Background
The added value of surgery in breast cancer patients with pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NST) is uncertain. The accuracy of imaging identifying ...pCR for omission of surgery, however, is insufficient. We investigated the accuracy of ultrasound-guided biopsies identifying breast pCR (ypT0) after NST in patients with radiological partial (rPR) or complete response (rCR) on MRI.
Methods
We performed a multicenter, prospective single-arm study in three Dutch hospitals. Patients with T1–4(N0 or N +) breast cancer with MRI rPR and enhancement ≤ 2.0 cm or MRI rCR after NST were enrolled. Eight ultrasound-guided 14-G core biopsies were obtained in the operating room before surgery close to the marker placed centrally in the tumor area at diagnosis (no attempt was made to remove the marker), and compared with the surgical specimen of the breast. Primary outcome was the false-negative rate (FNR).
Results
Between April 2016 and June 2019, 202 patients fulfilled eligibility criteria. Pre-surgical biopsies were obtained in 167 patients, of whom 136 had rCR and 31 had rPR on MRI. Forty-three (26%) tumors were hormone receptor (HR)-positive/HER2-negative, 64 (38%) were HER2-positive, and 60 (36%) were triple-negative. Eighty-nine patients had pCR (53%; 95% CI 45–61) and 78 had residual disease. Biopsies were false-negative in 29 (37%; 95% CI 27–49) of 78 patients. The multivariable associated with false-negative biopsies was rCR (FNR 47%; OR 9.81, 95% CI 1.72–55.89;
p
= 0.01); a trend was observed for HR-negative tumors (FNR 71% in HER2-positive and 55% in triple-negative tumors; OR 4.55, 95% CI 0.95–21.73;
p
= 0.058) and smaller pathological lesions (6 mm vs 15 mm; OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.87–1.00;
p
= 0.051).
Conclusion
The MICRA trial showed that ultrasound-guided core biopsies are not accurate enough to identify breast pCR in patients with good response on MRI after NST. Therefore, breast surgery cannot safely be omitted relying on the results of core biopsies in these patients.
The optimal chemotherapy backbone for dual HER2 blockade in the neoadjuvant setting for early breast cancer is unknown. We investigated whether the addition of anthracyclines would improve ...pathological complete response compared with a carboplatin–taxane regimen, when given in combination with the HER2-targeted agents trastuzumab and pertuzumab.
The TRAIN-2 study is an open-label, randomised, controlled, phase 3 trial being done in 37 hospitals in the Netherlands. We recruited patients aged 18 years or older with previously untreated, histologically confirmed stage II–III HER2-positive breast cancer. Patients were randomly allocated using central randomisation software (1:1 ratio) with minimisation without a random component, stratified by tumour stage, nodal stage, oestrogen receptor status, and age, to receive 5-fluorouracil (500 mg/m2), epirubicin (90 mg/m2), and cyclophosphamide (500 mg/m2) every 3 weeks for three cycles followed by paclitaxel (80 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8) and carboplatin (area under the concentration–time curve AUC 6 mg/mL per min on day 1 or optionally, as per hospital preference, AUC 3 mg/mL per min on days 1 and 8) every 3 weeks for six cycles, or to receive nine cycles of paclitaxel and carboplatin at the same dose and schedule as in the anthracycline group. Patients in both study groups received trastuzumab (6 mg/kg, loading dose 8 mg/kg) and pertuzumab (420 mg, loading dose 840 mg) concurrently with all chemotherapy cycles. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients who achieved a pathological complete response in breast and axilla (ypT0/is ypN0) in the intention-to-treat population. Safety was analysed in patients who received at least one treatment cycle according to actual treatment received. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01996267, and follow-up for long-term outcome is ongoing.
