Neoadjuvant Vinorelbine-Capecitabine Versus Docetaxel-Doxorubicin-Cyclophosphamide in Early Nonresponsive Breast Cancer: Phase III Randomized GeparTrio Trial

Invasive lobular breast cancer and its variants: how special are they for systemic therapy decisions?

The WHO classification of breast tumors distinguishes, besides invasive breast cancer 'of no special type' (former invasive ductal carcinoma, representing 60-70% of all breast cancers), 30 special types, of which invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) is the most common (5-15%). We review the literature on (i) the specificity and heterogeneity of ILC biology as documented by various analytical techniques, including the results of molecular testing for risk of recurrence; (ii) the impact of lobular histology on prediction of prognosis and effect of systemic therapies in patients. Though it is generally admitted that ILC has a better prognosis than IDC, is endocrine responsive, and responds poorly to chemotherapy, currently available data do not unanimously support these assumptions. This review demonstrates some lack of specific data and a need for improving clinical research design to allow oncologists to make informed systemic therapy decisions in patients with ILC. Importantly, future studies should compare various endpoints in ILC breast cancer patients among the group of hormonosensitive breast cancer.

Gross cystic disease fluid protein 15 (GCDFP-15) expression in breast cancer subtypes

Background

Gross cystic disease fluid protein 15 (GCDFP-15), which is regulated by the androgen receptor (AR), is a diagnostic marker for mammary differentiation in histopathology. We determined the expression of GCDFP-15 in breast cancer subtypes, its potential prognostic and predictive value, as well as its relationship to AR expression.

Methods

602 pre-therapeutic breast cancer core biopsies from the phase III randomized neoadjuvant GeparTrio trial (NCT00544765) were investigated for GCDFP-15 expression by immunohistochemistry. Expression data were correlated with disease-free (DFS) and overall survival (OS) time as well as pathological complete response (pCR) to neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Results

239 tumors (39.7%) were GCDFP-15 positive. GCDFP-15 expression was positively linked to hormone receptor (HR) and HER2 positive tumor type, while most triple negative carcinomas were negative (p < 0.0001). GCDFP-15 was also strongly correlated to AR expression (p 0.001), and to the so-called molecular apocrine subtype (HR-/AR+, p < 0.0001). Higher rates of GCDFP-15 positivity were seen in tumors of lower grade (<0.0001) and negative nodal status (p = 0.008). GCDFP-15 positive tumors tended to have a more favourable prognosis than GCDFP-15 negative tumors (DFS (p = 0.052) and OS (p = 0.044)), which was not independent from other factors in multivariate analysis. GCDFP-15 expression was not linked to pCR. Histological apocrine differentiation was frequent in molecular apocrine carcinomas (60.7%), and was associated with GCDFP-15 within this group (p = 0.039).

Conclusions

GCDFP-15 expression is higher in tumors with favorable prognostic features. GCDFP-15 expression is further a frequent feature of AR positive tumors and the molecular apocrine subtype. It might have reduced sensitivity as a diagnostic marker for mammary differentiation in triple negative tumors as compared to HR or HER2 positive tumor types.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2407-14-546) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Pathological complete response and long-term clinical benefit in breast cancer: the CTNeoBC pooled analysis

BACKGROUND

Pathological complete response has been proposed as a surrogate endpoint for prediction of long-term clinical benefit, such as disease-free survival, event-free survival (EFS), and overall survival (OS). We had four key objectives: to establish the association between pathological complete response and EFS and OS, to establish the definition of pathological complete response that correlates best with long-term outcome, to identify the breast cancer subtypes in which pathological complete response is best correlated with long-term outcome, and to assess whether an increase in frequency of pathological complete response between treatment groups predicts improved EFS and OS.

METHODS

We searched PubMed, Embase, and Medline for clinical trials of neoadjuvant treatment of breast cancer. To be eligible, studies had to meet three inclusion criteria: include at least 200 patients with primary breast cancer treated with preoperative chemotherapy followed by surgery; have available data for pathological complete response, EFS, and OS; and have a median follow-up of at least 3 years. We compared the three most commonly used definitions of pathological complete response--ypT0 ypN0, ypT0/is ypN0, and ypT0/is--for their association with EFS and OS in a responder analysis. We assessed the association between pathological complete response and EFS and OS in various subgroups. Finally, we did a trial-level analysis to assess whether pathological complete response could be used as a surrogate endpoint for EFS or OS.

FINDINGS

We obtained data from 12 identified international trials and 11 955 patients were included in our responder analysis. Eradication of tumour from both breast and lymph nodes (ypT0 ypN0 or ypT0/is ypN0) was better associated with improved EFS (ypT0 ypN0: hazard ratio [HR] 0·44, 95% CI 0·39-0·51; ypT0/is ypN0: 0·48, 0·43-0·54) and OS (0·36, 0·30-0·44; 0·36, 0·31-0·42) than was tumour eradication from the breast alone (ypT0/is; EFS: HR 0·60, 95% CI 0·55-0·66; OS 0·51, 0·45-0·58). We used the ypT0/is ypN0 definition for all subsequent analyses. The association between pathological complete response and long-term outcomes was strongest in patients with triple-negative breast cancer (EFS: HR 0·24, 95% CI 0·18-0·33; OS: 0·16, 0·11-0·25) and in those with HER2-positive, hormone-receptor-negative tumours who received trastuzumab (EFS: 0·15, 0·09-0·27; OS: 0·08, 0·03, 0·22). In the trial-level analysis, we recorded little association between increases in frequency of pathological complete response and EFS (R(2)=0·03, 95% CI 0·00-0·25) and OS (R(2)=0·24, 0·00-0·70).

INTERPRETATION

Patients who attain pathological complete response defined as ypT0 ypN0 or ypT0/is ypN0 have improved survival. The prognostic value is greatest in aggressive tumour subtypes. Our pooled analysis could not validate pathological complete response as a surrogate endpoint for improved EFS and OS.

FUNDING

US Food and Drug Administration.

Efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant chemotherapy with concurrent liposomal-encapsulated doxorubicin, paclitaxel and trastuzumab for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast cancer in clinical practice

BACKGROUND

Based on previous results obtained with non-pegylated liposomal-encapsulated doxorubicin (TLC-D99) together with paclitaxel and trastuzumab in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer (BC), a similar regimen was evaluated in the neoadjuvant setting in a prospectively selected series of consecutive patients with clinical stage II-III BC. Primary and secondary objectives included the rate of pathologic complete response (pCR), safety, and predictive factors of pCR.

