Search

Purpose This study investigated pathological complete response (pCR) according to androgen receptor (AR) in breast cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy and estimated the relationship between AR expression and clinicopathological factors.Materials and Methods We identified 624 breast cancer patients who underwent surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy at the National Cancer Center in Goyang, Korea from April 2016 to October 2019. We retrospectively collected the clinicopathologic information and AR expression results and analyzed the data according to cancer stage, hormonal receptor (HR) status, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status, tumor subtype, and pCR.Results Among the 624 breast cancer patients, 529 (84.8%) were AR-positive (AR+) patients and 95 (15.2%) were AR-negative (AR–) patients. AR+ patients showed more estrogen receptor (ER) positivity, progesterone receptor (PR) positivity, HER2-positivity, and HR-positive and HER2-negative (HR+/HER2–) subtype. The rate of pCR was 31.4% (196/624). AR– patients had a significantly higher rate of pCR than AR+ patients (AR– 43.2% vs. AR+ 29.3%, p=0.007). The tumor factors associated with pCR were early stage, histologic grade 3, ER-negative, PR-negative, AR-negative, HER2-positive, and high Ki-67 values. In univariable analysis, AR+ significantly decreased the state of pCR (odds ratio, 0.546; 95% confidence interval, 0.349 to 0.853; p=0.008). According to tumor subtype, AR– tumor showed higher pCR rate in HR+/HER2– subtype (AR– 28.6% vs. AR+ 7.3%, p=0.022).Conclusion AR expression is predominant in the HR+/HER2– subtype. AR– is significantly associated with the pCR rate in breast cancer patients, especially within HR+/HER2– subtype. When determining neoadjuvant chemotherapy for the HR+/HER2– subtype, AR expression can be considered as a pCR predictive marker.

Dong-Hoe Koo,1,* Keun Seok Lee,2,* Sung Hoon Sim,2 Heejung Chae,2 Eun-Gyeong Lee,2 Jai Hong Han,2 So-Youn Jung,2 Seeyoun Lee,2 Han-Sung Kang,2 Eun Sook Lee,2 Cheol-Young Park,1,* Sang Woo Oh3,* 1Department of Internal Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; 2Center for Breast Cancer, Research Institute and Hospital, National Cancer Center, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea; 3Department of Family Medicine, Center for Obesity, Metabolism, and Nutrition, Dongguk University Ilsan Hospital, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Cheol-Young Park, Department of Internal Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 29 Saemunan-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03181, Republic of Korea, Tel +82-2-2001-1869, Fax +82-2-2001-1588, Email cydoctor@chol.com Sang Woo Oh, Center for Obesity, Nutrition, and Metabolism, Department of Family Medicine, Dongguk University Ilsan Hospital, Dongguk University College of Medicine, 27 Donggung-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, 10326, Republic of Korea, Tel +82-31-961-7000, Email osw6021@gmail.comBackground: We have reported that serum progranulin (PGRN) levels are clinically significant in predicting recurrence in patients with HR-positive breast cancer. The aim of the present study was to examine whether PGRN levels might be associated with breast cancer mortality.Methods: This was a cohort study of 695 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients who underwent curative surgery between 2001 and 2004. The relationship between breast cancer mortality and pre-operative serum PGRN levels in these patients with a median follow-up of 12.7 years was evaluated until May 2020.Results: A total of 118 (17%) deaths were identified in the cohort. According to the HR status, (10, 15, and 20)-year overall survival (OS) rates were (91.4, 81.1, and 75.9) % for HR-positive patients, and (76.5, 74.2, and 69.8) % for HR-negative patients, respectively (p = 0.003). Higher levels of PGRN were significantly associated with poor OS in the HR-positive group (p for trend = 0.001). In particular, hazard ratios for PGRN quartiles suggested a dose–response relationship, with the highest quartile having the worst OS in the HR-positive group (highest vs lowest: 15-year OS, (68.3 vs 90.0) %; 20-year OS, (62.3 vs 84.8) %, even after adjusting for age, tumor stage, and metabolic confounders.Conclusion: Pre-operative serum PGRN levels had clinical significance for predicting cancer mortality in breast cancer patients independent of tumor stage and metabolic parameters, especially in HR-positive tumors.Keywords: breast cancer, progranulin, mortality, long-term follow-up

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the risk factors for palbociclib-induced grade 4 or grade 3 neutropenia (NP) requiring dose reduction or delayed treatment in patients with HR+/HER2−metastatic breast cancer in the first 3 cycles (early grade 3/4 NP) and whether the early developing grade 3/4 NP affects progression-free survival. Methods: A retrospective study using electronic medical records was conducted on patients who received palbociclib for metastatic breast cancer between January 2018 and August 2022. The early grade 3/4 NP risk factors were evaluated with univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses. In addition, the Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the median progression-free survival (PFS) to analyze the effect of early grade 3/4 NP on treatment. Results: Out of the 264 patients included in this study, 173 (65.6%) experienced early grade 3/4 NP. A total of four models were applied for multivariable analysis to identify early grade 3/4 NP-developing factors. Low baseline ANC, WBC, PLT, and BSA were significant risk factors for early grade 3/4 NP; baseline ANC < 3700/mm3, WBC < 6.30 × 109/mm3, PLT < 230 × 109/mm3, and BSA < 1.58 m2 increased the risk by approximately 4.0-fold, 3.7–4.0-fold, 2.1-fold, and 2.0-fold, respectively. Early grade 3/4 NP did not affect PFS (p = 0.710), although patients with early grade 3/4 NP had more frequent dose reductions or treatment delays. Conclusions: Based on the results, low baseline ANC, WBC, PLT, and BSA were associated with early grade 3/4 NP. Patients with risk factors require careful monitoring, and this study is expected to help predict NP, which may appear in early treatment.

