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Background: Previous studies have independently validated the prognostic relevance of residual cancer burden (RCB) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. We used results from several independent cohorts in a pooled patient-level analysis to evaluate the relationship of RCB with long-term prognosis across different phenotypic subtypes of breast cancer, to assess generalisability in a broad range of practice settings. Methods: In this pooled analysis, 12 institutes and trials in Europe and the USA were identified by personal communications with site investigators. We obtained participant-level RCB results, and data on clinical and pathological stage, tumour subtype and grade, and treatment and follow-up in November, 2019, from patients (aged ≥18 years) with primary stage I–III breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery. We assessed the association between the continuous RCB score and the primary study outcome, event-free survival, using mixed-effects Cox models with the incorporation of random RCB and cohort effects to account for between-study heterogeneity, and stratification to account for differences in baseline hazard across cancer subtypes defined by hormone receptor status and HER2 status. The association was further evaluated within each breast cancer subtype in multivariable analyses incorporating random RCB and cohort effects and adjustments for age and pretreatment clinical T category, nodal status, and tumour grade. Kaplan-Meier estimates of event-free survival at 3, 5, and 10 years were computed for each RCB class within each subtype. Findings: We analysed participant-level data from 5161 patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy between Sept 12, 1994, and Feb 11, 2019. Median age was 49 years (IQR 20–80). 1164 event-free survival events occurred during follow-up (median follow-up 56 months [IQR 0–186]). RCB score was prognostic within each breast cancer subtype, with higher RCB score significantly associated with worse event-free survival. The univariable hazard ratio (HR) associated with one unit increase in RCB ranged from 1·55 (95% CI 1·41–1·71) for hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative patients to 2·16 (1·79–2·61) for the hormone receptor-negative, HER2-positive group (with or without HER2-targeted therapy; p

Breast cancers are complex ecosystems of malignant cells and the tumour microenvironment1. The composition of these tumour ecosystems and interactions within them contribute to responses to cytotoxic therapy2. Efforts to build response predictors have not incorporated this knowledge. We collected clinical, digital pathology, genomic and transcriptomic profiles of pre-treatment biopsies of breast tumours from 168 patients treated with chemotherapy with or without HER2 (encoded by ERBB2)-targeted therapy before surgery. Pathology end points (complete response or residual disease) at surgery3 were then correlated with multi-omic features in these diagnostic biopsies. Here we show that response to treatment is modulated by the pre-treated tumour ecosystem, and its multi-omics landscape can be integrated in predictive models using machine learning. The degree of residual disease following therapy is monotonically associated with pre-therapy features, including tumour mutational and copy number landscapes, tumour proliferation, immune infiltration and T cell dysfunction and exclusion. Combining these features into a multi-omic machine learning model predicted a pathological complete response in an external validation cohort (75 patients) with an area under the curve of 0.87. In conclusion, response to therapy is determined by the baseline characteristics of the totality of the tumour ecosystem captured through data integration and machine learning. This approach could be used to develop predictors for other cancers., Integration of pre-treatment tumour features in predictive models using machine learning could inform on response to therapy.

OBJECTIVE Few teenagers and young adults (TYA) with cancer participate in clinical trials. Lack of opportunity has been identified as a major barrier. We canvassed health professionals' views on how TYA's access to trials might be improved. METHODS We interviewed 35 professionals with responsibility for delivering or facilitating cancer care and/or clinical trials. We analysed data using a qualitative descriptive approach. RESULTS Interviewees viewed improving TYA's access to trials as challenging, but possible. They reframed the problem as one of rare disease and surmised that modifying the organisation, administration and resourcing of research (and care) might expand opportunities for both TYA and other patients with low volume conditions. Proposals coalesced around four themes: consolidating the pool of patients; streamlining bureaucratic requirements; investing in the research workforce; and promoting pragmatism in trial design. CONCLUSION Accounts suggest there is scope to improve access to trials by TYA with cancer and other patients with rare diseases. Though re-configuring care, research and resource frameworks would present substantial challenges, doing nothing would also have costs. Change will require the support of a range of stakeholders, and agreement as to the best way forward. Further work, such as priority setting exercises, may be necessary to reach a consensus.

