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Background: Neoadjuvant association of immune checkpoints inhibitors (ICI) and dose dense chemotherapy is promising for triple negative breast cancers (TNBC). However, response rates vary from one study to another. Timing, best chemotherapy partner and efficacy in less immunogenic breast cancer (BC), like luminal B tumors, should be further investigated. This study evaluates for TNBC and luminal B HER2(-) BC the neoadjuvant treatment with paclitaxel followed by a short combination of an anti-PD-L1 antibody with anthracyclines. Method B-IMMUNE (NCT03356860), a multicentric phase Ib/II prospective trial, included patients with stage I to III luminal B HER2(-) or TNBC treated with paclitaxel 80mg/m2 weekly from week 1 to 12 followed by 4 cycles of epirubicine 90mg/m2 and cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m2 (EC) Q2W in a neoadjuvant setting. Phase Ib evaluated a single infusion of durvalumab (anti-PD-L1) combined with the 3rd cycle of EC. Phase II evaluated infusions of durvalumab with the 1st and 3rd EC cycles. Surgery was planned 3 weeks after the last EC cycle. Primary objectives were safety and pathological complete response (pCR) rate compared to a historical control. Secondary endpoint was the overall response rate (ORR) based on breast MRI. Eleven patients were enrolled in a control arm without durvalumab, exclusively for translational research purposes. Based on a 2-stage Simon design with an α = 0.1 and β = 0.1, 22 TNBC patients were needed in the phase II to test a null hypothesis of 30% pCR rate against a one-side alternative of 60%, and 24 luminal B BC patients to test a null hypothesis of 15% pCR rate against a one-side alternative of 40% (including an additional accrual margin of 10% for eventual dropouts). At least 9 pCRs had to be observed among the first 20 evaluable TNBC patients and 6 among the first 22 evaluable luminal B patients to rule out the null hypothesis. Results This analysis concerns the 50 patients treated with the experimental treatment, 3 from the phase Ib and 47 from the phase II part. Median age was 51 y-old (31 to 72y), tumor subtypes were 24 TNBC, 25 Luminal B and one sarcoma excluded from the efficacy analysis. Seven (14%) patients had a stage I tumor, 17 (34%) a stage IIA, 13 (26%) a stage IIB, 8 (16%) a stage IIIA, 4 (8%) a stage IIIB and 1 (2%) a stage IIIC. Concerning safety, 232 AEs were reported on 39/50 patients and 34 (14,6%) were graded ≥ 3. The 5 most frequent all-grade AEs were fatigue (8,2%), diarrhea (5,6%), neutropenia (5,2%), anemia and nausea (4,3%). Most frequent grade 3 AEs were anemia and neutropenia (14,7%). Among 4 immune-related adverse events, all were thyroid disorders. One patient died 10 months after the end of treatment due to progressive disease in the liver. Forty-six of the 47 phase II patients were evaluable for efficacy. pCR was reported in 12/22 TNBC patients (55%) and 8/24 luminal B HER2(-) patients (33%). Subgroup analyses based on PD-L1 expression and TILs score are planned. Conclusions The B-IMMUNE study met its primary objective showing a significant improvement in pCR versus the historical control in both TNBC and in Luminal B HER2(-) BC cohorts with the addition of only 2 doses of durvalumab to the anthracyclines. The safety profile is comparable to those previously described with reported immune related adverse events limited to thyroid endocrine disorders. Citation Format: Alix Devaux, Gabriela Beniuga, Claire Quaghebeur, Stéphanie Henry, Mieke Van Bockstal, Christine Galant, Paul Delrée, Jean-Luc Canon, Brigitte Honhon, Dominique Korman, Vincent Verschaeve, Christophe Lonchay, Sarah Lefevre, Lionel D’Hondt, Martine Berlière, Sophie Delmarcelle, Jean-Michel Mine, Timour Willems, Gebhard Müller, Nathalie Myant, Isabelle Bar, Sandy Haussy, Pierre G. Coulie, François P. Duhoux, Javier Carrasco. B-IMMUNE final analysis: a phase Ib/II study of durvalumab combined with dose-dense EC in a neoadjuvant setting for patients with locally advanced luminal B HER2(-) or triple negative breast cancers. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2022 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(5 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-07-16.

