Understanding mechanisms of racial disparities in breast cancer: an assessment of screening and regular care in the Carolina Breast Cancer Study

PURPOSE

Screening history influences stage at detection, but regular preventive care may also influence breast tumor diagnostic characteristics. Few studies have evaluated healthcare utilization (both screening and primary care) in racially diverse screening-eligible populations.

METHODS

This analysis included 2,058 women age 45-74 (49% Black) from the Carolina Breast Cancer Study, a population-based cohort of women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer between 2008 and 2013. Screening history (threshold 0.5 mammograms per year) and pre-diagnostic healthcare utilization (i.e. regular care, based on responses to "During the past ten years, who did you usually see when you were sick or needed advice about your health?") were assessed as binary exposures. The relationship between healthcare utilization and tumor characteristics were evaluated overall and race-stratified.

RESULTS

Among those lacking screening, Black participants had larger tumors (5 + cm) (frequency 19.6% vs 11.5%, relative frequency difference (RFD) = 8.1%, 95% CI 2.8-13.5), but race differences were attenuated among screening-adherent participants (10.2% vs 7.0%, RFD = 3.2%, 0.2-6.2). Similar trends were observed for tumor stage and mode of detection (mammogram vs lump). Among all participants, those lacking both screening and regular care had larger tumors (21% vs 8%, RR = 2.51, 1.76-3.56) and advanced (3B +) stage (19% vs 6%, RR = 3.15, 2.15-4.63) compared to the referent category (screening-adherent and regular care). Under-use of regular care and screening was more prevalent in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas of North Carolina.

CONCLUSIONS

Access to regular care is an important safeguard for earlier detection. Our data suggest that health equity interventions should prioritize both primary care and screening.

Marital Status, Living Arrangement, and Survival among Individuals with Advanced Prostate Cancer in the International Registry for Men with Advanced Prostate Cancer

BACKGROUND

Studies have shown improved survival among individuals with cancer with higher levels of social support. Few studies have investigated social support and overall survival (OS) in individuals with advanced prostate cancer in an international cohort. We investigated the associations of marital status and living arrangements with OS among individuals with advanced prostate cancer in the International Registry for Men with Advanced Prostate Cancer (IRONMAN).

METHODS

IRONMAN is enrolling participants diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer (metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, mHSPC; castration-resistant prostate cancer, CRPC) from 16 countries. Participants in this analysis were recruited between July 2017 and January 2023. Adjusting for demographics and tumor characteristics, the associations were estimated using Cox regression and stratified by disease state (mHSPC, CRPC), age (<70, ≥70 years), and continent of enrollment (North America, Europe, Other).

RESULTS

We included 2,119 participants with advanced prostate cancer, of whom 427 died during up to 5 years of follow-up (median 6 months). Two-thirds had mHSPC. Most were married/in a civil partnership (79%) and 6% were widowed. Very few married participants were living alone (1%), while most unmarried participants were living alone (70%). Married participants had better OS than unmarried participants [adjusted HR: 1.44; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02-2.02]. Widowed participants had the worst survival compared with married individuals (adjusted HR: 1.89; 95% CI: 1.22-2.94).

CONCLUSIONS

Among those with advanced prostate cancer, unmarried and widowed participants had worse OS compared with married participants.

IMPACT

This research highlighted the importance of social support in OS within this vulnerable population.

Disparities in OncotypeDx Testing and Subsequent Chemotherapy Receipt by Geography and Socioeconomic Status

BACKGROUND

OncotypeDx is a prognostic and predictive genomic assay used in early-stage hormone receptor positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HR+/HER2-) breast cancer. It is used to inform adjuvant chemotherapy decisions, but not all eligible women receive testing. We aimed to assess variation in testing by demographics and geography, and to determine whether testing was associated with chemotherapy.

METHODS

For 1,615 women in the Carolina Breast Cancer Study with HR+/HER2-, Stage I-II tumors, we estimated prevalence differences (PDs) and 95% CIs for receipt of OncotypeDx genomic testing in association with and sociodemographic characteristics. We assessed associations between testing and chemotherapy receipt overall and by race. Finally, we calculated the proportion of eligible women receiving OncotypeDx by county-level rurality, census tract-level socioeconomic status, and Area Health Education Center (AHEC) regions.

RESULTS

38% (N=609) of potentially eligible women were tested, with lower testing prevalences in Black (31%; PD = -11%, 95% CI: -16%, 6%) and low-income women (24%; PD = -20%, 95% CI: -29%, -11%) relative to non-Black and higher income women. Urban participants were less likely to be tested than rural participants, though this association varied by region. Among women with low genomic risk tumors, tested participants were 29% less likely to receive chemotherapy than untested participants (95% CI: -40%, -17%). Racial differences in chemotherapy were restricted to untested women.

CONCLUSIONS

Both individual and area-level socioeconomics predict likelihood of OncotypeDx testing.

IMPACT

Variable adoption of OncotypeDx by socioeconomics and across geographic settings may contribute to excess chemotherapy among HR+/HER2- patients.

Helicobacter pylori testing prior to or at gastric cancer diagnosis and survival in a diverse US patient population

BACKGROUND

Gastric cancer (GC) accounts for the greatest disparity in cancer mortality between Black and White Americans. Although clinical trials have shown that Helicobacter pylori (Hp) treatment reduces risk of GC, Hp testing and treatment is not consistently performed in the US, and may offer an opportunity to improve survival.

METHODS

In a diverse retrospective cohort of 99 GC cases diagnosed at Duke University from 2002-2020 (57% Black; 43% white), we examined the association of Hp testing and treatment prior to or at cancer diagnosis with overall survival using Cox regression analyses to calculate adjusted hazards ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS

Overall, 62% of patients were tested for Hp prior to or at GC diagnosis. Of those, 25% tested positive and were treated < 1 year prior to or at diagnosis, 15% tested positive and were treated ≥ 1 year prior to diagnosis, 6% tested positive without evidence of treatment, and 54% tested negative. Compared to never tested, Hp testing and treatment < 1 year prior to or at diagnosis was associated with a significantly reduced likelihood of death (HR 0.21, 95% CI 0.08-0.58). The benefit of any Hp test and treat prior to or at GC diagnosis was significant even among stage IV patients only (HR, 0.22; 95% CI 0.05-0.96).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings support Hp testing and treatment for patients at risk of or diagnosed with GC, and suggest Hp treatment may provide an opportunity to reduce GC mortality disparities in the US.

Association of DCIS size and margin status with risk of developing breast cancer post-treatment: multinational, pooled cohort study

OBJECTIVE

To examine the association between size and margin status of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and risk of developing ipsilateral invasive breast cancer and ipsilateral DCIS after treatment, and stage and subtype of ipsilateral invasive breast cancer.

DESIGN

Multinational, pooled cohort study.

SETTING

Four large international cohorts.

PARTICIPANTS

Patient level data on 47 695 women with a diagnosis of pure, primary DCIS between 1999 and 2017 in the Netherlands, UK, and US who underwent surgery, either breast conserving or mastectomy, often followed by radiotherapy or endocrine treatment, or both.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The main outcomes were 10 year cumulative incidence of ipsilateral invasive breast cancer and ipsilateral DCIS estimated in relation to DCIS size and margin status, and adjusted hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals, estimated using multivariable Cox proportional hazards analyses with multiple imputed data RESULTS: The 10 year cumulative incidence of ipsilateral invasive breast cancer was 3.2%. In women who underwent breast conserving surgery with or without radiotherapy, only adjusted risks for ipsilateral DCIS were significantly increased for larger DCIS (20-49 mm) compared with DCIS <20 mm (hazard ratio 1.38, 95% confidence interval 1.11 to 1.72). Risks for both ipsilateral invasive breast cancer and ipsilateral DCIS were significantly higher with involved compared with clear margins (invasive breast cancer 1.40, 1.07 to 1.83; DCIS 1.39, 1.04 to 1.87). Use of adjuvant endocrine treatment was not significantly associated with a lower risk of ipsilateral invasive breast cancer compared to treatment with breast conserving surgery only (0.86, 0.62 to 1.21). In women who received breast conserving treatment with or without radiotherapy, higher DCIS grade was not significantly associated with ipsilateral invasive breast cancer, only with a higher risk of ipsilateral DCIS (grade 1: 1.42, 1.08 to 1.87; grade 3: 2.17, 1.66 to 2.83). Higher age at diagnosis was associated with lower risk (per year) of ipsilateral DCIS (0.98, 0.97 to 0.99) but not ipsilateral invasive breast cancer (1.00, 0.99 to 1.00). Women with large DCIS (≥50 mm) more often developed stage III and IV ipsilateral invasive breast cancer compared to women with DCIS <20 mm. No such association was found between involved margins and higher stage of ipsilateral invasive breast cancer. Associations between larger DCIS and hormone receptor negative and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive ipsilateral invasive breast cancer and involved margins and hormone receptor negative ipsilateral invasive breast cancer were found.

CONCLUSIONS

The association of DCIS size and margin status with ipsilateral invasive breast cancer and ipsilateral DCIS was small. When these two factors were added to other known risk factors in multivariable models, clinicopathological risk factors alone were found to be limited in discriminating between low and high risk DCIS.

Going beyond the means: Exploring the role of bias from digital determinants of health in technologies

BACKGROUND

In light of recent retrospective studies revealing evidence of disparities in access to medical technology and of bias in measurements, this narrative review assesses digital determinants of health (DDoH) in both technologies and medical formulae that demonstrate either evidence of bias or suboptimal performance, identifies potential mechanisms behind such bias, and proposes potential methods or avenues that can guide future efforts to address these disparities.

APPROACH

Mechanisms are broadly grouped into physical and biological biases (e.g., pulse oximetry, non-contact infrared thermometry [NCIT]), interaction of human factors and cultural practices (e.g., electroencephalography [EEG]), and interpretation bias (e.g, pulmonary function tests [PFT], optical coherence tomography [OCT], and Humphrey visual field [HVF] testing). This review scope specifically excludes technologies incorporating artificial intelligence and machine learning. For each technology, we identify both clinical and research recommendations.

CONCLUSIONS

Many of the DDoH mechanisms encountered in medical technologies and formulae result in lower accuracy or lower validity when applied to patients outside the initial scope of development or validation. Our clinical recommendations caution clinical users in completely trusting result validity and suggest correlating with other measurement modalities robust to the DDoH mechanism (e.g., arterial blood gas for pulse oximetry, core temperatures for NCIT). Our research recommendations suggest not only increasing diversity in development and validation, but also awareness in the modalities of diversity required (e.g., skin pigmentation for pulse oximetry but skin pigmentation and sex/hormonal variation for NCIT). By increasing diversity that better reflects patients in all scenarios of use, we can mitigate DDoH mechanisms and increase trust and validity in clinical practice and research.

Relative Burden of Cancer and Noncancer Mortality Among Long-Term Survivors of Breast, Prostate, and Colorectal Cancer in the US

Importance

Improvements in cancer outcomes have led to a need to better understand long-term oncologic and nononcologic outcomes and quantify cancer-specific vs noncancer-specific mortality risks among long-term survivors.

Objective

To assess absolute and relative cancer-specific vs noncancer-specific mortality rates among long-term survivors of cancer, as well as associated risk factors.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cohort study included 627 702 patients in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results cancer registry with breast, prostate, or colorectal cancer who received a diagnosis between January 1, 2003, and December 31, 2014, who received definitive treatment for localized disease and who were alive 5 years after their initial diagnosis (ie, long-term survivors of cancer). Statistical analysis was conducted from November 2022 to January 2023.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Survival time ratios (TRs) were calculated using accelerated failure time models, and the primary outcome of interest examined was death from index cancer vs alternative (nonindex cancer) mortality across breast, prostate, colon, and rectal cancer cohorts. Secondary outcomes included subgroup mortality in cancer-specific risk groups, categorized based on prognostic factors, and proportion of deaths due to cancer-specific vs noncancer-specific causes. Independent variables included age, sex, race and ethnicity, income, residence, stage, grade, estrogen receptor status, progesterone receptor status, prostate-specific antigen level, and Gleason score. Follow-up ended in 2019.

Results

The study included 627 702 patients (mean [SD] age, 61.1 [12.3] years; 434 848 women [69.3%]): 364 230 with breast cancer, 118 839 with prostate cancer, and 144 633 with colorectal cancer who survived 5 years or more from an initial diagnosis of early-stage cancer. Factors associated with shorter median cancer-specific survival included stage III disease for breast cancer (TR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.53-0.55) and colorectal cancer (colon: TR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.58-0.62; rectal: TR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.69-0.74), as well as a Gleason score of 8 or higher for prostate cancer (TR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.58-0.63). For all cancer cohorts, patients at low risk had at least a 3-fold higher noncancer-specific mortality compared with cancer-specific mortality at 10 years of diagnosis. Patients at high risk had a higher cumulative incidence of cancer-specific mortality than noncancer-specific mortality in all cancer cohorts except prostate.

Conclusions and Relevance

This study is the first to date to examine competing oncologic and nononcologic risks focusing on long-term adult survivors of cancer. Knowledge of the relative risks facing long-term survivors may help provide pragmatic guidance to patients and clinicians regarding the importance of ongoing primary and oncologic-focused care.

