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Adjuvant therapy; Breast cancer; Olaparib Terapia adyuvante; Cáncer de mama; Olaparib Teràpia adjuvant; Càncer de mama; Olaparib Background The randomized, double-blind OlympiA trial compared 1 year of the oral poly(adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase inhibitor, olaparib, to matching placebo as adjuvant therapy for patients with pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in germline BRCA1 or BRCA2 (gBRCA1/2pv) and high-risk, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative, early breast cancer (EBC). The first pre-specified interim analysis (IA) previously demonstrated statistically significant improvement in invasive disease-free survival (IDFS) and distant disease-free survival (DDFS). The olaparib group had fewer deaths than the placebo group, but the difference did not reach statistical significance for overall survival (OS). We now report the pre-specified second IA of OS with updates of IDFS, DDFS, and safety. Patients and methods One thousand eight hundred and thirty-six patients were randomly assigned to olaparib or placebo following (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy if indicated. Endocrine therapy was given concurrently with study medication for hormone receptor-positive cancers. Statistical significance for OS at this IA required P < 0.015. Results With a median follow-up of 3.5 years, the second IA of OS demonstrated significant improvement in the olaparib group relative to the placebo group [hazard ratio 0.68; 98.5% confidence interval (CI) 0.47-0.97; P = 0.009]. Four-year OS was 89.8% in the olaparib group and 86.4% in the placebo group (Δ 3.4%, 95% CI −0.1% to 6.8%). Four-year IDFS for the olaparib group versus placebo group was 82.7% versus 75.4% (Δ 7.3%, 95% CI 3.0% to 11.5%) and 4-year DDFS was 86.5% versus 79.1% (Δ 7.4%, 95% CI 3.6% to 11.3%), respectively. Subset analyses for OS, IDFS, and DDFS demonstrated benefit across major subgroups. No new safety signals were identified including no new cases of acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome. Conclusion With 3.5 years of median follow-up, OlympiA demonstrates statistically significant improvement in OS with adjuvant olaparib compared with placebo for gBRCA1/2pv-associated EBC and maintained improvements in the previously reported, statistically significant endpoints of IDFS and DDFS with no new safety signals. Funding for this work, which was conducted as a collaborative partnership among the Breast International Group, NRG Oncology, Frontier Science, AstraZeneca, and Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, U.S.A. (MSD), was provided by the National Institutes of Health (grant numbers: U10CA 180868, UG1CA 189867, and U10CA 180822) and by AstraZeneca as part of an alliance between AstraZeneca and MSD. Provision of olaparib and placebo was from AstraZeneca.

Developing strategies to inflame tumors is critical for increasing response to immunotherapy. Here, we report that low-dose radiotherapy (LDRT) of murine tumors promotes T-cell infiltration and enables responsiveness to combinatorial immunotherapy in an IFN-dependent manner. Treatment efficacy relied upon mobilizing both adaptive and innate immunity and depended on both cytotoxic CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. LDRT elicited predominantly CD4+ cells with features of exhausted effector cytotoxic cells, with a subset expressing NKG2D and exhibiting proliferative capacity, as well as a unique subset of activated dendritic cells expressing the NKG2D ligand RAE1. We translated these findings to a phase I clinical trial administering LDRT, low-dose cyclophosphamide, and immune checkpoint blockade to patients with immune-desert tumors. In responsive patients, the combinatorial treatment triggered T-cell infiltration, predominantly of CD4+ cells with Th1 signatures. Our data support the rational combination of LDRT with immunotherapy for effectively treating low T cell–infiltrated tumors.Significance:Low-dose radiation reprogrammed the tumor microenvironment of tumors with scarce immune infiltration and together with immunotherapy induced simultaneous mobilization of innate and adaptive immunity, predominantly CD4+ effector T cells, to achieve tumor control dependent on NKG2D. The combination induced important responses in patients with metastatic immune-cold tumors.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 1

Supplementary Figure from Low-Dose Radiotherapy Reverses Tumor Immune Desertification and Resistance to Immunotherapy

Supplementary Data from Low-Dose Radiotherapy Reverses Tumor Immune Desertification and Resistance to Immunotherapy

Supplementary Table from Low-Dose Radiotherapy Reverses Tumor Immune Desertification and Resistance to Immunotherapy

