Testing for germline BRCA1/2 mutations has an established predictive role in breast cancer risk assessment. More recently, studies have also identified BRCA1/2 status as clinically relevant in the ...selection of therapy for patients already diagnosed with breast cancer. Emerging breast and ovarian cancer research indicate that BRCA status predicts responsiveness to platinum-based chemotherapy, as well as to inhibitors of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), owing to the ability of these interventions to inhibit DNA repair pathways. BRCA1/2 mutation testing thus has important and expanding roles in treatment planning for subsets of patients with breast cancer. Recent studies have demonstrated different activity of platinum salts in BRCA-mutated compared with non-BRCA-mutated breast cancer. Furthermore, phase II/III studies of single-agent PARP inhibitors (PARPi) have shown encouraging progression-free survival results in patients with BRCA1/2-mutated breast cancer, which led to the recent approval of olaparib, the first PARPi to be approved in breast cancer. Determining BRCA1/2 mutation status in this breast cancer subgroup could potentially expand treatment options beyond the current standard of taxane and anthracycline-based chemotherapy. Although attempts have been made to develop scoring systems that measure defects in homologous recombination repair pathways to predict response to platinum or PARPi, none have yet made it into clinical use. In this review, we summarise the recent and ongoing preclinical and clinical studies on the treatment of BRCA-associated breast cancer, and discuss efforts to identify other breast cancer patients who may be responsive to therapies effective in BRCA mutation carriers, including platinum-containing chemotherapy and PARPi.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
ASCO Rapid Recommendations Updates highlight revisions to select ASCO guideline recommendations as a response to the emergence of new and practice-changing data. The rapid updates are supported by an ...evidence review and follow the guideline development processes outlined in the ASCO Guideline Methodology Manual. The goal of these articles is to disseminate updated recommendations, in a timely manner, to better inform health practitioners and the public on the best available cancer care options.
Olaparib, a poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor (PARPi), is approved for the treatment of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative metastatic breast cancer (MBC) in germline ...(g)
/
mutation carriers. Olaparib Expanded, an investigator-initiated, phase II study, assessed olaparib response in patients with MBC with somatic (s)
/
mutations or g/s mutations in homologous recombination (HR)-related genes other than
2.
Eligible patients had MBC with measurable disease and germline mutations in non-
/
HR-related genes (cohort 1) or somatic mutations in these genes or
/
(cohort 2). Prior PARPi, platinum-refractory disease, or progression on more than two chemotherapy regimens (metastatic setting) was not allowed. Patients received olaparib 300 mg orally twice a day until progression. A single-arm, two-stage design was used. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR); the null hypothesis (≤ 5% ORR) would be rejected within each cohort if there were four or more responses in 27 patients. Secondary endpoints included clinical benefit rate and progression-free survival (PFS).
Fifty-four patients enrolled. Seventy-six percent had estrogen receptor-positive HER2-negative disease. Eighty-seven percent had mutations in
s
/
,
or
. In cohort 1, ORR was 33% (90% CI, 19% to 51%) and in cohort 2, 31% (90% CI, 15% to 49%). Confirmed responses were seen only with g
(ORR, 82%) and s
/
(ORR, 50%) mutations. Median PFS was 13.3 months (90% CI, 12 months to not available/computable NA) for g
and 6.3 months (90% CI, 4.4 months to NA) for s
/
mutation carriers. No responses were observed with
or
mutations alone.
PARP inhibition is an effective treatment for patients with MBC and g
or s
/
mutations, significantly expanding the population of patients with breast cancer likely to benefit from PARPi beyond g
/
mutation carriers. These results emphasize the value of molecular characterization for treatment decisions in MBC.
To develop recommendations for management of patients with breast cancer (BC) with germline mutations in BC susceptibility genes.
The American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Society for ...Radiation Oncology, and Society of Surgical Oncology convened an Expert Panel to develop recommendations based on a systematic review of the literature and a formal consensus process.
Fifty-eight articles met eligibility criteria and formed the evidentiary basis for the local therapy recommendations; six randomized controlled trials of systemic therapy met eligibility criteria.
