L. Belin

Time-Dependent Prognostic Impact of Circulating Tumor Cells Detection in Non-Metastatic Breast Cancer: 70-Month Analysis of the REMAGUS02 Study

Introduction. In non-metastatic breast cancer patients, the REMAGUS02 neoadjuvant study was the first to report a significant impact of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) detection by the CellSearch system on the distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) and overall survival (OS) endpoints. However, these results were only reported after a short follow-up. Here, we present the updated data, with a longer follow-up. Material and Methods. CTC count was performed before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in 118 patients and correlated to survival. Results. CTC count results were available before and/or after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in 115 patients. After a median follow-up of 70 months, detection of ≥1 CTC/7.5 mL before chemotherapy (N = 95) was significantly associated with DMFS (P = 0.04) and OS (P = 0.03), whereas postchemotherapy CTC detection (N = 85) had no significant impact. In multivariable analysis, prechemotherapy CTC and triple negative phenotype were the two independent prognostic factors for survival. We observed that the CTC impact is most significant during the first three years of follow-up. Discussion. We confirm that the detection of CTC is independently associated with a significantly worse outcome, but mainly during the first 3-4 years of follow-up. No prognostic impact is seen in patients who are still relapse-free at this moment.

Preoperative radio-chemotherapy in early breast cancer patients: long-term results of a phase II trial.

PURPOSE This phase II trial aimed to investigate the efficacy of concurrent radio- (RT) and chemotherapy (CT) in the preoperative setting for operable, non-metastatic breast cancer (BC) not amenable to initial breast-conserving surgery (BCS). PATIENTS AND METHODS From 2001 to 2003, 59 women were included. CT consisted of four cycles of 5-FU, 500 mg/m(2)/d, continuous infusion (d1-d5) and vinorelbine, 25 mg/m(2) (d1 and d6). Starting concurrently with the second cycle, RT delivered 50 Gy to the breast and 46 Gy to the internal mammary and supra/infra-clavicular areas. Breast surgery and lymph node dissection were then performed. Adjuvant treatment consisted of a 16 Gy boost to the tumor bed after BCS, FEC (four cycles of fluorouracil 500 mg/m(2), cyclophosphamide 500 mg/m(2), and epirubicin 100 mg/m(2), d1; d21) for pN1-3 and hormone-therapy for positive hormone receptors BC. RESULTS The in-breast pathological complete response rate was 27%. BCS was performed in 41 (69%) pts. Overall and distant-disease free survivals at 5 years were respectively 88% [95% CI 80-98] and 83% [95% CI 74-93] whereas locoregional and local controls were 90% [95% CI 82-97] and 97% [95% CI 92-100]. Late toxicity (CTCAE-V3) was assessed in 51 pts (86%) with a median follow-up of 7 years [5-8]. Four (8%) experienced at least one grade III toxicities (one telangectasia and three fibroses). Cosmetic results, assessed in 35 of the 41 pts (85%) who retained their breasts, were poor in four pts (11%). CONCLUSION Preoperative concurrent administration of RT and CT is an effective regimen. Long-term toxicity is moderate. This association deserves further evaluations in prospective trials.

Pathological complete response and prognosis after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for HER2 -positive breast cancers before and after trastuzumab era: results from a real-life cohort

Background:Trastuzumab was introduced a decade ago and has improved outcomes for HER2-positive breast cancer. We investigated the factors predictive of pathological complete response (pCR), prognostic factors for disease-free survival (DFS), and interactions between pCR and DFS after neoadjuvant treatment.Methods:We identified 287 patients with primary HER2-positive breast cancers given neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) between 2002 and 2011. Univariate and multivariate analyses of clinical and pathological factors associated with pCR and DFS were performed.Results:pCR rates differed between patients receiving neoadjuvant trastuzumab treatment or not (47.7% versus 19.3%, P<0.0001). DFS also differed significantly between patients receiving adjuvant trastuzumab or not (hazard ratio=4.84, 95% CI (2.52; 9.31), P<0.001). We analysed 199 patients given neoadjuvant and adjuvant trastuzumab. Multivariate analysis identified older age and hormone receptor-negative tumours as independent predictors of pCR. T stage (hazard ratio=2.55, 95% CI (1.01; 6.48), P=0.05) and strict pCR (hazard ratio=9.15, 95% CI (1.22; 68.83), P=0.03) were independent predictors of DFS. The latter association was significant in the HR-negative subgroup (P=0.02) but not in the HR-positive subgroup (P=0.12).Conclusions:Major pCR and DFS gains in HER2-positive BC were observed since ‘trastuzumab’ era. Further improvements rely on the enrollment of accurately selected patients into clinical trials.

