Long-Term Outcomes of Adjuvant Trastuzumab for 9 Weeks or 1 Year for ERBB2-Positive Breast Cancer: A Secondary Analysis of the SOLD Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: The standard adjuvant treatment for patients with ERRB2-positive breast cancer is chemotherapy plus 1 year of trastuzumab. Shorter durations of trastuzumab administration improve cardiac safety, but more information is needed about their effect on survival.

Objective: To compare survival outcomes after 9-week vs 1-year administration of trastuzumab with the same adjuvant chemotherapy.

Long-term effects of aromatase inhibitor withdrawal on bone mineral density in early breast cancer patients: 10-year follow-up results of the BREX study.

Purpose: We aimed to provide long-term bone mineral density (BMD) data on early breast cancer patients of the BREX (Breast Cancer and Exercise) study. The effects of exercise and adjuvant endocrine treatment 10 years after randomization were analyzed, with special emphasis on aromatase inhibitor (AI) therapy discontinuation at 5 years.

Methods: The BREX study randomized 573 pre- and postmenopausal breast cancer patients into a 1-year supervised exercise program or a control group.

Factors predicting long-term physical activity of breast cancer survivors. 5-year-follow-up of the BREX exercise intervention study.

Background: The benefits of exercise training are well documented among breast cancer (BC) survivors. Patients decrease their physical activity during treatment, and many fail to regain their previous exercise levels. There is therefore a need to define factors supporting long-term physical activity behavior in this patient group, to target supporting interventions aimed at preventing the decline in physical activity (PA).

A graphical LASSO analysis of global quality of life, sub scales of the EORTC QLQ-C30 instrument and depression in early breast cancer.

We aimed to (a) investigate the interplay between depression, symptoms and level of functioning, and (b) understand the paths through which they influence health related quality of life (QOL) during the first year of rehabilitation period of early breast cancer. A network analysis method was used. The population consisted of 487 women aged 35-68 years, who had recently completed adjuvant chemotherapy or started endocrine therapy for early breast cancer.

Adjuvant Capecitabine for Early Breast Cancer: 15-Year Overall Survival Results From a Randomized Trial.

Purpose: Few data are available regarding the influence of adjuvant capecitabine on long-term survival of patients with early breast cancer.

Methods: The Finland Capecitabine Trial (FinXX) is a randomized, open-label, multicenter trial that evaluates integration of capecitabine to an adjuvant chemotherapy regimen containing a taxane and an anthracycline for the treatment of early breast cancer. Between January 27, 2004, and May 29, 2007, 1,500 patients with axillary node-positive or high-risk node-negative early breast cancer were accrued.

Sense of Coherence as Predictor of Quality of Life in Early Breast Cancer Patients.

Background/aim: To examine the association between sense of coherence (SOC) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in early breast cancer patients.

Patients And Methods: The study population included 406 disease-free breast cancer survivors who participated in 3-year and 5-year follow-ups of a randomized exercise intervention. SOC was assessed using the short version of the Orientation to life questionnaire (SOC-13) in the 3-year follow-up.

Long-term health-related quality of life of breast cancer survivors remains impaired compared to the age-matched general population especially in young women. Results from the prospective controlled BREX exercise study.

Objective: To investigate long-term health-related quality of life (HRQoL) changes over time in younger compared to older disease-free breast cancer survivors who participated in a prospective randomized exercise trial.

Methods: Survivors (aged 35-68 years) were randomized to a 12-month exercise trial after adjuvant treatment and followed up for ten years. HRQoL was assessed with the generic 15D instrument during follow-up and the younger (baseline age ≤ 50) and older (age >50) survivors' HRQoL was compared to that of the age-matched general female population (n = 892).

Five-year follow-up results of aerobic and impact training on bone mineral density in early breast cancer patients.

Unlabelled: A 12-month exercise program reversibly prevented hip bone loss in premenopausal women with early breast cancer. The bone-protective effect was maintained for 2 years after the end of the program but was lost thereafter.

Purpose: Breast cancer survivors are at an increased risk for osteoporosis and fracture.

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor- and chemotherapy-induced large-vessel vasculitis: six patient cases and a systematic literature review.

Objective: Patients receiving chemotherapy are prone to neutropoenic infections, presenting with non-specific symptoms such as a high fever and elevated inflammatory parameters. Large-vessel vasculitis (LVV) may have a similar clinical presentation and should be included in differential diagnostics. A few published case reports and adverse event reports suggest a causal association between LVV and the use of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) and chemotherapy.

