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Background CDK4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) in combination with endocrine therapy (ET) have a well-established role in the management of hormone receptor-positive (HR+)/HER2- metastatic breast cancer (MBC). The benefit of continuing CDK4/6i beyond progression in combination with a different ET has not been confirmed. Preclinical data suggest synergy between CDK4/6i and PD-L1 inhibition. The PACE trial prospectively evaluates whether continuation of the CKD4/6i palbociclib beyond progression on prior CDK4/6i and aromatase inhibitor (AI), with a change in ET to fulvestrant, improves outcomes beyond change to fulvestrant alone, as well as explores the activity of the palbociclib, fulvestrant, and avelumab triplet. Methods PACE is a multicenter randomized open-label investigator-initiated phase II trial, open at 11 U.S. sites. Eligible patients (pts) had HR+/HER2- evaluable MBC with prior progression on AI and any CDK4/6i after > 6 months (mo) of therapy in the MBC setting, or during/within 12 mo in the adjuvant setting, with no more than 1 prior line of chemotherapy for MBC. Pts were randomized 1:2:1 to fulvestrant alone (F); fulvestrant and palbociclib (F+P); or fulvestrant, palbociclib, avelumab (F+P+A), with tumor assessments every 8 weeks. Blood for circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis was collected at baseline, at times of tumor assessments, and at progression. The primary objective was to evaluate progression-free survival (PFS) with F+P vs F; secondary objectives included PFS with F+P+A vs F, objective response rate (ORR) in all arms, and safety. A sample size of 220 patients was planned to provide 80% power to detect an improvement in PFS with HR 0.6154 with F+P vs F (6.5 vs 4 mo; α(1)=0.05). Results A total of 220 pts were randomized from 9/2017-2/2022 (F: n=55, F+P: n=111, F+P+A: n=54); median age 57 years (range 25-83), 85% non-Hispanic (7.7% non-Hispanic black), 8.6% Hispanic, 6.4% unknown. 40% had de novo MBC, 60% had visceral disease, and 14% bone-only disease. 16% had 1 prior line of chemotherapy for MBC, 90% had received prior palbociclib, 4.5% ribociclib, 4.1% abemaciclib, 1.4% palbociclib and ribociclib. Pts entered the trial after a median 19 mo of prior CDK4/6i plus AI (interquartile range 12-31 mo). A total of 10 (5%) pts received protocol therapy as first line ET for MBC, 169 (77%) as second line, and 41 (17%) as beyond second line. 88% entered the trial directly after progression on CDK4/6i. After a median follow-up of 24 mo, 18 pts remained on protocol treatment. PFS was not improved with F+P vs F (median 4.6 vs 4.8 mo; HR=1.11, 90% CI 0.79-1.55; 2-sided p=0.62). Median PFS was 8.1 mo with F+P+A (HR=0.75 vs F, 90% CI 0.50-1.12; 2-sided p=0.23). ORR was 7.3% (90%CI 1.5-13.0) with F, 9.0% F+P (4.5-13.5%) and 13.0% F+P+A (5.4-20.5%). No new safety signals have been observed. Analysis of ctDNA panel sequencing encompassing 70 genes from 184 baseline samples, including correlation with known and hypothesized resistance genes, will be presented. Conclusions For ER+/HER2- breast cancer, combining palbociclib with fulvestrant beyond progression on prior CDK4/6i and AI did not significantly improve PFS compared with using fulvestrant alone. The observed longer PFS when a PD-L1 inhibitor was added to fulvestrant plus palbociclib is an intriguing signal in this ER+ population. Translational studies of blood and tumor tissue are ongoing and will be presented. Citation Format: Erica L. Mayer, Yue Ren, Nikhil Wagle, Reshma Mahtani, Cynthia Ma, Angela DeMichele, Massimo Cristofanilli, Jane Meisel, Kathy D. Miller, Trevor Jolly, Elizabeth Riley, Rubina Qamar, Priyanka Sharma, Sonya Reid, Natalie Sinclair, Meredith Faggen, Caroline Block, Naomi Ko, Ann Partridge, Wendy Y. Chen, Michelle K. DeMeo, Victoria Attaya, Amanda Okpoebo, Yuan Liu, Eric Gauthier, Harold Burstein, Meredith Regan, Sara Tolaney. GS3-06 Palbociclib After CDK4/6i and Endocrine Therapy (PACE): A Randomized Phase II Study of Fulvestrant, Palbociclib, and Avelumab for Endocrine Pre-treated ER+/HER2- Metastatic Breast Cancer [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 GS3-06.