Between Dec 9, 2013, and Jan 14, 2016, 438 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to the two treatment groups (219 patients to each group), of whom 418 were evaluable for the primary endpoint (212 in the anthracycline group and 206 in the non-anthracycline group). The median follow-up for all patients was 19 months (IQR 16–23 months). A pathological complete response was recorded in 141 (67%, 95% CI 60–73) of 212 patients in the anthracycline group and in 140 (68%, 61–74) of 206 in the non-anthracycline group (p=0·95). One patient randomly allocated to the non-anthracycline group did receive anthracyclines and was thus included in the anthracycline group for safety analyses; therefore, for the safety analyses there were 220 patients in the anthracycline group and 218 in the non-anthracycline group. Serious adverse events were reported in 61 (28%) of 220 patients in the anthracycline group and in 49 (22%) of 218 in the non-anthracycline group. The most common adverse events of any cause were grade 3 or worse neutropenia (in 131 60% of 220 patients in the anthracycline group vs 118 54% of 218 in the non-anthracycline group), grade 3 or worse diarrhoea (26 12% vs 37 18%), and grade 2 or worse peripheral neuropathy (66 30% vs 68 31%), with no substantial differences between the groups. Grade 3 or worse febrile neutropenia was more common in the anthracycline group than in the non-anthracycline group (23 10% vs three 1%, p<0·0001). Symptomatic left ventricular systolic dysfunction was rare in both groups (two 1% of 220 vs 0 of 218). One patient in the anthracycline group died because of a pulmonary embolism, which was possibly treatment related.
In view of the high proportion of pathological complete responses recorded in both groups and the fact that febrile neutropenia was more frequent in the anthracycline group, omitting anthracyclines from neoadjuvant treatment regimens might be a preferred approach in the presence of dual HER2 blockade in patients with early HER2-positive breast cancer. Long-term follow-up is required to confirm these results.
Roche Netherlands.
Purpose
In clinically node-positive (cN+) breast cancer patients, evidence supporting response-guided treatment after neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NST) instead of axillary lymph node dissection ...(ALND) is increasing, but follow-up results are lacking. We assessed three-year axillary recurrence-free interval (aRFI) in cN+ patients with response-adjusted axillary treatment according to the ‘Marking Axillary lymph nodes with Radioactive Iodine seeds’ (MARI)-protocol.
Methods
We retrospectively assessed all stage II–III cytologically proven cN+ breast cancer patients who underwent the MARI-protocol between July 2014 and November 2018. Pre-NST axillary staging with FDG-PET/CT (less- or more than four suspicious axillary nodes; cALN < 4 or cALN ≥ 4) and post-NST pathological axillary response measured in the pre-NST largest tumor-positive axillary lymph node marked with an iodine seed (MARI-node; ypMARI-neg or ypMARI-pos) determined axillary treatment: no further treatment (cALN < 4, ypMARI-neg), axillary radiotherapy (ART) (cALN < 4, ypMARI-pos and cALN ≥ 4, ypMARI-neg) or ALND plus ART (cALN ≥ 4, ypMARI-pos).
Results
Of 272 women included, the MARI-node was tumor-negative in 56 (32%) of 174 cALN < 4 patients and 43 (44%) of 98 cALN ≥ 4 patients. According to protocol, 56 (21%) patients received no further axillary treatment, 161 (59%) received ART and 55 (20%) received ALND plus ART. Median follow-up was 3.0 years (IQR 1.9–4.1). Five patients (one no further treatment, four ART) had axillary metastases. Three-year aRFI was 98% (95% CI 96–100). The overall recurrence risk remained highest for patients with ALND (HR 4.36; 95% CI 0.95–20.04,
p
= 0.059).
Conclusions
De-escalation of axillary treatment according to the MARI-protocol prevented ALND in 80% of cN+ patients with an excellent three-year aRFI of 98%.
Purpose
Oncoplastic surgery (OPS) after breast conserving surgery is preferably performed during the same operation. Offering delayed OPS instead of mastectomy to patients with a high risk of ...tumor-positive margins allows breast conservation with the option of margin re-excision during OPS, without having to dismantle the reconstruction. We aimed to evaluate surgical outcomes after immediate and delayed OPS.
Methods
We included early-stage breast cancer patients who underwent OPS at the Netherlands Cancer Institute between 2016 and 2019. Patients were selected for delayed OPS after multidisciplinary consultation if the risk of tumor-positive margins with immediate OPS was considered significant (> 30%). Groups were compared on baseline characteristics and short-term surgical outcomes.
