Management Of Early Breast Cancer Research Articles

Abstract PO4-17-01: Patient Perception and Decision-Making in HER2+ Early Breast Cancer Management: Insights from the ASKHER2 European Survey

Abstract Background Breast cancer remains the most prevalent cancer in women globally, with Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 positivity (HER2+) observed in 15-30% of initial breast cancer cases. Adjuvant treatment for HER2+ early breast cancer has notably reduced mortality and recurrence rates. However, the heterogeneity of the disease and in conveying risk information by healthcare providers (HCPs) leaves many women uncertain about their individual risk of recurrence and potential treatment (tx) options. Evidence shows that fear of recurrence, uncertainty about prognosis, and inadequate risk/benefit information can affect patients' decisions during their tx phase. Therefore, it is important to better understand the perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors regarding the risk of recurrence in women with HER2+ early breast cancer. Methods A protocol-driven, direct-to-patient online survey (30 questions total) was administered in France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden via patient advocacy groups and panels. Women aged 18 years and above with either early-stage (eBC) (stages I-III) or metastatic (mBC) (stage IV) as the result of recurrence from an initial diagnosis of locally advanced HER2+ breast cancer were eligible to participate. The implementation of soft quotas ensured a representative sample size. This abstract presents the results of the survey. Results A total of 622 participants completed the survey between July 2022 and February 2023. Majority of participants (70%) were between 40 and 65 years of age. Almost 85% had eBC (N=527), 62% had been diagnosed with HER2+ eBC for ≥ 2 years, and 68% were undergoing breast cancer tx at the time of the survey. The main worries and concerns that were reported by participants when asked about their tx plan were risk of recurrence (27%), fear of dying (22%) and risk of tx failure (14%). Among eBC participants, 40% perceived their personal risk of recurrence to be moderate, 18% perceived it to be high, while 21% did not know their personal risk. Most eBC participants (72%) preferred short and simple explanations from the medical team about the risk of cancer recurrence, while 4% preferred not to receive this information. Overall, 30% of participants said they had fully discussed the risk of recurrence with their doctor, while 20% had no discussion. Almost all participants (97%) wanted to be involved in their tx decision, 49% completely and 48% partially. To reduce this risk of recurrence, participants with eBC were willing to change their diet habits (77%), exercise more frequently (74%), take additional tx (65%) or undergo surgery (60%). Most participants (69%) were willing to take additional tx even if it would reduce their risk of recurrence by less than 50%. Participants were most willing to tolerate fatigue (53%), followed by hot flashes (51%) and joint pain (44%), as the most acceptable side effects if they had to take additional treatments with the potential benefit of reducing risk of recurrence. Conclusion The multinational large direct-to-patient ASKHER2 survey reflects participants’ experience and highlights concerns of patients with HER2+ breast cancer, notably on their recurrence risk. To mitigate this risk, patients exhibited a willingness to modify lifestyle habits and consider additional tx. A fraction of participants considered they had thoroughly discussed these risks with their HCPs, while the vast majority desired active involvement in their treatment decisions. These results underscore the ongoing need for HCPs to discuss the risk of recurrence in a clear way, addressing the full potential of treatment options in eBC and mBC, to enable patients to participate in this patient-centered approach of the decision-making process. Citation Format: Matteo Lambertini, Christian Jackisch, Olivier Trédan, Maria Vidal, Mário Fontes-Sousa, Antonios Valachis, Rosanna D’Antona, Marcelo Ruz, Eugenia Krone, Miriam Brice, Erwan Berjonneau, Soraia Matos, Olivia Dialla, Laure Guéroult-Accolas. Patient Perception and Decision-Making in HER2+ Early Breast Cancer Management: Insights from the ASKHER2 European Survey [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO4-17-01.

