Search

Background The hormone receptor (HR)-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients show a diverse range of tumor mutational burden (TMB), but its biological and clinical implication has been largely unrevealed. Here we report genomic landscape of 117 HR+ MBC patients who were included in the pre-screening tissue genomic analysis of MUTATION-1 study (SABCS 2021; Abs P1-19-03) according to TMB of tumors. Patients and method The MUTATION-1 study (NCT03608865) enrolled HR-positive MBC patients who received prior ≥ 1 line of systemic therapy, and performed prescreening with whole exome sequencing (WES) and RNA-seq of fresh-frozen tissue of metastatic or recurred tumors. Patients who met upper 30% of TMB were eligible for treatment phase and received durvalumab plus tremelimumab. This study analyzed 117 prescreening tissues of MUTATION-1 study patients for mutation and transcriptomic landscape analysis. (WES, n=117; RNA-seq, n=107) Results The 117 patients showed diverse TMB (range 0~21.7 mut/Mb, median 2.0 mut/Mb) and genomic alterations. The most frequently mutated gene included PIK3CA (29.1%), TP53 (27.4%), ESR1 (23.9%), GATA3 (19.7%), and MAP3K1 (12.0%). There was no association between patient survival and TMB. We estimated single base substitution (SBS) mutational signature of patients with SigMA algorithm. The patients were classified according to their dominant mutational signatures: APOBEC (25.6%), HRD (41.0%), clockwise (28.2%), SBS8, and SBS17. The APOBEC patients showed higher TMB (median 3.47 mut/Mb) and higher mutation prevalence in PIK3CA (63.3% vs. 29.1%), ARID1A (16.7% vs. 6.0%), and NF1 (16.7% vs. 6.8%) compared with other patients. The high TMB positively correlated with time from MBC diagnosis to biopsy. Tumors with TMB ≥ 5 mut/Mb were exclusively found in patients diagnosed as MBC ≥ 36 months before the timing of biopsy. In the matched RNA-seq analysis, TMB was higher in luminal B and HER2-enriched intrinsic subtype patients than basal or luminal A subtype. The high TMB (≥ 3.16 mut/Mb, cutoff used for treatment phase patient selection) patients showed upregulation of G2/M checkpoint, MYC, E2F1, and MTORC1 signature compared to low TMB patients. In the tumor microenvironment analysis by CIBESORT, PIK3CA mutant patients showed lower score of cytotoxic T cell than others. Conclusions The high TMB in HR+ breast cancer was associated with longer time duration from MBC diagnosis to biopsy, high APOBEC signature, and cell cycle/MYC signature gene upregulation. Further therapeutic targeting of high TMB patients is warranted based on their genomic and immunologic characteristics. Citation Format: Min Hwan Kim, Yohan Yang, Eunyoung Kim, Yong Wha Moon, Gun Min Kim, Seul-Gi Kim, Yee Soo Chae, Jieun Lee, Jae Ho Jeong, Kyung-Hun Lee, Han Jo Kim, Joo Young Jung, Su-Jin Koh, Kyoung Eun Lee, Hee-Jun Kim, Kyong Hwa Park, Seungtaek Lim, Yeon Hee Park, Sangwoo Kim, Joo Hyuk Sohn. Genomic characterization of hormone receptor-positive advanced breast cancer with high tumor mutational burden: fresh-frozen tissue genomic analysis from MUTATION-1 study (KCSG BR17-04) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2022 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(5 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-14-04.

Purpose In hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–negative metastatic breast cancer (HR+ HER2–MBC), the mainstay treatment options include cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) and everolimus (EVE) in combination with endocrine treatment. This study aims to compare the outcomes of the following treatment sequences: CDK4/6i followed by EVE and EVE followed by CDK4/6i.Materials and Methods Data from HR+ HER2– MBC patients treated between January 2014 and November 2020 with both CDK4/6i and EVE were retrospectively analyzed.Results Among the 88 patients included in the study, 51 received CDK4/6i before EVE (C→E group), and 37 received EVE before CDK4/6i (E→C group) with endocrine treatment. More patients in the E→C group had endocrine resistance (13.7% vs. 40.5%), experienced palliative chemotherapy (7.8% vs. 40.5%), and were heavily treated (treated as ≥ 3rd line, 5.9% vs. 40.5%). Median overall survival was 46.8 months in the C→E group and 38.9 months in the E→C group (p=0.151). Median composite progression-free survival (PFS), defined as the time from the start of the preceding regimen to disease progression on the following regimen or death, was 24.8 months in the C→E group vs. 21.8 months in the E→C group (p=0.681). Median PFS2/PFS1 ratio did not differ significantly between groups (0.5 in the C→E group, 0.6 in the E→C group; p=0.775). Ten patients (11.4%) discontinued EVE, and two patients (2.3%) discontinued CDK4/6i during treatment.Conclusion Although the CDK4/6i-based regimen should be considered as an earlier line of treatment, CDK4/6i- and EVE-based treatments can be valid options in circumstances where the other treatment had been already given.

Background: Hormone-receptor (HR) positive breast cancer is the main subtype of breast cancer. Although overall survival of HR-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients has improved by various therapies including endocrine therapies, CDK4/6 inhibitors, and cytotoxic chemotherapy, it is still considered incurable. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have rarely been clinically tested in HR-positive breast cancer, despite proving anti-cancer activity in early and metastatic triple-negative breast cancer in various trials. We evaluated efficacy and safety of combined durvalumab and tremelimumab in the HR-positive MBC, which was enriched with high tumor mutational burden (TMB). Methods: HR-positive MBC patients who received prior 1 or more lines of therapy in metastatic setting were prescreened with whole exome sequencing (WES) using metastatic or recurred tumor biopsies. Criterion of high TMB was defined as upper 30%. In the beginning, the criterion of high TMB was 2.1 mutations per Mb, based on the retrospective WES database in Yonsei Cancer Center and this criterion was recalculated every 30 cases. Patients who met upper 30% of TMB were treated with combined durvalumab (1500mg every 4 weeks upto 13 doses) and tremelimumab (75mg every 4 weeks upto 4 doses). Response was evaluated every 2 cycles using RECIST 1.1 and toxicity was evaluated using NCI-CTCAE 4.03. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) and PD-L1 expression were also analyzed to investigate a correlation with TMB. Results: Biopsies of recurrent or metastatic tumors were taken from a total of 119 patients for WES assay. A median turn-around-time of TMB data was 30.0 days (range, 16~67). Of these 119 patients, a median number of nonsynonymous mutations was 2.0 per Mb (range, 0~21.7) with upper 30% criterion of 3.1. High TMB showed a trend toward old age (P=0.074) and single positivity of estrogen receptor (ER) or progesterone receptor (PR) compared to positivity of both ER and PR (P=0.055). TMB was positively correlated with TILs (r=0.289, P=0.005). Thirty patients with high TMB received study treatment with a median 2 cycles (range, 1~13). A median prior lines of therapies in metastatic setting was 4 (range, 1~9). The objective response and clinical benefit rates were 6.3% (2 PRs of 30) and 20% (2 PRs plus 4 SDs of 30). There was one treatment-related mortality due to pneumonitis. Immune-related adverse events included endocrinopathy (n=3; hypothyroidism in 2, hyperthyroidism in 1), enteritis (n=2), skin rash (n=2), pneumonitis (n=1), and so on. Biomarker analyses are underway. Conclusions: WES-based TMB using metastatic tumor biopsy was a feasible platform to prescreen HR-positive MBC patients. Combined durvalumab and tremelimumab showed a modest activity and good tolerability in heavily treated, HR-positive MBC with high TMB. Citation Format: Yong Wha Moon, Eunyoung Kim, Min Hwan Kim, Gun Min Kim, Seul-Gi Kim, YeeSoo Chae, Jieun Lee, Jae Ho Jeong, Kyung-Hun Lee, Han Jo Kim, Joo Young Jung, Su-Jin Koh, Kyoung Eun Lee, Hee-Jun Kim, Kyong Hwa Park, Seungtaek Lim, Yeon Hee Park, Tae Hoen Kim, Sewha Kim, Yohan Yang, Sangwoo Kim, Joohyuk Sohn. Phase II trial of durvalumab and tremelimumab in the hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer with high tumor mutational burden selected by whole exome sequencing: Korean cancer study group trial (KCSG BR17-04) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2021 Dec 7-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-19-03.

Purpose: T-DM1, an antibody-drug conjugate, has significant antitumor activity in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (mBC) patients who had progressed after trastuzumab-based chemotherapy. This study was conducted to investigate the clinical practice and factors related with outcomes of T-DM1 use for HER2-positive mBC patients in the nation-wide real-world setting. Method: This complete enumeration study included the patients with HER2-positive mBC who received T-DM1 as palliative therapy from August 2017 to December 2018 under the registry of Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service in Korea. Safety and outcomes of T-DM1 including overall response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival were evaluated. Factors significant in univariate analysis were analyzed in multivariate model. Result: From the sixty institutions, a total of 824 patients were enrolled. Mean age was 58 years-old, 818 patients (99.3%) were female and 516 patients (62.6%) had relapsed after curative treatment. About 40% patients received T-DM1 as first or second line treatment, 21.5% received it as third line and 37.3% as fourth or over line. During a median follow-up of 16.8 months, the ORR was 32.8%, median PFS was 7.2 months and median OS was not reached. In multivariate analysis, clinical factors associated with the lower PFS were age (< 65 year-old, hazard ratio[HR] 1.53, 95% confidence interval[CI]: 1.214-1.919, p < 0.001), poor ECOG performance status (PS ≥ 2, HR 1.98, 95% CI: 1.493-2.626, p < 0.001), previous pertuzumab use (HR 1.40, 95% CI: 1.118-1.742, p = 0.003) and previous lapatinib use (HR 1.29, 95% CI: 1.047-1.586, p =0.017). The common grade 3-4 adverse events were thrombocytopenia (13.0%), neutropenia (2.9%), and elevation of liver enzyme (2.5%). Hypokalemia (≤ 3.0 mmol/L) and any-grade bleeding event such as epistaxis and gum-bleeding occurred in 25 (3.1%) and 94 patients (11.4%), respectively. Conclusion: This is the first, nationwide, real-world data about T-DM1 use of the HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients in Korea. The efficacy and toxicity profile of T-DM1 in the real-world practice were comparable with those of randomized trials. Patients’ factors and previous anti-HER2 therapy could predict the outcomes of T-DM1. Further studies to reveal the subtypes of good responders to T-DM1 and the sequence of anti-HER2 therapy are warranted. Citation Format: Sun Kyung Baek, Jae-Ho Jeong, Yeon-Hee Park, Hee Kyung Ahn, Min Hwan Kim, In Hae Park, Young Ju Suh, Dae-Won Lee, Sung Hoon Sim, Jee Hyun Kim, Hyun-Jeong Shim, Yeesoo Chae, Su-Jin Koh, Hyorak Lee, Jieun Lee, Jae-Ho Byun, Youngmi Seol, Eun Mi Lee, Jin Seok Ahn, Kyung-Hae Jung, Seock-Ah Im, Keun Seok Lee, Joohyuk Sohn, Kyoung Eun Lee. A nationwide real-world study for evaluation of efficacy and safety of T-DM1 in patients with HER2-positive locally-advanced unresectable or metastatic breast cancer in Korea (KCSG BR19-15) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2021 Dec 7-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-18-32.