Abstract 984: Race- and ancestry-related metabolites and SNPs associated with response to secondary hormonal therapy in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer

The number of new cases and deaths from prostate cancer (PCa) is highest for Black men compared with other racial and ethnic groups, and Black PCa patients have a shorter average survival as well as a greater risk of tumor recurrence than men of other racial and ethnic groups. However, recent studies have shown that Black PCa patients have a better response to certain therapeutic regimens than White PCa patients. This study focuses on addressing the critical need to determine novel relationships between ancestry-related genetic variation and PCa aggressiveness and response to secondary hormonal therapy in metastatic castration-resistant PCa (mCRPC). We conducted correlative science in a DoD Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Consortium (PCCTC) prospective multicenter study of secondary hormonal therapy in mCRPC stratified by race, Abi Race. This study enrolled 50 self-reported Black and 50 self-reported White mCRPC patients, and such patients received abiraterone and prednisone until disease progression or adverse event. We performed metabolic profiling using serum samples from fasting patients at baseline and after treatment. In addition, we performed genome-wide genotyping using genomic DNA from whole blood specimens from patients at baseline. We then identified race- and ancestry-related metabolite and SNP variations that associated with outcome using a penalized Cox model approach. In addition, we used Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) and Lasso Analysis to further study race-related metabolites and SNPs. From these analyses, we identified sphingolipids such as ceramide as race-related metabolites associated with outcome as well as SNPs in Sphingosine Kinase Type 1-Interacting Protein (SKIP) associated with outcome. In addition, our analyses suggest that sphingolipids such as ceramides and SKIP may regulate cancer-related biofunctions differently in Black and White mCRPC patients undergoing abiraterone treatment. Both sphingolipids and SKIP are components of the Sphingosine Rheostat, the regulatory component of sphingolipid cellular metabolism often exploited by various cancers, in which ceramides displays a pro-apoptotic role whereas sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is associated with an anti-apoptotic role and is indirectly regulated by SKIP via regulating the activity of Sphingosine Kinase (SPK1). Evaluation of the function of these sphingolipids and SKIP in PCa cell drug response and aggressiveness are currently underway. These findings are furthering understanding of race- and ancestry-related biological factors that influence response to secondary hormonal therapy in mCRPC and have the potential to impact selection of patients for secondary hormonal therapy and to mitigate PCa disparity.

Citation Format: Sean Alan Piwarski, Tyler Allen, Bonnie LaCroix, Lauren Howard, Morgan Paul, Nick Bachelder, Alex Sibley, Steve Patierno, Terry Hyslop, Kouros Owzar, Daniel George, Jennifer Freedman. Race- and ancestry-related metabolites and SNPs associated with response to secondary hormonal therapy in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 984.

Modifiable patient-reported factors associated with cancer-screening knowledge and participation in a community-based health assessment

BACKGROUND

We sought to identify modifiable factors associated with cancer screening in a community-based health assessment.

METHODS

24 organizations at 47 community events in central North Carolina distributed a 91-item survey from April-December 2017. Responses about (1) interest in disease prevention, (2) lifestyle choices (e.g., diet, tobacco), and (3) perceptions of primary care access/quality were abstracted to examine their association with self-reported screening participation and knowledge about breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer.

RESULTS

2135/2315 participants (92%; 38.5% White, 38% Black, 9.9% Asian) completed screening questions. >70% of screen-eligible respondents reported guideline-concordant screening. Healthy dietary habits were associated with greater knowledge about breast and colorectal cancer screening; reporting negative attitudes about and barriers to healthcare were associated with less breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer screening. Having a place to seek medical care (a proxy for primary care access) was independently associated with being ∼5 times as likely to undergo colorectal screening (OR 4.66, 95% CI 1.58-13.79, all p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

In this diverse, community-based sample, modifiable factors were associated with screening engagement, highlighting opportunities for behavioral intervention.

Surveillance Imaging after Primary Diagnosis of Ductal Carcinoma in Situ

Background Guidelines recommend annual surveillance imaging after diagnosis of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Guideline adherence has not been characterized in a contemporary cohort. Purpose To identify uptake and determinants of surveillance imaging in women who underwent treatment for DCIS. Materials and Methods A stratified random sample of women who underwent breast-conserving surgery for primary DCIS between 2008 and 2014 was retrospectively selected from 1330 facilities in the United States. Imaging examinations were recorded from date of diagnosis until first distant recurrence, death, loss to follow-up, or end of study (November 2018). Imaging after treatment was categorized into 10 12-month periods starting 6 months after diagnosis. Primary outcome was per-period receipt of asymptomatic surveillance imaging (mammography, MRI, or US). Secondary outcome was diagnosis of ipsilateral invasive breast cancer. Multivariable logistic regression with repeated measures and generalized estimating equations was used to model receipt of imaging. Rates of diagnosis with ipsilateral invasive breast cancer were compared between women who did and those who did not undergo imaging in the 6-18-month period after diagnosis using inverse probability-weighted Kaplan-Meier estimators. Results A total of 12 559 women (median age, 60 years; IQR, 52-69 years) were evaluated. Uptake of surveillance imaging was 75% in the first period and decreased over time (P < .001). Across the first 5 years after treatment, 52% of women participated in consistent annual surveillance. Surveillance was lower in Black (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.80; 95% CI: 0.74, 0.88; P < .001) and Hispanic (OR, 0.82; 95% CI: 0.72, 0.94; P = .004) women than in White women. Women who underwent surveillance in the first period had a higher 6-year rate of diagnosis of invasive cancer (1.6%; 95% CI: 1.3, 1.9) than those who did not (1.1%; 95% CI: 0.7, 1.4; difference: 0.5%; 95% CI: 0.1, 1.0; P = .03). Conclusion Half of women did not consistently adhere to imaging surveillance guidelines across the first 5 years after treatment, with racial disparities in adherence rates. © RSNA, 2023 Supplemental material is available for this article. See also the editorial by Rahbar and Dontchos in this issue.

Modifiable Barriers and Facilitators for Breast Cancer Care: A Thematic Analysis of Patient and Provider Perspectives

INTRODUCTION

We sought to examine patient and provider perspectives regarding modifiable contributors to breast cancer treatment and to assess perceptual alignment between these two groups.

MATERIALS

Participants were women≥18 y with stage 0-IV breast cancer who received all oncologic care in a single health system and physicians and advanced practice providers who provided medical, radiation, or surgical oncology care for breast cancer. All completed ∼45-min semistructured interviews that were recorded and transcribed verbatim. A 5-stage approach to thematic analysis was conducted, with emergent themes and exemplar quotes placed into clinical, psychological, social/logistical, financial, and lifestyle categories using a multilevel conceptual framework.

RESULTS

Eighteen patients (9 Black, 9 White, and median age 60 y) and 10 providers (6 physicians and 4 advanced practice providers) were interviewed from May to November 2018. Both patients and providers perceived suboptimal communication, parking and transportation, and competing family-caregiving responsibilities as modifiable barriers to care. Treatment costs were cited by patients as barriers that were inadequately addressed even with referrals to financial counselors, but providers did not raise the issue of cost unless prompted by patients and did not feel prepared to discuss the topic when it arose. Providers cited obesity as a barrier to treatment, a view not shared by patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Several modifiable factors were recognized by both patients and providers as either promoting or detracting from treatment receipt, but there was also significant incongruence and asymmetry. Alignment of provider and patient perceptions regarding contributors to guideline-concordant care receipt could mitigate disparities in breast cancer treatment and outcomes.

Abstract P2-11-13: High PD-L2 Protein Expression in Cancer Cells is an Independent Marker of Unfavorable Prognosis in Luminal Breast Tumors

Background PD-1 inhibitors have shown significant efficacy in triple negative breast cancer (BC), however, durable responses are less common in estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) BC. Better markers are therefore needed that will identify likely responders to PD-1 inhibitors among patients with luminal BC. While most efforts have focused on the immune checkpoint protein PD-L1, the alternative PD-1 ligand, PD-L2, has been largely overlooked. We aimed to determine if PD-L2 is associated with unfavorable prognosis in ER+ BC. Methods PD-L2 protein levels in cancer cells and stromal cells were measured retrospectively by quantitative immunofluorescence histocytometry in tissue microarrays of therapy-naïve, localized or locoregional ER+ BC and correlated with progression-free survival (PFS). Evaluable tumor PD-L2 data were derived from a main study cohort A diagnosed between 1988-2005 (n=684) with extensive clinical and outcome data and from an independent validation cohort B diagnosed between 1992-2012 (n=273). Patients received standard-of-care adjuvant therapy without immune checkpoint inhibitors after tumor resection. Results Univariate analysis of the main cohort A revealed that high PD-L2 expression in cancer cells was associated with shorter PFS (HR=1.8; 95%CI:1.3-2.6; p=0.001), an observation that was validated in an independent cohort B (HR=2.3, 95%CI:1.1-4.8; p=0.026). Approximately one third of ER+ BC cases were classified as high PD-L2. After multivariable adjustment for common clinicopathological variables, high cancer cell levels of PD-L2 remained independently predictive of early recurrence (HR=2.0; 95%CI:1.4-2.9; p&lt; 0.001). Sub-analysis of ER+ BC cases treated with adjuvant chemotherapy (n=197) suggested that high PD-L2 levels in cancer cells was associated with particularly increased risk of progression (multivariable HR=3.4; 95%CI:1.9-6.2; p&lt; 0.001). The observed frequent expression of PD-L2 protein in BC provided scientific rationale for the design of our ongoing phase II clinical trial (NCT04243616) of neoadjuvant combined PD-1 inhibitor (cemiplimab; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc) and chemotherapy in patients diagnosed with PD-L1+ and/or PD-L2+ BC. The primary objective of this trial is to assess pathologic responses to neoadjuvant treatment with secondary objective of assessing the correlation between PD-L1/PD-L2 status and tumor responses. Pathologist review of PD-L1 and PD-L2 expression in an initial set of ER+ tumors (n=15) screened for trial eligibility revealed frequent discordance between cancer cell positivity for PD-L1 and PD-L2 protein (PD-L1: median=0%; range 0-2% vs. PD-L2: median=18%; range &lt; 1-60%) as well as immune cell positivity (PD-L1: median=5%; range 0-50% vs. PD-L2: median=0; range 0-50%). Conclusions In treatment-naïve ER+ breast tumors, high cancer cell expression of PD-L2 protein was an independent predictor of poor clinical outcome, with evidence of further elevated risk of progression in patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy. Preliminary analyses of ER+ tumors from our ongoing clinical trial showed frequent discordance between baseline PD-L1 and PD-L2 protein expression in both cancer cells and immune cells. Collectively, our analyses indicate that PD-L2 has prognostic value for ER+ BC, and our progress justify further studies to determine whether PD-L2, alone or in combination with PD-L1, may serve as a predictive marker of response to PD-1 inhibitors.

Citation Format: Lubna N. Chaudhary, Inna Chervoneva, Amy R. Peck, Yunguang Sun, Misung Yi, John F. Langenheim, Julie M. Jorns, Sailaja Kamaraju, Yee Chung Cheng, John Burfeind, Christopher R. Chitambar, Jeffrey A. Hooke, Albert J. Kovatich, Craig Shriver, Hai Hu, Juan P. Palazzo, Marluce Bibbo, Terry Hyslop, Richard Pestell, Edith P. Mitchell, Hallgeir Rui. High PD-L2 Protein Expression in Cancer Cells is an Independent Marker of Unfavorable Prognosis in Luminal Breast Tumors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2022 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(5 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-11-13.

Abstract P6-04-13: Centralized adequacy assessment of ductal carcinoma in situ samples for the COMET study (AFT-25)

Introduction COMET (Comparing an Operation to Monitoring, with or without Endocrine Therapy) is a phase III clinical trial randomizing patients diagnosed with low-intermediate grade DCIS to either active monitoring or surgery. The study has a planned accrual goal of 1200 patients and is enrolling until 12/31/22. The protocol requires agreement between two pathologists (who do not need to be at the same institution) that a case fulfills COMET eligibility criteria. If there is disagreement, a third pathology review is required. As per protocol, tissue blocks or unstained slides of biopsies containing DCIS from enrolled patients are sent to a designated central location. While central pathology review is not a pre-requisite of the study, a retrospective review of received materials was performed to determine adequacy for correlative molecular and spatial profiling studies. Methods Sites submit either a tissue block or twenty (20) sequentially numbered, unstained, serial five-micron tissue sections from a diagnostic biopsy of DCIS to the Alliance Foundation Trials (AFT) central biorepository, a CAP-accredited biobank. All submitted biospecimens are de-identified (coded) and investigators are blinded to arm assignment and primary study outcomes. To evaluate the adequacy of specimens for subsequent correlative science studies, one unstained slide from each submitted slide set was stained with routine hematoxylin and eosin by the biobank, scanned at 40X magnification with an Aperio scanner, and provided to one of two expert breast pathologists for adequacy review. Slides were rated as “DCIS present”, “DCIS absent”, or “possible DCIS.” To conserve tissue, submitted tissue blocks are held in abeyance pending future correlative science planning. Results As of May 2022, tissue has been submitted from 789 of 856 eligible patients enrolled in the trial, demonstrating a very high level (92%) of case submission compliance. Despite the limiting size of such lesions and general clinical center hesitancy to release blocks for clinical trial research, tissue blocks were received from 376 of 789 (48%) of cases. Among 359 cases involving slide-only submissions that have been retrospectively reviewed to date, 294 were definite DCIS (82%), 25 (7%) were classified as possible DCIS, and 40 cases (11%) were classified as no DCIS present in the section reviewed. In no case was high grade DCIS or invasive breast cancer observed. Of the cases considered possible DCIS, atypical cells were present, but the lesions were too small or incomplete to confirm DCIS. The small percentage of cases that lacked DCIS or definite DCIS could be attributed to the receipt of a different block or subsequent (deeper) section from the same block used for the initial diagnosis. These cases were previously known to the submitting institutions. Conclusion Interim analysis at 71% accrual demonstrates both the feasibility of obtaining diagnostic biopsy material of limited size and the adequacy of these samples for subsequent correlative science studies that aim to improve pathology diagnostics and patient management.

Citation Format: Rachel Factor, Stuart Schnitt, Robert West, Terry Hyslop, Thomas Lynch, Deborah Collyar, Desiree Basila, Lars Grimm, Lorraine King, Jeffrey Marks, Sunil Badve, Mark Watson, Marc Ryser, Anna Weiss, Anna Rapperport, Linda McCall, H. T. Carisa Le-Petross, Ann Partridge, E Shelley Hwang, Alastair M. Thompson. Centralized adequacy assessment of ductal carcinoma in situ samples for the COMET study (AFT-25) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2022 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(5 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-04-13.