Locoregional Treatment for Breast Carcinoma After Hodgkin's Lymphoma: The Breast Conservation Option

PURPOSE To report clinical and pathologic characteristics and outcome of breast cancer (BC) after irradiation for Hodgkins lymphoma (HL) in women treated at the Institut Curie, with a special focus on the breast-conserving option. METHODS AND MATERIALS Medical records of 72 women who developed either ductal carcinoma in situ or Stage I-III invasive carcinoma of the breast after HL between 1978 and 2009 were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS Median age at HL diagnosis was 23 years (range, 14-53 years). Median total dose received by the mediastinum was 40 Gy, mostly by a mantle-field technique. Breast cancers occurred after a median interval of 21 years (range, 5-40 years). Ductal invasive carcinoma and ductal carcinoma in situ represented, respectively, 51 cases (71%) and 14 cases (19%). Invasive BCs consisted of 47 cT0-2 tumors (82%), 5 cN1-3 tumors (9%), and 20 Grade 3 tumors (35%). Locoregional treatment for BCs consisted of mastectomy with (3) or without (36) radiotherapy in 39 patients and lumpectomy with (30) or without (2) adjuvant radiotherapy in 32 patients. The isocentric lateral decubitus radiation technique was used in 17 patients after breast-conserving surgery (57%). With a median follow-up of 7 years, 5-year overall survival rate and locoregional control rate were, respectively, 74.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 64-88%) and 82% (95% CI, 72-93%) for invasive carcinoma and 100% (95% CI, 100 -100%) and 92% (95% CI, 79-100%) for in situ carcinoma. In patients with invasive tumors, the 5-year distant disease-free survival rate was 79% (95% CI, 69-91%), and 13 patients died of progressive BC. Contralateral BC was diagnosed in 10 patients (14%). CONCLUSIONS Breast-conserving treatment can be an option for BCs that occur after HL, despite prior thoracic irradiation. It should consist of lumpectomy and adjuvant breast radiotherapy with use of adequate techniques, such as the lateral decubitus isocentric position, to protect the underlying heart and lung.

Beyond Axillary Lymph Node Metastasis, BMI and Menopausal Status Are Prognostic Determinants for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Treated by Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy.

Background Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) are a specific subtype of breast cancers with a particularly poor prognosis. However, it is a very heterogeneous subgroup in terms of clinical behavior and sensitivity to systemic treatments. Thus, the identification of risk factors specifically associated with those tumors still represents a major challenge. A therapeutic strategy increasingly used for TNBC patients is neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Only a subset of patients achieves a pathologic complete response (pCR) after NAC and have a better outcome than patients with residual disease. Purpose The aim of this study is to identify clinical factors associated with the metastatic-free survival in TNBC patients who received NAC. Methods We analyzed 326 cT1-3N1-3M0 patients with ductal infiltrating TNBC treated by NAC. The survival analysis was performed using a Cox proportional hazard model to determine clinical features associated with prognosis on the whole TNBC dataset. In addition, we built a recursive partitioning tree in order to identify additional clinical features associated with prognosis in specific subgroups of TNBC patients. Results We identified the lymph node involvement after NAC as the only clinical feature significantly associated with a poor prognosis using a Cox multivariate model (HR = 3.89 [2.42–6.25], p<0.0001). Using our recursive partitioning tree, we were able to distinguish 5 subgroups of TNBC patients with different prognosis. For patients without lymph node involvement after NAC, obesity was significantly associated with a poor prognosis (HR = 2.64 [1.28–5.55]). As for patients with lymph node involvement after NAC, the pre-menopausal status in grade III tumors was associated with poor prognosis (HR = 9.68 [5.71–18.31]). Conclusion This study demonstrates that axillary lymph node status after NAC is the major prognostic factor for triple-negative breast cancers. Moreover, we identified body mass index and menopausal status as two other promising prognostic factors in this breast cancer subgroup. Using these clinical factors, we were able to classify TNBC patients in 5 subgroups, for which pre-menopausal patients with grade III tumors and lymph node involvement after NAC have the worse prognosis.

