis. The 12% difference in grade 1 or higher mucositis and especially the ∼20% difference in grade 2 mucositis are likely clinically meaningful to patients. POC before treatment should be considered as a treatment option of oral care for postmenopausal patients who are receiving everolimus and exemestane for treatment of hormone receptor‐positive, HER2‐negative advanced breast cancer and metastatic breast cancer. However, POC was not adequate for prophylactic oral mucositis in these patients, and dexamethasone mouthwash prophylaxis is standard treatment before everolimus., Oral mucositis is a clinically significant complication of mucotoxic cancer therapy. This article focuses on the effect of dental intervention, before everolimus treatment, on oral mucositis.

Human breast carcinoma‐associated fibroblasts (CAFs) increasingly acquire both transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β) and stromal cell‐derived factor‐1 (SDF‐1) signaling in an autocrine fashion during tumor progression. Such signaling mediates activated myofibroblastic and tumor‐promoting properties in these fibroblasts. CD26/dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 is a serine protease that cleaves various chemokines including SDF‐1. Stromal CD26 expression is reportedly undetectable in human skin squamous cell carcinomas. However, whether stromal CD26 expression is also downregulated in human breast cancers and which stromal cells potentially lack CD26 expression remain elusive. To answer these questions, sections prepared from 239 human breast carcinomas were stained with antibodies against CD26 and α‐smooth muscle actin (α‐SMA), a marker for activated myofibroblasts. We found that tumor‐associated stroma involving α‐SMA‐positive myofibroblasts stained negative or negligible for CD26 in 118 out of 193 (61.1%) tumors, whereas noncancerous stromal regions of the breast showed considerable staining for CD26. This decreased stromal CD26 staining in tumors also tends to be associated with poor outcomes for breast cancer patients. Moreover, we demonstrated that CD26 staining is attenuated on stromal myofibroblasts in human breast cancers. Consistently, CD26 expression is significantly downregulated in cultured CAF myofibroblasts extracted from human breast carcinomas as compared to control human mammary fibroblasts. Inhibition of TGF‐β or SDF‐1 signaling in CAFs by shRNA clearly upregulated the CD26 expression. Taken together, these findings indicate that CD26 expression is attenuated by TGF‐β‐ and SDF‐1‐autocrine signaling on stromal myofibroblasts in human mammary carcinomas, and that decreased stromal CD26 expression has potential as a prognostic marker.

526 Background: Patients (pts) with HER2+ metastatic breast cancer (mBC) are at high risk of developing brain metastases (BMs), and treatment options are limited once BMs occur. T-DXd is an antibody-drug conjugate composed of an anti-HER2 antibody, a cleavable tetrapeptide-based linker, and a topoisomerase I inhibitor payload. On the basis of findings of the phase 2 DESTINY-Breast01 trial (NCT03248492), T-DXd was approved for the treatment of adult pts with HER2+ unresectable or mBC who have received ≥2 prior anti-HER2–based regimens (US and Europe) or had prior chemotherapy and are refractory to or intolerant of standard treatments (Japan). Here we describe a subgroup analysis from DESTINY-Breast01 in pts with a history of BMs. Methods: DESTINY-Breast01 is an ongoing, 2-part, multicenter, open-label, phase 2 trial of T-DXd in adult pts with HER2+ unresectable or mBC previously treated with trastuzumab emtansine. Pts with baseline BMs that were treated, asymptomatic, and did not require therapy to control symptoms were eligible for enrollment. All treatment to control symptoms had to be completed ≥60 days before randomization. An MRI of the brain every 6 wks was only required for pts with BMs at baseline. Brain lesions were considered non-target lesions, and thus collection of diameter measurements was not required. This analysis includes pts with a history of BMs at baseline who received T-DXd at the approved dose of 5.4 mg/kg every 3 wks. Results: Twenty-four pts with a history of BMs were included (data cutoff, August 1, 2019). In these pts, the objective response rate (ORR), median progression-free survival (mPFS), and median duration of response (mDoR) per independent central review with T-DXd 5.4 mg/kg were 58.3% (95% CI, 36.6%-77.9%), 18.1 mo (95% CI, 6.7-18.1 mo), and 16.9 mo (95% CI, 5.7-16.9 mo), respectively, and were comparable to those in the total pt population (N = 184) treated at 5.4 mg/kg in the DESTINY-Breast01 study (ORR, 60.9%; mPFS, 16.4 mo; mDoR, 14.8 mo; median follow-up, 11.1 mo). The pattern of disease progression was similar in pts with and without BMs with 8 of 24 pts having progressed (33%; 2 in the brain) in the BMs subgroup and 40 of 160 pts (25%; 2 in the brain) in the non-BMs subgroup, suggesting durable systemic disease control. Baseline diameters of BMs were available for 14 of 24 pts (radiotherapy prior to study enrollment was reported in 12 of 14). Among the pts with information available on baseline BM diameter, the central nervous system response rate per investigators was 50% (7 of 14 pts). Conclusions: T-DXd showed strong clinical activity in both the overall population of pts with HER2+ mBC and the subgroup of pts with BMs. The demonstrable response of BMs to treatment and durable clinical activity of T-DXd in pts with a history of BMs at baseline are promising and warrant further investigation. Clinical trial information: NCT03248492.