Patients with newly diagnosed BC and
/
mutations may be considered for breast-conserving therapy (BCT), with local control of the index cancer similar to that of noncarriers. The significant risk of a contralateral BC (CBC), especially in young women, and the higher risk of new cancers in the ipsilateral breast warrant discussion of bilateral mastectomy. Patients with mutations in moderate-risk genes should be offered BCT. For women with mutations in
/
or moderate-penetrance genes who are eligible for mastectomy, nipple-sparing mastectomy is a reasonable approach. There is no evidence of increased toxicity or CBC events from radiation exposure in
/
carriers. Radiation therapy should not be withheld in
carriers. For patients with germline
mutations, mastectomy is advised; radiation therapy is contraindicated except in those with significant risk of locoregional recurrence. Platinum agents are recommended versus taxanes to treat advanced BC in
carriers. In the adjuvant/neoadjuvant setting, data do not support the routine addition of platinum to anthracycline- and taxane-based chemotherapy. Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors (olaparib and talazoparib) are preferable to nonplatinum single-agent chemotherapy for treatment of advanced BC in
/
carriers. Data are insufficient to recommend PARP inhibitor use in the early setting or in moderate-penetrance carriers. Additional information available at www.asco.org/breast-cancer-guidelines.
A 56-year-old postmenopausal woman with a recent diagnosis of breast cancer was referred to discuss adjuvant therapy. Annual screening mammogram demonstrated a suspicious mass in the left breast. ...Ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy revealed an infiltrating ductal carcinoma that was estrogen receptor (ER) positive and progesterone receptor (PR) negative and lacked amplification of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2; ie, HER2 negative). She underwent excision and sentinel node evaluation. Pathology demonstrated a 1.9-cm grade 2 invasive cancer without lymphatic vascular invasion; clean margins were obtained, and both sentinel nodes were free of cancer. The 21-gene recurrence score was 16. She has a body mass index (BMI) of 28.5 but is otherwise healthy; levothyroxine is the only prescription medication she takes. She experienced vaginal spotting 2 years earlier because of an endometrial polyp, which was resected. She exercises regularly and takes a calcium supplement with vitamin D. Bone density study performed 6 months earlier was normal other than mild osteopenia in the femoral neck (T score, -1.3). Radiation therapy is planned.
Background
Breast cancer subtypes are associated with distinct metastatic patterns. Whether germline BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation status is independently associated with central nervous system (CNS) relapse, ...controlling for tumor subtype, is unknown.
Methods
Patients who were treated at Dana‐Farber Cancer Institute and diagnosed with a first locoregional recurrence (LRR) or metastasis between 1981 and 2014 were identified using 2 institutional registries: 1) patients treated for recurrent breast cancer and 2) patients who underwent BRCA testing. The frequencies of LRR, sites of metastasis, and breast cancer‐specific survival from LRR or metastasis were calculated, and the factors associated with CNS recurrence were evaluated using multivariable logistic regression models.
Results
The final study cohort included 30 BRCA1 mutation carriers, 32 BRCA2 mutation carriers, and 270 noncarriers. Most BRCA1 carriers (73%) had triple‐negative breast cancer; whereas most BRCA2 carriers (72%) had hormone receptor‐positive tumors. BRCA1 carriers frequently experienced lung and distant lymph node metastasis, whereas BRCA2 carriers and noncarriers most often experienced bone metastasis. Although CNS disease occurred frequently in both BRCA1 and BRCA2 carriers (53% BRCA1, 50% BRCA2, 25% noncarriers; P < .001), only BRCA2 mutation (P = .006) was significantly associated with CNS metastasis in multivariable analysis controlling for tumor subtype. BRCA2 mutation (P = .01), triple‐negative subtype (P < .001), and the involvement of CNS (P < .001) and other non‐CNS distant sites (relative to locoregional recurrence or contralateral disease; P < .001) at presentation of recurrent breast cancer were associated with risk for mortality.
