Werner Kwasny

Endocrine therapy plus zoledronic acid in premenopausal breast cancer.

BACKGROUND Ovarian suppression plus tamoxifen is a standard adjuvant treatment in premenopausal women with endocrine-responsive breast cancer. Aromatase inhibitors are superior to tamoxifen in postmenopausal patients, and preclinical data suggest that zoledronic acid has antitumor properties. METHODS We examined the effect of adding zoledronic acid to a combination of either goserelin and tamoxifen or goserelin and anastrozole in premenopausal women with endocrine-responsive early breast cancer. We randomly assigned 1803 patients to receive goserelin (3.6 mg given subcutaneously every 28 days) plus tamoxifen (20 mg per day given orally) or anastrozole (1 mg per day given orally) with or without zoledronic acid (4 mg given intravenously every 6 months) for 3 years. The primary end point was disease-free survival; recurrence-free survival and overall survival were secondary end points. RESULTS After a median follow-up of 47.8 months, 137 events had occurred, with disease-free survival rates of 92.8% in the tamoxifen group, 92.0% in the anastrozole group, 90.8% in the group that received endocrine therapy alone, and 94.0% in the group that received endocrine therapy with zoledronic acid. There was no significant difference in disease-free survival between the anastrozole and tamoxifen groups (hazard ratio for disease progression in the anastrozole group, 1.10; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.78 to 1.53; P=0.59). The addition of zoledronic acid to endocrine therapy, as compared with endocrine therapy without zoledronic acid, resulted in an absolute reduction of 3.2 percentage points and a relative reduction of 36% in the risk of disease progression (hazard ratio, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.46 to 0.91; P=0.01); the addition of zoledronic acid did not significantly reduce the risk of death (hazard ratio, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.32 to 1.11; P=0.11). Adverse events were consistent with known drug-safety profiles. CONCLUSIONS The addition of zoledronic acid to adjuvant endocrine therapy improves disease-free survival in premenopausal patients with estrogen-responsive early breast cancer. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00295646.)

Randomized Adjuvant Trial of Tamoxifen and Goserelin Versus Cyclophosphamide, Methotrexate, and Fluorouracil: Evidence for the Superiority of Treatment With Endocrine Blockade in Premenopausal Patients With Hormone-Responsive Breast Cancer—Austrian Breast and Colorectal Cancer Study Group Trial 5

PURPOSE Effective adjuvant treatment modalities in premenopausal breast cancer patients today include chemotherapy, ovariectomy, and tamoxifen administration. The purpose of Austrian Breast and Colorectal Cancer Study Group Trial 5 was to compare the efficacy of a combination endocrine treatment with standard chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS Assessable trial subjects (N = 1,034) presenting with hormone-responsive disease were randomized to receive either 3 years of goserelin plus 5 years of tamoxifen or six cycles of cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil (CMF). Stratification criteria included tumor stage and grade, number of involved nodes, type of surgery, and steroid hormone receptor content. Relapse-free survival (RFS) was defined as time from randomization to first relapse, local recurrence, or contralateral incidence, and overall survival (OS) as time to date of death. RESULTS With a 60-month median follow-up, 17.2% of patients in the endocrine group and 20.8% undergoing chemotherapy developed relapses. Local recurrences emerged in 4.7% and 8.0%, respectively. RFS and local recurrence-free survival differed significantly in favor of endocrine therapy (P =.037 and P =.015), with a similar trend observed in OS (P =.195). CONCLUSION Overall, our data suggest that the goserelin-tamoxifen combination is significantly more effective than CMF in the adjuvant treatment of premenopausal patients with stage I and II breast cancer.

Predicting distant recurrence in receptor-positive breast cancer patients with limited clinicopathological risk: using the PAM50 Risk of Recurrence score in 1478 postmenopausal patients of the ABCSG-8 trial treated with adjuvant endocrine therapy alone.