BackgroundThis randomized, controlled, multicenter, open-label, phase III study was conducted to determine whether professional oral care (POC) reduces oral mucositis in estrogen receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer patients treated with everolimus and exemestane.MethodsOne hundred seventy-four patients were randomized into the POC group (n = 86) or the control group (n = 88). Four patients in the POC group and one patient in the control group were excluded from the study because they did not receive the protocol treatment. Thus, 169 patients (POC group: 82 patients; control group: 87 patients) were evaluated for efficacy and safety. The POC group received oral health instruction (OHI), professional mechanical tooth and tongue cleaning, gargling with a benzethonium chloride mouthwash, and dexamethasone ointment when grade 1 mucositis manifested. The control group received OHI and gargling. Eight weeks after everolimus and exemestane were administered, the patients were evaluated for oral status (based on the Oral Assessment Guide [OAG] criteria) and oral mucositis status (assessed with Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events [CTCAE] functional and clinical examinations).ResultsThe incidences of oral mucositis of any grade and severe mucositis of grade 2 were significantly lower in the POC group (p = 0.034 and p = 0.013, respectively), based on the CTCAE functional and CTCAE clinical examinations (p = 0.034 and p # These authors contributed equally to this work.

Background monarchE, a phase 3, open-label, randomized study evaluating endocrine therapy with or without abemaciclib in patients with node positive, HR+, HER2-, high risk early breast cancer, resulted in a statistically significant improvement in invasive disease-free survival (IDFS) at a pre-planned interim analysis. Ki-67, a marker of cellular proliferation in breast cancer, was used in addition to other clinical and/or pathological features to identify patients whose cancer may be at higher risk of recurrence. A key secondary endpoint was to evaluate IDFS in patients with high (≥20%) Ki-67 tumors. Methods Patients with ≥4 positive nodes, or 1-3 nodes and either grade 3 disease, tumor size ≥5 cm, or central Ki-67 ≥20% were eligible for monarchE. Ki-67 was centrally assessed for all eligible patients with suitable untreated breast tissue using a standardized kit produced by Agilent/Dako (MIB-1). A sequential gatekeeping strategy was utilized to test the statistical significance in IDFS for patients with high Ki-67 tumors. Data on this subgroup are presented. Results Primary outcome results in the ITT population are presented separately and resulted in a significant 28.7% reduction in the risk of developing invasive disease with abemaciclib plus ET versus ET alone (HR = 0.713; 95% CI = 0.583, 0.871). Of the 5637 patients enrolled in monarchE, 4425 (78.5%) had Ki-67 samples eligible for testing. Of those tested, 2498 patients (56.5%) had Ki-67 ≥20% (Ki-67H). Results from the Ki-67H population are presented separately and showed that abemaciclib plus ET demonstrated superior IDFS versus ET alone with a 30.9% reduction in the risk of invasive disease (p=.0111; HR = 0.691; 95% CI = 0.519, 0.920). There was an absolute improvement of 4.5% in IDFS rate at 2 years (91.6% in the abemaciclib arm and 87.1% in the control arm). An additional planned analysis was performed evaluating efficacy in 2003 patients with high Ki-67 tumors enrolled in cohort 1 (patients with ≥4 positive nodes or 1-3 nodes and either tumor size ≥5 cm and/or grade 3 disease). The IDFS treatment benefit in this group was statistically significant with a HR of 0.643 (95% CI = 0.475, 0.872) corresponding to a 35.7% reduction in the risk of developing invasive disease. Two-year IDFS rates in this group were 91.3% in the abemaciclib group and 86.1% in the control arm, representing a 5.2% absolute improvement at 2 years. A clinically meaningful improvement was also observed in distant relapse-free survival (DRFS) in both populations. Baseline characteristics were balanced across arms in both Ki-67H populations. An exploratory analysis was conducted evaluating patients in cohort 1 with low Ki-67 ( Conclusion This represents the first time a prespecified threshold of ≥20% for Ki-67 has been used to prospectively evaluate the utility of Ki-67 in a phase III registration trial with a standardized assay. There was a statistically significant improvement in IDFS for patients with high Ki-67 tumors across the ITT population (HR = 0.691) and in cohort 1 (HR = 0.643). These results suggest that Ki-67 ≥20% is an additional clinicopathological feature that can be used in conjunction with high risk features of nodal involvement, tumor size, and grade, to select patients with a higher risk of recurrence who may benefit from treatment with abemaciclib in the adjuvant setting. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03155997 Ki-67H Ki-67H Cohort 1EndpointAbemaciclib + ETN=1262ET aloneN=1236Abemaciclib + ETN=1017ET aloneN=986IDFS# events, n (%)82 (6.5)115 (9.3)71 (7.0)106 (10.8)log rank Pvalue, HR (95% CI)p=.0111 0.691 (0.519, 0.920)p=.00420.643 (0.475, 0.872)Rate (%) at 2-years (95% CI)91.6(89.4, 93.4)87.1(84.3, 89.5)91.3(88.9, 93.2)86.1(83.1, 88.7)DRFS# events, n (%)65 (5.2)102 (8.3)56 (5.5)96 (9.7)log rank Pvalue,HR (95% CI)p=.0018 0.609 (0.445, 0.833)p=.00040.554 (0.397, 0.773)Rate (%) at 2 years (95% CI)93.6(91.6, 95.1)88.5(85.7, 90.7)93.3(91.2, 95.0)87.384.4, 89.8) Citation Format: Nadia Harbeck, Stephen Johnston, Peter Fasching, Miguel Martin, Masakazu Toi, Priya Rastogi, Chuangui Song, David Molthrop, Jacqueline Vuky, Toshinari Yamashita, Georgina Garnica Jaliffe, Mahmut Gumus, Desiree Headley, Ran Wei, Susana Barriga, Maria Munoz, Michael Method, Valerie Andre, Hans Kreipe, Joyce O'Shaughnessy. High Ki-67 as a biomarker for identifying patients with high risk early breast cancer treated in monarchE [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Virtual Symposium; 2020 Dec 8-11; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PD2-01.

