Glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic and its modifier function as novel immunotargets in gastric adenocarcinoma

OBJECTIVES

To determine the expression and function of glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic (GCLC) and glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic modifier (GCLM) in gastric adenocarcinoma.

METHODS

Bioinformatics was used to analyze the expression of GCLC and GCLM. We download and analyzed the expression of gastric adenocarcinoma patients from TCGA database. Moreover, the method of immunochemistry was used to verify the expression of GCLC and GCLM in gastric adenocarcinoma.

RESULTS

At first, the expression of GCLC and GCLM in gastric adenocarcinoma tissues were both significantly higher compared with normal tissues analyzed via TCGA database. Then, gastric adenocarcinoma tissues were collected and performed with immunochemistry. The gastric adenocarcinoma with positive staining for GCLC and GCLM was 77% and 80%, respectively, which was significantly higher compared with adjacent normal tissues (9% and 11%, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

The disordered expression of GCLC and GCLM in gastric adenocarcinoma suggested that these factors may induce tumorigenesis and may be a novel target for diagnosis and treatment of gastric adenocarcinoma.

What are the ideal systolic and diastolic blood pressure which do not injure the intima of iliac and coronary arteries?

 

For patients with coronary artery disease, hypertension (HTN) is a major risk factor. How could uncontrolled HTN start atherosclerosis? In our prior research, laminar flow in coronary arteries prevented the formation of plaques while turbulent flow injured the intima and triggered atherosclerosis. In this present study our question was: Which blood pressure (BP) level is optimal in not producing turbulence and so not injuring the intima?

Methods

At first, a systolic BP<120mmHg and diastolic BP<75mmHg) were arbitrarily set as controlled (group A) while a BP of >160/105mmHg as uncontrolled (group B). All patients underwent a dynamic coronary angiogram recorded at 15 images/second or 0.06 seconds per image. The first image was of the index artery completely filled with contrast. In subsequent images the blood in white color moved in over a background of black contrast (Figure 1A). In 1B, 0.06 seconds later, the blood arrived at the mid segment (white arrow). In 1C, the flood moved forward, however there was darker contrast hanging at the mid segment, marking the location of collision from the retrograde against the antegrade flow (white arrow). The reason was that in uncontrolled BP the contraction of the left ventricle was stronger so in systole, the coronary blood could reverse its course, run on a retrograde direction, collide against the antegrade flow and create turbulence (1C).

At the end, before deploying a vascular closure device, an iliac angiogram was performed. In Figure 2, on a black background of contrast, the blood in white color moved forward with a pointed tip of laminar flow. 0.06 seconds later, the laminar tip was stopped abruptly with all the layers recoiling on each other like a falling stack of dominoes. In the next image. a large swirl of disorganized mixing of blood and contrast suggested the presence of turbulence caused by the collision.

The data to be collected were (1) the duration of the antegrade and retrograde flow, (2) duration of the collision (turbulence at the collision site)

Results

In the group A (BP <120/75 mmHg), 90% of 20 patients had no retrograde flow nor collision in the iliac and short collision in coronary arteries (<0.12 secs). In 30 patients of group B (BP >160/105 mmHg), the duration of retrograde flow and collision in the iliac artery were prolonged at >0.24 msecs. In the coronary arteries, the duration was prolonged at 0.18 msecs (all p<0.05 compared with group A). These locations of turbulence correlated with the location of plaques in our prior studies.

Conclusion

In patients with uncontrolled HTN, the retrograde flow was prolonged, and the turbulence was intense. In contrary, for patients with controlled BP, there was no retrograde flow and weaker collision in coronary arteries. The results suggest that a BP of <120/75 mmHg may not trigger the atherosclerotic process. New clinical trials with larger number of patients should be performed in search for the lowest ideal blood pressure.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: None.

Tumor suppressor genes are reactivated by miR-26A1 via enhancer reprogramming in NSCLC

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the most malignant epithelial tumors. Studies have suggested that DNA hypermethylation of promoters and abnormal histone modifications could induce tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) downregulation in NSCLC. However, the exact mechanism of TSGs downregulation remains unclear. In this study, we found that there is no difference in the regions of most TSGs promoters in NSCLC. Moreover, we found that there is no DNA methylation difference in the region of VILL promoter in NSCLC compared with adjacent tissue samples by pyrosequencing. We further demonstrated that VILL was markedly reactivated in A549 and H1703 cells infected with miR-26A1 lentivirus while this activation was inhibited by JQ1, an enhancer inhibitor. In addition, we identified that miR-26A1 could function as a tumor suppressor to inhibit proliferation and metastasis of NSCLC cells. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays revealed that overexpression of miR-26A1 could significantly induce the enrichment of H3K27ac at the enhancer regions in A549 cells. To sum up, our findings revealed that enhancer-mediated TSGs regulation occured in NSCLC, suggesting that miR-26A1 could serve as a key regulator and may be a potential therapeutic target for NSCLC.

VALD-3, a Schiff base ligand synthesized from o-vanillin derivatives, induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in breast cancer cells by inhibiting the Wnt/β-catenin pathway

Schiff base compounds and their metal complexes have become important synthetic organic drugs due to their extensive biological activities, which include anticancer, antibacterial and antiviral effects. In this study, we investigated the cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of VALD-3, a Schiff base ligand synthesized from o-vanillin derivatives, on human breast cancer cells and the possible underlying mechanisms. 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT)-test was used to observe the proliferation of human breast cancer MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells induced by VALD-3. Flow cytometry analysis showed that VALD-3 triggered cell cycle arrest and induced apoptosis of breast cancer cells. Western blot analysis revealed that VALD-3 upregulated pro-apoptotic proteins (Bad and Bax), downregulated anti-apoptotic proteins (Bcl-2, Bcl-xl, survivin and XIAP) and increased the expression of cleaved caspase-3, cleaved caspase-8, Cyto-c and cleaved PARP. VALD-3 also regulated the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in breast cancer cells, inhibiting the activation of downstream molecules. By xenografting human breast cancer cells into nude mice, we found that VALD-3 significantly suppressed tumor cell growth while showing low toxicity against major organs. In addition, survival analysis showed that VALD-3 can significantly prolong the survival time of mice (P = 0.036). This study is the first to show that VALD-3 induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in human breast cancer cells by suppressing Wnt/β-catenin signaling, indicating that it could be a potential drug for the treatment of breast cancer.

Next-generation sequencing-based identification of EGFR and NOTCH2 complementary mutations in non-small cell lung cancer

Although targeted therapy has emerged as an effective treatment strategy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), some patients cannot benefit from such therapy due to the limited number of therapeutic targets. The present study aimed to identify mutated genes associated with clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis and to screen for mutations that are not concurrent with applicable drug target sites in patients with NSCLC. Tumor tissue and blood samples were obtained from 97 patients with NSCLC. A lung cancer-specific panel of 55 genes was established and analyzed using next-generation sequencing (NGS). The results obtained from the clinical cohort were compared with the NSCLC dataset from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Subsequently, 25 driver genes were identified by taking the intersection of the 55 lung-cancer-specific genes with three databases, namely, the Catalog of Somatic Mutations in Cancer database, the Network of Cancer Genes database and Vogelstein's list. Functional annotation and protein-protein interaction analysis were conducted on these 25 driver genes. The χ² test and logistic regression were used to evaluate the association between mutations in the 25 driver genes and the clinicopathological characteristics of 97 patients, and phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) and kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) were associated with stage at diagnosis and sex, respectively, while epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) was associated with sex, stage at diagnosis, metastasis, CEA and CYFRA21-1. Moreover, the association between the 25 driver gene mutations and overall survival were examined using Cox regression analysis. Age and Notch homolog 2 (NOTCH2) mutations were independent prognostic factors in TCGA dataset. The correlations between statistically significant mutations in EGFR, KRAS, PTEN and NOTCH2 were further examined, both in the clinical data and TCGA dataset. There was a negative correlation between EGFR and NOTCH2 mutations (correlation coefficient, −0.078; P=0.027). Thus, the present study highlights the importance of NOTCH2 mutations and might provide novel therapeutic options for patients with NSCLC who do not harbor EGFR mutations.

RUNX1-activated upregulation of lncRNA RNCR3 promotes cell proliferation, invasion, and suppresses apoptosis in colorectal cancer via miR-1301-3p/AKT1 axis in vitro and in vivo

PURPOSE

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have participated in progression of colorectal cancer. This study aims to study the role of RUNX1/RNCR3/miR-1301-3p/AKT1 axis in colorectal cancer.

METHODS

The cancer tissues were from patients with colorectal cancer. The qRT-PCR was used to determine expression of lncRNA RNCR3, miR-1301-3p, and AKT1. Both dual-luciferase reporter assay and ChIP assay were conducted to investigate the binding sites of RUNX1 on RNCR3 promoter. Western blot was performed to analyze expression of AKT1 protein. Both dual-luciferase reporter assay and RIP assay were performed to detect the interacting sites between RNCR3 and miR-1301-3p. The CCK-8 assay, soft agar assay, transwell assay, and annexin-V-FITC/PI staining were applied to analyze the cell growth, invasion, and apoptosis, respectively.

RESULTS

The data demonstrated that RNCR3 was elevated in colorectal cancer, and it was negatively correlated with expression of miR-1301-3p which was decreased in cancers. Then, RNCR3 could interact with and suppress miR-1301-3p expression in HCT116 and SW480. Knockdown of RNCR3 or miR-1301-3p overexpression significantly inhibited cell growth, invasion, and increased apoptosis through suppressing expression of Cyclin A1, PCNA, N-cadherin, Bcl-2, and promoting expression of E-cadherin, Bax in vitro and in vivo. RUNX1 was directly bound to RNCR3 promoter to activate RNCR3 expression. Furthermore, overexpression of RNCR3 blocked tumor inhibitory effects of miR-1301-3p on proliferation, colony formation, invasion, and apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, RNCR3 and miR-1301-3p synergistically modulated AKT1 expression.