Purpose Irosustat is a first-generation, orally active, irreversible steroid sulfatase inhibitor. We performed a multicentre, open label phase II trial of the addition of Irosustat to a first-line aromatase inhibitor (AI) in patients with advanced BC to evaluate the safety of the combination and to test the hypothesis that the addition of Irosustat to AI may further suppress estradiol levels and result in clinical benefit. Experimental design Postmenopausal women with ER-positive locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer who had derived clinical benefit from a first-line AI and who subsequently progressed were enrolled. The first-line AI was continued and Irosustat (40 mg orally daily) added. The primary endpoint was clinical benefit rate (CBR). Secondary endpoints included safety, tolerability, and pharmacodynamic end points. Results Twenty-seven women were recruited, four discontinued treatment without response assessment. Based on local reporting, the CBR was 18.5% (95% CI 6.3–38.1%) on an intent to treat basis, increasing to 21.7% (95% CI 7.4–43.7%) by per-protocol analysis. In those patients that achieved clinical benefit (n = 5), the median (interquartile range) duration was 9.4 months (8.1–11.3) months. The median progression-free survival time was 2.7 months (95% CI 2.5–4.6) in both the ITT and per-protocol analyses. The most frequently reported grade 3/4 toxicities were dry skin (28%), nausea (13%), fatigue (13%), diarrhoea (8%), headache (7%), anorexia (7%) and lethargy (7%). Conclusions The addition of Irosustat to aromatase inhibitor therapy resulted in clinical benefit with an acceptable safety profile. The study met its pre-defined success criterion by both local and central radiological assessments. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10549-017-4328-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background: Adjuvant trastuzumab significantly improves outcomes for patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer. The standard treatment duration is 12 months but shorter treatment could provide similar efficacy while reducing toxicities and cost. We aimed to investigate whether 6-month adjuvant trastuzumab treatment is non-inferior to the standard 12-month treatment regarding disease-free survival.Methods: This study is an open-label, randomised phase 3 non-inferiority trial. Patients were recruited from 152 centres in the UK. We randomly assigned patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer, aged 18 years or older, and with a clear indication for chemotherapy, by a computerised minimisation process (1:1), to receive either 6-month or 12-month trastuzumab delivered every 3 weeks intravenously (loading dose of 8 mg/kg followed by maintenance doses of 6 mg/kg) or subcutaneously (600 mg), given in combination with chemotherapy (concurrently or sequentially). The primary endpoint was disease-free survival, analysed by intention to treat, with a non-inferiority margin of 3% for 4-year disease-free survival. Safety was analysed in all patients who received trastuzumab. This trial is registered with EudraCT (number 2006–007018–39), ISRCTN (number 52968807), and ClinicalTrials.gov (number NCT00712140).Findings: Between Oct 4, 2007, and July 31, 2015, 2045 patients were assigned to 12-month trastuzumab treatment and 2044 to 6-month treatment (one patient was excluded because they were double randomised). Median follow-up was 5·4 years (IQR 3·6–6·7) for both treatment groups, during which a disease-free survival event occurred in 265 (13%) of 2043 patients in the 6-month group and 247 (12%) of 2045 patients in the 12-month group. 4-year disease-free survival was 89·4% (95% CI 87·9–90·7) in the 6-month group and 89·8% (88·3–91·1) in the 12-month group (hazard ratio 1·07 [90% CI 0·93–1·24], non-inferiority p=0·011), showing non-inferiority of the 6-month treatment. 6-month trastuzumab treatment resulted in fewer patients reporting severe adverse events (373 [19%] of 1939 patients vs 459 [24%] of 1894 patients, p=0·0002) or stopping early because of cardiotoxicity (61 [3%] of 1939 patients vs 146 [8%] of 1894 patients, pInterpretation: We have shown that 6-month trastuzumab treatment is non-inferior to 12-month treatment in patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer, with less cardiotoxicity and fewer severe adverse events. These results support consideration of reduced duration trastuzumab for women at similar risk of recurrence as to those included in the trial.Funding: UK National Institute for Health Research, Health Technology Assessment Programme.