BackgroundFertility is an important issue for young women with breast cancer, but studies about physicians’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward fertility preservation (FP) are largely based on Western populations and do not reflect recent international guidelines for FP. In this international study, we aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of physicians from South Korea, other Asian countries, and Latin America toward FP in young women with breast cancer, and identify the related barriers.MethodsThe survey was conducted anonymously among physicians from South Korea, other Asian countries, and Latin America involved in breast cancer care between November 2020 and July 2021. Topics included knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions toward FP; practice behaviors; barriers; and participant demographics. We grouped related questions around two main themes—discussion with patients about FP, and consultation and referral to a reproductive endocrinologist. We analyzed the relationships between main questions and other survey items.ResultsA total of 151 physicians completed the survey. Most participants’ overall knowledge about FP was good. More than half of the participants answered that they discussed FP with their patients in most cases, but that personnel to facilitate discussions about FP and the provision of educational materials were limited. A major barrier was time constraints in the clinic (52.6%). Discussion, consultations, and referrals were more likely to be performed by surgeons who primarily treated patients with operable breast cancer (FP discussion odds ratio [OR]: 2.90; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.24–6.79; FP consultation and referral OR: 2.98; 95% CI: 1.14–7.74). Participants’ knowledge and attitudes about FP were significantly associated with discussion, consultations, and referrals.ConclusionPhysicians from South Korea, other Asian countries, and Latin America are knowledgeable about FP and most perform practice behaviors toward FP well. Physicians’ knowledge and favorable attitudes are significantly related to discussion with patients, as well as consultation with and referral to reproductive endocrinologists. However, there are also barriers, such as limitations to human resources and materials, suggesting a need for a systematic approach to improve FP for young women with breast cancer.

A large proportion of patients with breast cancer who had mastectomy had undergone breast reconstruction with implants or autologous flaps. However, only a few studies have compared the breast cancer outcomes between the implant-based reconstruction (IBR) and autologous flap reconstruction (AFR). In this study, we retrospectively compared the local recurrence rates, distant metastasis rates, and survival outcomes between immediate IBR and AFR. A total of 1530 patients with primary breast cancer who underwent IBR or AFR with nipple-/skin-sparing mastectomy were included. Patients who underwent neoadjuvant systemic therapy were excluded from the study. After propensity score matching by age at diagnosis, T stage, N stage, molecular subtype, mastectomy type, adjuvant radiotherapy status, and follow-up period, 938 patients were 1:1 matched, comprising the well-balanced IBR and AFR groups. Locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRRFS), disease-free survival (DFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) were compared between the matched groups. After matching, the median follow-up periods were 68 months and 71 months for the IBR and AFR groups, respectively. No significant differences were observed between the IBR and AFR groups regarding the local recurrence (7.2% vs. 5.1%; P = 0.175), regional recurrence (2.1% vs. 1.5%; P = 0.463), or distant metastasis (3.2% vs. 3.2%; P = 1.000) rates. Moreover, no significant difference was observed between the IBR and AFR groups in the LRRFS (hazard ratio, 0.691; 95% CI, 0.433–1.102; P = 0.118), DFS (hazard ratio, 0.709; 95% CI, 0.468–1.076; P = 0.104), DMFS (hazard ratio, 1.006; 95% CI, 0.491–2.059; P = 0.987), or BCSS (hazard ratio, 0.445; 95% CI, 0.111–1.786; P = 0.659). In this propensity score-matched analysis of oncologic outcomes in patients with primary breast cancer who underwent immediate breast reconstruction with nipple-/skin-sparing mastectomy, no significant differences were observed between the IBR and AFR groups.

Summary Background The prognosis of patients with advanced biliary tract cancer who have progressed on gemcitabine plus cisplatin is dismal. We aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of second-line liposomal irinotecan plus fluorouracil and leucovorin in patients with metastatic biliary tract cancer that has progressed on gemcitabine plus cisplatin. Methods This multicentre, open-label, randomised, phase 2b (NIFTY) study was done at five academic institutions in South Korea and included patients aged 19 years or older with histologically or cytologically confirmed metastatic biliary tract cancer that had progressed on first-line gemcitabine plus cisplatin and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1. By use of an interactive web-based response system integrated with an electronic data capture system, patients were randomly assigned (1:1) using permuted blocks (block size 4) to receive either intravenous liposomal irinotecan (70 mg/m2 for 90 min) plus intravenous leucovorin (400 mg/m2 for 30 min) and intravenous fluorouracil (2400 mg/m2 for 46 h) every 2 weeks or leucovorin and fluorouracil only every 2 weeks, and were stratified by primary tumour site, previous surgery with curative intent, and participating centre. Study treatment was continued until the patient had disease progression or unacceptable toxicities, or withdrew consent. The primary endpoint was blinded independent central review (BICR)-assessed progression-free survival. The primary endpoint and safety were assessed in the full analysis set and the safety analysis set, respectively, both of which comprised all randomly assigned patients who received at least one dose of the study treatment. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT03524508 , and enrolment is complete. Findings Between Sept 5, 2018, and Feb 18, 2020, 193 patients were screened for eligibility, of whom 174 (88 in the liposomal irinotecan plus fluorouracil and leucovorin group and 86 in the fluorouracil plus leucovorin group) were enrolled and included in the full analysis and safety analysis sets. At a median follow-up of 11·8 months (IQR 7·7–18·7), the median BICR-assessed progression-free survival was significantly longer in the liposomal irinotecan plus fluorouracil and leucovorin group (7·1 months, 95% CI 3·6–8·8) than in the fluorouracil and leucovorin group (1·4 months, 1·2–1·5; hazard ratio 0·56, 95% CI 0·39–0·81; p=0·0019). The most common grade 3–4 adverse events were neutropenia (21 [24%] of 88 in the liposomal irinotecan plus fluorouracil and leucovorin group vs one [1%] of 86 in the fluorouracil and leucovorin group) and fatigue or asthenia (11 [13%] vs three [3%]). Serious adverse events occurred in 37 (42%) patients receiving liposomal irinotecan plus fluorouracil and leucovorin and 21 (24%) patients receiving fluorouracil and leucovorin. There were no treatment-related deaths. Interpretation Adding liposomal irinotecan to fluorouracil and leucovorin significantly improved BICR-assessed progression-free survival in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer. Liposomal irinotecan plus fluorouracil and leucovorin could be considered a standard-of-care second-line therapy for advanced biliary tract cancer. Funding Servier and HK inno.N Translation For the Korean translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

Oncologic safety of postmastectomy breast reconstruction in young women with breast cancer is not well-defined, especially in the setting of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). We retrospectively compared the oncologic outcomes following nipple-sparing (NSM)/skin-sparing mastectomy (SSM) with immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) and conventional mastectomy (CM) alone in young breast cancer patients after NACT. A total of 1266 women with primary breast cancer who underwent NACT followed by total mastectomy with or without IBR were reviewed. Of these, only young patients (age ≤ 40 years at diagnosis) were included in the outcome analysis (n = 375). After propensity score-matching by clinical T and N stage, molecular subtype, response to NACT, and adjuvant radiotherapy status, 228 patients were 1:1 matched, comprising balanced IBR group (with NSM/SSM) and CM-alone group. The 5-year locoregional recurrence-free, disease-free, distant metastasis (DM)-free, and breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) rates for the entire cohort of young patients were 83.4%, 65.3%, 71.7%, and 85.4%, respectively. Locoregional recurrence rates between the matched groups were similar (14% vs. 15.8%; p = 0.710); however, IBR group had significantly lower DM rate (27.2% vs. 40.4%; p = 0.036) and breast cancer mortality (14.9% vs. 27.2%; p = 0.023) than CM-alone group. IBR group showed significantly improved 5-year DM-free survival (74.1% vs. 62.6%; p = 0.043) and BCSS (89.1% vs. 77.6%; p = 0.048) rates than CM-alone group. Our results indicated that IBR with NSM/SSM does not negatively affect long-term oncologic outcomes compared to CM alone in young women with breast cancer receiving NACT.

ImportanceThe NIFTY trial demonstrated the benefit of treatment with second-line liposomal irinotecan (nal-IRI) plus fluorouracil (FU) and leucovorin (LV) for patients with advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC).ObjectiveTo report the updated efficacy outcomes from the NIFTY trial with extended follow-up of 1.3 years with reperformed masked independent central review (MICR) with 3 newly invited radiologists.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThe NIFTY trial was a randomized, multicenter, open-label, phase 2b clinical trial conducted between September 5, 2018, and December 31, 2021, at 5 tertiary referral centers in South Korea. Patients with advanced BTC whose disease progressed while receiving first-line gemcitabine plus cisplatin with at least 1 measurable lesion per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, version 1.1, were eligible. Data analysis was completed on May 9, 2022.InterventionsPatients were randomized 1:1 to receive LV, 400 mg/m2, bolus and FU, 2400 mg/m2, for a 46-hour infusion intravenously every 2 weeks with or without nal-IRI, 70 mg/m2, before LV intravenously. Patients were treated until disease progression or unacceptable toxic effects.Main Outcomes and MeasuresPrimary end point was progression-free survival (PFS) as assessed by MICR. Secondary end points were PFS as assessed by the investigator, overall survival, and objective response rate.ResultsA total of 178 patients (75 women [42.1%]; median [IQR] age, 64 [38-84] years) were randomly assigned, and 174 patients were included in the full analysis set (88 patients [50.6%] in the nal-IRI plus FU/LV group vs 86 patients [49.4%] in the FU/LV alone group). In this updated analysis, the median MICR-assessed PFS was 4.2 months (95% CI, 2.8-5.3) for the nal-IRI plus FU/LV group and 1.7 months (95% CI, 1.4-2.6) for the FU/LV alone group (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.44-0.86; P = .004), in contrast to the 7.1 and 1.4 months reported in the previous study, respectively. The discordance rate for tumor progression date between the MICR and investigators was 17.8% (vs 30% in the previous study).Conclusions and RelevanceThe NIFTY randomized clinical trial demonstrated significant improvement in PFS with treatment with nal-IRI plus FU/LV compared with FU/LV alone for patients with advanced BTC after progression to gemcitabine plus cisplatin. The combination of nal-IRI plus FU/LV could be considered as a second-line treatment option for patients with previously treated advanced BTC.Trial Registrationclinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT03524508