Abstract PS09-07: SPAG5 as a companion prognostic and predictive test for management of early stage HER2 positive breast cancer (BCs)

Abstract Background: SPAG5 is a novel oncogene that is amplified in 40% of HER2+BC. Herein, we evaluated the prognostic and predictive significance of SPAG5 in HER2+ BC Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 2454 patients with HER2+BC derived from 6 cohorts in adjuvant (Adj) and neoadjuvant (NACT) settings. Adj cohorts: The association between SPAG5 and survivals were evaluated in 1354 HER2+ BC who received Adj therapy: 1) HER2+ Adj transcript cohort (n=448): 31% (137/448) did not receive Anthracycline (AC), Taxane (TX), Trastuzumab (TZ) or Pertuzuman (PZ) whereas 20% (89/448) had received AC alone and 35% (155/448) received TZ + AC +/- TX (Median follow- up (MFU): 60 months (m). 2) HER2+ Adj Molecular Taxonomy of BC International Consortium cohort (n=240): patients with ER- and lymph node (LN) + received Adj chemotherapy but none received TZ (MFU: 109 m). 3) HER2+ Adj Historical cohort (n=206): no TZ, AC or TX was received (MFU: 143 m). 4) HER2+/ER- cohort (n=101): AC alone was received; MFU: 62 m. 5) HER+ Adj TZ cohort (n=359): patients received TZ +TX+/-AC (MFU: 90 m). Neo-Adjuvant cohort: the associations of SPAG5 protein expression with pathological complete response (pCR) was evaluated in 1100 BCs (MFUT: 67 m) including 200 local cases participated in ROSCO trial. In this cohort; 73% (803/1100) received AC+TX. AC alone was given to 187/1100 (17%) whereas 88/1100 (8%) received TX alone. Of HER2+ BC, 14% (54/399) received AC +/- TX and 63% received TZ + TX +/-AC and 23% (92/399) received TZ + PZ + TX +/- AC. Sections were IHC profiled for HER2, ER, PR, Ki67 and SPAG5 and stained for Fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) using a novel triple colour probe (HER2/SPAG5/Ch17). ASCO guidelines recommendations were followed. Results: In univariate survival analysis, High SPAG5 (+) transcript was associated with shorter 5- year distant metastases free survival (5-y DRFS); p< 0.0001, compared to SPAG5 low (-) in HER2+ patients who did not receive TZ or AC whereas in those who received AC alone, SPAG5+ was associated with lower risk of 5-y DRFS than SPAG5- (p < 0.001). Multivariable Cox regression analysis showed that SPAG5+ transcript ; as well as LN status, was independently associated with poor prognosis (HR (95% CI): 4.9 (2.0-12.0), p< 0.001). The interaction term between SPAG5 and AC was significantly associated with lower risk of DR. Multivariable Cox regression analysis for 10-year relapse free survival (10y-RFS) in HER2+ patients who did not receive AC or TZ confirmed that SPAG5+ protein expression ; as well as LN status and tumour size, were independently associated with poor prognosis (HR (95% CI): 2.1 (1.3, 3.5), p=0.002). SPAG5+ predicted response for NACT +/- HER2 targeting agents. For instance; None of HER2 IHC 2+ with SPAG5- expression/(0/191) either with HER2 FISH- (0/121) or HER2 FISH+ (0/70) achieved pCR whereas 51% (48/95) of those of HER2 IHC 2+/SPAG5+ achieved pCR (p < 0.0001). Similarly patients with HER2+ IHC 3+/SPAG5+ achieved higher pCR rate compared to those with SPAG5- expression [73% (107/146) vs., 10% (14/135); respectively]; p< 0.0001. Noteworthy, after receiving TZ+ PZ +Texans +/- AC, patients with SPAG5+ achieved higher pCR rate compared to those with SPAG5- expression [85% (50/59) vs., 0% (0/51); respectively, p< 0.001]. Similarly in HER2 + BC patients who received TZ + TX +/- AC, SPAG5+ expression was associated with higher pCR [67% (67/101)] compared to those with SPAG5- [10% (11/107)]; p< 0.001. In HER2+ who received AC alone, SPAG5+ cases achieved higher pCR compared to those with SPAG5- [56% (20/36) vs., 6% (3/47); p< 0.001; respectively]. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that SPAG5+ expression as well as ER, HER2 IHC, grade, clinical TNM and HER2 targeting agents were independent predictors for pCR (OR (95% CI: 13.74 (5.76-32.79; p< 0.001). Conclusions SPAG5 is an independent poor prognostic factor in HER2+ BC and could help in distinguishing those who would and would not benefit from NACT and HER2 targeting agents. Citation Format: TAREK ABDEL-Fatah, Graham Ball, Daniel Yeo, Graham Hickman, Arlene Chan, Ian Ellis, Stephen Chan. SPAG5 as a companion prognostic and predictive test for management of early stage HER2 positive breast cancer (BCs) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PS09-07.