METHODS

Patients received six cycles of TLC-D99 (50 mg/m(2) every 3 weeks), paclitaxel (80 mg/m(2) weekly) and trastuzumab (4 mg/kg initial dose and 2 mg/kg weekly). All patients underwent surgery after treatment. pCR was defined as the absence of invasive cancer cells in the breast and the axilla.

RESULTS

Sixty-two patients with a median age of 46.6 years were analyzed. Stage IIIA was diagnosed in 43.5% of patients and 14.5% had inflammatory BC. Conservative surgery was performed in 46.8% of the patients and pCR was achieved in 63% (95% CI 50.5-75.5). Patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-negative tumors presented a significantly higher pCR rate than patients with ER-positive tumors (74.4 vs 43.5%; P = 0.028). Forty-five patients (72.6%) completed study treatment and 80.6% received at least five treatment cycles. No patients developed congestive heart failure and 14.5% of patients showed a ≥ 10 % decrease in the left ventricular ejection fraction.

CONCLUSION

The triple combination therapy assessed is effective and safe, offering a high pCR rate in patients with HER2-positive BC.

Surgical treatment of primary breast cancer in the neoadjuvant setting

Background

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) is a standard treatment option for primary operable breast cancer when adjuvant chemotherapy is indicated.

Methods

This article reviews the use of NACT in breast cancer treatment.

Results

Pathological complete response (pCR) rates of up to 60 per cent have been reached for certain breast cancer subgroups. Patients achieving a pCR have a lower locoregional recurrence rate. Nevertheless, the rate of breast-conserving surgery seems to be stable at around 65–70 per cent, although more than 80 per cent of patients respond to NACT. The risk of local relapse does not appear to be higher after NACT, which supports the recommendation to operate within the new margins, as long as there is no tumour in the inked area of the surgical specimen. However, tumours do not shrink concentrically and the re-excision rate is higher after NACT. Mastectomy rates for lobular carcinomas remain high irrespective of tumour response. The role of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in the context of NACT has been studied in recent years, and it is not yet completely clear which type of axillary staging is the most suitable. SLNB before NACT in clinically node-negative patients has been the preferred option. However, this practice is currently changing, and it seems advisable to have the SLNB after NACT to reduce the risk of a false-negative SLNB.

Conclusion

Overall, patients do benefit from NACT, especially those with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive and triple-negative breast cancer, but surgical/local procedures need to be adapted.

Early assessment with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography can help predict the outcome of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in triple negative breast cancer

BACKGROUND

In patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), pathology complete response (pCR) to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is associated with improved prognosis. This prospective study was designed and powered to investigate the ability of interim (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ((18)FDG-PET/CT) to predict pathology outcomes to NAC early during treatment.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Consecutive TNBC women underwent (18)FDG-PET/CT at baseline and after two courses of NAC. Maximum standardised uptake value (SUV(max)) in the primary tumour and lymph nodes at each examination and the evolution (ΔSUV(max)) between the two scans were measured. NAC was continued irrespective of PET results. Correlations between PET parameters and pathology response, and between PET parameters and event-free survival (EFS), were examined.

RESULTS

Fifty patients without distant metastases were enroled. At completion of NAC, surgery showed pCR in 19 patients, while 31 had residual tumour. Mean follow-up was 30.3 months. Thirteen patients, all with residual tumour, experienced relapse. Of all assessed clinical, biological and PET parameters, ΔSUV(max) in the primary tumour was the most predictive of pathology results (p<0.0001; Mann-Whitney-U test) and EFS (p=0.02; log rank test). A threshold of 42% decrease in SUV was identified because it offered the best accuracy in predicting EFS. There were 32 metabolic responders (⩾ 42% decrease in SUV(max)) and 18 non-responders. Within responders, the pCR rate was 59% and the 3-year EFS 77.5%. In non-responders, the pCR rate was 0% and the 3-year EFS 47.1%.

CONCLUSION

Interim (18)FDG can early predict the inefficacy of NAC in TNBC patients. It shows promise as a potential contributory biomarker in these patients.

Neoadjuvant therapy in the treatment of breast cancer

Neoadjuvant systemic therapy in breast cancer treatment was initially utilized for inoperable disease. However, several randomized prospective studies have demonstrated comparable survival with adjuvant chemotherapy in early-stage, operable breast cancer while also decreasing tumor size facilitating breast conservation without significant increases in local recurrence. Response to therapy can predict outcome, with improved survival associated with pathologic complete response (pCR). Triple negative and HER2-positive subtypes show increased pCR rates. A multidisciplinary approach is necessary with neoadjuvant treatment. This can improve rates of breast conservation, provide insights into tumor biology and predict patient outcomes.

RANK expression as a prognostic and predictive marker in breast cancer

RANK ligand (RANKL) is crucial for the development of mouse mammary glands during pregnancy. RANKL functions as a major paracrine effector of the mitogenic action of progesterone in mammary epithelium via its receptor RANK and has a role in expansion and regenerative potential of mammary stem cells. Pharmacologic inhibition of RANKL attenuates the development of mammary carcinoma and inhibits metastatic progression in multiple mouse models. Primary breast carcinoma samples from the neoadjuvant GeparTrio study were analyzed to correlate the expression of human RANK and RANKL with pathological complete response (pCR), disease-free (DFS), and overall (OS) survival. Pre-treatment FFPE core biopsies (n = 601) were analyzed for percentage and intensity of immunohistochemical RANK and RANKL expression. Antibodies against human RANK (N-1H8; Amgen) and human RANKL (M366; Amgen) were used. RANK protein was expressed in 160 (27 %) patients. Increased RANK expression was observed in 14.5 % of patients and correlated with high tumor grade (p < 0.023) and negative hormone receptor (HR) status (p < 0.001). Patients with high RANK expression showed a higher pCR rate (23.0 % vs. 12.6 %, p = 0.010), shorter DFS (p = 0.038), and OS (p = 0.011). However, prognostic and predictive information was not an independent parameter. Only 6 % of samples expressed RANKL, which was not correlated with any clinical features. Higher RANK expression in the primary tumor is associated with a higher sensitivity to chemotherapy, but also a higher risk of relapse and death. Our study provides a basis for further exploration of the antitumor activity of clinical antibodies against RANKL.