Various types of circulating tumor cell (CTC) detection systems have recently been developed that show a high CTC detection rate. However, it is a big challenge to find a system that can provide better prognostic value than CellSearch in head-to-head comparison. We have developed a novel semi-automated CTC enumeration system (fluidic cell microarray chip system, FCMC) that captures CTC independently of tumor-specific markers or physical properties. Here, we compared the CTC detection sensitivity and the prognostic value of FCMC with CellSearch in breast cancer patients. FCMC was validated in preclinical studies using spike-in samples and in blood samples from 20 healthy donors and 22 breast cancer patients in this study. Using spike-in samples, a statistically higher detection rate (p = 0.010) of MDA-MB-231 cells and an equivalent detection rate (p = 0.497) of MCF-7 cells were obtained with FCMC in comparison with CellSearch. The number of CTC detected in samples from patients that was above a threshold value as determined from healthy donors was evaluated. The CTC number detected using FCMC was significantly higher than that using CellSearch (p = 0.00037). CTC numbers obtained using either FCMC or CellSearch had prognostic value, as assessed by progression free survival. The hazard ratio between CTC + and CTC − was 4.229 in CellSearch (95% CI, 1.31 to 13.66; p = 0.01591); in contrast, it was 11.31 in FCMC (95% CI, 2.245 to 57.0; p = 0.000244). CTC detected using FCMC, like the CTC detected using CellSearch, have the potential to be a strong prognostic factor for cancer patients.

This is a randomized, multi-center, open-label, phase III study to evaluate the efficacy of professional oral care in preventing oral mucositis induced by everolimus in postmenopausal estrogen receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer. Patients will be randomized into professional oral care and control groups (1:1 ratio). All patients will receive everolimus with exemestane and will continue everolimus until disease progression. In the professional oral care group, patients will receive teeth surface cleaning, scaling and tongue cleaning before starting everolimus, and will continue to receive professional oral care weekly from oral surgeons throughout the 8 week treatment. In the control group, patients will brush their own teeth and gargle with 0.9% sodium chloride solution or water. The primary endpoint is the incidence of all grades of oral mucositis. Target accrual is 200 patients with a two-sided type I error rate of 5% and 80% power to detect 25% risk reduction.

1036 Background: Trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd; DS-8201) is an antibody-drug conjugate composed of an anti-HER2 antibody, a cleavable linker, and a cytotoxic topoisomerase I inhibitor. In the pivotal DESTINY-Breast01 trial, efficacy of T-DXd in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (mBC) was demonstrated, with an objective response rate (ORR) of 60.9% and median progression-free survival (mPFS) of 16.4 months. Methods: DESTINY-Breast01 was a single-group, open-label, multicenter, phase II trial of 184 patients with HER2-positive mBC previously treated with trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) who received T-DXd at 5.4 mg/kg. Multivariate analysis using logistic regression models (ORR) and Cox proportional hazards models (duration of response [DOR], mPFS) explored 15 relevant clinical predictor variables. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) was collected prior to the first dose, every 3 cycles of treatment, and at the end of treatment. Sequencing was done via GuardantOMNI (Guardant Health) for single-nucleotide variation/insertion and deletion, amplification, and fusion of ≈ 500 genes. Results: Efficacy in all evaluated clinical subgroups was similar to the overall ORR 60.9% and mPFS 16.4 months with ranges from ORR 46.4%-74.5% and mPFS 12.3-18.1 months. Variables associated with improved ORR, DOR, or mPFS included hormone receptor positive status, fewer prior treatment regimens (continuous variable), pertuzumab given in the first or second line, and normal renal and hepatic function. Variables that did not impact efficacy outcomes compared to the overall population include age, race, region, ECOG PS, HER2 IHC 3+ status, progesterone receptor status, best response to T-DM1, time since diagnosis, and history of brain metastases. In 48 subjects with progression as of data cut date, metastases were most commonly observed in the liver, lung, and lymph nodes. Only 8% (4 of 48) had progression involvement in the brain upon disease progression. Decrease of ERBB2 copy number in ctDNA was seen on treatment and correlated with clinical response. Additional changes in molecular markers on treatment and following progression will be described. Conclusions: T-DXd demonstrated strong efficacy in all clinical subgroups analyzed. Further exploration of both clinical and molecular variables to determine biomarkers of efficacy may be warranted. Clinical trial information: NCT03248492 .

The occurrence of renal tumors originating from thyroid cancer is extremely rare with a few effective treatments for renal metastases. Here, we report the cases of two patients with differentiated thyroid cancer who underwent nephrectomy for a metastatic kidney tumor. Case 1 was a 74-year-old man who was diagnosed with right kidney tumor 10 years after initial surgery for papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Right nephrectomy was performed, and the pathology was metastatic PTC. Case 2 was a 68-year-old woman who was diagnosed with left kidney tumor 24 years after surgery for follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC). Left nephrectomy was performed, and the pathology was metastatic FTC. Nephrectomy for single renal metastasis could be considered a treatment option if the patients’ general condition is positive.