Abstract PO1-16-01: Clinicopathological and global transcriptional complexity of estrogen receptor low positive breast cancers in a contemporary Swedish prospective population-based cohort

Abstract Background: Estrogen receptor (ER) expression is currently the most consequential biomarker for prognostic and therapeutic decision making in clinical management of early breast cancer. Endocrine therapy (ET) is an important part of standard of care in most cases with ER-positive disease, and an effective therapy for patients with endocrine-responsive tumors, decreasing the risk of recurrence and improving the rate of survival. Unfortunately, ET comes with frequently bothersome side-effects and tend to decrease quality of life. The threshold to define ER positivity as a marker of endocrine responsiveness is non-uniform between international and local guidelines. Among ER low positive tumors (ERlow ,1-10% expression) endocrine responsiveness is uncertain. Swedish national guidelines recommend a cut-off of ≥10% for ER positivity and ET prescriptions, thus patients with ERlow tumors are often exempted from adjuvant ET. This study explores the clinicopathological characteristics, global transcriptional complexity and clinical outcome of ERlow tumors to better understand their biology and response to therapy. Methods: 9138 patients diagnosed with early breast cancer between 2010 – 2021 in Sweden with available clinicopathological data and RNA sequencing data were included. Patients were classified according to ER expression: ERneg (< 1%; n=897), ERlow (1-10%, n=158) and ERhigh ( >10%, n=8083). Adjuvant ET was provided to 3.6%, 16.8% and 91.5% of patients with ERneg, ERlow, and ERhigh tumors, respectively. Clinicopathological characteristics, overall survival (OS) and global transcriptional profiles of ERlow tumors were compared with ERneg and ERhigh tumors, respectively. Results: Generally, ERlow and ERneg tumor pathological characteristics were more similar to each other but were significantly distinct compared to ERhigh tumors. However, among patients with HER2-negative disease only, significant differences related to tumor biology persisted between ERlow compared with ERneg tumors; ERlow was enriched with tumors displaying a lobular histology, NHG grades 1&2, PgRlow/high expression, low proliferation and Luminal & HER2-enriched molecular subtypes (p< 0.05 for all comparisons). Moreover, multivariable survival analyses revealed that the risk of dying was significantly lower for patients with ERlow tumors compared to patients with ERneg (p=0.005) or ERhigh tumors (p=0.011) in this cohort. The distribution of clinicopathological characteristics and overall survival between ERlow compared with ERneg or ERhigh tumors were similar among patients with HER2-positive tumors only. Global transcriptional comparisons identified only 42 genes to be differentially expressed between ERlow vs ERneg tumors (FDR< 0.05); but gene set enrichment analyses failed to identify any significantly enriched cancer-related processes/pathways within the queried databases. Conclusions: Identification of optimal therapies for all subsets of breast cancer is necessary in the pursuit of personalized medicine. These results confirm that ERneg and ERlow tumors are pathologically and transcriptionally distinct from ERhigh tumors. Although subtle differences exists in the underlying biology of ERlow compared to ERneg tumors, similar therapeutic management excluding ET for patients with ERlow and ERneg disease is recommended in the Swedish context. Omission of adjuvant ET did not seem to compromise overall survival for ERlow relative to ERneg or ERhigh tumors, urging the need for prospective studies investigating the true benefit of ET for ERlow tumors. Our results also raise reasonable clinical thoughts on the benefits of new treatment strategies such as cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors, immunotherapy and antibody-drug conjugates for patients with ERlow expressing tumors. Citation Format: Siker Kimbung, Srinivas Veerla, Anna Ehinger, Johan Vallon-Christersson, Martin Malmberg, Niklas Loman. Clinicopathological and global transcriptional complexity of estrogen receptor low positive breast cancers in a contemporary Swedish prospective population-based cohort [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO1-16-01.