Background:In 2018, breast cancer was the second most common cancer worldwide. Pathology reports provide important information for optimal treatment decision making.Objective:To elucidate the deployment of deep learning data extraction methods for pathology reports in a single institute, we investigated the performance of methods between regular expression and natural language processing (NLP) in terms of accuracy.Methods:This was compared to the bidirectional encoder representations from transformers (BERT) model using specific vocabulary such as BERT-basic, BioBERT, and ClinicalBERT. A total of 1,215 pathology reports were used to build annotated data to develop an extraction algorithm for pathology reports. K-fold cross-validation was used to verify the performance of BioBERT and ClinicalBERT, pre-trained in the BERT model.Results:Among them, BioBERT emerged as a highly accurate (0.99901) data parsing model based on by k-fold validation. The parsing method using the NLP model could obtain data with higher overall accuracy than the existing method using regular expressions.Conclusions:Our results showed that BioBERT has high accuracy in pathology reports, and that the NLP model can obtain data with a higher overall accuracy than regular expressions. Taken together, our findings suggest that the process of obtaining information from pathology reports should include NLP using BioBERT.

BACKGROUND In 2018, breast cancer was the second most common cancer worldwide. Pathology reports provide important information for optimal treatment decision making. OBJECTIVE To elucidate the deployment of deep learning data extraction methods for pathology reports in a single institute, we investigated the performance of methods between regular expression and natural language processing (NLP) in terms of accuracy. METHODS This was compared to the bidirectional encoder representations from transformers (BERT) model using specific vocabulary such as BERT-basic, BioBERT, and ClinicalBERT. A total of 1,215 pathology reports were used to build annotated data to develop an extraction algorithm for pathology reports. K-fold cross-validation was used to verify the performance of BioBERT and ClinicalBERT, pre-trained in the BERT model. RESULTS Among them, BioBERT emerged as a highly accurate (0.99901) data parsing model based on by k-fold validation. The parsing method using the NLP model could obtain data with higher overall accuracy than the existing method using regular expressions. CONCLUSIONS Our results showed that BioBERT has high accuracy in pathology reports, and that the NLP model can obtain data with a higher overall accuracy than regular expressions. Taken together, our findings suggest that the process of obtaining information from pathology reports should include NLP using BioBERT.

Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the survivals of patients with metastatic or recurrent gastric cancer (MRGC) over a period of 16 years and to investigate the recent changes in chemotherapy patterns. Materials and Methods A total of 5,384 patients who received chemotherapy for MRGC between 2000 and 2015 were analyzed. The analysis focused on a comparison of the first-line chemotherapy between four periods: 2000–2003 (period 1), 2004–2007 (period 2), 2008–2011 (period 3), and 2012–2015 (period 4). Results There were 880 patients (16%) in period 1, 1,573 (29%) in period 2, 1,435 (27%) in period 3, and 1,496 (28%) in period 4. Cytotoxic doublet-based therapy was the most commonly used (78%) first-line chemotherapy, and the combination of trastuzumab and doublet chemotherapy was provided to 288 patients. The overall survival (OS) rates at 12 and 24 months were steadily improved as follows: 39.2% and 14.6% in period 1, 43.5% and 17.6% in period 2, 50.3% and 20.6% in period 3, and 51.7% and 24.1% in period 4, respectively (p < 0.001). Among the patients who received the doublet-based chemotherapy, the median OS of those who received trastuzumab was 18.0 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 15.5 to 20.6), while that of those who received other doublet therapies was 11.2 months (95% CI, 10.8 to 11.6). Conclusion The OS was improved over time with advancements in chemotherapy, particularly the introduction of the anti-HER2–targeted agent, which contributed to the increase in the number of long-term survivors and established the superiority of OS for the treatment of MRGC.

461 Background: In localized gastric cancer (GC), deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) tumors reportedly have a favorable prognosis. However, a potentially detrimental effect of the dMMR status was suggested in patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy. It remains unclear whether the mismatch repair (MMR) status can impact clinical outcomes in patients with metastatic GC (mGC) receiving palliative chemotherapy. We examined the impact of the MMR status on survival outcomes of patients with HER2-negative mGC receiving first-line fluoropyrimidine plus platinum (FP) chemotherapy. Methods: We reviewed patients with histologically confirmed metastatic, recurrent, or locally advanced unresectable adenocarcinoma of the stomach or gastroesophageal junction receiving first-line FP chemotherapy between January 2015 and August 2018 at Asan Medical Center, Korea. MMR status was correlated with clinical characteristics and survival outcomes for patients with available MMR immunohistochemistry results. Results: Of 895 patients, we analyzed 543 with available MMR protein expression results, and dMMR was detected in 4.4% (n=24). Patients with dMMR exhibited a significantly higher median age than those with proficient MMR (pMMR) (64 vs. 58 years, p=0.044). No signet ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) was detected among dMMR tumors, whereas SRCC was found in 17.5% of pMMR tumors. Based on our prognostic model (Koo DH et al, 2011), only 4.2% of patients with dMMR were classified as the poor-risk group (vs. 16.8% of patients with pMMR, p=0.097). No significant difference in progression-free survival (PFS) was noted between patients with dMMR and pMMR tumors (median, 5.6 vs. 5.8 months, p=0.266). Patients with dMMR tumors tended to have better overall survival than those with pMMR tumors; this difference was not statistically significant (median, 17.9 vs. 12.2 months, p=0.183). In the good-risk subgroup, patients with dMMR tumors had a significantly worse PFS than those with pMMR tumors (median, 5.6 vs. 9.2 months, p=0.009); multivariate analysis revealed that MMR status was an independent factor for poor PFS in this subgroup. Conclusions: Survival outcomes of dMMR mGC did not differ from pMMR in patients who received first-line FP chemotherapy. However, in the good-risk subgroup, patients with dMMR tumors had a significantly shorter PFS than those with pMMR, suggesting a potentially reduced efficacy of cytotoxic chemotherapy in these patients.