Health-related Quality of Life of Breast Cancer Survivors Attending an Exercise Intervention Study: A Five-year Follow-up.

Background/aim: As the number of breast cancer survivors is increasing, their long-term health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has become an important issue. The aim of the study is to follow up the HRQoL of breast cancer survivors (BCS) in a prospective randomized exercise intervention study and to compare HRQoL to that of the age-matched general female population.

Patients And Methods: Following adjuvant treatment, 537 patients aged 35-68 and capable of exercise training were randomized to a 12-month exercise trial.

Excess mortality from breast cancer in female breast cancer patients with severe mental illness.

Women with a history of severe mental illness (SMI) have elevated breast cancer mortality. Few studies have compared cancer-specific mortality in women with breast cancer with or without SMI to reveal gaps in breast cancer treatment outcomes. We compared breast-cancer specific mortality in women with or without SMI and investigated effects of stage at presentation, comorbidity, and differences in cancer treatment.

Effectiveness of a 12-month Exercise Intervention on Physical Activity and Quality of Life of Breast Cancer Survivors; Five-year Results of the BREX-study.

Background/aim: This is a report of the 5-year quality of life (QoL) findings of the BREX-study (n=444).

Patients And Methods: A 12-month exercise intervention was arranged shortly after adjuvant treatments. Physical activity (PA) was assessed by PA diary, physical performance by a 2- km walking test, QoL by the EORTC QLQC30 and BR-23 questionnaires, fatigue by the FACIT-Fatigue scale and depression by the Beck's 13-item depression scale (BDI).

Effect of Adjuvant Trastuzumab for a Duration of 9 Weeks vs 1 Year With Concomitant Chemotherapy for Early Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2-Positive Breast Cancer: The SOLD Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Trastuzumab plus chemotherapy is the standard adjuvant treatment for patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive early breast cancer. While the standard duration of trastuzumab treatment is 12 months, the benefits and harms of trastuzumab continued beyond the chemotherapy are unclear.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of adjuvant trastuzumab continued beyond chemotherapy in women treated with up-front chemotherapy containing a taxane and trastuzumab.

Adjuvant Capecitabine in Combination With Docetaxel, Epirubicin, and Cyclophosphamide for Early Breast Cancer: The Randomized Clinical FinXX Trial.

Importance: Capecitabine is not considered a standard agent in the adjuvant treatment of early breast cancer. The results of this study suggest that addition of adjuvant capecitabine to a regimen that contains docetaxel, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide improves survival outcomes of patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

Objective: To investigate the effect of capecitabine on long-term survival outcomes of patients with early breast cancer, particularly in subgroups defined by cancer estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) content, and HER2 content (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2).

Breast cancer in neurofibromatosis type 1: overrepresentation of unfavourable prognostic factors.

Background: An increased breast cancer incidence and poor survival have been reported for women with neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1). To explain the poor survival, we aimed to link the histopathology and clinical characteristics of NF1-associated breast cancers.

Methods: The Finnish Cancer Registry and the Finnish NF Registry were cross-referenced to identify the NF1 patients with breast cancer.

Proportion of women with self-reported opportunistic mammography before organized screening.

Background: In Finland, organized nationwide breast cancer (BC) screening is biennially offered for women aged 50-69 years. The aim was to estimate, for the first time in Finland, the proportion of women having opportunistic mammography at age less than 50 years and to investigate the role of BC family history and educational level for having opportunistic mammography.

Material And Methods: The study material comprises two self-administered, population-based questionnaires from altogether 9845 healthy women; 4666 women in Women's Health and Use of Hormone-study (WHH survey), and 5179 in Breast Cancer Screening, Lifestyle and Quality of Life-study (EET survey).

[Treatment of disseminated breast cancer].

Although several effective drugs have in recent years been introduced for the treatment of disseminated breast cancer, it is still an incurable illness. Many patients live a fairly normal life with their illness for a long time, and some of them are able to continue working in spite of the therapies. Factors considered in tailoring the treatment include tumor subtype, extent of the disease, symptoms, previous treatments and the achieved treatment outcome, and adverse effects of the treatments.

[Adjuvant drug therapies for breast cancer].

Most breast cancers are hormone receptor positive and exhibit a slow growth pattern. Based on biological properties, breast cancers are divided into four different biological subtypes. Furthermore, these subtypes are indicative of the risk of recurrence, which is also influenced by the size of the tumor and extension to lymph nodes.