Side effects of standard adjuvant and neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimens according to age groups in primary breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Elderly breast cancer patients are underrepresented in clinical trials and this leads to a lack of knowledge regarding the tolerance and side effects of modern chemotherapy regimens, especially in dose-dense (dd) or dose-intensified combination.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In this analysis, data from 4 German, randomized (neo-)adjuvant trials, including anthracycline-based chemotherapy, were evaluated for toxicity, compliance and feasibility. Patients were grouped according to age.

RESULTS

Of the 4,775 patients, 73.6% were < 60 years, 15.8% were 60-64 years and 10.6% were > 64 years. The patients' compliance decreased with increasing age, the rate of therapy discontinuations was 10.3%; 16.0% were > 64 years old (p < 0.001). The rate of dose reductions also increased with increasing age in the docetaxel/doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide (TAC) (p overall = 0.02) and 5-fluorouracil/epirubicin-cyclophosphamide (FE120C) (p overall < 0.001) treatment groups. Neutropenia grade 3 + 4 in patients of > 64 years was 77% in FE120C- compared to 55% in TAC-treated patients (with primary granulocyte colony-stimulating factors (G-CSFs)). The incidence of febrile neutropenia (FN) was lowest in the regimens without additional taxanes. FN in patients aged > 64 years was lower in the FE120C- than in TAC-and dd-doxorubicin/docetaxel-treated groups.

CONCLUSION

The range and intensity of toxicity increased with age. Neutropenia did not increase significantly in the dd groups; the highest rate was seen in FE120C-treated patients. FE120C without G-CSFs is not an option in patients older than 64 years.

Neoadjuvant therapy: what are the lessons so far?

Lessons have recently been learned in the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. This article explains how diagnosis of a pathologic complete response (pCR) can avoid an unfavorable prognosis in patients with high-risk breast cancer; how the surrogacy of pCR for long-term survival remains questionable; how translational biomarker studies have not been helpful in identifying patients with a high chance of treatment benefit; assessment of the prognosis of patients without a pCR for identifying patients at high risk and which clinical trials will be available for these patients in the near future; and which patients might require less locoregional treatment.

Prospective validation of immunological infiltrate for prediction of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in HER2-negative breast cancer--a substudy of the neoadjuvant GeparQuinto trial

Introduction

We have recently described an increased lymphocytic infiltration rate in breast carcinoma tissue is a significant response predictor for anthracycline/taxane-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). The aim of this study was to prospectively validate the tumor-associated lymphocyte infiltrate as predictive marker for response to anthracycline/taxane-based NACT.

Patients and Methods

The immunological infiltrate was prospectively evaluated in a total of 313 core biopsies from HER2 negative patients of the multicenter PREDICT study, a substudy of the neoadjuvant GeparQuinto study. Intratumoral lymphocytes (iTuLy), stromal lymphocytes (strLy) as well as lymphocyte-predominant breast cancer (LPBC) were evaluated by histopathological assessment. Pathological complete response (pCR) rates were analyzed and compared between the defined subgroups using the exact test of Fisher.

Results

Patients with lymphocyte-predominant breast cancer (LPBC) had a significantly increased pCR rate of 36.6%, compared to non-LPBC patients (14.3%, p<0.001). LPBC and stromal lymphocytes were significantly independent predictors for pCR in multivariate analysis (LPBC: OR 2.7, p = 0.003, strLy: OR 1.2, p = 0.01). The amount of intratumoral lymphocytes was significantly predictive for pCR in univariate (OR 1.2, p = 0.01) but not in multivariate logistic regression analysis (OR 1.2, p = 0.11).

Conclusion

Confirming previous investigations of our group, we have prospectively validated in an independent cohort that an increased immunological infiltrate in breast tumor tissue is predictive for response to anthracycline/taxane-based NACT. Patients with LPBC and increased stromal lymphocyte infiltration have significantly increased pCR rates. The lymphocytic infiltrate is a promising additional parameter for histopathological evaluation of breast cancer core biopsies.

Current methods for the assessment and management of taxane-related neuropathy

Taxane-induced peripheral neuropathy (TIPN) affects a number of patients with breast cancer. To properly manage these patients, nurses must be able to identify and assess TIPN, as well as educate patients on TIPN as a side effect of taxane therapy. This article provides practical suggestions regarding how nurses can incorporate clinically feasible measurement approaches into practice and includes examples of grading TIPN that illustrate the limitations of the current tools and techniques for assessment. For example, a shortened and revised version of the Total Neuropathy Score and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy/Gynecologic Oncology Group-Neurotoxicity subscale should be considered for future use. In addition, neuropathy-related results from numerous phase III trials in breast cancer are discussed, and the latest evidence regarding pharmacologic interventions for TIPN is briefly summarized.

Primary therapy in breast cancer: what have we learned from landmark trials?

Primary anticancer therapy is currently accepted as a therapeutic option for patients with early-stage breast cancer. Its objectives are to increase the chance of achieving a conservative surgery and, similar to adjuvant chemotherapy, to reduce the risk of distant recurrence. The prognostic significance of obtaining a pathological complete response has been evaluated in several randomized clinical trials and meta-analyses. Growing evidence suggests that pathological complete response may act as a valid predictor of overall survival. Of note, a significant association between pathological complete response and outcome has especially been observed in patients with HER2-positive and triple-negative (hormonal receptors negative and HER2-negative) breast cancer. This review focuses on recent trials of neoadjuvant treatment with specific attention to HER2-negative disease.

Current approaches for neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer

Compared to adjuvant chemotherapy, the administration of the same regimen in the neoadjuvant setting provides women with identical improvements in disease free and overall survival. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy may offer benefits to properly selected women such as broadening surgical options and enhancing the likelihood of breast conservation. Assessment of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy provides women with an individualized estimate of prognosis. For example, a woman who achieves a complete pathological response following neoadjuvant chemotherapy has a very low risk of recurrence compared to a woman with similar tumor characteristics and a large residual disease. In this review we will provide a historical perspective and discuss the aims of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in primary operable breast cancer; as well as appropriate patient selection, treatment strategies, response monitoring, and postoperative care. We will also discuss the attractiveness of this approach to study the mechanism of action of standard and novel agents, and the role of predictive biomarkers of response to treatment and outcomes.