Purpose The treatment of male breast cancer (MBC) has been extrapolated from female breast cancer (FBC) because of its rarity despite their different clinicopathologic characteristics. We aimed to investigate the distribution of intrinsic subtypes based on immunohistochemistry, their clinical impact, and treatment pattern in clinical practice through a multicenter study in Korea.Materials and Methods We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 248 MBC patients from 18 institutions across the country from January 1995 to July 2016.Results The median age of MBC patients was 63 years (range, 25 to 102 years). Among 148 intrinsic subtype classified patients, 61 (41.2%), 44 (29.7%), 29 (19.5%), and 14 (9.5%) were luminal A, luminal B, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, and triple-negative breast cancer, respectively. Luminal A subtype showed trends for superior survival compared to other subtypes. Most hormone receptor-positive patients (166 patients, 82.6%) received adjuvant endocrine treatment. Five-year completion of adjuvant endocrine treatment was associated with superior disease-free survival (DFS) in patients classified with an intrinsic subtype (hazard ratio [HR], 0.15; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.04 to 0.49; p=0.002) and in all patients (HR, 0.16; 95% CI, 0.05 to 0.54; p=0.003).Conclusion Distribution of subtypes of MBC was similar to FBC and luminal type A was most common. Overall survival tended to be improved for luminal A subtype, although there was no statistical significance. Completion of adjuvant endocrine treatment was associated with prolonged DFS in intrinsic subtype classified patients. MBC patients tended to receive less treatment. MBC patients should receive standard treatment according to guidelines as FBC patients.

BackgroundFew studies of proton beam therapy (PBT) for patients with liver metastasis from breast cancer (LMBC) are available to date. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of PBT for patients with LMBC.Material and MethodsSeventeen patients with LMBC treated with PBT were included in this study. The median prescribed dose of PBT was 66 GyE (range, 60–80) in 10 fractions, 5 times a week. In patients with LMBC receiving PBT, freedom from local progression (FFLP), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) rates were assessed.ResultsThe median follow-up time was 34.2 months (range, 11.5–56.1). The median FFLP time was not yet reached, and the 3-year FFLP rates were 94.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 82.9–105.3). The median times of PFS and OS were 7.9 months (95% CI, 5.3–10.5) and 39.3 months (95% CI, 33.2–51.9), respectively, and the 3-year PFS and OS rates were 19.6% (95% CI, -1.8–41.0) and 71.7% (95% CI, 46.8–96.6), respectively. Grade 3 or higher adverse events were not observed.ConclusionPBT for patients with LMBC showed promising FFLP and OS with safe toxicity profiles. These findings suggest that PBT can be considered a local treatment option in patients with LMBC.

The distinct clinical characteristics of patients at diagnosis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), who experience a late relapse compared with those who relapse early, require reappraisal in the era of R-CHOP. Data from the lymphoma registry of the Asan Medical Center between 2002 and 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Among 846 DLBCL patients treated with first-line R-CHOP and achieved complete response, 169 (20%) relapsed, occurring late (2 years) in 51 (6%). Compared with early relapses, late relapses were associated with a lower International Prognostic Index score (

Purpose In biliary tract cancer (BTC), standard chemotherapy has limited benefit and no molecular targeted agents have been approved. This study investigated the genetic profile of BTC to identify potential new therapeutic targets and predictive biomarkers. Methods Targeted exome sequencing was performed for 124 patients with BTC [gallbladder cancer (GBC), 25; intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), 55; extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ECC), 44]. Survival analysis was performed in 112 patients who received palliative chemotherapy for locally unresectable or metastatic disease. Results Genetic alterations were observed in 104 patients (83.8%); the most commonly mutated genes were TP53 (44.4%), KRAS (29.0%), ARID1A (12.1%) and IDH1 (9.7%). IDH1/2 mutations appeared more frequently in ICC (23.6%, P = 0.0002) than in GBC (4.0%) or ECC (2.3%), while ERBB2/3 mutations were found only in GBC (20.0%) and ECC (11.4%). Patients harbouring TP53 mutations had shorter overall survival (OS; median 15.2 vs. 37.8 months, P = 0.018), while IDH1 mutations showed a tendency for longer progression-free survival (PFS; 10.6 vs. 6.1 months, P = 0.124). Potentially actionable genetic alterations were found in 54.8%, and 7.1% received appropriate molecular targeted therapy in the clinical trial setting. Germline or somatic mutations in DNA damage repair (DDR) genes were found in 63.5% of patients and were significantly associated with longer PFS (6.9 vs. 5.7 months, P = 0.013) and OS (21.0 vs. 13.3 months, P = 0.009) in patients who received first-line platinum-containing chemotherapies (n = 88). Conclusions A subgroup of patients with BTC may benefit from targeted therapy by the aid of genetic information. In particular, DDR alterations may be a predictive biomarker for response to platinum-containing chemotherapy in patients with BTC.

CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy, a genetically engineered cell therapy, showed unprecedented efficacy in the treatment of relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Two agents, axicabtagene ciloleucel and tisagenlecleucel, were approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2017. However, CAR-T therapy is a treatment with complex logistics and high costs, as well as inherent adverse events, including cytokine-release syndrome and neurotoxicity. In addition, predictive biomarkers for efficacy and toxicity are lacking. Industry-academy cooperation is urgently required to develop CAR-T therapy that is effective, safe, and affordable for patients in Korea. (Korean J Med 2019;94:152-158)

