Activation of the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) pathway via PIK3CA mutations occurs in 28%-46% of hormone receptor-positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-negative (HER2−) ...advanced breast cancers (ABCs) and is associated with poor prognosis. The SOLAR-1 trial showed that the addition of alpelisib to fulvestrant treatment provided statistically significant and clinically meaningful progression-free survival (PFS) benefit in PIK3CA-mutated, HR+, HER2− ABC.
Men and postmenopausal women with HR+, HER2− ABC whose disease progressed on or after aromatase inhibitor (AI) were randomized 1 : 1 to receive alpelisib (300 mg/day) plus fulvestrant (500 mg every 28 days and once on day 15) or placebo plus fulvestrant. Overall survival (OS) in the PIK3CA-mutant cohort was evaluated by Kaplan–Meier methodology and a one-sided stratified log-rank test was carried out with an O'Brien–Fleming efficacy boundary of P ≤ 0.0161.
In the PIK3CA-mutated cohort (n = 341), median OS 95% confidence interval (CI) was 39.3 months (34.1-44.9) for alpelisib-fulvestrant and 31.4 months (26.8-41.3) for placebo-fulvestrant hazard ratio (HR) = 0.86 (95% CI, 0.64-1.15; P = 0.15). OS results did not cross the prespecified efficacy boundary. Median OS (95% CI) in patients with lung and/or liver metastases was 37.2 months (28.7-43.6) and 22.8 months (19.0-26.8) in the alpelisib-fulvestrant and placebo-fulvestrant arms, respectively HR = 0.68 (0.46-1.00). Median times to chemotherapy (95% CI) for the alpelisib-fulvestrant and placebo-fulvestrant arms were 23.3 months (15.2-28.4) and 14.8 months (10.5-22.6), respectively HR = 0.72 (0.54-0.95). No new safety signals were observed with longer follow-up.
Although the analysis did not cross the prespecified boundary for statistical significance, there was a 7.9-month numeric improvement in median OS when alpelisib was added to fulvestrant treatment of patients with PIK3CA-mutated, HR+, HER2− ABC. Overall, these results further support the statistically significant prolongation of PFS observed with alpelisib plus fulvestrant in this population, which has a poor prognosis due to a PIK3CA mutation.
NCT02437318.
•In SOLAR-1, the key secondary endpoint of OS was evaluated in patients with HR+, HER2−, PIK3CA-mutated ABC.•Adding alpelisib to fulvestrant numerically improved mOS by 7.9 months, though the result was not statistically significant.•OS was numerically improved in hard-to-treat disease, including a 14-month median improvement in those with lung/liver metastases.•Median time to first chemotherapy was delayed by 8.5 months with the addition of alpelisib to fulvestrant.•With longer follow-up the alpelisib plus fulvestrant safety profile was similar to prior reports with no new safety signals.
In view of the planned new edition of the most recent version of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Clinical Practice Guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of primary ...breast cancer published in 2015, it was decided at the ESMO Asia Meeting in November 2018, by both the ESMO and the Korean Society of Medical Oncology (KSMO), to convene a special face-to-face guidelines meeting in 2019 in Seoul. The aim was to adapt the latest ESMO 2019 guidelines to take into account the ethnic and geographical differences associated with the treatment of early breast cancer in Asian patients. These guidelines represent the consensus opinions reached by experts in the treatment of patients with early breast cancer representing the oncology societies of Korea (KSMO), China (CSCO), India (ISMPO) Japan (JSMO), Malaysia (MOS), Singapore (SSO) and Taiwan (TOS). The voting was based on scientific evidence, and was independent of both the current treatment practices, and the drug availability and reimbursement situations, in the individual participating Asian countries.
•The purpose of the article is to take into account the ethnic and geographical differences in Asian BC patients.•A decision was taken by the ESMO and the KSMO to use these latest ESMO guidelines for the treatment of Asian ethnicity.•80% or more than 80% of Asian experts have voted to accept completely or accept with reservation a specific recommendation.
Guidelines recommend atezolizumab plus nab-paclitaxel (A + nP) for first-line treatment of unresectable, locally advanced, or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer expressing programmed ...death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) on tumor-infiltrating immune cells (IC), based on IMpassion130. We report the final overall survival (OS) and safety of that study as per the prespecified analysis plan.