Background. Patients (pts) with early triple negative breast cancer (eTNBC) are at increased risk of breast cancer recurrence and death. Recent studies have focused on escalation of therapy, with current treatment standard of at least five drugs – and associated toxicities - for eTNBC. Though presence of residual disease after neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) as measured by residual cancer burden (RCB) helps guide addition of adjuvant treatment, more effective tools to tailor therapy are limited. Persistence of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in the setting of residual disease is associated with high risk of distant recurrence. However, more sensitive minimal residual disease (MRD) assays are needed to potentially guide optimization of systemic therapy. Methods. TBCRC 030 is a phase II randomized study of 12 weeks of NAT single agent cisplatin or paclitaxel for stage II-III TNBC, followed by surgery. The primary objective of the parent study was to correlate baseline biomarker for homologous recombination deficiency and RCB by study arm. From this group, responders (RCB 0/1) and non-responders (RCB 2/3) from both study arms who did not receive additional NAT prior to surgery were selected for analysis from the study cohort, matched on baseline nodal status and tumor size. As a post hoc study amendment, available pts were followed for event free survival (EFS). Plasma samples were collected prior to treatment initiation (W0), at three weeks (W3), and at twelve weeks, prior to surgery (W12). Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was performed on primary tumor tissue to identify somatic mutations and design for each pt a tumor-informed, ctDNA assay tracking up to 1000 mutations to detect MRD. Detection limit was computed for each tested sample as previously described. For each sample assayed, we report tumor fraction (TFx) when MRD was detected and the detection limit at 90% power when MRD was not detected. Results. Of 139 study pts, 68 had complete tissue and plasma samples and no receipt of additional NAT. Of these, 22 were responders. These responders, and 22 matched non-responders were identified for analysis. Data from 22 pts – 11 responders, 11 non-responders - are described here; full analysis on all 44 pts will be presented at the meeting. Personalized ctDNA assays were designed targeting 434 to 1000 variants (median 1000) and applied to 66 plasma samples. At W0, 100% (22/22) were positive for ctDNA; 73% (16/22) and 55% (12/22) were positive at W3, and W12, respectively. In pts with T1-T2 tumors median TFx was 4.1e-3(7.8e-6, 3.4e-2) and 4.7e-1(4.3e-2, 9.0e-1) in pts with T3-T4 tumors. TFx decreased from W0 to W3 and from W0 to W12 in responders (Table 1). By W12, ctDNA had cleared in 7/8 pts with RCB 0, 1/3 with RCB 1, 2/8 with RCB 2, and 0/3 with RCB 3. Overall, ctDNA levels were broad with median TFx of 1.5e-3 (range 2.9e-6 to 0.90). Detection limit at 90% power for all tested samples was a median of 8.8e-6 (range 9.9e-7 to 6.8e-3). To investigate whether ctDNA persistence after NAT was associated with BC recurrence, we analyzed a separate group of all 8 pts with known recurrence and with complete data and samples. All pts had persistent ctDNA at W12 (median TFx 6.8e-3, [2.9e-6 to 6.6e-2]). Conclusions. After 3 weeks of NAT for eTNBC, ctDNA TFx decreased, with a 3900-fold change in responders and 18-fold change in non-responders. By W3, TFx for most pts with RCB 0/1 were below the 1 in 10,000 limit of detection for many currently available assays, emphasizing the need for sensitive tests to potentially guide therapy. Additional studies will determine if ctDNA-guided approaches in eTNBC can improve pt outcomes. Table 1: Tumer Fraction and Tumer Fraction Fold Change by Response to Neoadjuvant Therapy Citation Format: Heather A. Parsons, Timothy Blewett, Xiangying Chu, Sainetra Sridhar, Katheryn Santos, Kan Xiong, Vandana Abramson, Ashka Patel, Ju Cheng, Adam M. Brufsky, Justin Rhoades, Jeremy Force, Ruolin Liu, Tiffany A. Traina, Lisa Carey, Mothaffar Rimawi, Ahmed Elkhanany, Vered Stearns, Jennifer M. Specht, Harold Burstein, Antonio C. Wolff, Eric Winer, Nabihah Tayob, Ian Krop, Todd Golub, Erica L. Mayer, Viktor Adalsteinsson. PD11-06 Circulating tumor DNA association with residual cancer burden after neoadjuvant therapy in triple negative breast cancer in TBCRC 030 [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 PD11-06.