ImportanceAddition of immune checkpoint inhibitors to anti-ERBB2 treatment has shown synergistic efficacy in preclinical studies and is thus worth investigating as a neoadjuvant treatment to maximize efficacy and to minimize toxic effects.ObjectiveTo determine if neoadjuvant atezolizumab, docetaxel, trastuzumab, and pertuzumab therapy for ERBB2-positive early breast cancer warrants continuation to the next phase.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis nonrandomized, open label, multicenter, phase 2 trial was conducted by the Korean Cancer Study Group and enrolled patients across 6 institutions in Korea from May 2019 to May 2020. Eligible patients were diagnosed with ERBB2-positive breast cancer (primary tumor size >2 cm or pathologically confirmed lymph node–positive cancer, without distant metastases) with a clinical stage of II or III.InterventionsPatients received 6 cycles of neoadjuvant pertuzumab (840 mg at first cycle, 420 mg during subsequent cycles), atezolizumab (1200 mg), docetaxel (75 mg/m2), and trastuzumab (600 mg via subcutaneous injection) every 3 weeks, followed by surgery. Patients with pathologic complete response (pCR) received 12 cycles of adjuvant atezolizumab, trastuzumab, and pertuzumab every 3 weeks after surgery. Patients without pCR were treated with 14 cycles of atezolizumab, 1200 mg, plus trastuzumab emtansine, 3.6 mg/kg, every 3 weeks.Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe primary end point was pCR rate, which was defined as the absence of invasive cancer cells in the primary tumor and regional lymph nodes (ypT0/isN0). Secondary end points included clinical objective response rate, 3-year event-free survival rate according to pCR achievement, disease-free survival, overall survival, toxic effects, and quality-of-life outcomes.ResultsA total of 67 women (median [range] age, 52 [33-74] years) were enrolled. Hormone receptor expression was positive in 32 (48%) patients. Curative surgery was performed in 65 patients because 2 patients showed disease progression during neoadjuvant treatment and their tumors became unresectable. The overall pCR rate was 61% (41 of 67 patients). The pCR rate was higher in hormone receptor–negative disease vs hormone receptor–positive disease (27 of 35 [77%] patients vs 14 of 32 [44%] patients) and in programmed cell death 1–positive expression vs programmed cell death 1–negative expression (13 of 13 [100%] patients vs 28 of 53 [53%] patients). Grade 3 and 4 neutropenia and febrile neutropenia occurred in 8 (12%) patients and 5 (8%) patients, respectively. Grade 3 and 4 immune-related adverse events occurred in only 4 patients (grade 3 skin rash, encephalitis, hepatitis, and fever). No treatment-related death occurred during the neoadjuvant phase.Conclusions and RelevanceIn this nonrandomized clinical trial, treatment with the neoadjuvant atezolizumab, docetaxel, trastuzumab, and pertuzumab regimen in patients with stage II or III ERBB2-positive breast cancer appears to have had an acceptable pCR rate and modest toxic effects. Further investigation of this immunotherapy combination in ERBB2-positive early breast cancer is warranted.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03881878

Purpose For liposarcoma (LPS), clinical course and proper treatment strategies have not been well-established. Recently, immune-checkpoint inhibitors have shown potential efficacy in LPS. We aimed to describe the clinical course of LPS and evaluate the clinical impact of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1).Materials and Methods We reviewed all consecutive patients (n=332) who underwent curative-intent surgery for localized LPS at Asan Medical Center between 1989 and 2017. PD-L1 testing was performed in well-differentiated and dedifferentiated LPS.Results The median age was 56 years with males comprising 60.8%. Abdomen-pelvis (47.6%) and well-differentiated (37.7%) were the most frequent primary site and histologic subtype, respectively. During a median follow-up of 81.2 months, recurrence was observed in 135 (40.7%), and 86.7% (117/135) were loco-regional. Well-differentiated subtype (hazard ratio [HR], 0.38), abdomen-pelvis origin (HR, 2.43), tumor size larger than 5 cm (HR, 1.83), positive resection margin (HR, 2.58), and postoperative radiotherapy (HR, 0.36) were significantly related with recurrence-free survival as well as visceral involvement (HR, 1.84) and multifocality (HR, 3.79) in abdomen-pelvis LPS. PD-L1 was positive in 31.5% (23/73) and 51.3% (39/76) of well-differentiated and dedifferentiated LPS, respectively, but had no impact on survival outcomes.Conclusion Clinical course of LPS was heterogeneous according to histology and anatomic location. Clear resection margin was important to lower recurrence and postoperative radiotherapy might have additional benefit. A decent portion of well-differentiated and dedifferentiated LPS were positive for PD-L1, but its prognostic role was unclear. Further research is needed to determine clinical implications of PD-L1, especially for advanced-stage LPS with unmet needs for effective systemic treatment.

Despite central nervous system (CNS) relapse occurring in >10% of high-risk diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients, the role of CNS-directed prophylaxis is controversial in the absence of randomized controlled trials. In this retrospective study, we aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of prophylactic high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) on CNS relapse and survival outcomes in 258 newly diagnosed R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone)–treated high-risk DLBCL patients, based on the initial treatment intent (ITT) of the physician on the use of prophylactic HD-MTX. Patients were classified into an ITT HD-MTX group (n = 128) and a non-ITT HD-MTX group (n = 130). The CNS relapse rate was not significantly different between these groups, with 2-year CNS relapse rates of 12.4% and 13.9%, respectively (P = 0.96). Three-year progression-free survival and overall survival rates in the ITT HD-MTX and non-ITT HD-MTX groups were 62.4% vs 64.5% (P = 0.94) and 71.7% vs 71.4% (P = 0.7), respectively. Also, propensity score–matched analyses showed no significant differences in the time-to-CNS-relapse, progression-free survival, or overall survival. The ITT HD-MTX group showed a higher incidence of grade ≥ 3 oral mucositis and elevated alanine aminotransferase. Prophylactic HD-MTX does not improve CNS relapse rate or survival outcomes in high-risk DLBCL patients, and it is accompanied by increased toxicities.

Background: FOLFIRINOX (fluorouracil, folinic acid, irinotecan plus oxaliplatin) is an effective standard first-line treatment option for advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). There is no clear consensus on the second-line treatment following progression on FOLFIRINOX. In this multicenter retrospective analysis, we evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of second-line nab-P/Gem (nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine) after progression on FOLFIRNOX in PDAC. Methods: Patients with unresectable or metastatic PDAC who received nab-P/Gem after progression on FOLFIRINOX between February 2016 and February 2019 were identified from five referral cancer centers in South Korea. Baseline characteristics, treatment history, survival outcomes, and toxicity profile were obtained retrospectively from medical records. Results: A total of 102 patients treated with second-line nab-P/Gem for advanced PDAC after progression on FOLFIRINOX were included. At the time of nab-P/Gem, the median age was 60 years, with males comprising 49.0%, and most (75.5%) had metastatic disease. Patients received a median of three cycles (range 1–12) of nab-P/Gem. The median overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) from the start of second-line nab-P/Gem therapy were 9.8 (95% CI, 8.9–10.6) and 4.6 months (3.7–5.5), respectively. A partial response was achieved in 8.5%, and the disease control rate was 73.6%. From the start of first-line FOLFIRIOX, the OS1+2 and PFS1+2 were 20.9 (15.7–26.1) and 13.9 (10.8–17.0) months, respectively, with a 2-year survival rate of 45.1%. There was no treatment-related mortality and grade ⩾3 toxicity was observed in 60.2%. Conclusion: Our results showed that nab-P/Gem was an effective and tolerable second-line treatment option in medically fit patients with advanced PDAC who progressed on first-line FOLFIRNOX. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04133155