Background: Achieving a pathologic complete response (pCR) has been shown on the patient level to predict excellent long-term event-free survival outcomes. Residual cancer burden (RCB) quantifies the extent of residual disease for patients who did not achieve pCR. We have previously observed in the I-SPY 2 TRIAL that while metastatic events outside the central nervous system (CNS) were dramatically reduced in the setting of pCR, the incidence of CNS metastasis remained similar across RCB classes, raising the possibility that these CNS events may be independent of response in the breast. In this study, we evaluate the type and sites of recurrences by RCB in a large pooled dataset, which allows for analysis within subtype, to validate these findings. Methods: 5161 patients pooled across 12 institutions/trials with available RCB and event-free survival (EFS) data were included in this analysis. EFS was calculated as the interval between treatment initiation, and locoregional recurrence, distant recurrence or death from any cause; patients without event are censored at time of last follow-up. The median follow-up is 4.6 years. We summarized the EFS event type, further sub-dividing the distant recurrence events (DR) by their site of relapse (CNS-only, CNS and other sites, Non-CNS). We used a competing risk (Fine-Gray) model to assess which of these site-specific relapses differ between RCB classes and estimated the cumulative incidence of CNS-only and non-CNS events at 5 years. Analyses were performed across the entire study population and within HR/HER2 defined subtypes. Results: Among the 5161 subjects, there were 1164 EFS events, including 92 (7.9%) local recurrences (without distant recurrence and/or death) and 1072 distant recurrence-free survival (DRFS) events. Among the DRFS events, 158 patients died without a distant recurrence. 914 experienced distant recurrences, including 90 (9.8%) with CNS-only, 145 (15.9%) with CNS and other sites, 664 (72.6%) with non-CNS distant recurrence; 15 (1.6%) patients had missing recurrence site information. Table 1 summarizes the cumulative incidence of CNS-only and non-CNS recurrence at 5 years and the proportion of CNS-only recurrences among DR events by RCB class overall and within each HR/HER2 subtypes. The incidence of CNS-only recurrences was low and similar across RCB classes. In contrast, the incidence of non-CNS recurrences increases with increasing RCB. As a result, CNS-only recurrences are proportionally higher within the RCB-0 and RCB-I than in the RCB-II and RCB-III groups, largely because of the low DR event rate and relative low frequency of non-CNS recurrence events within the RCB-0 and RCB-I classes. Overall, 27% of the recurrences in the setting of pCR (RCB-0) are due to CNS-only recurrences.Conclusions: Consistent with previous studies, our large pooled analysis confirmed that CNS-only recurrences are uncommon but appear similar across RCB groups, independent of response, suggesting that the CNS is a treatment sanctuary site. In contrast, non-CNS recurrence rates increase as RCB increases. These findings suggest that inclusion of CNS-only recurrences as an outcome event may impact the association between neoadjuvant therapy response and long-term outcomes in the context of current therapies. Novel therapies that cross the blood brain barrier will be needed to impact CNS recurrence rates. Table 1: Cumulative Incidence of CNS Only and non-CNS Distant Recurrences at 5 years and proportion of CNS-only events among DR eventsRCB Class0IIIIIIpOverall (5161)N16766622017806Cum. Inc. CNS Only2%2%2%1%0.627Cum. Inc. Non-CNS3%6%16%27% Citation Format: Sonal Shad, Marieke van der Noordaa, Marie Osdoit, Diane de Croze, Anne-Sophie Hamy, Marick Lae, Fabien Reyal, Miguel Martin, María Del Monte-Millán, Sara López-Tarruella, I-SPY 2 TRIAL Consortium, Judy C Boughey, Matthew P Goetz, Tanya Hoskin, Rebekah Gould, Vicente Valero, Gabe Sonke, Tessa G Steenbruggen, Maartje van Seijen, Jelle Wesseling, John Bartlett, Stephen Edge, Mi-Ok Kim, Jean Abraham, Carlos Caldas, Helena Earl, Elena Provenzano, Stephen-John Sammut, David Cameron, Ashley Graham, Peter Hall, Lorna Mackintosh, Fan Fang, Andrew K Godwin, Kelsey Schwensen, Priyanka Sharma, Angela DeMichele, Janet Dunn, Louise Hiller, Larry Hayward, Jeremy Thomas, Kimberly Cole, Lajos Pusztai, Laura Van't Veer, Fraser Symmans, Laura Esserman, Christina Yau. Site of recurrence after neoadjuvant therapy: A multi-center pooled analysis [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 PD13-02.

A label-free quantitative variation of the recently developed data-independent shotgun proteomic method Precursor Acquisition Independent From Ion Count (PAcIFIC) was used to identify novel proteins implicated in cancer progression and resistance. Specifically, this screen identified the pro-metastatic protein anterior gradient 2 (AGR2) as significantly up-regulated in tamoxifen treated cells. Highlighting the need for direct proteome profiling methods like PAcIFIC, neither data-dependent gas-phase fractionation nor a transcriptomic screen detected AGR2 protein/ transcript at significantly up-regulated levels. Further cell-based experiments using human cancer cell lines and in vivo xenografts confirmed the PAcIFIC hypothesis that AGR2 is up-regulated in MCF-7 cells post tamoxifen treatment, and that it is implicated in drug resistance mediation.

