Treatment and outcomes of older versus younger women with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer in the real-world national ESME database.

Background: Treatment and outcomes of patients with HER2-positive (HER2+) metastatic breast cancer (MBC) have dramatically improved over the past 20 years. This work evaluated treatment patterns and outcomes according to age.

Methods: Women who initiated a treatment for HER2+ MBC between 2008 and 2016 in one of the 18 French comprehensive centers part of the ESME program were included.

Actionability of HER2-amplified circulating tumor cells in HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer: the CirCe T-DM1 trial.

Background: In this prospective phase 2 trial, we assessed the efficacy of trastuzumab-emtansine (T-DM1) in HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients with HER2-positive CTC.

Methods: Main inclusion criteria for screening were as follows: women with HER2-negative MBC treated with ≥ 2 prior lines of chemotherapy and measurable disease. CTC with a HER2/CEP17 ratio of ≥ 2.

Effects of a physical activity programme to prevent physical performance decline in onco-geriatric patients: a randomized multicentre trial.

Background: Older adults with cancer experience negative long-term functional effects of both cancer and treatments. Exercise may minimize their age-related and cancer-related functional decline.

Methods: We conducted a multicentre open-label 12 month randomized clinical trial with two parallel arms including participants aged ≥70 years with lymphoma or carcinoma requiring curative treatment.

New advances in DPYD genotype and risk of severe toxicity under capecitabine.

Background: Deficiency in dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) enzyme is the main cause of severe and lethal fluoropyrimidine-related toxicity. Various approaches have been developed for DPD-deficiency screening, including DPYD genotyping and phenotyping. The goal of this prospective observational study was to perform exhaustive exome DPYD sequencing and to examine relationships between DPYD variants and toxicity in advanced breast cancer patients receiving capecitabine.

Multicentric neoadjuvant pilot Phase II study of cetuximab combined with docetaxel in operable triple negative breast cancer.

Systemic therapy for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is mostly based upon chemotherapy. Epithelial Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) is overexpressed in around 50% of TNBC and may play a role in its pathogenesis. Consequently, we performed a multicentric pilot Phase II neoadjuvant trial of cetuximab (anti-EGFR antibody) combined with docetaxel for patients with operable, Stage II-III TNBC.