Halle C. F. Moore

Goserelin for ovarian protection during breast-cancer adjuvant chemotherapy

BACKGROUND Ovarian failure is a common toxic effect of chemotherapy. Studies of the use of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists to protect ovarian function have shown mixed results and lack data on pregnancy outcomes. METHODS We randomly assigned 257 premenopausal women with operable hormone-receptor-negative breast cancer to receive standard chemotherapy with the GnRH agonist goserelin (goserelin group) or standard chemotherapy without goserelin (chemotherapy-alone group). The primary study end point was the rate of ovarian failure at 2 years, with ovarian failure defined as the absence of menses in the preceding 6 months and levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in the postmenopausal range. Rates were compared with the use of conditional logistic regression. Secondary end points included pregnancy outcomes and disease-free and overall survival. RESULTS At baseline, 218 patients were eligible and could be evaluated. Among 135 with complete primary end-point data, the ovarian failure rate was 8% in the goserelin group and 22% in the chemotherapy-alone group (odds ratio, 0.30; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.09 to 0.97; two-sided P=0.04). Owing to missing primary end-point data, sensitivity analyses were performed, and the results were consistent with the main findings. Missing data did not differ according to treatment group or according to the stratification factors of age and planned chemotherapy regimen. Among the 218 patients who could be evaluated, pregnancy occurred in more women in the goserelin group than in the chemotherapy-alone group (21% vs. 11%, P=0.03); women in the goserelin group also had improved disease-free survival (P=0.04) and overall survival (P=0.05). CONCLUSIONS Although missing data weaken interpretation of the findings, administration of goserelin with chemotherapy appeared to protect against ovarian failure, reducing the risk of early menopause and improving prospects for fertility. (Funded by the National Cancer Institute and others; POEMS/S0230 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00068601.).

Zoledronic acid effectively prevents aromatase inhibitor-associated bone loss in postmenopausal women with early breast cancer receiving adjuvant letrozole: Z-FAST study 36-month follow-up results.

BACKGROUND Postmenopausal women with breast cancer receiving adjuvant aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are at risk for accelerated bone loss and subsequent fractures. The ongoing Zometa-Femara Adjuvant Synergy Trial (Z-FAST) is evaluating the efficacy and safety of zoledronic acid in preventing such bone loss. PATIENTS AND METHODS In this multicenter study, postmenopausal women with early hormone receptor-positive breast cancer receiving adjuvant letrozole were randomized to receive up-front or delayed-start zoledronic acid (ZA; 4 mg intravenously every 6 months) for 5 years. Delayed-start ZA was administered if the lumbar spine (LS) or total hip (TH) T score fell below -2.0 or a nontraumatic fracture occurred. The primary endpoint was to compare the change from baseline in LS bone mineral density (BMD) between groups at month 12; secondary endpoints, measured at other predetermined timepoints, included comparing changes in TH BMD, LS BMD, and markers of bone turnover, fracture incidence, and time to disease recurrence. Herein, we report the results of the 36-month interim analysis. RESULTS Overall, 301 patients were randomized to each group. At month 36, the absolute difference in mean LS and TH BMDs between the up-front and delayed groups was 6.7% and 5.2%, respectively (P < .0001 for both). Although this study was not designed to show antifracture efficacy, the incidence of fractures was slightly higher in the delayed group (up-front, 17 [5.7%] vs. delayed, 19 [6.3%]) but not statistically significant (P = .8638). Pyrexia (27 [9%] vs. 6 [2%]; P = .0002) and bone pain (39 [13%] vs. 20 [6.7%]; P = .01) were more common in up-front patients; cough (13 [4.3%] vs. 27 [9%]; P = .03) was more common in delayed patients. No severe renal dysfunction or confirmed cases of osteonecrosis of the jaw were reported. Disease recurrence was reported in 9 up-front (3.0%) and 16 delayed (5.3%) patients (Kaplan-Meier analysis, P = .127), with an absolute decrease of 2.3%. CONCLUSION Up-front ZA more effectively prevents AI-associated bone loss in postmenopausal women with early breast cancer than delaying therapy until substantial bone loss or fracture occurs.

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) as primary methodology for the assessment of HER2 Status in adenocarcinoma of the breast: a single institution experience.

The demand for both reflexed and primary fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) testing in the clinical setting is increasing. Relevant literature has reported the incidence of HER2 overexpression in 20% to 30% of cases, but some reports suggest that HER2 gene amplification rates are substantially lower. Published data, however, on primary FISH assessment from a single institution is limited, especially information about the frequency of the anomalous genotypes defined by FISH. We report our experience with primary FISH testing in 742 consecutive cases of breast cancer, in the calendar year 2006. Eighty percent (595/742) of the breast cancer cases were not amplified for HER2 (HER2/CEP17=0.8-1.9), whereas 19% (142/742) of cases were HER2 amplified (HER2/CEP17≥2.0). Among the HER2-amplified cases, 3% (19/742) were low-level amplified (HER2/CEP17 ratio=2.0–2.5). Genotypic heterogeneity, defined as >5% but <50% of the tumor cells demonstrating HER2 gene amplification, was observed in 5% (40/7242) of the cases. HER2 monoallelic deletion (HER2/CEP17≤0.7) was demonstrated in 2% (12/742) of the cases and CEP17 monosomy (1 CEP17 signal in >80% of tumor cells) was observed in 2% (13/742). Polysomy, if defined as CEP17 spot count 3.0 or more in at least80% of tumor cells, was observed in 3% (20/742) of the cases. These data may be helpful as benchmarks for other institutions initiating primary FISH analysis for HER2 genotyping.