Background The usefulness of re-sentinel node biopsy (re-SNB) is unclear in the management of patients with ipsilateral recurrent breast cancer. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 52 patients with locally recurrent breast cancer who underwent re-SNB from July 2012 to March 2019. Both radioactive colloid and indocyanine green were used in all cases. Results Forty-four patients were after SNB and 8 were after axillary lymph node dissection(ALND). SLNs were successfully visualized by lymphoscintigraphy in 94.2% (49/52) of cases (95.4% post-SNB vs. 87.5% post-ALND, Fisher’s exact test, p = 0.401). Among post-SNB patients with successful mapping, 50% had SLNs only in ipsilateral axilla(I) and 50% had at least one SLN in other regions(contralateral axilla [C] and/or parasternal region [P])with or without SLN in (I), compared to 28.6% and 71.4% in post-ALND cases respectively(p = 0.424). Among post-SNB cases with prior breast irradiation (n = 37), 44.4% had SLN only in (I) and 55.6% had at least one SLN in other regions, compared to 83.3% and 16.7% in cases without prior irradiation (n = 7) (p = 0.184), respectively. While these differences were not significant, a lower rate of visualization and higher frequency of aberrant lymphatic flow in post-ALND than those in post-SNB was noted, and prior irradiation might affect lymphatic flow. We tried re-SNB for 47 cases and SLNs were successfully removed in 45 (95.7%) patients (92.8% in post-SNB, 100% in post-ALND). Re-SNB for (I) was performed for all cases with hot spots in (I) and one case without hot spot. Re-SNB for (C) or (P) were decided based on physician’s judgment. The SLN identification rates by site were 92.1% (35/38) for (I), 90.0% (9/10) for (C), and 100% (3/3) for (P). Sentinel node metastasis was found in three cases, all of which were in (I). ALND was performed in one case with macrometastasis but was omitted in two cases with micrometastases. The median follow-up duration after re-SNB was 22 months and no recurrence was observed. Conclusions Sentinel node identification was possible with high detection rates among patients with recurrent breast cancer after prior breast-conserving and axillary surgery. Legal entity responsible for the study The authors. Funding Has not received any funding. Disclosure T. Yamanaka: Honoraria (self): Chugai; Honoraria (self): Eisai; Honoraria (self): Novartis Pharma; Honoraria (self): Taiho; Honoraria (self): Phizer Japan. T. Yamashita: Honoraria (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Chugai; Honoraria (self): Eisai; Honoraria (self): Novartis Pharma; Honoraria (self): Taiho; Honoraria (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Nippon Kayaku; Honoraria (self): AstraZeneca; Honoraria (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Kyowa kirin; Honoraria (self): Phizer Japan; Honoraria (self): Takeda. N. Suganuma: Honoraria (self): Eisai; Honoraria (self): Novartis Pharma; Honoraria (self): Taiho; Honoraria (self): Kyowa kirin; Honoraria (self): Phizer Japan. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Background Approximately 40% of patients (pts) with HR+, HER2– BC have mutations (mut) in PIK3CA with hyperactivation of the PI3K pathway and relative endocrine resistance. In the phase 3 SOLAR-1 trial, treatment with the α-selective PI3K inhibitor ALP with FUL significantly prolonged progression-free survival (PFS) vs placebo [PBO] + FUL in the PIK3CA-mut cohort (median PFS [mPFS], 11.0 vs 5.7 mo; HR 0.65; P Methods Pts with HR+, HER2– ABC with progression on/after aromatase inhibitor received ALP 300 mg QD (or PBO) + FUL 500 mg. Efficacy, including PFS and response, and safety were assessed. Pts were stratified according to presence of lung and/or liver metastases and prior CDK4/6 inhibitor treatment. Results Of 341 pts with PIK3CA mut, 193 (56.6%) had VM. Tumor responses were improved with ALP vs PBO in pts with or without VM (Table). The majority (n = 170; 88.1%) of pts with VM had lung and/or liver metastases and mPFS was 9.0 vs 3.7 mo in the ALP (n = 84) vs PBO (n = 86) arms (HR 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44-0.89). PFS HRs (95% CI) for ALP vs PBO in pts with presence of liver metastases (ALP, n = 49; PBO, n = 54) or lung involvement (ALP, n = 57; PBO, n = 68) were 0.58 (0.37-0.90) and 0.65 (0.42-1.01), respectively. PFS HRs (95% CI) for ALP vs PBO in pts without lung and/or liver metastases (ALP, n = 85; PBO, n = 86) and in pts with bone-only metastases (ALP, n = 42; PBO, n = 35) were 0.69 (0.47-1.01) and 0.62 (0.33-1.18), respectively. mPFS for pts with bone-only metastases in the ALP vs PBO arms was 19.1 vs 13.0 mo.. Table . 342P Visceral Metastases, includes pts with lung, liver, and other visceral metastases Nonvisceral Metastases, includes pts with bone-only metastases (n = 193) (n = 148) ALP+FUL PBO+FUL ALP+FUL PBO+FUL (n = 93) (n = 100) (n = 76) (n = 72) Best % change from baseline in sum of target lesion diameters 79% 43% 69% 45% Clinical Benefit Rate (CBR), n (%) 52 (56) 38 (38) 52 (68) 40 (56) Conclusions Treatment benefit from ALP + FUL was maintained across pt subgroups analyzed, including pts with VM and bone-only metastases, and was consistent with the benefit observed in the PIK3CA-mut cohort in SOLAR-1. Clinical trial identification NCT02437318. Editorial acknowledgement Medical editorial assistance was provided by Joe Hodgson and Amanda Vreeland, PhD, of Healthcare Consultancy Group, LLC, and funded by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. Legal entity responsible for the study Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation. Funding Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation. Disclosure M. Campone: Research grant / Funding (self), Grant: Novartis; Research grant / Funding (self), Personal fee: Roche; Research grant / Funding (self), Personal fee: AstraZeneca; Research grant / Funding (self), Personal fee: Pfzier; Advisory / Consultancy, Advisory board fees to the institution: Servier; Advisory / Consultancy, NA: Lilly; Advisory / Consultancy, Advisory board fees to the institution: Sanofi; Advisory / Consultancy, Advisory board fees to the institution: Accord; Research grant / Funding (self), Grant: Tessaro. H.S. Rugo: Research grant / Funding (self), Research: Pfizer, Merck, Novartis, Lilly, Genentech, OBI, Odonate, Daiichi, Eisai, Seattle Genetics and Macrogenics; Travel / Accommodation / Expenses, Travel: Lilly, Mylan, Pfizer, Amgen, Merck and Puma. G. Rubovszky: Advisory / Consultancy, Conduct of clinical trials as investigator: Novartis. F. Andre: Research grant / Funding (institution), Research: Novartis, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Lilly, Roche. S. Loibl: Honoraria (institution), honorario: Novartis; Honoraria (institution), honorario: Pfzier; Honoraria (institution), honorario: Amgen; Honoraria (institution), honorario: Celgene; Honoraria (institution), honorario: Roche; Honoraria (institution), honorario: AstraZeneca; Honoraria (institution), honorario: Abbvie; Honoraria (institution), honorario: Lilly; Honoraria (institution), honorario: Daichi; Honoraria (institution), honorario: Eirgenix. H. Iwata: Honoraria (institution), Advisory / Consultancy, Support of parent study and funding of editorial support, honoraria and consulting: Novartis; Honoraria (institution), Advisory / Consultancy, Consulting: F. Hoffmann-La Roche via Chugai; Honoraria (institution), Advisory / Consultancy, Consulting: AstraZeneca; Honoraria (institution), Advisory / Consultancy, Consulting: Lilly; Honoraria (institution), Advisory / Consultancy, Consulting: Pfzier; Honoraria (institution), Advisory / Consultancy, Consulting: Daiichi-Sankyo. P.F. Conte: Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony, Speakers Bureau: Roche/Genentech; Novartis; AstraZeneca; Research grant / Funding (institution), Research: Roche Relationship (Institution); Novartis (Institution); Merck Serono (Institution); Travel / Accommodation / Expenses, Travel: Novartis; Celgene;AstraZeneca. I. Mayer: Research grant / Funding (institution), Institutional research funding and Ad board: Novartis; Research grant / Funding (institution), Institutional research funding and Ad board: Genentech; Research grant / Funding (institution), Institutional research funding: Pfzier; Advisory / Consultancy, Ad board: Eli-Lilly; Advisory / Consultancy, Ad board: AstraZeneca; Advisory / Consultancy, Ad board: GSK; Advisory / Consultancy, Ad board: Macrogenics; Advisory / Consultancy, Ad board: Seattle Genetics; Advisory / Consultancy, Ad board: Immunomedic. D. Juric: Advisory / Consultancy, Scientific Advisory Board: Novartis; Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony, Scientific Advisory Board: Genentech; Advisory / Consultancy, Scientific Advisory Board: Eisai; Advisory / Consultancy, Scientific Advisory Board: Ipsen; Advisory / Consultancy, Scientific Advisory Board: EMD Serono. T. Yamashita: Honoraria (self), Research grant / Funding (self): Chugai; Honoraria (self), Research grant / Funding (self): Nippon Kayaku; Honoraria (self), Research grant / Funding (self): Kyowa Kirin; Honoraria (self): Eisai, Novartis, Taiho, AstraZeneca, Pfzier Japan. I. Lorenzo: Full / Part-time employment, Employee: Novartis. A. Ridolfi: Full / Part-time employment, Employee: Novartis. E.M. Ciruelos: Honoraria (self), honorario: Consultancy for Novartis, Lilly, Roche, Pfizer; Advisory / Consultancy, Consulting: Novartis, Pfizer, Lilly, Roche; Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony, Speakers Bureau: Novartis, Pfizer, Lilly, Roche; Travel / Accommodation / Expenses, Travel: Roche, Pfizer.