Background: The ARTemis trial was developed to assess the efficacy and safety of adding bevacizumab to standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy in HER2-negative early breast cancer.Methods: In this randomised, open-label, phase 3 trial, we enrolled women (≥18 years) with newly diagnosed HER2-negative early invasive breast cancer (radiological tumour size >20 mm, with or without axillary involvement), at 66 centres in the UK. Patients were randomly assigned via a central computerised minimisation procedure to three cycles of docetaxel (100 mg/m2 once every 21 days) followed by three cycles of fluorouracil (500 mg/m2), epirubicin (100 mg/m2), and cyclophosphamide (500 mg/m2) once every 21 days (D-FEC), without or with four cycles of bevacizumab (15 mg/kg) (Bev+D-FEC). The primary endpoint was pathological complete response, defined as the absence of invasive disease in the breast and axillary lymph nodes, analysed by intention to treat. The trial has completed and follow-up is ongoing. This trial is registered with EudraCT (2008-002322-11), ISRCTN (68502941), and ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01093235).Findings: Between May 7, 2009, and Jan 9, 2013, we randomly allocated 800 participants to D-FEC (n=401) and Bev+D-FEC (n=399). 781 patients were available for the primary endpoint analysis. Significantly more patients in the bevacizumab group achieved a pathological complete response compared with those treated with chemotherapy alone: 87 (22%, 95% CI 18–27) of 388 patients in the Bev+D-FEC group compared with 66 (17%, 13–21) of 393 patients in the D-FEC group (p=0·03). Grade 3 and 4 toxicities were reported at expected levels in both groups, although more patients had grade 4 neutropenia in the Bev+D-FEC group than in the D-FEC group (85 [22%] vs 68 [17%]).Interpretation: Addition of four cycles of bevacizumab to D-FEC in HER2-negative early breast cancer significantly improved pathological complete response. However, whether the improvement in pathological complete response will lead to improved disease-free and overall survival outcomes is unknown and will be reported after longer follow-up. Meta-analysis of available neoadjuvant trials is likely to be the only way to define subgroups of early breast cancer that would have clinically significant long-term benefit from bevacizumab treatment.Funding: Cancer Research UK, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis.

Tetrandrine is an antitumor alkaloid isolated from the root of Stephania tetrandra. We find that micromolar concentrations of tetrandrine irreversibly inhibit the proliferation of human colon carcinoma cells in MTT and clonogenic assays by arresting cells in G1. Tetrandrine induces G1 arrest before the restriction point in nocodazole- and serum-starved synchronized HT29 cells, without affecting the G1-S transition in aphidicolin-synchronized cells. Tetrandrine-induced G1 arrest is followed by apoptosis as shown by fluorescence-activated cell sorting, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase–mediated nick end labeling, and annexin V staining assays. Tetrandrine-induced early G1 arrest is mediated by at least three different mechanisms. First, tetrandrine inhibits purified cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2)/cyclin E and CDK4 without affecting significantly CDK2/cyclin A, CDK1/cyclin B, and CDK6. Second, tetrandrine induces the proteasome-dependent degradation of CDK4, CDK6, cyclin D1, and E2F1. Third, tetrandrine increases the expression of p53 and p21Cip1 in wild-type p53 HCT116 cells. Collectively, these results show that tetrandrine arrests cells in G1 by convergent mechanisms, including down-regulation of E2F1 and up-regulation of p53/p21Cip1.

The Edinburgh Malawi Breast Cancer Project, a collaborative partnership project between the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) Oncology Unit, Blantyre, Malawi and the Edinburgh Cancer Centre, UK, was established in 2015. The principal objective of the project is to help to develop high quality multi-disciplinary breast cancer care in Malawi. A needs assessment identified three priority areas for further improvement of breast cancer services: multi-disciplinary working, development of oestrogen receptor (ER) testing and management of clinical data. A 3-year project plan was implemented which has been conducted through a series of reciprocal training visits. Key achievements to date have been: (1) Development of a new specialist breast care nursing role; (2) Development of multi-disciplinary meetings; (3) Completion of a programme of oncology nursing education; (4) Development of a clinical database that enables prospective collection of data of all new patients with breast cancer; (5) Training of local staff in molecular and conventional approaches to ER testing. The Edinburgh Malawi Breast Cancer Project is supporting nursing education, data use and cross-specialty collaboration that we are confident will improve cancer care in Malawi. Future work will include the development of a breast cancer diagnostic clinic and a breast cancer registry.

Objective: This phase I study assessed the pharmacokinetic (PK), tolerability, safety and preliminary clinical activity of tamoxifen (T) and lapatinib (L) in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Methods: Patients (pts) with hormone receptor positive MBC, irrespective of HER-2 status, were randomly assigned to T→T+L group, tamoxifen in cycle 1 for 28 days then adding lapatinib on day 1 of cycle 2; or L→T+L group, lapatinib in cycle 1 for 14 days, then adding tamoxifen on day 1 of cycle 2 to evaluate the potential drug-drug PK interaction at steady-state. The dose of tamoxifen was 20mg/day and lapatinib 1500mg/day. Results: Twenty-five pts were enrolled of which 23 started treatment, five (22%) of them were HER-2 positive. Median age was 59 years and 96% had PS ≤1. Eleven (91.7%) pts in the T→T+L group and 10 (76.9%) in L→T+L group received at least 2 cycles of treatment. The most frequently reported drug-related adverse events (>25% of patients) were diarrhoea (62%), anaemia (56%), rash (52%), fatigue (52%), dermatology other (34%) and leukopenia (28%). Grade 3-4 drug-related toxicities were infrequent (, SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2)-targeted therapy in breast cancer is one of the earliest and arguably most successful examples of the modern class of targeted drugs. Initially identified in the 1980s, the observation that HER2 acts as an independent predictor of poor prognosis in the 20% of breast cancer cases carrying a gene amplification or protein overexpression cemented its place at the forefront of research in this field. The outlook for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer has been revolutionized by the introduction of HER2-targeted agents, such as trastuzumab and lapatinib, yet resistance is frequently encountered and multiple different resistance mechanisms have been identified. We have explored resistance to a novel pan-HER inhibitor, AZD8931, and we examine mechanisms of resistance common to trastuzumab, lapatinib and AZD8931, and discuss the current problems associated with translating the wealth of pre-clinical data into clinical benefit.