Conclusions
CNS involvement is frequent in women with germline BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations who have metastatic breast cancer. BRCA2 mutation carriers had a significantly higher frequency of CNS metastasis than noncarriers when controlling for breast cancer subtype.
Germline BRCA1 or BRCA2 alterations are associated with a high frequency (≥50%) of brain metastases in patients with locoregionally recurrent or metastatic breast cancer. In multivariable analysis, only BRCA2 mutation (P = .006) was significantly associated with central nervous system metastasis when controlling for breast cancer subtype.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
PARP inhibitors have been approved for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer in germline BRCA mutation (gBRCAm) carriers. The recent OlympiA trial demonstrated improved progression-free and ...distant disease-free survival with adjuvant olaparib for gBRCAm carriers with HER2-negative high-risk early-stage breast cancer. The current article addresses some for the questions raised by OlympiA regarding how to incorporate PARP inhibitors into the treatment of early-stage breast cancer as well as future directions for PARP inhibitors in breast cancer treatment and prevention.
The introduction of next-generation sequencing has resulted in testing multiple genes simultaneously to identify inherited pathogenic variants (PVs) in cancer susceptibility genes. PVs with low minor ...allele frequencies (MAFs) (< 25-35%) are highlighted on germline genetic test reports. In this review, we focus on the challenges of interpreting PVs with low MAF in breast cancer patients undergoing germline testing and the implications for management.The clinical implications of a germline PV are substantial. For PV carriers in high-penetrance genes like BRCA1, BRCA2, and TP53, prophylactic mastectomy is often recommended and radiation therapy avoided when possible for those with Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS). For germline PV carriers in more moderate-risk genes such as PALB2, ATM, and CHEK2, annual breast MRI is recommended and prophylactic mastectomies considered for those with significant family histories. Detection of PVs in cancer susceptibility genes can also lead to recommendations for other prophylactic surgeries (e.g., salpingo-oophorectomy) and increased surveillance for other cancers. Therefore, recognizing when a PV is somatic rather than germline and distinguishing somatic mosaicism from clonal hematopoiesis (CH) is essential. Mutational events that occur at a post-zygotic stage are somatic and will only be present in tissues derived from the mutated cell, characterizing classic mosaicism. Clonal hematopoiesis is a form of mosaicism restricted to the hematopoietic compartment.Among the genes in multi-gene panels used for germline testing of breast cancer patients, the detection of a PV with low MAF occurs most often in TP53, though has been reported in other breast cancer susceptibility genes. Distinguishing a germline TP53 PV (LFS) from a somatic PV (TP53 mosaicism or CH) has enormous implications for breast cancer patients and their relatives.We review how to evaluate a PV with low MAF. The identification of the PV in another tissue confirms mosaicism. Older age, exposure to chemotherapy, radiation, and tobacco are known risk factors for CH, as is the absence of a LFS-related cancer in the setting of a TP53 PV with low MAF. The ability to recognize and understand the implications of somatic PVs, including somatic mosaicism and CH, enables optimal personalized care of breast cancer patients.
Women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation face high risks of breast and ovarian cancer. In the current study, we report on uptake of cancer screening and risk-reduction options in a cohort of BRCA ...mutation carriers from ten countries over two time periods (1995 to 2008 and 2009 to 2017).
Eligible subjects were identified from an international database of female BRCA mutation carriers and included women from 59 centres from ten countries. Subjects completed a questionnaire at the time of genetic testing, which included past use of cancer prevention options and screening tests. Biennial follow-up questionnaires were administered.
Six-thousand two-hundred and twenty-three women were followed for a mean of 7.5 years. The mean age at last follow-up was 52.1 years (27-96 years) and 42.3% of the women had a prior diagnosis of breast cancer. In all, 27.8% had a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy and 64.7% had a BSO. Screening with breast MRI increased from 70% before 2009 to 81% at or after 2009. There were significant differences in uptake of all options by country.
For women who received genetic testing more recently, uptake of prophylactic mastectomy and breast MRI is significantly higher than those who received genetic testing more than 10 years ago. However, uptake of both BSO and breast MRI is not optimal, and interventions to increase uptake are needed.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