Abstract P5-02-36: Proteogenomic profiling of fresh frozen core biopsies from CALGB 40601

Background: Targeted therapy for HER2+ breast cancer has significantly improved outcomes for this aggressive subtype. However, a subset of patients do not achieve pathological complete response (pCR). In CALGB 40601, a randomized Phase III Trial for neoadjuvant treatment of HER2+ primary breast cancer with Paclitaxel (T: taxane) combined with HER2 antibody therapy (H: Herceptin/Trastuzumab), the small molecule inhibitor Lapatinib (L), or the antibody-inhibitor combination, pCR frequency was 56% for the combination (THL arm), 46% for Trastuzumab (TH arm), and 32% for Lapatinib (TL arm, closed early because of lower efficacy) (PMID: 26527775). While a recent publication reports relapse-free survival (RFS), overall survival (OS), and RNA-based gene expression signatures that can predict pCR (PMID: 33095682), understanding the proteogenomic landscape of treatment response should facilitate identification of alternative and therapeutically tractable protein targets for treatment-resistant tumors. Methods: Microscaled proteogenomic profiling (PMID: 31988290) was performed on treatment-naïve, flash-frozen core needle biopsies from the CALGB 40601 trial obtained from the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology tissue bank. Multi-omics profiling included whole-exome sequencing (WES), RNA-sequencing, and mass spectroscopy-based proteomics and phosphoproteomics from one or two cores from each patient. Results: Eighty baseline core biopsies from 54 patients, including 22 patients from the THL arm, 24 from the TH arm, and 8 from the TL arm, from the CALGB 40601 tissue archive were of sufficient quality to yield genomics, transcriptomics, and/or proteomics profiling data. The frequency of pCR for profiled samples was representative of the overall trial cohort. Linear models were employed to identify baseline determinants of pCR for each arm and to assess differences in genes associated with response between the TH and THL arms. Pathways associated with RNA processing, translation, and the proteasome were elevated in pCR tumors in TH and THL arms, while cell cycle, DNA replication and repair pathways were higher in pCR only in the THL arm. While enrichment of similar pathways was observed in pCR in the transcriptome, the proteome specifically showed enrichment of pathways associated with extracellular matrix and EMT in non-pCR in the THL but not the TH arm. In particular, “EMT”, “ECM-receptor interaction”, and “extracellular structure organization” constituted the most enriched pathways and GO terms that were higher in non-pCR than in pCR tumors from the combination arm (THL) in the proteomics data despite showing no enrichment in the transcriptomics data. Driving this pathway enrichment were several collagens and matrix metalloproteinases that were significantly elevated in non-pCR tumors at the protein but not the RNA level. Finally, kinase target enrichment of differential phosphorylation sites suggested that the activity of PAK1, a regulator of cytoskeletal remodeling, is elevated in non-pCR tumors from the THL arm (p=0.006), but not the TH arm (p=0.69). Conclusion: Proteogenomic analysis of archival HER2+ breast cancer core biopsies provides opportunities for identifying proteins and phosphorylation sites in treatment-naive tumors that are associated with pCR to neoadjuvant Paclitaxel/anti-HER2 therapy. Notably, proteomic but not transcriptomic data showed that ECM and EMT pathways were elevated in non-pCR tumors; thus, signatures encompassing these pathways may serve as biomarkers for aggressive HER2+ breast cancer that is more likely to evade treatment. Non-pCR tumors in the THL arm were also marked by elevated levels of PAK1 target phosphorylation sites, suggesting that this kinase may be a potential therapeutic target in HER2+ breast cancer that is refractory to combination anti-HER2 therapy.

Citation Format: Eric J. Jaehnig, Aranzazu Fernandez-Martinez, Tanmayi Vashist, Matthew V. Holt, LaTerrica Williams, Jonathan Lei, Beom-Jun Kim, Yongchao Dou, Viktoriya Korchina, Richard Gibbs, Donna Muzny, Harshavardhan Doddapaneni, Henry Rodriguez, Ana Robles, Tara Hiltke, DR Mani, Michael Gillette, Terry Hyslop, Yujia Wen, Linda McCart, George Miles, Steven Carr, Bing Zhang, Shankha Satpathy, Matthew Ellis, Meenakshi Anurag. Proteogenomic profiling of fresh frozen core biopsies from CALGB 40601 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2022 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(5 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-02-36.

First look at the baseline characteristics of participants in IRONMAN, the international registry for men with advanced prostate cancer

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Background: Patients with advanced prostate cancer (APC) experience high mortality and increasingly deteriorating quality of life due to the disease itself and the therapies they are treated with. Despite recent advances in the treatment landscape, disparities in outcomes have only worsened. There is an urgent need to identify disparities in treatment patterns and outcomes in advanced disease in diverse populations. The International Registry for Men with Advanced Prostate Cancer (IRONMAN) is uniquely equipped to address these needs. Methods: IRONMAN is a prospective registry initiated in 2017 with a planned accrual of 5000 patients with newly diagnosed metastatic hormone-sensitive (mHSPC) and castration-resistant (CRPC) prostate cancer. As of 10/11/2022, 2890 patients have enrolled from 14 countries at 113 sites, with 2 more countries pending activation. Sites were selected to create a diverse cohort across race/ethnicity, geography and socioeconomic factors. Patients are followed for survival, clinically significant adverse events, changes in cancer treatments, biomarkers, and Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs). This analysis includes patients with treatment data reported from Baseline through Month 3 as of October 2021 (n=1931, 9 countries). Results: Patients were recruited across the USA (N=799), Australia (146), Canada (282), Spain (238), England (205), and all other countries (261). 61% had mHSPC, and 39% had CRPC at enrollment with little variation in these proportions across countries. Based on self-report, 87% of patients were White, 9% Black, 4% reported other races/ethnicities, and 353 did not report race. In the US, 18% of patients were Black. Globally, 22% of respondents reported current or former military service. The most common first systemic therapy on study was androgen receptor signaling inhibitors (ARSI) +/- ADT in 1039 (54%), ranging between 12% and 66% of patients by country. 19% received chemotherapy +/- ADT and 18% received ADT alone. ARSI use varied by age, race, and metastatic disease site. Conclusions: Our preliminary results highlight our ability to successfully enroll and follow APC patients from 113 sites across 14 countries, with 2890 of 5000 planned patients enrolled. Accrual is greater in de novo mHSPC patients than anticipated. Differences in treatment patterns are already emerging, with more ARSI use in the mHSPC setting in North America than other regions. Our data demonstrates that IRONMAN participating sites are rapidly adopting new treatment recommendations into clinical practice of real-world patients.

High PD-L2 Predicts Early Recurrence of ER-Positive Breast Cancer

PURPOSE

T-cell-mediated cytotoxicity is suppressed when programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) is bound by PD-1 ligand-1 (PD-L1) or PD-L2. Although PD-1 inhibitors have been approved for triple-negative breast cancer, the lower response rates of 25%-30% in estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer will require markers to identify likely responders. The focus of this study was to evaluate whether PD-L2, which has higher affinity than PD-L1 for PD-1, is a predictor of early recurrence in ER+ breast cancer.

METHODS

PD-L2 protein levels in cancer cells and stromal cells of therapy-naive, localized or locoregional ER+ breast cancers were measured retrospectively by quantitative immunofluorescence histocytometry and correlated with progression-free survival (PFS) in the main study cohort (n = 684) and in an independent validation cohort (n = 273). All patients subsequently received standard-of-care adjuvant therapy without immune checkpoint inhibitors.

RESULTS

Univariate analysis of the main cohort revealed that high PD-L2 expression in cancer cells was associated with shorter PFS (hazard ratio [HR], 1.8; 95% CI, 1.3 to 2.6; P = .001), which was validated in an independent cohort (HR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.1 to 4.8; P = .026) and remained independently predictive after multivariable adjustment for common clinicopathological variables (HR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.4 to 2.9; P < .001). Subanalysis of the ER+ breast cancer patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy (n = 197) revealed that high PD-L2 levels in cancer cells associated with short PFS in univariate (HR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.4 to 4.4; P = .003) and multivariable analyses (HR, 3.4; 95% CI, 1.9 to 6.2; P < .001).

CONCLUSION

Up to one third of treatment-naive ER+ breast tumors expressed high PD-L2 levels, which independently predicted poor clinical outcome, with evidence of further elevated risk of progression in patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy. Collectively, these data warrant studies to gain a deeper understanding of PD-L2 in the progression of ER+ breast cancer and may provide rationale for immune checkpoint blockade for this patient group.

Abstract A011: Effectiveness of an online decision support tool in communicating information about treatment options and related risks for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)

Introduction: Treatment options for women diagnosed with DCIS require careful consideration of the potential risks and benefits. An interactive decision support tool (DST) was developed to provide information about these options, including their potential long-term risk. The DST was implemented through the website www.dcisoptions.org in collaboration with the AFT-25 Comparing an Operation to Monitoring, with or without Endocrine Therapy (COMET), for low-risk DCIS study. Methods: The DST provides personalized prediction of the potential clinical impact of six different treatment options over a 10-year period. Women were asked to select one or more option, and to complete two surveys - one prior to interacting with the DST and one following interaction. Chi-square tests were used to compare the distribution of age group and DCIS grade among women who completed both surveys and those who completed the pre-tool survey only. Mean age was compared using the t-test and median age was compared using the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test. The signed-rank test was used to compare the median age. The cohort that answered both surveys was analyzed for potential differences in response (pre- versus post-tool). The McNemar test was used to compare percentage distributions and the paired t-test was used to compare mean responses for questions using the Likert scale. A signed rank test was used to compare median changes from pre- to post-tool. Statistical significance was defined as P&lt;0.05 in a two-sided test. The primary endpoint of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the DST in communicating information about DCIS treatment options and related risk predictions. Results: Data were collected from January 2019 to April 2022 for women (non-COMET participants) who completed the DST. Of those 976 women, 831 (85%) completed the pre-tool survey only and 145 (15%) completed both the pre- and post-tool survey. The mean age was 54.4 (9.8 SD) years. 73% of women had low/intermediate-grade DCIS, while 19% had high-grade DCIS. Among women who submitted both surveys, average time spent completing the DST was 10 minutes. Awareness of the treatment options prior to use of the DST was high (90%), except for active surveillance (85.2%) and bilateral mastectomy (84.3%). Awareness post-tool did not change significantly except for active surveillance (85.2% to 96.5% (p=0.004)). Among women who completed both surveys, the percentage who correctly identified that the chance of dying from DCIS is ‘Very Low’ increased from 60.0% to 73.8% (p&lt;0.0001). The median estimated risk of dying from DCIS in 10 years decreased from 9% to 3% (p&lt;0.0001). A total of 101/132 (76.5%) women that responded to a specific question about the DST found it to be ‘Very Helpful’ or ‘Helpful’ in making a treatment decision for DCIS. A limitation of the study is the lower response rate to the post-tool survey. Conclusion: In this study, we demonstrated that utilization of a DST by women diagnosed with DCIS may enable value-congruent decision making and potentially result in improved patient outcomes.

Citation Format: Thomas Lynch, Ann Partridge, E. Shelley Hwang, Alastair Thompson, Elizabeth Frank, Donna Pinto, Deborah Collyar, Desiree Basila, Terry Hyslop, Marc Ryser, Anna Weiss, Anna Rapperport, Rinaa Punglia, Elissa Ozanne. Effectiveness of an online decision support tool in communicating information about treatment options and related risks for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Rethinking DCIS: An Opportunity for Prevention?; 2022 Sep 8-11; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Can Prev Res 2022;15(12 Suppl_1): Abstract nr A011.

IRONMAN: A Novel International Registry of Men With Advanced Prostate Cancer

PURPOSE

To describe a newly established international registry recruiting diverse patients with advanced prostate cancer across academic and community practices to address unmet needs in this population.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Initiated in 2017, IRONMAN (International Registry for Men with Advanced Prostate Cancer) is a prospective cohort of patients with advanced prostate cancer. The study will enroll 5,000 patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) or castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), recruited from Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Nigeria, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The study is collecting datatypes to study variation in care and treatment of advanced prostate cancer across countries and across academic, community-based, and government practices with a focus on clinical outcomes, patient-reported outcomes, epidemiologic data, biologic subtypes, and clinician questionnaires.

RESULTS

Through July 2022, 2,682 eligible patients were enrolled in 11 of 12 active countries. Sixty-six percent of patients have mHSPC, and 34% have CRPC. On the basis of self-report, 11% of patients are Black and 9% are Hispanic. Five Veterans Affairs Medical Centers are enrolling patients. Globally, 23% of patients report being veterans of military service.

CONCLUSION

To our knowledge, this is the first international cohort of people newly diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer designed to describe variations in patient management, experiences, and outcomes. IRONMAN aims to identify optimal treatment sequences to improve survival, understand patient-reported outcomes, and explore novel biomarkers to understand treatment resistance mechanisms. Insights from IRONMAN will inform and guide future clinical management of people with mHSPC and CRPC. This cohort study will provide real-world evidence to facilitate a better understanding of the survivorship of people with advanced prostate cancer.

Design and Evaluation of a Computational Phenotype to Identify Patients With Metastatic Breast Cancer Within the Electronic Health Record

PURPOSE

Outcomes for patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) are continually improving as more effective treatments become available. Granular data sets of this unique population are lacking, and the standard method for data collection relies largely on chart review. Therefore, using electronic health records (EHR) collected at a tertiary hospital system, we developed and evaluated a computational phenotype designed to identify all patients with MBC, and we compared the effectiveness of this algorithm against the gold standard, clinical chart review.

METHODS

A cohort of patients with breast cancer were identified according to International Classification of Diseases codes, the institutional tumor registry, and SNOMED codes. Chart review was performed to determine whether distant metastases had occurred. We developed a computational phenotype, on the basis of SNOMED concept IDs, which was applied to the EHR to identify patients with MBC. Contingency tables were used to aggregate and compare results.

RESULTS

A total of 1,741 patients with breast cancer were identified using data from International Classification of Diseases codes, the tumor registry, and/or SNOMED concept identifiers. Chart review of all patients classified each patient as having MBC (n = 416; 23.9%) versus not (n = 1,325; 75.9%). The final computational phenotype successfully classified 1,646 patients (95% accuracy; 82% sensitivity; 99% specificity).

CONCLUSION

Hospital systems with robust EHRs and reliable mapping to SNOMED have the ability to use standard codes to derive computational phenotypes. These algorithms perform reasonably well and have the added ability to be run at disparate health care facilities. Better tooling to navigate the polyhierarchical structure of SNOMED ontology could yield better-performing computational phenotypes.