Contains fulltext : 136490.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) BACKGROUND: We retrospectively reviewed data from nine pre-treated metastatic desmoplastic small round cell tumour (DSRCT) patients who received pazopanib. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Three patients received pazopanib within the EORTC phase II 62043, three in the EORTC phase III 62072, and three in the context of UK named patient program. RESULTS: Nine patients were retrieved from the databases, the median age was 30 years (range: 21-47), they were all males. All had received prior chemotherapy. At the time of treatment start, 4 patients (44%) had ECOG PS 0, 4 (44%) PS 1, 1 (11%) PS 2. Best response was partial response (PR) in 2/9 (22%) patients, stable disease (SD) in 5/9 (56%) and progressive disease (PD) in 2/9 (22%) with a clinical benefit rate (PR + SD > 12 weeks) of 78%. Median PFS and OS were 9.2 (95%CI: 0-23.2) and 15.4 (95%CI: 1.5-29.3) months respectively. With a median follow-up of 20 months, 2/9 (22%) patients are still alive, all progressed. The most common toxicities included neutropenia (G1-2 45%; G3-4 11%), anaemia (G1-2 45%), fatigue (G1-2 67%), diarrhoea (G1-2 45%; G3-4 11%), nausea (G1-2 45%), hypertension (G1-2 45%) and increase in liver enzymes (G1-2 34%; G3-4 11%). Three patients (34%) required a dose reduction. One of the patients discontinued treatment because of persistent increase in total bilirubin level, one due to patient's choice. CONCLUSION: In this series, pazopanib showed interesting activity in DSRCT patients who progressed after prior chemotherapy without major toxicity.

Background: Bevacizumab (bev) has been used with neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in breast cancer trials. Geparquinto reported benefit for bev in triple negative (neg) patients (pts) (pathological complete response (pCR) 36.4% vs 27.8% p=0.02), as did CALGB 40603 (pCR 52% vs 44%, p=0.057), although NSABP-B40 showed benefit in ER positive (pos) pts (pCR 23.3% vs 15.2%, p=0.008). Methods: ARTemis is a randomised phase 3 trial adding bev to NACT (docetaxel (D)-FEC). Pts with HER2-neg invasive breast cancer were eligible. Stratification was by age, ER status (neg:weak pos:strong pos), tumour size (T2:T3/4), clinical involvement of axillary nodes and inflammatory/locally advanced disease. Pts were randomised (1:1) to bev+D-FEC or D-FEC. The primary endpoint was pCR, defined as no residual invasive cancer in the breast or axillary lymph nodes after NACT. 800 pts were required to detect 10% differences in pCR rates; 85% power, 5% alpha level. Results: 800 pts were randomised from 66 UK centres (May 2009 to Jan 2013). 68% were D→FECBev+D→FEC % (95%CI)% (95%CI)p *$pCR in all breast tumours AND absence of disease in ax LNs in all breast tumours(n=66/393)(n=87/388) 17% (13-21%)22% (18-27%)0.03 ER neg (Allred 0-2) (n=253)32% (24-41)44% (36-54) ER weak pos (Allred 3-5) (n=67)26% (13-44)52% (34-69) ER strong pos (Allred 6-8) (n=461)7% (4-11)6% (3-10) pCR or MRD in all breast tumours(n=114/394)(n=138/388) 29% (25-34%)36% (31-41%)0.035 ER neg (Allred 0-2) (n=254)45% (36-54)56% (47-65) ER weak pos (Allred 3-5) (n=67)44% (27-62)73% (54-87) ER strong pos (Allred 6-8) (n=461)18% (13-23)19% (14-24) * Adjusted for stratification variables. $ Primary endpoint for the ARTemis trial Conclusions: ARTemis showed a significant improvement in both pCR and MRD rates with the addition of bev to D-FEC. ER-neg and ER-weak pos / HER2-neg breast cancer pts appeared to benefit most from bev, whilst pCR and MRD rates in ER-strong pos pts were lower and did not appear to benefit from bev. Our results are similar to those reported in Geparquinto and CALGB 40603. Citation Format: Helena M Earl, Louise Hiller, Janet A Dunn, Clare Blenkinsop, Louise Grybowicz, Anne-Laure Vallier, Jean Abraham, Jeremy Thomas, Elena Provenzano, Luke Hughes-Davies, Karen McAdam, Stephen Chan, Rizvana Ahmad, Tamas Hickish, Stephen Houston, Daniel Rea, John Bartlett, Carlos Caldas, David Cameron, Larry Hayward. ARTemis: A randomised trial of bevacizumab with neo-adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with HER2-negative early breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Seventh Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2014 Dec 9-13; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PD2-3.

