Postsurgical Pyoderma Gangrenosum in a Breast Cancer Patient: A Case Report and Literature Review

Pyoderma gangrenosum is a rare skin necrotizing disease that can arise on a site of surgical trauma. Its pathogenesis has recently been related to dysregulation of the immune system, with inflammatory bowel disease representing the most commonly underlying systemic conditions. Several authors have also reported an association with solid malignancies (especially gastrointestinal and breast cancer). We describe the case of a 39-year-old patient diagnosed with a locally advanced, triple-negative breast cancer who developed a pyoderma gangrenosum on the surgical wound after a CVC implant with systemic complications. As the diagnosis and management of postsurgical pyoderma gangrenosum can be challenging for clinicians, underlying conditions as autoimmune disease and solid tumors have to be considered in order to guide treatment.

Cancer Diagnostic Delay in Northern and Central Italy During the 2020 Lockdown Due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic

OBJECTIVES

We performed data collection concerning the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic-related delay in the diagnosis of cancers to individuate proper corrective procedures.

METHODS

A comparison was made among the number of first pathologic diagnoses of malignancy made from weeks 11 to 20 of 2018, 2019, and 2020 at seven anatomic pathology units serving secondary care hospitals in northern-central Italy.

RESULTS

Cancer diagnoses fell in 2020 by 44.9% compared with the average number recorded in 2018 and 2019. Melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancer represented 56.7% of all missing diagnoses. The diagnostic decrease in colorectal (-46.6%), prostate (-45%), and bladder (-43.6%) cancer was the most relevant among internal malignancies; for prostate, however, high-grade tumors were only moderately affected (-21.7%).

CONCLUSIONS

Diagnosis of cutaneous malignancies was mostly affected by the lockdown; among internal malignancies, corrective actions were mostly needed for colorectal cancer and invasive bladder cancer.

PIK3CA Mutation in the ShortHER Randomized Adjuvant Trial for Patients with Early HER2+ Breast Cancer: Association with Prognosis and Integration with PAM50 Subtype

PURPOSE

We explored the prognostic effect of PIK3CA mutation in HER2⁺ patients enrolled in the ShortHER trial.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The ShortHER trial randomized 1,253 patients with HER2⁺ breast cancer to 9 weeks or 1 year of adjuvant trastuzumab combined with chemotherapy. PIK3CA hotspot mutations in exon 9 and 20 were analyzed by pyrosequencing. Expression of 60 genes, including PAM50 genes was measured using the nCounter platform.

RESULTS

A mutation of the PIK3CA gene was detected in 21.7% of the 803 genotyped tumors. At a median follow-up of 7.7 years, 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) rates were 90.6% for PIK3CA mutated and 86.2% for PIK3CA wild-type tumors [HR, 0.84; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.56-1.27; P = 0.417]. PIK3CA mutation showed a favorable prognostic impact in the PAM50 HER2-enriched subtype (n = 232): 5-year DFS 91.8% versus 76.1% (log-rank P = 0.049; HR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.21-1.02). HER2-enriched/PIK3CA mutated versus wild-type tumors showed numerically higher tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) and significant upregulation of immune-related genes (including CD8A, CD274, PDCD1, and MYBL2, a proliferation gene involved in immune processes). High TILs as well as the upregulation of PDCD1 and MYBL2 were associated with a significant DFS improvement within the HER2-enriched subtype (HR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.68-0.99; P = 0.039 for 10% TILs increment; HR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.65-0.99; P = 0.049 for PDCD1 expression; HR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.53-0.99; P = 0.042 for MYBL2 expression).

CONCLUSIONS

PIK3CA mutation showed no prognostic impact in the ShortHER trial. Within the HER2-enriched molecular subtype, patients with PIK3CA mutated tumors showed better DFS versus PIK3CA wild-type, which may be partly explained by upregulation of immune-related genes.

Wnt/β-Catenin and Hippo Pathway Deregulation in Mammary Tumors of Humans, Dogs, and Cats

Mammary cancer is a common neoplasm in women, dogs, and cats that still represents a therapeutic challenge. Wnt/β-catenin and Hippo pathways are involved in tumor progression, cell differentiation, and metastasis. The aim of this study was to evaluate mRNA and protein expression of molecules involved in these pathways in human (HBC), canine (CMT), and feline mammary tumors (FMT). Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) for β-catenin, CCND1, YAP, TAZ, CTGF, and ANKRD1, western blotting for YAP, TAZ, and β-catenin, and immunohistochemistry for estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), ERBB2, β-catenin, and YAP/TAZ were performed on mammary tumor tissues. The protein expression of active β-catenin was higher in tumors than in healthy tissues in all 3 species. The mRNA expression of the downstream gene CCND1 was increased in HBC ER⁺ and CMTs compared to healthy tissues. Membranous and cytoplasmic protein expression of β-catenin were strongly negatively correlated in all 3 species. Tumors showed an increased protein expression of YAP/TAZ when compared to healthy tissues. Notably, YAP/TAZ expression was higher in triple negative breast cancers when compared to HBC ER⁺ and in FMTs when compared to CMTs. The mRNA expression of β-catenin, YAP, TAZ, CTGF, and ANKRD1 was not different between tumors and healthy mammary gland in the 3 species. This study demonstrates deregulation of Wnt/β-catenin and Hippo pathways in mammary tumors, which was more evident at the protein rather than the mRNA level. Wnt/β-catenin and Hippo pathways seem to be involved in mammary carcinogenesis and therefore represent interesting therapeutic targets that should be further investigated.

De-escalated therapy for HR+/HER2+ breast cancer patients with Ki67 response after 2-week letrozole: results of the PerELISA neoadjuvant study

BACKGROUND

In human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2+) breast cancers, neoadjuvant trials of chemotherapy plus anti-HER2 treatment consistently showed lower pathologic complete response (pCR) rates in hormone receptor (HR) positive versus negative tumors. The PerELISA study was aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a de-escalated, chemotherapy-free neoadjuvant regimen in HR+/HER2+ breast cancer patients selected on the basis of Ki67 inhibition after 2-week letrozole.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

PerELISA is a phase II, multicentric study for postmenopausal patients with HR+/HER2+ operable breast cancer. Patients received 2-week letrozole, and then underwent re-biopsy for Ki67 evaluation. Patients classified as molecular responders (Ki67 relative reduction >20% from baseline) continued letrozole and started trastuzumab-pertuzumab for five cycles. Patients classified as molecular non-responders started weekly paclitaxel for 13 weeks combined with trastuzumab-pertuzumab. Primary aim was breast and axillary pCR. According to a two-stage Simon's design, to reject the null hypothesis, at least 8/43 pCR had to be documented.

RESULTS

Sixty-four patients were enrolled, 44 were classified as molecular responders. All these patients completed the assigned treatment with letrozole-trastuzumab-pertuzumab and underwent surgery. A pCR was observed in 9/44 cases (20.5%, 95% confidence interval 11.1% to 34.5%). Among molecular non-responders, 16/17 completed treatment and underwent surgery, with pCR observed in 81.3% of the cases. PAM50 intrinsic subtype was significantly associated with Ki67 response and pCR. Among molecular responders, the pCR rate was significantly higher in HER2-enriched than in other subtypes (45.5% versus 13.8%, P = 0.042).

CONCLUSIONS

The primary end point of the study was met, by reaching the pre-specified pCRs. In patients selected using Ki67 reduction after short-term letrozole exposure, a meaningful pCR rate can be achieved without chemotherapy. PAM50 intrinsic subtyping further refines our ability to identify a subset of patients for whom chemotherapy might be spared.