Impact of postmastectomy radiation on locoregional recurrence in breast cancer patients with 1-3 positive lymph nodes treated with modern systemic therapy.

PURPOSE Postmastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT) remains controversial for patients with 1-3 positive lymph nodes (LN+). METHODS AND MATERIALS We conducted a retrospective review of all 369 breast cancer patients with 1-3 LN+ who underwent mastectomy without neoadjuvant systemic therapy between 2000 and 2007 at Cleveland Clinic. RESULTS We identified 271 patients with 1-3 LN+ who did not receive PMRT and 98 who did receive PMRT. The median follow-up time was 5.2 years, and the median number of LN dissected was 11. Of those not treated with PMRT, 79% received adjuvant chemotherapy (of whom 70% received a taxane), 79% received hormonal therapy, and 5% had no systemic therapy. Of the Her2/neu amplified tumors, 42% received trastuzumab. The 5-year rate of locoregional recurrence (LRR) was 8.9% without PMRT vs 0% with PMRT (P=.004). For patients who did not receive PMRT, univariate analysis showed 6 risk factors significantly (P<.05) correlated with LRR: estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor negative (hazard ratio [HR] 2.6), lymphovascular invasion (HR 2.4), 2-3 LN+ (HR 2.6), nodal ratio >25% (HR 2.7), extracapsular extension (ECE) (HR 3.7), and Bloom-Richardson grade III (HR 3.1). The 5-year LRR rate was 3.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.1%-6.8%] for patients with 0-1 risk factor vs 14.6% [95% CI, 8.4%-20.9%] for patients with ≥2 risk factors (P=.0006), respectively. On multivariate analysis, ECE (HR 4.3, P=.0006) and grade III (HR 3.6, P=.004) remained significant risk factors for LRR. The 5-year LRR was 4.1% in patients with neither grade III nor ECE, 8.1% with either grade III or ECE, and 50.4% in patients with both grade III and ECE (P<.0001); the corresponding 5-year distant metastasis-free survival rates were 91.8%, 85.4%, and 59.1% (P=.0004), respectively. CONCLUSIONS PMRT offers excellent control for patients with 1-3 LN+, with no locoregional failures to date. Patients with 1-3 LN+ who have grade III disease and/or ECE should be strongly considered for PMRT.

Intensive Dose-Dense Compared With High-Dose Adjuvant Chemotherapy for High-Risk Operable Breast Cancer: Southwest Oncology Group/Intergroup Study 9623

PURPOSE Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG)/Intergroup study 9623 was undertaken to compare treatment with an anthracycline-based adjuvant chemotherapy regimen followed by high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) with autologous hematopoietic progenitor cell support (AHPCS) with a modern dose-dense dose-escalated (nonstandard) regimen including both an anthracycline and a taxane. PATIENTS AND METHODS Participants in this phase III randomized study had operable breast cancer involving four or more axillary lymph nodes and had completed mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery. Patients were randomly assigned to receive four cycles of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide followed by HDC with AHPCS or to receive sequential dose-dense and dose-escalated chemotherapy with doxorubicin, paclitaxel, and cyclophosphamide. The primary end point of this study was disease-free survival (DFS). RESULTS Among 536 eligible patients, there was no significant difference between the two arms for DFS or overall survival (OS). Estimated five-year DFS was 80% (95% CI, 76% to 85%) for dose-dense therapy and 75% (95% CI, 69% to 80%) for transplantation. Estimated 5-year OS was 88% (95% CI, 84% to 92%) for dose-dense therapy and 84% (95% CI, 79% to 88%) for transplantation. CONCLUSION There is no evidence that transplantation was superior to dose-dense dose-escalated therapy. Transplantation was associated with an increase in toxicity and a possibly inferior outcome, although the hazard ratios were not significantly different from 1.