Supplementary Figure 7 from Proangiogenic Factor PlGF Programs CD11b+ Myelomonocytes in Breast Cancer during Differentiation of Their Hematopoietic Progenitors

Supplementary Figure Legends 1-9 from Proangiogenic Factor PlGF Programs CD11b+ Myelomonocytes in Breast Cancer during Differentiation of Their Hematopoietic Progenitors

Supplementary Figure 1 from Proangiogenic Factor PlGF Programs CD11b+ Myelomonocytes in Breast Cancer during Differentiation of Their Hematopoietic Progenitors

Supplementary Figures 2-6 from Proangiogenic Factor PlGF Programs CD11b+ Myelomonocytes in Breast Cancer during Differentiation of Their Hematopoietic Progenitors

Supplementary Figure 8 from Proangiogenic Factor PlGF Programs CD11b+ Myelomonocytes in Breast Cancer during Differentiation of Their Hematopoietic Progenitors

Supplementary Figure 9 from Proangiogenic Factor PlGF Programs CD11b+ Myelomonocytes in Breast Cancer during Differentiation of Their Hematopoietic Progenitors

Immunotherapy; PARP inhibitors; Pembrolizumab Immunoteràpia; Inhibidors de PARP; Pembrolizumab Inmunoterapia; Inhibidores de PARP; Pembrolizumab Metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC) is a poor prognostic disease with limited treatments and uncertain therapeutic algorithms. We performed a systematic review and multiple Bayesian network meta-analyses according to treatment line to establish an optimal therapeutic sequencing strategy for this lethal disease. We included 125 first-line trials (37,812 patients) and 33 s/further-lines trials (11,321 patients). The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary endpoints included overall response rates (ORR), overall survival (OS) and safety, for first and further lines, separately. We also estimated separate treatment rankings for the first and subsequent lines according to each endpoint, based on (surface under the cumulative ranking curve) SUCRA values. No first-line treatment was associated with superior PFS and OS than paclitaxel ± bevacizumab. Platinum-based polychemotherapies were generally superior in terms of ORR, at the cost of higher toxicity.. PARP-inhibitors in germline-BRCA1/2-mutant patients, and immunotherapy + chemotherapy in PD-L1-positive mTNBC, performed similar to paclitaxel ± bevacizumab. In PD-L1-positive mTNBC, pembrolizumab + chemotherapy was better than atezolizumab + nab-paclitaxel in terms of OS according to SUCRA values. In second/further-lines, sacituzumab govitecan outperformed all other treatments on all endpoints, followed by PARP-inhibitors in germline-BRCA1/2-mutant tumors. Trastuzumab deruxtecan in HER2-low mTNBC performed similarly and was the best advanced-line treatment in terms of PFS and OS after sacituzumab govitecan, according to SUCRA values. Moreover, comparisons with sacituzumab govitecan, talazoparib and olaparib were not statistically significant. The most effective alternatives or candidates for subsequent lines were represented by nab-paclitaxel (in ORR), capecitabine (in PFS) and eribulin (in PFS and OS).

In last years, the therapeutic arsenal against breast cancer increased considerably with the arrival of signaling pathway inhibitors, immunotherapy, PARP inhibitors, tyrosine kinase inhibitors and antibody-drug conjugates. Consequently, the range of potential adverse events has also widened and differs from the usual chemotherapies and endocrine therapies. Depending on the administered therapy, the same symptoms can be harmless and treated symptomatically or the warning sign of a potential serious complication requiring a rapid action. We therefore discuss in this article the therapeutic role and some typical adverse events of these new therapies.Ces dernières années, l’arsenal thérapeutique contre le cancer du sein s’est passablement enrichi avec les inhibiteurs des voies de signalisation, l’immunothérapie, les inhibiteurs de PARP (polyADP-ribose polymérase), les inhibiteurs de tyrosine kinase et les chimiothérapies immunoconjuguées. De ce fait, la gamme d’effets indésirables potentiels s’est également élargie et diffère des habituelles chimiothérapies et hormonothérapies. En fonction de la substance administrée, les mêmes symptômes peuvent être anodins et traités symptomatiquement, ou alors être le signe d’alerte d’une potentielle complication sévère et nécessiter une réaction rapide. Nous discutons dans cet article du rôle thérapeutique et des quelques effets indésirables typiques de ces nouvelles thérapies.