The 17th St Gallen International Breast Cancer Consensus Conference in 2021 was held virtually, owing to the global COVID-19 pandemic. More than 3300 participants took part in this important bi-annual critical review of the 'state of the art' in the multidisciplinary care of early-stage breast cancer. Seventy-four expert panelists (see Appendix 1) from all continents discussed and commented on the previously elaborated consensus questions, as well as many key questions on early breast cancer diagnosis and treatment asked by the audience. The theme of this year's conference was 'Customizing local and systemic therapies.' A well-organized program of pre-recorded symposia, live panel discussions and real-time panel voting results drew a worldwide audience of thousands, reflecting the farreaching impact of breast cancer on every continent. The interactive technology platform allowed, for the first time, audience members to ask direct questions to panelists, and to weigh in with their own vote on several key panel questions. A hallmark of this meeting was to focus on customized recommendations for treatment of early-stage breast cancer. There is increasing recognition that the care of a breast cancer patient depends on highly individualized clinical features, including the stage at presentation, the biological subset of breast cancer, the genetic factors that may underlie breast cancer risk, the genomic signatures that inform treatment recommendations, the extent of response before surgery in patients who receive neoadjuvant therapy, and patient preferences. This customized approach to treatment requires integration of clinical care between patients and radiology, pathology, genetics, and surgical, medical and radiation oncology providers. It also requires a dynamic response from clinicians as they encounter accumulating clinical information at the time of diagnosis and then serially with each step in the treatment plan and follow-up, reflecting patient experiences and treatment response.

Background: The APT trial evaluated the activity of adjuvant paclitaxel and trastuzumab (TH) among patients with small, node negative HER2+ breast cancer. This regimen showed a 7-year invasive disease-free survival (iDFS) of 93%, a recurrence-free interval (RFI) of 97.5% with only four (1.0%) distant recurrences, and a 7-year overall survival (OS) of 95%. In this end-of-study analysis, we report the survival outcomes at 10 years and assess the role of HER2DX testing in predicting long-term outcomes with adjuvant TH. Methods: APT was a single-arm multicenter investigator-initiated phase II study in which patients with HER2+ breast cancer with tumors ≤3 cm and negative nodes (one single micrometastatic node allowed) received IV weekly paclitaxel (80 mg/m2) with IV weekly trastuzumab for 12 weeks, followed by IV trastuzumab for 9 months. The primary endpoint was 3-year iDFS. Here we report 10-year iDFS, RFI, breast cancer–specific survival (BCSS) and OS. In an exploratory analysis, the risk of recurrence was evaluated with the HER2DX genomic assay. Results: A total of 410 patients were enrolled from October 2007 to September 2010, of which 406 started the study treatment and were included in the intent to treat analysis. Median age at enrollment was 55 years (range, 24 to 85 years), and most patients (67%) had hormone receptor (HR)-positive disease. Fifty percent of patients had tumors 1.0 cm or smaller and only 9% of patients had tumors between 2 cm to 3 cm. Mean tumor size was 1.1 cm. After a median follow-up of 10.2 years (122 months), 36 iDFS events were observed, consistent with a 10-year iDFS of 89.7% (95% CI, 86.3%-93.1%). Ten-year iDFS was 90.2% (95% CI, 86.3%-94.3%) and 88.5% (95% CI, 82.4%-95.1%) for patients with HR-positive and HR-negative tumors at baseline, respectively. 