Utility of a Rule-Based Algorithm in the Assessment of Standardized Reporting in PI-RADS

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES

Adoption of the Prostate Imaging Reporting & Data System (PI-RADS) has been shown to increase detection of clinically significant prostate cancer on prostate mpMRI. We propose that a rule-based algorithm based on Regular Expression (RegEx) matching can be used to automatically categorize prostate mpMRI reports into categories as a means by which to assess for opportunities for quality improvement.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

All prostate mpMRIs performed in the Duke University Health System from January 2, 2015, to January 29, 2021, were analyzed. Exclusion criteria were applied, for a total of 5343 male patients and 6264 prostate mpMRI reports. These reports were then analyzed by our RegEx algorithm to be categorized as PI-RADS 1 through PI-RADS 5, Recurrent Disease, or "No Information Available." A stratified, random sample of 502 mpMRI reports was reviewed by a blinded clinical team to assess performance of the RegEx algorithm.

RESULTS

Compared to manual review, the RegEx algorithm achieved overall accuracy of 92.6%, average precision of 88.8%, average recall of 85.6%, and F1 score of 0.871. The clinical team also reviewed 344 cases that were classified as "No Information Available," and found that in 150 instances, no numerical PI-RADS score for any lesion was included in the impression section of the mpMRI report.

CONCLUSION

Rule-based processing is an accurate method for the large-scale, automated extraction of PI-RADS scores from the text of radiology reports. These natural language processing approaches can be used for future initiatives in quality improvement in prostate mpMRI reporting with PI-RADS.

Abstract 686: Subsequent invasive breast cancer risk after DCIS treatment in multinational PRECISION consortium cohorts comprising 48,576 patients

Background: Although DCIS is a precursor of invasive breast cancer (IBC), most DCIS lesions never will progress. As we cannot distinguish reliably progressive from harmless DCIS yet, almost all women with DCIS are treated extensively with surgery and often adjuvant radiotherapy or endocrine treatment, implying overtreatment of many thousands of women with harmless DCIS. PRECISION aims to reduce such overtreatment by identifying factors associated with subsequent ipsilateral IBC. Many factors have been implicated in subsequent DCIS and IBC risk, but most studies relied on small series with limited prognostic power. To overcome this, we conducted pooled analyses of four large cohorts with DCIS from three different countries.

Methods: Cohorts were pooled with data of 48,804 women with DCIS: a population-based cohort (NL, n=18,996), prospective, a population-based, screening cohort (Sloane, UK, n=8,462), a single center cohort (MDACC, USA, n=2,363), and a representative DCIS patient series from the National Cancer Database Special Study (USA, n=18,983). Patients with missing data on treatment and follow-up or follow-up shorter than six months were excluded from analyses. Risk of a subsequent ipsilateral invasive breast cancer (iIBC) was assessed in three DCIS lesion size groups (&lt;20mm, 20-50mm and ≥50mm) and in patients who had clear surgical margins (&lt;2mm) after final breast conserving surgery (BCS) versus patients who did not. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess differences in risk of IBC, with a focus on DCIS size and margin status.

Results: In final analyses, 48,576 patients, diagnosed between 1999 and 2017, were included. Median follow-up was 7.6 years (range 0.5-21.1). In multivariable analyses, patients with smaller size of DCIS (&lt;20mm) had a decreased risk of iIBC compared with women with larger lesion size (HR 0.81; 95% CI 0.68-0.97). In 33,091 BCS treated patients, patients with clear surgical margins had a decreased risk of iIBC (HR 0.68; 95% CI 0.52-0.90).

Conclusion: In our quest to reduce overtreatment for women with DCIS, we have identified free surgical margins and smaller lesion size as independent factors reducing the risk of subsequent ipsilateral invasive breast cancer, irrespective of the treatment received. Knowledge of these, and additional, factors could aid in selecting patients suitable for less invasive management strategies such as active surveillance or omitting radiotherapy. This work was supported by Cancer Research UK and by KWF Dutch Cancer Society (ref.C38317/A24043); Web site: https://cancergrandchallenges.org/teams/precision

Citation Format: Renee S. Schmitz, Alexandra W. van den Belt-Dusebout, Karen Clements, Yi Ren, Chiara Cresta, Jasmine Timbres, Yat-Hee Liu, Danalyn Byng, Thomas Lynch, Brian Menegaz, Deborah Collyar, Terry Hyslop, Michael Schaapveld, Elinor Sawyer, Shelley E. Hwang, Alastair Thompson, Marc D. Ryser, Jelle Wesseling, Esther H. Lips, Marjanka K. Schmidt, Grand Challenge PRECISION Consortium. Subsequent invasive breast cancer risk after DCIS treatment in multinational PRECISION consortium cohorts comprising 48,576 patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 686.

Comparing an operation to monitoring, with or without endocrine therapy (COMET), for low-risk ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)

TPS616

Background: Approximately 50,000 women in the U.S. are diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) each year. Without treatment, it is estimated that only 20-30% of DCIS will lead to invasive breast cancer (IBC). However, over 97% of women are currently treated with surgery +/- radiation. An alternative to surgery is active monitoring (AM), a management approach in which mammograms/physical exams are used to monitor breast changes and determine when, or if, surgery is needed. The COMET Study will compare risks and benefits of AM versus surgery for low-risk DCIS in the setting of a Phase III multicenter prospective randomized trial. The study is funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. The COMET trial opened in the U.S. in June 2017 (Clinicaltrials.gov reference: NCT02926911). In November 2021, the Data Safety Monitoring Board reviewed the trial and suggested that it continue as planned. Patient accrual will continue until 12/31/2022. Methods: The primary objective is to assess whether the 2-year ipsilateral IBC rate for AM is non-inferior to that for surgery. Secondary objectives include determining whether AM is non-inferior to surgery for 2-year mastectomy rate; breast conservation rate; contralateral breast cancer rate; overall and breast cancer-specific survival. Patient reported outcomes will enable comparison of health-related quality of life and psychosocial outcomes between surgery and AM groups at baseline, 6-months, and years 1-5. Eligibility criteria include: age > 40 at diagnosis; pathologic confirmation of grade I/II DCIS or atypia verging on DCIS without invasion by two pathologists; ER and/or PR ≥ 10%; no mass on physical exam or imaging. The accrual goal is 1200 randomized patients across 100 Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology sites. Sample size is estimated using a 2-group test of non-inferiority of proportions, with the 2-year IBC rate in the surgery group assumed to be 0.10 based on published studies and non-inferiority margin of 0.05. Based on a 1-sided un-pooled z-test, with alpha = 0.05, a sample size of n = 446 per group will have 80% power to detect the specified non-inferiority margin. Final analysis plan will include a per protocol component as well as a pragmatic component for patients who are randomized and decline participation in their assigned arm. Primary analyses will adjust for dropout, non-compliance and contamination by utilizing instrumental variable methods. Clinical trial information: NCT02926911.

Disparities at the Intersection of Race and Ethnicity: Examining Trends and Outcomes in Hispanic Women With Breast Cancer

PURPOSE

We sought to examine tumor subtype, stage at diagnosis, time to surgery (TTS), and overall survival (OS) among Hispanic patients of different races and among Hispanic and non-Hispanic (NH) women of the same race.

METHODS

Women 18 years of age or older who had been diagnosed with stage 0-IV breast cancer and who had undergone lumpectomy or mastectomy were identified in the National Cancer Database (2004-2014). Tumor subtype and stage at diagnosis were compared by race/ethnicity. Multivariable linear regression and Cox proportional hazards modeling were used to estimate associations between race/ethnicity and adjusted TTS and OS, respectively.

RESULTS

A total of 44,374 Hispanic (American Indian [AI]: 79 [0.2%]; Black: 1,011 [2.3%]; White: 41,126 [92.7%]; Other: 2,158 [4.9%]) and 858,634 NH women (AI: 2,319 [0.3%]; Black: 97,206 [11.3%]; White: 727,270 [84.7%]; Other: 31,839 [3.7%]) were included. Hispanic Black women had lower rates of triple-negative disease (16.2%) than did NH Black women (23.5%) but higher rates than did Hispanic White women (13.9%; P < .001). Hispanic White women had higher rates of node-positive disease (23.2%) versus NH White women (14.4%) but slightly lower rates than Hispanic (24.6%) and NH Black women (24.5%; P < .001). Hispanic White women had longer TTS versus NH White women regardless of treatment sequence (adjusted means: adjuvant chemotherapy, 42.71 v 38.60 days; neoadjuvant chemotherapy, 208.55 v 201.14 days; both P < .001), but there were no significant racial differences in TTS among Hispanic patients. After adjustment, Hispanic White women (hazard ratio, 0.77 [95% CI, 0.74 to 0.81]) and Black women (hazard ratio, 0.75 [95% CI, 0.58 to 0.96]) had improved OS versus NH White women (reference) and Black women (hazard ratio, 1.15 [95% CI, 1.12 to 1.18]; all P < .05).

CONCLUSION

Hispanic women had improved OS versus NH women, but racial differences in tumor subtype and nodal stage among Hispanic women highlight the importance of disaggregating racial/ethnic data in breast cancer research.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Surgical Outcomes after Postmastectomy Breast Reconstruction

BACKGROUND

Women of color with breast cancer are less likely to undergo post-mastectomy reconstruction compared with White women, but it is unclear whether their perioperative outcomes are worse. The goal of this study was to investigate differences in preoperative comorbidities and postoperative complications by race/ethnicity among women with breast cancer undergoing postmastectomy reconstruction.

STUDY DESIGN

Data were collected from the National Inpatient Sample database of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project from 2012 to 2016. Patient demographics, types of reconstruction, comorbid conditions, Charlson-Deyo Combined Comorbidity (CDCC) scores, length of stay (LOS), and perioperative complications were abstracted. Multivariate linear and logistic regression were performed to model LOS and likelihood of postoperative complications, respectively.

RESULTS

Compared with White women (n = 19,730), Black women (n = 3,201) underwent autologous reconstruction more frequently (40.7% vs 28.3%), had more perioperative comorbidities (eg diabetes: 12.9% vs 5.8%), higher CDCC scores (% CDCC ≥ 4: 5.5% vs 2.7%), and longer LOS (median 3 vs 2 days, all p < 0.001). Being Black (vs White: +0.13 adjusted days, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.19) was also associated with longer LOS and an increased likelihood of surgical complications (vs White: odds ratio 1.24, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.42, both p < 0.01), but this association did not persist when outcomes were limited to microsurgical complications.

CONCLUSION

Disparities in postmastectomy breast reconstruction between Black and White women extend beyond access to care and include perioperative factors and outcomes. These findings suggest an important opportunity to mitigate inequities in reconstruction through perioperative health optimization and improved access to and co-management with primary care.

CALGB 40603 (Alliance): Long-Term Outcomes and Genomic Correlates of Response and Survival After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy With or Without Carboplatin and Bevacizumab in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

PURPOSE

CALGB 40603 (NCT00861705), a 2 × 2 randomized phase II trial, demonstrated that adding carboplatin or bevacizumab to weekly paclitaxel (wP) followed by doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide significantly increased the pathologic complete response (pCR) rate in stage II-III triple-negative breast cancer. We now report long-term outcomes (LTOs) and correlative science end points.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate LTOs in 443 patients who initiated study treatment. Log-rank tests and Cox proportional hazards models evaluated the impact of clinical characteristics, pathologic response, calculated residual cancer burden (RCB) in patients with residual disease (RD), treatment assignment, and dose delivery during wP on LTOs, including event-free survival (EFS). Genomic predictors of treatment response and outcomes were assessed on pretreatment tumor samples by mRNA sequencing.

RESULTS

Among baseline characteristics, only the clinical stage was associated with LTOs. At a median follow-up of 7.9 years, LTOs were not significantly improved with either carboplatin or bevacizumab, overall or in patients with basal-like subtype cancers by genomic analysis. Patients with pCR (n = 205, 46.3%) had significantly higher 5-year EFS (85.5% v 56.6%, log-rank P < .0001) and overall survival (87.9% v 63.4%, P < .0001) rates compared with patients with RD, even those with RCB class I. Among clinical and genomic features, evidence of immune activation, including tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and low B-cell receptor evenness, was associated with pCR and improved EFS.

CONCLUSION

Despite higher pCR rates, neither carboplatin nor bevacizumab appeared to improve LTOs although the study was not powered to assess these secondary end points. pCR was associated with superior LTOs even when compared with minimal RD. Markers of immune activation in pretreatment tumor biopsies were independently associated with higher pCR rates and improved survival.

Impact of Federal, State, and Local Housing Policies on Disparities in Cardiovascular Disease in Black/African American Men and Women: From Policy to Pathways to Biology

Racist and discriminatory federal, state, and local housing policies significantly contribute to disparities in cardiovascular disease incidence and mortality for individuals that self-identify as Black or African American. Here we highlight three key housing policies - "redlining," zoning, and the construction of highways - which have wrought a powerful, sustained, and destructive impact on cardiovascular health in Black/African American communities. Redlining and highway construction policies have restricted access to quality health care, increased exposure to carcinogens such as PM_2.5, and increased exposure to extreme heat. At the root of these policy decisions are longstanding, toxic societal factors including racism, segregation, and discrimination, which also serve to perpetuate racial inequities in cardiovascular health. Here, we review these societal and structural factors and then link them with biological processes such as telomere shortening, allostatic load, oxidative stress, and tissue inflammation. Lastly, we focus on the impact of inflammation on the immune system and the molecular mechanisms by which the inflamed immune microenvironment promotes the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. We propose that racial residential segregation and discrimination increases tissue inflammation and cytokine production, resulting in dysregulated immune signaling, which promotes plaque formation and cardiovascular disease. This framework has the power to link structural racism not only to cardiovascular disease, but also to cancer.

A Novel Staging System for De Novo Metastatic Breast Cancer Refines Prognostic Estimates

OBJECTIVE

We aim to identify prognostic groups within a de novo metastatic cohort, incorporating both anatomic and biologic factors.

BACKGROUND

Staging for breast cancer now includes anatomic and biologic factors, although the guidelines for stage IV disease do not account for how these factors may influence outcomes.

METHODS

Adults with de novo metastatic breast cancer were selected from the National Cancer DataBase (2010-2013). Recursive partitioning analysis was used to group patients with similar overall survival (OS) based on clinical T/N stage, tumor grade, ER, PR, HER2, number of metastatic sites, and presence of bone-only metastases. Categories were created by amalgamating homogeneous groups based on 3-year OS rates (stage IVA: >50%, stage IVB: 30%-50%, stage IVC: <30%).