Patients were randomized to nP 100 mg/m2 (days 1, 8, and 15 of a 28-day cycle) with atezolizumab 840 mg (A + nP) or placebo (P + nP; days 1 and 15), until progression or unacceptable toxicity. Coprimary endpoints were progression-free survival intention-to-treat (ITT) and PD-L1 IC-positive populations and OS (tested hierarchically in the ITT population and, if significant, in the PD-L1 IC-positive population).
Each arm comprised 451 patients; 666 (73.8%) had died by the final OS analysis cut-off (median follow-up, 18.8 months; interquartile range, 8.9-34.7 months). Median OS in the ITT population was 21.0 months 95% confidence interval (CI), 19.0-23.4 months with A + nP, and 18.7 months (95% CI, 16.9-20.8 months) with P + nP stratified hazard ratio (HR), 0.87; 95% CI, 0.75-1.02; P = 0.077. Exploratory analysis in the PD-L1 IC-positive population showed a median OS of 25.4 months (95% CI, 19.6-30.7 months) with A + nP (n = 185) and 17.9 months (95% CI, 13.6-20.3 months) with P + nP (n = 184; stratified HR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.53-0.86). Safety outcomes were consistent with previous analyses and the known toxicity profiles of each agent. Immune-mediated adverse events of special interest were reported in 58.7% and 41.6% of patients treated with A + nP and P + nP, respectively.
Although the OS benefit in the ITT population was not statistically significant, precluding formal testing, clinically meaningful OS benefit was observed with A + nP in PD-L1 IC-positive patients, consistent with prior interim analyses. This combination remained safe and tolerable with longer follow-up.
•Final OS data from IMpassion130 (A + nP in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer) agree with prior interim analyses.•OS benefit with A + nP versus P + nP in the ITT population was not statistically significant, precluding further testing.•Exploratory data not formally tested showed clinically meaningful OS benefit for A + nP in the PD-L1 IC-positive population.•Three-year OS rates in the PD-L1 IC-positive population were 35.8% with A + nP versus 22.2% with P + nP.•No new safety signals were seen with longer follow-up; adverse events were consistent with those known for each drug.
► Ti–6Al–4V alloy plates were FSWed under various conditions. ► The FSW was carried out below and above beta-transus temperature. ► The welding temperature and cooling rate were controlled by FSW ...conditions. ► The microstructure was controlled by FSW conditions. ► The mechanical properties of the weld were changed by FSW conditions.
The effect of the thermal cycle during friction stir welding (FSW) on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a Ti–6Al–4V alloy joint was investigated by welding 2-mm-thick alloy plates together under various conditions. When the joints were welded above the β-transus temperature, the prior β-grain size in the stir zone depended on the peak temperature, and the size of the lamellar structure depended on the cooling rate. The strength of the joints welded above the β-transus temperature increased with the welding speed because the lamellar structure was smaller. When the welding was performed below the β-transus temperature, the stir zone consisted of the fully equiaxed primary α phase. The tensile strength of the stir zone obtained below the β-transus temperature exceeded that of the base metal.
Metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC) is incurable. A key treatment goal is providing palliation while maintaining patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL). IMpassion130 ...demonstrated progression-free survival benefit with atezolizumab + nab-paclitaxel (A + nP) versus placebo + nab-paclitaxel (Pl + nP) in first-line treatment of mTNBC patients with programmed death-ligand 1 positive (PD-L1+) tumors. We report data on patient-reported outcomes (PROs), which capture patient perspectives of treatment.
Patients with untreated advanced or mTNBC received atezolizumab (840 mg) or placebo every 2 weeks in combination with nab-paclitaxel (100 mg/m2) on days 1, 8, and 15 of each 28-day cycle until progression or intolerance. Patients completed the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ-C30) and its Breast Cancer Module (QLQ-BR23) on day 1 of each cycle, at end of treatment, and every 4 weeks during 1 year of follow-up. Time-to-deterioration (TTD) in HRQoL (first ≥10-point decrease from baseline lasting two cycles) was a secondary end point. Exploratory end points included TTD in functioning and mean and mean change from baseline scores in HRQoL, functioning, and disease- and treatment-related symptoms.
