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Emens LA, Adams S, Cimino-Mathews A, Disis ML, Gatti-Mays ME, Ho AY, Kalinsky K, McArthur HL, Mittendorf EA, Nanda R, Page DB, Rugo HS, Rubin KM, Soliman H, Spears PA, Tolaney SM, Litton JK. Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) clinical practice guideline on immunotherapy for the treatment of breast cancer. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:e002597. [PMID: 34389617 PMCID: PMC8365813 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-002597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer has historically been a disease for which immunotherapy was largely unavailable. Recently, the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in combination with chemotherapy for the treatment of advanced/metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has demonstrated efficacy, including longer progression-free survival and increased overall survival in subsets of patients. Based on clinical benefit in randomized trials, ICIs in combination with chemotherapy for the treatment of some patients with advanced/metastatic TNBC have been approved by the United States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA), expanding options for patients. Ongoing questions remain, however, about the optimal chemotherapy backbone for immunotherapy, appropriate biomarker-based selection of patients for treatment, the optimal strategy for immunotherapy treatment in earlier stage disease, and potential use in histological subtypes other than TNBC. To provide guidance to the oncology community on these and other important concerns, the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) convened a multidisciplinary panel of experts to develop a clinical practice guideline (CPG). The expert panel drew upon the published literature as well as their clinical experience to develop recommendations for healthcare professionals on these important aspects of immunotherapeutic treatment for breast cancer, including diagnostic testing, treatment planning, immune-related adverse events (irAEs), and patient quality of life (QOL) considerations. The evidence-based and consensus-based recommendations in this CPG are intended to give guidance to cancer care providers treating patients with breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leisha A Emens
- Department of Medicine, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Sylvia Adams
- Perlmutter Cancer Center, New York University Langone, New York, New York, USA
| | - Ashley Cimino-Mathews
- Department of Pathology and Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Mary L Disis
- Cancer Vaccine Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Margaret E Gatti-Mays
- Pelotonia Institute for Immuno-Oncology, Division of Medical Oncology, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Alice Y Ho
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kevin Kalinsky
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | | | - Elizabeth A Mittendorf
- Division of Breast Surgery, Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Breast Oncology Program, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rita Nanda
- Department of Medicine, Section of Hematology/Oncology, The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - David B Page
- Earle A Chiles Research Institute, Portland, Oregon, USA
| | - Hope S Rugo
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Krista M Rubin
- Center for Melanoma, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Hatem Soliman
- Department of Breast Oncology, H Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Patricia A Spears
- University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Sara M Tolaney
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jennifer K Litton
- Department of Breast Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
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Abstract
Therapeutic strategies for the treatment of breast cancer have historically been determined by the presence or absence of hormone receptors and HER2 amplification and/or protein expression. For patients with breast cancer that lack these biomarkers, the so-called ‘triple-negative’ subtype, chemotherapy has been the cornerstone of cure and palliation. However, with the recent successful development of immune checkpoint molecules that target cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4, programmed cell death-1 (PD-1), and PD-ligand 1 (PD-L1), improved survival has been reported across a range of tumour types including melanoma, lung, and bladder cancer. In metastatic breast cancer, trials of single-agent immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have resulted in limited overall response rates; however, strategies that combine local or systemic therapies with ICI have improved response rates and, in some cases, improved survival. For example, the addition of an anti-PD-L1 inhibitor, atezolizumab, to nab-paclitaxel chemotherapy for newly diagnosed metastatic triple-negative breast cancer demonstrated an improvement in overall survival in an informal analysis of the PD-L1-positive subset in a recently reported Phase III clinical trial. These results ultimately led to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for an ICI for the treatment of breast cancer, with numerous other health authorities following suit. Herein, the authors describe the biology behind ICI, the rationale for ICI administration in breast cancer, the related clinical trial data reported to date, and promising future strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Heather McArthur
- Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Los Angeles, California, USA
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Abstract
Although not considered curative in nature, new therapeutic advances in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) have substantially improved patient outcomes. This article discusses the state-of-the-art and emerging therapeutic options for management of MBC. BC systemic therapy targets multiple key pathways, including estrogen receptor signaling, HER2 signaling, and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling. Other therapeutic strategies include targeting DNA repair, inhibiting immune checkpoints, and developing antibody-drug conjugates. Although surgery historically was reserved for palliation of symptomatic, large, or ulcerating masses, some data suggest a possibly expanding role for more aggressive locoregional therapy in combination with systemic therapy. As technology develops, biomarker-specific, line-agnostic, and receptor-agnostic treatment strategies will redraw the current lines of MBC care. However, tumor heterogeneity remains a challenge. To effectively reshape our approach to MBC, careful consideration of the patient perspective, the costs and value of novel treatments, and accessibility (especially in developing countries) is paramount.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-France Savard
- 1 Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Department of Oncology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Omar Khan
- 1 Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Department of Oncology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Kelly K Hunt
- 2 Department of Breast Surgical Oncology, Division of Surgery, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre, Houston, TX
| | - Sunil Verma
- 1 Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Department of Oncology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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