BACKGROUND PAM50 is a 50-gene test that is designed to identify intrinsic breast cancer subtypes and generate a Risk of Recurrence (ROR) score. It has been developed to be carried out in qualified routine hospital pathology laboratories. PATIENTS AND METHODS One thousand four hundred seventy-eight postmenopausal women with estrogen receptor (ER)+ early breast cancer (EBC) treated with tamoxifen or tamoxifen followed by anastrozole from the prospective randomized ABCSG-8 trial were entered into this study. Patients did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy. RNA was extracted from paraffin blocks and analyzed using the PAM50 test. Both intrinsic subtype (luminal A/B, HER2-enriched, basal-like) and ROR score were calculated. The primary analysis was designed to test whether the continuous ROR score adds prognostic value in predicting distant recurrence (DR) over and above standard clinical variables. RESULTS In all tested subgroups, ROR score significantly adds prognostic information to the clinical predictor (P<0.0001). PAM50 assigns an intrinsic subtype to all cases, and the luminal A cohort had a significantly lower ROR at 10 years compared with Luminal B (P<0.0001). Significant and clinically relevant discrimination between low- and high-risk groups occurred also within all tested subgroups. CONCLUSION(S) The results of the primary analysis, in combination with recently published results from the ATAC trial, constitute Level 1 evidence for clinical validity of the PAM50 test for predicting the risk of DR in postmenopausal women with ER+ EBC. A 10-year metastasis risk of <3.5% in the ROR low category makes it unlikely that additional chemotherapy would improve this outcome-this finding could help to avoid unwarranted overtreatment. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER ABCSG 8: NCT00291759.

Zoledronic acid combined with adjuvant endocrine therapy of tamoxifen versus anastrozol plus ovarian function suppression in premenopausal early breast cancer: final analysis of the Austrian Breast and Colorectal Cancer Study Group Trial 12

BACKGROUND Zoledronic acid (ZOL) plus adjuvant endocrine therapy significantly improved disease-free survival (DFS) at 48- and 62-month follow-up in the ABCSG-12 trial. We present efficacy results of a final additional analysis after 94.4 months. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients were premenopausal women who had undergone primary surgery for stage I/II estrogen-receptor-positive and/or progesterone-receptor-positive breast cancer with <10 positive lymph nodes, and were scheduled for standard goserelin therapy. All 1803 patients received goserelin (3.6 mg every 28 days) and were randomized to tamoxifen (20 mg/days) or anastrozole (1 mg/days), both with or without ZOL (4 mg every 6 months) for 3 years. The primary end point was DFS; recurrence-free survival and overall survival (OS) were secondary end points. RESULTS After 94.4-month median follow-up (range, 0-114 months), relative risks of disease progression [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.77; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.60-0.99; P = 0.042] and of death (HR = 0.66; 95% CI 0.43-1.02; P = 0.064) are still reduced by ZOL although no longer significant at the predefined significance level. Overall, 251 DFS events and 86 deaths were reported. Absolute risk reductions with ZOL were 3.4% for DFS and 2.2% for OS. There was no DFS difference between tamoxifen alone versus anastrozole alone, but there was a pronounced higher risk of death for anastrozole-treated patients (HR = 1.63; 95% CI 1.05-1.45; P = 0.030). Treatments were generally well tolerated, with no reports of renal failure or osteonecrosis of the jaw. CONCLUSION These final results from ABCSG 12 suggest that twice-yearly ZOL enhances the efficacy of adjuvant endocrine treatment, and this benefit is maintained long-term. CLINICALTRIALSGOV NCT00295646 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=00295646).

Irinotecan plus raltitrexed vs raltitrexed alone in patients with gemcitabine-pretreated advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma

There is no established second-line treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer after gemcitabine failure. In view of the urgent need for such therapy, and since preclinical and phase I clinical data suggest an encouraging, potentially synergistic activity between raltitrexed and irinotecan, the present randomised phase II study was initiated. A total of 38 patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma, who progressed while receiving or within 6 months after discontinuation of palliative first-line chemotherapy with gemcitabine, were enrolled in this study. They were randomised to 3-weekly courses of raltitrexed 3 mg m−2 on day 1 (arm A) or irinotecan 200 mg m−2 on day 1 plus raltitrexed 3 mg m−2 on day 2 (arm B). The primary study end point was objective response, secondary end points included progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), as well as clinical benefit response in symptomatic patients (n=28). In the combination arm, the IRC-confirmed objective response rate was 16% (three out of 19 patients had a partial remission; 95% CI, 3–40%), which was clearly superior to that in the comparator/control arm with raltitrexed alone, in which no response was obtained. Therefore, the trial was already stopped at the first stage of accrual. Also, the secondary study end points, median PFS (2.5 vs 4.0 months), OS (4.3 vs 6.5 months), and clinical benefit response (8 vs 29%) were superior in the combination arm. The objective and subjective benefits of raltitrexed+irinotecan were not negated by severe, clinically relevant treatment-related toxicities: gastrointestinal symptoms (42 vs 68%), partial alopecia (0 vs 42%), and cholinergic syndrome (0 vs 21%) were more commonly noted in arm B; however, grade 3 adverse events occurred in only three patients in both treatment groups. Our data indicate that combined raltitrexed+irinotecan seems to be an effective salvage regimen in patients with gemcitabine-pretreated pancreatic cancer. The superior response activity, PFS and OS (when compared to raltitrexed), as well as its tolerability and ease of administration suggest that future trials with this combination are warranted.