CONCLUSION

RUNX1-activated upregulation of RNCR3 promoted colorectal cancer progression by sponging miR-1301-3p to elevate AKT1 levels in vitro and in vivo.

The immune profile of small HER2-positive breast cancers: a secondary analysis from the APT trial

BACKGROUND

Previous data suggest that the immune microenvironment plays a critical role in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) -positive breast cancer; however, there is little known about the immune profiles of small HER2-positive tumors. In this study, we aimed to characterize the immune microenvironment of small HER2-positive breast cancers included in the Adjuvant paclitaxel and trastuzumab for node-negative, HER2-positive breast cancer (APT) trial and to correlate the immune markers with pathological and molecular tumor characteristics.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The APT trial was a multicenter, single-arm, phase II study of paclitaxel and trastuzumab in patients with node-negative HER2-positive breast cancer. The study included 406 patients with HER2-positive, node-negative breast cancer, measuring up to 3 cm. Exploratory analysis of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL), programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression (by immunohistochemistry), and immune gene signatures using data generated by nCounter PanCancer Pathways Panel (NanoString Technologies, Seattle, WA), and their association with pathological and molecular characteristics was carried out.

RESULTS

Of the 406 patients, 328 (81%) had at least one immune assay carried out: 284 cases were evaluated for TIL, 266 for PD-L1, and 213 for immune gene signatures. High TIL (≥60%) were seen with greater frequency in hormone-receptor (HR) negative, histological grades 2 and 3, as well in HER2-enriched and basal-like tumors. Lower stromal PD-L1 (≤1%) expression was seen with greater frequency in HR-positive, histological grade 1, and in luminal tumors. Both TIL and stromal PD-L1 were positively correlated with 10 immune cell signatures, including Th1 and B cell signatures. Luminal B tumors were negatively correlated with those signatures. Significant correlation was seen among these immune markers; however, the magnitude of correlation did not indicate a monotonic relationship between them.

CONCLUSION

Immune profiles of small HER2-positive breast cancers differ according to HR status, histological grade, and molecular subtype. Further work is needed to explore the implication of these findings on disease outcome.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT00542451.

Prospective evaluation of the cardiac safety of HER2-targeted therapies in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer and compromised heart function: the SAFE-HEaRt study

Purpose

HER2-targeted therapies have substantially improved the outcome of patients with breast cancer, however, they can be associated with cardiac toxicity. Guidelines recommend holding HER2-targeted therapies until resolution of cardiac dysfunction. SAFE-HEaRt is the first trial that prospectively tests whether these therapies can be safely administered without interruptions in patients with cardiac dysfunction.

Methods

Patients with stage I–IV HER2-positive breast cancer candidates for trastuzumab, pertuzumab or ado-trastuzumab emtansine (TDM-1), with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) 40–49% and no symptoms of heart failure (HF) were enrolled. All patients underwent cardiology visits, serial echocardiograms and received beta blockers and ACE inhibitors unless contraindicated. The primary endpoint was completion of the planned HER2-targeted therapies without developing either a cardiac event (CE) defined as HF, myocardial infarction, arrhythmia or cardiac death or significant asymptomatic worsening of LVEF. The study was considered successful if planned oncology therapy completion rate was at least 30%.

Results

Of 31 enrolled patients, 30 were evaluable. Fifteen patients were treated with trastuzumab, 14 with trastuzumab and pertuzumab, and 2 with TDM-1. Mean LVEF was 45% at baseline and 46% at the end of treatment. Twenty-seven patients (90%) completed the planned HER2-targeted therapies. Two patients experienced a CE and 1 had an asymptomatic worsening of LVEF to ≤ 35%.

Conclusion

This study provides safety data of HER2-targeted therapies in patients with breast cancer and reduced LVEF while receiving cardioprotective medications and close cardiac monitoring. Our results demonstrate the importance of collaboration between cardiology and oncology providers to allow for delivery of optimal oncologic care to this unique population.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1007/s10549-019-05191-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Abstract P2-09-07: Preoperative pembrolizumab (Pembro) with radiation therapy (RT) in patients with operable triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC)

Background: Radiation therapy (RT) induces immune-mediated cell death and could generate a rich supply of tumor antigens if administered in the pre-operative, curative-intent setting. The addition of PD-1 mediated checkpoint blockade to pre-operative RT could thus, generate robust anti-tumor immune responses, induce long-term tumor-specific memory, and ultimately, improve cure rates. This study aims to establish the safety of pre-operative pembrolizumab (pembro)-mediated immune modulation with a RT “boost” equivalent in patients with operable triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) for whom lumpectomy and adjuvant RT are planned (NCT03366844). Serial research biopsies permit interrogation of conventional biomarkers including tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and novel immune correlates as potential predictors of response to pembro alone versus pembro with RT.

Methods: Ten women with operable, primary TNBC >2cm for whom breast-conserving therapy is planned are being enrolled in this single-institution pilot study. Study treatment consists of 1 cycle of pre-operative pembro (200 mg IV) alone, followed 3 weeks later by a RT boost (24 Gy/3 fractions) to the primary breast tumor concurrently with pembro (+/- 5 days). Curative-intent, standard-of-care, neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) or breast-conserving surgery is then undertaken within 8 weeks of study enrollment (i.e. within 5 weeks of pembro #2). Adjuvant RT is administered per standard-of-care after surgery, but without a boost dose. Research blood and fresh tumor biopsies are obtained at baseline and after cycles 1 and 2 of pembro. Co-primary endpoints are: 1) safety/tolerability, as defined by the number of patients who do not necessitate a delay in standard-of-care chemotherapy or surgery and 2) change in TIL score. Secondary endpoints include safety/toxicity up to 19 weeks after study enrollment, pCR rates and disease-free survival. Correlative analysis will include single-cell RNA sequencing of the tumor immune infiltrate and multispectral immunohistochemistry

Results: Seven patients enrolled between 12/19/17 and 7/1/18. As of 7/1/18, 5 patients have completed the experimental pembro/RT phase of the trial and are currently completing standard-of-care NAC; 1 patient is currently being treated in the experimental pembro/RT phase; and 1 patient with a cT2N0 tumor at baseline achieved a pathologic complete response (pCR, ypT0/Tis ypN0) after completing the experimental pembro/RT phase followed by anthracycline- and taxane-based NAC. No grade 3 or 4 toxicities have been observed during pembro/RT in the 6 patients completing the experimental phase to date. Three additional patients will be enrolled

Conclusions: This is the first trial of curative-intent, pre-operative checkpoint blockade with RT in breast cancer and the strategy appears to be well tolerated to date. At the time of presentation, safety, change in TIL score, and pCR rates for all patients completing the experimental and NAC phases of the study will be reported.

Citation Format: McArthur HL, Basho R, Shiao SL, Park D, Mita M, Chung A, Arnold B, Martin C, Dang C, Karlan S, Knott S, Giuliano A, Ho A. Preoperative pembrolizumab (Pembro) with radiation therapy (RT) in patients with operable triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-09-07.

Abstract P3-08-04: Transient state change, but not permanent subtype change, after HER2-targeted therapy for HER2-positive breast cancer

Background: In CALGB 40601 (Alliance, NCT00770809), a neoadjuvant phase III trial of paclitaxel and trastuzumab with or without lapatinib for 12 weeks for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer, 33% of pretreatment tumors were Luminal A subtype, however, 69% of post-treatment samples with residual disease were Luminal A subtype. In addition, 71% of Luminal B (12/17) and 67% of HER2-Enriched (6/9) tumors changed into Luminal A, while 80% of Luminal A (20/24) remained Luminal A (Carey et al. J Clin Oncol. 2016). It is not known whether this shift to Luminal A was transient or permanent.

Methods: We selected matched pairs of pre- and post-treatment 40601 samples with tumor purity >10% based upon DNA analyses to ensure all samples contained tumor. PAM50 intrinsic subtyping was applied to the 40601 samples gene expression data using a two-step normalization process based on The Genome Cancer Atlas, and PAM50 training set. In addition, a HER2-enriched expression subtype patient-derived xenograft (PDX) tumor called WHIM35, was studied and was either untreated (n=10), or treated with lapatinib at 220 mg/kg for 1 week (wk) (n=5), for 2 wks (n=8), or for 3 wks (n=4). We also treated WHIM35 tumors with lapatinib for 2 wks (on) and then removed laptinib for 1 wk (off) (n=6), or for 2 wks on and 2-4 wk off (n=6), and finally for 3 wks on, and 1 wk off (n=3). PAM50 intrinsic subtyping was applied to the PDX gene expression data and subtype assessed as well as a genomic-based proliferation score. ANOVA p-values were calculated by comparing median values across all gene signature or correlation scores.