EUDRACT NUMBER

2013-002662-40.

CLINICALTRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER

NCT02411344.

Integration of tumour infiltrating lymphocytes, programmed cell-death ligand-1, CD8 and FOXP3 in prognostic models for triple-negative breast cancer: Analysis of 244 stage I-III patients treated with standard therapy

BACKGROUND

Tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are an established prognostic biomarker for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). We evaluated the role of programmed cell-death ligand-1 (PD-L1), CD8 and FOXP3 expression in refining a prognostic model for non-metastatic TNBC beyond classic factors and TILs.

METHODS

Primary tumour samples from 244 early patients with TNBC, all treated with surgery and chemotherapy, were collected. Stromal TILs were evaluated on haematoxylin-eosin slides according to guidelines. PD-L1, CD8 and FOXP3 were assessed by immunohistochemistry and evaluated by digital pathology.

RESULTS

TILs, PD-L1, CD8 and FOXP3 were positively correlated with each other (P < 0.001). TILs were confirmed as an independent prognostic factor. When PD-L1, CD8 and FOXP3 were added to multivariable models including classic factors (age, stage, histologic grade) and TILs, PD-L1 provided the largest amount of additional prognostic information: likelihood ratio χ² 4.60, P = 0.032 (in a model including classic factors and TILs 10% increments) and likelihood ratio χ² 6.50, P = 0.011 (in a model including classic factors and TILs >30% versus <30%). In the subset of patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, FOXP3 provided further prognostic information beyond classic factors, TILs and pathological complete response (pCR) (likelihood ratio χ² 5.01, P = 0.025). For patients who did not achieve a pCR, the expression of CD8 and PD-L1 was significantly increased from baseline to residual disease.

CONCLUSIONS

Beyond clinicopathological factors and TILs, other immune biomarkers may add prognostic information for early TNBC. The increased PD-L1 expression on residual disease after neoadjuvant chemotherapy strengthens the rationale of testing immune checkpoint inhibitors in the post-neoadjuvant setting.

Biphasic Feline Mammary Carcinomas Including Carcinoma and Malignant Myoepithelioma

Feline mammary tumors are usually malignant and aggressive carcinomas. Most cases are simple monophasic carcinomas (1 epithelial population), and additional phenotyping is usually not needed. In this study, we describe 10 malignant mammary tumors from 9 female cats that had unusual histomorphology: they appeared biphasic, with 2 distinct cell populations. Initially, they were morphologically diagnosed as either carcinosarcoma (1/10) or malignant pleomorphic tumor (9/10) of the mammary gland, as the latter did not match any previously described histological subtype. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed for pancytokeratin, cytokeratins 8 and 18, cytokeratin 14, cytokeratins 5 and 6, vimentin, p63, calponin, alpha-smooth muscle actin, Ki-67, ERBB2, estrogen receptor alpha, and progesterone receptor. In 7 of 10 cases, the biphasic nature was confirmed and, on the basis of the IHC results, they were classified as carcinoma and malignant myoepithelioma (4/10), ductal carcinoma (1/10), and carcinosarcoma (2/10). The other 3 of 10 cases were monophasic based on IHC. In the cases of carcinoma and malignant myoepithelioma, the malignant myoepithelial cells were 100% positive for vimentin (4/4) and variably positive for p63, calponin, and cytokeratins (4/4). These findings show that, although rare, biphasic mammary carcinomas do occur in cats. In dogs and humans, tumors composed of malignant epithelial and myoepithelial cells have a less aggressive behavior than certain simple carcinomas, and therefore, their identification might also be clinically significant in the cat.

Association of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes with distant disease-free survival in the ShortHER randomized adjuvant trial for patients with early HER2+ breast cancer

BACKGROUND

There is the need to identify new prognostic markers to refine risk stratification for HER2-positive early breast cancer patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) with distant disease-free survival (DDFS) in patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer enrolled in the ShortHER adjuvant trial which compared 9 weeks versus 1-year trastuzumab in addition to chemotherapy, and to test the interaction between TILs and treatment arm.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Stromal TILs were assessed for 866 cases on centralized hematoxylin and eosin-stained tumor slides. The association of TILs as 10% increments with DDFS was assessed with Cox models. Kaplan-Meier curves were estimated for patients with TILs ≥20% and TILs <20%. Median follow-up was 6.1 years.

RESULTS

Median TILs was 5% (Q1-Q3 1%-15%). Increased TILs were independently associated with better DDFS in multivariable model [hazard ratio (HR) 0.73, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.59-0.89, P = 0.006, for each 10% TILs increment]. Five years DDFS rates were 91.1% for patients with TILs <20% and 95.7% for patients with TILs ≥20% (P = 0.025). The association between 10% TILs increments and DDFS was significant for patients randomized to 9 weeks of trastuzumab (HR 0.60, 95% CI 0.41-0.88) but not for patients treated with 1 year of trastuzumab (HR 0.89, 95% CI 0.71-1.12; test for interaction P = 0.088). For patients with TILs <20%, the HR for the comparison between the short versus the long arm was 1.75 (95% CI 1.09-2.80, P=0.021); whereas, for patients with TILs ≥20% the HR for the comparison of short versus long arm was 0.23 (95% CI 0.05-1.09, P = 0.064), resulting in a significant interaction (P = 0.015).

CONCLUSIONS

TILs are an independent prognostic factor for HER2-positive early breast cancer patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy and trastuzumab and may refine the ability to identify patients at low risk of relapse eligible for de-escalated adjuvant therapy.

Abstract P5-06-14: Integrating CD8, FOXP3 and PD-L1 expression in prognostic models for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC): An analysis of 265 patients treated with standard therapy for stage I-III disease