From prospective biobanking to precision medicine: BIO-RAIDs – an EU study protocol in cervical cancer

BackgroundCervical cancer (CC) is -second to breast cancer- a dominant cause of gynecological cancer-related deaths worldwide. CC tumor biopsies and blood samples are of easy access and vital for the development of future precision medicine strategies.DesignBIO-RAIDs is a prospective multicenter European study, presently recruiting patients in 6 EU countries. Tumor and liquid biopsies from patients with previously non-treated cervical cancer (stages IB2-IV) are collected at defined time points. Patients receive standard primary treatment according to the stage of their disease. 700 patients are planned to be enrolled. The main objectives are the discovery of -dominant molecular alterations, -signalling pathway activation, and -tumor micro-environment patterns that may predict response or resistance to treatment. An exhaustive molecular analysis is performed using 1° Next generation sequencing, 2° Reverse phase protein arrays and 3° Immuno-histochemistry.DiscussionThe clinical study BIO-RAIDs is activated in all planned countries, 170 patients have been recruited till now. This study will make an important contribution towards precision medicine treatments in cervical cancer. The results will support the development of clinical practice guidelines for cervical cancer patients to improve their prognosis and their quality of life.Trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov: NCT02428842, registered 10 February 2015.

Late toxicities and outcomes of adjuvant radiotherapy combined with concurrent bevacizumab in patients with triple-negative non-metastatic breast cancer

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the safety of the concurrent combination of bevacizumab with adjuvant radiotherapy (B-RT) in breast cancer (BC). METHODS Multicentre, prospective study, of the toxicity of adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) alone or B-RT in patients with non-metastatic BC enrolled in randomized Phase 3 BEATRICE trial. Early and late toxicities were assessed by the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v. 3.0 during and 12 months after the completion of RT. RESULTS From 2007 to 2012, 39 females received adjuvant B-RT and 45 received adjuvant RT alone. Median follow-up was 21.5 months. All patients had triple-negative non-metastatic BC and received adjuvant chemotherapy followed by RT. 90% of the 39 females treated by concurrent B-RT received whole breast irradiation (WBI) with a boost and 4 (10%) received post-mastectomy RT. Lymph node RT was delivered in 49% of the females with internal mammary chain irradiation. The mean duration of bevacizumab was 11.7 months. 38 (84%) females treated by RT alone received WBI with a boost and 16% of the females received post-mastectomy RT. Lymph node RT was delivered in 47% of the females with internal mammary chain RT in 31%. Grade 3 acute dermatitis was observed in 9% of patients receiving B-RT and 5% of patients receiving RT alone with no significant difference. 1 year after the completion of RT, the most common late grade 1-2 toxicities in the B-RT group were pain (18%), fibrosis (8%) and telangiectasia (5%). CONCLUSION The concurrent bevacizumab with locoregional RT is associated with acceptable early and late 1-year toxicities in patients with BC. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE The largest series of this association.