Background With 8.7 years follow-up, the prospective phase III randomized MINDACT trial (EORTC 10041/BIG3-04) continues to meet its primary objective, i.e. 95.1% (95%CI 93.1-96.6), 5-year distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) in clinical high (C-High)/genomic low (G-Low) risk patients who did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) (Cardoso et al., ASCO 2020). In addition, about half of the MINDACT patients had a low clinical risk (C-Low) defined by pre-specified clinical-pathological characteristics. Here, we evaluated the outcome of this C-Low population stratified by the 70-gene signature (MammaPrint®) (G-Low or G-High) for outcome considering age, and present data on the total G-low population (C-Low and C-High combined). Methods Of 6693 patients enrolled in the MINDACT trial between 2007 and 2011, 3337 were C-Low, characterized as mainly T1, grade 1 or 2, and node negative. We evaluated the pre-specified DMFS, distant metastasis free interval (DMFI), and overall survival (OS) rates at 5 and 8 years in the C-Low population: i) in patients with genomic low risk (C-Low/G-Low, n=2744) who were recommended to receive endocrine therapy only (for 99% HR+), and ii) in C-Low/G-High who received ACT or not following randomization (ITT, n=690, 81% HR+). Exploratory analyses by age, ≤50 and >50, were conducted for ACT vs no ACT received in C-Low/G-High. In parallel we estimated survival rates for all G-low patients if all would have followed the genomic low risk assignment and received no ACT (C-Low/G-Low, and C-High/G-Low randomized to no ACT double weighted, n=4130). We used Kaplan-Meier estimates for time to event endpoints and hazard ratios with 95%CI from Cox-regression models adjusted for stratification factors used for the randomization. Results C-low/G-low patients who were recommended endocrine therapy only (compliance > 79%, based on local guidelines) have excellent 5 and 8 year survival rates for all endpoints (Table 1). The estimated survival rates for all G-Low patients, if all would have followed the genomic low risk assignment and received no ACT, is excellent as well (Table 1), albeit this population includes both C-Low and C-High patients. The survival estimates for C-Low/G-High patients are for all endpoints a few percentage points lower than for the C-Low/G-Low group (Table 1). At 8 years of follow-up, in the relatively small subset of 690 patients with C-Low/G-High tumors assigned to ACT or not by randomization (ITT), a 1.5% (SE ±2.3%) higher DMFS is seen in the ACT group, and a 2.9% (SE ±2.0%) higher DMFI. This suggested benefit is mostly seen in patients under 50 years of age (absolute Δ in DMFS for ACT vs no ACT at 8 years: 5.4% for age ≤50 vs -0.3% for age >50). Conclusion Patients with a 70-gene G-Low risk tumor have an excellent 8 year outcome in the context of C-Low characteristics when recommended for endocrine therapy only, very close to the outcome in the larger group of all G-Low patients regardless of clinical risk. Stratification of C-Low patients in to G-Low and G-high provides meaningful information. The benefit of ACT in C-Low patients with a 70-gene G-High risk tumor needs further confirmation, especially relevant in younger women. Table 1All Patients PopulationPatientsObserved events% at 5 years (95% CI)% at 8 years (95% CI)DMFSC-Low / G-Low274417097.3 (96.6-97.9)94.7 (93.8-95.6)C-Low / G-High5936194.2 (92.0-95.9)91.1 (88.4-93.3)DMFIC-Low / G-Low274410398.5 (97.9-98.9)96.7 (95.9-97.3)C-Low / G-High5934695.8 (93.8-97.2)93.5 (91.0-95.3)OSC-Low / G-Low274412298.2 (97.6-98.7)96.5 (95.7-97.2)C-Low / G-High5934496.8 (94.9-98.0)93.1 (90.5-95.0)Patients G-low (C-Low & C-High)PatientsEstimated events% at 5 years% at 8 yearsDMFSAll G-Low - no ACT413033996.492.8DMFIAll G-Low - no ACT413024497.494.6OSAll G-Low - no ACT413022397.995.7 Citation Format: Laura J van 't Veer, Fatima Cardoso, Coralie Poncet, Josephine Lopes Cardozo, Suzette Delaloge, Jean-Yves Pierga, Peter Vuylsteke, Etienne Brain, Giuseppe Viale, Sherko Kümmel, Isabel T Rubio, Gabriele Zoppoli, Alistair Thompson, Erika Matos, Khalil Zaman, Susan Knox, Florentine Hilbers, Aleksandra Peric, Bart Meulemans, Martine Picccart, Emiel J Th Rutgers. How low is low risk: MINDACT updated outcome and treatment benefit in patients considered clinical low risk and stratified by genomic signature, age and nodal status [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 GS4-11.