OBJECTIVE The prognosis of breast cancer-derived brain metastasis is poor, but new drugs and recent therapeutic strategies have helped extend survival in patients. Prediction of therapeutic responses and outcomes is not yet possible, however. In a retrospective study, we examined prognostic factors in patients with breast cancer-derived brain metastasis, and we tested the prognostic utility of a breast cancer-specific Graded Prognostic Assessment in these patients. METHODS Sixty-three patients diagnosed with brain metastasis from breast cancer treated surgically and adjuvantly were included. We examined clinical variables per primary tumor subtype: ER+/HER2- (luminal), HER2+ (human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2-enriched) or ER-/PR-/HER2- (triple negative). We also categorized patients' breast cancer-specific Graded Prognostic Assessment scores and analyzed post-brain metastasis survival time in relation to these categories. RESULTS The breast cancers comprised the following subtypes: luminal, n = 18; human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2-enriched, n = 27 and triple-negative, n = 18; median survival per subtype was 11, 37 and 3 months, respectively. Survival of human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2-enriched patients was longer, though not significantly (P = 0.188), than that of luminal patients. Survival of triple-negative patients was significantly short (vs. human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2-enriched patients, P < 0.001). Karnofsky performance status, HER2 status and the disease-free interval (from initial treatment to first recurrence) were shown to be significant prognostic factors (Karnofsky performance status < 70: relative risk 2.08, P = 0.028; HER2+: relative risk 2.911, P = 0.004; disease-free interval < 24 months: relative risk 1.933, P = 0.011). Breast cancer-specific Graded Prognostic Assessment scores reflected disease-free intervals and survival times. CONCLUSIONS Our data indicate that breast cancer-specific Graded Prognostic Assessment-based prediction will be helpful in determining appropriate therapeutic strategies for patients with brain metastasis from breast cancer.