Time-varying effect and long-term survival analysis in breast cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy

Background:Recent studies have indicated the prognostic value of tumour subtype and pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). However these results were reported after a short follow-up and using a standard Cox model which could be unsatisfactory for time-dependent factors. In the present study, we identified the prognostic factors for long-term outcome after NAC, considering that they could have an inconstant impact over time.Methods:Prognostic factors from 956 consecutive breast cancer patients treated with NAC were identified and associated with long-term outcomes. We estimated survival by a time function multivariate Cox model regression and stratified by follow-up length.Results:The prognostic value of tumour histological grade and hormone receptors status varied as distant recurrence-free interval (DRFI) increased. The multivariate analysis identified the following significant prognostic factors: tumour size, N stage, clinical and pathological response to NAC, hormone receptors (HR) status and histological tumour grade. The ‘prognostic benefit’ of low-grade and positive-HR status decreased over the years. Thus, in the early years after cancer diagnosis, the hazard ratio of distant recurrences in patients with positive-HR status increased from 0.26 (95% CI 0.1–0.4) at 6 months to 2.2 (95% CI 1.3–3.7) at 120 months. The histological tumour grade followed a similar trend. The hazard ratio of grade III patients compared with grade I was 1.83 (95% CI 1.1–2.8) at 36 months and diminished over time to 0.70 (95% CI 0.4–1.3) at 120 months. This indicates that the risk of recurrence for positive-HR patients was 74% lower at 6 months compared with the negative-hormone receptor group, but 30% higher at 5 years and more than double at 10 years. High-grade tumours presented a risk of 83% in the earlier years decreasing to 30% at 10 years versus the low-grade group.Conclusion:From the present study, we conclude the importance of identifying time-dependent prognostic factors. Distant recurrence-free interval within women who receive NAC are influenced by achieving pCR and breast cancer subtype. Tumours with more aggressive biology have poorer survival during the first 5 years, but if they exceed this point their prognostic impact is no longer significant. Conversely, positive-HR patients remain at risk for distant recurrence for many years.

Radiotherapy associated with concurrent bevacizumab in patients with non-metastatic breast cancer *

The purpose of this multicenter prospective and descriptive study was to determine late toxicities and outcomes among patients with non-metastatic breast cancer receiving concurrent bevacizumab (BV) and radiation therapy (RT) in the clinical trials. Early and late toxicities were assessed and evaluation was available for 63 patients (pts) at 12 months. Acute radiation dermatitis was observed in 48 (76%): grade 1 for 27, grade 2 for 17 and grade 3 for 4 pts. Grade 2 acute oesophagitis was observed in one patient (2%). Little toxicity was described 1 year after the completion of RT: 7 pts (12%): grade 1-2 pain, 3 (5%) presented grade 1 fibrosis, and 2 pts (4%) - telangiectasia. One patient (2%) experienced grade 1 dyspnoea. Five grade 1-2 lymphoedema occurred. Only one patient experienced a LEVF value less than 50% one year after the end of RT. In conclusion, the concurrent BV with locoregional RT provides acceptable toxicities.

Our experience of solitary plasmacytoma of the bone: improved PFS with a short-course treatment by IMiDs or proteasome inhibitors combined with intensity-modulated radiotherapy

Emmanuelle Le Ray, Lisa Belin, Corine Plancher, Philippe Anract, Antoine Babinet, Val erie Dumaine, J erôme Tamburini, B en edicte Deau Fischer, Lise Willems, Leonardo Magro, Thierry Facon, Xavier Leleu, Didier Bouscary and Youlia M. Kirova Service d’H ematologie, Hôpital Cochin, AP-HP, Paris, France; Facult e de M edecine Sorbonne Paris Cit e, Universit e Paris Descartes, Paris, France; Department of Biostatistics, Institut Curie, Paris, France; Service de chirurgie orthop edique, Hôpital Cochin, AP-HP, Paris, France; Institut Cochin, D epartement D eveloppement Reproduction Cancer, CNRS UMR8104, INSERM U1016, Paris, France; Service d’H ematologie, CHRU Lille, Lille, France; Service d’h ematologie, CHU de Poitiers, Poitiers, France; Department of Radiation Therapy, Institut Curie, Paris, France