Response-guided neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer

PURPOSE

We investigated disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) after response-guided neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with early breast cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We treated 2,072 patients with two cycles of docetaxel, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide (TAC) and randomly assigned early responders to four (n = 704) or six (n = 686) additional TAC cycles, and early nonresponders to four cycles of TAC (n = 321) or vinorelbine and capecitabine (NX; n = 301) before surgery.

RESULTS

DFS was longer in early responders receiving TAC × 8 than in those receiving TAC × 6 (hazard ratio [HR], 0.78; 95% CI, 0.62 to 0.97; P = .026), and in early nonresponders receiving TAC-NX than in those receiving TAC × 6 (HR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.49 to 0.82; P = .001). Exploratory analysis showed that DFS after response-guided chemotherapy (TAC × 8 or TAC-NX) was significantly longer (HR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.60 to 0.85; P < .003), as was OS (HR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.63 to 0.99; P = .048), than on conventional chemotherapy (TAC × 6). DFS was longer after response-guided chemotherapy in all hormone receptor-positive tumors (luminal A HR = 0.55, luminal B [human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) negative] HR = 0.40, and luminal B [HER2 positive] HR = 0.56), but not in hormone receptor-negative tumors (HER2 positive [nonluminal] HR = 1.01 and triple negative HR = 0.87). Pathologic complete response did not predict these survival effects. pCR predicted an improved DFS in triple-negative (HR = 6.67), HER2-positive (nonluminal; HR 5.24), or luminal B (HER2-negative) tumors (HR = 3.74).

CONCLUSION

This exploratory analysis suggests that response-guided neoadjuvant chemotherapy might improve survival and is most effective in hormone receptor-positive tumors. If confirmed, the response-guided approach could provide a clinically meaningful advantage for the neoadjuvant over the adjuvant approach in early breast cancer.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy and targeted therapy in breast cancer: past, present, and future

Traditionally, neoadjuvant treatment for breast cancer was preserved for locally advanced and inflammatory disease, converting an inoperable to a surgical resectable cancer. In recent years, neoadjuvant therapy has become an accepted treatment option also for lower tumor stages in order to increase the rate of breast conserving therapy and to reduce the extent of surgery. Furthermore, treatment response can be monitored, and therefore, patient compliance may be increased. Neoadjuvant trials, additionally, offer the opportunity to evaluate new treatment options in a faster way and with fewer patients than large adjuvant trials. Compared to the metastatic setting, the issue of acquired resistance and pretreatments, which may distort treatment efficacy, can be avoided. New trial designs like window-of-opportunity trials or postneoadjuvant trials provide the chance to identify tumor sensitivity or to overcome tumor resistance in early tumor stages. In particular, in HER2-positive breast cancer, the neoadjuvant approach yielded great successes. The dual HER2 blockade with trastuzumab and pertuzumab recently showed the highest pCR rates ever reported. Many new drugs are in clinical testing with the aim to further increase pCR rates. Whether this endpoint really represents a surrogate for long-term outcome is not answered yet and will be discussed in this review.

Update on neoadjuvant/preoperative therapy of breast cancer: experiences from the German Breast Group

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Neoadjuvant treatment is used by an increased number of patients with breast cancer. This study reviews the current literature on how new research findings have impacted patients and treatment selection.

RECENT FINDINGS

The prognostic value of pathological complete response (pCR) is different in various breast cancer subtypes. pCR rate after neoadjuvant chemotherapy is associated with better outcome only for patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive/hormone receptor negative or HER2-negative/hormone receptor negative (triple-negative) and some more aggressive HER2-negative/hormone receptor positive tumours. Knowledge on pCR in these subtypes can relieve patients from an initially unfavourable prognosis. For patients without a pCR, especially if a high proliferation can be detected in the residual tumour after neoadjuvant treatment, prognosis is still unfavourable and clinical trials exploring new targeted agents in this postneoadjuvant indication are currently under development. Neoadjuvant treatment allows treatment to be guided by monitoring response. Changing the regimen in case of no early response or intensification in case of early response has shown significant survival advantages especially in patients with hormone receptor positive tumours.

SUMMARY

The model of neoadjuvant chemotherapy has been improved over the last decade and is now successfully used to increase our knowledge not only on the pathophysiology of the disease but also on the activity of conventional and new treatment approaches.

Ki67 measured after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for primary breast cancer

PURPOSE

The value of Ki67 measured on residual disease after neoadjuvant chemotherapy is not sufficiently described.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

Participants of the GeparTrio study with primary breast cancer randomly received neoadjuvant response-guided [8 cycles TAC (docetaxel/doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide) in responding and TAC-NX (vinorelbine/capecitabine) in nonresponding patients] or conventional (6 cycles TAC) chemotherapy according to interim response assessment. Ki-67 levels were centrally measured immunohistochemically after neoadjuvant treatment if tumor tissue was available. Here, we analyze 1,151 patients having a pathologic complete response (pCR; n, 484), or residual disease with low (0-15%), intermediate (15.1-35%), or high (35.1-100%) posttreatment Ki67 levels in 488, 77, and 102 patients, respectively.

RESULTS

Patients with high posttreatment Ki67 levels showed higher risk for disease relapse (P < 0.0001) and death (P < 0.0001) compared with patients with low or intermediate Ki67 levels. Patients with low Ki67 levels showed a comparable outcome to patients with a pCR (P = 0.211 for disease-free and P = 0.779 for overall survival). Posttreatment Ki67 levels provided more prognostic information than pretreatment Ki67 levels or changes of Ki67 from pre- to posttreatment. Information on pCR plus posttreatment Ki67 levels surmount the prognostic information of pCR alone in hormone-receptor-positive disease [hazard ratios (HR), 1.82-5.88] but not in hormone-receptor-negative disease (HR: 0.61-1.73). Patients with conventional and response-guided treatment did not show a different distribution of posttreatment Ki67 (P = 0.965).

CONCLUSIONS

Posttreatment Ki67 levels provide prognostic information for patients with hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer and residual disease after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Levels were not prognostic for outcome after response-guided chemotherapy. High posttreatment Ki67 indicates the need for innovative postneoadjuvant treatments.

Evaluation of Mucin-1 protein and mRNA expression as prognostic and predictive markers after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Mucin-1 (MUC1) is a promising antigen for the development of tumor vaccines. We evaluated the frequency of MUC1 expression and its impact on therapy response and survival after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Pre-treatment core biopsies of patients from the GeparTrio neoadjuvant trial (NCT 00544765) were evaluated for MUC1 by immunohistochemistry (IHC; N = 691) and quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR; N = 286) from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples.