Background: Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are strong prognostic biomarkers for early TNBC. We evaluated the role of CD8, FOXP3 and PD-L1 expression in refining prognostic models for non-metastatic TNBC in a large cohort of patients treated with standard therapy. Methods: Consecutive patients diagnosed with stage I-III TNBC (ER/PgR &lt;10%, HER2 0/1+ or ISH non amplified) between May 2012 and December 2015 were included. All patients received treatment with surgery, chemotherapy (neoadjuvant or adjuvant) and radiotherapy (when indicated). For each case, three FFPE tumor slides were stained for CD8 (Clone C8/144B, Dako Cytomation), FOXP3 (Clone 236A/E7, dilution 1:200, Abcam) and PD-L1 (IHC 73-10 Research Use Only assay developed by Agilent Technologies). One slide was stained for cytokeratins with MNF116. Digital slides were evaluated by a Visiopharm® software application, following alignment of the CD8, FOXP3 and PD-L1 slides with the MNF116 slide. The density of CD8 and FOXP3 expression was calculated as the number of cells/mm2 of stroma area. For PD-L1, the % of positive stromal cells over the total of stromal cells was analyzed. Disease-free survival (DFS) was calculated from diagnosis to relapse or death. The Harrell’s c-index was used to determine the cut-offs for CD8, FOXP3 and PD-L1 to be used in survival analyses. Results: 265 TNBC pts were evaluated. Median TILs was 10% (Q1-Q3 3%-25%), median CD8 was 249 (Q1-Q3 109-568), median FOXP3 was 57 (Q1-Q3 21-134), median PD-L1 was 5.2% (Q1-Q3 0.2%-25.4%). TILs, CD8, FOXP3 and PD-L1 were positively correlated with each other (p&lt;0.001): CD8 showed strong correlation with TILs (Spearman’s coefficient 0.753), FOXP3 and PD-L1 showed moderate correlation with TILs (Spearman’s coefficient 0.535 and 0.587). Higher TILs, CD8, FOXP3 and PD-L1 were associated with age ≤50yrs (p=0.002, p=0.004, p=0.065, p=0.011), Grade 3 (p=0.001, p=0.006, p=0.006, p=0.003) and Ki67 ≥30% (p=0.056, p=0.024, p=0.004, p=0.005). There was no association between immune markers and stage. Among classic clinicopathologic factors, TILs (10% increments) and stage at diagnosis were independent prognostic parameters in multivariate analysis (HR 0.81, 95% CI 0.69-0.94 p=0.005 for TILs, HR 2.01 95% ci 1.01-4.23 P=0.047 for stage II vs stage I and HR 5.31 95% CI 2.54-11.11 p&lt;0.001 for stage III vs stage I). In univariate analysis, high CD8 (≥443), high FOXP3 (≥57) and high PD-L1 (&gt;20%) were all significantly associated with improved DFS (HR 0.36 95%CI 0.18-0.72, p=0.004 for CD8; HR 0.48 95%CI 0.28-0.80, p=0.005 for FOXP3; HR 0.52 95%CI 0.28-0.97, p=0.039 for PD-L1). FOXP3 and PD-L1 provided significant additional prognostic information beyond a model containing TILs and stage: likelihood ratio χ2 5.12, p=0.024 for FOXP3; likelihood ratio χ2 5.52, p=0.019 for PD-L1. CD8 did not add relevant prognostic information beyond TILs and stage (likelihood ratio χ2 2.76, p=0.097). Including both FOXP3 and PD-L1 did not add further prognostic information to models already containing TILs, stage and either FOXP3 or PD-L1. Conclusions: FOXP3 and PD-L1 expression evaluated with a software-assisted method were prognostic for stage I-III TNBC pts treated with standard therapy and may contribute to refine the prognostic stratification beyond stage and TILs.

This study was supported by a grant from Merck KGaA.

Citation Format: Maria Vittoria Dieci, Vassilena Tsvetkova, Gaia Griguolo, Federica Miglietta, Deborah Bacchin, Giulia Tasca, Carlo Alberto Giorgi, Enrico Cumerlato, Enrico Orvieto, Valentina Guarneri, Pierfranco Conte. Integrating CD8, FOXP3 and PD-L1 expression in prognostic models for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC): An analysis of 265 patients treated with standard therapy for stage I-III disease [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-06-14.

Androgen Receptor Expression and Association With Distant Disease-Free Survival in Triple Negative Breast Cancer: Analysis of 263 Patients Treated With Standard Therapy for Stage I-III Disease

Background: We evaluated immunohistochemical AR expression and correlation with prognosis in a large series of homogeneously treated patients with primary TNBC.

Material and Methods: Patients diagnosed with stage I-III TNBC between 2000 and 2015 at Istituto Oncologico Veneto who received treatment with surgery and neoadjuvant and/or adjuvant chemotherapy were included. Whole tissue slides were stained for AR. AR-positive expression was defined as >1% of positively stained tumor cells. Distant-disease-free survival (DDFS) was calculated from diagnosis to distant relapse or death. Late-DDFS was calculated from the landmark of 3 years after diagnosis until distant relapse or death.

Results: We included 263 primary TNBC patients. Mean AR expression was 14% (range 0–100%), and 29.7% (n = 78) of patients were AR+. AR+ vs. AR- cases presented more frequently older age (p < 0.001), non-ductal histology (p < 0.001), G1-G2 (p = 0.003), lower Ki67 (p < 0.001) and lower TILs (p = 0.008). At a median follow up of 81 months, 23.6% of patients experienced a DDFS event: 33.3% of AR+ and 19.5% of AR- patients (p = 0.015). 5 years DDFS rates were 67.2% and 80.6% for AR+ and AR- patients (HR = 1.82 95%CI 1.10–3.02, p = 0.020). AR maintained an independent prognostic role beyond stage, but when TILs were added to the model only stage and TILs were independent prognostic factors. AR was the only factor significantly associated with late-DDFS: 16.4% of AR+ and 3.4% of AR- patients experienced a DDFS after the landmark of 3 years after diagnosis (p = 0.001). Late-DDFS rates at 5 years from the 3-year landmark were 75.8% for AR+ and 95.2% for AR- patients (log-rank p < 0.001; HR = 5.67, 95%CI 1.90–16.94, p = 0.002).

Conclusions: AR expression is associated with worse outcome for patients with TNBC. In particular, AR+ TNBC patients are at increased risk of late DDFS events. These results reinforce the rationale of AR targeting in AR+ TNBC.

Impact of 21-Gene Breast Cancer Assay on Treatment Decision for Patients with T1-T3, N0-N1, Estrogen Receptor-Positive/Human Epidermal Growth Receptor 2-Negative Breast Cancer: Final Results of the Prospective Multicenter ROXANE Study

BACKGROUND

The ROXANE Italian prospective study evaluated the impact of the 21-gene Recurrence Score (RS) results on adjuvant treatment decision for patients with early breast cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Nine centers participated. Physicians used the RS test whenever unsure about adjuvant treatment recommendation for patients with estrogen receptor-positive/human epidermal growth receptor 2-negative, T1-T3, N0-N1 early breast cancer. Pre-RS and post-RS treatment recommendations were collected.

RESULTS

A total of 251 patients were included. N0 patients (61%) showed higher grade (p < .001) and higher Ki67 (p = .001) and were more frequently progesterone receptor negative (p = .012) as compared with N1 patients. RS results were as follows: <11, n = 63 (25.1%); 11-25, n = 143 (57%); and ≥26, n = 45 (17.9%). Higher RS was found in N0 vs. N1 patients (p = .001) and in cases of G3 (p < .001) and higher Ki67 (p < .001). The rate of change in treatment decision was 30% (n = 75), mostly from chemotherapy (CT) plus hormone therapy (CT + HT) to hormone therapy (HT; 76%, n = 57/75). The proportion of patients recommended to CT + HT was significantly reduced from pre-RS to post-RS (52% to 36%, p < .0001). CT use reduction was more evident for N1 patients (55% to 27%) than for N0 patients (50% to 42%) and was observed only in cases of RS ≤17.

CONCLUSION

Physicians predominantly used the 21-gene assay in N0 patients with a more aggressive biology or in N1 patients showing more indolent biology. In this selected patient population, the use of RS testing led to a 30% rate of change in treatment decision. In the N1 patient subgroup, the use of RS testing contributed to reduce CT use by more than half.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

This study shows that, even in a context in which physicians recommend a high proportion of patients to endocrine treatment alone before knowing the results of the Recurrence Score (RS) assay, the use of the RS test, whenever uncertainty regarding adjuvant treatment recommendation is present, significantly contributes in further reducing the use of chemotherapy, especially for N1 patients.