RESULTS

16,187 patients were identified; median follow-up was 32 months. 65.2% had 1 site of distant metastasis, and 42.9% had bone-only metastases. Recursive partitioning analysis identified the number of metastatic sites (1 vs >1) as the first stratification point, and ER status as the second stratification point for both resulting groups. Additional divisions were made based on HER2 status, PR status, cT stage, tumor grade, and presence of bone-only metastases. After bootstrapping, significant differences in 3-year OS were noted between the 3 groups [stage IVB vs IVA: HR 1.58 (95% confidence interval 1.50-1.67), stage IVC vs IVA: HR 3.54 (95% confidence interval 3.33-3.77)].

CONCLUSIONS

Both anatomic and biologic factors yielded reliable and reproducible prognostic estimates among patients with metastatic disease. These findings support formal stratification of de novo stage IV breast cancer into 3 distinct prognosis groups.

Disease characteristics and mortality among Asian women with breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Asian women with breast cancer are often studied in aggregate, belying significant intragroup diversity. The authors sought to examine differences in breast cancer characteristics and outcomes among Asian women.

METHODS

Asian, non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic White women aged 18 years and older who were diagnosed with breast cancer from 1990 to 2016 were identified in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results 18 database. Asian patients were subclassified as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, Vietnamese, South Asian (Asian Indian or Pakistani), Southeast Asian (SEA, i.e., Cambodian, Laotian, Hmong, or Thai), or other Asian. Unadjusted overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate adjusted OS and CSS.

RESULTS

In total, 910,415 women were included (Asian, n = 63,405; Black, n = 92,226; Hispanic, n = 84,451; White, n = 670,333). Asian women had higher rates of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive disease compared with White women (18.7% vs 13.8%) and had the highest 10-year unadjusted OS and CSS among all racial/ethnic groups (all P < .001). SEA women had the highest rates of stage IV disease at presentation, whereas Japanese women had the lowest rates (5.9% vs 2.7%; P < .001). Japanese women had the highest 10-year unadjusted CSS (89.4%; 95% confidence interval, 88.7%-90.1%) of any distinct Asian group, whereas SEA women had the worst unadjusted CSS (78%; 95% confidence interval, 74.1%-81.3%; P < .001). After adjustment, SEA women had the worst OS of any Asian group and were the only Asian group without improved OS compared with White women (reference category; P = .08).

CONCLUSIONS

Breast cancer characteristics and outcomes vary significantly among Asian women. Future research should consider disaggregation by country or region of origin to identify subgroups that are at risk for worse outcomes than aggregated data may suggest.

LAY SUMMARY

Asian women with breast cancer are frequently studied as a single entity. However, Asian ethnic groups differ greatly by country of origin, genetic ancestry, disease frequency, socioeconomic status, patterns of immigration, as well as dietary and cultural practices. Women of different Asian ethnicities vary significantly with regard to cancer characteristics, such as mortality and tumor subtype. Future research should disaggregate these populations to better understand, treat, and counsel Asian patients with breast cancer.

First look at patient reported outcomes from IRONMAN, the international registry of men with advanced prostate cancer

69

Background: While population-based estimates of advanced prostate cancer survivors are lacking, an estimated 180,000 men in the US are living with metastatic prostate cancer. Their survivorship experience is distinct from localized patients as they suffer quality of life detriments both due to the severity of disease and its therapies. We examined quality-of-life indictors among men in the IRONMAN global registry of advanced prostate cancer. Methods: IRONMAN (International Registry of Men with Advanced Prostate Cancer) is a population-based prospective study of men with newly diagnosed advanced, metastatic hormone-sensitive (mHSPC) and castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) enrolled from 16 countries. We report data from first 1865 men enrolled, 1567 who completed a baseline Patient Reported Outcome Measure (PROM) in the US (N=581), Canada (N=245), Spain (N=166), UK (N=204), Australia (N=126), Switzerland (N=88), Sweden (N=70), Ireland (N=46), and Brazil (N=41). PROMs are collected at baseline and every three months using electronic (90%) or paper versions of validated questionnaires. Results: The cohort includes 1,128 men with mHSPC and 737 with CRPC. Based on self-report, 9% of men overall (18% in the US) are Black and 83% are white (78% in the US). Sleep problems were common among men at enrollment, with 59% of men reporting problems with insomnia. The prevalence was similarly high among men with mHSPC or CRPC disease. Ten percent of men reported that pain substantially interfered with daily activities, and 24% reported pain had some effect. Physical functioning was high among both mHSPC (median 93.3, 80-100) and CRPC (median 86.7, 73.3-100) patients based on EORTC QLQ-30. Global health status was similar between the two groups (median 75, 58.3 - 83.3). More than 25% of men reported some cognitive impairment at baseline. Financial difficulties due to the disease and treatment were quite high, ranging from 12% in Sweden, 16% in Canada and Spain, 34% in the US, and 46% in Brazil. Conclusions: Men with advanced prostate cancer experience a range of quality of life detriments which impair overall health. While at baseline, many of these measures were similar among men with mHSPC and CRPC, we will continue to monitor these over time to examine changes in quality of life associated with disease progression and treatments. A longer-term goal is to identify opportunities for intervention to improve quality of life and potentially improve survival. Clinical trial information: NCT03151629.

IRONMAN: The international registry for men with advanced prostate cancer

TPS190

Background: Men with advanced prostate cancer (APC) experience high mortality and severely impacted quality of life due to the disease itself as well as its therapies, with Black men facing the highest disease burden. The treatment landscape for APC is rapidly changing; however, little is known about the real-life experience of men receiving new therapies. There is an urgent need to identify disparities in treatment patterns and outcomes in advanced disease, based on patient and country demographics. The International Registry for Men with Advanced Prostate Cancer (IRONMAN) is uniquely equipped to meet these needs. Methods: IRONMAN is a population-based prospective cohort of men with newly diagnosed metastatic hormone-sensitive (mHSPC) and castration-resistant (CRPC) prostate cancer aiming to enroll 5,000 men across 16 countries (Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Nigeria, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Untied States). Patients are followed prospectively for overall survival, clinically significant adverse events, changes in cancer treatments, biomarkers, and Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs). Data is collected via longitudinal electronic questionnaires from patients and providers as well as blood samples and medical records. IRONMAN is currently enrolling in 10 countries at 103 sites. Sites were selected to create a diverse cohort across race/ethnicity, rural/urban populations, socioeconomic factors, and geographic regions. Of the first 1,865 men enrolled to date, 60% have mHSPC and 40% have CRPC; overall, 9% of men (18% in the US) self-identify as Black and 82% identify as white (78% in the US). 60% (N = 1,111) of this cohort has been enrolled outside of the US, and the median age at study entry is 70 years. The distribution and demographics of patients are continuously monitored to inform ongoing enrollment efforts. The IRONMAN Diversity Working Group meets monthly to discuss barriers and strategies to enhance enrollment of a racially and ethnically diverse population. The Low- and Middle-Income Country Working Group addresses the unique needs of men being recruited from the Caribbean and African sites in addition to supporting broad oncology efforts in these regions. These efforts support IRONMAN’s larger goal to investigate disparities in the care of patients with APC, having potential implications for decreasing racial disparities in survival outcomes. Clinical trial information: NCT03151629.

Abstract P1-22-02: Subsequent risk of ipsilateral breast events in a multinational DCIS cohort of 48.619 patients: A meta-analysis within the PRECISION consortium

Background: The PRECISION (PREvent ductal Carcinoma In Situ Invasive Overtreatment Now) CRUK Grand Challenge project focusses on discriminating hazardous from indolent ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Aim of these analyses is to identify factors associated with a lower or higher risk of developing invasive breast cancer after an initial DCIS diagnosis. Knowledge of these factors is crucial in our quest to reducing overtreatment for women with DCIS. Many clinicopathological features are hypothesized to be important factors affecting the risk of a subsequent breast lesion. Most studies performed so far are from trial or single country studies, we now present an integrated analysis of four different cohorts from three countries.Methods: Four cohorts from the three countries participating in PRECISION were identified. A population based cohort from the Netherlands cancer registry (Dutch cohort); a population based, prospective, screening cohort from the United Kingdom (Sloane cohort); a single center cohort from MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) and a subset of DCIS patients abstracted from a population based National Cancer Database Special Study cohort (NCDB subset) in the United States. Patient-level data from these cohorts were combined for this analysis. Subsequent ipsilateral invasive breast cancer (iIBC) and subsequent ipsilateral DCIS (iDCIS) were assessed at five and ten years by Kaplan Meier analysis. The cumulative incidence of iIBC was assessed in three treatment groups: breast conserving surgery only (BCS), breast conserving surgery with radiotherapy (BCS+RT) and mastectomy (MST). Cumulative incidence of iDCIS was assessed in patients receiving BCS or BCS+RT. Additionally, cumulative incidences were calculated for iIBC and IDCIS in patients who received endocrine treatment (ET) after BCS or BCS+RT versus patients who did not receive ET. All cumulative incidences were calculated with death as competing risk. Results: The joint PRECISION cohort consisted of 48,619 patients, diagnosed between 1999 and 2017. Median follow-up was 7.4 years (0.6-17.9). In preliminary analyses, Kaplan Meier curves showed broadly similar risks in iIBC and iDCIS between the four different cohorts. The cumulative incidence of iIBC was 1.6% at five years and 3.5% at 10 years. Five-year cumulative incidence of iIBC was highest in patients receiving BCS (3.4%) compared with patients receiving BCS+RT or MST (1.3%). The cumulative incidence of iDCIS was 1.7% at 5 years and 2.4% at 10 years. Five-year cumulative incidence of iDCIS was higher in patients receiving BCS (3.5%) compared to patients receiving BCS+RT (1.9%). In univariate analyses, the effect of ET on cumulative incidence of both iIBC and iDCIS was modest, especially with respect to radiotherapy. Conclusion: Overall, 5- and 10-year incidence of an ipsilateral in situ or invasive breast lesion was low and similar between the four different cohorts. The incidence of iIBC and iDCIS was higher in patients receiving BCS, compared to women receiving BCS+RT or MST.

Table 1.Cohort and patient characteristicsDutch Cohort Sloane MDACCNCDB subsetTotal CohortN=18,995N=8,425N=1,820N=19,379N=48,619Cohort descriptionProspectiveNoYesNoNoPopulation basedYesYesNo, single centerYesScreening and non-screeningYesScreening onlyYesYesMean (min - max)Mean (min - max)Mean (min - max)Mean (min-max)Mean (min-max)Age diagnosis DCIS58.3 (21-94)59.8 (46-88)55.6 (20-90)59.7 (20-98)59.0 (20-98)Year of diagnosis (range)1999-20152003-20121999-20172007-20151999-2017Follow-up in years10.4 (0.5-21.1)5.3 (0.5-9.7)8.7 (0.25-17.8)5.8 (0.5-10.7)7.6 (0.25-2.1)N (%)N (%)N (%)N (%)N (%)GradeGrade 12,844 (15.0)784 (9.3)141 (7.8)3,158 (16.3)6,927 (14.3)Grade 25,952 (31.3)2,328 (27.6)737 (40.5)6,844 (35.3)15,861 (32.6)Grade 38,944 (47.1)5,305 (62.9)933 (51.3)7,848 (40.5)23,030 (47.3)Unknown grade1,255 (6.6)8 (0.1)9 (0.5)1,529 (7.9)2,801 (5.8)Type of surgeryBreast conserving surgery (BCS)11,790 (62.1)5,830 (69.2)1,031 (56.7)14,504 (74.8)33,155 (68.2)Mastectomy (MST)7,205 (37.9)2,595 (30.8)789 (43.4)4,875 (25.2)15,464 (31.8)Adjuvant treatmentRadiotherapy (RT)9,650 (50.8)3,418 (40.6)762 (41.9)10,620 (54.8)24,450 (50.3)Endocrine treatmentNA1,151 (13.6)999 (54.9)8,849 (45.7)10,999 (37.0)5 years Cumulative IncidencesiIBC1.4%2.3%1.6%1.7%1.6%iDCIS1.5%2.0%1.6%1.7%1.7%Vital statusAlive16,472 (86.7)8,147 (96.7)1,668 (91.7)18,161 (93.7)44,448 (91.4)Deceased2,523 (13.3)278 (3.3)152 (8.4)1,218 (6.3)4,171 (8.6)This work was supported by Cancer Research UK and by KWF Dutch Cancer Society (ref.C38317/A24043)

Citation Format: Renée SJM Schmitz, Sandra W van den Belt-Dusebout, Chiara Cresta, Yat-Hee Liu, Michael Schaapveld, Karen Clements, Jasmine Timbres, Danalyn T Byng, Marc D Ryser, Yi Ren, Thomas Lynch, Terry Hyslop, Brian Menegaz, Deborah Collyar, Shelley Hwang, Alastair Thompson, Elinor Sawyer, Jelle Wesseling, Esther H Lips, Marjanka K Schmidt, Grand Challenge PRECISION consortium. Subsequent risk of ipsilateral breast events in a multinational DCIS cohort of 48.619 patients: A meta-analysis within the PRECISION consortium [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2021 Dec 7-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-22-02.

Utilization of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in high-risk, node-negative early breast cancer

Background

Controversy exists regarding the optimal sequence of chemotherapy among women with operable node‐negative breast cancers with high‐risk tumor biology. We evaluated national patterns of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) use among women with early‐stage HER2+, triple‐negative (TNBC), and high‐risk hormone receptor‐positive (HR+) invasive breast cancers.

Methods

Women ≥18 years with cT1‐2/cN0 HER2+, TNBC, or high recurrence risk score (≥31) HR+ invasive breast cancers who received chemotherapy were identified in the National Cancer Database (2010–2016). Cochran‐Armitage and logistic regression examined temporal trends and likelihood of undergoing NACT versus adjuvant chemotherapy based on patient age and molecular subtype.