Abstract Db1-01: Anthracyclines …to give or not to give? “For” argument

Abstract Anthracyclines have been one of the mainstays of early breast cancer treatment for decades. In a recent patient-level meta-analysis including data from over 18,000 patients, anthracycline-containing regimens were associated with improvements in disease-free survival and overall survival, regardless of estrogen receptor or nodal status. Importantly, trials specifically designed and powered to assess the safety of anthracyclines omission failed to demonstrate the non-inferiority of taxane-based anthracycline-free regimens and confirmed the benefit of these agents, particularly in patients with node-positive and hormone receptor-negative breast cancer. Several therapies incorporated into the management of early breast cancer were studied in populations largely treated with anthracycline-based chemotherapy backbones in both HER2-negative (i.e., perioperative pembrolizumab, post neoadjuvant olaparib and capecitabine) and HER2-positive disease (i.e., dual HER2 blockade, adjuvant T-DM1). It is uncertain whether the benefits demonstrated by these strategies would be maintained if anthracyclines were omitted. While anthracyclines are associated with some long-term toxicities, particularly with an increased risk of lymphoproliferative malignancies and dose-dependent cardiotoxicity, these adverse events are not associated with an increased risk of death (including deaths from cardiovascular causes) when compared to anthracycline-free regimens. The identification of risk factors for cardiotoxicity, combined with improvements in monitoring strategies, allows improvements in patient selection, early detection of myocardial damage and, possibly, implementation of cardioprotective interventions, leading to improved cardiovascular outcomes. Until high-quality evidence demonstrates the safety of omitting anthracyclines in high-risk populations, these agents should continue to be used in carefully selected patients after individual risk versus benefit assessment to be shared with the patient. Citation Format: Martine Piccart, Guilherme Nader-Marta. Anthracyclines …to give or not to give? “For” argument [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr Db1-01.

Abstract PO3-03-03: Prospective non-randomized study to compare accuracy of clinical examination under anesthesia, axillary ultrasound and histo-pathological evaluation for axillary nodal staging in women with clinically N0 early breast cancer

Abstract Introduction: Accurate assessment of axillary lymph nodes is crucial in the management of early breast cancer (EBC), especially in clinically node negative (cN0) axilla to avoid extensive axillary surgery. Clinical examination alone underestimates nodal disease in nearly 30% women with cN0 axilla. The current study compares, in cN0 axilla, the benefit of axillary ultrasonography (USG) and clinical axillary examination under anesthesia (EUA) to predict involvement of axillary lymph nodes. The gold standard in these patients however remains pathological evaluation after sentinel node biopsy/low axillary sampling (SNB/LAS) and a complete axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) if node positive. Methodology: Prospectively, 500 women with cN0 EBC were enrolled from Aug 2015 to April 2023 in a study approved by Institutional Ethics Committee. After informed consenting, a preoperative axillary USG was carried out in addition to standard breast imaging to determine number of axillary node(s) and its architecture. The USG assessment was labeled as suspicious or not and the result was blinded to the surgeons. A USG-guided FNAC was not performed as it would then be difficult to blind the surgeon and pathologist preoperatively. During surgery, an initial axillary EUA was performed before starting and any suspicious node was documented. This was followed by axillary staging by standard dual tracer SNB/LAS. A complete axillary dissection was done (level 1-3) if any node was positive on frozen section evaluation or final histopathology. Axillary node histopathology was the gold standard for comparison of effectiveness of clinical exam, USG, EUA, and SNB/LAS for prediction of axilla. Standard diagnostic tests such as sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and accuracy were used. Results: Thirty-six patients were excluded in the final analysis (disease progression, chemotherapy first, or had a surgery elsewhere). Of the eligible 464 cN0 patients, 129 were detected to have axillary metastases (27.8%) in final histopathology. The 2 interventions namely USG axilla, EUA were compared to final axillary nodal histopathology. Axillary USG reported suspicious/indeterminate node(s) in 129 (27.8%) patients. USG had a low sensitivity of 46.5% and a low PPV of 46.5% to identify a positive node. However, the specificity and NPV both were 79.4%. Axillary USG was 70.2% accurate in predicting axillary nodal involvement. EUA also had sensitivity of 60% and low PPV of 14.8%. However, the specificity of EUA was 73.4%, NPV of 95.9%; higher than that of USG. EUA was 72.4% accurate. SNB/LAS had the sensitivity of 93.3%, specificity 79.2%, NPV 82.9%, PPV 91.6% and accuracy rate 89.2% in predicting a positive axilla. Conclusions: While the fallacy of clinical exam remains at 27.8%, both USG alone (without FNAC) and EUA failed in predicting a positive axillary node. EUA fared better at predicting a negative axilla. USG guided FNAC would perhaps improve the sensitivity of USG, however additional investigations are difficult in resource constraint and high-volume center, especially, when surgical interventions like SNB or LAS remain standard of care. Table 1 Citation Format: Vani Parmar, Zeal Sanghvi, Shalaka Joshi, Nita Nair, Palak Popat, Seema Kembhavi, Souwmyashree KN, Soujanya Mynalli, Purvi Thakkar, Garvit Chitkara, Sangeeta Desai, Tanuja Shet, Rajendra Badwe. Prospective non-randomized study to compare accuracy of clinical examination under anesthesia, axillary ultrasound and histo-pathological evaluation for axillary nodal staging in women with clinically N0 early breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO3-03-03.

