Recent studies suggest that tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are associated with disease-free (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in operable triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). We seek to ...validate the prognostic impact of TILs in primary TNBCs in two adjuvant phase III trials conducted by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG).
Full-face hematoxylin and eosin–stained sections of 506 tumors from ECOG trials E2197 and E1199 were evaluated for density of TILs in intraepithelial (iTILs) and stromal compartments (sTILs). Patient cases of TNBC from E2197 and E1199 were randomly selected based on availability of sections. For the primary end point of DFS, association with TIL scores was determined by fitting proportional hazards models stratified on study. Secondary end points were OS and distant recurrence–free interval (DRFI). Reporting recommendations for tumor marker prognostic studies criteria were followed, and all analyses were prespecified.
The majority of 481 evaluable cancers had TILs (sTILs, 80%; iTILs, 15%). With a median follow-up of 10.6 years, higher sTIL scores were associated with better prognosis; for every 10% increase in sTILs, a 14% reduction of risk of recurrence or death (P = .02), 18% reduction of risk of distant recurrence (P = .04), and 19% reduction of risk of death (P = .01) were observed. Multivariable analysis confirmed sTILs to be an independent prognostic marker of DFS, DRFI, and OS.
In two national randomized clinical trials using contemporary adjuvant chemotherapy, we confirm that stromal lymphocytic infiltration constitutes a robust prognostic factor in TNBCs. Studies assessing outcomes and therapeutic efficacies should consider stratification for this parameter.
Positive interim analysis findings from four large adjuvant trials evaluating trastuzumab in patients with early-stage human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) -positive breast cancer were ...first reported in 2005. One of these reports, the joint analysis of North Central Cancer Treatment Group NCCTG N9831 (Combination Chemotherapy With or Without Trastuzumab in Treating Women With HER2-Overexpressing Breast Cancer) and the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project NSABP B-31 (Doxorubicin and Cyclophosphamide Plus Paclitaxel With or Without Trastuzumab in Treating Women With Node-Positive Breast Cancer That Overexpresses HER2), was updated in 2011. We now report the planned definitive overall survival (OS) results from this joint analysis along with updates on the disease-free survival (DFS) end point.
In all, 4,046 patients with HER2-positive operable breast cancer were enrolled to receive doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide followed by paclitaxel with or without trastuzumab in both trials. The required number of events for the definitive statistical analysis for OS (710 events) was reached in September 2012. Updated analyses of overall DFS and related subgroups were also performed.
Median time on study was 8.4 years. Adding trastuzumab to chemotherapy led to a 37% relative improvement in OS (hazard ratio HR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.73; P < .001) and an increase in 10-year OS rate from 75.2% to 84%. These results were accompanied by an improvement in DFS of 40% (HR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.68; P < .001) and increase in 10-year DFS rate from 62.2% to 73.7%. All patient subgroups benefited from addition of this targeted anti-HER2 agent.
The addition of trastuzumab to paclitaxel after doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide in early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer results in a substantial and durable improvement in survival as a result of a sustained marked reduction in cancer recurrence.
This trial did not support routine use of ovarian suppression in premenopausal breast cancer. Nevertheless, there may be some benefit from ovarian suppression in the subgroup of younger patients ...whose menses return after adjuvant chemotherapy, but also more symptoms.
Adjuvant endocrine therapy with tamoxifen has been recommended for premenopausal women with hormone-receptor–positive breast cancer (positive for estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, or both) during the past 15 years.
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The value of therapeutic suppression of ovarian estrogen production in premenopausal women who receive tamoxifen is uncertain.
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The American Society of Clinical Oncology endorsed guidelines recommending that ovarian ablation or suppression (hereafter, ovarian suppression) not be added routinely to adjuvant therapy in premenopausal women.
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Chemotherapy-induced ovarian suppression (amenorrhea) is correlated with a reduced risk of relapse
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but is less likely to be achieved in very young women. International consensus guidelines . . .
Aromatase inhibitors are somewhat more effective than tamoxifen as adjuvant therapy in postmenopausal women with early breast cancer. This benefit was extended to premenopausal women when they also ...received ovarian suppression to prevent ovarian compensation for aromatase inhibition.