Results: We found 10 pairs of 40601 samples that kept their tumor purity values, however, their subtype changed to Luminal A after treatment (i.e., in the residual disease), and in these cases no minor tumor subclone became a dominant clone in the post treatment sample. Pretreatment subtypes were 6 Luminal B, 3 Luminal A, and 1 HER2-enriched. The tumor purity values did not change after the treatments, but correlation to Luminal A was significantly higher (p=0.01), while correlation to HER2-enriched (p=0.004) and proliferation signature scores (p=0.003) were significantly lower in the post-treatment samples. Among the WHIM35 PDX tumors, one sample changed its subtype from HER2-enriched to Luminal A after the lapatinib treatment and the rest remained HER2-enriched, suggesting environmental differences between patient samples and the PDX model. However, correlation to Luminal A was significantly higher in all lapatinib treated WHIM35 samples (p=8.3e-12), and notably went back to the initial low levels just one week after removing lapatinib. Likewise, correlation to HER2-enriched (p=1.2e-10) and proliferation signature scores (p=6.2e-12) also got lower while treated with lapatinib, but went back to the initial levels after cessation of treatment.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the apparent subtype change during HER2-targeting therapy is not permanent, but is more likely a transient state change from a HER2-enriched subtype into a more Luminal A-like state. When we plan additional treatment strategies using residual disease phenotypes, it may not be clear what is the true subtype of the sample due to this inherent plasticity.

Citation Format: Tanioka M, Parker JS, Henry LN, Tolaney S, Dang C, Krop IE, Harris L, Polley M, Berry DA, Winer EP, Carey LA, Perou CM. Transient state change, but not permanent subtype change, after HER2-targeted therapy for HER2-positive breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-08-04.

Abstract P6-18-30: Phase Ib/II study of capecitabine 7/7 schedule with neratinib in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC)

Background: Neratinib (N) is a potent irreversible inhibitor of HER1, HER2, and HER4 and has been shown to have antitumor activity in patients (pts) with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) - positive breast cancer. A previous study of combination of neratinib with capecitabine (X) was associated with > G 3 diarrhea in > 20% of patients. Currently, the NALA study is evaluating this combination of N with X at standard schedule against control. X at 7 day on and 7 day off schedule (7/7) has been shown to be well-tolerated with less ≥G3 toxicities. We are conducting a phase Ib/II study of N with X (7/7) in pts with pretreated HER2+ MBC (NCT03377387). Methods: Eligible pts had HER2+ MBC, normal left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF ≥ 50%); pts can have any and up to 4 prior chemotherapy-based treatments in phase Ib and II portions, respectively. Primary endpoints are to define maximum tolerated dose and efficacy in phase I and phase II portions, respectively. Secondary endpoints include safety and tolerability; exploratory endpoint is to quantify cell-free DNA to correlate with response for phase II portion. There were 4 cohorts for phase Ib with dose level 1 with starting dose of X at 1500 mg BID at 7/7 schedule with N at 240 mg daily. Results: As of July 1, 2018 8 pts have been enrolled in 2 cohorts. The median age is 63y (range: 57-79), and median ECOG is 0 (range: 0-1). 4 patients were treated at dose level 1 and 2 of 4 patients experienced dose-limiting toxicity with G3 diarrhea during cycle 1. Other significant toxicities included G3 hand foot syndrome (n=1), G3 fatigue (n=1) and G3 nausea (n=1). Three pts have now been treated at dose level -1 (X at 1000 mg twice daily 7/7 and N at 240 mg daily) and no ≥ G3 toxicities has been noted. Once MTD is reached, the phase II portion will occur to assess the efficacy and to further establish the safety and tolerability of capecitabine and neratinib at the MTD. Conclusions: The phase Ib/II study combining neratinib and capecitabine 7/7 is ongoing and updated result will be presented.

Citation Format: Wang R, Singh J, Sterlin V, Goldstein M, Lake D, Wong S, Baselga J, Norton L, Dang C. Phase Ib/II study of capecitabine 7/7 schedule with neratinib in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-18-30.

Pertuzumab, trastuzumab, and standard anthracycline- and taxane-based chemotherapy for the neoadjuvant treatment of patients with HER2-positive localized breast cancer (BERENICE): a phase II, open-label, multicenter, multinational cardiac safety study

Background

Anti-HER2 therapies are associated with a risk of increased cardiac toxicity, particularly when part of anthracycline-containing regimens. We report cardiac safety of pertuzumab, trastuzumab, and chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant treatment of HER2-positive early breast cancer.

Patients and methods

BERENICE (NCT02132949) is a nonrandomized, phase II, open-label, multicenter, multinational study in patients with normal cardiac function. In the neoadjuvant period, cohort A patients received four cycles of dose-dense doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide, then 12 doses of standard paclitaxel plus four standard trastuzumab and pertuzumab cycles. Cohort B patients received four standard fluorouracil/epirubicin/cyclophosphamide cycles, then four docetaxel cycles with four standard trastuzumab and pertuzumab cycles. The primary end point was cardiac safety during neoadjuvant treatment, assessed by the incidence of New York Heart Association class III/IV heart failure and of left ventricular ejection fraction declines (≥10 percentage-points from baseline and to a value of <50%). The main efficacy end point was pathologic complete response (pCR, ypT0/is ypN0). Results are descriptive.

Results

Safety populations were 199 and 198 patients in cohorts A and B, respectively. Three patients [1.5%; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.31% to 4.34%] in cohort A experienced four New York Heart Association class III/IV heart failure events. Thirteen patients (6.5%; 95% CI 3.5% to 10.9%) in cohort A and four (2.0%; 95% CI 0.6% to 5.1%) in cohort B experienced at least one left ventricular ejection fraction decline. No new safety signals were identified. pCR rates were 61.8% and 60.7% in cohorts A and B, respectively. The highest pCR rates were in the HER2-enriched PAM50 subtype (75.0% and 73.7%, respectively).

Conclusion

Treatment with pertuzumab, trastuzumab, and common anthracycline-containing regimens for the neoadjuvant treatment of early breast cancer resulted in cardiac and general safety profiles, and pCR rates, consistent with prior studies with pertuzumab.

Clinical Trial Information

NCT02132949.

Abstract P6-13-07: Chemotherapy with and without trastuzumab or no treatment in elderly patients with HER2 amplified breast cancer at a single center

Introduction

Trastuzumab with systemic chemotherapy has shown an improvement in outcomes for patients (pts) with HER2 amplified/overexpressed (HER2+) breast cancer. Pts enrolled onto trials were young with a minority of pts at ≥65 years (yrs) of age. Herein, we report the administration of systemic treatment (ST) (chemotherapy and/or trastuzumab) verus no treatment in elderly pts at a single center.

Methods

Patients ≥65 yrs with stage I-III HER2+ (defined as IHC 3+ or FISH &gt;2.0) breast cancer, treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center between 2000-2012, were retrospectively identified from our database.

Clinicopathologic features were retrieved and co-morbidity indexes (CI) were calculated. Pts were divided by hormone receptor (HR) (defined as ER &gt;10% and/or PR &gt;10%) status into HER2+HR- and HER2+HR+. Each group was further divided by use of ST into: chemotherapy and trastuzumab (CT+T), chemotherapy alone (CT) or no systemic treatment (No Rx). Patients receiving neoadjuvant ST or trastuzumab only as ST were excluded from the KM analysis. Primary objective was to identify patterns of treatment recommendation in the elderly population. We explored disease-free survival (DFS) as estimated using the Kaplan-Meier (KM) method.

Results

We identified 300 pts ≥65 yrs with HER2+ tumors. 128 (42.7%) were HER2+HR- and 172 (57.3%) were HER2+HR+. The median follow-up for all patients was 6.1 years (range, 0.07-16.7).

In the HER2+HR- group, 63 (49.2%) patients received CT+T, 25 (19.5%) CT alone, and 40 (31.3%) had no Rx. Anthracycline based chemotherapy was administered to 57/88 (65%) of patients on CT. Women receiving chemotherapy with or without trastuzumab were younger (65-70 vs &gt;70 years of age) (p=.002) and had more advanced tumor stages (p=.003). Their respective 5-yr DFS KM estimates were 0.84, 0.80, and 0.61 (logrank p=0.06).

In the HER2+HR+ group, 77 (44.8%) patients received CT+T, 22 (12.8%) CT alone, and 73 (42.2%) had no Rx. Anthracycline based chemotherapy was administered to 51/99 (51%) of patients on CT. Endocrine therapy was given to 153/172 (89%) of the total cohort. Women receiving chemotherapy with or without trastuzumab were younger (p&lt;.001), and had higher nuclear grade (NG) (p=.04), more lymphovascular invasion (&lt;.001) and more advanced tumor stages (p=.002). Their respective 5-yr DFS KM estimates were 0.84, 1.00, and 0.83 (log rank p=0.02).

Conclusions

At a single center, in the elderly populations at ≥65 years of age with HER2+ HR- and HER2+HR+ breast cancer, pts who received systemic treatment were younger and had higher stage of disease than those who received no treatment. In an exploratory analysis, there appeared to be a benefit of systemic treatment in pts in the HER+HR- group.

Citation Format: Muhsen S, Dang C, Plitas G, Seier K, Stempel M, Patil S, Morrow M, El-Tamer M. Chemotherapy with and without trastuzumab or no treatment in elderly patients with HER2 amplified breast cancer at a single center [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2017 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-13-07.

Abstract GS3-02: Invasive disease-free survival and gene expression signatures in CALGB (Alliance) 40601, a randomized phase III neoadjuvant trial of dual HER2-targeting with lapatinib added to chemotherapy plus trastuzumab

Purpose

Dual HER2 targeting increases pathologic complete response (pCR) rate to neoadjuvant therapy and improves outcomes in both early and metastatic HER2-positive disease. CALGB 40601 is a randomized phase III trial examining the impact of dual HER2 blockade consisting of trastuzumab (H) and lapatinib (L) added to paclitaxel (T) on pCR, considering tumor and microenvironment molecular features. We previously found that pCR was numerically but not significantly increased with dual therapy, and that tumor molecular subtype and evidence of immune activation significantly and independently affected pCR (Carey et al, JCO 2016). In this secondary analysis, we sought to evaluate the effects of treatment arm and gene expression-defined subgroups on invasive disease free survival (IDFS).