10-year RFI was 96.8% (95% CI, 95.0%-98.7%), 10-year OS was 94.2% (95% CI, 91.6%-96.8%) and 10-year BCSS was 99.1% (95% CI, 98.1%-100.0%). Of the iDFS events observed in the trial, 6 were non-breast cancer related deaths and 9 were contralateral tumors, all but one locally found to be HER2-negative upon biopsy (Table 1). Among patients experiencing an iDFS event, 7 patients (1.7%) had distant recurrences, including 1 with a T2 tumor, 3 with a T1c tumor and 3 with a T1b tumor. At baseline, 6 of them had HR-positive disease, 1 had HR-negative disease, and 6 had high-grade disease. Upon biopsy of metastatic lesions, 5 of the 7 distant recurrences were locally found to be HER2+, 1 was HER2-negative and 1 had unknown HER2 status. HER2DX testing was conducted on available baseline archival tumor tissue and analyses of patients’ survival outcomes based on the HER2DX score will be presented. Conclusion: After 10 years of follow-up, adjuvant TH confirmed excellent long-term outcomes for small, node-negative HER2+ breast cancer, with a 10-year RFI of 96.8% and a 10-year BCSS of 99.1%. Table 1: iDFS events with adjuvant paclitaxel plus trastuzumab after 10.2 years of follow up Citation Format: Sara Tolaney, Paolo Tarantino, Noah Graham, Nabihah Tayob, Chau T Dang, Denise Yardley, Beverly Moy, Paul K. Marcom, Kathy S. Albain, Hope Rugo, Matthew Ellis, Iuliana Shapira, Antonio C. Wolff, Lisa Carey, Romualdo Barroso-Sousa, Michelle K. DeMeo, Molly K. DiLullo, Ann Partridge, Adrienne Waks, Clifford Hudis, Ian Krop, Harold Burstein, Aleix Prat, Eric Winer. Adjuvant Paclitaxel and Trastuzumab Trial (APT) for Node-Negative, Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2–Positive (HER2+) Breast Cancer: final 10-year analysis [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 PD18-02.

Background: The ATEMPT trial primary analysis found that one year of adjuvant trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) achieved a 3-year iDFS of 97.8% for patients with stage I HER2+ breast cancer, but was not associated with fewer clinically relevant toxicities (CRTs) compared with paclitaxel and trastuzumab (TH). In this end-of-study analysis, we report 5-year survival outcomes and correlative analyses from the trial. Methods: Patients with stage I centrally confirmed HER2+ breast cancer were randomly assigned 3:1 to adjuvant T-DM1 for one year or TH and received T-DM1 3.6 mg/kg IV every 3 weeks for 17 cycles or paclitaxel 80 mg/m2 IV with weekly trastuzumab IV followed by trastuzumab for 9 months. The co-primary objectives were to compare the incidence of CRTs between the 2 arms and to evaluate iDFS in patients receiving T-DM1. To investigate proteomic correlates of recurrence, spatial proteomic analyses were performed on samples from 13 patients experiencing iDFS events (cases) and 24 matched controls using the NanoString GeoMx Digital Spatial Profiler. The impact of HER2 heterogeneity on outcomes was investigated among 17 cases and 51 matched controls by fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH). HER2 genetic heterogeneity was assessed by scrutinizing the whole tumor area and defined as the occurrence of HER2 gene amplification in >5% but < 50% invasive tumor cells. The risk of recurrence was evaluated centrally with the HER2DX genomic assay from 225 primary tumor samples. Germline whole genome sequencing (WGS) was conducted among 55 patients experiencing T-DM1-induced thrombocytopenia and/or bleeding and 55 matched controls to identify genomic correlates for this side effect. Results: A total of 497 patients who initiated protocol therapy were included in this analysis (383 T-DM1 and 114 TH). After a median follow up 5.8 years, among patients receiving T-DM1 there were a total of 11 iDFS events, with 3 distant recurrences. The 5-year iDFS for T-DM1 was 97.0% (95% CI, 95.3-98.8%), the 5-year recurrence-free interval (RFI) was 98.6% (95% CI: 97.4-99.8%) and the 5-year overall survival (OS) for T-DM1 was 97.8 % (95% CI, 96.3-99.3%). Although the study was not powered to evaluate the efficacy of TH, among the 114 patients receiving TH, a total of 9 iDFS events were observed, including 2 distant events; the 5-year iDFS with TH was 91.3% (95% CI: 86.0-96.9%), 5-year RFI was 93.3% (95% CI: 88.6-98.2%) and 5-year OS was 97.9% (95% CI: 95.2-100%). A total of 56 samples were evaluable for heterogeneity analyses, among which 14% (n=8) harbored HER2 genetic heterogeneity. Spatial proteomic analyses found that NF1 (adjusted p=0.72 × 10-6) and CTLA-4 (adjusted p=0.15 × 10-3) were significantly upregulated in primary samples from cases, while cleaved caspase 9, CD25, GITR, ICOS, p53 and PD-L2 were significantly upregulated in controls (all with adjusted p< 0.05). Germline WGS found that the top gene associations with thrombocytopenia and thrombocytopenia or bleeding were ALMS1 (p=0,19 × 10-3) and APBA3 (p=0,23 × 10-3), respectively, although none reaching the threshold for genome wide significance. rs62143195 and rs114169776 were the top single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with thrombocytopenia and thrombocytopenia or bleeding, respectively. Data on the impact of HER2 heterogeneity and of HER2DX score on survival outcomes will be presented. Conclusion: With longer follow-up, adjuvant T-DM1 confirmed outstanding long-term outcomes among patients with stage I HER2+ breast cancer, demonstrating a 5-year RFI of 98.6%. Spatial proteomic analyses identified a potential association between NF1 and CTLA-4 expression with recurrence. Details on the impact of HER2 heterogeneity and HER2DX assay on prognosis will be presented. Citation Format: Paolo Tarantino, Nabihah Tayob, Chau T Dang, Denise Yardley, Steven J. Isakoff, Vicente Valero, Meredith Faggen, Therese Mulvey, Ron Bose, Douglas Weckstein, Antonio C. Wolff, Katherine Reeder-Hayes, Hope Rugo, Bhuvaneswari Ramaswamy, Dan Zuckerman, Lowell Hart, Vijayakrishna K. Gadi, Michael Constantine, Kit Cheng, Audrey Merrill Garrett, Paul K. Marcom, Kathy S. Albain, Patricia DeFusco, Nadine Tung, Blair Ardman, Rita Nanda, Rachel C. Jankowitz, Mothaffar Rimawi, Vandana Abramson, Paula R. Pohlmann, Catherine Van Poznak, Andres Forero-Torres, Minetta C. Liu, Kathryn Ruddy, Yue Zheng, Romualdo Barroso-Sousa, Adrienne Waks, Michelle K. DeMeo, Molly K. DiLullo, Giuseppe Curigliano, Harold Burstein, Ann Partridge, Eric Winer, Giuseppe Viale, Winnie Hui, Elizabeth A. Mittendorf, Bryan P. Schneider, Aleix Prat, Ian Krop, Sara Tolaney. Adjuvant Trastuzumab Emtansine Versus Paclitaxel plus Trastuzumab for Stage I HER2+ Breast Cancer: 5-year results and correlative analyses from ATEMPT (TBCRC033) [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 PD18-01.