The long‐term effects of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), including imatinib, and surgical intervention on advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) were evaluated. All 379 patients had metastatic or recurrent GIST and started 400 mg/d imatinib at the Asan Medical Center in periods 1 and 2 [2001‐2007 (33.2%) and 2008‐2014 (66.8%), respectively]. Men constituted 60.4%; median patient age and tumor size at the initiation of imatinib were 58.6 (14.6‐85.5) years and 51 (0‐324) mm, respectively, without differences between periods except for older age and less preimatinib surgery in period 2. Response and disease control rates with imatinib in measurable GIST were 63.1% and 94.3%, respectively, without differences between periods. More patients in period 2 underwent surgical resection for TKI‐responsive diseases within the first 2 years (24.9%, P = 0.006). With a median follow‐up of 6.1 years (2.5‐16.0) in survivors, median progression‐free survival (PFS) was 5.4 years [95% confidence interval (CI), 4.0‐6.9]. Subsequent sunitinib (P = 0.066) and regorafenib (P = 0.003) were more commonly administered in period 2. Median overall survival (OS) was 8.8 years (95% CI, 7.8‐9.7). PFS with imatinib (P = 0.002) and OS (P = 0.019) were significantly longer in period 2. Young age, smaller tumor size at the initiation of imatinib, KIT exon 11 mutation, surgical intervention, and period 2 were favorable factors for PFS and OS. Patients with advanced GIST showed better prognosis with the optimal use of imatinib, along with active surgical intervention and more common use of subsequent TKIs in period 2.

Study Objective To introduce a new technique for fast leakage-proof, ovarian tissue-preserving surgical technique of intraumbilical, single-incision laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy for huge ovarian masses (>10 cm) regardless of mass content or accessibility. Design Retrospective study. Setting University-based hospital. Patients or Participants Seven consecutive, reproductive-aged women, including three adolescents, with huge ovarian masses (>10 cm) (MCT, n=4; endometrioma, n=2; and mucinous cystadenoma, n=1) who underwent transumbilical single-incision ovarian cystectomy with the new “hybrid cystectomy and reimplantation” method between April 2020, and February 2021. Interventions 1) Make a 2.0 cm transumbilical single-incision for laparoscopy 2) inspection of the pelvic cavity and placing the mass in laparoscopic endo-bag for cystic content leakage prevention 3) in-bag resection using cold scissors and minimal cauterization of the cystectomy site 4) in-bag tissue extraction 5) rapid extracorporeal cystectomy with traction using long Kelly clamps (without use of electrocautery) on the back-table without limitation of range of motion as in the case of intracorporeal cystectomy 6) re-insertion of the retrieved ovarian cortex intracorporeally 7) intracorporeal suture of the retrieved tissue to the in-situ ovary. Measurements and Main Results The mean age was 24.71±6.56 (range 17–37) years and mean maximal diameter was 17.71±2.86 (range 13–22) cm. There was no case of unintended intracorporeal cyst rupture and no need of copious irrigation for washing and suctioning the leaked mass content. The mean total OT was 76.42±6.39 (range 65–85) min, total volume of saline used for irrigation was 814.28±331.35 (range 500–1,500) mL; and EBL was 107.14±47.72 (range 50–200) mL. The time taken for extracorporeal cystectomy at the back-table was 5–10 min. No perioperative complications. All patients except the two endometriosis patients had normal and regular menstruation at the postoperative 3-month follow-up. Conclusion Our preliminary findings were encouraging in terms of safety and efficiency of the new method. Future trials need to elucidate the benefits of this method in terms of fertility preservation.

Introduction Muscle cramps constitute one of the leading adverse events of imatinib, the standard first-line treatment for advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). This study aims to assess the impact of l-carnitine on relieving cramps in patients with GIST taking imatinib. Materials and methods We reviewed our prospective database for patients with GIST who took l-carnitine (500-mg tablet, 2–3 times daily) for muscle cramps in Asan Medical Center. The assessment tool included severity by the numeric rating scale (NRS), frequency, duration of cramps, and questionnaire for the disturbance in basic activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental ADL (iADL), outdoor activity, or sleeping before and after l-carnitine treatment. Results We examined 42 patients [median age: 60 (range: 17—81) years; males, 52.4%] who received l-carnitine for cramps on NRS ≥ 4 intensity during 2016–2017. In 83.3% of patients (n = 35), the NRS score declined to

This report describes the use of a simple transvaginal surgical method to connect the uterus with the lower vagina in patients with cervicovaginal atresia. We report two girls presenting with primary amenorrhea and cyclic abdominal pain. The girls had similar magnetic resonance imaging findings that revealed markedly enlarged uteri containing blood and no structures resembling a cervix or upper vagina. We performed transvaginal uterovaginal anastomosis with no perioperative or postoperative complications. After surgery, the patients had regular menstrual cycles and one started sexual activities with no complaints. The remarkable finding was the natural increase in the vaginal depth after surgery. This simplified transvaginal uterovaginal anastomosis technique, with its promising anatomical results, might be a treatment for cervicovaginal atresia. © 2016 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