RESULTS

MUC1 protein and mRNA was detectable in the majority of cases and was associated with hormone-receptor-positive status (P < 0.001). High MUC1 protein and mRNA expression were associated with lower probability of pathologic complete response (P = 0.017 and P < 0.001) and with longer patient survival (P = 0.03 and P < 0.001). In multivariable analysis, MUC1 protein and mRNA expression were independently predictive (P = 0.001 and P < 0.001). MUC1 protein and mRNA expression were independently prognostic for overall survival (P = 0.029 and P = 0.015).

CONCLUSIONS

MUC1 is frequently expressed in breast cancer and detectable on mRNA and protein level from FFPE tissue. It provides independent predictive information for therapy response and survival after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. In clinical immunotherapy trials, MUC1 expression may serve as a predictive marker.

Neoadjuvant epirubicin, gemcitabine and docetaxel for primary breast cancer: long-term survival data and major prognostic factors based on two consecutive neoadjuvant phase I/II trials

We previously reported primary endpoints of two consecutive phase I/II trials, evaluating different schedules of neoadjuvant epirubicin (E), gemcitabine (G) and docetaxel (Doc) for primary breast cancer (PBC). Here, we report mature survival data and prognostic factors. One hundred fifty-one patients were recruited into two consecutive phase I/II trials of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for T2-4 N0-2 M0 PBC. Patients received six cycles of G/E/Doc every 3 weeks with G repeated on d8 (GEDoc, n = 84) or five cycles of G/E followed by four cycles of Doc all given every two weeks (GEsDoc, n = 67). Prognostic factors were investigated using univariate and multivariate analyses. No survival differences by treatment were found. Among reported predictive factors for pathologic complete response (pCR), oestrogen receptor (ER) status was the only relevant factor in the multivariate analysis. Unexpectedly, pCR resulted in poorer survival (univariate HR for overall survival [OS] 3.11, p = 0.007). Multivariate analyses identified molecular subtype and tumour size as the most relevant prognostic factors for OS. HER2-receptor status and the CPS-EG score (Mittendorf et al., J Clin Oncol 2011;29:1956-62), based on clinical and pathological stage, ER-status and tumour grade, were particularly relevant in disease-free survival. Our findings cast doubt on the reliability of pCR as single marker for prognosis of this unselected breast cancer cohort, with an abundance of luminal subtypes. These results underline the significance of additional molecular characteristics for breast cancer survival.

FDG PET/CT during neoadjuvant chemotherapy may predict response in ER-positive/HER2-negative and triple negative, but not in HER2-positive breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Response monitoring with MRI during neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in breast cancer is promising, but knowledge of breast cancer subtype is essential. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relevance of breast cancer subtypes for monitoring of therapy response during NAC with 18F-FDG PET/CT.

METHODS

Evaluation included 98 women with stages II and III breast cancer. PET/CTs were performed before and after six or eight weeks of NAC. FDG uptake was quantified using maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmax). Tumors were divided into three subtypes: HER2-positive, ER-positive/HER2-negative, and triple negative. Tumor response at surgery was assessed dichotomously (presence or absence of residual disease) and ordinally (breast response index, representing relative change in tumor stage). Multivariate regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were employed to determine associations with pathological response.

RESULTS

A (near) complete pathological response was seen in 19 (76%) of 25 HER2-positive, 7 (16%) of 45 ER-positive/HER2-negative, and 20 (71%) of 28 triple negative tumors. Multivariate regression of pathological response indicated a significant interaction between change in FDG uptake and breast cancer subtype. The area under the ROC curve was 0.35 (0.12-0.64) for HER2-positive, 0.90 (0.76-1.00) for ER-positive/HER2-negative, and 0.96 (0.86-1.00) for triple negative tumors. We found no association between age, stage, histology, or baseline SUVmax and pathological response.

CONCLUSION

Response monitoring with PET/CT during NAC in breast cancer seems feasible, but is dependent on the breast cancer subtype. PET/CT may predict response in ER-positive/HER2-negative and triple negative tumors, but seems less accurate in HER2-positive tumors.

Toxicity and quality of life of Korean breast cancer patients treated with docetaxel-containing chemotherapy without primary G-CSF prophylaxis

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to evaluate the toxicity and quality of life (QoL) of breast cancer patients treated with a docetaxel-containing chemotherapeutic regimen and to compare adriamycin and cyclophosphamide (AC) for four cycles followed by docetaxel (D) for four cycles with docetaxel, adriamycin, and cyclophosphamide (TAC) for six cycles without primary granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) prophylaxis.

METHODS

Node-positive breast cancer patients who received surgery from three hospitals were included. Subjects received docetaxel-containing chemotherapy and completed a questionnaire on QoL (EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BR23) at each cycle. Toxicity was assessed using the National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria.

RESULTS

All 78 eligible subjects and 542 cycles were analyzed. The incidence of dose reduction and grade 3 edema was higher in the AC-D group. The incidence of febrile neutropenia was significantly increased in the TAC group (63.4 %) compared to the AC-D group (29.7 %). Grade 3 or 4 anemia was higher in the TAC group, and grade 3 or 4 arthralgia was higher in the AC-D group. There were no significant differences in severe nausea and vomiting, fatigue, neuropathy, and peripheral edema. Baseline quality of life showed no difference between the two groups. The global health status decreased during chemotherapy and recovered to baseline level 3 months after chemotherapy.

CONCLUSION

Although the incidence of febrile neutropenia was high without primary G-CSF prophylaxis and was more severe in the TAC group, QoL revealed comparable results in both regimens; therefore, it could be one of the considerations in the choice of treatment strategy.