Patients and Methods

Patients (Pts) with stage II to III HER2-positive breast cancer underwent tumor biopsy followed by random assignment with equal probabilityto paclitaxel plus trastuzumab alone (TH) or with the addition of lapatinib (THL) for 16 weeks before surgery. A paclitaxel plus lapatinib (TL) arm was closed early based on reports of futility from other trials. A secondary endpoint was IDFS, defined as the time from surgery until local or distant recurrence, new primary, or death from any cause, whichever was first. Gene expression signatures were identified by RNA sequencing.

Results

Between 12/2008 and 2/2012, 305 pts were enrolled. 261 pts had IDFS and gene expression information available (THL, n = 103; TH, n =101; TL, n = 57); there were no significant differences in clinical characteristics between this subset and the entire population. The median IDFS follow-up was 4.6 years with 40 IDFS events having occurred (THL, n=7; TH, n=19; TL, n=14). IDFS was significantly longer in the THL arm compared to standard TH (HR=0.34; 95% CI: 0.14-0.82; p=0.02). IDFS was also significantly longer among pCR than non-pCR pts (HR=0.40; 95% CI: 0.19-0.81; p=0.01), and did not differ by hormone receptor (HR) status, clinical stage, tumor size, race, menopausal status or age. Among gene expression signatures, only immune activation measured by an IgG signature was associated with longer IDFS (HR=0.71; 95% CI: 0.51-0.98; p=0.04); this signature was previously also associated with pCR. Multivariate analysis showed dual therapy (HR=0.35; p=0.02), pCR (HR=0.36; p=0.01), IgG (HR=0.69; p=0.05), and molecular subtype (LumA vs HER2E, HR=0.24, p=0.005) were associated with longer IDFS. A subgroup analysis by hormone receptor status revealed that among pts with HR+ disease, pts with luminal A experienced longer IDFS (HR=0.23; p=0.02) compared to those with luminal B or HER2-enriched molecular subtypes.

Conclusion

Dual HER2-targeting with lapatinib added to 16 weeks of TH produced significantly longer IDFS than TH alone, despite modest effects on pCR. Similar to pts with HER2-negative disease, pts with luminal A had better IDFS than those with other molecular subtypes. Immune activation as measured by RNA-based signature independently predicted both pCR and IDFS.

Support: U10CA180882, U10CA180821, U24CA196171, P50-CA58823, Susan G Komen, BCRF

Citation Format: Krop IE, Hillman D, Polley M-Y, Tanioka M, Parker J, Huebner L, Henry NL, Tolaney SM, Dang C, Harris L, Berry DA, Perou CM, Partridge A, Winer EP, Carey LA. Invasive disease-free survival and gene expression signatures in CALGB (Alliance) 40601, a randomized phase III neoadjuvant trial of dual HER2-targeting with lapatinib added to chemotherapy plus trastuzumab [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2017 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(4 Suppl):Abstract nr GS3-02.

Abstract P5-20-04: Safety of adjuvant treatment with pertuzumab plus trastuzumab after neoadjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy in patients with HER2-positive localized breast cancer: Updated results from the BERENICE study

Background Anti-HER2 therapies are associated with a risk of cardiac toxicity, particularly as part of anthracycline-based regimens. BERENICE (NCT02132949), a nonrandomized, Phase 2 cardiac safety study showed neoadjuvant treatment with pertuzumab (P) + trastuzumab (H) and 2 common anthracycline–taxane-based regimens had a safety profile consistent with prior studies of P+H, and was associated with high pathologic complete response rates. Here we report safety data from the P+H adjuvant treatment period (AP).

Methods Patients (pts) with centrally confirmed, localized HER2-positive breast cancer and normal cardiac function received 4 q2w dose-dense doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide cycles (60/600mg/m2) then 12 qw paclitaxel injections (80mg/m2; Cohort A), or 4 q3w fluorouracil/epirubicin/cyclophosphamide cycles (500/100/600 mg/m2) then 4 q3w docetaxel cycles (75mg/m2, up to 100mg/m2;Cohort B). In both cohorts, 4 q3w cycles of P (loading:840mg; maintenance:420mg) + H (loading:8mg/kg; maintenance:6mg/kg) were started with taxane therapy and continued in the adjuvant setting (for up to 13 cycles to complete 1 year of treatment). Surgery was scheduled after 8 cycles of preoperative therapy. Primary endpoints were incidence of New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class III/IV heart failure and incidence of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) declines (≥10%-points from baseline to &lt;50%; asymptomatic and symptomatic events) assessed by ECHO/MUGA. Confirmed LVEF declines were defined as significant LVEF declines at 2 consecutive visits.

Results In total, 397 pts received ≥1 dose of study medication and were included in the overall treatment period (OTP) safety analysis. Of these, 371 (Cohort A:181; Cohort B:190) pts entered the AP and were included in the AP safety analysis. Mean (SD) number of AP treatment cycles of P and H were 12.3 (2.0) in Cohort A and 12.3 (2.2) in Cohort B. In the AP, incidence of heart failure was minimal (0.5%) and confirmed LVEF decline incidence was low (Table 1).

Table 1: Cardiac AE Cohort ACohort B OTP n=199AP n=181OTP n=198OTP n=190NYHA Class III/IV heart failure    Events, n4011Pts with event, n (%)3(1.5)01(0.5)1(0.5)LVEF decline    Events, n36223429Pts with LVEF decline, n (%)21(10.6)14(7.7)22(11.1)20(10.5)Pts with confirmed LVEF decline, n (%)7(3.5)5(2.8)7(3.5)6(3.2)

General adverse events (AEs) are shown in Table 2; 26 (14.4%) pts in Cohort A and 45 (23.7%) in Cohort B had diarrhea AEs (mostly grade 1).

Table 2: General AE Cohort ACohort BPts, n (%)OTP n=199AP n=181OTP n=198AP n=190Any AE198(99.5)171(94.5)198(100.0)171(90.0)Grade ≥3 AE109(54.8)23(12.7)126(63.6)40(21.1)Serious AE54(27.1)15(8.3)61(30.8)17(8.9)AE leading to P or H discontinuation19(9.5)9(5.0)14(7.1)11(5.8)

Conclusion P+H in the adjuvant setting, following P+H with anthracycline-based regimens in the neoadjuvant setting, are associated with low incidence of cardiac AEs. Cardiac safety results for P+H in the AP and OTP of BERENICE were consistent with results from prior studies evaluating adjuvant treatment with single-agent H, suggesting the addition of P to H in the adjuvant setting does not increase cardiac toxicity.

Citation Format: Dang C, Ewer MS, Delaloge S, Ferrero J-M, Verrill M, Colomer R, Vieira C, de la Cruz Merino L, Lucas J, Werner TL, Douthwaite H, Bradley D, Waldron-Lynch M, Eng-Wong J, Swain SM. Safety of adjuvant treatment with pertuzumab plus trastuzumab after neoadjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy in patients with HER2-positive localized breast cancer: Updated results from the BERENICE study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2017 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-20-04.

Abstract P6-13-05: Frequency of delivery of systemic chemotherapy in elderly versus younger patients with triple negative breast cancer

Introduction

Chemotherapy (CT) is the standard of care for most triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Chemotherapy is less commonly recommended in older than younger patients. We aim to explore the frequency of CT delivered in elderly patients when compared to young patients.

Methods

Patients ≤50yrs and ≥70 yrs with stage I-III TNBC defined as ER &lt;10% PR &lt; 10% HER2 IHC &lt; 3+ or FISH &lt; 2.0 and treated at our institution from 2000-2011 were identified from our institutional breast cancer database. Clinicopathologic features were retrieved and co-morbidity indexes (CI) were calculated. Patients were grouped by age and CT use, and features were compared between groups using chi-square tests. Cause of death was reported as dead of disease (DOD) or dead of other causes (DOC) when available; otherwise, it was recorded as dead of unknown causes (DUC). OS survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier (KM) methods. Cumulative incidence functions for competing risks were calculated and compared between groups using Gray's test. Competing risks regression was performed for multivariate analysis.

Results

We identified 901 pts with TNBC; 664 (73.7%) were ≤50yrs and 237 (26.3%) were ≥70 yrs. Median followup is 7 yrs (range, 0-16.8yrs).

Younger women diagnosed with TNBC were more likely to have stronger family history of breast cancer (p&lt;.001), to present with palpable masses (p&lt;.001), higher nuclear grade (NG) (p&lt;.001), larger tumors (p=.04), more involved nodes (p=.01), advanced tumor stage (p=.02) and to receive systemic chemotherapy (&lt;.001). Anthracycline-based chemotherapy was administered to 486 (80.3%) in women ≤50yrs and only to 42 (36.5%) in the ≥70 yrs cohort (p&lt;0.001). Chemotherapy data was missing on 2 pts in ≤50 yrs and 4 pts ≥70 for a total cohort of 662 patients ≤50 yrs and 233 pts ≥70 yrs.

The 5 year rates of DOD were similar between both groups at 10.6% (range, 8.3-13.2) for pts ≤50yrs and 10.8% (range, 7.0-15.4) (p=0.52) for the older group; meanwhile, the 5 year OS rates were significantly different between both groups at 87.5% (range, 84.7-90.0) for pts ≤50yrs and 74.3% (range, 68.2-80.0) (p&lt;.001) for the older group since older women die at higher rates from causes other than disease.

CT was given to 115 (49%) patients of the ≥70 yrs cohort with a selection biased by larger tumors (p&lt;.001) and more advanced stages (p&lt;.001). There was no significant difference however, between tumor size (p=0.47) and stage (p=0.98) when comparing the 609 (92%) pts ≤50 yrs and the 115 (49%) of ≥70 yrs patients who received CT.

