Long-term overall survival of patients who undergo breast-conserving therapy or mastectomy for early operable HER2-Positive breast cancer after preoperative systemic therapy: an observational cohort study.

Background: Understanding the survival outcomes associated with breast-conserving therapy (BCT) and mastectomy after preoperative systemic therapy (PST) enables clinicians to provide more personalized treatment recommendations. However, lack of firm survival benefit data limits the breast surgery choices of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer patients who receive PST. We sought to determine whether BCT or mastectomy after PST for early operable HER2-positive breast cancer is associated with better long-term survival outcomes and determine the degree to which PST response affects this association.

Tailoring Neoadjuvant Therapy in Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2-Positive Early Breast Cancer: Recent Advances and Strategies.

Neoadjuvant HER2 Therapy: Beyond one-size-fits-all.

Next-Generation HER2-Targeted Antibody-Drug Conjugates in Breast Cancer.

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) tyrosine kinase is overexpressed in 20% of breast cancers and associated with a less favorable prognosis compared to HER2-negative disease. Patients have traditionally been treated with a combination of chemotherapy and HER2-targeted monoclonal antibodies such as trastuzumab and pertuzumab. The HER2-targeted antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) and trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) represent a novel class of therapeutics in breast cancer.

A new paradigm for classifying and treating HER2-positive breast cancer.

Background: Because of the phenomenal success of treatment with monoclonal antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates targeting human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), most patients with early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer (HER2+ BC) and some with limited metastatic diseases have been cured, and those who have not been cured have achieved significant improvements in overall survival, which has weakened the role of the TNM staging system in the prognosis of HER2+ BC today. Given that the disease is now highly curable, treatment conception, classification, and modalities should differ from those of cancer types with a poor prognosis. It is warranted to build a new paradigm for classifying and treating HER2+ BC.

Safety and impact of dose reductions on efficacy in the randomised MONALEESA-2, -3 and -7 trials in hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer.

Background: This pooled analysis of MONALEESA trials evaluated the safety of ribociclib plus endocrine therapy (RIB + ET) with a focus on dose reductions in first-line patients.

Methods: In the dose reduction analysis, data were pooled from MONALEESA-2 (all patients), MONALEESA-3 (patients receiving treatment as first-line ET) and MONALEESA-7 (patients receiving combination therapy with an NSAI as initial ET). Efficacy was analysed by ribociclib relative dose intensity (DI).

Association of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors with Late Cardiotoxicity and Survival in HER2-positive Breast Cancer Survivors.

Purpose: Breast cancer and cardiovascular (CV) diseases often share the same risk factors. It is increasingly important to identify risk factors for CV events in patients with high-risk breast cancer and explore optimal treatment regimens.

Experimental Design: Early HER2-positive breast cancer patients at our institution between January 1998 and October 2009 were reviewed.

Protein citrullination as a source of cancer neoantigens.

Background: Citrulline post-translational modification of proteins is mediated by protein arginine deiminase (PADI) family members and has been associated with autoimmune diseases. The role of PADI-citrullinome in immune response in cancer has not been evaluated. We hypothesized that PADI-mediated citrullinome is a source of neoantigens in cancer that induces immune response.

Ribociclib plus fulvestrant for advanced breast cancer: Health-related quality-of-life analyses from the MONALEESA-3 study.

Purpose: In the MONALEESA-3 Phase III trial of patients with hormone receptor-positive human epidermal growth factor receptor-negative advanced breast cancer, ribociclib plus fulvestrant significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Here, we present patient-reported outcomes from the trial, including health-related quality of life (HRQOL).

Methods: Patients were randomized (2:1) to receive ribociclib plus fulvestrant or placebo plus fulvestrant.

Validation of plasma metabolites associated with breast cancer risk among Mexican Americans.

In our previous breast cancer case control study in Hispanics, we found 14 metabolites whose levels differed between cases and controls. To validate the results, we carried out a nested case control study of 100 incident breast cancer and 100 matched healthy women identified from the Mano-A-Mano Mexican American Cohort study. With the adjustment of parity, education, birth place, language acculturation, BMI category, smoking, drinking, physical activity, and sitting time, 4 metabolites were associated with breast cancer risk: 3-hydroxyoctanoate (Odds ratio (OR) = 1.

Trastuzumab emtansine plus atezolizumab versus trastuzumab emtansine plus placebo in previously treated, HER2-positive advanced breast cancer (KATE2): a phase 2, multicentre, randomised, double-blind trial.

Background: HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer is incurable and new treatments are needed. Addition of atezolizumab to trastuzumab emtansine might potentiate anticancer immunity and enhance the HER2-targeted cytotoxic activity of trastuzumab emtansine. We aimed to test this combination in HER2-positive advanced breast cancer that had progressed after previous treatment with trastuzumab and a taxane.

LncRNA RP11-19E11 is an E2F1 target required for proliferation and survival of basal breast cancer.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play key roles in the regulation of breast cancer initiation and progression. LncRNAs are differentially expressed in breast cancer subtypes. Basal-like breast cancers are generally poorly differentiated tumors, are enriched in embryonic stem cell signatures, lack expression of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and HER2 (triple-negative breast cancer), and show activation of proliferation-associated factors.

Overall Survival with Ribociclib plus Fulvestrant in Advanced Breast Cancer.

Background: In an earlier analysis of this phase 3 trial, ribociclib plus fulvestrant showed a greater benefit with regard to progression-free survival than fulvestrant alone in postmenopausal patients with hormone-receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative advanced breast cancer. Here we report the results of a protocol-specified second interim analysis of overall survival.

Methods: Patients were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to receive either ribociclib or placebo in addition to fulvestrant as first-line or second-line treatment.

Are Biosimilars the Future of Oncology and Haematology?