A systematic review of vinorelbine for the treatment of breast cancer

The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety profile of vinorelbine-based chemotherapy in different settings for the treatment of breast cancer. We performed a computerized search using combinations of the following keywords: "breast cancer", "breast neoplasms", "trial", "vinorelbine" and "navelbine". A total of 20 trials were included in this analysis, with a total of 5,080 patients accrued. Taxane was associated with enhanced overall survival (OS; p = 0.027) and response rate (RR; p = 0.037) as compared with vinorelbine in monotherapy, but did not show significantly favored progression-free survival (PFS; p = 0.136). Vinorelbine alone was equivalent to fluoropyrimidine treatment in RR (p = 0.79) for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. For vinorelbine-combined regimens, the analysis showed that the vinorelbine group gave similar results as other regimens for OS (p = 0.849) and PFS (p = 0.143). The RR of vinorelbine-combined regimens was slightly better than that of the other regimens (OR, 1.17), but the difference was not statistically significant. In neoadjuvant setting, vinorelbine treatment was as active as AC (doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide) or DAC (doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, docetaxel) regimens with respect to RR (p = 0.76) and pathologic complete response (pCR; p = 0.77), but showed lower occurrence of grade 3/4 adverse effects. The analysis also demonstrated that vinorelbine-containing therapy is effective as adjuvant, front-line or salvage therapy of metastatic breast cancer, even for patients who were previously treated with anthracyclines or taxanes.

A central review of histopathology reports after breast cancer neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the neo-tango trial

Background:

Neo-tAnGo, a National Cancer Research Network (NCRN) multicentre randomised neoadjuvant chemotherapy trial in early breast cancer, enroled 831 patients in the United Kingdom. We report a central review of post-chemotherapy histopathology reports on the surgical specimens, to assess the presence and degree of response.

Methods:

A central independent two-reader review (EP and HME) of histopathology reports from post-treatment surgical specimens was performed. The quality and completeness of pathology reporting across all centres was assessed. The reviews included pathological response to chemotherapy (pathological complete response (pCR); minimal residual disease (MRD); and lesser degrees of response), laterality, the number of axillary metastases and axillary nodes, and the type of surgery. A consensus was reached after discussion.

Results:

In all, 825 surgical reports from 816 patients were available for review. Out of 4125 data items there were 347 discrepant results (8.4% of classifications), which involved 281 patients. These involved grading of breast response (169 but only 9 involving pCR vs MRD); laterality (6); presence of axillary metastasis (35); lymph node counts (108); and type of axillary surgery (29). Excluding cases with pCR, only 45% of reports included any comment regarding response in the breast and 30% in the axillary lymph nodes.

Conclusion:

We found considerable variability in the completeness of reporting of surgical specimens within this national neoadjuvant breast cancer trial. This highlights the need for consensus guidelines among trial groups on histopathology reporting, and the participation of histopathologists throughout the development and analysis of neoadjuvant trials.

Reliability of receptor assessment on core needle biopsy in breast cancer patients

We compared the breast core needle biopsy and the resection specimen with respect to estrogen (ER), progesterone (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status to identify predictors for discordant findings. We retrospectively collected data from 526 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. ER, PR and HER2 status had been assessed in both the core needle biopsy and resection specimen. The assessment of ER by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in core needle biopsy was false negative in 26.5% and false positive in 6.8% of patients. For the PR status the false negative and false positive results of core needle biopsy were 29.6% and 10.3%, respectively. The results of the HER2 status, as determined by IHC and silver in situ hybridization (SISH), were false negative in 5.4% and false positive in 50.0%. We need to be aware of the problem of false negative and false positive test results in ER, PR and HER2 assessment in core needle biopsy and the potential impact on adjuvant systemic treatment. With current techniques, we recommend using the resection specimen to measure these receptors in patients without neoadjuvant treatment. A better alternative might be the use of tissue microarray, combining both core needle biopsy and resection specimen.

Disseminated tumor cells as selection marker and monitoring tool for secondary adjuvant treatment in early breast cancer. Descriptive results from an intervention study

Background

Presence of disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) in bone marrow (BM) after completion of systemic adjuvant treatment predicts reduced survival in breast cancer. The present study explores the use of DTCs to identify adjuvant insufficiently treated patients to be offered secondary adjuvant treatment intervention, and as a surrogate marker for therapy response.

Methods

A total of 1121 patients with pN1-3 or pT1c/T2G2-3pN0-status were enrolled. All had completed primary surgery and received 6 cycles of anthracycline-containing chemotherapy. BM-aspiration was performed 8-12 weeks after chemotherapy (BM1), followed by a second BM-aspiration 6 months later (BM2). DTC-status was determined by morphological evaluation of immunocytochemically detected cytokeratin-positive cells. If DTCs were present at BM2, docetaxel (100 mg/m², 3qw, 6 courses) was administered, followed by DTC-analysis 1 month (BM3) and 13 months (BM4) after the last docetaxel infusion.

Results

Clinical follow-up (FU) is still ongoing. Here, the descriptive data from the study are presented. Of 1085 patients with a reported DTC result at both BM1 and BM2, 94 patients (8.7%) were BM1 positive and 83 (7.6%) were BM2 positive. The concordance between BM1 and BM2 was 86.5%. Both at BM1 and BM2 DTC-status was significantly associated with lobular carcinomas (p = 0.02 and p = 0.03, respectively; chi-square). In addition, DTC-status at BM2 was also associated with pN-status (p = 0.009) and pT-status (p = 0.03). At BM1 28.8% and 12.8% of the DTC-positive patients had ≥2 DTCs and ≥3 DTCs, respectively. At BM2, the corresponding frequencies were 47.0% and 25.3%. Of 72 docetaxel-treated patients analyzed at BM3 and/or BM4, only 15 (20.8%) had persistent DTCs. Of 17 patients with ≥3 DTCs before docetaxel treatment, 12 patients turned negative after treatment (70.6%). The change to DTC-negativity was associated with the presence of ductal carcinoma (p = 0.009).

Conclusions

After docetaxel treatment, the majority of patients experienced disappearance of DTCs. As this is not a randomized trial, the results can be due to effects of adjuvant (docetaxel/endocrine/trastuzumab) treatment and/or limitations of the methodology. The clinical significance of these results awaits mature FU data, but indicates a possibility for clinical use of DTC-status as a residual disease-monitoring tool and as a surrogate marker of treatment response.

Trial registration

Clin Trials Gov NCT00248703

Differential pathological response to preoperative chemotherapy across breast cancer intrinsic subtypes

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease with a diversity of clinical behaviors. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of breast cancer intrinsic subtypes in the prediction of pathological complete response (pCR) in a cohort of breast cancer patients receiving preoperative chemotherapy.