When categorized based on age and receipt of CT, in the 662 pts ≤ 50 yrs, 609 (92%) and 53 (8%) received CT vs no CT respectively; in the 233 pts ≥70 yrs, 115 (49%) and 118 (50%) received CT vs no CT; the cumulative incidence curves for DOD were not statistically different for the four groups (p=0.85) at 5 years.

Conclusions

In our series, CT was given to 92% of patients ≤ 50 yrs of age. In the elderly pts ≥ 70 yrs of age, CT was limited to 50% of patients, namely those with worse clinicopathologic features.

Citation Format: Muhsen S, Dang C, Plitas G, Knezevic A, Stempel M, Patil S, Morrow M, El-Tamer M. Frequency of delivery of systemic chemotherapy in elderly versus younger patients with triple negative breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2017 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-13-05.

Abstract S3-05: Integrated analysis of multidimensional genomic data on CALGB 40601 (Alliance), a randomized neoadjuvant phase III trial of weekly paclitaxel (T) and trastuzumab (H) with or without lapatinib (L) for HER2-positive breast cancer

Background: RNA profiling and mutational analyses in CALGB 40601 (NCT00770809) found significant impact on pathologic complete response (pCR) rates from tumor (intrinsic subtype, p53 mutation) and microenvironmental (immune cell) features. Integrated analysis across platforms is needed to better understand the roles of these different factors with respect to response to HER2-targeted therapies.

Methods: We performed a comprehensive genomic analyses on pCR, defined as no invasive tumor in the breast, by integrating clinicopathological information with somatic mutation status, 422 segment-level DNA Copy Number Alterations (CNAs), and 510 gene expression signatures using mRNAseq and DNA exome sequencing from 213 pre-treatment tumors. Excluding 48 samples in the TL arm that was closed early due to futility, and 4 Normal-like tumors, the dataset consisted of 161 patients from TH and THL arms including 47 HER2-enriched (HER2E), 8 Basal-like, 54 Luminal A, and 52 Luminal B, all of whom received H. The main analysis was performed using the Elastic Net on multivariate logistic regression models for predicting pCR. The samples were divided into a training and a test set, then models were built to predict pCR by 10-fold cross-validation in the training set, then applying the best model onto the test set to construct ROC curves and evaluate prediction accuracy by calculating area under ROC (AUC). We also used the DawnRank, a network-based bioinformatics tool that integrates DNA and RNA data to identify driver genes, to find predictors of resistance to H-containing therapies.

Results: Among clinicopathological factors, clinical estrogen/progesterone receptor (ER/PgR) status and intrinsic subtype by PAM50 were statistically associated with pCR, but treatment arm (TH vs THL) and stage were not. In the Elastic Net analysis, the models incorporating either gene signatures (AUC: 0.724) or CNAs (AUC: 0.777) were more predictive of response than mutation status model (AUC: 0.635). Gene signatures and CNAs were further combined with either mutation status (AUC: 0.773), clinical ER/PgR status (AUC: 0.787) or ER/PgR status plus intrinsic subtype (AUC: 0.784). The combination with the highest AUC comprised gene signatures, CNAs, and ER/PgR status, and demonstrated that CNAs at Chromosome (Chr.) 6p, 10q22, or 11q23, the signature of Correlation to HER2E, and a T-cell signature, positively predicted pCR and that Luminal and PgR gene signatures were negative predictors. The CN gain of Chr.6p, which contains the HLA genes, predicted for pCR and was associated with higher expression of HLA genes and B cell / IgG signatures. The CN loss of Chr.11q23 including CD3D, CD3E, and CD3G was also identified by DawnRank as a region associated with resistance.

Conclusions: Tumor genetics (CNAs), tumor RNA subtype (HER2E, Luminal), and the microenvironment (immune cells) were independently predictive of response to H-containing therapies and biologically and clinically important for HER2-positive breast cancer, supporting integrated RNA- and DNA-based tumor assessments to clarify response to HER2-targeting.

Support: U10CA031946/033601/180821/180882/180888.

Citation Format: Tanioka M, Fan C, Carey LA, Hyslop T, Pitcher BN, Parker JA, Hoadley KA, Henry NL, Tolaney S, Dang C, Krop IE, Harris L, Berry DA, Mardis E, Perou CM, Winer EP, Hudis CA. Integrated analysis of multidimensional genomic data on CALGB 40601 (Alliance), a randomized neoadjuvant phase III trial of weekly paclitaxel (T) and trastuzumab (H) with or without lapatinib (L) for HER2-positive breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr S3-05.

[Traffic accidentability and risky driving behavior in young people in New Caledonia. Results of study Situation Sociale et Comportements de Santé des Jeunes en Nouvelle-Calédonie]

BACKGROUND

New Caledonia has one of the highest global rates of death from road accidents: 240 deaths per million inhabitants in 2011 with a majority of young people. However, research on driving behaviors has remained rare.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey based on face-to-face questionnaire with 1400 male and female youth aged 16 to 25 was conducted in 2007. It was used to measure the frequency of accidents and to compute a score of driving behaviors and their associations with socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyles as well as other health behaviors. RESULTS - 

CONCLUSION

A total of 10.6% of boys and 6.5% of girls reported a car accident in the previous twelve months period. Among male participants risky driving behavior was associated with having a degree (ORa=2, 95% CI [1.1-3.8]), sport practices (ORa=3.7, 95% CI [1.9-7.05]), involvement in a fight in the last twelve months (ORa=2.2, 95% CI [1.4-3.4]) and precocity of cannabis use (ORa=1.8, 95% CI [1.2-2.8]). Youth living in couple and those with children presented with higher risk-taking scores. Among female participants, young age at cannabis initiation (ORa=3.1, 95% CI [1.5-6.4]) and at sexual debut (ORa=2.4, 95% CI [1.1-5.1]) were associated with driving risk-taking. Finally, younger age at first alcohol intoxication was associated with risky behavior on the road in both sexes. These results highlighted the multidimensional nature of risk-taking behaviors on the road and showed that they are part of, for boys and girls, a larger pattern of risky behaviors. Such results suggest to include behaviors on the road in a comprehensive approach of prevention.

Abstract P4-14-09: Cardiac safety of trastuzumab without an anthracycline in patients with HER2-positive early stage breast cancer: A single center experience

Background: Trastuzumab (H) improves disease-free survival and overall survival in HER2+ early breast cancer (EBC) but is associated with risk of treatment-induced cardiotoxicity especially when administered after an anthracycline. We performed a single center retrospective study to assess the cardiac safety of adjuvant trastuzumab therapy without anthracyclines in a real-world clinical setting.

Methods: Patients (pts) with HER2+ early breast cancer (EBC) who received H without anthracycline-based chemotherapy between January 2010 and June 2014 were studied. Patients enrolled in a clinical trial were excluded. Tumor characteristics, chemotherapy regimen, cardiovascular risk factors, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and treatment interruption data were collected. A cardiac event (C.E.) was defined as New York Heart Association class III or IV heart failure with LVEF decline of &gt; 10% to &lt; 55% or possible/probable cardiac death, as previously defined by the NSABP B-31 trial.

Results: In total, 174 pts with HER2+ EBC treated with H-based therapy without anthracyclines were identified. Median age was 59 years (range, 32 to 85 years), 72 (41%) had hypertension, 55 (32%) had hyperlipidemia, 29 (16%) had diabetes, and 5 (3%) had coronary artery disease. At baseline, all pts had a LVEF &gt; 50% (median, 66%; range, 50% to 81%). Two (1.1%) pts developed a C.E. Both pts had risks factors for C.E. (1 - age &gt; 60 years, hypertension, and prior history of anthracycline exposure; 1- age &gt; 60 years, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and baseline LVEF of 50-55%). After discontinuation of H, both patients had recovery of LVEF to &gt; 50% and resolution of heart failure symptoms. Twelve (6.9%) pts developed asymptomatic LVEF decline of &gt; 10% points to &lt; 55% during H therapy. Of the 14 patients who developed cardiotoxicity, H was prematurely interrupted or discontinued in 8 patients.

Conclusion: In our single center experience of patients being treated off study, the incidence of C.E.s and asymptomatic LVEF decline during H therapy without an anthracycline was 1.1% and 6.9%, respectively. These appeared higher than events reported in clinical trials possibly due to the inclusion of an older group of women with a higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors. Overall, the incidence of symptomatic heart failure is low for H without an anthracycline even in this older group.

Citation Format: Mukku RB, Verma S, Liu J, Steingart R, Hudis C, Yu AF, Dang C. Cardiac safety of trastuzumab without an anthracycline in patients with HER2-positive early stage breast cancer: A single center experience. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-14-09.

Abstract P1-14-17: Pathologic complete response rate with doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide followed by weekly paclitaxel with trastuzumab and pertuzumab in patients with HER2-positive early stage breast cancer: A single institution experience

Background:

Trastuzumab and pertuzumab (HP) with standard chemotherapy is approved for use in the neoadjuvant setting. We performed a retrospective analysis of patients (pts) treated with dose-dense doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide (AC) → paclitaxel, trastuzumab, pertuzumab (THP) in the neoadjuvant setting. Here we report the pathologic complete response (pCR) rate.

Methods:

We abstracted medical records of patients who were treated with pertuzumab-based therapy in the neoadjuvant setting from September 1, 2013 to March 1, 2015. Charts were analyzed for pt demographics, stage of breast cancer, pathology reports, surgical data, and information on systemic therapy.