Baseline completion of PROs was 92% (QLQ-C30) and 89% (QLQ-BR23) and remained >80% through cycle 20 in intent-to-treat (ITT) and PD-L1+ patients. No differences between arms in median TTD in PD-L1+ patients were observed for HRQoL {hazard ratio (HR) 0.94 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.69–1.28} or physical HR 1.02 (95% CI 0.76–1.37) or role HR 0.77 (95% CI 0.57–1.04) functioning. Mean baseline scores for A + nP versus Pl + nP for HRQoL (67.5 versus 65.0) and physical (82.8 versus 79.4) and role (73.7 versus 71.7) functioning were comparable between arms and throughout the course of treatment, with no clinically meaningful (≥10 point) changes from baseline until patients discontinued treatment. No differences in clinically meaningful worsening in treatment symptoms (fatigue, diarrhea, or nausea/vomiting) were observed between arms. Results in ITT patients were similar.
A + nP as first-line treatment for mTNBC delayed progression without compromising patients' day-to-day functioning or HRQoL or worsening treatment symptoms.
NCT02425891
•Atezolizumab + nab-paclitaxel delayed triple-negative breast cancer progression without compromising quality of life (QoL).•No clinically meaningful deterioration of health-related QoL or physical/role functioning occurred while on treatment.•No differences in clinically meaningful worsening of treatment-related symptoms were observed between arms.•Patient-reported outcomes were similar among the ITT and PD-L1+ patient populations.
For a preferential homing of T cells to the gut, expression of the integrin α4β7 and the chemokine receptor CCR9 is essential and is induced by antigenic stimulation with dendritic cells from the ...gut-associated lymphoid organs. Here, we show that the vitamin A (retinol) metabolite, retinoic acid, enhances the expression of α4β7 and CCR9 on T cells upon activation and imprints them with the gut tropism. Dendritic cells from the gut-associated lymphoid organs produced retinoic acid from retinol. The enhanced α4β7 expression on T cells by antigenic stimulation with these dendritic cells was suppressed by the retinal dehydrogenase inhibitor citral and the retinoic acid receptor antagonist LE135. Accordingly, vitamin A deficiency caused a reduction in α4β7
+ memory/activated T cells in lymphoid organs and a depletion of T cells from the intestinal lamina propria. These findings revealed a novel role for retinoic acid in the imprinting of gut-homing specificity on T cells.
mutations occur in approximately 40% of patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer. The PI3Kα-specific inhibitor alpelisib ...has shown antitumor activity in early studies.
In a randomized, phase 3 trial, we compared alpelisib (at a dose of 300 mg per day) plus fulvestrant (at a dose of 500 mg every 28 days and once on day 15) with placebo plus fulvestrant in patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer who had received endocrine therapy previously. Patients were enrolled into two cohorts on the basis of tumor-tissue
mutation status. The primary end point was progression-free survival, as assessed by the investigator, in the cohort with
-mutated cancer; progression-free survival was also analyzed in the cohort without
-mutated cancer. Secondary end points included overall response and safety.
A total of 572 patients underwent randomization, including 341 patients with confirmed tumor-tissue
mutations. In the cohort of patients with
-mutated cancer, progression-free survival at a median follow-up of 20 months was 11.0 months (95% confidence interval CI, 7.5 to 14.5) in the alpelisib-fulvestrant group, as compared with 5.7 months (95% CI, 3.7 to 7.4) in the placebo-fulvestrant group (hazard ratio for progression or death, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.50 to 0.85; P<0.001); in the cohort without
-mutated cancer, the hazard ratio was 0.85 (95% CI, 0.58 to 1.25; posterior probability of hazard ratio <1.00, 79.4%). Overall response among all the patients in the cohort without
-mutated cancer was greater with alpelisib-fulvestrant than with placebo-fulvestrant (26.6% vs. 12.8%); among patients with measurable disease in this cohort, the percentages were 35.7% and 16.2%, respectively. In the overall population, the most frequent adverse events of grade 3 or 4 were hyperglycemia (36.6% in the alpelisib-fulvestrant group vs. 0.7% in the placebo-fulvestrant group) and rash (9.9% vs. 0.3%). Diarrhea of grade 3 occurred in 6.7% of patients in the alpelisib-fulvestrant group, as compared with 0.3% of those in the placebo-fulvestrant group; no diarrhea of grade 4 was reported. The percentages of patients who discontinued alpelisib and placebo owing to adverse events were 25.0% and 4.2%, respectively.
