Search

The identification of prognostic markers in patients receiving neoadjuvant therapy is crucial for treatment optimization in HER2-positive breast cancer, with the immune microenvironment being a key factor. Here, we investigate the complexity of B and T cell receptor (BCR and TCR) repertoires in the context of two phase III trials, NeoALTTO and CALGB 40601, evaluating neoadjuvant paclitaxel with trastuzumab and/or lapatinib in women with HER2-positive breast cancer. BCR features, particularly the number of reads and clones, evenness and Gini index, are heterogeneous according to hormone receptor status and PAM50 subtypes. Moreover, BCR measures describing clonal expansion, namely evenness and Gini index, are independent prognostic factors. We present a model developed in NeoALTTO and validated in CALGB 40601 that can predict event-free survival (EFS) by integrating hormone receptor and clinical nodal status, breast pathological complete response (pCR), stromal tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte levels (%) and BCR repertoire evenness. A prognostic score derived from the model and including those variables, HER2-EveNT, allows the identification of patients with 5-year EFS > 90%, and, in those not achieving pCR, of a subgroup of immune-enriched tumors with an excellent outcome despite residual disease. Neoadjuvant therapies with dual anti-HER2 blockade have proven effective in HER2+ breast cancer treatment. Here, the authors develop a score that integrates antigen receptor repertoire features and clinical parameters to predict prognosis after anti-HER2 neoadjuvant treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The testis‐specific Y‐encoded‐like protein (TSPYL) gene family includes TSPYL1 to TSPYL6. We previously reported that TSPYL5 regulates cytochrome P450 (CYP) 19A1 expression. Here we show that TSPYLs, especially TSPYL 1, 2, and 4, can regulate the expression of many CYP genes, including CYP17A1, a key enzyme in androgen biosynthesis, and CYP3A4, an enzyme that catalyzes the metabolism of abiraterone, a CYP17 inhibitor. Furthermore, a common TSPYL1 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs3828743 (G/A) (Pro62Ser), abolishes TSPYL1's ability to suppress CYP3A4 expression, resulting in reduced abiraterone concentrations and increased cell proliferation. Data from a prospective clinical trial of 87 metastatic castration‐resistant prostate cancer patients treated with abiraterone acetate/prednisone showed that the variant SNP genotype (A) was significantly associated with worse response and progression‐free survival. In summary, TSPYL genes are novel CYP gene transcription regulators, and genetic alteration within these genes significantly influences response to drug therapy through transcriptional regulation of CYP450 genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Increased soluble human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (sHER2) is an indicator of a poor prognosis in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. In this study, the authors evaluated levels of sHER2 during treatment and at the time of disease recurrence in the adjuvant North Central Cancer Treatment Group N9831 clinical trial. METHODS The objectives were to describe sHER2 levels during treatment and at the time of recurrence in patients who were randomized to treatment arms A (standard chemotherapy), B (standard chemotherapy with sequential trastuzumab), and C (standard chemotherapy with concurrent trastuzumab). Baseline samples were available from 2318 patients, serial samples were available from 105 patients, and recurrence samples were available from 124 patients. The cutoff sHER2 value for the assay was 15 ng/mL. Statistical methods included repeated measures linear models, Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, and Cox regression models. RESULTS There were differences between groups in terms of age, menopausal status, and hormone receptor status. Within treatment arms A, B, and C, patients who had baseline sHER2 levels ≥15 ng/mL had worse disease-free survival than patients who had baseline sHER2 levels <15 ng/mL (arm A: hazard ratio, 1.81; P = .0014; arm B: hazard ratio, 2.08; P = .0015; arm C: hazard ratio, 1.96; P = .01). Among the 124 patients who experienced disease recurrence, sHER2 levels increased from baseline to the time of recurrence in arms A and B but remained unchanged in arm C. Patients who had recurrence sHER2 levels ≥15 ng/mL had a shorter survival after recurrence with a 3-year overall survival rate of 51% compared with 77% for those who had recurrence sHER2 levels <15 ng/mL (hazard ratio, 2.36; 95% confidence interval, 1.19-4.70; P = .01). CONCLUSIONS In patients with early stage, HER2-positive breast cancer, a high baseline sHER2 level was identified as a prognostic marker associated with shorter disease-free survival, and a high sHER2 level at recurrence was predictive of shorter survival. Cancer 2013;119:2675-2682. © 2013 American Cancer Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The objective of this study was to test cladribine (2-CDA) alone and in combination with rituximab in patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).Methods: Patients with MCL were treated on 2 sequential trials. In Trial 95-80-53, patients received 2-CDA as initial therapy or at relapse. In Trial N0189, patients received combination 2-CDA and rituximab as initial therapy. In both trials, 2-CDA was administered at a dose of 5 mg/m2 intravenously on Days 1 through 5 every 4 weeks for 2 to 6 cycles, depending on response. In Trial N0189, rituximab 375 mg/m2 was administered on Day 1 of each cycle.Results: Results were reported for 80 patients. Twenty-six previously untreated patients and 25 patients who had recurrent disease with a median age of 68 years received single-agent 2-CDA. The overall response rate (ORR) was 81% with 42% complete responses (CRs) in the previously untreated group. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 13.6 months (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 7.2-22.1 months), and 81% of patients remained alive at 2 years. The ORR was 46% with a 21% CR rate in the recurrent disease group. The median PFS was 5.4 months (95% CI, 4.6-13.1 months), and 36% of patients remained alive at 2 years. Twenty-nine eligible patients with a median age of 70 years received 2-CDA plus rituximab. The ORR was 66% (19 of 29 patient), and the CR rate was 52% (15 of 29 patients). The median duration of response for patients who achieved a CR had not been reached at the time of the current report, and only 3 of the patients who achieved a CR developed recurrent disease at a median follow-up of 21.5 months.Conclusions: 2-CDA had substantial single-agent activity in both recurrent and untreated MCL, and the results indicated that it may be administered safely to elderly patients. The addition of rituximab to 2-CDA may increase the duration of response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two similarly designed, placebo-controlled clinical trials are fully accrued and following patients for safety and outcome data. One trial is stopped at a planned interim analysis by its data safety and monitoring board (DSMB) due to a statistically significant treatment benefit. The statisticians and DSMB of the other trial are informed of these results. What are the responsibilities of the statistical center? How should the DSMB deal with the situation if the data do not support the stopped trial? What should the patients be told concerning the results of the two trials when one trial continues and the other is stopped? This DSMB case study reports on such a situation for two randomized clinical trials of oral ganciclovir for the prevention of cytomegalovirus disease in HIV/AIDS patients. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]