Results:

Charts from 66 pts were reviewed; 60 pts were evaluable for pCR defined as absence of invasive disease in the breast, and 6 were not (3-no anthracycline, 1-incomplete chart, 1-no surgery yet, 1-metastatic). Median age was 47 years (range 28-68 years). Of 60 pts, 52 (86%) had operable breast cancer (T1-3, N0-1, M0) of which 7 had clinical stage I disease (T1N0)]; 7 (12%) had locally advanced disease (T2-3, N2-3, M0 or T4a-c, any N, M0), and 1 (2%) had inflammatory breast cancer (T4d, any N, M0). 49 (82%) and 11 (18%) had hormone receptor (HR)-positive and negative diseases, respectively. All patients had HER2-positive breast cancer defined as immunohistochemistry (IHC) 3+ and/or fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH) of &gt; 2.0. 30 pts (50%) underwent mastectomy and lumpectomy, respectively. Out of 60 evaluable pts, 41 (68%) had pCR; 32/49 (65%) with HR-positive and 9/11 (82%) with HR-negative diseases had pCR, respectively. Overall 58/60 (97%) pts completed neoadjuvant therapy; 2 did not (1 developed Steven Johnson Syndrome after one cycle of AC and 1 developed pneumonitis after third weekly dose of T with HP).

Conclusions:

At our single center experience the pCR rate of dose dense AC→THP is high at 68 %. These data are similar to results seen in the TRYPHAENA study, and we await the results from the BERENICE trial evaluating pCR as a secondary endpoint.

Patient Demographics Age, years &lt;4525 (42%)45-5419 (32%)&gt;5516 (26%) ECOG Performace Status 031 (52%)129 (48%) Hormone receptor (HR) status HR+ Her2+49 (82%)HR- Her2+11 (18%) Status of Her-2 Positivity IHC positive52 (86%)FISH positive8 (14%) Median tumor size2.6cm (range: 1-8.4cm) Stage Operable (T1-2, N0-1, M0)52 (86%)Operable Stage I7 (12%)Operable Stage II/III45 (74%)Locally advanced (T2-3, N2-3, M0 or T4a-c, any N, M0))7 (12%)Inflammatory (T4d, any N, M0)1 (2%) Type of surgery Lumpectomy30 (50%)Mastectomy30 (50%)

Citation Format: Singh JC, Sugarman S, Jones L, Boafo C, Patil S, Schweber S, Yu A, Argolo D, Modi S, Iyengar N, Smyth L, Norton L, Baselga J, Hudis C, Dang C. Pathologic complete response rate with doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide followed by weekly paclitaxel with trastuzumab and pertuzumab in patients with HER2-positive early stage breast cancer: A single institution experience. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-14-17.

Abstract P4-13-20: Activity of HP-based therapies as third and later lines for the treatment of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer: A retrospective study from a single institution

Background: Dual anti-HER2 blockade with trastuzumab and pertuzumab (HP) plus chemotherapy is an effective therapy (Rx) in the 1st-line setting for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Our single arm phase II study included patients (pts) treated with HP plus paclitaxel in the 2nd-line setting with progression-free survival (PFS) benefit. Recently, we reported results from a retrospective study of pts treated at our institution, suggesting a longer PFS for those who received HP-based Rxs when compared to any other anti-HER2 based Rxs in the 2nd-line setting. To further assess the activity of this combination in later Rx lines, we conducted a retrospective analysis of pts with HER2-positive MBC who had progressive disease after 2nd-line and were treated with HP-based Rxs in the 3rd and later lines at MSKCC. Historically, the median (med) PFS in this setting with trastuzumab-based Rx is about 3-4 months.

Methods: Pts diagnosed with HER2-positive MBC and treated with HP-based Rxs at MSKCC between 1-1-2011 and 03-30-2015 and who progressed on 2nd-line Rx were identified through an institutional database. Primary endpoint was PFS in 3rd and later treatment lines.

Results: 70 pts who received any HP-based Rx in the 3rd or later lines of treatment were eligible. The med number of prior anti-HER2 Rx was 3. The baseline characteristics and Rxs are summarized in Table 1. The med PFS for the entire cohort was 5.7 months (95% CI, 4.8-6.5).

Conclusions: In this retrospective analysis involving heavly pretreated patients, HP-based Rx appears to be an active regimen and compares favorably to historical data. This supports the NCCN endorsement of HP-based Rx in later lines if HP has not been delivered previously.

Baseline Characteristics and treatments (n=70)Characteristic(n)(%)Age  Median56 Range27-83 Gender  Female70100.0Male00.0Race  Black1014.3White5477.1Other68.6Ethnicity  Non Hispanic6694.3Hispanic45.7ER/PR status  ER and PR negative2738.6ER and/or PR positive4361.4Type of disease  Non visceral1622.9Visceral5477.1Visceral CNS2130.0Anti-HER2 in early stage  Yes2941.4No4158.6Line of therapy  3rd line1927.14th line1521.45th line912.96th line912.97th line811.48th line and beyond1014.3HP-based regimens  Chemotherapy + HP5477.1Endocrine therapy + HP57.1HP alone912.9Other22.9

Citation Format: Argolo D, Friedman M, Smyth L, Iyengar N, Singh J, Patil S, Norton L, Baselga J, Hudis C, Dang C. Activity of HP-based therapies as third and later lines for the treatment of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer: A retrospective study from a single institution. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-13-20.

Increased spontaneous neuronal activity in structurally damaged cortex is correlated with early motor recovery in patients with subcortical infarction

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Secondary cortical thinning and volumetric atrophy in the motor-related cortex can inhibit early functional recovery after subcortical infarction. However, the relationship between the spontaneous neuronal activity in these cortices and motor recovery in patients with focal cerebral infarct remains unknown.

METHODS

Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and resting-state functional MRI were conducted 1, 4 and 12 weeks after onset in 22 patients with an acute subcortical infarct and in 22 normal subjects. Group differences in cortical thickness and in the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) in motor-related areas were evaluated, and the relationships between ALFF, cortical thickness changes and changes in the Fugl-Meyer scores of physical performance were further analyzed.

RESULTS

In patients with subcortical infarction, progressively decreasing cortical thickness was found over the observation period ipsilesionally in the primary motor cortex (PMC), supplementary motor cortex (SMC) and precuneus (all P < 0.05). Contralesionally, progressive increases in cortical thickness were detected in SMC and insula (all P < 0.05). Increases in ALFF were observed only in PMC (bilaterally) and only at 12 weeks after stroke (all P < 0.05). The cortical thickness changes in the contralesional SMC (rs = 0.483, P = 0.023) and the ALFF changes in bilateral PMC (ipsilesional, rs = 0.51, P = 0.015; contralesional, rs = 0.463, P = 0.03) were positively correlated with changes in the Fugl-Meyer scores.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that increased spontaneous neuronal activity of the PMC, a region structurally damaged secondarily to ischaemic lesion, may contribute to early motor recovery in patients with subcortical infarction.

Intersex in the clam Scrobicularia plana (Da Costa): Widespread occurrence in English Channel estuaries and surrounding areas

Estuarine clams Scrobicularia plana were sampled from 108 intertidal locations around the English Channel and adjacent areas. Although S. plana is believed to be a strict gonochorist, 58% of the populations sampled included intersexed individuals (described as male clams exhibiting ovotestis). Over the entire region, on average, 8.6% of male clams exhibited intersex, although proportions of affected males ranged from 0% to 53% depending on location. The severity of intersex was assessed using a simple classification scale, with the majority of individuals showing low levels of impact. Sex ratios were significantly skewed at some sites. There were no significant relationships between incidence or severity of intersex; or with size or parasitism of individual clams. Intersex in S. plana is a useful tool to assess endocrine disruptive effects in estuaries, although mechanisms of impact and causative agents remain uncertain.

Mixing-sequence-dependent nucleic acid complexation and gene transfer efficiency by polyethylenimine

Polyplexes, complexed nucleic acids by cationic polymers, are the most common forms of nonviral gene delivery vectors. In contrast to a great deal of efforts in synthesizing novel cationic polymers and exploring their extracellular and intracellular delivery pathways, polyplex preparation methods of mixing nucleic acids and cationic polymers are often overlooked. In this study, the mixing sequence, that is adding nucleic acids to polymers or vice versa, was found to greatly affect complexation of both plasmid DNA and siRNA, polyplexes' size, and polyplexes' surface charge, which all collaboratively affected the transfection efficiency and cytotoxicity. Adding polyethylenimine (PEI), the most conventionally used standard in nonviral gene delivery, to plasmid DNA and siRNA resulted in larger polyplexes, higher gene expression and silencing, but higher cytotoxicity than polyplexes prepared in the reverse order. Based on the experimental results, the authors developed a model that gradual addition of cationic polymers (e.g., PEI) to nucleic acids (e.g., plasmid DNA and siRNA) incorporates more copies of nucleic acids in larger polyplexes in a smaller number, results in higher gene expression and silencing levels in transfected cells, and generates higher cytotoxicity by leaving more free polymers upon complete mixing than the other mixing sequence. The proposed model can be explored using a broad range of cationic polymers and nucleic acids, and provide insightful information about how to prepare polyplexed nonviral vectors for efficient and safe gene delivery.