Abstract PO4-02-07: Prevalence of distant metastases in High-Risk Operable Breast Cancer (HROBC) pT1-2 N2a orhigher at diagnosis

Abstract Introduction: Current standard guidelines do not recommend a routine staging workup in early breast cancer as incidence of de novo metastasis is only 1-2%. Some of these patients are found to have a higher axillary nodal burden after surgery. This prospective study evaluated the incidence of distant metastases in clinically high-risk operable breast cancer (HROBC) who have a higher nodal burden on histopathological report after surgery. The intent was to detect presence of subclinical distant disease that may have an impact on treatment offered and outcome. Currently, there is no compelling data to support a routine metastatic workup in these patients. Methodology: A single-centre study approved by Institutional Ethics Committee was carried out enrolling early breast cancer patients with high nodal burden (four or more axillary nodes positive) after definitive surgery. The HROBC group was defined as early breast cancer patients with pT1/2, N2a/N3 stage on surgical histopathology. They underwent a comprehensive metastatic workup, including ultrasound abdomen, bone scan, and CT scan (thorax-abdomen-pelvis) or PET scan before starting their adjuvant treatment. Burden of distant disease was classified into oligometastatic (M1o) or polymetastatic disease (M1p). The adjuvant treatment intent was redefined as curative or palliative based on the distant disease burden and treatment was modified accordingly. Result: The study accrued 100 HROBC women with pT1-2, pN2a-3 stage disease during 2015-2018 operated upfront for early breast cancer cT1-2 N0-1, of which 97 were included in final analysis. The 3 excluded patients had their surgery elsewhere with clinical diagnosis of early breast cancer with histopathology indicating heavy nodal burden; 2 of them had T3 tumor and 1 had cN3 disease and were deemed a higher stage and would anyway warrant a metastatic work-up and hence were ineligible for the study. Forty percent women were premenopausal, 54 (55.6%) had pN2a disease and 43 (44.4%) had pN3. Staging investigations identified distant metastatic disease (M1) in 8 of 97 women (8.24%). Interestingly, 5 of them had oligometastatic (M1o) disease (5.15%) and 3 had polymetastatic (M1p) disease (3.09%). Between the 2 nodal groups, no specific distribution of M1o or M1p disease was observed, but the pickup rate of overall distant disease was higher in pN3 (11.4%) as against N2a (5.6%) patients p=NS. The most common sites of metastases observed was bone (5/8) followed by liver (3/8). There was no correlation with ER, PgR or HER2neu status and extent of distant disease. The patients with M1o disease, completed their adjuvant treatment as planned along with treatment of oligometastatic sites. Only 3.09% patients who were detected with M1p disease, were treated with a palliative systemic therapy. Conclusion: Early detection of metastatic disease, M1o and M1p, in clinical HROBC could lead to improved treatment strategies. The findings have the possibility to optimize management of high-risk early breast cancer as a separate clinical entity, requiring staging post hoc after primary surgery, for adequate resource stratification and better outcomes, especially in those with 10 or more axillary nodes positive for metastases. This subset may get identified in the TNM classification for better understanding and management. Citation Format: Vani Parmar, Naveena Kumar AN, Basila Ameer Ali, Nita Nair, Shalaka Joshi, Purvi Thakkar, Garvit Chitkara, Varsha Gaikwad, Vaibhav Vanmali, Shabina Siddique, Palak Popat, Sneha Shah, Sangeeta Desai, Tanuja Shet, Meenakshi Thakur, Venkatesh Rangarajan, Rajendra Badwe. Prevalence of distant metastases in High-Risk Operable Breast Cancer (HROBC) pT1-2 N2a orhigher at diagnosis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO4-02-07.

