Circulating cancer-associated macrophage-like cells and macrophage-related cytokines in obese patients with advanced breast cancer who undergo neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Cancer-associated macrophage-like cells (CAMLs) are rare, gigantic, and atypical circulating cells found exclusively in the peripheral blood of patients with solid cancers. Obesity-induced hypoxia attracts macrophages to the tumor microenvironment, where they contribute to establishing chronic inflammation, leading to cancer progression. We hypothesized that obese patients with advanced breast cancer may have CAML profiles different from those of nonobese patients, and these profiles may correlate with proinflammatory markers or other macrophage-related markers.

Outcomes of older adults with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) receiving chemotherapy: a single-institution experience.

Background: Despite lower chemotherapy use in older triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients, their outcomes match younger counterparts. We compared outcomes in early-stage TNBC patients by age receiving chemotherapy at a major cancer center with a national TNBC database.

Methods: Retrospective study using institutional data on stage I-III TNBC (ER/PR < 10%) women with neoadjuvant/adjuvant chemotherapy.

Efficacy of Single-Agent Chemotherapy in Endocrine Therapy-Refractory Metastatic Invasive Lobular Carcinoma.

Background: Hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative metastatic invasive lobular breast cancer (mILC) is distinct from invasive ductal cancer (IDC) in clinicopathologic and molecular characteristics, impacting its response to systemic therapy. While endocrine therapy (ET) combined with targeted therapies has shown efficacy in ET-sensitive mILC, data on chemotherapy in ET-refractory mILC remain limited. We investigated the efficacy of single-agent capecitabine (CAP) versus taxanes (TAX) in ET-refractory HR+ HER2-negative patients with mILC.

Bone-Targeted Therapy Regimen and Skeletal-Related Events in Patients Surviving Longer Than 2 Years With Metastatic Breast Cancer and Bone Metastasis.

Background: Bone-targeted therapy (BTT) including zoledronic acid (ZA) and denosumab decreases the risk of skeletal-related events (SREs) in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) and bone metastasis. The impacts from prolonged BTT on SREs and BTT-associated harms are unknown and are becoming important to understand as these patients survive for longer periods.

Methods And Materials: We conducted a retrospective study of 224 patients with MBC and bone metastasis who survived for more than 2 years after diagnosis and received treatment at our institution between 2016 and 2021.

Abemaciclib Is Effective in Palbociclib-Resistant Hormone Receptor-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancers.

Unlabelled: Cyclin-dependent kinases 4/6 inhibitor (CDK4/6i) plus endocrine therapy (ET) is standard of care for patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer (MBC). However, resistance to CDK4/6is plus ET remains a clinical problem with limited therapeutic options following disease progression. Different CDK4/6is might have distinct mechanisms of resistance, and therefore using them sequentially or targeting their differentially altered pathways could delay disease progression.

Targeting CXCR4 abrogates resistance to trastuzumab by blocking cell cycle progression and synergizes with docetaxel in breast cancer treatment.

Background: Although trastuzumab and other HER2-targeted therapies have significantly improved survival in patients with HER2 overexpressed or amplified (HER2+) breast cancer, a significant proportion of patients do not respond or eventually develop clinical resistance. Strategies to reverse trastuzumab resistance remain a high clinical priority. We were the first to report the role of CXCR4 in trastuzumab resistance.

Survival Outcomes in Patients With Hormone Receptor-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer With Low or No ERBB2 Expression Treated With Targeted Therapies Plus Endocrine Therapy.

Importance: Approximately 45% to 60% of hormone receptor (HR)-positive metastatic breast cancer (mBC) shows a low-level expression of ERBB2. Low ERBB2 expression is defined as ERBB2 immunohistochemical expression of 1+ or 2+ with a negative ERBB2 amplification by in situ hybridization. The efficacy of the antibody-drug conjugate trastuzumab deruxtecan in low-ERBB2, HR-positive mBC has been practice changing.

Targeting CXCR4 abrogates resistance to trastuzumab by blocking cell cycle progression and synergizes with docetaxel in breast cancer treatment.