Background: Studies conducted mainly in Western countries have reported a relationship between body mass index (BMI) and prognosis among women with breast cancer. Only a few studies have been conducted in Japan so far because the percentage of high BMI is low. In the present retrospective study, we investigated the associations between BMI and the clinical characteristics and prognosis among breast cancer patients. Methods: We analyzed 1,744 breast cancer patients who started treatment between 2004 and 2012 at a single hospital in Japan. All patients with ductal carcinoma in situ, male breast cancer as well as metachronous and synchronous bilateral breast cancer were excluded. Median age was 57 years (range 23–91). The number of patients less than 50 years old was 496. World Health Organization BMI classifications were used: Underweight, less than18.5 kg/m2, n=157; Normal, 18.5–24.9 kg/m2, n=1181; Overweight, 25–29.9 kg/m2, n=316; and Obese, more than or equal to 30kg/m2, n=90. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate hazard ratios for recurrence free survival (RFS) in relation to BMI classifications. Results: Median follow up interval was 4.2 years. During the follow-up period, 126 breast cancer recurrences were observed. BMI classification correlated with clinical tumor size (cT) significantly and BMI classification tended to correlate with lymph node metastases and estrogen receptor (ER) status. Among patients less than 50 years old, the RFS of those with BMI ≥25.0 kg/m2 was compared to that of patients with BMI However in patients aged 50 years or over BMI category was not a significant factor (p=0.12). Conclusions: It has been reported that higher BMI is a risk factor for breast cancer recurrence among postmenopausal patients. Our results suggest that higher BMI is also associated with an increased risk of breast cancer recurrence among premenopausal patients. It raises the possibility that maintaining an appropriate body weight improves the prognosis in premenopausal patients after they have been diagnosed. Citation Format: Toshinari Yamashita, Tomoyuki Aruga, Hiromi Miyamoto, Kazumi Horiguchi, Yayoi Honda, Nami Idera, Risa Goto, Katsumasa Kuroi. Body mass index and prognosis after breast cancer diagnosis in Japanese women [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Seventh Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2014 Dec 9-13; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(9 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-09-09.

Background Thyroid dysfunction is occasionally reported after the administration of nivolumab. We report on the incidence of and risk factors for nivolumab-induced thyroid dysfunction in patients with non-small lung cancer. Patients and methods A total of 82 patients who received nivolumab between January 2016 and December 2016 at the Kanagawa Cancer Center were included. Prior to nivolumab treatment, 72 patients had normal thyroid function. Results Among the 72 patients with normal thyroid function prior to nivolumab treatment, the incidence of thyroid dysfunction was 19.5%. There were no significant differences between patients in whom thyroid dysfunction had occurred regarding sex, age, nivolumab dose, or thyroid function prior to nivolumab administration. However, the total number of doses of nivolumab was significantly greater in patients who developed thyroid dysfunction after nivolumab treatment (p=0.03). Conclusion The total number of doses administered may be a risk factor for the development of thyroid dysfunction after nivolumab therapy.

Objective: The JBCRG-C06 Safari study showed that earlier fulvestrant 500 mg (F500) use, a longer time from diagnosis to F500 use, and no prior palliative chemotherapy were associated with significantly longer time to treatment failure (TTF) among Japanese patients with estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) advanced breast cancer (ABC). The objective of this subgroup analysis was to further examine data from the Safari study, focusing on ER+ and human epidermal growth factor receptor-negative (HER2−) cases. Methods: The Safari study (UMIN000015168) was a retrospective, multicenter cohort study, conducted in 1072 patients in Japan taking F500 for ER+ ABC. The subanalysis included only patients administered F500 as second-line or later therapy (n = 960). Of these, 828 patients were HER2−. Results: Multivariate analysis showed that advanced age (≥65 years; p = 0.035), longer time (≥3 years) from AMBC ABC diagnosis to F500 use (p < 0.001), no prior chemotherapy (p < 0.001), and F500 treatment line (p < 0.001) were correlated with prolonged TTF (median 5.39 months). Conclusions: In ER+/HER2− patients receiving F500 as a second-line or later therapy, treatment line, advanced age, no prior palliative chemotherapy use, and a longer period from ABC diagnosis to F500 use were associated with longer TTF.