Background Therapeutic cancer vaccination is an area of interest, even though promising efficacy has not been demonstrated so far. Design A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate vaccines’ efficacy on breast cancer (BC) and ovarian cancer (OC) patients. Our search was based on the PubMed electronic database, from 1st January 2000 to 4th February 2020. Objective response rate (ORR) was the primary end-point of interest, while progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and toxicity were secondary end-points. Analysis was performed separately for BC and OC patients. Pooled ORRs were estimated by fixed or random effects models, depending on the detected degree of heterogeneity, for all studies with more than five patients. Subgroup analyses by vaccine type and treatment schema as well as sensitivity analyses, were implemented. Results Among 315 articles initially identified, 67 were eligible for our meta-analysis (BC: 46, 1698 patients; OC: 32, 426 patients; where both BC/OC in 11). Dendritic-cell and peptide vaccines were found in more studies, 6/10 BC and 10/13 OC studies, respectively. In our primary BC analysis (21 studies; 428 patients), the pooled ORR estimate was 9% (95%CI[5%,13%]). The primary OC analysis (12 studies; 182 patients), yielded pooled ORR estimate of 4% (95%CI[1%,7%]). Similar were the results derived in sensitivity analyses. No statistically significant differences were detected by vaccine type or treatment schema. Median PFS was 2.6 months (95% confidence interval (CI)[1.9,2.9]) and 13.0 months (95%CI[8.5,16.3]) for BC and OC respectively, while corresponding median OS was 24.8 months (95%CI[15.0,46.0]) and 39.0 months (95%CI[31.0,49.0]). In almost all cases, the observed toxicity was only moderate. Conclusion Despite their modest results in terms of ORR, therapeutic vaccines in the last 20 years display relatively long survival rates and low toxicity. Since a plethora of different approaches have been tested, a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms is needed in order to further improve vaccine efficacy.