PAM50 HER2-enriched subtype as an independent prognostic factor in early-stage HER2+ breast cancer following adjuvant chemotherapy plus trastuzumab in the ShortHER trial

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Background: We investigated the prognostic role of the PAM50 HER2-enriched (HER2-E) subtype in HER2+ early breast cancer enrolled in the randomized Phase III ShortHER trial. Methods: The ShortHER study randomized 1254 HER2+ early breast cancer patients to receive 9 weeks vs 1 year of adjuvant trastuzumab combined with chemotherapy. Gene expression measured using nCounter platform was available for 438 surgical samples. Intrinsic subtyping was determined using the research-based PAM50 predictor. Metastasis-free survival (MFS) was calculated from randomization to distant disease recurrence or death (median follow up 72 months). Uni- and multi-variable analysis were performed using Cox models. Results: PAM50 subtype distribution was: HER2-E 53% (N = 233), Luminal A 20% (N = 87), Luminal B 10% (N = 43), Normal-like 11% (N = 48) and Basal-like 6% (N = 27). HER2-E subtype was associated with hormone receptor-negative status (p < 0.001) and TILs ≥20% (p < 0.001), but not with stage and age ( < or ≥60 yrs). HER2-E subtype was associated with worse MFS vs other PAM50 subtypes overall (HR 2.78, p = 0.001), in the short (HR 2.24, p = 0.046), and in the long arm (HR 4.04, p = 0.011). Multivariable Cox model confirmed the independent prognostic value of HER2-E subtype (Table). HER2-E subtype added significant prognostic value on top of clinicopathological variables (Likelihood ratio test p < 0.001). Conclusions: HER2-E intrinsic subtype is an independent prognostic factor for HER2+ early breast cancer patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy and trastuzumab. Integration of PAM50 subtype in prognostic algorithms can help refine risk stratification. These findings warrant independent validation. Clinical trial information: NCT00629278. [Table: see text]

Abstract P4-08-04: PD-L1 expression and prognosis in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC): An analysis of 265 patients (pts) treated with standard therapy for stage I-III disease

Background: Targeting the PD-L1/PD-1 axis has proved to be effective in various cancers, including promising data for metastatic TNBC pts. The evaluation of PD-L1 expression is limited by the lack of standardized methods. Here we sought to evaluate the prognostic role of PD-L1 expression in a large cohort of patients with non-metastatic TNBC treated with standard therapy.

Methods:

Consecutive patients diagnosed with stage I-III TNBC (ER and PgR &lt;10%, HER2 0/1+ or ISH non amplified) between May 2012 and December 2015 and treated at the Istituto Oncologico Veneto of Padova were included. All patients received treatment with surgery, chemotherapy (neoadjuvant or adjuvant) and radiotherapy (when indicated).

For each case, one FFPE tumor slide was stained for PD-L1 with the PD-L1 IHC 73-10 Research Use Only assay developed by Agilent Technologies and one slide was stained for cytokeratins with MNF116 (to distinguish MNF116+ tumor cells from MNF116- stromal cells). Digital slides were evaluated by a specifically-developed Visiopharm® software application. Following alignment of the PD-L1 and MNF116 digital slides, the software analyzed PD-L1 expression on tumor cells (% of positively stained tumor cells/total tumor cells) and stromal cells (% of positively stained stromal cells/total stromal cells). Disease-free survival (DFS) was calculated from diagnosis to relapse or death. In survival analyses, PD-L1 was evaluated as continuous and categorical variable.

Results:

265 TNBC pts were evaluated. Median PD-L1 was 2.6% (Q1-Q3 0%-18.6%) on tumor cells and 5.2% (Q1-Q3 0.2%-25.4%) on stromal cells. PD-L1 levels on tumor and stromal cells were positively correlated (spearman's 0.938, p&lt;0.001). For further analyses, PD-L1 on stromal cells was considered. Higher PD-L1 was associated with age &lt;50 yrs (p=0.011), Grade 3 (p=0.003) and Ki67 &gt;30% (p=0.005). Lower PD-L1 was observed in lobular and apocrine tumors (p=0.001).Cox model for DFS showed HR=0.99 (95%CI 0.97-1.00, p=0.059) for every 1% PD-L1 increment.

3-yrs DFS was 86% for pts with PD-L1&gt;20% (n=88, 29%) vs 75% for pts with PD-L1&lt;20% (n=177, 71%): HR 0.52, 95%CI 0.28-0.97, p=0.039. PD-L1 at 20% cut-off maintained prognostic value in multivariate model including stage (HR 0.48, 95%CI 0.25-0.89, p=0.021).

Of the 265 pts included, 108 received neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). Of the 78 pts with residual disease after NACT, 61 had pre- and post-NACT samples evaluable for PD-L1. PD-L1 increased from pre- to post-NACT: median 2.7% (Q1-Q3 0%-26.9%) vs 20.1% (Q1-Q3 5.9%-41.4%), p&lt;0.001. Pts with PD-L1&gt;20% post-NACT showed improved DFS: 3-yrs DFS 68% vs 43% (HR 0.44, 95%CI 0.20-0.96, p=0.039), whereas PD-L1 pre-NACT did not show significant association with DFS in this subgroup (HR 0.47, 95%CI 0.23-1.40, p=0.218).

Conclusions:

PD-L1 expression evaluated with a software-assisted method was prognostic for stage I-III TNBC pts treated with standard therapy. The significant increase of PD-L1 on residual disease post-NACT supports the rationale to evaluate the efficacy of anti-PD-L1 drugs in this high-risk population.

Citation Format: Dieci MV, Orvieto E, Tsvetkova V, Griguolo G, Miglietta F, Bonaguro S, Tasca G, Giorgi CA, Cumerlato E, Guarneri V, Conte P. PD-L1 expression and prognosis in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC): An analysis of 265 patients (pts) treated with standard therapy for stage I-III disease [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-08-04.

Ectopic expression of PLC-β2 in non-invasive breast tumor cells plays a protective role against malignant progression and is correlated with the deregulation of miR-146a

Cells in non‐invasive breast lesions are widely believed to possess molecular alterations that render them either susceptible or refractory to the acquisition of invasive capability. One such alteration could be the ectopic expression of the β2 isoform of phosphoinositide‐dependent phospholipase C (PLC‐β2), known to counteract the effects of hypoxia in low‐invasive breast tumor‐derived cells. Here, we studied the correlation between PLC‐β2 levels and the propensity of non‐invasive breast tumor cells to acquire malignant features. Using archival FFPE samples and DCIS‐derived cells, we demonstrate that PLC‐β2 is up‐regulated in DCIS and that its forced down‐modulation induces an epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal shift, expression of the cancer stem cell marker CD133, and the acquisition of invasive properties. The ectopic expression of PLC‐β2 in non‐transformed and DCIS‐derived cells is, to some extent, dependent on the de‐regulation of miR‐146a, a tumor suppressor miRNA in invasive breast cancer. Interestingly, an inverse relationship between the two molecules, indicative of a role of miR‐146a in targeting PLC‐β2, was not detected in primary DCIS from patients who developed a second invasive breast neoplasia. This suggests that alterations of the PLC‐β2/miR‐146a relationship in DCIS may constitute a molecular risk factor for the appearance of new breast lesions. Since neither traditional classification systems nor molecular characterizations are able to predict the malignant potential of DCIS, as is possible for invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), we propose that the assessment of the PLC‐β2/miR‐146a levels at diagnosis could be beneficial for identifying whether DCIS patients may have either a low or high propensity for invasive recurrence.

Levels of miR-126 and miR-218 are elevated in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and inhibit malignant potential of DCIS derived cells

A substantial number of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) detected by mammography never progress to invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) and current approaches fail to identify low-risk patients not at need of adjuvant therapies. We aimed to identify the key miRNAs protecting DCIS from malignant evolution, that may constitute markers for non-invasive lesions. We studied 100 archived DCIS samples, including pure DCIS, DCIS with adjacent IDC and pure DCIS from patients with subsequent IDC in contralateral breast or no recurrence. A DCIS derived cell line was used for molecular and cellular studies. A genome wide study revealed that pure DCIS has higher miR-126 and miR-218 expression than DCIS with adjacent IDC lesions or than IDC. The down-regulation of miR-126 and miR-218 promoted invasiveness in vitro and, in patients with pure DCIS, was associated with later onset of IDC. Survival studies of independent cohorts indicated that both miRNAs play a protective role in IDC. The clinical findings are in agreement with the miRNAs' roles in cell adhesion, differentiation and proliferation. We propose that miR-126 and miR-218 have a protective role in DCIS and represent novel biomarkers for the risk assessment in women with early detection of breast cancer.