METHODS

Patients with stage II/III breast cancer received 4 cycles of XT (capecitabine and docetaxel) followed by 4 cycles of FEC (fluorouracil, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide) as preoperative chemotherapy. Tumors were classified as luminal A, luminal B, luminal/HER2, HER2, basal-like, or non-basal-like triple negative by immunohistochemical analysis in core needle biopsy samples at baseline.

RESULTS

The overall pCR rate was 11.9% (12/101). Multivariate analysis showed that intrinsic subtype was an independent factor to predict pCR. With luminal A patients as the reference group, luminal B (OR = 16.39; 95% CI 1.44-185.88; p = 0.024), HER2 (OR = 14.73; 95% CI 1.19-180.84; p = 0.035), and basal-like (OR = 13.27; 95% CI 1.27-138.79; p = 0.031) patients had a significantly higher likelihood of pCR.

CONCLUSION

The present data indicate that intrinsic subtypes may be useful predictive biomarkers of pCR in breast cancer patients treated with preoperative chemotherapy.

Thymosin beta 15A (TMSB15A) is a predictor of chemotherapy response in triple-negative breast cancer

Background:

Biomarkers predictive of pathological complete response (pCR) to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) of breast cancer are urgently needed.

Methods:

Using a training/validation approach for detection of predictive biomarkers in HER2-negative breast cancer, pre-therapeutic core biopsies from four independent cohorts were investigated: Gene array data were analysed in fresh frozen samples of two cohorts (n=86 and n=55). Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT–PCR) was performed in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples from two neoadjuvant phase III trials (GeparTrio, n=212, and GeparQuattro, n=383).

Results:

A strong predictive capacity of thymosin beta 15 (TMSB15A) gene expression was evident in both fresh frozen cohorts (P<0.0001; P<0.0042). In the GeparTrio FFPE training cohort, a significant linear correlation between TMSB15A expression and pCR was apparent in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) (n=61, P=0.040). A cutoff point was then defined that divided TNBC into a low and a high expression group (pCR rate 16.0% vs 47.2%). Both linear correlation of TMSB15A mRNA levels (P=0.017) and the pre-defined cutoff point were validated in 134 TNBC from GeparQuattro (pCR rate 36.8% vs 17.0%, P=0.020). No significant predictive capacity was observed in luminal carcinomas from GeparTrio and GeparQuattro.

Conclusion:

In TNBC, TMSB15A gene expression analysis might help to select patients with a high chance for pCR after NACT.

Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) predicts response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and clinical outcome in primary human breast cancer

In our previous work we showed that NGAL, a protein involved in the regulation of proliferation and differentiation, is overexpressed in human breast cancer (BC) and predicts poor prognosis. In neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) pathological complete response (pCR) is a predictor for outcome. The aim of this study was to evaluate NGAL as a predictor of response to NACT and to validate NGAL as a prognostic factor for clinical outcome in patients with primary BC. Immunohistochemistry was performed on tissue microarrays from 652 core biopsies from BC patients, who underwent NACT in the GeparTrio trial. NGAL expression and intensity was evaluated separately. NGAL was detected in 42.2% of the breast carcinomas in the cytoplasm. NGAL expression correlated with negative hormone receptor (HR) status, but not with other baseline parameters. NGAL expression did not correlate with pCR in the full population, however, NGAL expression and staining intensity were significantly associated with higher pCR rates in patients with positive HR status. In addition, strong NGAL expression correlated with higher pCR rates in node negative patients, patients with histological grade 1 or 2 tumors and a tumor size <40 mm. In univariate survival analysis, positive NGAL expression and strong staining intensity correlated with decreased disease-free survival (DFS) in the entire cohort and different subgroups, including HR positive patients. Similar correlations were found for intense staining and decreased overall survival (OS). In multivariate analysis, NGAL expression remained an independent prognostic factor for DFS. The results show that in low-risk subgroups, NGAL was found to be a predictive marker for pCR after NACT. Furthermore, NGAL could be validated as an independent prognostic factor for decreased DFS in primary human BC.

Pre-treatment differences and early response monitoring of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer patients using magnetic resonance imaging: a systematic review

OBJECTIVES

To assess whether magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can identify pre-treatment differences or monitor early response in breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

METHODS

PubMed, Cochrane library, Medline and Embase databases were searched for publications until January 1, 2012. After primary selection, studies were selected based on predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria. Two reviewers assessed study contents using an extraction form.

RESULTS

In 15 studies, which were mainly underpowered and of heterogeneous study design, 31 different parameters were studied. Most frequently studied parameters were tumour diameter or volume, K(trans), K(ep), V(e), and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). Other parameters were analysed in only two or less studies. Tumour diameter, volume, and kinetic parameters did not show any pre-treatment differences between responders and non-responders. In two studies, pre-treatment differences in ADC were observed between study groups. At early response monitoring significant and non-significant changes for all parameters were observed for most of the imaging parameters.

CONCLUSIONS

Evidence on distinguishing responders and non-responders to neoadjuvant chemotherapy using pre-treatment MRI, as well as using MRI for early response monitoring, is weak and based on underpowered study results and heterogeneous study design. Thus, the value of breast MRI for response evaluation has not yet been established.

KEY POINTS

Few well-validated pre-treatment MR parameters exist that identify responders and non-responders. Eligible studies showed heterogeneous study designs which hampered pooling of data. Confounders and technical variations of MRI accuracy are not studied adequately. Value of MRI for response evaluation needs to be established further.

Lessons from the neoadjuvant setting on how best to choose adjuvant therapies

AIMS

To review the recent literature on neoadjuvant treatment of breast cancer with respect to insights that might be used for better using systemic treatment in early breast cancer.

RESULTS

Much more insight was gained during recent years on how to use information on pathologic complete response (pCR). pCR appears to be a valid surrogate for long-term survival mainly in triple-negative and HER2-positive disease. Patient with breast cancer of these subtypes can be relieved from poor prognosis if they achieve a pCR after neoadjuvant treatment. It can even be speculated that the extent of local and post-surgical systemic treatment can be further reduced. Patients without pCR show a high risk of early recurrence and are at high need for new treatment options. These advantages lead to the recommendation that use of neoadjuvant treatment should not be indicated by tumor size but far more by tumor subtype. As pCR appears to be more sensitive to detect treatment effects than disease-free survival, the neoadjuvant approach identifies easier promising treatments and can even discriminate optimal approaches for biologically defined subgroups. A recent meta-analysis examining pattern of neoadjuvant chemotherapy suggests that luminal-B type tumors require longer duration of treatment, triple-negative tumors require dose-intensified anthracycline-taxane-based treatment of only short duration, and HER2-positive tumors require longer duration (if hormone-receptor positive) and an optimal dose of taxanes. As biomarkers can be easily assessed on tumor tissue before, during, and after treatment, there is increasing data available on markers that e.g. potentially predict resistance to anti-HER2 treatment, predict response to anti-angiogenic drugs as well as efficacy of PARP inhibitors. Validation of these candidate markers remains a challenging task, as patients cohort are usually small and finding studies are compromised by multiple testing.