SWOG S0221: A Phase III Trial Comparing Chemotherapy Schedules in High-Risk Early-Stage Breast Cancer

PURPOSE To determine the optimal dose and schedule of anthracycline and taxane administration as adjuvant therapy for early-stage breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS A 2 × 2 factorial design was used to test two hypotheses: (1) that a novel continuous schedule of doxorubicin-cyclophosphamide was superior to six cycles of doxorubicin-cyclophosphamide once every 2 weeks and (2) that paclitaxel once per week was superior to six cycles of paclitaxel once every 2 weeks in patients with node-positive or high-risk node-negative early-stage breast cancer. With 3,250 patients, a disease-free survival (DFS) hazard ratio of 0.82 for each randomization could be detected with 90% power with two-sided α = .05. Overall survival (OS) was a secondary outcome. RESULTS Interim analyses crossed the futility boundaries for demonstrating superiority of both once-per-week regimens and once-every-2-weeks regimens. After a median follow-up of 6 years, a significant interaction developed between the two randomization factors (DFS P = .024; OS P = .010) in the 2,716 patients randomly assigned in the original design, which precluded interpretation of the two factors separately. Comparing all four arms showed a significant difference in OS (P = .040) but not in DFS (P = .11), with all treatments given once every 2 weeks associated with the highest OS. This difference in OS seemed confined to patients with hormone receptor-negative/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) -negative tumors (P = .067), with no differences seen with hormone receptor-positive/HER2-negative (P = .90) or HER2-positive tumors (P = .40). CONCLUSION Patients achieved a similar DFS with any of these regimens. Subset analysis suggests the hypothesis that once-every-2-weeks dosing may be best for patients with hormone receptor-negative/HER2-negative tumors.

Protecting Ovaries During Chemotherapy Through Gonad Suppression: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE:To estimate whether gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analog administration during chemotherapy can protect against development of ovarian toxicity.DATA SOURCES:MEDLINE (1966 to present), EMBASE (1980 to present), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), World Health O

Phase III trial (Prevention of Early Menopause Study [POEMS]-SWOG S0230) of LHRH analog during chemotherapy (CT) to reduce ovarian failure in early-stage, hormone receptor-negative breast cancer: An international Intergroup trial of SWOG, IBCSG, ECOG, and CALGB (Alliance).

LBA505 Background: Premature ovarian failure (POF) is a common toxicity of CT. Risk depends on type and amount of CT, age, and perhaps ovarian cycling at the time of CT. POEMS is a SWOG-coordinated phase III randomized study to evaluate whether LHRH analog administration with CT for early-stage breast cancer (BC) would reduce POF. METHODS Premenopausal patients (PT) age <50 with stage I-IIIA ER/PR-negative BC to be treated with CT were randomized to receive standard cyclophosphamide-containing CT with or without monthly goserelin (GN) 3.6 mg SQ starting 1 week prior to the first CT dose. The primary endpoint is 2-year POF, defined as amenorrhea for the prior 6 months and post-menopausal FSH. Other endpoints include pregnancies and survival. Endpoints were analyzed in multivariable regression adjusting for stratification factors (age and CT regimen). RESULTS Between 2/04 and 5/11, 257 PT enrolled. Among 218 evaluable PT, 62% had complete primary endpoint data. Dropouts (n=83) were mostly due to deaths (n=14) or lack of FSH data. There was no strong evidence of informative missing data by arm according to stratification factors (p>.05). POF rates were 22% in the standard arm and 8% in the GN arm (OR=0.30, 95% CI: 0.10-0.87, p=.03 [unadjusted analysis]; OR=0.36, 95%CI: 0.11-1.14, p=0.08 [adjusted logistic regression analysis]). In a sensitivity analysis defining 2-year POF more liberally as either amenorrhea or elevated FSH, 45% in the standard arm and 20% in the GN arm had POF (OR=0.29, 95% CI: 0.12-0.70, p=.006). There were 13 pregnancies in the standard arm and 22 in the GN arm (OR=2.22, 95% CI: 1.00-4.92, p=.05). DFS and OS were better in the GN arm (Cox regression, including stage: HR=0.49, 95% CI: 0.24-0.97, p=.04; HR=0.43, 95% CI: 0.18-1.00, p=.05, respectively). CONCLUSIONS LHRH analog administration with CT was associated with less POF and more pregnancies. In an exploratory analysis, GN use in premenopausal ER-negative BC was associated with improved DFS and OS. CLINICAL TRIAL INFORMATION NCT00068601.

Impact on Quality of Life of Adjuvant Therapy for Breast Cancer

Late toxicities of adjuvant chemotherapy and side effects of endocrine therapy may cause long-term quality-of-life impairments for some individuals who have been treated for breast cancer. Chemotherapy has been associated with durable effects on cognitive function and fatigue and with the induction of menopause. Endocrine therapies can increase menopausal and sexual symptoms and can contribute to weight gain. Overall, however, quality of life is good for the majority of breast cancer survivors who have received adjuvant systemic therapy. Behavioral interventions that target fatigue and sleep disturbance may further enhance quality of life.

Managing menopause after breast cancer: Balancing risks and benefits

Many women now survive breast cancer, but find themselves at increased risk of menopausal complications. How to manage menopause after breast cancer is a complex issue, given that estrogen has a role in the development of breast cancer and valid concerns exist about estrogen replacement therapy in patients who have had breast cancer. This article explores the relationship between estrogens and breast cancer and discusses management options for a variety of menopausal complications in breast cancer survivors.