4566 Background: Although chemotherapy has been suggested to have the potential to cause a detrimental effect on treatment outcomes of localized GC with MMR-D, it remains unclear whether chemotherapy for metastatic/recurrent/unresectable GC with MMR-D would also adversely affect the survival outcomes. Anti PD-1 antibody (Ab) showed remarkable efficacy in patients with MMR-D and is being actively investigated in combination with cytotoxic chemotherapy. Hence, we aim to evaluate the impact of MMR status on treatment outcomes of advanced GC. Methods: We reviewed our database to identify all patients with HER2 negative, metastatic, recurrent, and locally advanced unresectable GC who received FP doublet chemotherapy from January 2015 to August 2018. For those who had an available tumor tissue, MMR protein expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and correlated with clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes. Results: Out of 895 patients identified from the database, 543 underwent IHC testing for MMR. The median age was 58 years (range, 24 – 86) with male comprising 64.0%. Most patients had initially metastatic disease (n = 382, 70.3%) followed by recurrent (n = 127, 23.3%) and locally advanced unresectable disease (n = 34, 6.3%). MMR-D was found in 4.4% (n = 24) and associated with age ≥ 65 years (50% vs. 29.9%; P = 0.04) and signet ring cell histology (0% vs. 17.7%, P = 0.01). According to our prognostic model (Koo DH et al, 2011), only 4.2% of patients with MMR-D were classified as Poor-risk group (vs. 16.8% of patients with MMR-P, p= 0.10). In the Good-risk group, patients with MMR-D (n = 10) had significantly shorter median progression-free survival (PFS, 6.0 vs. 9.0 months, P = 0.05) and overall survival (OS, 10.1 vs 20.9 months, P = 0.047) compared to those with MMR-P (n = 188), while there was no significant difference in survival outcomes depending on MMR status in the Moderate and Poor-risk groups. In multivariate analysis for OS, MMR status was a significant prognostic factor for OS in Good-risk group GC patients. Conclusions: GC patients with MMR-D had poorer median PFS and OS than those with MMR-P on standard cytotoxic chemotherapy in the Good-risk group. Thus, for Good-risk GC patients with MMR-D, anti PD-1 Ab alone might be considered rather than combining cytotoxic chemotherapy. Further investigation with next-generation sequencing is in process to determine underlying molecular mechanisms and will be presented in ASCO 2020.

444 Background: Although adjuvant chemotherapy has been known to have a detrimental effect on MMR-D patients (pts) with resectable GC, it is unclear whether palliative chemotherapy for advanced GC would also adversely affect the survival outcome of MMR-D pts. Immune-checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) monotherapy was approved as a standard treatment for ≥ 3rd line of advanced GC and also showed a remarkable efficacy in MMR-D pts regardless of line of therapy. ICI is now being investigated in combination with 1st-line cytotoxic chemotherapy. Hence, we aim to evaluate the prognostic impact of MMR on cytotoxic chemotherapy in advanced GC. Methods: We reviewed our prospective database to identify pts with initally metastatic, recurrent and locally advanced unresectable GC who received F-P doublet from 2015 to 2018. MMR was assessed by immunohistochemistry with previously-collected tumor tissue and correlated with clinical characteristics and survival outcomes. Results: Out of 892 pts identified from the database, 543 underwent MMR test [382 initally metastatic (70.3%); 127 recurrent (23.3%); 32 locally advanced unresectable (6.3%)]. Median age was 58 years (range, 24–86) with male comprising 64.0%. MMR-D was found in 4.4% (n = 24) and associated with age ≥ 65 (50% vs 29.9%; P = 0.037), antrum-origin (62.5% vs 34.1%, P = 0.004) and well/moderately-differentiated histology (41.7% vs 25.8%, P = 0.110). According to our prognostic model (Koo DH et al, 2011), MMR-D pts were less likely to be classified into poor-risk group (4.2% vs 16.8%, P = 0.102). In good-risk group, MMR-D pts had significantly shorter PFS (6.0 vs 9.0 months, P = 0.045) and OS (10.1 vs 20.9 months, P = 0.047), while pts in moderate and poor risk group showed no difference in survival depending on MMR status. Conclusions: MMR-D GC showed significantly shorter PFS and OS on F-P doublet in good-risk pts and further investigation is needed to determine underlying molecular mechanisms. With the negative impact of MMR-D on the effect of cytotoxic chemotherapy, exclusion of MMR-D pts should be considered in future trials of ICI and cytotoxic chemothrapy combination.

689 Background: FOLFIRINOX is one of standard 1st-line regimens for patients (pts) with advanced PDAC. However, there is no globally established 2nd-line regimen after failure of FOLFIRINOX. Although gemcitabine-based regimens are recommended by multiple guidelines and widely used in daily practice, further analysis is needed to reveal the magnitude of clinical benefit with these regimens. Nab-P+Gem is another standard 1st-line regimen for PDAC, but there are limited data as 2nd-line therapy in PDAC. Therefore, we conducted multicenter retrospective analysis of 2nd-line nab-P+Gem after progression on FOLFIRINOX in pts with advanced PDAC. Methods: Between Feb 2016 and Feb 2019, a total of 103 pts with histologically documented PDAC who received nab-P+GEM after progression on 1st-line FOLFIRINOX were identified among 5 referral cancer centers in South Korea. Results: Median age was 60 years and 50 pts (49%) were male. All but one pts had ECOG performance status of 0-1 at the time of nab-P+GEM. At the time of nab-P+GEM, 25 (24%) and 78 (76%) patients had locally advanced and metastatic disease, respectively. Median overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) with nab-P+GEM was 9.8 months (95% CI: 8.9-10.6) and 4.6 months (95% CI: 3.7-5.5), respectively. Among pts with measurable disease (n = 95), partial response and stable disease were achieved in 8 (8%) and 56 (54%), respectively. Median OS from the start of 1st-line FOLFIRINOX was 20.9 months (95% CI: 15.2-26.6). Most common adverse event of all grade was anemia (77%), followed by neutropenia (60%), fatigue (52%), thrombocytopenia (45%), and peripheral neuropathy (30%). Most common grade 3-4 adverse events were neutropenia (36%), anemia (9%), and peripheral neuropathy (8%). Conclusions: In medically fit pts with advanced PDAC who failed on 1st-line FOLFIRINOX, nab-P+GEM was effective and well tolerated as 2nd-line therapy.