GD2 expression in breast cancer

Breast cancer (BC) is a heterogeneous disease, including different subtypes having diverse incidence, drug-sensitivity and survival rates. In particular, claudin-low and basal-like BC have mesenchymal features with a dismal prognosis. Disialoganglioside GD2 is a typical neuroectodermal antigen expressed in a variety of cancers. Despite its potential relevance in cancer diagnostics and therapeutics, the presence and role of GD2 require further investigation, especially in BC. Therefore, we evaluated GD2 expression in a cohort of BC patients and its correlation with clinical-pathological features.

Sixty-three patients with BC who underwent surgery without prior chemo- and/or radiotherapy between 2001 and 2014 were considered. Cancer specimens were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and GD2-staining was expressed according to the percentage of positive cells and by a semi-quantitative scoring system.

Patient characteristics were heterogeneous by age at diagnosis, histotype, grading, tumor size, Ki-67 and receptor-status. GD2 staining revealed positive cancer cells in 59% of patients. Among them, 26 cases (41%) were labeled with score 1+ and 11 (18%) with score 2+. Notably, the majority of metaplastic carcinoma specimens stained positive for GD2. The univariate regression logistic analysis revealed a significant association of GD2 with triple-receptor negative phenotype and older age (> 78) at diagnosis.

We demonstrate for the first time that GD2 is highly prevalent in a cohort of BC patients clustering on very aggressive BC subtypes, such as triple-negative and metaplastic variants.

Abstract P1-13-02: Withdrawn

This abstract was withdrawn by the authors.

First Prospective Multicenter Italian Study on the Impact of the 21-Gene Recurrence Score in Adjuvant Clinical Decisions for Patients with ER Positive/HER2 Negative Breast Cancer

BACKGROUND

The Breast DX Italy prospective study evaluated the impact of the 21-gene recurrence score (RS) result on adjuvant treatment decisions for patients with early breast cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Nine centers (two Hub and seven Spoke centers of the Veneto Oncology Network) participated. Consecutive patients with estrogen receptor positive, human epidermal growth receptor negative, T1-T3, N0-N1 early breast cancer were prospectively registered; only those meeting protocol-defined clinicopathological "intermediate risk" criteria were eligible for the RS test. Pre-RS and post-RS physicians' treatment recommendations and treatment actually received were collected.

RESULTS

A total of n = 124 N0 and n = 126 N1 patients underwent the RS assay. The majority had Grade 2 tumors (71%); median age was 55 years, median tumor size was 16 mm, and median Ki67 expression was 20%. Patients enrolled at Hub centers presented higher-risk features. The distribution of RS results was <18 (60.8%), 18-30 (32.4%), and >30 (6.8%). The indication before RS was hormonal therapy (HT) alone in 52% of cases. An indication before RS of chemotherapy (CT)+HT was more frequent for patients with N1 versus N0 tumors (57% vs. 39%, p = .0035) and for patients enrolled at Hub versus Spoke centers (54% vs. 36%, p = .007).The overall rate of change in treatment decision was 16% (n = 40), mostly from CT+HT to HT (n = 30). According to nodal status, rate of change in treatment decision was 12% for the N0 cohort and 20% for the N1 cohort. The proportion of patients recommended to CT+HT was significantly reduced from before to after RS (48% to 40%, p < .0016), especially in the N1 cohort (57% to 45%, p = .0027) and at Hub centers (54% to 44%, p = .001).

CONCLUSION

Despite frequent indication of HT before RS, the use of the RS assay further contributed to sparing CT, especially for patients with N1 tumors and at Hub centers.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

This study shows that, although a high proportion of patients were recommended to receive endocrine treatment alone before knowing the recurrence score (RS) assay, the RS test further contributed in sparing chemotherapy for some of these patients, especially in case of the N1 stage or for patients enrolled at referral centers. These data highlight the need for further work in collaboration with health authorities and companies in order to define strategies for the implementation of the use of RS testing in clinical practice in the Italian setting.

Prognostic impact of proliferation for resected early stage 'pure' invasive lobular breast cancer: Cut-off analysis of Ki67 according to histology and clinical validation

INTRODUCTION

The intent of this analysis was to investigate and validate the prognostic potential of Ki67 in a multi-center series of patients affected by early stage 'pure' invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC).

METHODS

Clinical-pathological data of patients affected by ILC were correlated with overall survival and disease-free survival (OS/DFS); data from a parallel invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) patients' cohort were gathered as well. The maximally selected Log-Rank statistics analysis was applied to Ki67 continuous variable to estimate the appropriate cut-off. The Subpopulation Treatment Effect Pattern Plot (STEPP) analysis was performed as well.

RESULTS

Data from overall 1097 (457/222 ILC: training/validation set; 418 IDC) patients were gathered. The identified optimal Ki67 cut-offs were 4% and 14% for DFS in ILC and IDC cohort, respectively. In ILC patients, the Ki67 cut-off was an independent OS predictor. Ten-years OS and DFS were 89.9% and 77.2% (p = 0.007) and 79.4% and 69.2% (p = 0.03) for patients with Ki67 ≤ 4% and >4%, respectively. In IDC patients, 10-years OS was 93.8% and 71.7%, p = 0.02, DFS was 84.0% and 52.6%, p = 0.0003, for patients with Ki67 ≤ 14% and >14%, respectively. In the validation set, the optimal Ki67 OS cut-off was 5%. The STEPP analysis showed that in the presence of low Ki67 values, IDC patients have a better DFS than ILC patients, while with the increase of values the prognosis tends to overlap.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the retrospective design of the study, the prognostic relevance of Ki67 (as well as its optimal cut-off) seems to significantly differ according to breast cancer histology.

First prospective multicenter Italian study on the impact of the 21-Gene Recurrence Score (RS) in adjuvant clinical decisions for ER+/HER2- early breast cancer (BC) patients

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Background: The Breast-DX Italy prospective study evaluated the impact of the 21-gene RS on adjuvant treatment decisions for early BC patients. Methods: The study was conducted in 9 centers of the Veneto Region (2 hub and 7 spoke). All consecutive patients with ER+/HER2-, T1 to T3, N0 to N1 early BC who met protocol-defined clinicopathological criteria for “intermediate risk” were included. Pre-RS and post-RS physicians’ treatment recommendations and treatment actually received were collected. Results: From November 2014 to August 2016, n=124 N0 and n=126 N1 patients were enrolled (65% at hub and 35% at spoke centers). The majority had PgR+ (86%), G2 (71%) and pT1c (63%) BC. Median age was 55 yrs, median Ki67 was 20% (range 2-70%). The distribution of RS was: <18 (61%), 18-30 (32%) and >30 (7%). Main factors associated with higher RS were G3 and higher ki67. The addition of chemotherapy (CT) to hormonal therapy (HT) was initially recommended for 48% of the patients (38% of N0 and 57% of N1 patients; 54% and 37% of patients enrolled at hub and spoke centers, respectively). The post-RS recommendation changed from the pre-RS recommendation for 40 patients, mostly from CT+HT to HT (n=30; n=25 with low and n=5 with intermediate RS). Change was more frequent for N1 patients (Table). Of the 72 N1 patients initially recommended to CT+HT, 28% had a post-RS indication to HT alone. The crude number of patients with pre-RS recommendation to CT significantly exceeded the number of patients who finally received it (absolute difference =31; p<0.001). The majority of CT treatments were spared at hub vs spoke centers (n=24 and n=7, respectively). Conclusions: Pre-RS indication to HT alone was frequent, in particular for N0 patients and at spoke centers. The use of the 21-gene RS further contributed in sparing CT administration, more so for N1 patients and at hub centers. The impact of the RS when used at discretion of the clinicians is currently under investigation in the prospective ROXANE study. [Table: see text]