Pathologic Complete Response With Six Compared With Three Cycles of Neoadjuvant Epirubicin Plus Docetaxel and Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor in Operable Breast Cancer: Results of ABCSG-14

PURPOSE Preoperative (neoadjuvant) chemotherapy for operable breast cancer downstages tumors initially not suitable for breast-conserving surgery. A pathologic complete response (pCR) to neoadjuvant chemotherapy may be a surrogate for longer overall survival, but this beneficial effect remains to be established. This phase III trial evaluated whether doubling the number of cycles of neoadjuvant treatment increased the pCR rate. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with biopsy-proven breast cancer (T1-4a-c, N+/-, M0; stage I to III) were eligible and randomly assigned to either three or six cycles of epirubicin 75 mg/m2 and docetaxel 75 mg/m2 on day 1 and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor on days 3 through 10 (ED+G), every 21 days. The primary end point was the pCR rate of the breast tumor. Secondary end points were pathologic nodal status after surgery and the rate of breast-conserving surgery. RESULTS A total of 292 patients were accrued, and 288 patients were assessable for efficacy and safety. Groups were well balanced for known prognostic factors. Six cycles of ED+G, compared with three cycles, resulted in a significantly higher pCR rate (18.6% v 7.7%, respectively; P = .0045), a higher percentage of patients with negative axillary status (56.6% v 42.8%, respectively; P = .02), and a trend towards more breast-conserving surgery (75.9% v 66.9%, respectively; P = .10). Rates of adverse events were similar, and no patients died on treatment. CONCLUSION Doubling the number of neoadjuvant ED+G cycles from three to six results in higher rates of pCR and negative axillary nodal status with no excess of adverse effects. Thus, six cycles of ED+G should be the standard neoadjuvant treatment for operable breast cancer if this combination is chosen.

Combined Irinotecan and Oxaliplatin Plus Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor in Patients With Advanced Fluoropyrimidine/Leucovorin-Pretreated Colorectal Cancer

PURPOSE To evaluate the efficacy and tolerance of combined irinotecan and oxaliplatin in patients with advanced colorectal cancer pretreated with leucovorin-modulated fluoropyrimidines. PATIENTS AND METHODS Thirty-six patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, who progressed while receiving or within 6 months after discontinuing palliative chemotherapy with fluoropyrimidines/leucovorin, were enrolled onto this study. Treatment consisted of oxaliplatin 85 mg/m2 on days 1 + 15 and irinotecan 80 mg/m2 on days 1 + 8 + 15 every 4 weeks. Depending on the absolute neutrophil counts (ANC) on the day of scheduled chemotherapeutic drug administration, a 5-day course of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) 5 microg/kg/d was given. RESULTS The overall response rate was 42% for all 36 assessable patients (95% confidence interval, 26% to 59%), including two complete remissions (6%). Thirteen additional patients (36%) had stable disease, and only eight (22%) progressed. The median time to treatment failure was 7.5 months (range, 1 to 13.5+ months). After a median follow-up time of 14 months, 19 patients (53%) are still alive. Hematologic toxicity was commonly observed, although according to the ANC-adapted use of G-CSF (in 31 patients during 81 of 174 courses), it was generally mild: grade 3 and 4 granulocytopenia occurred in only five and two cases, respectively. The most frequent nonhematologic adverse reactions were nausea/emesis and diarrhea, which were rated severe in 17% and 19%, respectively. CONCLUSION Our data suggest that the combination of irinotecan and oxaliplatin with or without G-CSF has substantial antitumor activity in patients with progressive fluoropyrimidine/leucovorin-pretreated colorectal cancer. Overall toxicity was modest, with gastrointestinal symptoms constituting the dose-limiting side effects. Further evaluation of this regimen seems warranted.

Cyclin D1 Expression in Breast Cancer Patients Receiving Adjuvant Tamoxifen-Based Therapy