Purpose: Hepatitis B virus infection is a well-known risk factor for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. However, its prognostic impact has rarely been investigated in advanced intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Methods: Between April 2010 and May 2015, 296 patients with unresectable or metastatic intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma who received gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GemCis) were categorized into a hepatitis B virus group (n=62; 21%) and a non-hepatitis B virus group (n=234; 79%). Clinicopathological features and survival outcomes were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. Results: The median age of patients was 59 years (range, 27–78). The median overall survival with first-line GemCis was 9.4 months (95% CI 8.4, 10.4). Compared to the non-hepatitis B virus group, the hepatitis B virus group was younger (median age, 57 vs. 61 years, P = 0.001), mainly male (74% vs. 57%, P = 0.02), and had lower frequency of elevated cancer antigen (CA) 19-9 (34% vs. 59%, P = 0.001) and alkaline phosphatase (43% vs. 61%, P = 0.01). In a univariate analysis, the hepatitis B virus infection showed a marginal relationship with poor overall survival compared to the non-hepatitis B virus infection (median, 8.3 vs. 10.0 months; P=0.13). A multivariate analysis of potential prognostic factors revealed a significant association with poor overall survival in the hepatitis B virus group (hazard ratio (HR) =1.50, P = 0.02). Initial metastatic disease (vs. recurrent/unresectable disease; HR=1.50), metastatic sites ⩾ 2 (vs. 0–1; HR=1.51), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ⩾ 2 (vs. 0–1; HR=1.93), elevated total bilirubin (vs. normal; HR=1.83), and low albumin (vs. normal; HR=1.52) were significantly related to an unfavorable overall survival. Conclusions: This study suggests that the hepatitis B virus infection may be associated with distinctive clinicopathological characteristics and poor outcome in advanced intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma treated with GemCis.

Study Objective To describe the result of robotic-assisted single port sacrocolpopexy (SCP) using the da Vinci SP® surgical system. Design Retrospective case series study Setting Robot Surgery Center of Ewha Womans University Hospital. Patients or Participants 7 patients with advanced pelvic organ prolapse (POP-Q stage III and IV). Interventions Robotic-assisted single port SCP using the da Vinci SP® surgical system performed by a single surgeon from January 8th-28th 2019. Measurements and Main Results The recently introduced da Vinci SP® surgical system includes three multi-jointed wristed instruments with a fully wristed camera. This surgical system offers the patients the same cosmetic benefits and make surgeon to perform suturing and tying more easily compared to the da Vinci Single-Site® platform. We present the operation results of the first seven cases of robotic-assisted single port SCP using the da Vinci SP® system and provide a detailed description of the technique. All consecutive cases were completed successfully without conversion. The mean patient age was 65.3 years and the mean operative time was 140.71 minutes. The mean docking time was only 2.3 min and the mean estimated blood loss was 60 mL. No operative or major postoperative complications occurred. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of robotic-assisted single port SCP, and we found this procedure is feasible and safe. Conclusion Robotic-assisted single port SCP using the da Vinci SP® surgical system is a feasible and safe option for advanced stage pelvic organ prolapse.

Study Objective To describe the experience of robotic-assisted single port supracervical hysterectomy with bilateral salpingectomy on a giant uterine leiomyoma using the da Vinci SP surgical system. Design A Case report. Setting Robot Surgery Center of Ewha Womans University Hospital. Patients or Participants A 45-year old virgin woman with huge uterine leiomyoma sized about 26 × 23cm2. Interventions Robotic-assisted single port SCH with BS using the da Vinci SP surgical system. Measurements and Main Results The recently introduced da Vinci SP surgical system include a fully wristed camera which can offer an easy movement of camera and instruments to 360 degree at once. Therefore this surgical system has an advantage on the surgery which requiring procedures both below and above the umbilicus with only the single incision inside the umbilicus. We present a case of huge uterine leiomyoma of intramural type measured about 26 × 23cm2 which is successfully performed the SCH with BS using the da Vinci SP system. Total operative time was 145 minutes and the estimated blood loss was 250 mL. The hospital stay was 2.5 days. No operative or postoperative complications occurred. To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest leiomyoma case of robotic-assisted single port SCH using the da Vinci SP system and we have known the advantage of the da Vinci SP® surgical system on the huge intraabdominal mass requiring procedures above the umbilicus level as in this case. Conclusion The da Vinci SP surgical system enables easy rotation of camera and instruments at once and this make it easy to perform the procedures which are performed above the umbilicus for the huge uterine leiomyoma reaching the diaphragm.

Background For liposarcoma (LPS), the mainstay of treatment is still surgical resection. Recently, some researchers suggested that immune checkpoint inhibitor may have a clinical activity in well-differentiated (WD) and dedifferentiated (DD) LPS. We aimed to evaluate the expression level of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) and determine its relationship with clinical outcomes in WD/DD LPS. Methods All patients diagnosed with WD/DD LPS at Asan medical center from 1989 to 2017 were identified and their clinical information were obtained from our medical database. PD-L1 testing was performed with previously-collected surgery or biopsy tissue by Immunohistochemistry (IHC). Results Total 152 patients who were pathologically diagnosed with WD (n = 74) or DD (n = 78) LPS and had available tissue for PD-L1 IHC assay were included in this retrospective analysis. The median age was 58 years (range, 19—87) with males comprising 59.2%. By primary site, abdomen-pelvis (69.7%) was most frequently involved. Most patients (98.7%, n = 150) were presented with localized disease at the time of diagnosis and every patient with localized disease except one with high-perioperative risk (n = 149) underwent curative-intent surgical resection. PD-L1 positive (tumor proportion score ≥1%) rate was 31.1% and 51.3% in WD and DD LPS, respectively. In WD LPS, PD-L1 positivity, as well as abdomen-pelvis origin, R1/2 resection, and no adjuvant radiotherapy, was associated with shorter recurrence-free survival (RFS) (vs. PD-L1 negativity, 31.3 vs. 99.8 months; P = 0.014) and remained significant in the multivariate analysis (HR, 2.7, P = 0.028). In DD LPS, on the other hand, PD-L1 expression had no statistical significance in multivariate model for RFS. Overall survival was not properly compared due to the small number of death events. Conclusions Our findings indicate that decent portion of WD/DD LPS patients were positive for PD-L1 expression, and it might be a negative prognostic biomarker in surgically-resected WD LPS. This provides a rationale for future clinical trials of immune checkpoint inhibitor for patients with PD-L1-positive WD/DD LPS. Legal entity responsible for the study The authors. Funding Has not received any funding. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Efficacy of targeted agents, such as everolimus and sunitinib, has been demonstrated in prospective trials on patients with gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs). Considering the heterogeneous clinicopathological characteristics of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), evaluation of treatment outcomes in a real-world setting is necessary. Clinical records of 44 patients with GEP-NET who were treated with everolimus or sunitinib between March 2007 and October 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. Considering the distinct characteristics of pancreatic NETs (pNETs) and non-pancreatic gastrointestinal NETs (GI-NETs), efficacy analysis was performed separately. Pancreas was the most common primary site (n = 28, 64%), followed by rectum (n = 10, 23%) and stomach (n = 3, 7%). Sunitinib and everolimus were administered in 27 (61%) and 17 (39%) patients, respectively. In patients with pNET, median progression-free survival (PFS) with everolimus and sunitinib was 16.6 months (95% CI 8.0–25.1) and 8.0 months (95% CI 0.0–17.4), respectively (p = 0.51). Among non-pancreatic GI-NET patients, median PFS with everolimus and sunitinib was 14.7 months (95% CI 2.4–27.0) and 1.7 months (95% CI 0.5–3.0), respectively (p = 0.001). Compared to patients treated with everolimus, tumor grade 3 (30 vs. 0%) and history of prior cytotoxic chemotherapy (70 vs. 50%) were more common in patients treated with sunitinib. Both everolimus and sunitinib were effective in GEP-NET patients. Outcomes of everolimus therapy in GEP-NETs were consistent with those reported elsewhere. Poor efficacy of sunitinib in non-pancreatic GI-NETs may be attributable to the baseline characteristics associated with poor clinical outcomes.