Abstract ED08-02: Next generation therapeutics in hormone positive breast cancer: balancing efficacy and tolerability

Abstract The past several years have brought a wealth of new and emerging novel agents for the management of both early and advanced hormone repcetor positive breast cancer, including inhibitors of PIK3CA, mTOR, AKT, CDK4/6, PARP, as well as oral SERDs. These agents have significantly improved survival outcomes for many patients, but progress may come at the cost of specific and sometimes challeging side effects, whcih may threaten the ability to keep a patient on a therapy that is providing benefit. We will review a spectrum of agents, the expected side effect profiles, and strategies to mitigate toxicity and maximize therapeutic index. Citation Format: E. Mayer. Next generation therapeutics in hormone positive breast cancer: balancing efficacy and tolerability [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr ED08-02.

Mexican breast cancer consensus. Management of early breast cancer

Mexican breast cancer consensus. Management of early breast cancer

Assessing Knowledge, Competence, and Performance Following Web-Based Education on Early Breast Cancer Management: Health Care Professional Questionnaire Study and Anonymized Patient Records Analysis.

Web-based learning activities are key components of continuing medical education (CME) for health care professionals (HCPs). However, the published outcomes of web-based educational interventions for early breast cancer (EBC) are limited. This study aims to objectively assess knowledge, competence, and performance among HCPs following participation in 2 EBC-focused CME activities and to identify the remaining educational gaps. We developed 2 CME-accredited web-based educational activities addressing high-risk EBC, including integration of shared decision-making to optimize patient care (touchMDT) and stratification for early identification of high-risk patients and novel treatment strategies (touchPANEL DISCUSSION). Knowledge, competence, and performance were assessed before and after the activities against an expanded outcomes framework (levels 1-5) using self-reported questionnaires and an analysis of anonymized data extracted from patient records. Six months after the launch of the activity, 7047 and 8989 HCP participants engaged with touchMDT and touchPANEL DISCUSSION, respectively. The overall satisfaction was 82% (a total score of 20.6 out of 25) for the touchMDT and 88% (a total score of 21.9 out of 25) for the touchPANEL DISCUSSION. For the evaluation of knowledge and competence (50 respondents before the activity and 50 learners after the activity), there was a significant increase in the mean number of correctly answered questions from pre- to postactivity (touchMDT: median 4.0, IQR 3.0-5.0 to median 5.5, IQR 4.0-7.0; mean 4.00, SD 1.39 to mean 5.30, SD 1.56 and touchPANEL DISCUSSION: median 4.0, IQR 4.0-5.0 to median 6.0, IQR 5.0-7.0; mean 4.32, SD 1.30 to mean 5.88, SD 1.49; both P<.001). A significant improvement in self-reported performance (50 respondents before the activity and 50 learners after the activity) was observed in a combined analysis of both activities (median 3.0, IQR 2.0-3.0 to median 4.0, IQR 3.0-5.0; mean 2.82, SD 1.08 to mean 4.16, SD 1.45; P<.001). Patient record analysis (50 respondents before the activity and 50 learners after the activity) showed that the HCPs used a range of measures to determine EBC recurrence risk and revealed no significant differences in adjuvant therapies used before and after the activity (P=.97 and P>.99 for Ki-67 <20% and Ki-67 ≥20% tumors, respectively). The remaining educational gaps included strategies for implementing shared decision-making in clinical practice and the use of genetic and biomarker testing to guide treatment selection. Brief, web-based CME activities on EBC were associated with an improvement in HCP knowledge, competence, and self-reported performance and can help identify unmet needs to inform the design of future CME activities.