Although trastuzumab and other HER2-targeted therapies have significantly improved survival in patients with HER2 overexpressed or amplified (HER2+) breast cancer, a significant proportion of patients do not respond or eventually develop clinical resistance. Strategies to reverse trastuzumab resistance remain a high clinical priority. We were the first to report the role of CXCR4 in trastuzumab resistance.

Histology-based survival outcomes in hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer treated with targeted therapies.

The addition of targeted therapies (TT) to endocrine therapy (ET) has improved the outcomes of patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer (mBC). However, it is unknown whether patients with invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) or mixed invasive ductal and lobular carcinoma (mixed) histologies experience the same magnitude of benefit from this therapy as those with invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). We aim to determine whether patients with IDC, ILC, and mixed HR+/HER2- mBC derive similar benefit from the addition of cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 inhibitors (CDK4/6is), mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor (mTORi), and phosphoinositide 3-kinase inhibitor (PI3Ki) to ET in HR+/HER2- mBC.

Incidence and impact of brain metastasis in patients with hereditary BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutated invasive breast cancer.

Patients with hereditary mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 (gBRCA1/2) and breast cancer have distinct tumor biology, and encompass a predilection for brain metastasis (BM). We looked into baseline risk of BMs among gBRCA1/2 patients. Patients with gBRCA1/2, stage I-III invasive breast cancer seen between 2000-2017 with parenchymal BMs.

The Impact of Treatment for Smoking on Breast Cancer Patients' Survival.

Background: Smoking negatively affects overall survival after successful breast cancer (BC) treatment. We hypothesized that smoking cessation would improve survival outcomes of BC patients who were smokers at the time of diagnosis.

Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of self-identified smokers with BC treated at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Targeting Metabolic Adaptations in the Breast Cancer-Liver Metastatic Niche Using Dietary Approaches to Improve Endocrine Therapy Efficacy.

Unlabelled: Estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) metastatic tumors contribute to nearly 70% of breast cancer-related deaths. Most patients with ER+ metastatic breast cancer (MBC) undergo treatment with the estrogen receptor antagonist fulvestrant as standard of care. Yet, among such patients, metastasis in liver is associated with reduced overall survival compared with other metastasis sites.

Palbociclib plus endocrine therapy significantly enhances overall survival of HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer patients compared to endocrine therapy alone in the second-line setting: A large institutional study.

Cyclin-dependent-kinase-4/6 inhibitor (CDK4/6i) plus endocrine therapy (ET) is standard of care for patients with advanced hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer (BC). The Breast Medical Oncology database at MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) was analyzed to assess effectiveness of the CDK4/6i palbociclib plus ET compared to ET alone. From a total of 5402 advanced HR+ HER2- BC patients referred to MDACC between 1997 and 2020, we identified eligible patients who received palbociclib in combination with first-line (n = 778) and second-line (n = 410) ET.

Long-Term Survival of De Novo Stage IV Human Epidermal Growth Receptor 2 (HER2) Positive Breast Cancers Treated with HER2-Targeted Therapy.

Background: An increasing proportion of human epidermal growth receptor 2 (HER2) positive (HER2+) metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is diagnosed as de novo stage IV disease. We hypothesize that a subset of these patients who achieve no evidence of disease (NED) status after multimodality HER2-targeted treatments may have prolonged progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).

Materials And Methods: Patients with de novo stage IV, HER2+ MBC ( = 483) diagnosed between 1998 and 2015 were identified at two institutions (Yale and MD Anderson Cancer Centers).

T-DM1 Activity in Metastatic Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2-Positive Breast Cancers That Received Prior Therapy With Trastuzumab and Pertuzumab.

Purpose Ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) is currently approved for treatment in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive, metastatic breast cancer (MBC) who previously received trastuzumab and a taxane. However, there are no data on the activity of T-DM1 in patients who received prior pertuzumab, which is now included as standard first-line therapy. The goal of this study was to assess the efficacy of T-DM1 in routine clinical practice in a contemporary patient population that received both prior trastuzumab and pertuzumab.