Summary Background The optimum endocrine treatment for postmenopausal women with advanced hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer that has progressed on non-steroidal aromatase inhibitors (NSAIs) is unclear. The aim of the SoFEA trial was to assess a maximum double endocrine targeting approach with the steroidal anti-oestrogen fulvestrant in combination with continued oestrogen deprivation. Methods In a composite, multicentre, phase 3 randomised controlled trial done in the UK and South Korea, postmenopausal women with hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer (oestrogen receptor [ER] positive, progesterone receptor [PR] positive, or both) were eligible if they had relapsed or progressed with locally advanced or metastatic disease on an NSAI (given as adjuvant for at least 12 months or as first-line treatment for at least 6 months). Additionally, patients had to have adequate organ function and a WHO performance status of 0–2. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to receive fulvestrant (500 mg intramuscular injection on day 1, followed by 250 mg doses on days 15 and 29, and then every 28 days) plus daily oral anastrozole (1 mg); fulvestrant plus anastrozole-matched placebo; or daily oral exemestane (25 mg). Randomisation was done with computer-generated permuted blocks, and stratification was by centre and previous use of an NSAI as adjuvant treatment or for locally advanced or metastatic disease. Participants and investigators were aware of assignment to fulvestrant or exemestane, but not of assignment to anastrozole or placebo. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). Analyses were by intention to treat. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, numbers NCT00253422 (UK) and NCT00944918 (South Korea). Findings Between March 26, 2004, and Aug 6, 2010, 723 patients underwent randomisation: 243 were assigned to receive fulvestrant plus anastrozole, 231 to fulvestrant plus placebo, and 249 to exemestane. Median PFS was 4·4 months (95% CI 3·4–5·4) in patients assigned to fulvestrant plus anastrozole, 4·8 months (3·6–5·5) in those assigned to fulvestrant plus placebo, and 3·4 months (3·0–4·6) in those assigned to exemestane. No difference was recorded between the patients assigned to fulvestrant plus anastrozole and fulvestrant plus placebo (hazard ratio 1·00, 95% CI 0·83–1·21; log-rank p=0·98), or between those assigned to fulvestrant plus placebo and exemestane (0·95, 0·79–1·14; log-rank p=0·56). 87 serious adverse events were reported: 36 in patients assigned to fulvestrant plus anastrozole, 22 in those assigned to fulvestrant plus placebo, and 29 in those assigned to exemestane. Grade 3–4 adverse events were rare; the most frequent were arthralgia (three in the group assigned to fulvestrant plus anastrozole; seven in that assigned to fulvestrant plus placebo; eight in that assigned to exemestane), lethargy (three; 11; 11), and nausea or vomiting (five; two; eight). Interpretation After loss of response to NSAIs in postmenopausal women with hormone-receptor-positive advanced breast cancer, maximum double endocrine treatment with 250 mg fulvestrant combined with oestrogen deprivation is no better than either fulvestrant alone or exemestane. Funding Cancer Research UK and AstraZeneca.

1014Background: ARTemis compared the addition of Bev to neoadjuvant D-FEC in HER2 negative breast cancer. Improved pathological complete response (pCR) with Bev has been reported previously. Method...

Chemical inhibitors of histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity are used as experimental tools to induce histone hyperacetylation and deregulate gene transcription, but it is not known whether the inhibition of HDACs plays any part in the normal physiological regulation of transcription. Using both in vitro and in vivo assays, we show that lactate, which accumulates when glycolysis exceeds the cell's aerobic metabolic capacity, is an endogenous HDAC inhibitor, deregulating transcription in an HDAC-dependent manner. Lactate is a relatively weak inhibitor (IC50 40 mM) compared to the established inhibitors trichostatin A and butyrate, but the genes deregulated overlap significantly with those affected by low concentrations of the more potent inhibitors. HDAC inhibition causes significant up and downregulation of genes, but genes that are associated with HDAC proteins are more likely to be upregulated and less likely to be downregulated than would be expected. Our results suggest that the primary effect of HDAC inhibition by endogenous short-chain fatty acids like lactate is to promote gene expression at genes associated with HDAC proteins. Therefore, we propose that lactate may be an important transcriptional regulator, linking the metabolic state of the cell to gene transcription. Publisher PDF