Background: Recently, anti-PD-L1 in combination with cytotoxic chemotherapy has shown significant survival benefit in a randomized phase 3 trial for unresectable or metastatic biliary tract cancer (BTC). However, no biomarker including PD-L1 expression has been established to predict clinical outcomes, and there is an unmet need for a novel predictive biomarker for anti-PD-1 or PD-L1 therapy. Here, we assessed TILs using artificial intelligence (AI)-powered spatial analysis in advanced BTC treated with anti-PD-1 beyond 1st line treatment. Methods: An AI-powered whole-slide image (WSI) analyzer (Lunit SCOPE IO, Lunit, Seoul, Korea) was used to segment tumor epithelium and stroma, and identification of intratumor TIL (iTIL) and stromal TIL (sTIL). H&E stained WSI from pre-treatment samples was acquired from Asan Medical Center (n =166), and a total of 154 samples (92.8%) after quality control were used for the final analysis. Immune phenotypes (IP) were defined as follow: inflamed as high iTIL and sTIL; immune-excluded as low iTIL and high sTIL; immune-desert as low TIL overall. Among them, 20 patients were available for multi-color flow cytometry analysis (FACS) using peripheral blood mononuclear cells, collected at baseline, C1D8, and C2D1. Results: All patients (n=154) were treated with anti-PD-1 (pembrolizumab or nivolumab) monotherapy, and 72 of 154 patients (46.8%) were treated as 2nd line. Gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GemCis) was used prior to anti-PD-1 as first-line therapy in all patients. Overall, 15 (9.7%) patients showed inflamed IP. With median follow-up duration of 15.4 months, the inflamed IP group showed better overall survival (17.2 vs. 6.6 months, P=0.03), and progression-free survival (PFS; 4.5 vs. 2.6 months, P=0.09) along with higher PFS rate at 12 months (33.3% vs. 11.5%, P=0.035), and overall response rate (26. 7% vs. 8.6%, P=0.053) than other phenotype groups. There was no significant difference in median PFS with GemCis among IP groups (P=0.74). In the FACS available subgroup, inflamed IP showed higher baseline central memory T (Tcm)+effector memory T (Tem)/Tnaive ratio than other IPs. With the administration of anti-PD-1, Tcm+Tem/Tnaive ratio was increased, while the proportion of PD1+CD8+T, CD39+CD8+T, CD103+CD8+T and Treg were decreased in the inflamed IP group than other phenotype groups. Conclusions: Immune phenotypes classified by AI-powered spatial TIL analysis was effective to predict the clinical outcomes of patients with advanced BTC treated with anti-PD-1 therapy. Citation Format: Yeong Hak Bang, Kyunghye Bang, Jin Ho Shin, Hyunseok Yoon, Kyu-Pyo Kim, Inkeun Park, Jae Ho Jeong, Heung-Moon Chang, Baek-Yeol Ryoo, Chiyoon Oum, Seulki Kim, Yoojoo Lim, Gahee Park, Chan-Young Ock, Changhoon Yoo. Spatial analysis of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in tumor microenvironment as biomarker for immune checkpoint inhibition in biliary tract cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 4333.

Background: Two neoadjuvant anthracycline and taxane containing chemotherapy regimens have been widely used. The objective of the study was shorter duration of 6 cycles of FEC3-D3 is comparable to 8 cycles of AC4-D4 Method: Enrolled patients (pts) were diagnosed clinically stage II or III breast cancer between November 2012 and December 2015 at Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. Pts were stratified according to hormone receptor and HER2 expression status and randomized 1:1 to AC4-D4 and FEC3-D3 arm. The primary endpoint was pathologic complete response (pCR) and the secondary end points were 3 year disease-free survival (3Y DFS) and toxicities.Result: Among 252 pts enrolled, 1pt ineligible for screening; 10 pts discontinued treatment due to progressive disease (7 pts in AC4-D4 arm and 3 pts in FEC3-D3), 17 pts dropped out due to withdrawal of written consent and 2 pts unable to complete study. Two hundred twenty two pts receiving surgery were included for this analysis. Baseline characteristics are well balanced between two arms- median age (47 vs 48), % of TNBC (24% vs 26%) in AC4-D4 (N=126) vs FEC3-D3 arm (N=125) respectively. Baseline median Ki-67 labeling index was 50% (range, 10%-90%). By ITT analysis, pCR was achieved in 18/126 (14.3%) pts of AC4-D4 arm and 15/125 (12.0%) pts in FEC3-D3 arm, respectively (p=0.17). According to per protocol, in AC4-D4 arm, 95/103 pts achieved clinical response (6 complete response [CR] and 89 partial response [PR]) and among them 18 pts (17.5%) achieved pCR. In FEC3-D3 arm, 97/119 pts achieved clinical response (4 CR and 93 PR) and among them 15 pts (12.6%) achieved pCR. With a median follow up of 64.1 months, 3Y DFS (77.0% in AC4-D4 vs. 74.9% in FEC3-D3) was comparable between two arms (p=0.79). The most common adverse event (AE) was Grade 3/4 neutropenia. 44/126 (34.9%) pts in AC4-D4 arm vs 39/125 (31.2%) pts in FEC3-D3 arm. The most common Grade 3/4 non-hematologic AE was hyperglycemia (3.2%). Dose modification was done in 37/126 (29.4%) pts in AC4-D4 arm and 25/125 (20.0%) pts in FEC3-D3 arm, respectively (p=0.09). Multivariate analyses showed that ≥50% of baseline Ki-67 labeling index [hazard ratio (HR) 2.1 (95% confidence interval (CI),1.20-3.72; p=0.009)], ≥40% of pre-treatment Ki-67 labeling index reduction after neoadjuvant chemotherapy(NACT) [HR 2.1 (95% CI,1.20-3.66; p=0.01)], and ≥4 lymph node metastases at surgery [HR 2.2 (95% CI,1.24-3.80; p=0.07)] were independent predictive factors for 3Y DFS. Of note, in patients with non-pCR, ≥ 40% reduction of Ki-67 after NACT was associated with better 3Y DFS in luminal type [HR 2.9 (95% CI,1.51-5.65; p=0.001)]. Conclusion: Both NACT AC4-D4 and FEC3-D3 showed comparable outcomes in terms of pCR, 3 year DFS and toxicities. ≥50% of baseline Ki-67 labeling index and ≥40% reduction of Ki-67 labeling index after NACT were independent for 3Y DFS. Shorter neo-adjuvant FEC3-D3 could be an alternative to AC4-D4 in stage II or III operable breast cancer.Keywards: Neoadjuvant, AC followed by docetaxel, FEC followed by docetaxel, operable breast cancer Citation Format: Inhwan Hwang, Jeong Eun Kim, Jae Ho Jeong, Jin-Hee Ahn, Kyung Hae Jung, Byung Ho Son, Sei-Hyun Ahn, Hee Jin Lee, Gyungyub Gong, Sung-Bae Kim. Neoadjuvant adriamycin plus cyclophosphamide followed by docetaxel (AC4-D4) vs 5-fluorouracil, epirubicin plus cyclophosphamide followed by docetaxel (FEC3-D3) in stage II or III operable breast cancer : Randomized phase III neo-shorter trial (NCT02001506) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Virtual Symposium; 2020 Dec 8-11; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PS13-07.

BackgroundBreast cancer survivors who taking tamoxifen as adjuvant therapy have been reported to have more endometrial lesions. According to guidelines, a gynecological assessment is recommended for postmenopausal women, but there is no mention of premenopausal women. The purpose of this study is to compare the risk of endometrial cancer by age at diagnosis, and to investigate frequencies of gynecological exam in breast cancer patients taking tamoxifen in South Korea. MethodsA nationwide retrospective cohort study was conducted using South Korea Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service claims data. Between 2010 and 2015, a total of 60,545 (mean follow-up, 66.0 months) newly diagnosed female breast cancer survivors were included. Endometrial evaluation and Dilatation & Curettage (D&C) proportion were analyzed by age at diagnosis. The incidence of endometrial cancer and benign lesions were calculated as incident cases per person-year and analyzed with the Kaplan-Meier method. ResultsThe 26,374 patients who taking tamoxifen were divided into four groups by age at diagnosis. The incidence rate of endometrial cancer per 1,000 person-years was 1.13 and 1.45 for age range 50-59 and over 60 and 0.62 and 0.82 for in age under 40 and range 40-49. However, D&C proportion did not all differ from 10 to 11% in each subgroup. ConclusionsThis nationwide cohort study showed that the risk of endometrial cancer in premenopausal breast cancer women taking tamoxifen was lower than that of postmenopausal women. However, the invasive diagnostic procedure such as aspiration, biopsy, polypectomy and D&C was proceeding at a level that makes no difference with those in postmenopausal women. Citation Format: Soojeong Choi, Jae ho Jeong, Jinhong Jung, Young Jae Lee, Jong Won Lee, Beom Seok Ko, Byung Ho Son, Sei Hyun Ahn, Yura Lee, Hee jeong Kim, Il Yong Chung. Incidences of endometrial events and frequencies of endometrial invasive diagnostic procedures in breast cancer survivors on tamoxifen: A nationwide study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Virtual Symposium; 2020 Dec 8-11; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PD12-07.

Purpose In the randomised phase II LEO trial, we investigated the effect of adding everolimus (EVE) to letrozole (LET) in ovarian-suppressed premenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive (HR+), HER2-negative (HER2–) recurrent/metastatic breast cancer. Methods Patients with progression or prior exposure to tamoxifen with or without gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists, either sequentially or concurrently, in adjuvant or metastatic setting were randomly assigned (2:1) to the EVE arm (leuprorelin + LET + EVE) or the LET arm (leuprorelin + LET) until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary end-point was progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary end-points included overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), clinical benefit rate (CBR) and safety. Results Between January 2014 and October 2018, 137 patients were enrolled (median age, 44 years [range, 24–56]). Of them, 75% had endocrine-sensitive disease, and 61% had visceral metastasis. With the median follow-up of 32.4 months, the median PFS was 18.1 months in the EVE arm and 13.8 months in the LET arm (HR 0.73, P = 0.137). Among patients with visceral metastases, the median PFS was significantly longer in the EVE arm (16.4 versus 9.5 months, P = 0.048). The median OS was not reached in both arms. The CBR was significantly higher in the EVE arm (83% versus 62%, P = 0.010). The ORR was similar between the two arms. The most common grade 3/4 adverse events in the EVE arm were neutropenia, alanine aminotransferase elevation and anaemia. Conclusions EVE plus LET with ovarian-suppression resulted in longer PFS in tamoxifen-exposed HR+, HER2– metastatic breast cancer patients with visceral metastasis.