Biological drugs are vital but often high-cost components of cancer treatment. Several biosimilar versions of these drugs have been approved in Europe and/or the USA, with many more in development. However, there is some disconnect between the biosimilars that are approved for use and those accessible in clinical practice, with availability impacted by factors including patent litigation and complex healthcare insurance policies, particularly in the USA.

Long-Term Survival Analysis of Adjuvant Chemotherapy with or without Trastuzumab in Patients with T1, Node-Negative HER2-Positive Breast Cancer.

Purpose: Adjuvant therapy for small, node-negative HER2-positive breast cancer (HER2 BC) is controversial. We aimed to identify the subgroup that would benefit most from adjuvant chemotherapy and trastuzumab.

Experimental Design: We reviewed records of patients with pT1N0M0 HER2 BC treated at our institution from January 1, 1998, through October 31, 2009.

Clinical development of CT-P6 in HER2 positive breast cancer.

: CT-P6 (trastuzumab-pkrb, Herzuma) is a trastuzumab biosimilar approved for use in HER2 positive breast cancer and HER2 positive gastric cancer. CT-P6 has been shown to exhibit similar safety and efficacy profiles to its reference product, trastuzumab. Preclinical and clinical studies have been performed to prove equivalence between CT-P6 and the trastuzumab originator.

Efficacy and safety of CT-P6 versus reference trastuzumab in HER2-positive early breast cancer: updated results of a randomised phase 3 trial.

Purpose: Neoadjuvant CT-P6, a trastuzumab biosimilar, demonstrated equivalent efficacy to reference trastuzumab in a phase 3 trial of HER2-positive early-stage breast cancer (EBC) (NCT02162667). We report post hoc analyses evaluating pathological complete response (pCR) and breast pCR alongside additional efficacy and safety measures.

Methods: Following neoadjuvant treatment and surgery, patients received adjuvant CT-P6 or trastuzumab (6 mg/kg) every 3 weeks for ≤ 1 year.

Efficacy and Safety of Ribociclib With Letrozole in US Patients Enrolled in the MONALEESA-2 Study.

Background: In the Mammary Oncology Assessment of LEE011's (Ribociclib's) Efficacy and Safety (MONALEESA-2) study, combination treatment with the selective inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases 4/6 ribociclib with letrozole significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) versus letrozole alone in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive HR/HER2 advanced breast cancer (ABC). Herein we present results from the subset of US patients enrolled in MONALEESA-2.

Patients And Methods: Postmenopausal women with HR/HER2 ABC without previous treatment for advanced disease were randomized (1:1) to ribociclib 600 mg/d (3 weeks on/1 week off) with letrozole 2.

Correction to: Breast cancer risk in relation to plasma metabolites among Hispanic and African American women.

In the original publication of the article, the sixth author name Krita A. Zanetti was mistakenly included as co-author. The corrected author group is given in the correction article.

A plasma protein derived TGFβ signature is a prognostic indicator in triple negative breast cancer.

We investigated the potential of in-depth quantitative plasma proteome analysis to uncover proteins predictive of progression and metastasis in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Analysis of samples from 24 pre-menopausal and 24 post-menopausal women with newly diagnosed TNBC who subsequently developed metastasis or remained metastasis free were utilized in the proteomic discovery set, which resulted in 43 proteins associated with tumor progression. These proteins were found to form a hierarchical network with TGFβ.

Immunotherapy and targeted therapy combinations in metastatic breast cancer.

Immunotherapy is emerging as a new treatment modality in breast cancer. After long-standing use of endocrine therapy and targeted biological therapy, improved understanding of immune evasion by cancer cells and the discovery of selective immune checkpoint inhibitors have created novel opportunities for treatment. Single-drug therapies with monoclonal antibodies against programmed death-1 (PD-1) and programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) have shown little efficacy in patients with metastatic breast cancer, in part because of the low number of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes in most breast cancers.

Breast cancer risk in relation to plasma metabolites among Hispanic and African American women.

Purpose: The metabolic etiology of breast cancer has been explored in the past several years using metabolomics. However, most of these studies only included non-Hispanic White individuals.

Methods: To fill this gap, we performed a two-step (discovery and validation) metabolomics profiling in plasma samples from 358 breast cancer patients and 138 healthy controls.

Efficacy and safety of the combination of metformin, everolimus and exemestane in overweight and obese postmenopausal patients with metastatic, hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer: a phase II study.

Background Increased adiposity is thought to result in worse clinical outcomes in patients with breast cancer through increased estrogen production, hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, and activation of the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. Thus, we hypothesized that the addition of metformin to everolimus and exemestane, could lead to better outcomes in overweight and obese patients with metastatic, hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer. We conducted a phase II trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the combination of metformin, everolimus and exemestane in overweight and obese postmenopausal women with metastatic, hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer.

Prognosis in different subtypes of metaplastic breast cancer: a population-based analysis.

Background: Metaplastic breast cancer (MpBC) is a rare histological subtype of breast cancer recognized as a unique pathologic entity in 2000. However, the pathogenesis, optimal therapy, and prognosis of MpBC and the potential effect of systemic treatments on different subtypes of MpBC are not well defined.

Methods: A retrospective population-based study was performed to identify breast cancer patients with MpBC and other triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) between 2010 and 2014 using the surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database.

A phase II study of imatinib mesylate and letrozole in patients with hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer expressing c-kit or PDGFR-β.

Background Imatinib mesylate is a potent inhibitor of the Abl, KIT and platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) receptor tyrosine kinases. Preclinical data suggest that combining imatinib mesylate with anti-estrogen therapy may be synergistic in hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. We report results of the first phase II trial evaluating the efficacy of the novel combination of imatinib mesylate and letrozole in the treatment of postmenopausal women with metastatic breast cancer.