Results

Overall, 96,622 patients met study criteria; 25% received NACT and 75% underwent surgery first, with comparable 5‐year estimates of overall survival (0.90, 95% CI 0.892–0.905 vs 0.91, 95% CI 0.907–0.913). During the study period, utilization of NACT increased from 14% to 36% and varied according to molecular subtype (year*molecular subtype p < 0.001, p‐corrected < 0.001). Women with HER2+ (OR 4.17, 95% CI 3.70–4.60, p < 0.001, p‐corrected < 0.001) and TNBC (OR 3.81, 95% CI 3.38–4.31, p < 0.001, p‐corrected < 0.001) were more likely to receive NACT over time, without a change in use among those with HR+ disease (OR 1.58, 95% CI 0.88–2.87, p = 0.13, p‐corrected = 0.17).

Conclusion

Among women with early‐stage triple‐negative and HER2+ breast cancers, utilization of NACT increased over time, a trend that correlates with previously reported improved rates of pCR and options post‐neoadjuvant treatment with residual disease. Future research is needed to better understand multidisciplinary decisions for NACT and implications for breast cancer patients.

Epigenetic Dysregulation of KCNK9 Imprinting and Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Simple Summary

Genomic imprinting is an inherited form of parent-of-origin specific epigenetic gene regulation that is dysregulated by poor prenatal nutrition and environmental toxins. Here, we showed that KCNK9 is imprinted in breast tissue and identified the differentially methylated region (DMR) controlling its imprint status. Hypomethylation at the DMR, coupled with biallelic expression of KCNK9, occurred in 63% of triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC). The association between hypomethylation and TNBC status was highly significant in African-Americans (p = 0.006), but not in Caucasians (p = 0.70). The high frequency of KCNK9 DMR hypomethylation in TNBC and non-cancerous breast tissue from high-risk women provides evidence that hypomethylation of the KNCK9 DMR/TASK3 overexpression may provide a new target for prevention of TNBC.

Abstract

Genomic imprinting is an inherited form of parent-of-origin specific epigenetic gene regulation that is dysregulated by poor prenatal nutrition and environmental toxins. KCNK9 encodes for TASK3, a pH-regulated potassium channel membrane protein that is overexpressed in 40% of breast cancer. However, KCNK9 gene amplification accounts for increased expression in <10% of these breast cancers. Here, we showed that KCNK9 is imprinted in breast tissue and identified a differentially methylated region (DMR) controlling its imprint status. Hypomethylation at the DMR, coupled with biallelic expression of KCNK9, occurred in 63% of triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC). The association between hypomethylation and TNBC status was highly significant in African-Americans (p = 0.006), but not in Caucasians (p = 0.70). KCNK9 hypomethylation was also found in non-cancerous tissue from 77% of women at high-risk of developing breast cancer. Functional studies demonstrated that the KCNK9 gene product, TASK3, regulates mitochondrial membrane potential and apoptosis-sensitivity. In TNBC cells and non-cancerous mammary epithelial cells from high-risk women, hypomethylation of the KCNK9 DMR predicts for increased TASK3 expression and mitochondrial membrane potential (p < 0.001). This is the first identification of the KCNK9 DMR in mammary epithelial cells and demonstration that its hypomethylation in breast cancer is associated with increases in both mitochondrial membrane potential and apoptosis resistance. The high frequency of hypomethylation of the KCNK9 DMR in TNBC and non-cancerous breast tissue from high-risk women provides evidence that hypomethylation of the KNCK9 DMR/TASK3 overexpression may serve as a marker of risk and a target for prevention of TNBC, particularly in African American women.

Low-touch, team-based care for co-morbidity management in cancer patients: the ONE TEAM randomized controlled trial

Background

As treatments for cancer have improved, more people are surviving cancer. However, compared to people without a history of cancer, cancer survivors are more likely to die of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Increased risk for CVD-related mortality among cancer survivors is partially due to lack of medication adherence and problems that exist in care coordination between cancer specialists, primary care physicians, and cardiologists.

Methods/Design

The Onco-primary care networking to support TEAM-based care (ONE TEAM) study is an 18-month cluster-randomized controlled trial with clustering at the primary care clinic level. ONE TEAM compares the provision of the iGuide intervention to patients and primary care providers versus an education-only control. For phase 1, at the patient level, the intervention includes video vignettes and a live webinar; provider-level interventions include electronic health records-based communication and case-based webinars. Participants will be enrolled from across North Carolina one of their first visits with a cancer specialist (e.g., surgeon, radiation or medical oncologist). We use a sequential multiple assignment randomized trial (SMART) design.

Outcomes (measured at the patient level) will include Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) quality measures of management of three CVD comorbidities using laboratory testing (glycated hemoglobin [A1c], lipid profile) and blood pressure measurements; (2) medication adherence assessed pharmacy refill data using Proportion of Days Covered (PDC); and (3) patient-provider communication (Patient-Centered Communication in Cancer Care, PCC-Ca-36).

Primary care clinics in the intervention arm will be considered non-responders if 90% or more of their participating patients do not meet the modified HEDIS quality metrics at the 6-month measurement, assessed once the first enrollee from each practice reaches the 12-month mark. Non-responders will be re-randomized to either continue to receive the iGuide 1 intervention, or to receive the iGuide 2 intervention, which includes tailored videos for participants and specialist consults with primary care providers.

Discussion

As the population of cancer survivors grows, ONE TEAM will contribute to closing the CVD outcomes gap among cancer survivors by optimizing and integrating cancer care and primary care teams. ONE TEAM is designed so that it will be possible for others to emulate and implement at scale.

Trial registration

This study (NCT04258813) was registered in clinicaltrals.gov on February 6, 2020.

A prospective trial of abiraterone acetate plus prednisone in Black and White men with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer

BACKGROUND

Retrospective analyses of randomized trials suggest that Black men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) have longer survival than White men. The authors conducted a prospective study of abiraterone acetate plus prednisone to explore outcomes by race.

METHODS

This race-stratified, multicenter study estimated radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS) in Black and White men with mCRPC. Secondary end points included prostate-specific antigen (PSA) kinetics, overall survival (OS), and safety. Exploratory analysis included genome-wide genotyping to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with progression in a model incorporating genetic ancestry. One hundred patients self-identified as White (n = 50) or Black (n = 50) were enrolled. Eligibility criteria were modified to facilitate the enrollment of individual Black patients.

RESULTS

The median rPFS for Black and White patients was 16.6 and 16.8 months, respectively; their times to PSA progression (TTP) were 16.6 and 11.5 months, respectively; and their OS was 35.9 and 35.7 months, respectively. Estimated rates of PSA decline by ≥50% in Black and White patients were 74% and 66%, respectively; and PSA declines to <0.2 ng/mL were 26% and 10%, respectively. Rates of grade 3 and 4 hypertension, hypokalemia, and hyperglycemia were higher in Black men.

CONCLUSIONS

Multicenter prospective studies by race are feasible in men with mCRPC but require less restrictive eligibility. Despite higher comorbidity rates, Black patients demonstrated rPFS and OS similar to those of White patients and trended toward greater TTP and PSA declines, consistent with retrospective reports. Importantly, Black men may have higher side-effect rates than White men. This exploratory genome-wide analysis of TTP identified a possible candidate marker of ancestry-dependent treatment outcomes.

Disparities in surveillance imaging after breast conserving surgery for primary DCIS

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Background: Due to the elevated risk of ipsilateral invasive breast cancer (iIBC) after diagnosis with primary ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), professional guidelines recommend surveillance screening within 6-12 months (mo) after completion of initial local treatment and annually thereafter. To characterize adherence to these guidelines, we explored longitudinal patterns of utilization and factors associated with the use of surveillance imaging (mammography, MRI, ultrasound) for women with primary DCIS treated with breast conserving surgery (BCS) ± radiotherapy (RT) within 6 mo of diagnosis. Methods: A treatment-stratified random sample of patients diagnosed with screen-detected and biopsy-confirmed DCIS in 2008-15 was selected from 1,330 Commission on Cancer-accredited facilities (up to 20/site) in the US. All imaging exams coded as asymptomatic were collected from 6 mo up to 10 years (yr) post-diagnosis. Time was defined according to 12-mo long surveillance periods. To be included in a given surveillance period, women had to be alive and free of a new breast cancer diagnosis through the end of the period. Women were classified as “consistent” screeners if they had at least one surveillance screen during each period, for the first 5 yr post-treatment or until censoring, whichever occurred first. Repeated measures multivariable logistic regression with generalized estimating equations was used to model receipt of surveillance breast imaging over time. The model included clinical and socioeconomic features. Results: The final analytic cohort contained 12,559 women; 8,989 (71.6%) received RT after BCS. Median age was 60 yr (interquartile range: 52-69) and median follow-up was 5.6 yr (95% confidence interval [CI] 5.6-5.7). Among women who received BCS (instead of BCS+RT), 62.5% (79.7%) underwent surveillance imaging within 6-18 mo after diagnosis. 38.7% (54.0%) were categorized as “consistent” screeners. Compared to white women, Black women were less likely to receive surveillance screening after treatment for primary DCIS (odds ratio [OR] 0.85, 95% CI 0.77-0.94). Hispanic ethnicity had a similar association (OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.74-0.99) compared to non-Hispanic ethnicity. Women with private insurance, compared to government insurance, were more likely to receive screening (OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.11-1.30). Prognostic tumor features indicative of a higher risk of subsequent iIBC, including higher grade, presence of comedonecrosis, and hormone receptor-negative DCIS, were not associated with screening uptake. Conclusions: Despite guidelines recommending annual surveillance imaging, many women with primary DCIS do not undergo regular imaging after BCS. The findings from this US-based study suggest that disparities in screening uptake are associated with race/ethnicity and insurance status rather than prognostic tumor features.

Characterizing chronological accumulation of comorbidities in healthy veterans: a computational approach

Understanding patient accumulation of comorbidities can facilitate healthcare strategy and personalized preventative care. We applied a directed network graph to electronic health record (EHR) data and characterized comorbidities in a cohort of healthy veterans undergoing screening colonoscopy. The Veterans Affairs Cooperative Studies Program #380 was a prospective longitudinal study of screening and surveillance colonoscopy. We identified initial instances of three-digit ICD-9 diagnoses for participants with at least 5 years of linked EHR history (October 1999 to December 2015). For diagnoses affecting at least 10% of patients, we calculated pairwise chronological relative risk (RR). iGraph was used to produce directed graphs of comorbidities with RR > 1, as well as summary statistics, key diseases, and communities. A directed graph based on 2210 patients visualized longitudinal development of comorbidities. Top hub (preceding) diseases included ischemic heart disease, inflammatory and toxic neuropathy, and diabetes. Top authority (subsequent) diagnoses were acute kidney failure and hypertensive chronic kidney failure. Four communities of correlated comorbidities were identified. Close analysis of top hub and authority diagnoses demonstrated known relationships, correlated sequelae, and novel hypotheses. Directed network graphs portray chronologic comorbidity relationships. We identified relationships between comorbid diagnoses in this aging veteran cohort. This may direct healthcare prioritization and personalized care.

Characterizing participants in the North Carolina Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program: A retrospective review of 90,000 women

BACKGROUND

The North Carolina Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program (NC BCCCP) provides breast cancer screening services to underserved women to mitigate disparities in access to care. The authors sought to characterize this understudied population.

METHODS

Women 21 years old or older who underwent their first breast cancer screen through NC BCCCP from 2008 to 2018 were included. Demographic factors associated with the timeline of care and odds of a breast cancer diagnosis were identified with negative binomial and logistic regression, respectively.

RESULTS

Of the 88,893 women identified, 45.5% were non-Hispanic (NH) White, 30.9% were NH Black, 19.6% were Hispanic, 1.7% were American Indian, and 1.1% were Asian. Breast cancer was diagnosed in 2.5% of the women (n = 2255). Hispanic women were the least likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer (odds ratio vs NH White women, 0.40; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.34-0.47). Among patients with breast pathology, the median time to diagnosis was 19 days (interquartile range [IQR], 10-33 days), and the time to treatment was 33 days (IQR, 19-54 days). After adjustments, a longer time to diagnosis was significantly associated with age (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 1.01; 95% CI, 1.01-1.02) and being NH Black (vs NH White; IRR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.06-1.29). A longer time to treatment was significantly associated with age (IRR, 1.01; 95% CI, 1.01-1.01), being NH Black (vs NH White; IRR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.10-1.31), and being Hispanic (vs NH White; IRR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.05-1.41).

CONCLUSIONS

NC BCCCP participants with breast cancer received treatment within approximately 1 month of presentation, and this finding aligns with quality care benchmarks. Nevertheless, racial/ethnic disparities in timeliness of care persist, and this suggests opportunities for improvement.

LAY SUMMARY

This review of approximately 90,000 participants in a breast cancer screening program for uninsured and underinsured women highlights the importance of safety net programs in providing timely care to underserved patients. The authors found that the North Carolina Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program met timeliness benchmarks from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention across all racial/ethnic groups. However, non-Hispanic Black women experienced relative delays in the time to diagnosis, and both non-Hispanic Black women and Hispanic women experienced relative delays in the time to treatment. These findings demonstrate how racial/ethnic disparities in the timeliness of care can persist even within a program intended to reduce barriers to access.

Serial Analysis of Circulating Tumor Cells in Metastatic Breast Cancer Receiving First-Line Chemotherapy

BACKGROUND

We examined the prognostic significance of circulating tumor cell (CTC) dynamics during treatment in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients receiving first-line chemotherapy.

METHODS

Serial CTC data from 469 patients (2202 samples) were used to build a novel latent mixture model to identify groups with similar CTC trajectory (tCTC) patterns during the course of treatment. Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratios for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in groups based on baseline CTCs, combined CTC status at baseline to the end of cycle 1, and tCTC. Akaike information criterion was used to select the model that best predicted PFS and OS.

RESULTS

Latent mixture modeling revealed 4 distinct tCTC patterns: undetectable CTCs (56.9% ), low (23.7%), intermediate (14.5%), or high (4.9%). Patients with low, intermediate, and high tCTC patterns had statistically significant inferior PFS and OS compared with those with undetectable CTCs (P < .001). Akaike Information Criterion indicated that the tCTC model best predicted PFS and OS compared with baseline CTCs and combined CTC status at baseline to the end of cycle 1 models. Validation studies in an independent cohort of 1856 MBC patients confirmed these findings. Further validation using only a single pretreatment CTC measurement confirmed prognostic performance of the tCTC model.