Background: The association of immune checkpoints inhibitors (ICI) and dose dense chemotherapy is a promising combination in a neoadjuvant setting for triple negative breast cancers (TNBC). However, response rates vary from one study to another and timing, best chemotherapy partner and efficacy in breast cancer subtypes considered as less immunogenic, like luminal B tumors, should be further investigated. The B-immune study evaluates a neoadjuvant treatment with paclitaxel followed by a short combination of an anti-PD-L1 antibody with anthracyclines for TNBC and luminal B breast cancers (BC). Method: B-immune (NCT03356860), a multicentric phase Ib/II prospective trial, includes patients with stage I to III luminal B or TNBC treated with paclitaxel 80mg/m2 weekly from week 1 to 12 followed by 4 cycles of epirubicine 90mg/m2 and cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m2 (EC) Q2W in a neoadjuvant setting. The phase Ib evaluated a single infusion of durvalumab (anti-PD-L1) combined with the 3rd cycle of EC. The phase II, in progress, evaluates 2 infusions of durvalumab with the 1st and 3rd cycle of EC respectively. Surgery is planned 3 weeks after the last preoperative treatment. Primary objectives are safety and efficacy based on pathological complete response (pCR) rate. Considering a 2-stage Simon design, 22 TNBC patients are needed in the phase II to detect a pCR rate increase from 30% to 60% and 24 luminal B BC patients are needed to detect a pCR rate increase from 15% to 40% (α = 0.1 and β = 0.1). At least 3 pCRs must be observed among 8 TNBC patients and 2 among 10 Luminal B patients treated in the 1st stage to move to the 2nd stage. Results: This analysis concerns 3 treated patients from phase Ib and 18 from phase II who received the experimental treatment (median age 55 y-old, 10 TNBC, 11 Luminal B, 14% stage I, 67% stage II, 19% stage III). Overall, 169 AEs were reported and 22 (13%) were graded > 2 on 10/21 patients, including 27% of neutropenia (6/22), 22% of anemia (5/22), 13% of severe asthenia (3/22) and 9% of diarrhea (2/22). Four patients (19%) developed thyroid immune endocrine disorders. Efficacy was evaluated on 18 patients included in the 1st stage of phase II (8 TNBC and 10 luminal B). Five among 8 TNBC patients (62%) and 2 among 10 luminal B patients (20%) had a pCR. Conclusions: The B-immune interim analysis reveals an acceptable global safety profile. Reported immune related adverse events were limited to thyroid endocrine disorders. Observed pCR rate after neoadjuvant paclitaxel followed by 2 durvalumab infusions combined to EC chemotherapy warrants pursuing the trial for the TNBC and luminal B cohorts. Citation Format: Javier Carrasco, Claire Quaghebeur, Stephanie Henry, Christine Galant, Mieke Van Bockstal, Paul Delrée, Brigitte Honhon, Dominique Korman, Vincent Verschaeve, Christophe Lonchay, Sarah Levefre, Lionel D'hondt, Martine Berliere, Sophie Delmarcelle, Jean-Michel Mine, Timour Willems, Gebhard Müller, Nathalie Myant, Isabelle Bar, Manuel Constant, Sandy Haussy, Alix Devaux, Pierre Coulie, Jean-Luc Canon, François Duhoux. B-immune interim analysis: A phase Ib/II study of durvalumab combined with dose-dense EC in a neoadjuvant setting for patients with locally advanced luminal B HER2(-) or triple negative breast cancers [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2021 Dec 7-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-14-12.