Results
Of 242 patients with 251 OPS, 130 (52%) OPS had neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Immediate OPS was performed in 176 (70%) cases and delayed OPS in 76 (30%). Selection for delayed OPS was associated with tumor size (OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01–1.04), ILC (OR 2.61, 95% CI 1.10–6.20), DCIS (OR 3.45, 95% CI 1.42–8.34) and bra size (OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.62–0.94). Delayed and immediate OPS differed in tissue weight (54 vs. 67 g,
p
= 0.034), tissue replacement (51% vs. 26%,
p
< .001) and tumor-positive margins (66% vs. 18%,
p
< .001). Re-excision was performed in 48 (63%) delayed OPS and in 11 (6%) immediate OPS. Groups did not differ in complications (21% vs. 18%,
p
= 0.333). Breast conservation after immediate and delayed OPS was 98% and 93%, respectively.
Conclusion
Performing delayed OPS in selected cases facilitated simultaneous margin re-excision without increasing complications, and resulted in an excellent breast conservation rate.
Summary Introduction Waiting to start treatment has been shown to be associated with tumor progression and upstaging in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs). This diminishes the chance of ...cure and might lead to unnecessary mortality. We investigated the association between waiting times and survival in the Netherlands and assessed which factors were associated to longer waiting times. Methods Patient (age, sex, socioeconomic status (SES), tumor (site, stage) and treatment (type, of institute of diagnosis/treatment) characteristics for patients with HNSCC who underwent treatment were extracted from the Netherlands Cancer Registry (NCR) for 2005–2011. Waiting time was defined as the number of days between histopathological diagnosis and start of treatment. Univariable and multivariable Cox regression was used to evaluate survival. Results In total, 13,140 patients were included, who had a median waiting time of 37 days. Patients who were more likely to wait longer were men, patients with a low SES, oropharynx tumors, stage IV tumors, patients to be treated with radiotherapy or chemoradiation, and patients referred for treatment to a Head and Neck Oncology Center (HNOC) from another hospital. The 5-year overall survival was 58% for all patients. Our multivariable Cox regression model showed that longer waiting time, was significantly related to a higher hazard of dying ( p < 0.0001). Conclusion This is the first large population-based study showing that longer waiting time for surgery, radiotherapy or chemoradiation is a significant negative prognostic factor for HNSCC patients.
This is the first randomized placebo-controlled evaluation of a medical intervention for the prevention of trastuzumab-related cardiotoxic effects.
To determine as the primary end point whether ...angiotensin II antagonist treatment with candesartan can prevent or ameliorate trastuzumab-related cardiotoxic effects, defined as a decline in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of more than 15% or a decrease below the absolute value 45%.
This randomized, placebo-controlled clinical study was conducted between October 2007 and October 2011 in 19 hospitals in the Netherlands, enrolling 210 women with early breast cancer testing positive for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) who were being considered for adjuvant systemic treatment with anthracycline-containing chemotherapy followed by trastuzumab.
A total of 78 weeks of candesartan (32 mg/d) or placebo treatment; study treatment started at the same day as the first trastuzumab administration and continued until 26 weeks after completion of trastuzumab treatment.
The primary outcome was LVEF. Secondary end points included whether the N-terminal of the prohormone brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and high-sensitivity troponin T (hs-TnT) can be used as surrogate markers and whether genetic variability in germline ERBB2 (formerly HER2 or HER2/neu) correlates with trastuzumab-related cardiotoxic effects.
A total of 206 participants were evaluable (mean age, 49 years; age range, 25-69 years) 103 in the candesartan group (mean age, 50 years; age range, 25-69 years) and 103 in the placebo group (mean age, 50 years; age range, 30-67 years). Of these, 36 manifested at least 1 of the 2 primary cardiac end points. There were 3.8% more cardiac events in the candesartan group than in the placebo group (95% CI, -7% to 15%; P = .58): 20 events (19%) and 16 events (16%), respectively. The 2-year cumulative incidence of cardiac events was 0.28 (95% CI, 0.13-0.40) in the candesartan group and 0.16 (95% CI, 0.08-0.22) in the placebo group (P = .56). Candesartan did not affect changes in NT-proBNP and hs-TnT values, and these biomarkers were not associated with significant changes in LVEF. The Ala1170Pro homozygous ERBB2 genotype was associated with a lower likelihood of the occurrence of a cardiac event compared with Pro/Pro + Ala/Pro genotypes in multivariate analysis (odds ratio, 0.09; 95% CI, 0.02-0.45; P = .003).