A propensity score analysis exploring the impact of adjuvant chemotherapy (aCT) in a multi-center series of resected early stage pure invasive lobular breast carcinoma (ILC)

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Background: Patients (pts) resected for early breast cancer are assigned to receive aCT according to international guidelines based upon immunophenotype and clinical/pathological features, regardless of the histotype, given the lack of prospective data for ILC. Thus, the magnitude of the benefit of aCT for ILC is still not sizable. The aim of this analysis was to investigate the effect of aCT in a multi-center series of early stage pure ILC. Methods: Clinical-pathological data of consecutive pts affected by pure ILC, undergone surgery at 3 Italian institutes, were correlated with disease-free and overall survival (DFS/OS) using a Cox model. A propensity score analysis was performed to evaluate the prognostic impact of aCT. Kaplan-Meier curves were compared with Log-Rank analysis. Results: Data from 739 pts were gathered (median age 57 years (yrs); Luminal/Triple-Negative/HER2 pos.: 98%/1.6%/0.4%). At median follow-up of 78 months, 5-/10-yrs DFS and OS were 79.4%/66.0% and 91.4%/76.5%, respectively. Tumor-size according to TNM (T, HR 1.34, 95% CI 1.04-1.72, p=0.025) and lymph-node (N) status (HR 2.39, 95% CI 1.47-3.89, p<0.0001) were independent predictors for DFS at multivariate analysis. T (HR 1.87, 95% CI 0.99-3.54, p=0.05), N status (HR 3.24, 95% CI 1.69-6.22, p<0.0001), Ki67 (HR 2.48, 95% CI 0.95-6.42, p=0.06), and age (HR 2.23, 95% CI 1.16-4.30, p=0.016) were predictors for OS. A significant prognostic effect of aCT upon OS was found after adjusting for independent factors with the propensity score method, as shown in the table below. Particularly, aCT significantly prolongs OS and DFS in pts with T >1, with an absolute difference of 17%/35% and 15%/13% at 5 and 10 yrs, respectively ( p=0.003 and p=0.04). OS was longer for pts with positive N ( p=0.02), Ki67 >4% ( p=0.01) and grading >1 ( p=0.01). Conclusions: Despite the retrospective nature of this analysis, the propensity score analysis indicates that pts with ILC may significantly benefit from aCT in terms of long-term survival, particularly for larger and more aggressive tumors. [Table: see text]

Abstract P2-05-20: Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes in recurrent HER2+ and triple negative breast cancer: Prognostic value according to tumor phenotype

Background: Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) have emerged as a prognostic and potential predictive factor in early triple negative (TN) and HER2+ breast cancer (BC). The prognostic role of TILs in advanced disease is largely unknown.

Methods: 109 HER2+ and TNBC patients with available tumor tissue from regional/distant BC recurrence (collected between 2001 and 2015) were identified from a prospectively maintained database at the Istituto Oncologico Veneto of Padova (Italy). Ipsilateral in-breast relapse/second primaries and contralateral BC were excluded from the definition of recurrence. StrTILs were assessed according to consensus guidelines (Salgado, 2014) on hematoxylin and eosin stained slides from BC recurrence samples and, when available, matched primaries. Post-progression survival was calculated as the time from first BC recurrence to last follow up or death.

Results: StrTILs were evaluable on recurrent BC for 72 cases (HER2+ n=43, TN n=29), after exclusion of lymphnode metastases. Median time to recurrence from initial BC diagnosis was longer for HER2+ than TN cases: 37 months (95%CI 23-51) and 18 months (95%CI 13-23), respectively. Accordingly, median time to biopsy of recurrence from initial BC diagnosis was 43 months (95%CI 35-51) for HER2+ patients and 20 months (95%CI 9-31) for TN patients. Site of biopsy was visceral metastasis in 54% and soft tissue metastasis in 46% of cases (similar for HER2+ and TN).

Median StrTILs level on recurrence was 5% (Q1 2,5%, Q3 10%), without differences according to TN or HER2+ phenotype (Student's t-test p=0.5).

In the whole cohort, post-progression survival did not differ for patients with high (&gt;10%) vs low (&lt;10%) StrTILs on recurrence (HR 0.83 95% CI 0.38-1.80, p=0.64).

In the TN subgroup, high StrTILs on recurrence were associated to a better post-progression survival (median not reached vs 12.7 months for StrTILs &gt;10% and &lt;10%, respectively, HR 0.03 95%CI 0.00-3.64, log-rank p=0.019). To the opposite, in the HER2+ subgroup, high StrTILs were associated to worse post-progression survival compared to low StrTILs (median 27.7 vs 41.1 months for high vs low StrTILs, HR 2.93 95%CI 1.17-7.31, log-rank p=0.016). Test for interaction between tumor phenotype and StrTILs was p=0.15. Similar results were obtained when including only those patients maintaining a concordant TN or HER2+ phenotype on both primary tumor and recurrence (n=59).

StrTILs were assessed on matched primary tumors for 43 patients. Overall, no significant StrTILs variation between primary tumor and recurrence was observed (mean change -4.5%, Wilcoxon p=0.5). Mean change was -2.5% and -7% in HER2+ and TN cases (Wilcoxon p=0.63 and p=0.15, respectively). For TN patients with StrTILs &lt;10% on recurrence, a significant reduction from the primary tumor was observed (mean StrTILs 16% and 4% on primary and recurrent BC, respectively, Wilcoxon p 0.008).

Conclusions: Levels of StrTILs on recurrent BC seem to have an opposite effect on prognosis of metastatic BC patients according to tumor phenotype. Immunohistochemical characterization of TILs is ongoing, data will be available for the meeting.

Citation Format: Dieci MV, Giaratano T, Miglietta F, Griguolo G, Orvieto E, Falci C, Giorgi CA, Mioranza E, Tasca G, Cappellesso R, Ghiotto C, Conte P, Guarneri V. Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes in recurrent HER2+ and triple negative breast cancer: Prognostic value according to tumor phenotype [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-05-20.

Abstract P1-12-06: Factors related to the prognosis of breast cancer patients after the development of brain metastases

Background: Brain metastases (BM) are a serious relatively common complication of breast cancer (BC). We evaluated prognostic factors for survival after diagnosis of BM from BC in a contemporary cohort of pts.

Methods:Pts diagnosed with BM from BC between 1999 and march 2016 and treated at the Istituto Oncologico Veneto of Padua were evaluated. Overall survival (OS) was defined as time from BM diagnosis to death or last follow-up. Pts were classified in 4 categories according to the breast cancer-specific Graded Prognostic Assessment (GPA) index according to validated criteria (Sperduto et al, 2012), based on age, Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) and BC phenotype. Cox proportional models were used to calculate HR and 95% CI.