The most effective adjuvant endocrine therapy for premenopausal women with hormone-receptor (estrogen, progesterone, or both)–positive breast cancer is uncertain. Tamoxifen for at least 5 years is a standard of care.
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Adjuvant suppression of ovarian function (hereafter, ovarian suppression) may be recommended in addition. For postmenopausal women, adjuvant therapy with an aromatase inhibitor, as compared with tamoxifen, improves outcomes.
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In 2003, the International Breast Cancer Study Group (IBCSG) initiated two randomized, phase 3 trials, the Tamoxifen and Exemestane Trial (TEXT) and the Suppression of Ovarian Function Trial (SOFT), involving premenopausal women with hormone-receptor–positive early breast cancer, through collaboration with . . .
Women with hormone-receptor–negative breast cancer who received goserelin with adjuvant chemotherapy had less amenorrhea and better fertility at 2 years after treatment, and better rates of ...disease-free and overall survival, than did those who received chemotherapy alone.
Early ovarian failure is an important and potentially devastating long-term toxic effect of chemotherapy. Manifestations include menopausal symptoms, osteoporosis, and infertility. Concerns about fertility may influence treatment choices for young women with breast cancer
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despite the known survival benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy.
Trials of the coadministration of a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist with adjuvant chemotherapy for the purpose of protecting ovarian function have shown mixed results.
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A large randomized trial addressing this issue suggested that coadministration of a GnRH agonist with chemotherapy had an ovarian protective effect in a cohort of patients in which 86% had estrogen-receptor–positive breast cancer, . . .
Trastuzumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody against the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). The clinical benefits of adjuvant trastuzumab have been demonstrated in interim analyses of ...four large trials. Initial data of the combined analysis of the North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG) N9831 Intergroup trial and National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) B-31 trial were reported in 2005. Long-term follow-up results on disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) have been awaited.
Patients with HER2-positive operable breast cancer were randomly assigned to doxorubicin plus cyclophosphamide followed by paclitaxel with or without trastuzumab in the NCCTG N9831 and NSABP B-31 trials. The similar design of both trials allowed data from the control and trastuzumab-containing arms to be combined in a joint analysis.
At 3.9 years of median follow-up, there continues to be a highly statistically significant reduction in DFS event rate in favor of the trastuzumab-containing arm (P < .001). Similarly, there continues to be a statistically significant 39% reduction in death rate in favor of the trastuzumab-containing arm (P < .001).
These data demonstrate consistent DFS and OS advantages of adjuvant trastuzumab over time, with the longest follow-up reported to date. The clinical benefits continue to outweigh the risks of adverse effects.
To determine long-term outcomes in a clinical trial evaluating the role of taxane type and schedule in operable breast cancer and evaluate the impact of obesity and black race on outcome.
A total of ...4,954 eligible women with stage II to III breast cancer treated with four cycles of doxorubicin plus cyclophosphamide were randomly assigned to receive paclitaxel or docetaxel every 3 weeks for four doses or weekly for 12 doses using a 2 × 2 factorial design. The primary end point was disease-free survival (DFS). Results are expressed as hazard ratios (HRs) from Cox proportional hazards models. All P values are two sided.
When compared with the standard every-3-week paclitaxel arm, after a median follow-up of 12.1 years, DFS significantly improved and overall survival (OS) marginally improved only for the weekly paclitaxel (HR, 0.84; P = .011 and HR, 0.87; P = .09, respectively) and every-3-week docetaxel arms (HR, 0.79; P = .001 and HR, 0.86; P = .054, respectively). Weekly paclitaxel improved DFS and OS (HR, 0.69; P = .010 and HR, 0.69; P = .019, respectively) in triple-negative breast cancer. For hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-nonoverexpressing disease, no experimental arm improved OS, and black race and obesity were associated with increased risk of breast cancer recurrence and death.
Improved outcomes initially observed for weekly paclitaxel were qualitatively similar but quantitatively less pronounced with longer follow-up, although exploratory analysis suggested substantial benefit in triple-negative disease. Further research is required to understand why obesity and race influence clinical outcome in hormone receptor-positive disease.