Abstract P5-20-07: Phase II Trial of Dasatinib in Combination With Weekly Paclitaxel for Patients with Metastatic Breast Carcinoma

Background: Src kinase plays an important role in proliferation, survival, angiogenesis and metastasis in several malignancies including breast cancer. Therefore, inhibition of Src and other tyrosine kinases (TKs) represents a novel therapeutic approach. Dasatinib is a potent inhibitor of 5 oncogenic TKs, inhibits VEGF-stimulated proliferation, has potent bone anti-resorptive activity and selectively inhibits basal-type breast cancer growth. Preclinically, the combination of dasatinib and paclitaxel had superior antitumor activity to either agent alone. In a previous phase I study, we determined that, in combination with weekly paclitaxel, the optimum dose of dasatinib was 120mg. Of note, 4/9 (44%) patients treated at or above this dasatinib dose level had objective tumor response. We now present results from the phase II trial of this combination.

Methods: Patients with MBC, ECOG PS 0–1, normal hepatic, renal, marrow function were eligible. Patients had measurable, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer (MBC), ≤2 prior therapies for MBC. Treatment consisted of weekly paclitaxel 80 mg/m2 IV 3/4 weeks + Dasatinib 120mg orally daily. Response was assessed by RECIST after every 8 weeks of therapy. Simon's two-stage optimal design was used to test the null hypothesis of a 15% response rate (RR) against the alternative of a 30% RR. In stage I, planned enrollment was 23 patients based on Type I and Type II errors of 10%. If 4 or more responses are observed, enrollment will be extended to 55 patients. Exploratory correlative biomarkers of clinical benefit include Src phosphorylation (p-Src) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, plasma levels of VEGFR2 and collagen Type IV, circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and tumor gene expression profiling.

Results: 21 patients (19 females, 2 male) have enrolled; median age 48 (range 30–79). Patients received a median of 1 prior therapy for MBC (range 0–2). 6 patients are not assessable for response: 1 has received &lt;8 weeks treatment, 5 came off study for toxicity (2 hypersensitivity reaction to paclitaxel, 1 infection, 1 diarrhea/nausea, 1 bleeding likely related to anticoagulation). Among the 15 patients assessable for response, best response to date is as follows: 2 (13%) patients partial response, 11 (73%) patients stable disease (SD) and 2 (13%) patients progression of disease. Of patients with SD, 6/11 (55%) continue on treatment after median of 2 months (range 2–10) and 5/11 (45%) patients have come off study after median of 10 months (range 3–21). Most toxicities have been hematological and low grade. Diarrhea and neuropathy have generally been low grade and no new toxicities related to the combination have occurred since expansion into the phase II. Potential biomarkers of clinical benefit including, p-Src, VEGFR2, collagen Type IV, and CTCs will be presented.

Conclusion: Data from this phase II has demonstrated preliminary evidence of activity for weekly paclitaxel and dasatinib 120mg in patients with MBC. These findings are consistent with data from this dose level in the earlier phase I study. Predictive biomarkers of clinical benefit are under investigation.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2012;72(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-20-07.

Abstract P5-17-01: Bevacizumab (B) in the adjuvant treatment of breast cancer - first toxicity results from Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group trial E5103

Background: A previous feasibility trial (E2104 – Ann Oncol 23(2):331–7,2012) suggested incorporation of B into anthracycline-containing adjuvant therapy was feasible but ongoing cardiac monitoring was required to define the true impact of B on cardiac function.

Methods: Patients (pts) were assigned 1:2:2 to one of three treatment arms. In addition to doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide followed by weekly paclitaxel, patients received either placebo (Arm A – AC&gt;T) or B during chemotherapy (Arm B - BAC&gt;BT), or B during chemotherapy followed by B monotherapy (15 mg/kg q3wk) for an additional 10 cycles (Arm C – BAC&gt;BT&gt;B). Randomization was stratified and B dose adjusted for choice of AC schedule (classical q3wk − 15 mg/kg; dose dense(dd) q2 wk − 10 mg/kg). When indicated, radiation and hormonal therapy were administered concurrently with B (for Arm C pts). The primary cardiac endpoint was the incidence of clinically apparent cardiac dysfunction (CHF)defined as symptomatic decline in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) to below the lower limit of normal (LLN) or symptomatic diastolic dysfunction as assessed by independent review. Cumulative toxicity data as of Jan 23, 2012 are presented.

Results: From 11.07 to 2.11, 4994 pts were enrolled. Median age was 52; 80% received ddAC. Chemotherapy associated toxicities including myelosuppression (Grade 4 neutropenia 16/20/19%) and neuropathy (Grade ≥ 3 8/8/8%) were similar across all arms. Grade ≥ 3 hypertension/thrombosis/proteinuria/hemorrhage was reported by 7/3/&lt;1/&lt;1% of B-treated pts. 99 pts developed CHF, most commonly reported at the post-AC or post-T evaluation. After a median follow-up of 26 months, the cumulative incidence of clinical CHF at 15 months from randomization in Arm A/B/C was 1.0/1.7/2.9% respectively. Median age of CHF pts was 57; median baseline LVEF of CHF pts was 60.

Deep-sequencing transcriptome analysis of chilling tolerance mechanisms of a subnival alpine plant, Chorispora bungeana

BACKGROUND

The plant tolerance mechanisms to low temperature have been studied extensively in the model plant Arabidopsis at the transcriptional level. However, few studies were carried out in plants with strong inherited cold tolerance. Chorispora bungeana is a subnival alpine plant possessing strong cold tolerance mechanisms. To get a deeper insight into its cold tolerance mechanisms, the transcriptome profiles of chilling-treated C. bungeana seedlings were analyzed by Illumina deep-sequencing and compared with Arabidopsis.

RESULTS

Two cDNA libraries constructed from mRNAs of control and chilling-treated seedlings were sequenced by Illumina technology. A total of 54,870 unigenes were obtained by de novo assembly, and 3,484 chilling up-regulated and 4,571 down-regulated unigenes were identified. The expressions of 18 out of top 20 up-regulated unigenes were confirmed by qPCR analysis. Functional network analysis of the up-regulated genes revealed some common biological processes, including cold responses, and molecular functions in C. bungeana and Arabidopsis responding to chilling. Karrikins were found as new plant growth regulators involved in chilling responses of C. bungeana and Arabidopsis. However, genes involved in cold acclimation were enriched in chilling up-regulated genes in Arabidopsis but not in C. bungeana. In addition, although transcription activations were stimulated in both C. bungeana and Arabidopsis, no CBF putative ortholog was up-regulated in C. bungeana while CBF2 and CBF3 were chilling up-regulated in Arabidopsis. On the other hand, up-regulated genes related to protein phosphorylation and auto-ubiquitination processes were over-represented in C. bungeana but not in Arabidopsis.

CONCLUSIONS

We conducted the first deep-sequencing transcriptome profiling and chilling stress regulatory network analysis of C. bungeana, a subnival alpine plant with inherited cold tolerance. Comparative transcriptome analysis suggests that cold acclimation is not a major chilling tolerance mechanism of C. bungeana. Activation of protein phosphorylation and ubiquitination may confer chilling tolerance to C. bungeana in a more rapid and flexible way than cold acclimation. Such differences may have contributed to the differences in cold tolerance between C. bungeana and Arabidopsis. The results presented in this paper will be informative for gene discovery and the molecular mechanisms related to plant cold tolerance.

A phase I study of dasatinib and weekly paclitaxel for metastatic breast cancer

BACKGROUND

SRC plays an important role in the pathogenesis of metastatic breast cancer (MBC). In preclinical models, paclitaxel and the oral SRC inhibitor dasatinib showed greater antitumor activity than either agent. To determine the maximum tolerated dose of this combination, we conducted a phase I study.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients with MBC; Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of zero to one; normal hepatic, renal and marrow function were eligible. Paclitaxel 80 mg/m(2) was given 3 weeks of 4. The starting dasatinib dose was 70 mg and was increased, using a standard 3 + 3 dose-escalation scheme.

RESULTS

Fifteen patients enrolled (median age 54 years, range 35-74). No dose-limiting toxic effects (DLTs) occurred at dasatinib doses of 70-120 mg. One DLT (grade 3 fatigue) occurred in the dasatinib 150-mg cohort, which was expanded (six patients) with no further DLTs. However, due to cumulative toxic effects (rash, fatigue, diarrhea), the recommended phase II dose is dasatinib 120 mg. Of 13 assessable patients, a partial response was seen in 4 patients (31%), including 2 patients previously treated with taxanes; all received ≥120 mg dasatinib. An additional five patients (29%) had stable disease.

CONCLUSION

In combination with weekly paclitaxel, the recommended phase II dose of dasatinib is 120 mg daily and preliminary activity has been seen in patients with MBC.

Abstract P6-12-09: A Phase I-II Trial of Dasatinib (D) in Combination with Weekly (w) Paclitaxel (P) for Patients (Pts) with Metastatic Breast Carcinoma (MBC)

Background: Inhibition of SRC is a novel approach for MBC. D is an inhibitor of multiple tyrosine kinases, including the SRC family. Pre-clinical data show D inhibits multiple breast cancer cell lines, including those of “basal-like” subtype. In preclinical models D + P had superior antitumor activity to either agent alone. We designed this phase I-II study to translate this observation.

Methods: For phase I: pts with MBC, ECOG PS 0-1, normal hepatic, renal, marrow function were eligible. Pts with pleural/pericardial effusions were excluded. For phase II: pts had measurable, HER2-negative MBC, ≥2 prior rx for MBC. Prior taxanes, stable brain metastases and baseline neuropathy grade ≥1 were allowed. Cycle (C) consisted of wP 80 mg/m2 IV 3/4 weeks + D 70mg orally daily; escalating to 100 mg, 120 mg and 150 mg in cohorts of 3pts. Toxicity was assessed by CTCAE v3.0, response by RECIST.