Purpose This study evaluated the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) in patients with resected ampulla of Vater (AoV) carcinoma.Materials and Methods Data from 646 patients who underwent surgical resection at Asan Medical Center between 2000 and 2017 were retrospectively reviewed.Results The median age of the patients was 62 years, and 54.2% were male. Patients were classified into AC group (n=165, 25.5%) and no AC group (n=481, 74.5%). With a median follow-up duration of 88 months, in patients with stage I, II, III, median recurrence-free survival (RFS) was not reached, 44 months, and 15 months, respectively, and the median overall survival (OS) were not reached, 88 months and 35 months, respectively. Despite no statistical significance, RFS and OS were better in stage II patients with AC than in those without AC (median RFS, 151 months vs. 38 months; p=0.156 and median OS, 153 months vs. 74 months; p=0.299). In multivariate analysis for RFS and OS, TNM stage, R1 resection status, presence of lymphovascular invasion, and perineural invasion remained significant factors, whereas AC (hazard ratio [HR], 0.74; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.54 to 1.00; p=0.052) was marginally related with RFS. After propensity score matching in only stage II/III patients, RFS and OS with AC were numerically longer than those without AC (HR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.60 to 1.06; p=0.116 and HR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.56 to 1.06; p=0.111).Conclusion AC with fluoropyrimidine did not improve survival of patients with resected AoV carcinoma. However, multivariate analysis with prognostic factors showed a marginally significant survival benefit with AC.

Bilateral axillary Paget's disease in men is a rare occurrence with limited reports on its diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. Here, we report the case of a 55-year-old Korean male, who presented with a palpable mass and eczematous skin lesion on the left axilla. An incisional biopsy and histopathologic examination indicated invasive ductal carcinoma with Paget's disease arising in the accessory breast. Magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography revealed no malignancy in the normal breast and other organs. The patient was subjected to a wide excision, wherein the left axillary lymph node was dissected, followed by the administration of adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy. After 17 months of disease-free survival, the patient was diagnosed with Paget's disease of the contralateral accessory breast. He underwent wide excision surgery along with radiation therapy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of bilateral extramammary Paget's disease in a male.

Purpose The current standard chemotherapy for advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC) has limited benefit, and novel therapies need to be investigated. Materials and MethodsIn this prospective cohort study, programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1)–positive BTC patients who progressed on first-line gemcitabine plus cisplatin were enrolled. Pembrolizumab 200 mg was administered intravenously every 3 weeks. ResultsBetween May 2018 and February 2019, 40 patients were enrolled. Pembrolizumab was given as second-line (47.5%) or ≥ third-line therapy (52.5%). The objective response rate was 10% and 12.5% by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumor (RECIST) v1.1 and immune- modified RECIST (imRECIST) and median duration of response was 6.3 months. Among patients with progressive disease as best response, one patient (1/20, 5.0%) achieved complete response subsequently. The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 1.5 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.0 to 3.0) and 4.3 months (95% CI, 3.5 to 5.1), respectively, and objective response per imRECIST was significantly associated with PFS (p < 0.001) and OS (p=0.001). Tumor proportion score ≥ 50% was significantly associated with higher response rates including the response after pseudoprogression (vs. < 50%; 37.5% vs. 6.5%; p=0.049). Conclusion Pembrolizumab showed modest anti-tumor activity in heavily pretreated PD-L1–positive BTC patients. In patients who showed objective response, durable response could be achieved.

Background: We evaluated the safety and efficacy of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) versus subcutaneous dalteparin for cancer-associated venous thromboembolism (CA-VTE) in patients with advanced upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract, hepatobiliary, or pancreatic cancer. Methods: This was a multicenter, randomized, open-label, phase II trial in five centers. Patients randomly received rivaroxaban (15 mg twice daily for 3 weeks, then 20 mg once daily)/apixaban (10 mg twice daily for the first 7 days, then 5 mg twice daily) or dalteparin (200 IU/kg once daily for the first month, then 150 IU/kg once daily). Randomization was stratified by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status, primary cancer type, active chemotherapy, and participating centers. The primary endpoint was the rates of clinically relevant bleeding (CRB) in the full analysis set (FAS). Results: A total of 90 patients were randomly assigned to the DOAC (n = 44) and dalteparin groups (n = 46) in FAS. CRB and major bleeding (MB) rates were 34.1% and 13.0% (p = 0.018) and 18.2% and 4.3% (p = 0.047) for the DOAC and dalteparin groups, respectively. Time to CRB and MB was higher in the DOAC group than in the dalteparin group (hazard ratio [HR] 2.83; p = 0.031 and HR 4.32; p = 0.064). Cancer involvement at the GI mucosa was also a significant risk factor for CRB. Recurrent CA-VTE occurred in 2.3% and 2.2% of patients given DOAC and dalteparin, respectively (p = 1.000). Conclusion: DOAC therapy further increased the risk of bleeding compared with dalteparin in patients with active advanced upper GI tract, hepatobiliary, or pancreatic cancer, suggesting that extra caution should be taken when selecting anticoagulants for CA-VTE.

Bacterial cancer therapy is a promising next-generation modality to treat cancer that often uses tumor-colonizing bacteria to deliver cytotoxic anticancer proteins. However, the expression of cytotoxic anticancer proteins in bacteria that accumulate in the nontumoral reticuloendothelial system (RES), mainly the liver and spleen, is considered detrimental. This study examined the fate of the Escherichia coli strain MG1655 and an attenuated strain of Salmonella enterica serovar Gallinarum (S. Gallinarum) with defective ppGpp synthesis after intravenous injection into tumor-bearing mice (~108 colony forming units/animal). Approximately 10% of the injected bacteria were detected initially in the RES, whereas approximately 0.01% were in tumor tissues. The bacteria in the tumor tissue proliferated vigorously to up to 109 colony forming units/g tissue, whereas those in the RES died off. RNA analysis revealed that tumor-associated E. coli activated rrnB operon genes encoding the rRNA building block of ribosome needed most during the exponential stage of growth, whereas those in the RES expressed substantially decreased levels of this gene and were cleared soon presumably by innate immune systems. Based on this finding, we engineered ΔppGpp S. Gallinarum to express constitutively a recombinant immunotoxin comprising TGFα and the Pseudomonas exotoxin A (PE38) using a constitutive exponential phase promoter, the ribosomal RNA promoter rrnB P1. The construct exerted anticancer effects on mice grafted with mouse colon (CT26) or breast (4T1) tumor cells without any notable adverse effects, suggesting that constitutive expression of cytotoxic anticancer protein from rrnB P1 occurred only in tumor tissue.

613 Background: Although growing number of studies have explored the role of vitamin D3 on various cancer types, no study has been conducted in the prospective cohort of advanced BTC. This analysis aimed to evaluate the predictive or prognostic implication of serum vitamin D3 in pts with advanced BTC treated with second-line chemotherapy. Methods: The analysis is the preplanned subgroup analysis of the NIFTY trial, a multicenter, open-label, randomized, phase 2b study which compared the second-line liposomal irinotecan plus 5-FU/leucovorin and 5-FU/leucovorin in pts with advanced BTC. Serum vitamin D3 (25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D]) levels were measured at baseline (i.e., C1D1) in a total of 176 pts out of 178 pts in the ITT population and were included in the current analysis. Correlation between OS and serum vitamin D3 as a continuous variable was analyzed for linear and non-linear associations. Results: The median age was 64 years (range, 37–84) and 75 patients (42.6%) were women. The baseline serum vitamin D3 levels ranged from 1.39 ng/ml to 140.02 ng/ml in the overall pts. There was no significant difference in the mean vitamin D3 concentration according to the sex (male vs. female: 24.1 vs. 26.7; p=0.43), body mass index (BMI) (3 and OS (HR=1.06 per 10 increase; 95% CI, 0.97–1.15; p=0.22). In addition, there was no non-linear association between vitamin D3 and OS (p=0.52 for the linear model and p=0.62 for the model with restricted cubic splines). In the subgroup analysis, higher vitamin D3 levels were associated with poorer OS (HR=1.16 per 10 increase; 95% CI, 1.04–1.30; p=0.0072) in female pts. Conclusions: Serum vitamin D3 levels did not show significant relationship with survival in pts with advanced BTC treated with second-line chemotherapy. High vitamin D3 levels might be associated with poorer survival in female pts. Further larger studies are needed.

737 Background: There is no reliable biomarker to guide treatment for patient with borderline resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) treated with neoadjuvant modified (m)FOLFIRINOX. We investigated the role of plasma circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) sequencing to discover potential biomarkers for patients treated with neoadjuvant mFOLFIRINOX in our phase 2 clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02749136). Methods: Among 44 patients enrolled in the trial, patients with plasma ctDNA analysis performed at baseline or post-operative period were included in the analysis. Plasma cell-free DNA isolation and sequencing of ctDNA were performed using the Guardant 360 assay. Association of clinical outcomes with germline or somatic mutations of DNA damage repair (DDR) genes was analyzed. Somatic alterations other than DDR genes were also analyzed to find potential biomarkers of neoadjuvant mFOLFIRINOX. Progression free-survival (PFS) was defined as time from the initiation of mFOLFIRINOX to disease progression or any cause of death. Overall survival (OS) was defined as the time from the initiation of mFOLFIRINOX to any cause of death. Results: Among 44 patients, 28 patients had ctDNA sequencing data qualified for the analysis and were included in this study (15 patients with baseline data only, 3 patients with post-operative data only, and 10 patients with both baseline and post-operative data). Median age was 59 (range, 41-73) years and 15 patients (53.6%) were male. Among 25 patients with baseline plasma ctDNA data, 11 patients (44%) had somatic or germline alteration of DDR genes detected at baseline including ATM, BRCA1, BRCA2 and MLH1, and showed significantly better PFS than those without such DDR gene alterations (median 26.6 vs. 13.5 months, log-rank p = 0.004). Although there was a trend for better OS in patients with DDR gene alterations, this was not statistically significant (log-rank p = 0.29). The most observed baseline somatic alteration was TP53 (n = 7, 28%), followed by KRAS (n = 6, 24%). Patients with somatic KRAS mutation at baseline had significantly worse OS (median 8.5 months vs. not applicable, log-rank p = 0.003) than those without. Among 13 patients with post-operative plasma ctDNA data, 8 patients (61.5%) had detectable somatic alterations. Conclusions: Detection of germline or somatic mutations of DDR genes from plasma ctDNA at baseline was associated with better survival outcomes of patients with borderline resectable PDAC treated with neoadjuvant mFOLFIRINOX. Detection of DDR gene alterations from plasma ctDNA may have a potential role as biomarker for prognosis in patients with borderline resectable PDAC treated with mFOLFIRINOX.