Background Recent advances in the treatment of human epidermal growth factor receptor positive (HER2+) early breast cancer (eBC) have led to a reduction in recurrence risk; still a relevant percentage of patients relapses over time, predominantly presenting with distant recurrence. Neratinib is registered in Europe as extended adjuvant treatment for adult patients with HER2+, hormone receptor positive (HR+) eBC, who completed adjuvant trastuzumab-based therapy within one year prior to start of neratinib. In the ExteNET study, neratinib improved the absolute 5-year invasive disease-free survival (iDFS) rate by 5.1% versus placebo in this population (90.8% vs. 85.7%; HR 0.58 [95% CI 0.41-0.82]), mainly by reducing the rate of distant metastases. According to explorative analyses from ExteNET, the effect may be even more pronounced in patients with non-pCR after neoadjuvant trastuzumab treatment and/or in patients completing the full duration of neratinib therapy (i.e. ≥11 months of neratinib treatment). Diarrhea, the most common grade 3 adverse event (neratinib: 39% without primary diarrhea prophylaxis, median cumulative duration 5 days; placebo: 1%; no grade 4 events) can generally be managed through adequate prophylaxis and treatment management. ELEANOR is the first non-interventional study (NIS) of real-world use of neratinib and its management in eBC patients in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Methods Enrollment of 300 adult female patients with HER2+/HR+ eBC is planned in accordance with the SmPC specifications. Primary endpoint is the rate of patients adherent to neratinib treatment (i.e. neratinib use for ≥75% of treatment days). Secondary objectives include characterization of patients scheduled to receive neratinib, details on neratinib treatment, recurrences, safety/tolerability, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). CANKADO, an eHealth application developed to support patient/physician communication, is an integral part of the NIS. Here, we report results of the preplanned interim analysis based on 200 enrolled patients. Results At data cut-off (May 2022), 202 patients had been observed for 3 months; patient enrollment is ongoing. Median age was 53.0 years and 66.3% of patients were at increased risk of disease recurrence (defined as non-pCR or AJCC stage > I). Most patients had received prior neoadjuvant treatment (79.7%). Post-neoadjuvant treatment included dual HER2 blockade with trastuzumab and pertuzumab (38.8%/23.9% of pCR/non-pCR patients) and trastuzumab-emtansine (T-DM1, 53.5% of non-pCR patients). Neratinib treatment had been documented for 187 patients, treatment was ongoing for 46.0% of patients. Diarrhea was the most common adverse event (78.6% any grade, 19.3% grade 3, 2 patients grade 4), but was markedly lower when indirectly compared to ExteNET (39% grade 3). The neratinib dose escalation schedule was chosen for 36.4% of patients and led to a decreased incidence of severe diarrhea (16.2% grade 3, no grade 4 events). 93.9% (95% CI: 87.9-97.5%) of 115 evaluable patients adhered to neratinib treatment. Conclusion The results of this preplanned interim analysis reflect the current treatment landscape in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. These results confirm, in line with the observed adherence data, that extended adjuvant neratinib use is feasible in typical clinical practice settings. Furthermore, treatment management strategies such as diarrhea prophylaxis or neratinib dose escalation are routinely used and can increase treatment tolerability markedly. The study is funded by Pierre Fabre Pharma GmbH (Freiburg, Germany), Pierre Fabre Pharma Austria (Wels, Austria) and Pierre Fabre Pharma AG (Allschwil, Switzerland). Citation Format: Rupert Bartsch, Nadia Harbeck, Denise Wrobel, Matthias Zaiss, Jürgen Terhaag, Dagmar Guth, Andrea Distelrath, Rachel Wuerstlein, Mark-Oliver Zahn, Diana Lüftner, Michael Schwitter, Marija Balic, Christian Jackisch, Volkmar Müller, Gabriel Rinnerthaler, Marcus Schmidt, Khalil Zaman, Timo Schinköthe, Anna Resch, Urs Breitenstein. Interim analysis (n=200) from ELEANOR: a multi-national, prospective, non-interventional study among patients with HER2+ and HR+ early breast cancer treated with extended adjuvant neratinib in the clinical routine [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 P2-01-01.