The introduction of HER-2 directed therapies has revolutionised the management of both early and advanced HER-2 positive breast cancer. However, despite significant improvements in treatment outcomes, both inherent and acquired resistance are frequently encountered problems. Emerging evidence from early phase neo-adjuvant clinical trials, such as Neo-sphere and Neo-ALTTO, suggests that targeting multiple members of the Human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) family is more efficacious than single target inhibition. AZD 8931 is a novel equipotent reversible tyrosine kinase inhibitor of EGFR, HER-2 and HER-3 signalling with proven pre-clinical efficacy in breast, head and neck and non-small cell lung cancers {1}. To investigate potential mechanisms of acquired resistance to AZD-8931, HER-2 amplified SKBR-3 breast cancer cells were rendered resistant by culture with escalating doses of drug. Resistant and parental cell lines were phenotypically distinct with resistance being associated with greater cell spreading and increased cell density. Cross resistance to lapatinib, a reversible dual EGFR/HER 2 tyrosine kinase inhibitor, was demonstrated with an over 50 fold increase in IC50. Signalling changes associated with a resistant phenotype were explored with a combination of Reverse Phase Protein Array (RPPA) and western blotting. Following drug treatment, resistant cells still displayed a dose-dependent reduction in phospho HER-2 (Tyr 1248)/EGFR (Tyr 1173). However, constitutive activation of the HER 3 pathway resulted in persistent downstream signalling via the PI3K/AKT pathway and increased cell survival. Tumorigenesis in the MMTV-Nic model is driven by mammary-specific expression of a constitutively active HER 2 transgene {2}. This model has been crossed with a strain with a floxed PTEN allele {2} and studies are currently under way to explore the role of PTEN in AZD-8931 resistance. Citation Format: Helen Creedon, Morwenna Muir, Larry Hayward, Valerie Brunton. Development and characterisation of AZD-8931-resistant HER-2 positive breast cancer cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4453. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-4453

Background: Bevacizumab, a humanised monoclonal antibody which targets vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), has shown promising anti-tumour effect when given concurrently with taxane-based chemotherapy in breast cancer. However two neoadjuvant breast cancer trials have produced conflicting results. The GEPARQUINTO trial reported significant benefit only in the triple negative patients (pCR 27.8% vs 36.4% p = 0.021). The NSABP-B40 study showed significant benefit for bevacizumab only in the ER+ve patients (pathological complete response (pCR) in ER+ve population 15.2% vs 23.3%, p = 0.008). Trial design: ARTemis is a phase III randomised trial to determine whether the addition to neo-adjuvant chemotherapy of bevacizumab is more effective than standard chemotherapy alone in patients with HER2-negative early breast cancer. A total of 400 patients will be randomised into each of the two treatment arms which will allow an absolute difference in the pCR rates in excess of 10% to be detected at the 5% (2-sided) level of significance with an 85% power. Primary outcome is pathological complete response rates after neo-adjuvant chemotherapy, i.e. no residual invasive carcinoma in the breast, and no evidence of metastatic disease within the lymph nodes. Secondary outcomes are disease free survival, overall survival, complete pathological response rates in breast alone, radiological response after 3 and 6 cycles of chemotherapy and rate of breast conservation and toxicities. Translational work (ARTemis-Science): collection of blood samples, and paraffin-embedded formalin-fixed and fresh tissue samples to investigate whether markers for chemotherapy response/resistance, and pharmacogenetic and pharmacogenomic markers can be correlated with outcomes (pathCR and RFS) in patients randomised to receive bevacizumab versus those that do not. Eligibility criteria: Histologically confirmed HER2-negative invasive breast cancer; T2 to T4 tumour and/or large/fixed axillary nodes (>20mm/clinical N2 or N3), or inflammatory disease; suitable for, and fit to receive neo-adjuvant chemotherapy and an anti-angiogenic. Results: Recruitment into ARTemis began in April 2009 and as of June 2012 had recruited 600 (75%) patients and 65 sites are open for recruitment. ARTemis is due to complete recruitment by first quarter of 2013 and the first planned interim analysis of the primary outcome will be December 2013. Conclusion: The IDSMC reviewed the trial in June 2012 and recommended continuation of recruitment to this important trial given there were no safety concerns. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2012;72(24 Suppl):Abstract nr OT3-3-09.

