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Ovarian cancer (OC) is associated with poor survival because there are a limited number of effective therapies. Two processes key to OC progression, angiogenesis and immune evasion, act synergistically to promote tumor progression. Tumor-associated angiogenesis promotes immune evasion, and tumor-related immune responses in the peritoneal cavity and tumor microenvironment (TME) affect neovascular formation. Therefore, suppressing the angiogenic pathways could facilitate the arrival of immune effector cells and reduce the presence of myeloid cells involved in immune suppression. To date, clinical studies have shown significant benefits with antiangiogenic therapy as first-line therapy in OC, as well as in recurrent disease, and the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitor bevacizumab is now an established therapy. Clinical data with immunomodulators in OC are more limited, but suggest that they could benefit some patients with recurrent disease. The preliminary results of two phase III trials have shown that the addition of immunomodulators to chemotherapy does not improve progression-free survival. For this reason, it could be interesting to look for synergistic effects between immunomodulators and other active drugs in OC. Since bevacizumab is approved for use in OC, and is tolerable when used in combination with immunotherapy in other indications, a number of clinical studies are underway to investigate the use of bevacizumab in combination with immunotherapeutic agents in OC. This strategy seeks to normalize the TME via the anti-VEGF actions of bevacizumab, while simultaneously stimulating the immune response via the immunotherapy. Results of these studies are awaited with interest.

The aim of this article is to discuss the role of maintenance therapy with chemotherapy, endocrine therapy, or bevacizumab-based combination therapy in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative metastatic breast cancer. The optimization of maintenance therapy in patients with HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer must be based on disease profile (tumor subtype and endocrine-sensitive status), the prior use of bevacizumab-containing regimens, and the number of prognostic risk factors. Chemotherapy should be used in patients with triple-negative breast cancer and endocrine-resistant hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer, whereas endocrine therapy is the preferred option for patients with endocrine-sensitive hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer. After first-line bevacizumab plus chemotherapy, bevacizumab may be continued until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity, and endocrine therapy or capecitabine may be added. The goals of maintenance therapy in patients with HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer are to improve and maintain clinical response, increase time to progression, extend overall survival, relieve tumor-related symptoms, and delay the use of aggressive therapies, without compromising quality of life. Maintenance therapy, using chemotherapy, endocrine therapy, and combined therapy with bevacizumab, is a reasonable strategy to achieve these goals in patients with either triple-negative breast cancer or hormone receptor-positive and HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer. Ongoing clinical studies of new molecular-targeted therapies may provide additional pharmacological options for future maintenance strategies in these patients.

e22028 Background: The drug combination of BRAF inhibitors with MEK inhibitors delays the onset of resistance and enhances apoptosis. Objectives: The main objective was to evaluate the percentage of long responders to the combination therapy. Methods: Participants were patients with advanced melanoma harboring a BRAF V600 mutation, who received Cobimetinib + Vemurafenib as first line, and who started treatment at least 12 months before inclusion. Patients were classified as long responders (patients who have reached at least 12 months of objective response -complete response CR/ partial response PR- to the treatment) or non-responders. Sociodemographic, anthropometric, clinical characteristics, baseline tumor characteristics and treatment dose modification were compared between long responders and non-responders. HADS scale, WPAI-GH and SMAQ questionnaires were used to evaluate the anxiety and depression, productivity and treatment compliance respectively, in patients under active treatment at the moment of the study visit. Results: 41 patients were evaluated. Mean (±SD) age was 57.8 (14.0) years. 56.1% were male. Almost one third of the population (29,3%) was classified as long responder. There were no statistically significant differences in the baseline tumor characteristics, demographic data nor in the clinical characteristics neither in treatment dose modification. CR was the best response achieved by 29.3% of patients, 46.3% achieved PR and 12.2% SD (stable disease). Mean of time to response was 6.9 months for CR patient, and 3.3 and 2.2 months for PR and SD patients respectively. Mean of duration of response was 9.4 months for CR patients, and 10.1 and 9.5 months for PR and SD patients respectively. 42.5% of Adverse Events (AEs) were related with the combination treatment. In the 68.5% of AEs the severity was mild, and in 19.4% moderate. In most cases no action was taken (74.9%) and the outcome was recovered (83.4%). Conclusions: Vemurafenib and Cobimetinib have an important impact in long term survival, leading to a steady complete response in one third of the patients.

12043Background: The determination of monitoring Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC) in patients (pts) with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is a well-established prognostic marker of efficacy/tolerance. W...