Treatment with alpelisib-fulvestrant prolonged progression-free survival among patients with
-mutated, HR-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer who had received endocrine therapy previously. (Funded by Novartis Pharmaceuticals; SOLAR-1 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02437318.).
Unresectable locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative (hormone-receptor-negative and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 HER2-negative) breast cancer is an aggressive disease with poor ...outcomes. Nanoparticle albumin-bound (nab)-paclitaxel may enhance the anticancer activity of atezolizumab.
In this phase 3 trial, we randomly assigned (in a 1:1 ratio) patients with untreated metastatic triple-negative breast cancer to receive atezolizumab plus nab-paclitaxel or placebo plus nab-paclitaxel; patients continued the intervention until disease progression or an unacceptable level of toxic effects occurred. Stratification factors were the receipt or nonreceipt of neoadjuvant or adjuvant taxane therapy, the presence or absence of liver metastases at baseline, and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression at baseline (positive vs. negative). The two primary end points were progression-free survival (in the intention-to-treat population and PD-L1-positive subgroup) and overall survival (tested in the intention-to-treat population; if the finding was significant, then it would be tested in the PD-L1-positive subgroup).
Each group included 451 patients (median follow-up, 12.9 months). In the intention-to-treat analysis, the median progression-free survival was 7.2 months with atezolizumab plus nab-paclitaxel, as compared with 5.5 months with placebo plus nab-paclitaxel (hazard ratio for progression or death, 0.80; 95% confidence interval CI, 0.69 to 0.92; P=0.002); among patients with PD-L1-positive tumors, the median progression-free survival was 7.5 months and 5.0 months, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.49 to 0.78; P<0.001). In the intention-to-treat analysis, the median overall survival was 21.3 months with atezolizumab plus nab-paclitaxel and 17.6 months with placebo plus nab-paclitaxel (hazard ratio for death, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.69 to 1.02; P=0.08); among patients with PD-L1-positive tumors, the median overall survival was 25.0 months and 15.5 months, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.45 to 0.86). No new adverse effects were identified. Adverse events that led to the discontinuation of any agent occurred in 15.9% of the patients who received atezolizumab plus nab-paclitaxel and in 8.2% of those who received placebo plus nab-paclitaxel.
Atezolizumab plus nab-paclitaxel prolonged progression-free survival among patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer in both the intention-to-treat population and the PD-L1-positive subgroup. Adverse events were consistent with the known safety profiles of each agent. (Funded by F. Hoffmann-La Roche/Genentech; IMpassion130 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02425891 .).
The vitamin A (VA) metabolite retinoic acid (RA) affects the properties of T cells and dendritic cells (DCs). In VA-deficient mice, we observed that mesenteric lymph node (MLN)-DCs induce a distinct ...inflammatory T helper type 2 (Th2)-cell subset that particularly produces high levels of interleukin (IL)-13 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). This subset expressed homing receptors for skin and inflammatory sites, and was mainly induced by B220(-)CD8α(-)CD11b(+)CD103(-) MLN-DCs in an IL-6- and OX40 ligand-dependent manner, whereas RA inhibited this induction. The corresponding MLN-DC subset of VA-sufficient mice induced a similar T-cell subset in the presence of RA receptor antagonists. IL-6 induced this subset differentiation from naive CD4(+) T cells upon activation with antibodies against CD3 and CD28. Transforming growth factor-β inhibited this induction, and reciprocally enhanced Th17 induction. Treatment with an agonistic anti-OX40 antibody and normal MLN-DCs enhanced the induction of general inflammatory Th2 cells. In VA-deficient mice, proximal colon epithelial cells produced TNF-α that may have enhanced OX40 ligand expression in MLN-DCs. The repeated oral administrations of a T cell-dependent antigen primed VA-deficient mice for IL-13-dependent strong immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) responses and IgE responses that caused skin allergy. These results suggest that RA inhibits allergic responses to oral antigens by preventing MLN-DCs from inducing IL-13-producing inflammatory Th2 cells.