Purpose The treatment of male breast cancer (MBC) has been extrapolated from female breast cancer (FBC) because of its rarity despite their different clinicopathologic characteristics. We aimed to investigate the distribution of intrinsic subtypes based on immunohistochemistry, their clinical impact, and treatment pattern in clinical practice through a multicenter study in Korea.Materials and Methods We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 248 MBC patients from 18 institutions across the country from January 1995 to July 2016.Results The median age of MBC patients was 63 years (range, 25 to 102 years). Among 148 intrinsic subtype classified patients, 61 (41.2%), 44 (29.7%), 29 (19.5%), and 14 (9.5%) were luminal A, luminal B, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, and triple-negative breast cancer, respectively. Luminal A subtype showed trends for superior survival compared to other subtypes. Most hormone receptor-positive patients (166 patients, 82.6%) received adjuvant endocrine treatment. Five-year completion of adjuvant endocrine treatment was associated with superior disease-free survival (DFS) in patients classified with an intrinsic subtype (hazard ratio [HR], 0.15; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.04 to 0.49; p=0.002) and in all patients (HR, 0.16; 95% CI, 0.05 to 0.54; p=0.003).Conclusion Distribution of subtypes of MBC was similar to FBC and luminal type A was most common. Overall survival tended to be improved for luminal A subtype, although there was no statistical significance. Completion of adjuvant endocrine treatment was associated with prolonged DFS in intrinsic subtype classified patients. MBC patients tended to receive less treatment. MBC patients should receive standard treatment according to guidelines as FBC patients.

Cancer of unknown primary (CUP) is a heterogeneous malignancy in which the primary site of the tumor cannot be identified through standard work-up. The survival outcome of CUP is generally poor, and there is no consensus for treatment. Here, we comprehensively analyzed the real-world data of 218 patients with CUP (median age, 62 years [range, 19–91]; male, 62.3%). Next-generation sequencing was conducted in 22 (10%) patients, one of whom showed level 1 genetic alteration. Most (60.3%) patients were treated with empirical cytotoxic chemotherapy, and two patients received targeted therapy based on the NGS results. The median OS was 8.3 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.2–11.4), and the median progression-free survival of patients treated with chemotherapy was 4.4 months (95% CI, 3.4–5.3). In multivariate Cox regression analysis, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) of 0 or 1 and localized disease were significantly associated with favorable survival outcomes. Collectively, we found that CUP patients had a poor prognosis after standard treatment, and those with localized disease who received local treatment and those with better PS treated with multiple lines of chemotherapy had better survival outcomes. Targeted therapies based on NGS results are expected to improve survival outcomes.

BackgroundWe evaluated the clinical implications of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers and peritumoral immune cell infiltration in patients with biliary tract cancer (BTC) treated with gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GemCis).MethodsForty-five patients with advanced BTC who received GemCis were included as the study population. We conducted multiplex immunohistochemistry and examined EMT markers and their correlations with immune cell infiltrate at the invasive tumor margin. Study population was subdivided into two groups: twenty-four patients with overall survival (OS) less than 10 months (short-term survivor group, SS) and 21 with OS of 20 months or longer (long-term survivor group, LS).ResultsThe density of tumor cells expressing epithelial marker E-cadherin (E-cadherin+ CK+) at the invasive tumor margin tended to be higher in the LS group than in the SS group (p = 0.065). The density of tumor cells expressing mesenchymal marker vimentin (vimentin+ CK+) was significantly higher in the SS group than in the LS group (p = 0.021). Accordingly, the density of E-cadherin- vimentin+ CK+ cells was also significantly higher in the SS group (p = 0.020). The density of OX40 expressing cells (OX40+) was significantly higher in the SS group than in the LS group (p = 0.006). The density of vimentin+ CK+ cells was positively correlated with FoxP3+ CD4+ regulatory T-cells (r = 0.29, p = 0.047) and OX40+ cells (r = 0.48, p < 0.001).ConclusionsEMT-related features were enriched in BTC patients with poor survival outcomes and were associated with the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.

Background This study was conducted to compare the reported adverse event (AE) profiles and unexpected use of medical services during chemotherapy between before and after the healthcare reimbursement of AE evaluation in patients with cancer. Patients and Methods Using the electronic medical record database system, extracted patients with breast, lung, gastric, and colorectal cancers receiving neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy between September 2013 and December 2016 at four centers in Korea were matched using the 1:1 greedy method: pre‐reimbursement group (n = 1084) and post‐reimbursement group (n = 1084). Unexpected outpatient department (OPD), emergency room (ER) visit, hospitalization rates, and chemotherapy completion rates were compared between the groups. Results The baseline characteristics were well‐balanced between the groups. By chemotherapy cycle, hospitalization (1.8% vs. 2.3%; p = 0.039), and ER visit rates (3.3% vs. 3.9%; p = 0.064) were lower in the post‐reimbursement group than that in the pre‐reimbursement group. In particular, since cycle 2, ER visit and hospitalization rates were significantly lower in the post‐reimbursement group than those in the pre‐reimbursement group (2.6% vs. 3.3%; p = 0.020 and 1.4% vs. 2.0%; p = 0.007, respectively), although no significant differences were observed during cycle 1. The OPD visit rates were similar between both groups, regardless of cycles. The post‐reimbursement group had a higher proportion of patients who completed chemotherapy as planned than the pre‐reimbursement group (93.5% vs. 90.1%; p = 0.006). Post‐reimbursement group had more AEs reported, including alopecia, fatigue, diarrhea, anorexia, and peripheral neuropathy, during cycle 1 than the pre‐reimbursement group, which significantly decreased after cycle 2. Conclusion The introduction of healthcare reimbursement for AE evaluation may help physicians capture and appropriately manage AEs, consequently, decreasing hospital utilization and increasing chemotherapy completion rates.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is becoming essential in the fields of precision oncology. With implementation of NGS in daily clinic, the needs for continued education, facilitated interpretation of NGS results and optimal treatment delivery based on NGS results have been addressed. Molecular tumor board (MTB) is multidisciplinary approach to keep pace with the growing knowledge of complex molecular alterations in patients with advanced solid cancer. Although guidelines for NGS use and MTB have been developed in western countries, there is limitation for reflection of Korea’s public health environment and daily clinical practice. These recommendations provide a critical guidance from NGS panel testing to final treatment decision based on MTB discussion.

Purpose In biliary tract cancer (BTC), standard chemotherapy has limited benefit and no molecular targeted agents have been approved. This study investigated the genetic profile of BTC to identify potential new therapeutic targets and predictive biomarkers. Methods Targeted exome sequencing was performed for 124 patients with BTC [gallbladder cancer (GBC), 25; intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), 55; extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ECC), 44]. Survival analysis was performed in 112 patients who received palliative chemotherapy for locally unresectable or metastatic disease. Results Genetic alterations were observed in 104 patients (83.8%); the most commonly mutated genes were TP53 (44.4%), KRAS (29.0%), ARID1A (12.1%) and IDH1 (9.7%). IDH1/2 mutations appeared more frequently in ICC (23.6%, P = 0.0002) than in GBC (4.0%) or ECC (2.3%), while ERBB2/3 mutations were found only in GBC (20.0%) and ECC (11.4%). Patients harbouring TP53 mutations had shorter overall survival (OS; median 15.2 vs. 37.8 months, P = 0.018), while IDH1 mutations showed a tendency for longer progression-free survival (PFS; 10.6 vs. 6.1 months, P = 0.124). Potentially actionable genetic alterations were found in 54.8%, and 7.1% received appropriate molecular targeted therapy in the clinical trial setting. Germline or somatic mutations in DNA damage repair (DDR) genes were found in 63.5% of patients and were significantly associated with longer PFS (6.9 vs. 5.7 months, P = 0.013) and OS (21.0 vs. 13.3 months, P = 0.009) in patients who received first-line platinum-containing chemotherapies (n = 88). Conclusions A subgroup of patients with BTC may benefit from targeted therapy by the aid of genetic information. In particular, DDR alterations may be a predictive biomarker for response to platinum-containing chemotherapy in patients with BTC.

Purpose Gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GemCis) is the standard first-line chemotherapy for patients with advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC). In ABC-02 study, the BTC patients received up to 6-8 cycles of 3-weekly GemCis; however, those without progression often receive more than 6-8 cycles. The clinical benefit of maintenance treatment in patients without progression is uncertain. Materials and methods Advanced BTC patients treated with GemCis between April 2010 and February 2015 at Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea, were retrospectively analysed. The patients without progression after 6-8 cycles were stratified according to further treatment i.e., with or without further cycles of GemCis (maintenance vs. observation groups). The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Results Among the 740 BTC patients in the initial screen, 231 cases (31.2%) were eligible for analysis (111 in the observation group, 120 in the maintenance group). The median OS from the GemCis initiation was 20.5 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 15.4 to 25.6) and 22.4 months (95% CI, 17.0 to 27.8) in the observation and maintenance groups, respectively (p=0.162). The median PFS was 10.4 months (95% CI, 7.0 to 13.8) and 13.2 months (95% CI, 11.3 to 15.2), respectively (p=0.320). Conclusions GemCis maintenance is not associated with an improved survival outcome.

ImportanceAddition of immune checkpoint inhibitors to anti-ERBB2 treatment has shown synergistic efficacy in preclinical studies and is thus worth investigating as a neoadjuvant treatment to maximize efficacy and to minimize toxic effects.ObjectiveTo determine if neoadjuvant atezolizumab, docetaxel, trastuzumab, and pertuzumab therapy for ERBB2-positive early breast cancer warrants continuation to the next phase.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis nonrandomized, open label, multicenter, phase 2 trial was conducted by the Korean Cancer Study Group and enrolled patients across 6 institutions in Korea from May 2019 to May 2020. Eligible patients were diagnosed with ERBB2-positive breast cancer (primary tumor size >2 cm or pathologically confirmed lymph node–positive cancer, without distant metastases) with a clinical stage of II or III.InterventionsPatients received 6 cycles of neoadjuvant pertuzumab (840 mg at first cycle, 420 mg during subsequent cycles), atezolizumab (1200 mg), docetaxel (75 mg/m2), and trastuzumab (600 mg via subcutaneous injection) every 3 weeks, followed by surgery. Patients with pathologic complete response (pCR) received 12 cycles of adjuvant atezolizumab, trastuzumab, and pertuzumab every 3 weeks after surgery. Patients without pCR were treated with 14 cycles of atezolizumab, 1200 mg, plus trastuzumab emtansine, 3.6 mg/kg, every 3 weeks.Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe primary end point was pCR rate, which was defined as the absence of invasive cancer cells in the primary tumor and regional lymph nodes (ypT0/isN0). Secondary end points included clinical objective response rate, 3-year event-free survival rate according to pCR achievement, disease-free survival, overall survival, toxic effects, and quality-of-life outcomes.ResultsA total of 67 women (median [range] age, 52 [33-74] years) were enrolled. Hormone receptor expression was positive in 32 (48%) patients. Curative surgery was performed in 65 patients because 2 patients showed disease progression during neoadjuvant treatment and their tumors became unresectable. The overall pCR rate was 61% (41 of 67 patients). The pCR rate was higher in hormone receptor–negative disease vs hormone receptor–positive disease (27 of 35 [77%] patients vs 14 of 32 [44%] patients) and in programmed cell death 1–positive expression vs programmed cell death 1–negative expression (13 of 13 [100%] patients vs 28 of 53 [53%] patients). Grade 3 and 4 neutropenia and febrile neutropenia occurred in 8 (12%) patients and 5 (8%) patients, respectively. Grade 3 and 4 immune-related adverse events occurred in only 4 patients (grade 3 skin rash, encephalitis, hepatitis, and fever). No treatment-related death occurred during the neoadjuvant phase.Conclusions and RelevanceIn this nonrandomized clinical trial, treatment with the neoadjuvant atezolizumab, docetaxel, trastuzumab, and pertuzumab regimen in patients with stage II or III ERBB2-positive breast cancer appears to have had an acceptable pCR rate and modest toxic effects. Further investigation of this immunotherapy combination in ERBB2-positive early breast cancer is warranted.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03881878