Results: 199 pts were identified. Median age at BM diagnosis was 56 yrs (range 28-84). Tumor phenotype distribution was as follows: triple negative (TN, 20.1%), hormone receptor (HR)-HER2+ (16.8%), HR+HER2+ (24.0%) and HR+HER2- (39.1%). Median time to BM diagnosis was 48.9 months (range 0-327), with significant differences according to tumor phenotype (median 27.3, 31.8, 46.1 and 55.2 months in TN, HR-HER2+, HR+HER2+, HR+HER2-, respectively, p=0.009). With respect to OS, no significant difference was observed across tumor phenotypes, with TN patients experiencing the worse outcome (median: 4.7, 7.7, 11.0 and 6.2 months in TN, HR-HER2+, HR+HER2+, HR+HER2-, p=0.187). The breast-specific GPA index, which combines tumor phenotype with patient-related features, was significantly associated with OS (Table). The number of local treatment received (radiotherapy, either whole brain or stereotactic, or neurosurgery) and the administration of systemic treatment after BM diagnosis were significantly associated with better OS (Table). Patients in the less favorable GPA category (GPA index &lt;1) were less likely to receive systemic treatment after BM diagnosis compared to other GPA categories (43% vs 71%, p=0.009); no association between GPA category and local treatment was observed. Patients undergoing increased lines of local treatments where more likely to receive systemic therapy (chi2 square test p&lt;0.001). To avoid bias we performed two separate multivariate analyses including: i) GPA category and number of local treatments; ii) GPA category (patients with GPA index &lt;1 excluded) and systemic treatment. GPA maintained a significant prognostic value in both models (p=0.002 and p=0.038, respectively). Both local and systemic treatments added independent prognostication beyond GPA (Table).

Prognostic factorsMedian OS, months (95%CI)HR (95%CI), univariatep, univariateHR (95%CI), corrected for GPAGPA category    3.5-418.8 (15.2-22.5)ref -2.5-38.8 (3.8-13.8)1.40 (0.80-2.43) -1.5-25.5 (3.5-7.5)1.76 (1.00-3.10) -0-1.02.7 (1.2-4.3)2.67 (1.35-5.28)0.019-Number of local tretaments received    03.0 (1.8-7.5)ref ref18.0 (5.8-10.3)0.53 (0.38-0.74) 0.54 (0.38-0.78)221.3 (15.2-27.3)0.36 (0.20-0.65) 0.49 (0.26-0.93)335.5 (33.5-37.6)0.12 (0.04-0.38)&lt;0.0010.08 (0.02-0.33)Systemic treatment    yes13.1 (8.7-17.4)   no2.6 (1.3-3.8)0.42 (0.30-0.58)&lt;0.0010.46 (0.31-0.68)

Conclusions: Patient-related features, tumor phenotype and multimodal treatments all independently contribute to modulate the prognosis of pts with BM from BC.

Citation Format: Griguolo G, Dieci MV, Giarratano T, Giorgi CA, Orvieto E, Ghiotto C, Falci C, Mioranza E, Tasca G, Milite N, Miglietta F, Conte P, Guarneri V. Factors related to the prognosis of breast cancer patients after the development of brain metastases [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-12-06.

Staging of locally advanced breast cancer and the prediction of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy: complementary role of scintimammography and 18F-FDG PET/CT

BACKGROUND

The primary endpoint of the study was to established the role of sestamibi scintimammography and PET/CT findings in locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) before neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NST) in different histological subtypes. The secondary endpoint was to determine the role of FDG PET/CT as multi-drug resistance marker.

METHODS

From January 2012, we prospectively enrolled 51 consecutive women (median age: 49 years; range: 27-76 yrs) with a biopsy-proven LABC. All patients underwent both sestamibi scintimammography and FDG PET/CT within one week before to start NST. Both examinations were qualitatively and semiquantitatively analysed. For scintimammography we calculated the tumor to background ratio (T/B) and the most intense uptake of the tumor to background ratio (I/B) according the following formula: T/B=[cntsT-cntsB]/ [cntsB] and I/B [cntsI-cntsB]/[cntsB]. Furthermore, the percentage washout index (WO) for T and I were obtained, according to: WOT,I= [cntsT,I]early image-[cntsT,I]delayed image/[cntsT,I]early image. Maximum and average (avg) standardized uptake value (SUV) was computed by PET/CT, using a region of interest. Patients who had an evidence of systemic metastases or a second active cancer at imaging scans, were excluded. At the end of pre-operative therapy, the response to therapy was assessed by the analysis of surgical specimen and then correlated with both scintimammographic and PET/CT data.

RESULTS

Based on the inclusion criteria, the final analysis was performed in 49 patients. Scintimammography and PET/CT showed a sensitivity of 100% for the evaluation of primary cancer, while PET/CT showed a slightly higher detection rate for axillary lymph node than scintimammography. According to the biological pattern, SUVmax and SUVavg resulted significantly different among histological subtypes, whereas scintimammographic data did not. At the end of neo-adjuvant therapy, pathological complete response was obtained in 12 (24.4%) patients, while 37 had a partial or no response to NST (identified as no-responders). On the basis of histopathological response to NST, median WOI resulted significantly lower in responders than non-responders (30.5% vs. 44%; P=0.027). Conversely, SUVmax and SUVavg were significantly higher in responders than non-responders (all P<0.05). In this latter subset of patients, high WOTs were associated with low SUVs. On the contrary, in responder group, high SUVs were reported particularly for high WOT values.

CONCLUSIONS

Scintimammography with sestamibi did not accurately determine the responsiveness to therapy. FDG PET/CT is more accurate in the prediction of response to therapy, particularly in the aggressive LABC subtype. Moreover, semiquantitative data by FDG PET seems to be linked with the chemosensitivity to NST.

Rare breast cancer subtypes: histological, molecular, and clinical peculiarities

Breast cancer encompasses a collection of different diseases characterized by different biological and pathological features, clinical presentation, response to treatments, clinical behavior, and outcome. On the basis of cell morphology, growth, and architecture patterns, breast cancer can be classified in up to 21 distinct histological types. Breast cancer special types, including the classic lobular invasive carcinoma, represent 25% of all breast cancers. The histological diversity of breast carcinomas has relevant prognostic implications. Indeed, the rare breast cancer group includes subtypes with very different prognoses, ranging from the tubular carcinoma, associated with an indolent clinical course, to metaplastic cancer, whose outcome is generally unfavorable. New approaches based on gene expression profiling allow the identification of molecularly defined breast cancer classes, with distinct biological features and clinical behavior. In clinical practice, immunohistochemical classification based on the expression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 and Ki67 is applied as a surrogate of the intrinsic molecular subtypes. However, the identification of intrinsic molecular subtypes were almost completely limited to the study of ductal invasive breast cancer. Moreover, some good-prognosis triple-negative histotypes, on the basis of gene expression profiling, can be classified among the poor-prognosis group. Therefore, histopathological classification remains a crucial component of breast cancer diagnosis. Special histologies can be very rare, and the majority of information on outcome and treatments derives from small series and case reports. As a consequence, clear recommendations about clinical management are still lacking. In this review, we summarize current knowledge about rare breast cancer histologies.