CONCLUSIONS

We identified 4 novel prognostic groups in MBC based on similarities in tCTC patterns during chemotherapy. Prognostic groups included patients with very poor outcome (intermediate + high CTCs, 19.4%) who could benefit from more effective treatment. Our novel prognostic classification approach may be used for fine-tuning of CTC-based risk stratification strategies to guide future prospective clinical trials in MBC.

Mixed-Methods Study to Predict Upstaging of DCIS to Invasive Disease on Mammography

BACKGROUND. The incidence of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) has steadily increased, as have concerns regarding overtreatment. Active surveillance is a novel treatment strategy that avoids surgical excision, but identifying patients with occult invasive disease who should be excluded from active surveillance is challenging. Radiologists are not typically expected to predict the upstaging of DCIS to invasive disease, though they might be trained to perform this task. OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a mixed-methods two-stage observer study can improve radiologists' ability to predict upstaging of DCIS to invasive disease on mammography. METHODS. All cases of DCIS calcifications that underwent stereotactic biopsy between 2010 and 2015 were identified. Two cohorts were randomly generated, each containing 150 cases (120 pure DCIS cases and 30 DCIS cases upstaged to invasive disease at surgery). Nine breast radiologists reviewed the mammograms in the first cohort in a blinded fashion and scored the probability of upstaging to invasive disease. The radiologists then reviewed the cases and results collectively in a focus group to develop consensus criteria that could improve their ability to predict upstaging. The radiologists reviewed the mammograms from the second cohort in a blinded fashion and again scored the probability of upstaging. Statistical analysis compared the performances between rounds 1 and 2. RESULTS. The mean AUC for reader performance in predicting upstaging in round 1 was 0.623 (range, 0.514-0.684). In the focus group, radiologists agreed that upstaging was better predicted when an associated mass, asymmetry, or architectural distortion was present; when densely packed calcifications extended over a larger area; and when the most suspicious features were focused on rather than the most common features. Additionally, radiologists agreed that BI-RADS descriptors do not adequately characterize risk of invasion, and that microinvasive disease and smaller areas of DCIS will have poor prediction estimates. Reader performance significantly improved in round 2 (mean AUC, 0.765; range, 0.617-0.852; p = .045). CONCLUSION. A mixed-methods two-stage observer study identified factors that helped radiologists significantly improve their ability to predict upstaging of DCIS to invasive disease. CLINICAL IMPACT. Breast radiologists can be trained to better predict upstaging of DCIS to invasive disease, which may facilitate discussions with patients and referring providers.

Differential alternative RNA splicing and transcription events between tumors from African American and White patients in The Cancer Genome Atlas

Individuals of African ancestry suffer disproportionally from higher incidence, aggressiveness, and mortality for particular cancers. This disparity likely results from an interplay among differences in multiple determinants of health, including differences in tumor biology. We used The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) SpliceSeq and TCGA aggregate expression datasets and identified differential alternative RNA splicing and transcription events (ARS/T) in cancers between self-identified African American (AA) and White (W) patients. We found that retained intron events were enriched among race-related ARS/T. In addition, on average, 12% of the most highly ranked race-related ARS/T overlapped between any two analyzed cancers. Moreover, the genes undergoing race-related ARS/T functioned in cancer-promoting pathways, and a number of race-related ARS/T were associated with patient survival. We built a web-application, CanSplice, to mine genomic datasets by self-identified race. The race-related targets have the potential to aid in the development of new biomarkers and therapeutics to mitigate cancer disparity.

Patient-reported causes of distress predict disparities in time to evaluation and time to treatment after breast cancer diagnosis

BACKGROUND

We examined whether the National Comprehensive Cancer Network distress thermometer (DT), a patient-reported outcome measure, could be used to identify levels and causes of distress associated with racial/ethnic disparities in time to care among patients with breast cancer.

METHODS

We identified women aged ≥18 years with stage 0-IV breast cancer who were diagnosed in a single health system between January 2014 and July 2016. The baseline visit was defined as the first postdiagnosis, pretreatment clinical evaluation. Zero-inflated negative binomial (ZINB) regression (modeling non-zero DT scores and DT scores = 0) and logistic regression (modeling DT score ≥ 4, threshold for social services referral) were used to examine associations between baseline score (0 = none to 10 = extreme) and types of stressors (emotional, familial, practical, physical, spiritual) after adjustment for race/ethnicity and other characteristics. Linear regression with log transformation was used to identify predictors of time to evaluation and time to treatment.

RESULTS

A total of 1029 women were included (median baseline DT score = 4). Emotional, physical, and practical stressors were associated with distress in both the ZINB and logistic models (all P < .05). Black patients (n = 258) were more likely to report no distress than Whites (n = 675; ZINB zero model odds ratio, 2.72; 95% CI, 1.68-4.40; P < .001) despite reporting a similar number of stressors (P = .07). Higher DT scores were associated with shorter time to evaluation and time to treatment while being Black and having physical or practical stressors were associated with delays in both (all P < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

Patient-reported stressors predicted delays in time to care, but patient-reported levels of distress did not, with Black patients having delayed time to care despite reporting low levels of distress. We describe anticipatory, culturally responsive strategies for using patient-reported outcomes to address observed disparities.

Abstract PD5-06: Impact of an online ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) decision support tool on awareness of treatment options and knowledge of breast cancer risks

Background An interactive decision support tool (DST) was adapted to support patients diagnosed with DCIS who are making treatment decisions. The DST provides the following risk estimates over 10 years: 1) future DCIS or invasive breast cancer in the same breast, 2) the risk of dying from causes other than breast cancer, and 3) the risk of dying from invasive breast cancer. Estimates are personalized based on patient age and DCIS grade (low/intermediate versus high grade or “don’t know”) and were based on a model incorporating data from clinical trials and life tables. Methods The DST was implemented in collaboration with the COMET study on the website DCISoptions.org (www.dcisoptions.org). On the DST, personalized results are displayed separately using a 100-woman icon array and percentages with each outcome (future DCIS/invasive breast cancer, death due to breast cancer, death due to other causes) in a different color for each treatment selected by the patient (lumpectomy only, lumpectomy + radiation therapy, lumpectomy + endocrine therapy, lumpectomy + radiation and endocrine therapy, mastectomy with or without reconstruction, bilateral mastectomy with or without reconstruction). In addition, information regarding active monitoring was provided in descriptive terms without icon array display of personalized outcomes. DST users were defined as those who navigated to the website and entered age and DCIS grade allowing them to access the information about expected outcomes. Users were asked to complete an optional survey both prior to use of the DST and after to assess the impact of the DST on: 1) their awareness of options for DCIS treatment, 2) their willingness to consider these options, 3) their knowledge of mortality risks associated with DCIS, and 4) how helpful the DST was to them (after use only). Results As of June 1, 2020, there were 420 users of the DST (total) with 362 completing the pre-tool survey and 58 of whom completed the post-tool survey. Among all DST users, mean age was 54.0 (9.6 years SD) and DCIS was low/intermediate for 72.0%, high for 18.5% and unknown for the remaining 9.5%. Among users who submitted both the pre- and post-tool survey, median time spent on the tool was 10.4 minutes. Awareness of each treatment option was high and did not change with the tool: 90% among both pre-survey and post-survey users except for bilateral mastectomy which remained at 82.9% among pre-survey and post-survey responders. Among those users who completed the pre- and post-tool surveys, the DST increased the percentage of patients who believed the chance of dying from DCIS is very low from 60.3% at baseline to 74.1% (p&lt;0.0001) and reduced the median estimated numerical risk of dying from DCIS in 10 years from 9.0% at baseline to 3.0% (p&lt;0.0001). A large majority of DST users found the tool very helpful or helpful (79.3% of those who responded) in making a treatment decision for DCIS. Discussion DCIS patients have been shown to greatly overestimate the risks of dying from breast cancer and this has been associated with increased anxiety and potential overtreatment. Our personalized online DST significantly improved knowledge about DCIS risks. Future studies of the DST should assess patient characteristics associated with knowledge gains and whether improved knowledge translates to improved patient outcomes including more patient preference and values-based treatment decisions.

Citation Format: Rinaa Sujata Punglia, Ann Partridge, Shelley Hwang, Alastair Thompson, Elizabeth Frank, Donna Pinto, Deborah Collyar, Desiree Basila, Thomas Lynch, Terry Hyslop, Marc Ryser, Elissa Ozanne. Impact of an online ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) decision support tool on awareness of treatment options and knowledge of breast cancer risks [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Virtual Symposium; 2020 Dec 8-11; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PD5-06.

Abstract PS10-48: Cardiovascular (CV) risk profile in patients with estrogen receptor (ER) positive HER2 negative advanced breast cancer (ABC): A retrospective cohort study (CAREB)

Background: CDK 4/6 inhibitors in patients (pts) with HR+/HER2- ABC has led to significant improvements in clinical outcomes, however our understanding of the impact of these treatments on CV health is unknown. Gains in overall survival should not be offset by increased CV morbidity and mortality; a particular concern given the shared risk factors for both breast cancer and CV disease. Objective: The aim of this study was to describe patient characteristics, treatment patterns and cardiovascular risk factors and disease in pts with ABC treated with endocrine therapy (ET) or ET + CDK 4/6 inhibitor. Methods: We retrospectively studied pts with HR+/HER2- ABC who were receiving first line endocrine therapy. Post-menopausal (PM) women, pre-menopausal women on ovarian suppression (OS), and men were included. Two cohorts were included: Group A - treated with ET alone (2012-2014; prior to US approval of CDK 4/6 inhibitors) and Group B - treated with ET+ CDK 4/6 inhibitor (2015-2017). The following data was extracted from Duke University Health System’s electronic medical record (EPIC) and entered into a REDCap database: demographics, baseline cardiovascular risk factors, and co-morbidities. Pt characteristics are summarized using medians and interquartile ranges for continuous variables and categorical descriptions are summarized using frequencies and percentages. Results: In total 103 patients were included with 57 in Group A (ET alone) and 46 in Group B (ET + CDK 4/6 inhibitor). Median age was 62.0 and 63.5 years in Group A and B, respectively. Fifty-three (93%) of pts in Group A were PM women compared to 37 (80%) PM women and 1 (3%) male in Group B. The groups seemed to be similar in terms of race (white 70% vs 72%), baseline body mass index (28.2 vs 27.6), baseline systolic blood pressure (132.0 vs 135.5) and diastolic blood pressure (79.0 vs 77.5). Similarly, the groups seemed to be similar in baseline hypertension (68% vs 62%); diabetes (23% vs 24%); Hemoglobin A1c (7.2% vs 6.4%) or family history of CV disease (56% vs 55%), Group A versus Group B, respectively. There were slightly more current/past smokers in Group B than Group A (48% vs 35%) and more pts in Group A with a history of hyperlipidemia relative to Group B (52% vs 31%). Conclusions: In this retrospective descriptive cohort study there seemed to be no differences in demographics or baseline CV risk factors between the ET and ET + CDK 4/6 inhibitor cohorts with the exception of more baseline hyperlipidemia in the ET cohort. This might suggest that baseline CV risk factors did not dissuade practioners from prescribing ET + CDK 4/6 inhibitor therapy. We plan to expand our cohort to collect information on type and duration of ET and CDK 4/6 inhibitors, reason for treatment discontinuation, and CV events (eg heart failure, arrhythmias, stroke, myocardial infarction), to better understand the impact that cardiovascular risk factors have on outcomes in breast cancer patients taking ET+ CDk 4/6 inhibitor. Table 1: Demographics and CV risk factors in ABC patients treated with ET or ET + CDK4/6 inhibitor

Median (IQR) unless otherwise indicatedGroup A ET (n=57)Group B ET+ CDK 4/6 inhibitor (n=46)Age median (range)62.0 (27-84)63.5 (30-82)Menopausal status, n (%) Post menopausal Premenopausal + OS Male53 (93) 4 (7) 037 (80) 8 (17) 1 (3)Race, n (%) White Other40 (70) 17 (30)33 (72) 13 (28)Type of Insurance, n (%) Private Medicare Medicare and Private Medicaid Medicaid and Medicare Vererans Sponsored Self-Pay Unknown19 (33) 14 (25) 16 (28) 1 (2) 4 (7) 0 3 (5) 019 (41) 4 (9) 15 (33) 1 (2) 4 (9) 1 (2) 0 2 (4)BMI (kg/m2)28.2 (24.9, 30.6)27.6 (24.4, 34.5)Baseline BP (mmHg) Systolic Diastolic132.0 (118.0, 145.0) 79.0 (73.0, 84.0)135.5 (124.0, 149.0) 77.5 (72.0, 84.0)HgbA1c (%)7.2 (6.4, 7.4)6.4 (5.4, 6.4)CVRF, n (%) Hypertension Diabetes FH CVD Current/past smokers Hyperlipidemia36 (68) 13 (23) 28 (56) 20 (35) 29 (52)28 (62) 11 (24) 22 (55) 22 (48) 14 (31)OS = ovarian suppression; BMI = body mass index; BP = blood pressure; HgbA1c = hemoglobin A1c; CVRF = cardiovascular risk factors; FH = family history; CVD = cardiovascular disease; IQR = Interquartile range

Citation Format: Susan Dent, Gloria Broadwater, Terry Hyslop, Kevin Oeffinger, Michel Khouri, Sanjeev Balu, Gretchen Kimmick. Cardiovascular (CV) risk profile in patients with estrogen receptor (ER) positive HER2 negative advanced breast cancer (ABC): A retrospective cohort study (CAREB) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Virtual Symposium; 2020 Dec 8-11; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PS10-48.