511 Background: Zoledronic acid (ZOL) reduces skeletal morbidity associated with metastatic bone disease by 30-50%. Current recommendations are for indefinite administration of intravenous 3-4 weekly (w) ZOL 4mg. Over recent years it has become clear that the risk of skeletal morbidity is related to the rate of bone resorption. We have compared a marker directed schedule of ZOL (M-ZOL), using measurements of urinary n-telopeptide of type I collagen (NTX), to a standard treatment schedule (S-ZOL) in patients with bone metastases from breast cancer. Methods: The primary endpoint was skeletal related events (SRE). A non-inferiority study was designed with 80% power and (one-sided) 5% alpha to demonstrate that M-ZOL retained 67% of the efficacy of S-ZOL. This required 1500 patients, assuming a SRE rate of 0.7/year. Following minimisation for known prognostic factors, patients were randomised to receive S-ZOL 3-4 w or M-ZOL (15-16w; 8-9 w or 3-4w if NTX levels were 100 nmol/mmol creatinine respectively), with the schedule adjusted according to NTX measured every 16 weeks. The study duration was 24 months. Results: Due to lower than expected recruitment, the study closed in 2009 following recruitment of 289 patients. 90% of patients had received >4 cycles of ZOL or pamidronate prior to randomisation. The median number of ZOL infusions administered to S-ZOL patients was >2x that received on M-ZOL. 46 (32%) S-ZOL and 55 (38%) M-ZOL patients experienced an SRE. The numbers of SRE were 94 and 138 in the S-ZOL and M-ZOL arms, with the excess in SRE being largely due to more patients on M-ZOL experiencing ≥2 SRE. Multivariate analysis adjusting for key minimisation factors and baseline NTX for all SRE showed a hazard ratio for M-ZOL vs. S-ZOL of 1.41 (90%CI 0.98-2.02, p=.12). NTX levels were significantly higher at all time points in the M-ZOL treated patients. Osteonecrosis of the jaw was uncommon with 3 cases with S-ZOL and 1 with M-ZOL. Conclusions: The study is underpowered to demonstrate non-inferiority in SRE outcome between the treatment strategies. However, the results suggest that the adjustment of ZOL schedule based on NTX values alone may represent sub-optimal management.

TPS1144 Background: Bevacizumab is a new humanised monoclonal antibody which targets vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and thereby the neoangiogenic process in cancer. Bevacizumab has shown promising anti-tumour effect when given concurrently with taxane-based chemotherapy in breast cancer. However two neoadjuvant breast cancer trials have produced conflicting results. The NSABP-B40 study showed significant benefit for bevacizumab only in the ER+ve patients (pathological complete response (pCR) in ER+ve population 15.2% vs 23.3%, p=0.008). Whereas the GEPARQUINTO trial reported significant benefit only in the triple negative patients (pCR 27.8% vs 36.4% p=0.021). Methods: ARTemis is a phase III randomised trial to determine whether the addition to neo-adjuvant chemotherapy of bevacizumab is more effective than standard chemotherapy alone in patients with HER2-negative early breast cancer. A total of 400 patients will be randomised into each of the two treatment arms which will allow an absolute difference in the pCR rates in excess of 10% to be detected at the 5% (2-sided) level of significance with an 85% power. Primary outcome is pathological complete response rates after neo-adjuvant chemotherapy, i.e. no residual invasive carcinoma in the breast, and no evidence of metastatic disease within the lymph nodes. Secondary outcomes are disease free survival, overall survival, complete pathological response rates in breast alone, radiological response after 3 and 6 cycles of chemotherapy and rate of breast conservation and toxicities. Results: Recruitment into ARTemis began in April 2009 and as of January 2012 had recruited 469 (59%). ARTemis is due to complete recruitment by Dec 2012 and the first planned interim analysis of the primary outcome will be Dec 2013. Conclusion: The IDSMC reviewed the trial in June 2011 and recommended continuation of recruitment to this important trial given there were no safety concerns, and results from the other neoadjuvant studies (NSABP-B40 and GEPARQUINTO) are conflicting.

Anterior Gradient-2 was identified using proteomic technologies as a protein overexpressed in human cancers. We show here properties of AG2 suggesting it has proto-oncogenic properties:(i) the AG2 protein and gene are unregulated in a tamoxifen resistance panel of breast cancer cells lines, (ii) cell lines overproducing AG2 have an elevated clonogenic activity in vitro and also increase cell growth in a xenograft model, (iii) AG2 protein inhibits the tumour suppressor protein p53, and (iv) AG2 localizes to the endoplasmic reticulum, suggesting a proto-onocogenic signalling pathway exists from endoplasmic reticulum to the nucleus to inhibit p53. To validate the AG2-mediated endoplasmic reticulum pathway as a possible drug target, we developed peptide aptamers to AG2 protein in order to determine whether the oncogenic properties of the protein can be altered by the peptide ligand. These studies hold promise for developing new types of drugs that can release and reactivate the tumour suppressor p53 in breast cancers.