Purpose: The objective of our study was to determine the clinical relevance of cyclin D1 expression in hormone receptor–positive breast cancer patients who were treated with tamoxifen-based therapy. Experimental Design: We assessed expression of cyclin D1 in surgical specimens of breast carcinoma by means of immunohistochemistry. Patients had been enrolled in either Austrian Breast and Colorectal Cancer Study Group (ABCSG) Trial 05 or ABCSG Trial 06 and received tamoxifen as part of their adjuvant treatment. Overall survival and relapse-free survival were analyzed with Cox models adjusted for clinical and pathologic factors. Results: Cyclin D1 was expressed in 140 of 253 (55%) tumors of ABCSG Trial 05 and in 569 of 948 (60%) tumors of ABCSG Trial 06. Expression of cyclin D1 was associated with poor outcome in both cohorts. Overall survival was significantly shorter in patients with cyclin D1–positive tumors compared with patients with cyclin D1–negative tumors [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for death (ABCSG Trial 05), 2.47; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.08-5.63; P = 0.03; adjusted HR for death (ABCSG Trial 06), 1.78; 95% CI, 1.36-2.34; P < 0.0001]. Relapse-free survival was also shorter in patients with cyclin D1–positive tumors than in patients with cyclin D1–negative tumors [adjusted HR for relapse (ABCSG Trial 05), 2.73; 95% CI, 1.50-4.96; P = 0.001; adjusted HR for relapse (ABCSG Trial 06), 1.52; 95% CI, 1.14-2.04; P = 0.005]. Conclusion: Cyclin D1 expression is an independent poor prognostic factor in women with early-stage, hormone receptor–positive breast cancer who received adjuvant tamoxifen-based therapy.

Treatment of unresectable, locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma with combined radiochemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin and cisplatin

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of a combined treatment modality including systemic chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil (FU), leucovorin, cisplatin and external beam radiotherapy in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer. Systemic chemotherapy consisted of FU 400 mg m–2and leucovorin 20 mgm–2both given as intravenous bolus injection on days 1–4, plus cisplatin 20 mgm–2administered as 90-min infusion on days 1–4. Treatment courses were repeated every 4 weeks × 6 unless prior evidence of progressive disease. Radiation therapy using megavolt irradiation of ≥ 6 MV photons with a 3- or 4-field technique was delivered during the second and third chemotherapy course, that was reduced in dose by 25%. Between October 1994 and July 1996, a total of 38 patients were entered onto this trial, all of whom were assessable for toxicity and survival. Eighteen of these (47%) had objective remissions to combined radiochemotherapy, including four CR (11%), 13 (34%) had stable disease and seven patients (18%) showed tumour progression during treatment. The median progression-free interval of the entire study population was 10 months (range 3–32), and median overall survival was 14.0 months (range 3–45+ months); 53% of all patients were alive at 12 months, and 18% of patients were alive at 24 months respectively. Severe haematological side-effects comprised neutropenia in 18%, thrombocytopenia in 8% and anaemia in 11%. The most frequent non-haematological side-effects were nausea/vomiting (WHO grade 3: 18%), and diarrhoea (grade 3: 13%). This combined radiochemotherapy regimen was tolerable and effective in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer. Since therapeutic results, in fact, compare favourably with other series, including surgical treatment of potentially resectable tumours, further evaluation of combined treatment modalities in the neoadjuvant setting seems warranted.

Tamoxifen and Anastrozole As a Sequencing Strategy: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Postmenopausal Patients With Endocrine-Responsive Early Breast Cancer From the Austrian Breast and Colorectal Cancer Study Group

PURPOSE Anastrozole (ANA) alone delivers significant disease-free survival benefits over tamoxifen (TAM) monotherapy in postmenopausal women with early estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. The ABCSG-8 (Austrian Breast and Colorectal Cancer Study Group 8) study is a large phase III clinical trial addressing the sequence strategy containing ANA in comparison with 5 years of TAM in a low- to intermediate-risk group of postmenopausal patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS Endocrine receptor-positive patients with G1 or G2 tumors were eligible. After surgery, patients were randomly assigned to 5 years of TAM or 2 years of TAM followed by 3 years of ANA. Adjuvant chemotherapy and G3 and T4 tumors were exclusion criteria. Intention-to-treat and censored analyses of on-treatment recurrence-free survival (RFS) were performed, and exploratory survival end points and toxicity were investigated. RESULTS Information from 3,714 patients, including 17,563 woman-years, with a median of 60 months of follow-up was available for this analysis. Median age was 63.8 years, 75% were node negative, and 75% had T1 tumors. Sequencing of ANA after identical 2-year treatment with TAM in both arms did not result in a statistically significant improvement of RFS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.80; 95% CI, 0.63 to 1.01; P = .06). Exploratory analyses of distant relapse-free survival indicated a 22% improvement (HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.60 to 1.00). On-treatment adverse events and serious adverse events were consistent with known toxicity profiles of ANA and TAM treatment. CONCLUSION Despite a low overall rate of recurrence in a population with breast cancer at limited risk of relapse, the a priori sequence strategy of 2 years of TAM followed by 3 years of ANA led to small outcome and toxicity benefits.