The findings do not support the hypothesis that concomitant use of candesartan protects against a decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction during or shortly after trastuzumab treatment in early breast cancer. The ERBB2 germline Ala1170Pro single nucleotide polymorphism may be used to identify patients who are at increased risk of trastuzumab-related cardiotoxic effects.
clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00459771.
Primary analysis of the TRAIN-2 study showed high pathologic complete response rates after neoadjuvant chemotherapy with or without anthracyclines plus dual ERBB2 (formerly HER2) blockade.
To ...evaluate 3-year event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) of an anthracycline-free and anthracycline-containing regimen with dual ERBB2 blockade in patients with stage II and III ERBB2-positive breast cancer.
A total of 438 patients with stage II and III ERBB2-positive breast cancer were enrolled in this randomized, clinical, open-label phase 3 trial across 37 hospitals in the Netherlands from December 9, 2013, until January 14, 2016. Follow-up analyses were performed after a median follow-up of 48.8 months (interquartile range, 44.1-55.2 months). Analysis was performed on an intention-to-treat basis.
Participants were randomly assigned on a 1:1 basis, stratified by age, tumor stage, nodal stage, and estrogen receptor status, to receive 3 cycles of fluorouracil (500 mg/m2), epirubicin (90 mg/m2), and cyclophosphamide (500 mg/m2), followed by 6 cycles of paclitaxel and carboplatin or 9 cycles of paclitaxel (80 mg/m2 days 1 and 8) and carboplatin (area under the concentration-time curve, 6 mg/mL/min). Both groups received trastuzumab (6 mg/kg; loading dose 8 mg/kg) and pertuzumab (420 mg intravenously; loading dose 840 mg) every 3 weeks.
Three-year EFS, OS, and safety.
A total of 438 women were randomized, with 219 per group (anthracycline group, median age, 49 years interquartile range, 43-55 years; and nonanthracycline group, median age, 48 years interquartile range, 43-56 years). A total of 23 EFS events (10.5%) occurred in the anthracycline group and 21 EFS events (9.6%) occurred in the nonanthracycline group (hazard ratio, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.50-1.63; favoring nonanthracyclines). Three-year EFS estimates were 92.7% (95% CI, 89.3%-96.2%) in the anthracycline group and 93.6% (95% CI, 90.4%-96.9%) in the nonanthracycline group and 3-year OS estimates were 97.7% (95% CI, 95.7%-99.7%) in the anthracycline group and 98.2% (95% CI, 96.4%-100%) in the nonanthracycline group. The results were irrespective of hormone receptor and nodal status. A decline in left ventricular ejection fraction of 10% or more from baseline to less than 50% was more common in patients who received anthracyclines than those who did not (17 of 220 7.7% vs 7 of 218 3.2%; P = .04). Two patients treated with anthracyclines developed acute leukemia.
This follow-up analysis of the TRAIN-2 study shows similar 3-year EFS and OS estimates with or without anthracyclines in patients with stage II and III ERBB2-positive breast cancer. Anthracycline use is associated with increased risk of febrile neutropenia, cardiotoxic effects, and secondary malignant neoplasms.
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01996267.
Purpose
Axillary staging before neoadjuvant systemic therapy in clinically node-positive breast cancer patients with tailored axillary treatment according to the Marking Axillary lymph nodes with ...radioactive iodine seeds (MARI)-protocol, a protocol developed at the Netherlands Cancer Institute, is performed with
18
F fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography and computed tomography (PET/CT). We aimed to assess the value of FDG-PET/CT in prone compared to standard supine position for axillary staging.
Methods
We selected patients with FDG-PET/CT in supine and prone position who underwent the MARI-protocol. One hour after administration of 3.5 MBq/kg,
18
FFDG-PET was performed with a low-dose prone position CT-thorax followed by a supine whole-body scan. Scans were separately reviewed by two nuclear medicine physicians and categorized by number of FDG-positive axillary lymph nodes (ALNs; cALN<4 or cALN≥4). Main outcome was axillary up- or downstaging.