BackgroundIn patients with hormone receptor-positive (HR+)/premenopausal breast cancer, luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analogs (LHRHas) are used as standard endocrine treatment. Based on previous clinical studies, 1-month formulations are recommended in most breast cancer treatment guidelines, but long-acting formulations facilitate reductions in side effects and patient discomfort caused by frequent administration. However, few efficacy studies have been conducted on 6-month formulations. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of 6-month formulations of LHRHas.MethodsThis retrospective study was conducted from January 2018 to December 2019 and involved premenopausal patients with HR+ breast cancer administered 6-month LHRHas as adjuvant treatment after surgery, and those previously administered chemotherapy or other LHRHa types were excluded. Patients’ estradiol (E2) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels were measured before surgery, and their E2 levels were also measured at 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months at periodic postsurgical examinations.ResultsA total of 228 patients were included, and the median patient age was 44 (range, 25–54) years. The mean serum E2 and FSH levels before surgery were 69.7 (range, 4–683) pg/mL and 7.3 (range, 0.4–88.9) mIU/mL, respectively, whereas the mean serum E2 level monitored at intervals during the 6-month LHRHa administration was 5.5 (range, 4.0–52) pg/mL. No women menstruated during the follow-up period after the LHRHas administration, and the E2 levels were less than 30 pg/mL in all patients except one.ConclusionsThe 6-month LHRHa formulation adequately suppressed ovarian function in premenopausal patients with HR+ breast cancer. This indicates that long-acting LHRHas can be effectively used for patient convenience and that there is high compliance with long-term use.

The phase 2 LEO study showed that everolimus (EVE) plus letrozole (LET) with ovarian suppression increased progression-free survival (PFS) in tamoxifen-exposed premenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer with visceral metastases. Here we report final survival outcomes from the LEO study, and the results of exploratory analyses of bone turnover marker changes and bone-specific progressive disease. Patients who were exposed to or progressed on tamoxifen as adjuvant/palliative treatments were randomly assigned (2:1) to the EVE (leuprorelin + LET + EVE, n = 92) or LET (leuprorelin + LET, n = 45) arm. In a median 51-months of follow-up, the median PFS was 17.5 and 13.8 months in the EVE and LET arms, respectively (P = .245). Patients in the EVE arm with baseline visceral (median PFS 16.4 vs 9.5 months, P = .040) and bone (median PFS 17.1 vs 10.9, P = .003) metastases had greater PFS compared to the LET arm. No differences in overall survival (OS) were observed (median OS, 48.3 vs 50.8 months, P = .948). The 1-year cumulative incidences of bone-specific disease progression were 6.0% and 23.4% in the EVE and LET arms, respectively (hazard ratio 0.26, P < .001). Bone turnover markers at 6 and 12 weeks after treatment decreased in the EVE arm but were increased or stationary in the LET arm. Skeletal-related events occurred in 6.5% and 11.1% of patients in the EVE and LET arms, respectively. EVE + LET with ovarian suppression prolonged PFS in patients with baseline visceral or bone metastases and offered bone-protective effects in the overall study population. However, these clinical benefits did not translate into an OS benefit.

Simple Summary For decades, there has been no globally accepted neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy in resectable biliary tract cancer. Based on the results of the BILCAP trial, adjuvant capecitabine has been widely regarded as standard adjuvant therapy. Focusing on the management of resectable biliary tract cancer, this article reviews each therapeutic strategy including surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and summarises published and ongoing clinical trials of neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy. Abstract Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) are a group of aggressive malignancies that arise from the bile duct and gallbladder. BTCs include intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (IH-CCA), extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (EH-CCA), and gallbladder cancer (GBCA). BTCs are highly heterogeneous cancers in terms of anatomical, clinical, and pathological characteristics. Until recently, the treatment of resectable BTC, including surgery, adjuvant chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, has largely been based on institutional practice guidelines and evidence from small retrospective studies. Recently, several large randomized prospective trials have been published, and there are ongoing randomized trials for resectable BTC. In this article, we review prior and recently updated evidence regarding surgery, adjuvant and neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and adjuvant radiation therapy for patients with resectable BTC.

BackgroundFew data are available on the risk factors of locoregional recurrence (LRR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) and immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) in breast cancer. Herein, we evaluated the factors predicting LRR in a large series of patients who underwent either nipple- (NSM) or skin-sparing mastectomy (SSM) with IBR after NACT.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed 609 breast cancer patients who underwent NACT and NSM/SSM with IBR between February 2010 and June 2017. Factors associated with an increased risk of LRR were analyzed by univariate (chi-square or Fisher’s exact test) and multivariate (Cox proportional hazard regression model) analyses.ResultsDuring a median follow-up of 63 months, LRR as the first event occurred in 73 patients, and the 5-year cumulative LRR rate was 10.8%. Multivariate analysis revealed post-NACT Ki67 ≥ 10% [hazard ratio (HR), 2.208; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.295-3.765; P = 0.004], high tumor grade (HR, 1.738; 95% CI, 1.038-2.908; P = 0.035), and presence of lymphovascular invasion (LVI) (HR, 1.725; 95% CI, 1.039-2.864; P = 0.035) as independently associated with increased LRR risk. The 10-year LRR rate was 8.5% for patients with none of the three associated risk factors, 11.6% with one factor, 25.1% with two factors, and 33.7% with all three factors (P < 0.001).ConclusionsPost-NACT Ki67 ≥ 10%, high tumor grade, and presence of LVI are independently associated with an increased risk of developing LRR after NACT and NSM/SSM with IBR. Future prospective trials are warranted to decrease the risk of LRR in patients with associated risk factors.

To evaluate the prognostic value of the 21-gene recurrence score (RS) for regional recurrence (RR) in patients with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. We reviewed the medical records of 446 patients who underwent 21-gene RS assay after breast-conserving surgery or mastectomy. The high-RS group was defined as patients who were (1) older than 50 years with an RS of 26 or higher, or (2) 50 years or younger with an RS of 16 or higher. The 5-year rates of local recurrence (LR), RR, and distant metastasis (DM) were 2.2%, 2.7%, and 4.7%, respectively. The 5-year overall survival (OS) rate was 99.1%. Of the patients, 269 (60.3%) had low-RS, while 177 (39.7%) had high-RS. The 5-year OS rate of the high-RS group was significantly lower than that of the low-RS. The 5-year rates of RR and DM in the high-RS group were significantly higher than those in the low-RS group, while the LR rates did not differ significantly. In multivariable analysis, the high-RS group had a significant relationship with increased RR rate (p = 0.037). Patients who had both high-RS and clinical high-risk features had a significantly higher 5-year RR rate (7.9%) compared with other groups. High-RS was an independent risk factor for RR. The significantly higher RR rate of patients with both high-RS and clinical high-risk features compared with other groups suggests that this patient group can be a potential candidate for regional nodal irradiation.

Background and Aim: The aim of the present study is to evaluate a new index (PECS (PsECogSii)index) influenced by PS ECOG and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) in unresectable locally advanced or metastatic BTC patients treated with first-line chemotherapy. Methods: This multicenter, international, study was conducted on a training cohort of 130 patients and in three European and Korean validation cohorts The PECS index was calculated as ECOG × SII index (neutrophil count × platelet count/lymphocyte count). Event-time distributions were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method and survival curves were compared using the log-rank test. Results: In the training cohort, the median overall survival (mOS) was 13.2months, 8.7months, and 3.8months for patients with PECS-0, PECS-1, and PECS-2, respectively (PECS-0: HR=1; PECS-1: HR 1.41; PECS-2: HR 3.23) (p&nbsp

Background and Aim: The need to estimate prognosis of advanced BTC (aBTC) patients treated with first-line chemotherapy is compelling. The aim of the study is to evaluate the ECSIPOT (psECogSIiPnigOT) index, influenced by PECS (PsECogSii) index, prognostic nutritional index (PNI), and GOT. Methods: This international study was conducted on a training cohort of 126 patients and in three validation cohorts, both European and Korean. ECSIPOT index formula: (PECS:0 = 1 point; PECS:1 = 1.4 points; PECS:2 = 3.2 points) + (PNI > 36.7 = 1 point; PNI < 36.7 = 2 points) + (GOT < 100 = 1 point; GOT > 100 = 2 points). Event-time distributions were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method, and survival curves were compared using the log-rank test. Results: In the training cohort, mOS was 12.9, 6.3, and 2.8months for patients with ECSIPOT-0, ECSIPOT-1, and ECSIPOT-2, respectively (ECSIPOT-0: HR 1; ECSIPOT-1: HR 2.11; ECSIPOT-2: HR 4.93; p < 0.0001). In the first validation cohort, mOS was 11.5, 7.3, and 3.3months for ECSIPOT-0, ECSIPOT-1, and ECSIPOT-2, respectively (ECSIPOT-0: HR 1; ECSIPOT-1: HR 1.74; ECSIPOT-2: HR 3.41; p < 0.0001). In the second validation cohort, mOS was 25.2, 12.5, and 3.0months for ECSIPOT-0, ECSIPOT-1, and ECSIPOT-2, respectively (ECSIPOT-0: HR = 1; ECSIPOT-1: HR 2.33; ECSIPOT-2: HR 8.46; p < 0.0001). In the third validation cohort, mOS was 11.8, 8.1, and 4.6months for ECSIPOT-0, ECSIPOT-1, and ECSIPOT-2, respectively (ECSIPOT-0: HR = 1; ECSIPOT-1: HR 1.47; ECSIPOT-2: HR 3.17; p < 0.0001). Multivariate analysis in all cohorts confirmed the ECSIPOT index as an independent prognostic factor for OS. Conclusion: The easy assessment and good risk-stratification performance make the ECSIPOT index a promising tool to comprehensively estimate the prognosis of aBTC patients.

Purpose More than half of patients with bile duct cancer (BDC) develop recurrence even after curative resection. Recurrent BDC has a poor prognosis, and no optimal treatment modality has been established. We therefore analyzed our experience on the survival outcomes of radiation therapy (RT) for recurrent extrahepatic bile duct cancer (EHBDC). Patients and methods We retrospectively analyzed the records of patients with recurrent EHBDC who underwent concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CCRT) or RT alone at our institution between January 2001 and June 2015. Freedom from locoregional progression (FFLP), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were assessed, and univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the prognostic factors. Results A total of 76 patients were included in the analysis. The median OS was 16 months and the rates of 2-year FFLP, PFS, and OS were 61%, 25%, and 33%, respectively. Among the evaluable patients, the first site of failure was the locoregional area in 16 patients, distant metastasis in 27, and both sites in 8. On univariate analysis, disease-free interval (p = 0.012) and concurrent chemotherapy (p = 0.040) were found as significant prognostic factors for OS. One patient with CCRT developed a grade 3 hematologic toxicity, and two patients experienced late grade 3 toxicities including duodenal ulcer bleeding and obstruction. Conclusions RT for recurrent EHBDC showed favorable survival and local control with limited treatment-related toxicities. Considering that the most common pattern of failure was distant metastasis, further studies on the optimal scheme of chemotherapy and RT are warranted.