9 Mini Oral - Impact of PET/MRI on early breast cancer management: Results from a prospective trial

9 Mini Oral - Impact of PET/MRI on early breast cancer management: Results from a prospective trial

Adjuvant treatment in hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer: New approaches of endocrine therapy.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, and luminal breast cancer is the predominant subtype, characterized by the presence of estrogen receptors and/or progesterone receptors in tumor cells. Adjuvant endocrine therapy is the pivotal approach in the management of luminal early breast cancer. Hence, new therapeutic approaches have been studied during the last few years, especially in patients with high risk of recurrence.Here we provide a summary of the most recent clinical trials evaluating adjuvant treatment in hormone-receptors-positive early breast cancer. First, the main cornerstone is related to the role of extended endocrine treatment, which has been widely investigated to access a benefit in disease-free survival and overall survival (only the GIM4 trial has positive feedback about survival) and to tailor the treatment according to patient compliance. The results highlighted an advantage in extending the use of endocrine treatment for at least seven full years, considering aromatase inhibitors as principal drugs. Second, the shift of CDK4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) from advanced to early setting reported positive outcomes, with favorable results from MonarchE and NATALEE trials, using Abemaciclib and Ribociclib respectively, even if non-negligible toxicities have been reported. Last, the use of PARP inhibitors for BRCA1/2 mutated patients has been evaluated in the OlympiA trial (Olaparib), observing a comparable benefit between hormone-receptors-positive and triple-negative early breast cancer.However, more data are still required to better select patients that could benefit more from CDK4/6i considering side effects too, and sequential treatments are still not codified.

Feasibility of monitoring Global Breast Cancer Initiative Framework key performance indicators in 21 Asian National Cancer Centers Alliance member countries

The Global Breast Cancer Initiative (GBCI) Framework, launched by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2023, emphasises assessing, strengthening, and scaling up services for the early detection and management of breast cancer. This study aims to determine the feasibility of monitoring the status of breast cancer control in the 21 Asian National Cancer Centers Alliance (ANCCA) countries based on the three GBCI Framework key performance indicators (KPIs): stage at diagnosis, time to diagnosis, and treatment completion. We reviewed published literature on breast cancer control among 21 ANCCA countries from May to July 2023 to establish data availability and compiled the latest descriptive statistics and sources of the indicators using a standardised data collection form. We performed bivariate Pearson's correlation analysis to measure the strength of correlation between stage at diagnosis, mortality and survival rates, and universal health coverage. Only 12 (57%) ANCCA member countries published national cancer registry reports on breast cancer age-standardised incidence rate (ASIR) and age-standardised mortality rate (ASMR). Indonesia, Myanmar, and Nepal had provincial data and others relied on WHO's Global Cancer Observatory (GLOBOCAN) estimates. GLOBOCAN data differed from the reported national statistics by 5-10% in Bhutan, Indonesia, Iran, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, and Thailand and >10% in China, India, Malaysia, Mongolia, and Sri Lanka. The proportion of patients diagnosed in stages I and II strongly correlated with the five-year survival rate and with the universal health coverage (UHC) index. Three countries (14%) reported national data with >60% of invasive breast cancer patients diagnosed at stages I and II, and a five-year survival rate of >80%. Over 60% of the ANCCA countries had no published national data on breast cancer staging, the time interval from presentation to diagnosis, and diagnosis to treatment. Five (24%) countries reported data on treatment completion. The definition of delayed diagnosis and treatment completion varied across countries. GBCI's Pillar 1 KPI correlates strongly with five-year survival rate and with the UHC index. Most ANCCA countries lacked national data on cancer staging, timely diagnosis, and treatment completion KPIs. While institutional-level data were available in some countries, they may not represent the nationwide status. Strengthening cancer surveillance is crucial for effective breast cancer control. The GBCI Framework indicators warrant more detailed definitions for standardised data collection. Surrogate indicators which are measurable and manageable in country-specific settings, could be considered for monitoring GBCI indicators. Ensuring UHC and addressing health inequalities are essential to early diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. Funding for this research article's processing fee (APC) will be provided by the affiliated institution to support the open-access publication of this work. The funding body is not involved in the study design; collection, management, analysis and interpretation of data; or the decision to submit for publication. The funding body will be informed of any planned publications, and documentation provided.

Endoscopy-assisted breast conservation surgery (E-BCS) vs conventional breast conservation surgery (C-BCS) technique for the management of early breast cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Endoscopy-assisted breast conservation surgery (E-BCS) vs conventional breast conservation surgery (C-BCS) technique for the management of early breast cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Adherence to Quality Indicators for Breast Cancer Management in a Multidisciplinary Training Program.