Abstract OT-08-02: Comparing an operation to monitoring, with or without endocrine therapy (COMET): A prospective randomized trial for low-risk DCIS (AFT-25)

Background: Approximately 50,000 women in the U.S. are diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) annually. Without treatment, it is estimated that 20-30% of DCIS will lead to invasive breast cancer. Currently, more than 97% of women undergo surgery, with many also undergoing radiation. An alternative to surgery for low-risk DCIS is active monitoring (AM), an approach in which regularly scheduled mammography and physical exams are used to monitor breast changes and determine if, or when, surgery is needed. Trial design: COMET, a multicenter phase III prospective randomized trial, opened in the U.S. in June 2017 (clinicaltrials.gov reference: NCT02926911). The hypothesis is that management of low-risk DCIS using an AM approach does not yield inferior invasive breast cancer and/or quality of life outcomes compared to surgery. Eligibility criteria: Patients with a new diagnosis of unilateral, bilateral, unifocal, multifocal, or multicentric DCIS, or atypia verging on DCIS are eligible. Patients must be ≥40 years of age, have no contraindication for surgery, and pathologic confirmation of grade I/II DCIS. DCIS must be ER and/or PR≥ 10% and HER2-negative without invasion, diagnosed within 120 days of registration. Breast tissue, blood and imaging are collected at trial entry and if invasive cancer subsequently occurs, and are stored in central repositories. Specific aims: The primary aim is to assess whether the 2-yr ipsilateral invasive breast cancer rate for AM is non-inferior to surgery. Secondary aims include comparison of 2-, 5-, and 10-yr mastectomy rate, contralateral invasive breast cancer rate, overall survival and invasive breast cancer-specific survival, as well as 5- and 10-yr ipsilateral invasive breast cancer rate between groups. Patient reported outcomes (PRO) using validated tools are critical secondary endpoints, and will enable comparison of health-related quality of life and psychosocial outcomes between surgery and AM groups at prespecified time points over a period of 5 years. Statistical methods: An accrual goal of 1200 was estimated using a 2-group test of noninferiority of proportions, with the 2-yr invasive breast cancer rate in the surgery group assumed to be 0.10, including accounting for upstaging. The projected drop-out rate is 25%, for a total of 900 patients treated per allocation arm. The non-inferiority boundary was set at 0.05. Based on a 1-sided un-pooled z-test, with alpha=0.05, a sample size of n=446 per group will have 80% power to detect the specified noninferiority margin. Intention-to-treat analysis of the 2-yr invasive breast cancer rate will be conducted using all patients as randomized, and will be completed using Kaplan-Meier estimates, stratified by group, combined with Greenwood’s confidence interval. Several sensitivity analyses (per protocol, as-treated, and instrumental variable) are also planned to account for loss of follow-up, rejection of randomization allocation and withdrawals. Present and target accrual: Trial accrual as of 7/1/20 is 540 randomized patients from 84 activated Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology sites. Despite logistical challenges posed by the COVID-19 crisis, patients continue to be recruited to the COMET trial. Over 80% of patients have sample sets/images stored in the tissue and image repositories. This trial will provide definitive clinical, quality of life and biomarker evidence regarding the trade-offs of surgery vs AM in patients with low-risk DCIS. Support: CER-1503-29572; https://acknowledgments.alliancefound.org Contact: Thomas Lynch (Project Manager) - thomas.lynch2@duke.edu

Citation Format: Thomas Lynch, Ann Partridge, Alastair Thompson, Elizabeth Frank, Donna Pinto, Deborah Collyar, Desiree Basila, Louise Davies, Jenny Donovan, Terry Hyslop, Linda McCall, Marc Ryser, Taylor O' Donnell, Anna Weiss, Shelley Hwang. Comparing an operation to monitoring, with or without endocrine therapy (COMET): A prospective randomized trial for low-risk DCIS (AFT-25) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Virtual Symposium; 2020 Dec 8-11; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(4 Suppl):Abstract nr OT-08-02.

Abstract PD5-03: Ipsilateral invasive cancer risk after diagnosis with ductal carcinoma in situ in patients with and without index surgery: The effects of endocrine therapy and radiation treatment

Background. Ongoing clinical trials are evaluating active surveillance as a potential alternative to immediate surgery in patients diagnosed with low-risk ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Among women undergoing lumpectomy, the risk of ipsilateral invasive breast cancer (iIBC) after a diagnosis of DCIS can be reduced with adjuvant therapy, including endocrine therapy (ET) and radiation treatment (RT). Here we characterize the effects of ET and RT on iIBC risk after diagnosis with DCIS in a national cohort, in patients who received breast conserving surgery (BCS) within 6 months of diagnosis (BCS group) compared to patients who did not receive any locoregional treatment within 6 months of diagnosis (surveillance [SV] group). Methods. A treatment-stratified random sample of patients diagnosed with biopsy-confirmed DCIS in 2008-14 was selected from 1,330 Commission on Cancer-accredited facilities (20/site). Patients who received a mastectomy within 6 months of diagnosis were excluded. Subsequent breast events were abstracted up to 10 years after diagnosis. Primary outcomes were the population-averaged 8-year absolute risks of iIBC for the following five treatment modalities: BCS alone, SV alone, BCS + ET, SV+ET, BCS+RT, and BCS+ET+RT (where ET was defined as ≥5 years of continuous treatment). Secondary outcomes were the average treatment effects (ATE) of SV+ET vs SV, BCS+RT vs SV+ET, and BCS+RT+ET vs SV+ET. A propensity score (PS) model for treatment choice BCS vs SV was fitted with sampling design (SD) weighting and random effects for patients within facilities. Relative treatment effects (hazard ratios [HR]) for the five treatment groups were obtained using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for tumor and patient characteristics. The models were weighted by SD and PS and included a robust sandwich covariance estimator to account for clustering of patients within facilities. Population-averaged risks and ATEs were derived from the marginal outcome probabilities: assuming that the entire population received the treatment of interest, each patient’s counterfactual probability of an iIBC event by 8 years was predicted, and then averaged across the weighted population. 95% confidence intervals (CI) were obtained by bootstrapping. Results. The final analytic cohort contained 14,245 (88.2%) BCS and 1,914 (11.8%) SV patients. Overall, median age at diagnosis was 61 years (IQR: 52-69) and median follow-up was 5.8 years (95% CI 5.7-6.1). The majority of patients were Caucasian (81.9%), with hormone receptor-positive (79.9%), and nuclear grade I/II (54.5%) DCIS. Uptake of any ET was 48.5% and 23.7% in BCS and SV patients, respectively. The relative treatment effects (HR) for the receipt of BCS, RT and ≥5 years of ET were 1.65 (95% CI: 1.14-2.39), 0.40 (95% CI: 0.27-0.61) and 0.55 (95% CI: 0.17-1.72) respectively. The 8-year population-averaged iIBC risks and corresponding ATEs are shown Table 1. Conclusion. The 8-year risk of iIBC was below 7% for all six management options. Relative and absolute treatment effects of ET and RT were comparable to previously reported estimates. In SV patients, receipt of ≥5 years of ET nearly halved the 8-year risk, indicating a substantial risk reduction potential for ET in patients who do not receive immediate surgery after diagnosis.

Table 1: Population-averaged 8-year iIBC risk and ATEs.TreatmentiIBC risk (%)95% CISurveillance6.906.79-7.01Surveillance + ET3.903.83-3.96BCS4.264.21-4.31BCS + RT1.761.73-1.79BCS + ET2.392.35-2.43BCS + ET + RT0.980.96-0.99Treatment comparisonATE (%)95% CISV+ET vs SV3.02.95-3.04BCS+RT vs SV+ET2.142.11-2.17BCS+RT+ET vs SV+ET2.922.78-2.97

Citation Format: Marc D Ryser, Christel N Rushing, Samantha M Thomas, Thomas Lynch, Anne McCarthy, Zahed A Mohammed, Amanda B Francescatti, Elizabeth S Frank, Anne H Partridge, Alastair M Thompson, Terry Hyslop, E. Shelley Hwang. Ipsilateral invasive cancer risk after diagnosis with ductal carcinoma in situ in patients with and without index surgery: The effects of endocrine therapy and radiation treatment [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Virtual Symposium; 2020 Dec 8-11; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PD5-03.

Abstract PD9-03: Genomic analysis of the CALGB 40603 (Alliance) neoadjuvant trial in TNBC identifies immune features associated with pathological complete response and event-free survival

Purpose: CALGB (now part of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology) 40603 was a randomized Phase II study investigating pathological complete response rates (pCR) in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients receiving neoadjuvant weekly paclitaxel followed by doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide +/- bevacizumab and/or carboplatin for which 5-year event-free survival (EFS) results are now available. This is a valuable resource to characterize clinical and genomic features associated with response and survival. Methods: Clinical parameters and pre-treatment tumor biopsy RNA-sequencing (RNAseq) from 295 TNBC patients were analyzed to identify features associated with pCR and/or EFS. A panel of 689 previously published gene expression signatures were evaluated to provide insights regarding potential associations between clinical endpoints and genomically determined cell types and signaling pathway activities. Additionally, B cell receptor (BCR) and T cell receptor (TCR) sequences were examined, and repertoire abundance, richness, and diversity measures were calculated to investigate correlations with pCR and EFS status. Univariate Mann-Whitney U-Tests were used for continuous variables, and Fisher’s test was used for categorical features, with unadjusted p-values &lt; 0.05 designated as significant. Results: While the addition of bevacizumab and carboplatin each significantly improved pCR rates, neither improved EFS. We examined outcomes according to race and no differences were seen for either pCR rate or EFS. 131 features, including high proliferation and multiple interferon signatures were significantly associated with pCR, but not with EFS. Alternatively, 69 features, including clinical factors for T stage and node status, were prognostic for EFS, but not significantly associated with pCR. Nevertheless, pCR itself was the strongest predictor of EFS, and was the only feature significantly associated with EFS after adjusting for multiple comparisons (Benjamini-Hochberg False Discovery Rate = 6.7e-3). In total, 52 genomic features were significantly correlated with both pCR and EFS, 44 of which were features of the immune microenvironment. Immune associated features included signatures of T cells, B cells and NK cells, immune checkpoint pathways (PD-1, PD-L1, CTLA4), and antigen presentation (dendritic cells, MHC-I, MHC-II). In particular, low BCR evenness, which is a measure of uniformity of unique BCR sequence abundance, was strongly associated with both pCR and EFS, suggesting that an antigen-specific adaptive immune response with clonally selected B cells is occurring in patients that have improved response and survival. Furthermore, a multivariate Cox Proportional Hazards model assessing BCR evenness along with age, T stage, N stage, grade and pCR found BCR evenness to be an independent prognostic feature for EFS in TNBC. Conclusions: Evidence of distinct predictors of pCR and EFS in TNBC patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy suggests that, while pCR is still the strongest prognostic feature, high expression of many immune related gene expression signatures in pretreatment tumor samples are promising biomarkers of improved EFS. In addition to the important role of T cells in an anti-tumor response, these data show high IgG expression and evidence of B cell clonal selection associates with improved response and survival, supporting an important role for B cells in the adaptive response that portends a long-term benefit of chemotherapy in TNBC. Support: U10CA180821, U10CA180882, U24CA196171, P50-CA58223, Genentech, and The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. https://acknowledgments.alliancefound.org; ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00861705

Citation Format: Jonathan H Shepherd, Terry Hyslop, Cheng Fan, Aranzazu Fernandez Martinez, Joel Parker, Katherine Hoadley, Zhiyuan Hu, Yun Li, Matthew Soloway, Patricia Spears, Ann Partridge, William Sikov, Lisa A Carey, Charles M Perou. Genomic analysis of the CALGB 40603 (Alliance) neoadjuvant trial in TNBC identifies immune features associated with pathological complete response and event-free survival [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Virtual Symposium; 2020 Dec 8-11; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PD9-03.

Patient Perspectives on the Financial Costs and Burdens of Breast Cancer Surgery

PURPOSE

Although financial toxicity is a well-documented aspect of cancer care, little is known about how patients narratively characterize financial experiences related to breast cancer treatment. We sought to examine these patient experiences through mixed methods analysis.

METHODS

Women (≥ 18 years old) with a history of breast cancer were recruited from the Love Research Army and Sisters Network to complete an 88-item electronic survey including an open-ended response. Quantitative data were used to sort and stratify responses to the open-ended question, which comprised the qualitative data evaluated here. Descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis were used to evaluate the financial costs and other burdens resulting from breast cancer surgery.

RESULTS

In total, 511 respondents completed the survey in its entirety and wrote an open-ended response. Participants reported significant financial burden in different categories including direct payments for medical care and indirect costs such as lost wages and travel expenses. Treatment-related costs burdened participants for years after diagnosis, forming a financial arc for many participants. Discrepancies existed between the degree of financial burden reported on multiple-choice questions and participants' corresponding open-ended descriptions of financial burden. Participants described a lack of communication surrounding costs with their providers and difficulty negotiating payments with insurance.

CONCLUSION

Breast cancer care can result in ongoing financial burden years after diagnosis among all patients, even those with adequate insurance patient populations.

RNA splicing and aggregate gene expression differences in lung squamous cell carcinoma between patients of West African and European ancestry

OBJECTIVES

Despite disparities in lung cancer incidence and mortality, the molecular landscape of lung cancer in patients of African ancestry remains underexplored, and race-related differences in RNA splicing remain unexplored.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We identified differentially spliced genes (DSGs) and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in biobanked lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) between patients of West African and European ancestry, using ancestral genotyping and Affymetrix Clariom D array. DSGs and DEGs were validated independently using the National Cancer Institute Genomic Data Commons. Associated biological processes, overlapping canonical pathways, enriched gene sets, and cancer relevance were identified using Gene Ontology Consortium, Ingenuity Pathway Analysis, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis, and CancerMine, respectively. Association with LUSC survival was conducted using The Cancer Genome Atlas.

RESULTS

4,829 DSGs and 267 DEGs were identified, including novel targets in NSCLC as well as genes identified previously to have relevance to NSCLC. RNA splicing events within 3 DSGs as well as 1 DEG were validated in the independent cohort. 853 DSGs and 29 DEGs have been implicated as potential drivers, oncogenes and/or tumor suppressor genes. Biological processes enriched among DSGs and DEGs included metabolic process, biological regulation, and multicellular organismal process and, among DSGs, ion transport. Overlapping canonical pathways among DSGs included neuronal signaling pathways and, among DEGs, cell metabolism involving biosynthesis. Gene sets enriched among DSGs included KRAS Signaling, UV Response, E2 F Targets, Glycolysis, and Coagulation. 355 RNA splicing events within DSGs and 18 DEGs show potential association with LUSC patient survival.

CONCLUSION

These DSGs and DEGs, which show potential biological and clinical relevance, could have the ability to drive novel biomarker and therapeutic development to mitigate LUSC disparities.