Results
Of 153 patients included, 24 (16%) patients were up- or downstaged at evaluation of prone images: One observer upstaged 14 patients, downstaged 3 patients and reported a higher number of ALNs (3.6 vs. 3.2,
p
< 0.001), while staging (4 up- and 5 downstaged) and number of ALNs (2.8 vs. 2.8) did not differ for the other. Observers agreed on up- or downstaging in only 1 (1%) patient. Irrespective of supine or prone position scanning, observers agreed on axillary staging in 124 (81%) patients and disagreed in 5 (3%). Interobserver agreement was lower with prone assessments (86%,
K
= 0.67) than supine (92%,
K
= 0.80).
Conclusions
Axillary staging with FDG-PET/CT in prone compared to supine position did not result in concordant up- or downstaging. Therefore, FDG-PET/CT in supine position only can be considered sufficient for axillary staging.
Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an acquired autoimmune disorder that is characterized by low platelet count and increased bleeding risk. COVID-19 vaccination has been described as a risk factor for ...de novo ITP, but the effects of COVID-19 vaccination in patients with ITP are unknown. We aimed to investigate the effects of COVID-19 vaccination in patients with ITP on platelet count, bleeding complications, and ITP exacerbation (≥50% decline in platelet count, or nadir platelet count < 30 × 109/L with a >20% decrease from baseline, or use of rescue therapy). Platelet counts in patients with ITP and healthy controls were collected immediately before and 1 and 4 weeks after the first and second vaccinations. Linear mixed-effects modeling was applied to analyze platelet counts over time. We included 218 patients with ITP (50.9% female; mean age, 55 years; and median platelet count, 106 × 109/L) and 200 healthy controls (60.0% female; mean age, 58 years; median platelet count, 256 × 109/L). Platelet counts decreased by 6.3% after vaccination. We did not observe any difference in decrease between the groups. Thirty patients with ITP (13.8%; 95% confidence interval CI, 9.5-19.1) had an exacerbation and 5 (2.2%; 95% CI, 0.7-5.3) suffered from a bleeding event. Risk factors for ITP exacerbation were platelet count < 50 × 109/L (odds ratio OR, 5.3; 95% CI, 2.1-13.7), ITP treatment at time of vaccination (OR, 3.4; 95% CI, 1.5-8.0), and age (OR, 0.96 per year; 95% CI, 0.94-0.99). Our study highlights the safety of COVID-19 vaccination in patients with ITP and the importance of the close monitoring of platelet counts in a subgroup of patients with ITP. Patients with ITP with exacerbation responded well on therapy.
•A decrease in platelet count after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is similar in patients with ITP and healthy controls.•Risk factors for exacerbation of ITP after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination include low platelet count, younger age, and current therapy.
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Abstract Background and purpose Carotid artery vasculopathy is a long-term complication of radiotherapy (RT) of the neck. We investigated the change in carotid intima media thickness (IMT) and the ...incidence of ischemic stroke in the first 7 years after radiotherapy (RT) of the neck. Materials and methods A multicentre prospective cohort study among patients treated for Head and Neck Cancer (HNC) assessed carotid IMT at baseline (before RT) and after a median of 7 years follow-up. We also screened for cerebrovascular risk factors and events. Results 48 patients underwent IMT measurement at baseline and follow-up (median age 61 years, range 29–87). Mean IMT of the irradiated common carotid arteries was 0.64 mm at baseline and 0.74 mm at follow-up ( p = 0.002). Mean delta IMT in the irradiated and non-irradiated common carotid arteries were 0.11 and 0.02 mm ( p = 0.03). Incidence rate of stroke in our cohort, compared to the Dutch population was 8.9 versus 1.5 per 1.000 person years. Conclusions IMT in irradiated carotid arteries was significantly increased in the first 7 years after RT. The incidence rate of stroke was six fold increased. Patients treated with RT for HNC have sustained risk for developing atherosclerosis of the carotid arteries and future stroke.
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