Results: 17 pts enrolled (15 phase I; 2 phase II); median age 54 (range 35-74), median PS=1 (range 0-1). 12 (71%) pts rcvd prior adjuvant chemoRx. Pts rcvd a median of 3 prior rx for MBC (range 0-12). Pts rcvd median of 2 C of D + P (range 1-14). One DLT occurred at 150mg (G3 fatigue); this cohort was expanded with no further DLTs. However 3 pts on this dose level withdrew;1 pt delayed hypersensitivity rash (grade 1), 1 pt febrile neutropenia (grade 3), 1 pt paclitaxel pneumonitis (grade 3). Therefore the phase II dose is D 120mg. Overall the most common toxicities have been hematologic and low G (table). 13 pts are assessable for response; 4 patients (31%) had a PR, including 3 patients previously treated with taxanes. 5 pts (29%) had stable disease.

Toxicities &gt; Grade 1

Conclusion: Treatment with wP and D is feasible in pts with MBC. In the phase I study, 1 DLT occurred at D 150mg but due to cumulative toxicities the recommended dose for the ongoing phase II study is 120mg. Preliminary evidence of activity has been seen in taxane-pretreated pts at the phase II dose. Identification of biomarkers to select appropriate pts for this therapeutic approach is the subject of ongoing correlative studies.

Abstract P3-15-09: Symptomatic Congestive Heart Failure after Neo/Adjuvant Dose-Dense Epirubicin: A Retrospective Analysis of Two Trials with Long-Term Follow-Up

Background:

Dose-dense (dd) anthracycline-taxane (A/T) based regimens (Rxs) have led to incremental benefits in breast cancer outcomes. Long-term incidence of symptomatic cardiac events for A/T Rxs (conventional and dd) has been ≥2.5%. The risk of long-term cardiac dysfunction related to total anthracycline dose and schedule remains a clinical concern. Additionally, the significance of asymptomatic short-term changes in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) on the development of clinically significant congestive heart failure (CHF) is uncertain. Here we examine the incidence of symptomatic CHF, as per the New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification, for 82 patients (pts) exposed to neo/adjuvant dd epirubicin.

Methods:

We conducted a retrospective review of pts treated on two clinical trials: trial A-pts received fluorouracil, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide (FEC) (500/100/500 mg/m2 every 2 weeks x 6) followed by weekly paclitaxel (80 mg/m2) alternating with docetaxel (35 mg/m2) x18; trial B-pts received EC (100/600 mg/m2 every 2 weeks x 6) followed by paclitaxel (175 mg/m2 every 2 weeks x 6). Total E dose was 600 mg/m2 for each trial. Pts with a known history of unstable angina, myocardial infarction, and/or CHF were excluded. All pts received a baseline LVEF evaluation, and in trial B pts received a repeat evaluation within 3 months after Rx completion.

Results:

Trial A enrolled 44 pts with a median age of 46 years (range, 26-63), 9 pts with pre-existing diagnosis of hypertension (HTN), and a median baseline LVEF of 66% (55-80%); 16/44 (36%) pts received left-sided radiation. At a median follow-up of 83 months, one patient (2.2%) developed NYHA class III CHF; 12 months after Rx completion her repeat LVEF was stable and 75 months after completion, an echocardiogram showed an LVEF of 21%.

Trial B enrolled 38 pts with a median age of 47 years (30-72), 5 pts with pre-existing HTN, and a median baseline LVEF of 69% (57-85%); 18/38 (47%) pts received left-sided radiation. Within 3 months of Rx completion, 28/38 (74%) pts had a repeat LVEF assessment with a median LVEF of 65% (40-76%). At a median follow-up of 56 months, one patient (2.6%) developed anthracycline-induced symptomatic class II CHF three months after Rx completion (baseline LVEF 61%, 3 months LVEF 42%). One patient (2.6%) suffered class III CHF one week after completing Rx with LVEF of 40%; this was in the setting of cocaine use and a repeat LVEF evaluation one month after the event showed a return to baseline LVEF. Overall, 2/82 (2.4%) pts had NYHA class III CHF.

Conclusion:

With long term follow-up our two studies demonstrate an acceptable 2.4% incidence of NYHA class III CHF after dose-dense epirubicin therapy. These findings are consistent with those of larger randomized trials evaluating the anthracyclines in breast cancer treatment.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2010;70(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-15-09.

Bivalve population health: multistress to identify hot spots

This study investigated some stress (metals, parasites) and response (immunity, metallothionein) factors in two cockle and two Manila clam populations. Data from eight seasons were averaged to obtain global baseline values. Stress/response characteristics of each population were compared to population health status that was determined through population dynamics parameters. Four different scenarios were discussed: (1) a lightly stressed cockle population with correct population health but with a risk of deterioration (hot spot); (2) a lightly stressed introduced cockle population threatened of extinction. In this case ecological factors were suspected; (3) a moderately stressed clam population with moderate adaptative response. The population was sustainable but the level of stress should not increase (hotspot); and (4) a stressed clam population and unfavourable ecological conditions preventing clam settlement. This monitoring highlighted that the discrepancy between population health and stress levels could be due to insufficient response by bivalves and/or by unfavourable ecological factors.

Effect of L-arginine on the microcirculation in the neuropathic diabetic foot in Type 2 diabetes mellitus: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of L-arginine on endothelial function, transcutaneous oxygen and clinical neuropathy in patients with peripheral neuropathy as a result of diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Thirty diabetic patients with peripheral neuropathy were randomized to receive L-arginine (3 g three times daily) or placebo (3 g three times daily) for 3 months. All patients had foot microcirculation and foot transcutaneous oxygen pressure (TcPO(2)), neuropathy disability score (NDS) and vibration perception threshold (VPT) assessed at baseline and follow-up.

RESULTS

No difference was observed in endothelium-dependent and -independent vasodilation, TcPO(2), NDS and VPT.

CONCLUSIONS

L-arginine has no effect on endothelial dysfunction, TcPO(2) and clinical neuropathy.

Dose-Dense (dd) Doxorubicin and Cyclophosphamide (AC) Followed by Weekly Paclitaxel (P) with Trastuzumab (T) and Lapatinib (L) in Early Breast Cancer (EBC); Troponin I and C-Reactive Protein as Biomarkers of Cardiotoxicity

BackgroundThe early detection of cardiotoxicity and congestive heart failure (CHF) from anthracyclines and anti-HER2 agents is currently limited to measuring changes in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) at arbitrary time points. This approach has limited sensitivity and specificity and has led to the investigation of putative biomarkers such as cardiac Troponin I (TnI), a highly specific marker of myocardial damage and C-reactive protein (CRP), a sensitive inflammatory marker. In a pre-planned analysis we investigated these as biomarkers of cardiotoxicity within a prospective study testing the feasibility of ddAC- followed by weekly P with T and L.Materials and MethodsPatients (pts) with HER2+ EBC enrolled at MSKCC and DF/HCC and received ddAC (A 60mg/m2 + C 600mg/m2) x 4 → weekly P (80mg/m2) x 12 + T + L (1000mg/day). T+L continued for a total of 1yr. At baseline pts had LVEF ≥50%. Pts with unstable angina, CHF, recent MI, uncontrolled arrhythmia, grade 3 QT prolongation were excluded. LVEF was assessed by MUGA scan at mths 0, 2, 6, 9 and 18. TnI and CRP were measured every 2 wks right before treatment (Rx) during ddAC-PTL, then at mths 6, 9 and 18. TnI was categorized as “undetectable” (&lt; 0.06 ng/ml; MSKCC, &lt;0.04 ng/ml; DF/HCC), “minimally elevated” (&lt;0.31 ng/ml) and “elevated” (&gt;0.31ng/ml). Elevated CRP was defined as (&gt;0.8mg/dl; MSKCC, &gt;0.3mg/dl; DF/HCC). Investigators were blinded to these results until pts completed 18mth follow-up (F/U).ResultsFrom Apr 07- Apr 08, 95 pts were enrolled; 39/95 (41%) withdrew due to PTL toxicities (incl. 3 with asymptomatic LVEF (aLVEF) declines and 3 with CHF). Final biomarker results were available in 84 pts (88%) and 11 pts (12%) continue on study. During Rx, minimal elevations in TnI occurred in 55 pts (65%). One pt had ↑TnI above normal range with AC#4; MUGA 1 wk later was unchanged (LVEF 75%), but she died from sepsis during subsequent Rx without evidence of CHF. Elevations in TnI occurred only during chemoRx and no pt had a ↑TnI during TL or at 18mth F/U. Of 55pts with elevated TnI, 25 (45%) had aLVEF declines (3 ↓ ≥16%, 10 ↓ 10-15%, 12 ↓ 5&lt;10%). Of 29 pts with undetectable TnI, 7 (24%) had aLVEF declines (1 ↓ ≥16%, 4 ↓ 10-15%, 2↓ 5&lt;10%). Elevations in CRP occurred in 61/84 (73%) pts during chemoRx but only in 22 (26%) during TL or at 18mth F/U. Three pts discontinued Rx for aLVEF ↓ at mths 4, 5 and 7 respectively; 2 (66%) had rises in CRP and 2 had minimal elevation in TnI. Three pts developed CHF at mths 3, 6, and 12 respectively, all had rises in CRP; 1 pt had a single ↑TnI of 0.08 ng/ml during chemoRx, and 2pts had no ↑TnIs.ConclusionsIn pts receiving ddAC-PTL fluctuations in TnI and CRP are common but do not persist after chemoRx (during TL). These biomarkers do not appear to predict for CHF. One possibility is that the timing of the drawing of these biomarkers (immediately preceding the specified treatment cycle and after Rx completion) may have been suboptimal. We plan to assess for potential biomarkers by assessing both immediately preceding and following therapy in a planned trial. Updated results will be presented.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(24 Suppl):Abstract nr 3088.