Objective
Mevalonate kinase deficiency (MKD) is a rare metabolic disease characterized by recurrent inflammatory episodes. This study was undertaken to describe the genotype, phenotype, and response ...to treatment in an international cohort of MKD patients.
Methods
All MKD cases were extracted from the Eurofever registry (Executive Agency for Health and Consumers project no. 2007332), an international, multicenter registry that retrospectively collects data on children and adults with autoinflammatory diseases.
Results
The study included 114 MKD patients. The median age at onset was 0.5 years. Patients had on average 12 episodes per year. Most patients had gastrointestinal symptoms (n = 112), mucocutaneous involvement (n = 99), lymphadenopathy (n = 102), or musculoskeletal symptoms (n = 89). Neurologic symptoms included headache (n = 43), cerebellar syndrome (n = 2), and mental retardation (n = 4). AA amyloidosis was noted in 5 patients, almost twice as many as expected from findings in previous cohorts. Macrophage activation syndrome occurred in 1 patient. Patients were generally well between attacks, but 10–20% of the patients had constitutional symptoms, such as fatigue, between fever episodes. Patients with p.V377I/p.I268T compound heterozygosity had AA amyloidosis significantly more often. Patients without a p.V377I mutation more often had severe musculoskeletal involvement. Treatment with nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs relieved symptoms. Steroids given during attacks, anakinra, and etanercept appeared to improve symptoms and could induce complete remission in patients with MKD.
Conclusion
We describe the clinical and genetic characteristics of 114 MKD patients, which is the largest cohort studied so far. The clinical manifestations confirm earlier reports. However, the prevalence of AA amyloidosis is far higher than expected.
Abstract
Objectives
Chronic non-bacterial osteomyelitis (CNO) or chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO) is an autoinflammatory disorder characterized by sterile bone osteolytic lesions. ...The aim of this study was to evaluate the demographic data and clinical, instrumental and therapeutic features at baseline in a large series of CNO/CRMO patients enrolled in the Eurofever registry.
Methods
A web-based registry collected retrospective data on patients affected by CRMO/CNO. Both paediatric and adult centres were involved.
Results
Complete baseline information on 486 patients was available (176 male, 310 female). The mean age of onset was 9.9 years. Adult onset (>18 years of age) was observed in 31 (6.3%) patients. The mean time from disease onset to final diagnosis was 1 year (range 0-15). MRI was performed at baseline in 426 patients (88%), revealing a mean number of 4.1 lesions. More frequent manifestations not directly related to bone involvement were myalgia (12%), mucocutaneous manifestations (5% acne, 5% palmoplantar pustulosis, 4% psoriasis, 3% papulopustular lesions, 2% urticarial rash) and gastrointestinal symptoms (8%). A total of 361 patients have been treated with NSAIDs, 112 with glucocorticoids, 61 with bisphosphonates, 58 with MTX, 47 with SSZ, 26 with anti-TNF and 4 with anakinra, with a variable response.
Conclusion
This is the largest reported case series of CNO patients, showing that the range of associated clinical manifestations is rather heterogeneous. The study confirms that the disease usually presents with an early teenage onset, but it may also occur in adults, even in the absence of mucocutaneous manifestations.
This randomized trial of adjuvant chemotherapy in women with axillary lymph node–positive or high-risk, lymph node–negative breast cancer showed that weekly paclitaxel improved disease-free and ...overall survival as compared with docetaxel, when either was given after standard adjuvant chemotherapy.
In women with axillary lymph node–positive or high-risk, lymph node–negative breast cancer, weekly paclitaxel improved disease-free and overall survival as compared with docetaxel, when either was given after standard adjuvant chemotherapy.
Adjuvant chemotherapy substantially reduces the risk of recurrence and death among women with operable breast cancer.
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The addition of a taxane to an anthracycline-containing regimen, whether after or concurrently with anthracycline treatment, further reduces the risk of relapse. Two studies in which patients received four cycles of paclitaxel every 3 weeks after receiving four cycles of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide every 3 weeks
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established a new standard of care for operable breast cancer and led to regulatory approval of paclitaxel for axillary lymph node–positive breast cancer. Another study demonstrating that concurrent administration of docetaxel with doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide was more . . .
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