Prospective evaluation of planar bone scintigraphy, SPECT, SPECT/CT, 18F-NaF PET/CT and whole body 1.5T MRI, including DWI, for the detection of bone metastases in high risk breast and prostate cancer patients: SKELETA clinical trial.

Purpose: Detection of bone metastases in breast and prostate cancer patients remains a major clinical challenge. The aim of the current trial was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of (99m)Tc-hydroxymethane diphosphonate ((99m)Tc-HDP) planar bone scintigraphy (BS), (99m)Tc-HDP SPECT, (99m)Tc-HDP SPECT/CT, (18)F-NaF PET/CT and whole body 1.5 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), including diffusion weighted imaging, (wbMRI+DWI) for the detection of bone metastases in high risk breast and prostate cancer patients.

Quality of life of recently treated patients with breast cancer.

Aim: To investigate whether the negative quality of life result of a large randomized exercise intervention study (BREX) was due to considerable spontaneous recovery after adjuvant treatments.

Patients And Methods: The change in QoL was studied in the control patients of the BREX study (Group 1) and a group of similar follow-up patients that did not participate in any intervention study (Group 2). QoL was measured by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-C30 with the breast cancer module supplement 6 and 12 months after surgery.

Outcome of patients with HER2-positive breast cancer treated with or without adjuvant trastuzumab in the Finland Capecitabine Trial (FinXX).

Background: Little information is available about survival outcomes of patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer treated with adjuvant capecitabine-containing chemotherapy with or without trastuzumab.

Patients And Methods: One thousand and five hundred patients with early breast cancer were entered to the Finland Capecitabine trial (FinXX) between January 2004 and May 2007, and were randomly assigned to receive either three cycles of adjuvant TX (docetaxel, capecitabine) followed by three cycles of CEX (cyclophosphamide, epirubicin, capecitabine; TX-CEX) or three cycles of docetaxel followed by three cycles of CEF (cyclophosphamide, epirubicin, fluorouracil; T-CEF). The primary endpoint was recurrence-free survival (RFS).

Obesity and physical inactivity are related to impaired physical health of breast cancer survivors.

Aim: The aim of the present study was to examine the impact of obesity and physical activity on the health and wellbeing of patients with breast cancer shortly after the adjuvant treatments.

Patients And Methods: A total of 537 women aged 35 to 68 years with newly-diagnosed breast cancer were enrolled into the exercise intervention study. The physical activity, physical performance (2-km walking test), cardiovascular risk factors, quality of life (EORTC-QoL-C30), co-morbidities and body-mass index (BMI) were measured after the adjuvant treatments.

Effectiveness of a 12-month exercise program on physical performance and quality of life of breast cancer survivors.

Aim: The study aimed at determining whether physical exercise training improves the quality of life (QoL) and physical fitness of breast cancer survivors.

Patients And Methods: A total of 573 breast cancer survivors were randomized into an exercise or a control group, 12-months after adjuvant treatments. EORTC QLQ-C30 and BR-23 questionnaires were used for evaluation of QoL, FACIT-F for fatigue and the Finnish modified version of Beck's 13-item depression scale (RBDI) for depression.

Adjuvant capecitabine, docetaxel, cyclophosphamide, and epirubicin for early breast cancer: final analysis of the randomized FinXX trial.

Purpose: Capecitabine is an active agent in the treatment of breast cancer. It is not known whether integration of capecitabine into an adjuvant regimen that contains a taxane, an anthracycline, and cyclophosphamide improves outcome in early breast cancer.

Patients And Methods: Women with axillary node-positive or high-risk node-negative breast cancer were randomly assigned to receive either three cycles of docetaxel and capecitabine (TX) followed by three cycles of cyclophosphamide, epirubicin, and capecitabine (CEX; n = 753) or three cycles of docetaxel (T) followed by three cycles of cyclophosphamide, epirubicin, and fluorouracil (CEF; n = 747).

Effect of supervised and home exercise training on bone mineral density among breast cancer patients. A 12-month randomised controlled trial.

Unlabelled: The ability of combined step aerobic- and circuit-training to prevent bone loss after breast cancer treatments was related to skeletal site and patients' menopausal status. Among premenopausal breast cancer survivors, a 12-month exercise intervention completely prevented bone loss at the femoral neck, whereas no exercise effect was seen at lumbar spine or at neither site in postmenopausal women.

Introduction: The primary objective of this randomised clinical trial was to determine the preventive effect of supervised weight-bearing jumping exercises and circuit training on bone loss among breast cancer patients.