Background Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is considered a low-risk disease of the breast. Current increases in its incidence have resulted in many women either being under- or over-treated due to our limited findings on independent prognostic and predictive biomarkers. The Van Nuys Prognostic Index, based on tumor size, margin status, grade and age, is one tool used in treatment decisions. Patients with a low score show no significant benefit from radiotherapy, in contrast to those with an intermediate score, while patients with high scores should be considered for mastectomy. In contrast, for invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) of the breast there is a strong consensus for the prognostic and predictive value of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL). As very little is known about TIL in DCIS, the goal of this study is to fully characterize the immune infiltrate and compare it to IDC, examine differences in the balance between effector and regulatory subpopulations and potentially discover new biomarkers for risk stratification. Material and Methods Fourteen patients were prospectively enrolled at the St. Luc hospital in Brussels, including 4 pure DCIS, 5 mixt DCIS and IDC, and 5 normal breast tissues. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded sections were stained with three fluorescent multiplex immunohistochemistry (mIHC) panels that combined antibodies to CD45, CD4, CD8, CD20, FOXP3, CD68, GZMB, PD-1, Ki67 and cytokeratin. InForm® Tissue Finder™ software and PhenoptrReports (Akoya Biosciences®) were employed for TIL quantification and spatial distribution. Freshly resected DCIS tissues were used to isolate tumor-infiltrating CD4 and CD8 T cells for single cell RNAseq analysis to determine the T cell clonotypes present (A. Devaux’s poster) Results Our analyses reveal the DCIS stroma has a significant immune infiltrate dominated by CD4+ helper T cells and B cells (140 and 115 cells/mm2, respectively) followed by CD8+ cytotoxic T cells (72 cells/mm2), regulatory T cells (Treg) (27 cells/mm2) and to a lesser extent macrophages (23 cells/mm2). The immune pattern in DCIS is similar to IDC except there are fewer macrophages in the tumor areas and Treg increase in the stroma. Tumor areas are generally less infiltrated than the stroma but some DCIS cells are in direct contact with T cells and macrophages. Spatial distribution analysis within a radius of 30 μm confirms that Treg are in close proximity to the DCIS cells and in the proximity of CD4+ helper and CD8+ cytotoxic T cells. Moreover, proliferating GZMB+ cells, mainly CD8+ cytotoxic T cells, were observed in direct contact with DCIS cells. Only one patient out of 4 had PD1+ TIL in the stroma. A comparison of pure and mixt DCIS reveals lower stromal infiltration by T and B cells in the former, which is also associated with an increase in macrophages. Finally, the abundance of stromal TIL was frequently organized in tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS), composed by a B cell follicle surrounded by a T cell zone containing both CD4+ helper and CD8+ cytotoxic T cells. TLS were characterized by the presence of proliferating B cells and PD1high T follicular helper cells. FOXP3+ and GZMB+ cells were also observed in the T cell zone. Conclusions Examination of the immune infiltrate in DCIS shows an abundance of helper T cells, B cells and active cytotoxic T cells in association with stromal TLS. These observations reveal an active tumor immune microenvironment in DCIS and suggest that the immune response plays an active role in DCIS pathogenesis. Citation Format: Soizic Garaud, Alix Devaux, Anais Boisson, Céline Naveaux, Pierre Coulie, Ahmad Awada, Karen Willard-Gallo. Characterization of the immune microenvironment in ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast [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 PS17-21.

If we may cure metastatic melanoma patients thanks to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), it is fair to say that around 2/3 of the patients present primary or secondary resistance to ICI. Therefore, progresses are needed and numerous new treatments are tested either alone or in combination with cytolytic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) or (PD)-1 blockade to overcome this resistance. In this review, we focused on new immunotherapeutic approaches studied in advanced melanoma previously treated by anti-PD-1 (Programmed cell Death 1 receptor) or anti-CTLA-4 antibodies. The different approaches have been classified based on 'the cancer immunity cycle'. These new strategies target either the T-cell priming and activation step, T-cell trafficking and tumor infiltration, or tumor antigen recognition by T-cell and tumor killing. Most of these novel strategies are based on mAbs targeting T-cell inhibitory or stimulatory coreceptors. The second main focus is based on modifying the tumor micro-environment. Combination strategies seem promising in few patients and suggest that a deeper understanding of the resistance in individual patients is mandatory to go further.