Background: The SAKK 22/99 is a phase III randomized clinical trial launched by the Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research and the European Institute of Oncology in Milan in 99 for women with HER2-positive advanced breast cancer (ABC). 175 patients were randomized 1:1 from Sept 99 to Jan 2013 to receive first-line trastuzumab (T) alone followed at disease progression by the combination with chemo (Arm A) vs the upfront combination of T and chemo (Arm B). The results were published in 2017 (O. Pagani et al Ann Onc 28: 305–312, 2017). The outcome was similar for sequential T-chemo or upfront combination The patients’ treatment and FU continued until March 2022 and we now report the safety data after 135.2 months of median FU. Patients and methods: at the time of study termination 1 patient with SD was still receiving T alone in the study and T was continued after trial closure. The safety analyses include 86 pts allocated to arm A and 88 to arm B. 1 pt did not receive any trial treatment and was excluded from this analyses. 19 of the 86 patients in arm A stopped trial treatment after T alone, 67 continued with T+ chemo. Baseline characteristics were well balanced and are summarized in Table 1. Treatment The T loading dose of 4 mg/kg/iv was followed by 2 mg/kg/iv weekly. In the 1st-line population (84) chemo was weekly paclitaxel (90 mg/m2/iv-3/4 weeks). After amendment 1 chemo was at investigator’s choice (taxanes, vinorelbine, platin) according to label indications and could be stopped after 24 weeks (6–8 cycles) in responding patients or after unacceptable toxicity. Results: 7 patients in arm A (8%) and 11 in arm B (13%) stopped trial treatment due to toxicities (Fisher’s exact test, p=0.46). 3 of the 7 patients in arm A stopped under T alone and 4 under T+chemo (all paclitaxel weekly) Treatment durations of these 7 and 11 patients were 7.7 months (range 0.5 – 49) in arm A and 5.5 months (range 0.6 – 31 months) in arm B, respectively. Cardiovascular toxicities: The most common toxicities were thromboembolic events, blood pressure disorders and arrhythmia. 6 patients (7%) in arm A and 10 (11%) in arm B had cardiac events (Fisher’s exact test, p=0.43). G1-3 toxicities occurred in 2 (2%), 2 (2%) and 2 (2%) patients of arm A and in 5 (7%), 2 (2%) and 3 (3%) of arm B. We observed no grade 4 events. Split by treatment phase in arm A, G1-3 toxicities were seen in in 1 (1%), 2 (2%) and 1 (1%) patient under T alone (N=86) and in 1 (1%), 0 (0%) and 2 (3%) under T+chemo (N=67). LVEF-decline: 78 patients in arm A and 74 in arm B had sequential LVEF measurements. A decline ≥ 10% was found in 35 patients (45%) in arm A and in 20 (27%) in arm B (Fisher’s exact test, p=0.028). Among the 35 patients in arm A, 12 had the decline under T alone, 14 under T+chemo, and 9 under both T alone and T+chemo. A decline ≥ 20% was found in 10 patients (13%) in arm A and in 3 (4%) in arm B (Fisher’s exact test, p=0.08). Among the 10 patients in arm A, 7 had the decline under T alone, 3 under T+chemo. Sensory neuropathy 43 patients (50%) in arm A and 48 (54%) in arm B had neuropathy (Fisher’s exact test, p=0.65). G1-3 toxicity in arm A was developed by 26 (30%), 11 (13%) and 6 (7%) patients, respectively; in arm B 30 (34%), 12 (14%) and 6 (7%). No grades 4 events occurred. Conclusion: After more than 11 years of follow-up, no relevant toxicities were found in these patients receiving T for ABC. In particular, the incidence and grade of cardiac toxicity was low. The decline in LVEF was numerically higher in the arm A and in particular in the T alone group, but was not clinically relevant. Our data potentially suggest that T+chemo followed by T maintenance could have less cardiotoxicity than T followed by T+chemo. The possible causes for the difference in LVEF decline between the two arms are unclear, but could be related to treatment duration. The women in Arm A shows a trend to longer therapy: Median treatment duration (months) in Arm A was 7.92 (0.46 - 135.98) vs 6.62 (0.56 - 71.28) in Arm B. This long-term analysis confirms the favorable safety and good tolerability of the reported regimes. Table 2: Treatment duration Citation Format: Manuela Rabaglio, Daniel Dietrich, Bernhard Scheibe, Thomas Ruhstaller, Franco Nole, Serenella Eppenberger, Christian Oehlschlegel, Dagmar Hess, Christoph Mamot, Elisabetta Munzone, Bernhard Pestalozzi, Stefan Aebi, Marcus Vetter, Beat Thuerlimann, Roger von Moos, Khalil Zaman, Olivia Pagani. Safety analysis after 11 years of follow-up of the randomized phase III trial SAKK22/99: upfront chemotherapy in advanced HER2 positive 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 P4-01-25.

Despite COVID-19 pandemic, which is still deeply affecting world economy and global health, medical oncology specialists keep pursuing their effort for the identification of new therapeutic options to improve patients' life expectancy and quality of life. 2021 confirms the immunotherapy efficacy, alone or in combination with other modalities, across several indications. This year, we are summarizing the new approaches in the following sectors: lung, breast, melanoma, gynecological, digestive, urological and ENT areas.En dépit de la pandémie de Covid-19 qui continue à grandement impacter l’économie mondiale et la santé, l’oncologie médicale poursuit sa quête d’identification de nouvelles options thérapeutiques ayant pour buts la prolongation de l’espérance de vie et l’amélioration de la qualité de vie de ses patients, en nombre croissant. L’année 2021 confirme également l’efficacité de l’immunothérapie, seule ou en combinaison à d’autres modalités, dans de nombreuses indications. Cette année, nous vous résumons les nouvelles approches dans les domaines suivants: poumon, sein, mélanome, sphères gynécologique, digestive, urologique et ORL.