Objective: Although the fear of recurrence is a major concern among breast cancer survivors after their surgery, there are no instruments to evaluate their distress in Japan. This study examines the psychometric properties of the Japanese version of the concerns about recurrence scale, which was originally developed in the USA. Methods: The forward and backward translation method was used to develop Concerns about Recurrence Scale. Randomly selected ambulatory female patients with breast cancer participated in this study. They were asked to complete Japanese version of the concerns about recurrence scale and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. The validity and reliability of Japanese version of the concerns about recurrence scale were evaluated statistically. Results: Data were obtained from 375 patients. A novel four-factor solution was found (Health and Death Worries, Womanhood Worries, Self-valued Worries and Role Worries) that accounted for 59.2% of the total variance. Correlation coefficients between the Japanese version of the concerns about recurrence scale subscale scores and the anxiety score measured by Hospital anxiety and depression scale ranged from 0.39 to 0.60. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, which are measures of the internal consistency of the subscales, ranged from 0.86 to 0.94. Conclusions: The results suggest that Japanese version of the concerns about recurrence scale is a reliable and valid clinical research tool to evaluate the fear of recurrence among patients with breast cancer in Japan, although there may be cross-cultural differences regarding factor structures between Western and Japanese breast cancer patients.

Although fear of recurrence is a major concern among breast cancer survivors after surgery, no standard strategies exist that alleviate their distress. This study examined the association of patients' problem-solving skills and fear of recurrence and psychological distress among breast cancer survivors. Randomly selected, ambulatory, female patients with breast cancer participated in this study. They were asked to complete the Concerns about Recurrence Scale (CARS) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Multiple regression analyses were used to examine their associations. Data were obtained from 317 patients. Patients' problem-solving skills were significantly associated with all subscales of fear of recurrence and overall worries measured by the CARS. In addition, patients' problem-solving skills were significantly associated with both their anxiety and depression. Our findings warrant clinical trials to investigate effectiveness of psychosocial intervention program, including enhancing patients' problem-solving skills and reducing fear of recurrence among breast cancer survivors.

Background: Patients with de novo stage IV and relapsed breast cancer are often treated with the same strategy. However survival differences have recently been reported between the disease types. Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare outcomes between de novo stage IV disease and relapsed disease and to discuss any differences in prognostic factors between them. Patients and Methods: The subjects were 79 patients with de novo stage IV disease and 213 patients with relapsed disease treated at the Tokyo Metropolitan Cancer and Infectious Diseases Center Komagome Hospital from October 2001 through November 2010. The Kaplan‑Meier method was used to estimate overall survival (OS and the Cox proportional hazards model was used to examine the association between metastatic disease and OS. Results: The median follow‑up period was 32 months for de novo stage IV disease and 34 months for relapsed disease. The median OS was 46 months and 43 months respectively. No significant differences were evident. Identified prognostic factors were performance status and liver metastasis for de novo stage IV disease and performance status hormone receptor status solitary bone metastasis and disease‑free interval for relapsed disease. Conclusion: No differences in outcome were found between de novo stage IV disease and relapsed disease. However their prognostic factors differed substantially and suggest that different treatment strategies may be warranted for metastatic disease in each type of breast cancer. (J Nippon Med Sch 2014; 81: 139―147

Background Hyperactivation of PI3K pathway can occur due to PIK3CA mutations, which is present in ∼40% of patients (pts) with HR+, HER2- ABC. In SOLAR-1 (NCT02437318) trial, ALP+FUL significantly extended progression-free survival (PFS) vs placebo (PBO)+FUL in the PIK3CA-mutant (mut) cohort (median 11.0 vs 5.7 months; HR = 0.65; P Methods Men and postmenopausal women with HR+, HER2- ABC and recurrence/progression on/after prior aromatase inhibitor were randomized (1:1) to ALP (300 mg/day)+FUL (500 mg every 28 days+Cycle 1 Day 15) or PBO+FUL. This trial consisted of the PIK3CA-mut cohort for confirmatory purpose and the PIK3CA non-mutant (non-mut) cohort for proof of concept purpose. Primary endpoint was locally assessed PFS in the PIK3CA-mut cohort. Safety was assessed in the total population. Results Among 572 pts, 68 pts were enrolled in Japan; 36 pts in the PIK3CA-mut cohort received ALP+FUL (n = 17) or PBO+FUL (n = 19), and 32 pts in the non-mut cohort received ALP+FUL (n = 15) or PBO+FUL (n = 17). In JPN pts, ALP+FUL did not improve PFS in the mut cohort (median 9.6 vs 9.2 months; HR = 0.78). Duration of ALP exposure was shorter (median 1.7 months in JPN vs 5.5 months in overall population). Most frequent all-grade adverse events (JPN vs overall population) were rash (75.0% vs 53.9%), hyperglycemia (68.8% vs 65.8%), gastrointestinal toxicities (65.6% vs 75.4%), hypersensitivity and anaphylactic reaction (25.0% vs 16.5%). Severe cutaneous reactions (i.e. Stevens-Johnson syndrome, erythema multiforme) were observed only in JPN pts (n = 4; 12.5%). Conclusions Among pts from Japan, ALP+FUL showed no clinically meaningful improvement in PFS for pts with PIK3CA mut status and ALP exposure was much shorter than of the overall population. The incidence of cutaneous reactions was higher in Japanese vs overall population.