CONCLUSION

With the acquired new knowledge from neoadjuvant studies will help to individualize treatment based on biological behavior of breast cancer subtypes.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer-insights from the German experience

New insights into neoadjuvant treatment of breast cancer have shown that the prognostic value of pathological complete response has to be rated differently according to subtype. Whereas in triple-negative, HER2-positive (non-luminal) and luminal B (HER2-negative) patients with a pCR after neoadjuvant chemotherapy show a significantly better outcome than patients without a pCR, this prognostic impact cannot be seen in patients with luminal A or luminal B (HER2-positive) tumors. Patients can therefore only avoid an initially high-risk prognosis if they have a pCR of these first mentioned subtypes. For patients with those tumors or with high Ki-67 levels in residual disease, new treatment options have to be found. Contrarily, response-guided chemotherapy, i.e., changing the regimen in case of no early response or intensification in case of early response, showed significant survival advantages only in the latter group. Strategies are currently being developed on how locoregional treatment can be reduced in patients with a pathological complete response. These aim to reduce the extent of surgery or even avoid surgery completely.

Early prediction of pathologic response to neoadjuvant therapy in breast cancer: systematic review of the accuracy of MRI

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been proposed to have a role in predicting final pathologic response when undertaken early during neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in breast cancer. This paper examines the evidence for MRI's accuracy in early response prediction. A systematic literature search (to February 2011) was performed to identify studies reporting the accuracy of MRI during NAC in predicting pathologic response, including searches of MEDLINE, PREMEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases. 13 studies were eligible (total 605 subjects, range 16-188). Dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI was typically performed after 1-2 cycles of anthracycline-based or anthracycline/taxane-based NAC, and compared to a pre-NAC baseline scan. MRI parameters measured included changes in uni- or bidimensional tumour size, three-dimensional volume, quantitative dynamic contrast measurements (volume transfer constant [Ktrans], exchange rate constant [k(ep)], early contrast uptake [ECU]), and descriptive patterns of tumour reduction. Thresholds for identifying response varied across studies. Definitions of response included pathologic complete response (pCR), near-pCR, and residual tumour with evidence of NAC effect (range of response 0-58%). Heterogeneity across MRI parameters and the outcome definition precluded statistical meta-analysis. Based on descriptive presentation of the data, sensitivity/specificity pairs for prediction of pathologic response were highest in studies measuring reductions in Ktrans (near-pCR), ECU (pCR, but not near-pCR) and tumour volume (pCR or near-pCR), at high thresholds (typically >50%); lower sensitivity/specificity pairs were evident in studies measuring reductions in uni- or bidimensional tumour size. However, limitations in study methodology and data reporting preclude definitive conclusions. Methods proposed to address these limitations include: statistical comparison between MRI parameters, and MRI vs other tests (particularly ultrasound and clinical examination); standardising MRI thresholds and pCR definitions; and reporting changes in NAC based on test results. Further studies adopting these methods are warranted.

Breast Cancer 2012 - New Aspects

Treatment options as well as the characteristics for therapeutic decisions in patients with primary and advanced breast cancer are increasing in number and variety. New targeted therapies in combination with established chemotherapy schemes are broadening the spectrum, however potentially promising combinations do not always achieve a better result. New data from the field of pharmacogenomics point to prognostic and predictive factors that take not only the properties of the tumour but also inherited genetic properties of the patient into consideration. Current therapeutic decision-making is thus based on a combination of classical clinical and modern molecular biomarkers. Also health-economic aspects are more frequently being taken into consideration so that health-economic considerations may also play a part. This review is based on information from the recent annual congresses. The latest of these are the 34th San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2011 and the ASCO Annual Meeting 2012. Among their highlights are the clinically significant results from the CLEOPATRA, BOLERO-2, EMILIA and SWOG S0226 trials on the therapy for metastatic breast cancer as well as further state-of-the-art data on the adjuvant use of bisphosphonates within the framework of the ABCSG-12, ZO-FAST, NSABP-B34 and GAIN trials.

Definition and impact of pathologic complete response on prognosis after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in various intrinsic breast cancer subtypes

PURPOSE

The exact definition of pathologic complete response (pCR) and its prognostic impact on survival in intrinsic breast cancer subtypes is uncertain.

METHODS

Tumor response at surgery and its association with long-term outcome of 6,377 patients with primary breast cancer receiving neoadjuvant anthracycline-taxane-based chemotherapy in seven randomized trials were analyzed.

RESULTS

Disease-free survival (DFS) was significantly superior in patients with no invasive and no in situ residuals in breast or nodes (n = 955) compared with patients with residual ductal carcinoma in situ only (n = 309), no invasive residuals in breast but involved nodes (n = 186), only focal-invasive disease in the breast (n = 478), and gross invasive residual disease (n = 4,449; P < .001). Hazard ratios for DFS comparing patients with or without pCR were lowest when defined as no invasive and no in situ residuals (0.446) and increased monotonously when in situ residuals (0.523), no invasive breast residuals but involved nodes (0.623), and focal-invasive disease (0.727) were included in the definition. pCR was associated with improved DFS in luminal B/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) -negative (P = .005), HER2-positive/nonluminal (P < .001), and triple-negative (P < .001) tumors but not in luminal A (P = .39) or luminal B/HER2-positive (P = .45) breast cancer. pCR in HER2-positive (nonluminal) and triple-negative tumors was associated with excellent prognosis.

CONCLUSION

pCR defined as no invasive and no in situ residuals in breast and nodes can best discriminate between patients with favorable and unfavorable outcomes. Patients with noninvasive or focal-invasive residues or involved lymph nodes should not be considered as having achieved pCR. pCR is a suitable surrogate end point for patients with luminal B/HER2-negative, HER2-positive (nonluminal), and triple-negative disease but not for those with luminal B/HER2-positive or luminal A tumors.