Summary Background Few options exist for treatment of patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) after failure of first-line therapy. Lurbinectedin is a selective inhibitor of oncogenic transcription. In this phase 2 study, we evaluated the acti and safety of lurbinectedin in patients with SCLC after failure of platinum-based chemotherapy. Methods In this single-arm, open-label, phase 2 basket trial, we recruited patients from 26 hospitals in six European countries and the USA. Adults (aged ≥18 years) with a pathologically proven diagnosis of SCLC, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 2 or lower, measurable disease as per Response Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) version 1.1, absence of brain metastasis, adequate organ function, and pre-treated with only one previous chemotherapy-containing line of treatment (minimum 3 weeks before study initiation) were eligible. Treatment consisted of 3·2 mg/m2 lurbinectedin administered as a 1-h intravenous infusion every 3 weeks until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with an overall response (complete or partial response) as assessed by the investigators according to RECIST 1.1. All treated patients were analysed for activity and safety. This study is ongoing and is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT02454972 . Findings Between Oct 16, 2015, and Jan 15, 2019, 105 patients were enrolled and treated with lurbinectedin. Median follow-up was 17·1 months (IQR 6·5–25·3). Overall response by investigator assessment was seen in 37 patients (35·2%; 95% CI 26·2–45·2). The most common grade 3–4 adverse events (irrespective of causality) were haematological abnormalities—namely, anaemia (in nine [9%] patients), leucopenia (30 [29%]), neutropenia (48 [46%]), and thrombocytopenia (seven [7%]). Serious treatment-related adverse events occurred in 11 (10%) patients, of which neutropenia and febrile neutropenia were the most common (five [5%] patients for each). No treatment-related deaths were reported. Interpretation Lurbinectedin was active as second-line therapy for SCLC in terms of overall response and had an acceptable and manageable safety profile. Lurbinectedin could represent a potential new treatment for patients with SCLC, who have few options especially in the event of a relapse, and is being investigated in combination with doxorubicin as second-line therapy in a randomised phase 3 trial. Funding Pharma Mar.

Background Increasing data support the role of BCSCs in recurrence and resistance to chemotherapy. However, detecting these cells specifically and targeting them therapeutically remain challenging. We set to identify miRNAs involved in chemoresistance of BCSCs in vitro and the results were assessed in the sera of healthy donors and breast cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Methods In vitro experiments were conducted in the MCF7 cell line grown as mammospheres (MS) in order to enrich a BCSC phenotype. After treatment with 5FU or Paclitaxel (Pac), microRNA profile of chemoresistant cells was analyzed by microarray. The results were compared to miRNAs found in immortalized non-tumorigenic MCF10A cells in order to exclude miRNAs related to normal stem cells. A signature of 6 miRNAs was identified. miR-363-3p, appearing the most relevant, was chosen for further assessment. By RT-qPCR, miR363-3p levels were 20- and 100-fold higher in ALDH+ sorted cells compared to ALDH- MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 cells, respectively. Moreover, overexpression of miR363-3p in MCF7 cells correlated with an increased number of ALDH+ cells and 1.5 more MS formed. In contrast, downregulation of miR363-3p levels induced a decrease in MS size and 2-fold reduction in number. Consistently, miR-363-3p downregulation decreased tumor growth and metastasis of MCF7 cells in an intraductal human-in-mice transplantation model. miRNA was quantified by RT-qPCR in tissue and sera collected prospectively from 40 breast cancer patients before and after NAC (anthracycline-taxane) and also from 25 healthy donors. Results Fifty percent of the patients had luminal A and B tumors (n=20), 32,5% (n=13) had triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), and 17.5% (n=7) had HER2 positive BC. Excluding one patient, who refused the surgical resection, 40% achieved pathological complete response (pCR). Six patients presented disease recurrence. In patients’ tumor before and after NAC, a higher level of miR363-3p was observed compared with benign tissue. In sera of the BC patients, miR363-3p levels were significantly higher than that of healthy donors. After NAC, the levels of miR363-3p remained high among patients who relapsed, whereas they were equivalent to the healthy donors in patients who remained in remission. No correlation between Ki-67, grade 1 or 2 and miR363-3p levels was observed. However, in grade 3 BC, low level of miR363-3p before and after NAC was correlated with pCR and remission. The level of miR363-3p correlated with remission and pCR in patients with TNBC and HER2 BC. Conclusions Assessment in the sera of patients and healthy donors confirms our previous data supporting the role of miR363-3p as predictive factor of resistance to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and disease recurrence. Further investigations are warranted to confirm the role of miR363-3p as a biomarker and potential therapeutic target. Citation Format: Stephanie Renaud, Athina Stravodimou, Maryse Fiche, Ioannis Xenarios, Scabia Valentina, Valerian Dormoy, Marie Galmiche, Cathrin Brisken, Jean-Francois Delaloye, Assia Treboux, Jean-Yves Meuwly, Nicolas Mermod, Khalil Zaman. miR363-3p mediates maintenance of breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) and predicts resistance to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and disease recurrence [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-10-22.