Purpose: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized the cancer prognosis in various cancer types. However, ICIs may trigger accelerated tumor progression, regarded as hyperprogressive disease (HPD), in certain patients, and it is still challenging to define HPD. We aimed to investigate the landscape of HPD and the prognostic value of its different definitions in advanced solid cancer patients treated with ICIs. Methods: We conducted a multicenter, prospective cohort study for solid cancer patients receiving ICIs. Among them, only unresectable or metastatic cancer patients were included in this analysis. Tumor response was evaluated according to RECIST 1.1. In patients who showed progressive disease (PD) by RECIST 1.1 at the first tumor evaluation, HPD was defined according to the following three criteria: A) tumor growth kinetics (TGK) ratio (TGKpost-ICI/TGKpre-ICI >=2, B) >=10mm increase in sum of target lesion (SUMtarget)and at least one of the following two criteria - 1) >=40% increase in SUMtarget or 2) >=20% increase in SUMtarget and the appearance of new lesions in at least two different organs, C) TGK ratio >=2 and >50% increase in SUMtarget. The discriminatory ability of three definitions in terms of overall survival (OS) were evaluated by the chi-square, C-statistics, and prediction error with integrated Brier score. Results: A total of 427 patients were included; head and neck (n=22, 5.2%), lung (n=173, 40.5%), breast (n=8, 1.9%), gastrointestinal tract (n=99, 23.2%), hepatobiliary pancreas (n=57, 13.3%), genitourinary (n=56, 13.1%), melanoma (n=5, 1.2%), and others (n=7, 1.6%). Incidences of HPD were 4.9%, 14.8%, and 11.5% in definition A, B, C, respectively. The incidence of HPD was relatively low (2.7%-9.5%) in non-small cell lung cancer compared to other cancer types (10.1%-21.5% in esophagogastric cancer, 3.9%-21.6% in hepatobiliary pancreas cancer, and 5.5%-22.5% in genitourinary cancer). Median OS was the worst for patients with HPD, which ranged from 4.8 months to 4.9 months according to definition A-C. After multivariate analysis adjusting for cancer types, ICIs types, and the number of prior anti-cancer therapy, each definition remained a significant factor for OS (P Conclusions: Incidences of HPD appear to be various according to its definitions and cancer types. Given that the RECIST-based definition B not requiring pre-ICI imaging, showed similar discriminatory ability to predict dismal OS compared to TGK-based ones, it may be the most feasible and convenient measure to capture HPD in daily clinical practice. Citation Format: Jwa Hoon Kim, Soohyeon Lee, Min Hee Hong, Jee Hyun Kim, Eun Joo Kang, Tae-Yong Kim, Yeon Hee Park, Ji-Youn Han, Il-Hwan Kim, Sang-We Kim, Dae Ho Lee, Jae Lyun Lee, Jae Cheol Lee, Chang-Min Choi, Changhoon Yoo, Shinkyo Yoon, Jae Ho Jeong, Seyoung Seo, Sun Young Kim, Jin-Hee Ahn, Sook Ryun Park. Hyperprogression in various solid cancers treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors in the real world [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 5209.

1098 Background: Combining immune checkpoint inhibitors with chemotherapy has become a promising therapeutic strategy in metastatic breast cancer. Eribulin is a potent microtubule inhibitor and modulates the immune microenvironment of tumor cells. Therefore, combining eribulin to nivolumab may synergize antitumor efficacy in metastatic breast cancer. Methods: Adult patients with histologically confirmed recurrent/metastatic HER2- breast cancer were enrolled prospectively from 10 academic hospitals in Korea (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04061863). Key eligibility criteria included prior treatment with taxanes and/or anthracyclines, ≥1 measurable disease, and ≤2 prior cytotoxic chemotherapies in the metastatic setting. Patients received nivolumab 200 mg intravenously (IV) on day 1 plus eribulin 1.4 mg/m2 IV on day 1 and 8 of every 3 weeks until disease progression or intolerable toxicity. The dose level was determined from safety profile of three patients in run-in phase. The primary endpoint was investigator-assessed progression-free survival (PFS) rate at 6 months. Secondary endpoints included investigator-assessed objective response rate (ORR) per RECIST v1.1, disease control rate (DCR), overall survival (OS), and toxicity profile of the combination treatment. The association between PD-L1 expression by SP142 Ab and efficacy was analyzed. Results: From August 2019 to June 2021, 90 patients (HR+HER2- 45 pts/TNBC 45 pts), with a median age of 51 (range 31–71), were enrolled in the study. With a median study follow-up time of 16.3 months, 68 (75.6%) patients experienced progressive disease. PFS rate at 6-months was 49.6% and 24.1% in patients with HR+HER2- and TNBC group, respectively. Median PFS was 5.6 months (95% CI: 4.3-6.8) and 3.0 months (95% CI: 1.3-4.7) for HR+HER2- and TNBC group, respectively. ORRs were 53.3% (CR:0, PR: 24) for HR+HER2- and 21.8% (CR1, PR: 12) for TNBC. Patients with PD-L1+ tumors (PD-L1 expression ≥ 1% on TC or IC) had similar ORR compared to PD-L1- tumors (ORR 50% vs. 53.8% in HR+HER2-, 30.8% vs. 29.0% in TNBC). The most common grade 3/4 adverse event was neutropenia (15/90, 16.7%), and the most common immune-related adverse events were grade 1/2 hypothyroidism (19/90, 21.1%) and grade 1/2 pruritus (16/90, 17.8%). Five patients had discontinued study treatment due to immune-related adverse events (3 pneumonitis, 1 hepatitis, 1 skin rash). Conclusions: In this parallel phase II clinical trial, the addition of nivolumab to eribulin showed promising efficacy and tolerable safety profile in previously treated HER2- MBC. Further survival and exploratory analyses to find predictive markers will be followed. Clinical trial information: NCT04061863. [Table: see text]

546 Background: The benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) following curative-intent surgery in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients who had received neoadjuvant modified FOLFIRINOX (mFOLFIRINOX) remains unidentified. This retrospective analysis aimed to assess the clinical relevance of ACT in patients who underwent surgery following neoadjuvant mFOLFIRINOX. Methods: Between January 2017 and December 2020, 220 patients received neoadjuvant mFOLFIRINOX and underwent pancreatectomy for localized PDAC at the Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. Patients unable to undergo curative-intent surgical resection (R0 or R1) and those with histological types other than ductal adenocarcinoma were excluded. Survival outcomes were compared according to ACT administration. Disease-free survival (DFS) was defined as the duration between surgery and recurrence or death of any etiology, whichever occurred first; and overall survival (OS) was that between surgery and death from any etiology. Results: ACT was administered to 150 (68.2%) patients. ACT recipients were significantly younger (median age, 61 vs. 64, p = 0.035) and they received significantly fewer cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (median, 7 vs. 9, p = 0.0001) compared to non-recipients. As ACT, mFOLFIRINOX (n = 98, 65.3%), gemcitabine monotherapy (n = 39, 26.0%), and gemcitabine-capecitabine (n = 4, 2.7%) were administered. ACT recipients showed significantly better survival outcomes compared to non-recipients; median DFS 13.4 months (95% CI, 10.7–18.8) vs. 8.3 months (95% CI, 4.9–16.0), respectively (p = 0.0042); and median OS 33.4 months (95% CI, 29.9–NA) vs. 23.8 months (95% CI, 17.9–NA), respectively (p = 0.0021). DFS and OS were significantly better in ACT recipients regardless of the lymph node (LN) status during surgery (p = 0.033 for DFS and p = 0.027 for OS in negative LN; and p = 0.032 for DFS and p = 0.012 for OS in positive LN). There was no significant difference in DFS (p = 0.79) and OS (p = 0.49) between mFOLFIRINOX and gemcitabine-based regimens. In multivariate analysis, ACT remained significant as a favorable prognostic factor (DFS, hazard ratio [HR] 0.43 (95%CI, 0.26–0.71, p = 0.001); OS, HR 0.33 (95%CI, 0.17–0.64, p = 0.001). Conclusions: In PDAC patients who underwent surgery following neoadjuvant mFOLFIRINOX, ACT may be associated with improved survival outcomes. Its benefit was not affected by the LN status and ACT regimens.

Simple Summary Unresectable or metastatic biliary tract cancer (BTC) has a poor prognosis with the standard gemcitabine and cisplatin (GemCis) regimen. Given the considerable incidence of HER2-overexpressing tumours (e.g., >10% of gallbladder cancer), HER2 is a potential therapeutic target in advanced BTC. In this prospective study, 7 out of 41 (17.1%) patients had HER2-positive tumours, and 4 patients (9.8%) subsequently proceeded to receive HER2-targeted therapy. The combination of trastuzumab-pkrb, an anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody, and GemCis resulted in high overall response (50%) and disease control (100%) rates in HER2-positive advanced BTC patients without new safety issues. This is the first prospective study that suggested the feasibility of HER2-targeted combination chemotherapy in advanced BTC patients. Future prospective randomised trials using HER2-targeted agents are warranted. Abstract The prognosis of advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC) is poor with the standard gemcitabine and cisplatin (GemCis) regimen. Given that the rates of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positivity in BTC reaches around 15%, HER2-targeted therapy needs further investigation. This study aims to evaluate the preliminary efficacy/safety of first-line trastuzumab-pkrb plus GemCis in patients with advanced BTC. Patients with unresectable/metastatic HER2-positive BTC received trastuzumab-pkrb (on day 1 of each cycle, 8 mg/kg for the first cycle and 6 mg/kg for subsequent cycles), gemcitabine (1000 mg/m2 on day 1 and 8) and cisplatin (25 mg/m2 on day 1 and 8) every 3 weeks. Of the 41 patients screened, 7 had HER2-positive tumours and 4 were enrolled. The median age was 72.5 years (one male). Primary tumour locations included extrahepatic (N = 2) and intrahepatic (N = 1) bile ducts, and gallbladder (N = 1). Best overall response was a partial response in two patients and stable disease in two patients. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 6.1 months and median overall survival (OS) was not reached. The most common grade 3 adverse event was neutropenia (75%), but febrile neutropenia did not occur. No patient discontinued treatment due to adverse events. Trastuzumab-pkrb with GemCis showed promising preliminary feasibility in patients with HER2-positive advanced BTC.