Background: Biliary tract cancer (BTC) is a heterogeneous group of cancers anatomically divided into the gallbladder cancer (GBC), intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ECC). None of molecular target agents has been proven to improve the prognosis of BTC yet. To gain a deeper understanding of BTC's pathophysiology and find its new potential therapeutic targets, this study is aimed to investigate genetic profiles of BTC and their clinical implications. Methods: A total of 69 patients who had been pathologically diagnosed as adenocarcinoma of biliary tract from January 2014 to November 2016 and had available surgical or biopsy specimen were enrolled for this study. With the DNA specimen extracted from previously-collected tumor tissue, somatic mutations and copy number variation (CNV) analyses were performed using targeted exome sequencing. Data regarding the baseline patient characteristics and treatment outcomes were retrospectively obtained by reviewing the patients' medical records. Results: Nineteen patients with GBC (28%), 24 patients with ICC (35%) and 26 patients with ECC (37%) were included in this analysis. Genetic mutation and copy number alteration (CAN) were observed in 59 (85%) and 35 (51%) patients, respectively while 5 patients (7%) did not have any genetic alterations. The most commonly mutated gene was TP53 (n=33, 47.8%), followed by KRAS (n=18, 26.1%), ARID1A (n=10, 14.5%) and IDH1 (n=9, 13.0%). IDH1 mutation appeared more frequently in patients with ICC (n=7, 29.2%, P=0.015) compared to those with GBC (n=1, 5.3%) or ECC (n=1, 3.8%) while ERBB2 and ERBB3 mutation were found only in GBC and ECC. HER2 amplification was observed in 7 patients (4 with GBC and 3 with ICC). Among those, one patient showed 3+ for HER2 test by immunohistochemistry (IHC) while four patients were 2+. All somatic mutations and CNVs documented in the present study were classified into five pathway modules which were identified by Nakamura et al. (Nature Genetics 2015). Majority of genetic alterations (n=45, 65.2%) belonged to Kinase-RAS module, followed by TP53 (n=41, 59.4%), TGF-β-SWI/SNF-MYC (n=22, 31.9%), Epigenetic (n=16, 23.2%) and RB-cell cycle (n=10, 14.5%) modules. Alterations in Epigenetic module were most common in ICC (vs. GB vs. ECC, 50.0% vs. 15.8% vs. 3.8%, P=0.002) while alterations in TGF-β-SWI/SNF-MYC module were most frequent in ECC (vs. GB vs. ICC, 46.2% vs. 3.6% vs. 31.6%, P=0.031). Conclusion: Genetic profile of BTC is heterogeneous according to its anatomic location. Our results indicate that subgroup of BTC patients may have benefit from targeted therapy such anti-IDH and anti-HER2 inhibitors. Citation Format: Heejung Chae, Changhoon Yoo, Deokhoon Kim, Seonmin Lee, Kim Dan Bi, Jae Ho Jeong, Heung-Moon Chang, Baek-Yeol Ryoo, Kyu-pyo Kim. Evaluation of genetic mutations and copy number alterations in biliary tract cancer using targeted exome sequencing [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3431.

Purpose The prognosis of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer has markedly improved since the introduction of trastuzumab. We aimed to evaluate the association between stromal tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (sTIL) or FcrR polymorphisms and survival among patients with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer who were treated with trastuzumab. Methods A total of 56 women with recurrent or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer who received the trastuzumab-taxane combination as first-line treatment were included in this retrospective analysis. The single-step multiplex allele-specific real-time polymerase chain reaction technique was employed for FcrR3A genotyping. sTILs were identified via immunohistochemical analysis of surgical (n=34, 60.7%) or biopsy specimens of metastatic lesions (n=22, 39.3%). Results We classified patients based on the sTIL level (≤10% [n=44] or >10% [n=12]); high sTIL counts were more commonly observed in patients with hormone receptor-negative tumors than in those with hormone receptor-positive tumors (34.8% vs. 12.1%, p=0.02). There was a significant association between high sTIL levels and longer progression-free survival in comparison to low sTIL levels (median, 28.4 months vs. 16.8 months; p=0.03). With regard to the FcrR3A-158 genotype, patients were classified into the Phenylalanine/Phenylalanine group (23 patients, 41.1%), Phenylalanine/Valine group (23 patients, 41,1%), or Valine/Valine group (10 patients, 17.9%); these classifications were not associated with clinical outcomes. Conclusion High sTIL expression may be associated with better efficacy of trastuzumab-containing therapy in patients with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer. However, this finding warrants further evaluation in the larger population.