At denosumab discontinuation, bone turnover markers increase and the gained BMD is lost. In postmenopausal osteoporosis, there is an increased risk of spontaneous vertebral fractures (VFs) of about 1 to 10%, rarely described in women under denosumab for aromatase inhibitors (AI)-treated breast cancer. We aim to describe the characteristics of 15 patients under denosumab given for AI-treated early-stage breast cancer that presented VFs at its discontinuation. Single-center retrospective case series of 15 patients. We report clinical data, dual X-ray absorptiometry values at denosumab initiation and discontinuation, and serum B-crosslaps dosage at the time of VF occurrence (before denosumab resumption). Fifteen women (66.4 ± 7.1 years at denosumab discontinuation) that received AI for 5.0 ± 0.6 years, denosumab 60 mg for 8.2 ± 2.0 doses, and developed 60 VFs at denosumab discontinuation, were followed for 24.4 ± 9.5 months. Patients suffered from 1 to 11 (mean 4.0 ± 1.9) clinical VFs within 7 to 16 months after last denosumab injection. VFs developed earlier in patients with longer denosumab treatment (R2 = 0.29, p = 0.04) and in patients without osteoporosis before denosumab (9.4 ± 2.0 vs. 13.0 ± 2.0 months; p = 0.005). Serum B-crosslaps at the time of VFs tended to be higher in patients with earlier VFs (R2 = 0.47; p = 0.06) or with longer denosumab treatment (R2 = 0.48; p = 0.06). Denosumab was resumed in all patients, then switched for a bisphosphonate in eight. No new VFs occurred during follow-up. Despite an apparently low fracture risk, women under denosumab for AI-treated early-stage breast cancer develop spontaneous VFs at denosumab discontinuation. This risk increases with treatment duration and may be prevented by a potent bisphosphonate.

Anthracyclines are among the most active chemotherapies (CT) in breast cancer (BC). However, cardiotoxicity is a risk and peculiar side effect that has been limiting their use in clinical practice, especially after the introduction of taxanes. Non‐pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (NPLD) has been developed to optimize the toxicity profile induced by anthracyclines, while maintaining its unquestionable therapeutic index, thanks to its delivering characteristics that increase its diffusion in tumor tissues and reduce it in normal tissues. This feature allows NPLD to be safely administered beyond the standard doxorubicin maximum cumulative dose of 450–480 mg/m2. Following three pivotal first‐line phase III trials in HER2‐negative metastatic BC (MBC), this drug was finally approved in combination with cyclophosphamide in this specific setting. Given the increasing complexity of the therapeutic scenario of HER2‐negative MBC, we have carefully revised the most updated literature on the topic and dissected the potential role of NPLD in the evolving therapeutic algorithms., SCOPUS: re.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

New systemic cancer therapies are increasingly oriented towards specific signaling pathways involved in carcinogenesis. However, these new treatments may lead to disorders of glycemic homeostasis ranging from glucose intolerance, diabetes or the occurrence of severe acute hyperglycemic syndrome due to blockade of certain pathways common to glucose metabolism. This article discusses the estimated frequency of new-onset diabetes, the pathophysiological mechanisms as well as the diagnostic, therapeutic, monitoring and prognostic management of glycemic dysfunction in patients treated with these novel systemic cancer therapies.Les nouvelles thérapies du cancer sont de plus en plus orientées contre des voies de signalisation spécifiques à la carcinogenèse. Cependant, ces nouveaux traitements peuvent mener à des troubles de l’homéostasie glucidique, allant d’une intolérance au glucose au diabète insulinorequérant, avec une potentielle décompensation aiguë, en raison du blocage de certaines voies communes à l’homéostasie glucidique. Cet article discute de la fréquence estimée de la survenue du diabète, des mécanismes physiopathologiques ainsi que de la prise en charge diagnostique et thérapeutique, de la surveillance et du pronostic de la dysfonction glycémique chez les patients traités par ces nouvelles thérapies contre le cancer.