BackgroundAlthough the guidelines recommend gynecological assessment and close monitoring for symptoms of endometrial cancer in postmenopausal breast cancer survivors taking tamoxifen (TAM), the risk of endometrial cancer in young breast cancer survivors has not yet been fully assessed. This study aimed to investigate the risk of developing endometrial cancer and the frequencies of gynecological examinations in young breast cancer survivors taking TAM in South Korea.MethodsA nationwide retrospective cohort study was conducted using the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service claims data. Kaplan–Meier analyses and log-rank tests were used to assess the probability of endometrial cancer, benign endometrial conditions, and the probability of invasive endometrial procedure. To analyze the risk of endometrial cancer and benign endometrial conditions, we used a multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression model.ResultsBetween 2010 and 2015, 60,545 newly diagnosed female breast cancer survivors were included. The total person–years were 256,099 and 140 (0.23%) patients developed endometrial cancer during the study period. In breast cancer survivors aged ≥60 years [hazard ratio (HR), 5.037; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.185–11.613], 50–59 years (HR, 4.343; 95% CI, 2.122–8.891), and 40–49 years (HR, 2.121; 95% CI, 1.068–4.213), TAM was associated with an increased risk of endometrial cancer. In subjects aged below 40 years, TAM did not significantly increase the risk of endometrial cancer. However, among the TAM subgroups, breast cancer survivors aged below 40 years [1.61 per 1,000 person–years (PY); HR, 12.460; 95% CI, 2.698–57.522] and aged 40–49 years (2.22 per 1,000 PY; HR, 9.667; 95% CI, 4.966–18.819) with TAM-related endometrial diseases showed significantly increased risks of endometrial cancer. Among the TAM subgroup with benign endometrial conditions, the ratios of the frequency of invasive diagnostic procedures to the incidence of endometrial cancer were higher in subjects under 40 than subjects aged 60 or more.ConclusionYoung breast cancer survivors with TAM-related benign endometrial diseases are at a higher risk of developing endometrial cancer. Gynecological surveillance should be tailored to the risk of endometrial cancer in young breast cancer survivors to improve the early detection of endometrial cancer and avoid unnecessary invasive procedures.

Background: Despite the scarcity of data based on randomized trials, FOLFIRINOX is widely used in the management of borderline resectable pancreatic cancer (BRPC) and locally advanced unresectable pancreatic cancer (LAPC). We investigated the clinical outcomes of neoadjuvant FOLFIRINOX in patients with BRPC and LAPC. Methods: This single-center retrospective analysis included a total of 199 consecutive patients with BRPC or LAPC who received conventional or modified FOLFIRINOX between February 2013 and January 2017. An independent radiologist reviewed all baseline computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging scans were reviewed for vascular invasion status. Results: With median follow-up duration of 40.3 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 36.7–43.8] in surviving patients, median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 10.6 (95% CI, 9.5–11.7) and 18.1 (95% CI, 16.0–20.3) months, respectively. The 1-year PFS rate was 66.0% (95% CI, 65.3–66.7%), and the 2-year OS rate was 37.2% (95% CI, 36.5–37.9%). PFS and OS did not differ between BRPC and LAPC groups [median PFS, 11.1 months (95% CI, 8.8–13.5) versus 10.1 months (95% CI, 8.4–11.8), p = 0.47; median OS, 18.4 months (95% CI, 16.1–20.8) versus 17.1 months (95% CI, 13.2–20.9), p = 0.50]. Curative-intent conversion surgery (R0/R1) was performed in 63 patients (31.7%). C•A 19-9 response, objective tumor response to FOLFIRINOX, and conversion surgery were independent prognostic factors for OS. Conclusion: FOLFIRINOX was effective for management of BRPC and LAPC. Given the potential for cure, a significant proportion of patients can undergo conversion curative-intent surgery following FOLFIRINOX.

Background: The association between optimal carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9 concentration after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) and prognosis has not been confirmed in patients with borderline resectable (BRPC) and locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC). Methods: This retrospective study included 122 patients with BRPC and 103 with LAPC who underwent surgery after NACT between 2012 and 2019 in a tertiary referral center. Prognostic models were established based on relative difference of the CA 19-9 (RDC), with their prognostic performance compared using C-index and Akaike information criterion (AIC). Results: CA 19-9 concentrations of 37&ndash, 1000 U/mL before NACT showed prognostic significance in patients with BRPC and LAPC (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.262, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.092&ndash, 0.748, p = 0.012). Prognostic models in this subgroup showed that RDC was independently prognostic of better overall survival (HR: 0.262, 95% CI: 0.093&ndash, 0.739, p = 0.011) and recurrence free survival (HR: 0.299, 95% CI: 0.140&ndash, 0.642, p = 0.002). The prognostic performances of RDC (C-index: 0.653, AIC: 227.243), normalization of CA 19-9 after NACT (C-index: 0.625, AIC: 230.897) and surgery (C-index: 0.613, AIC: 233.114) showed no significant differences. Conclusion: RDC was independently associated with better prognosis after NACT in patients with BRPC or LAPC. Decreased CA19-9 after NACT was a prognostic indicator of better survival and recurrence, as was normalization of CA 19-9 after both NACT and surgery.

Background: FOLFIRINOX (fluorouracil, folinic acid, irinotecan plus oxaliplatin) is an effective standard first-line treatment option for advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). There is no clear consensus on the second-line treatment following progression on FOLFIRINOX. In this multicenter retrospective analysis, we evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of second-line nab-P/Gem (nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine) after progression on FOLFIRNOX in PDAC. Methods: Patients with unresectable or metastatic PDAC who received nab-P/Gem after progression on FOLFIRINOX between February 2016 and February 2019 were identified from five referral cancer centers in South Korea. Baseline characteristics, treatment history, survival outcomes, and toxicity profile were obtained retrospectively from medical records. Results: A total of 102 patients treated with second-line nab-P/Gem for advanced PDAC after progression on FOLFIRINOX were included. At the time of nab-P/Gem, the median age was 60 years, with males comprising 49.0%, and most (75.5%) had metastatic disease. Patients received a median of three cycles (range 1–12) of nab-P/Gem. The median overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) from the start of second-line nab-P/Gem therapy were 9.8 (95% CI, 8.9–10.6) and 4.6 months (3.7–5.5), respectively. A partial response was achieved in 8.5%, and the disease control rate was 73.6%. From the start of first-line FOLFIRIOX, the OS1+2 and PFS1+2 were 20.9 (15.7–26.1) and 13.9 (10.8–17.0) months, respectively, with a 2-year survival rate of 45.1%. There was no treatment-related mortality and grade ⩾3 toxicity was observed in 60.2%. Conclusion: Our results showed that nab-P/Gem was an effective and tolerable second-line treatment option in medically fit patients with advanced PDAC who progressed on first-line FOLFIRNOX. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04133155

In locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC), stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) has been applied as an alternative to concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT); however, direct comparative evidence between these two modalities is scarce. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes of SBRT with CCRT for LAPC. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with LAPC who received SBRT (n = 95) or CCRT (n = 66) with a concurrent 5-FU-based regimen between January 2008 and July 2016. The clinical outcomes of freedom from local progression (FFLP), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and toxicities were analyzed before and after propensity score (PS) matching. After a median follow-up duration of 15.5 months (range, 2.3–64.5), the median OS, PFS, and FFLP of the unmatched patients were 17.3 months, 11 months, and 19.6 months, respectively. After PS matching, there were no significant differences between the SBRT and CCRT groups in terms of the 1-year rates of OS (66.7% vs. 80%, p = 0.455), PFS (40.0% vs. 54.2%, p = 0.123), and FFLP (77.2% and 87.1%, p = 0.691). Our results suggest SBRT could be a feasible alternative to CCRT in treating patients with LAPC.

547 Background: For patients who underwent curative-intent upfront surgery, adjuvant chemotherapy is the current standard of care. The previous, randomized phase 3 ESPAC-4 study showed significantly improved overall survival (OS) with GEMCAP compared to GEM. However, this study was conducted in European countries and its implication in Asian patients has not been explored yet. We conducted a retrospective analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of GEMCAP compared to GEM regimen. Methods: Between January 2017 and December 2020, a total of 292 patients who received adjuvant GEM or GEMCAP after curative-intent surgery in Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea, were included in this retrospective analysis. Results: Adjuvant GEM and GEMCAP were administered in 161 patients (55.1%) and 131 patients (44.8 %), respectively. Compared the GEMCAP group, age of patients were significantly older in the GEM group (median 66 vs 63 yo, p = 0.025); otherwise, there was no significant difference in baseline characteristics between two groups. With the median follow-up duration of 39.4 months (95% CI 36.9 - 45.0 months) in GEM group and 39.4 months (95% CI 34.7-41.6 months) in GEMCAP group, the median OS was 36.8 months (95% CI 29.7-43.5 months) and 46.1 months (95% CI 31.5 months – not reached) in the GEM group and GEMCAP group, respectively (unadjusted HR 0.72, 95% CI 0.51-1.02, p = 0.065). The median recurrence-free survival was 14.3 months (95% CI, 12.9-17.7 months) and 17.0 months (95% CI, 13.3-28.8 months) in the GEM group and GEMCAP group, respectively (p = 0.52). In the GEMCAP group, hand-foot skin reaction (any grade, 15.27 % vs 0.62 %, p < 0.001), neutropenia (78.6% vs 67.7%, p=0.037) and thrombocytopenia (30.53% vs 20.5%, p=0.035) were more common in the GEMCAP group compared to the GEM group. In multivariate analysis, adjuvant GEMCAP was significantly associated with better OS compared to adjuvant GEM (adjusted HR 0.64, 95% CI, 0.44-0.91, p = 0.014). Otherwise, moderate or poor histologic grade, lymph node positive, positive resection margin, and elevated CA 19-9 levels (> median) were significantly associated with poorer OS. Conclusions: In this retrospective analysis for Korean patients, adjuvant GEMCAP showed consistent clinical outcomes shown in the ESPAC-4 trial. As mFOLFIRINOX is the new standard of care for medically fit patients with resected pancreatic adenocarcinoma, further evaluation of optimal adjuvant chemotherapy in daily practice is warranted.

This single-institute, retrospective cohort study enrolled patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive metastatic breast cancer treated with trastuzumab deruxtecan between August 2017 and January 2021 from four previous studies. Of 31 patients, 4 (12.9%) had interstitial lung disease (ILD). The dominant pattern observed on computed tomography was organizing pneumonia (100%), comprising subpleural consolidations in the lung periphery. However, no dominant distribution was observed in radiological lesions of the lungs. Of all the tested patients, lower lobe predominance was noted in 2 (50.0%) patients, upper lobe predominance in 1 (25.0%) patient, and diffused lobe distribution in 1 (25.0%) patient. All events were confined to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events grade 1 or 2 (100%). None of the patients died. Despite the small number of cases investigated, the incidence of trastuzumab deruxtecan-induced ILD in the Korean population was comparable to that previously reported.