A 14-year-old girl with multiple tumors

Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (PXA) is a rare astrocytic tumor that usually occurs in the superficial cerebral hemispheres of children and young adult and has a favorable prognosis. We report a case of a 14-year-old girl with a recent history of sciatica and ataxic gait. Pre- and post-contrast brain and spinal MRI revealed the presence of multiple solid lesions with a cystic component in the cerebellum and the spinal cord with a concomitant massive leptomeningeal involvement Histological and immunohistochemical findings were concordant with a final diagnosis of WHO grade II PXA. Even the biological indolent PXAs' behavior, this is the third report in the literature of such an unusual multicentric PXA with leptomeningeal dissemination.

Diffuse leptomeningeal glioneuronal tumours: clinico-pathological follow-up

Glioneuronal tumours are a group of primary brain neoplasms of relatively recent acquisition in the World Health Organization (WHO) Classification of the Central Nervous System tumours. In diagnostic practice it is still possible to encounter glioneuronal tumours that cannot be placed into any of the well-defined WHO categories despite a growing list of entities. We have recently published four paediatric cases of diffuse leptomeningeal tumours that cannot be easily classified in the currently used CNS WHO classification, but which have histological and immunohistochemical criteria to be considered as glioneuronal tumours. The clinical, neuroradiological and pathological long-term follow-up of an unusual diffuse leptomeningeal glioneuronal tumour is presented herein.

Invasive lobular breast cancer: subtypes and outcome

Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) is the most common "special type" of breast cancer. Although conflicting literature data are available on the outcome of ILC, recently reported data indicate that ILC carries a poorer prognosis if compared to invasive ductal carcinomas. We evaluated clinical and biological features of 981 consecutive patients with pT1-3, pN1-3 M0 ILC. Median follow-up was 7.4 years for survival. A total of 541 patients were classified as classic (55.8%), 146 alveolar (14.9%), 145 mixed non-classic (14.8%), 104 solid (10.6%), and 38 trabecular (3.9%). A statistically significant difference in the outcome was observed at multivariate analysis for patients with solid (HR 2.44, 95% CI 1.39-4.29 for OS; HR 1.92, 95% CI 1.29-2.88 for DFS) and mixed non-classic (HR 1.99, 95% CI 1.12-3.53 for OS) versus patients with classical ILC. A statistically significant difference in the risk of distant metastases was observed at multivariate analysis for patients with Luminal B (HR 2.56, 95% CI 1.38-4.76), HER2 positive (HR 7.80, 95% CI 1.55-39.3), and triple negative (HR 7.61, 95% CI 2.63-22.1) subtypes versus patients with Luminal A ILC. Age ≥70 years, tumor size and degree of nodal involvement were additional independent predictors of reduced overall survival. The outcome of ILC significantly correlated with histological and immunohistochemically defined molecular subtypes. New tailored strategies should be explored in these subgroups of patients with poor outcome.

Pachymeningeal involvement in POEMS syndrome: MRI and histopathological study

Polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal gammopathy, skin changes (POEMS) syndrome is a rare plasma cell disease. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) seems to play a pathogenic role. Peripheral neuropathy is the main neurological feature. Cranial pachymeningitis has occasionally been reported, but no histopathological studies have been performed. The authors extensively evaluated the central nervous system MRI in 11 patients (seven men, four women; mean age at diagnosis 54.45 years) with POEMS syndrome. In two patients, meningeal histopathology with staining for VEGF and VEGF receptor was performed, and pachymeningeal involvement characterised at histopathological, immunohistochemical and confocal microscopy levels. Nine patients presented with cranial pachymeningitis. One patient suffered from migraine, and none complained of cranial nerve palsies or visual loss. None showed any MRI signs of spinal pachymeningitis. No correlation was found with disease duration and VEGF serum level. Histopathology showed hyperplasia of meningothelial cells, neovascularisation and obstructive vessel remodelling, without inflammation. VEGF and VEGF receptor were strongly coexpressed on endothelium, smooth-muscle cells of arterioles and meningothelial cells. In conclusion, POEMS patients present a high prevalence of meningeal involvement. The histological changes, different from those present in chronic pachymeningitis of other aetiology, suggest a possible VEGF role in the pathogenesis of the meningeal remodelling.

Pituitary tumor apoplexy presenting as infective meningoencephalitis

We report on a case of a 80-year-old man who developed progressive drowsiness with headache, fever and signs of meningeal irritation 2 days after a head trauma. Suspecting an infective meningoencephalitis, the patient was treated with wide spectrum antibiotic and antiviral therapy. Brain CT scan revealed a previously unknown pituitary expansive lesion. A brain MRI study confirmed the presence of an intrasellar lesion, which presented remarkable contrast ring enhancement, and showed non-specific inflammatory tissue on the clivus, possibly responsible of the clinical features of sterile meningitis. A biopsy proven diagnosis of pituitary apoplexy was made. This case highlights MRI as an important investigation for earlier recognition of pituitary apoplexy that can present with a clinical picture resembling an infective meningoencephalitis.

Diffuse leptomeningeal glioneuronal tumors: a new entity?

The peculiar radiological and pathological findings of four pediatric cases admitted to the University Hospital of Padua between 1990 and 2007 are described. In all cases, the contrast-enhanced head and spine magnetic resonance images revealed thickened and abnormally enhancing subarachnoid spaces particularly at the level of basal cisterns and interhemispheric fissure. Furthermore, small cystic lesions scattered throughout the brain and mainly in the cerebellum were also visible. All patients were missing a well-defined intraparenchymal mass, although during the follow-up a small intramedullary lesion appeared within the cervical spine in two and subsequently in the frontal horn of the left lateral ventricle in one of those. All patients presented an indolent long-term follow-up. Histologically, the tumors were composed by a monotonous population of cells arranged in straight lines or in small lobules. The cells were characterized by round to oval nuclei with finely granular dispersed chromatin, inconspicuous nucleoli with oligodendrocyte-like features. The morphological and immunohistochemical findings suggested in all cases a "glioneuronal commitment" of the tumors. Because of the unique similar clinical and neuroradiological characteristics, we propose this small series of tumors as a new possible distinct pathological and clinical entity.

Triple negative breast cancer: Adjuvant treatment and outcome of 62 patients

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Background: Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) represents around 12–20%. They are high risk in view of poorly differentiated tumor shortened survival, younger age, increased mortality rate in the first 5 years, increased risk of brain metastasis, rapid progression from distant recurrence to death of patients. To provide further insight we have undertaken a comprehensive multi year review of demographics tumor features adjuvant treatment and outcomes in this patients group. Methods: A retrospective analysis of all patients with TNBC treated by adjuvant chemotherapy between January 2000 and June 2008 was done though chart review. Results: Sixty-two patients were seen in our institution. The median age at diagnosis was 57 years (range 27–86 yrs). Forty-three patients underwent conservative breast cancer surgery, mastectomy 19 patients. All patients underwent axillary lymph nodes dissection or sentinel lymph node biopsy. The stage of the disease at diagnosis was: I in 22, IIA in 22, IIB in 8, IIIA in 4, IIIB in 2 and stage 0 in 4 patients. After multidisciplinary evaluation 58 patients received adjuvant treatment with: anthracycline based regimen in 30, anthracycline plus taxane in 4 and 24 patients were treated with Cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and 5-Fluorouracil (CMF) regimen. After median 13 months (4–71), 8 (13.7%) relapses were observed: 6 out 8 were anthracycline based regimen treated. The pattern of disease spread was: local recurrence 5, lymph node 1, liver 2 patients. The median follow-up was 25 months (range 95–1). Conclusions: Treatment options for TNBC are limited because of lack of targeted treatment. Current, old and new drugs alone or in combination (anthracycline, taxanes, platinum salts, bevacizumab, erlotinib, dasatinib, cetuximab) are used in an experimental setting.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.