A MESSAGE FROM ASCO’S PRESIDENT I remember when ASCO first conceived of publishing an annual report on the most transformative research occurring in cancer care. Thirteen reports later, the progress we have chronicled is remarkable, and this year is no different. The research featured in ASCO's Clinical Cancer Advances 2018 report underscores the impressive gains in our understanding of cancer and in our ability to tailor treatments to tumors’ genetic makeup. The ASCO 2018 Advance of the Year, adoptive cell immunotherapy, allows clinicians to genetically reprogram patients’ own immune cells to find and attack cancer cells throughout the body. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy—a type of adoptive cell immunotherapy—has led to remarkable results in young patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and in adults with lymphoma and multiple myeloma. Researchers are also exploring this approach in other types of cancer. This advance would not be possible without robust federal investment in cancer research. The first clinical trial of CAR T-cell therapy in children with ALL was funded, in part, by grants from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and researchers at the NCI Center for Cancer Research were the first to report on possible CAR T-cell therapy for multiple myeloma. These discoveries follow decades of prior research on immunology and cancer biology, much of which was supported by federal dollars. In fact, many advances that are highlighted in the 2018 Clinical Cancer Advances report were made possible thanks to our nation’s support for biomedical research. Funding from the US National Institutes of Health and the NCI helps researchers pursue critical patient care questions and addresses vital, unmet needs that private industry has little incentive to take on. Federally supported cancer research generates the biomedical innovations that fuel the development and availability of new and improved treatments for patients. We need sustained federal research investment to accelerate the discovery of the next generation of cancer treatments. Another major trend in this year’s report is progress in precision medicine approaches to treat cancer. Although precision medicine offers promise to people with cancer and their families, that promise is only as good as our ability to make these treatments available to all patients. My presidential theme, “Delivering Discoveries: Expanding the Reach of Precision Medicine,” focuses on tackling this formidable challenge so that new targeted therapies are accessible to anyone who faces a cancer diagnosis. By improving access to high-quality care, harnessing big data on patient outcomes from across the globe, and pursuing innovative clinical trials, I am optimistic that we will speed the delivery of these most promising treatments to more patients. Sincerely, Bruce E. Johnson, FASCO ASCO President, 2017 to 2018

The 14th St Gallen International Breast Cancer Conference (2015) reviewed substantial new evidence on locoregional and systemic therapies for early breast cancer. Further experience has supported the adequacy of tumor margins defined as 'no ink on invasive tumor or DCIS' and the safety of omitting axillary dissection in specific cohorts. Radiotherapy trials support irradiation of regional nodes in node-positive disease. Considering subdivisions within luminal disease, the Panel was more concerned with indications for the use of specific therapies, rather than surrogate identification of intrinsic subtypes as measured by multiparameter molecular tests. For the treatment of HER2-positive disease in patients with node-negative cancers up to 1 cm, the Panel endorsed a simplified regimen comprising paclitaxel and trastuzumab without anthracycline as adjuvant therapy. For premenopausal patients with endocrine responsive disease, the Panel endorsed the role of ovarian function suppression with either tamoxifen or exemestane for patients at higher risk. The Panel noted the value of an LHRH agonist given during chemotherapy for premenopausal women with ER-negative disease in protecting against premature ovarian failure and preserving fertility. The Panel noted increasing evidence for the prognostic value of commonly used multiparameter molecular markers, some of which also carried prognostic information for late relapse. The Panel noted that the results of such tests, where available, were frequently used to assist decisions about the inclusion of cytotoxic chemotherapy in the treatment of patients with luminal disease, but noted that threshold values had not been established for this purpose for any of these tests. Multiparameter molecular assays are expensive and therefore unavailable in much of the world. The majority of new breast cancer cases and breast cancer deaths now occur in less developed regions of the world. In these areas, less expensive pathology tests may provide valuable information. The Panel recommendations on treatment are not intended to apply to all patients, but rather to establish norms appropriate for the majority. Again, economic considerations may require that less expensive and only marginally less effective therapies may be necessary in less resourced areas. Panel recommendations do not imply unanimous agreement among Panel members. Indeed, very few of the 200 questions received 100% agreement from the Panel. In the text below, wording is intended to convey the strength of Panel support for each recommendation, while details of Panel voting on each question are available in supplementary Appendix S2, available at Annals of Oncology online., 0, SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

Axillary node dissection (ALND) is the standard of care for patients who have a positive sentinel lymph node (SLN) on sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). We sought to identify a low-risk patient population with positive SLN that may not need cALND. We analyzed SLNB for breast cancer at our institutions between 1999 and 2007. We identified 130 patients who had a positive SLN but did not undergo completion ALND. We evaluated clinical data, adjuvant treatment patterns and intermediate locoregional and distant events. The median patient age was 50; 19% had N0(i+) disease, 53% had micrometastatic (N1mi) disease, and 28% had macrometastasis. Eighty-eight percent of patients underwent radiation therapy; 66 patients (51%) had documented nodal radiation (of these 50 were treated with three fields and 14 with high tangents. Local recurrence in the breast occurred in two patients (2%) and nine patients (7%) developed distant metastases; there were no axillary/nodal recurrences. In this highly selected group of patients who had a positive SLNB but did not undergo cALND, we observed no axillary recurrences.

The detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in peripheral blood may have important prognostic and predictive implications in breast cancer treatment. A limitation in this field has been the lack of a validated method of accurately measuring CTCs. While sensitivity has improved using RT-PCR, specificity remains a major challenge. The goal of this paper is to present a sensitive and specific methodology of detecting CTCs in women with HER-2-positive metastatic breast cancer, and to examine its role as a marker that tracks disease response during treatment with trastuzumab-containing regimens. The study included patients with HER-2-positive metastatic breast cancer enrolled on two different clinical protocols using a trastuzumab-containing regimen. Serial CTCs were measured at planned time points and clinical correlations were made. Immunomagnetic selection of circulating epithelial cells was used to address the specificity of tumor cell detection using cytokeratin 19 (CK19). In addition, the extracellular domain of the HER-2 protein (HER-2/ECD) was measured to determine if CTCs detected by CK19 accurately reflect tumor burden. The presence of CTCs at first restaging was associated with disease progression. We observed an association between CK19 and HER-2/ECD. The association of HER-2/ECD with clinical response followed a similar pattern to that seen with CK19. Finally, the absence of HER-2/ECD at best overall response and a change of HER-2/ECD from positive at baseline to negative at best overall response was associated with favorable treatment response. Our study supports the prognostic and predictive role of the detection of CTCs in treatment of HER-2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients. The association between CK19 and markers of disease burden is in line with the concept that CTCs may be a reliable measure of tumor cells in the peripheral blood of patients with metastatic breast cancer. The association of CTCs at first restaging with treatment failure indicates that CTCs may have a role as surrogate markers to monitor treatment response.

A MESSAGE FROM ASCO'S PRESIDENT I remember when ASCO first conceived of publishing an annual report on the most transformative research occurring in cancer care. Thirteen reports later, the progress we have chronicled is remarkable, and this year is no different. The research featured in ASCO's Clinical Cancer Advances 2018 report underscores the impressive gains in our understanding of cancer and in our ability to tailor treatments to tumors' genetic makeup. The ASCO 2018 Advance of the Year, adoptive cell immunotherapy, allows clinicians to genetically reprogram patients' own immune cells to find and attack cancer cells throughout the body. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy-a type of adoptive cell immunotherapy-has led to remarkable results in young patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and in adults with lymphoma and multiple myeloma. Researchers are also exploring this approach in other types of cancer. This advance would not be possible without robust federal investment in cancer research. The first clinical trial of CAR T-cell therapy in children with ALL was funded, in part, by grants from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and researchers at the NCI Center for Cancer Research were the first to report on possible CAR T-cell therapy for multiple myeloma. These discoveries follow decades of prior research on immunology and cancer biology, much of which was supported by federal dollars. In fact, many advances that are highlighted in the 2018 Clinical Cancer Advances report were made possible thanks to our nation's support for biomedical research. Funding from the US National Institutes of Health and the NCI helps researchers pursue critical patient care questions and addresses vital, unmet needs that private industry has little incentive to take on. Federally supported cancer research generates the biomedical innovations that fuel the development and availability of new and improved treatments for patients. We need sustained federal research investment to accelerate the discovery of the next generation of cancer treatments. Another major trend in this year's report is progress in precision medicine approaches to treat cancer. Although precision medicine offers promise to people with cancer and their families, that promise is only as good as our ability to make these treatments available to all patients. My presidential theme, "Delivering Discoveries: Expanding the Reach of Precision Medicine," focuses on tackling this formidable challenge so that new targeted therapies are accessible to anyone who faces a cancer diagnosis. By improving access to high-quality care, harnessing big data on patient outcomes from across the globe, and pursuing innovative clinical trials, I am optimistic that we will speed the delivery of these most promising treatments to more patients. Sincerely, Bruce E. Johnson, FASCO ASCO President, 2017 to 2018.