Background: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast carcinomas are aggressive subtypes associated with a variable response to systemic therapies. HER2-positive breast carcinomas are not homogeneous, and it has been reported that androgen receptor (AR) signaling is an important determinant of cell growth and relation with HER3 expression. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinicopathological significance of AR expression in primary HER2-positive breast carcinomas. Patients and Methods: 102 primary HER2-positive breast tumor samples were obtained from patients operated on at the Cancer and Infectious Disease Center, Tokyo Metropolitan Komagome Hospital from 2001 to 2010. 92 tumors were IHC (HercepTest) score 3, whereas 10 were IHC score 2 and FISH- positive. We evaluated AR using immunohistochemistry. Tumors with equal or more than 10% nuclear-stained cells were determined to be positive for AR and the relationship between AR and clinicopathological parameters was analyzed. The expression of HER3 was evaluated by immunohistochemistry using the following scoring system: 0 (no staining), 1 (less than 20% of cells stained or weak staining), 2 (more than or equal to 20% of cells stained, or strong staining) and the relation with AR expression was examined. The differences among variables were calculated by chi-square test. Results: The median age of all patients was 56 years old (from 31 to 84). AR-positive carcinomas corresponded to 37(36.2%) of 102 HER2-positive breast carcinomas. The median age of AR-positive patients was 54 years old while that of AR-negative patients was 57 years old. There was no significant difference between the two groups. AR-positive carcinomas were not associated with ER and progesterone receptor (PgR) co-expression and nuclear grade. The stage distribution of AR-positive patients was: stage I(n = 23), stage IIA(n = 11), stage IIB (n = 3), and averaged 18.5mm in tumor size, while AR-negative patients distributed as stage I(n = 16), stage IIA(n = 27), stage IIB (n = 15), stage IIIA(n = 5), stage IIIB(n = 2), and averaged 23.7mm in size. AR-positive carcinomas were associated with larger pathological tumor size and more advanced clinical stages, though lymph node involvement did not differ between the two groups. The HER3 expression score distribution was: scrore 0 (n = 14), score 1 (n = 54), score 2 (n = 34). The expression of HER3 was not associated with clinicopathological parameters. Furthermore, there was no significant relation between AR expression and HER3 expression. Median follow-up interval was 63 months. 20 patients (19.6%) suffered recurrence. Four patients suffered recurrence in the AR-positive group while there were 16 patients in the AR-negative group. AR-positive patients had significant better prognosis in recurrence than AR-negative patients. Conclusion: Among HER2-positive breast carcinomas, AR-positive carcinomas have the tendency to be smaller in tumor size and of early clinical stage compared with those that are AR-negative. The expression of AR might be a better prognostic factor in HER2-positive breast carcinomas. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2013;73(24 Suppl): Abstract nr P2-10-04.

Background: S-1 is an oral, fixed dose combination product comprised of tegafur, a fluoropyrimidine prodrug of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), and modulators of 5-FU metabolism, 5-chloro-2.4-dihydrooxypyridine and oteracil potassium. S-1 is designed to provide oral delivery of 5-FU, a pyrimidine analog antimetabolite antineoplastic agent, while reducing the rate of degradation of 5-FU and its conversion in the gastrointestinal tract to its toxic phosphorylated metabolite. S-1 is active in breast cancer and a variety of solid tumors. nab™-Paclitaxel (nab-P) is a treatment option in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) (approved 260 mg/m2 q3w dosing schedule), and high activity of nab-P with single-agent weekly administration at 100 mg/m2 has been investigated in MBC as well as other disease states. Since these two agents differed in their mechanisms of action and toxicity profiles, we sought to test their combined activity in a phase I study of nab-P/S-1 for HER2-negative MBC. The primary objectives of this study was to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended dose (RD) of nab-P/S-1 in patients with HER-2 negative MBC. The secondary objective of this study was to evaluate pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters of both agents. Methods: Patients received treatment on 3 week cycles. S-1 was administered orally at a twice-daily dose of 65 mg/m2 (dose level 1 and 2b) or 80 mg/m2 (dose level 2a and 3) for 14 days and nab-P was administered as a 30-minute IV infusion at a dose of 100 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8 (dose level 1 and 2b) or 100 mg/m2 on days 1, 8 and 15 (dose level 2a and 3). Results: Fifteen patients were enrolled in this study; nab-P/S-1 was given as first-line chemotherapy for MBC in 9 patients, and as second-line therapy subsequent to an anthracycline-containing therapy in 6 patients. At dose level 3, one patient experienced a DLT. The observed DLT was delay of initiation of next cycle, G4 neutropenia had not recovered to G1/G0 in a period defined on the protocol. No cases of febrile neutropenia were observed. Judged from the status of dose reduction and the extension of drug holidays (cycle start delay), and the occurrence of non-severe adverse events after 2 cycles, the dose level was not increased above level 3. Seven patients were able to be treated 10 cycles or more. Additionally, three patients were able to be treated 20 cycles or more. Among of the 12 patients who had a measurable lesion which was evaluable by RECISTv1.1, the overall response rate was 50%, with 1 CR, 5 PR, 4 SD, and 1 PD. Pharmacokinetics of Paclitaxel and 5-FU in the combination therapy were comparable to those after single-agent administration of nab-P and S-1, respectively. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, the RD was determined to be dose level 3 (S-1 80 mg/m2 twice daily plus nab-P 100 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, and 15). Since this combination therapy was generally well tolerated even with prolonged treatment, it is suggested that this combination therapy may be a promising treatment regimen in HER-2 negative MBC and merits further evaluation. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2013;73(24 Suppl): Abstract nr P3-13-08.

Sunitinib is an oral multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved for use in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, despite its preclinical biological effect on breast cancer, it is yet to be proven effective for clinical use in patients with breast cancer. The present report describes a case of a 69-year-old woman with advanced clear-cell RCC and a luminal B subtype invasive ductal carcinoma of the right breast that showed a partial response to monotherapy with sunitinib. This is the first report of the effect of sunitinib monotherapy in a patient with early-stage breast cancer.