Background: The management of early breast cancer (BC) needs supervision and skill maintenance, and should be performed by specialists working as a team in multidisciplinary breast units. This approach aims to improve the long-term survival and quality of life of patients with BC. Methods: This was a prospective observational study including patients newly diagnosed with operable BC. The study encompassed the pre-surgical phase, throughout the diagnostic and surgical workout, and included post-therapeutic master multidisciplinary team meetings (MTMs) sessions, between 2019 and 2022. Results: We enrolled 280 patients with BC from eight breast units. The Senonetwork indicators regarding diagnosis, waiting time, loco-regional treatment, and adjuvant therapy were collected for each patient discussed. Conclusions: Overall, the majority of quality indicators were respected among breast units. The most critical issue referred to timing indicators: more than 30 days from MTM to surgery, more than 42 days from diagnosis to surgery, and more than 60 days from the first screening mammogram to surgery for many patients. Some aspects of the histopathological diagnosis of intraductal BC also need to be improved. Furthermore, other critical issues in our study regarded some aesthetical indicators, demonstrating low interest in these essential quality indicators.

37P To excise or not to excise: Preventive management of early breast cancer in atypical ductal hyperplasia patients

37P To excise or not to excise: Preventive management of early breast cancer in atypical ductal hyperplasia patients

Evaluation of Wire Localization in Management of Non-Palpable Breast Cancer

Abstract Background Breast-conserving surgery (BCS) is considered the goldstandard treatment for early breast cancer. Various techniques have been proposed for identifying non-palpable breast tumors, but the most popular method is the wireguided localization (WGL technique). The most important drawback of BCS is the possible presence of microscopic tumor at or close to the margin of excision. Objective To highlighting the significance of screening programs, early detection and recent advances in the management of early non palpable breast cancer. Methods This is a prospective study on 30 patients with a single nonpalpable breast lesion. A preoperative USG or MMG-guided hook wire localization technique was performed then intraoperative frozen section was done. Results Of the prospective study, 30 patients were treated with wire-guided localization and BCS. And intraoperative frozen sections. According to positive margins, patient age, menopausal status, tumor size and histologic type were associated with increased risk of positive margins. The reexcision at the time of original operation was (6/30) (20%) and need for second operation in (1/30) (3.3%) of cases. According to postoperative complication increased by neoadjuvant chemotherapy, size of mass, specimen volume, margin status and LNs affection. Conclusion In early diagnosis of breast cancer, the validity of the imagingguided hook wire localization biopsy of non-palpable breast lesions has been proved. The cooperation of surgeon, radiologist and pathologist increases the successful results of hook wire localization technique.

Clinical utility of genomic signatures for the management of early and metastatic triple-negative breast cancer.

This comprehensive review aims to provide timely and relevant insights into the current therapeutic landscape for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and the molecular features underlying this subtype. It emphasizes the need for more reliable biomarkers to refine prognostication and optimize therapy, considering the aggressive nature of TNBC and its limited targeted treatment options. The review explores the multidisciplinary management of early TNBC, which typically involves systemic chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy. It highlights the emergence of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors, and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) as promising therapeutic strategies for TNBC. Recent clinical trials investigating the use of ICIs in combination with chemotherapy and the approval of pembrolizumab and atezolizumab for PD-L1-positive metastatic TNBC are discussed. The efficacy of PARP inhibitors and ADCs in treating TNBC patients with specific genetic alterations is also highlighted. The findings discussed in this review have significant implications for clinical practice and research in TNBC. The identification of distinct molecular subtypes through gene expression profiling has enabled a better understanding of TNBC heterogeneity and its clinical implications. This knowledge has the potential to guide treatment decisions, as different subtypes display varying responses to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Furthermore, the review emphasizes the importance of developing reliable genomic and transcriptomic signatures as biomarkers to refine patient prognostication and optimize therapy selection in TNBC. Integrating these signatures into clinical practice may lead to more personalized treatment approaches, improving outcomes for TNBC patients.

Impact of cost of Oncotype DX versus CanAssist Breast, an Indian prognostic test, in the management of node-negative early breast cancer in a single centre in India.

14 Background: It is well known that prognostication is important as not all women benefit equally from adjuvant chemotherapy, especially in HR+/HER2- early breast cancer (BC). Multiple publications have showcased the cost-effectiveness of Oncotype DX (ODX) in various countries. However, ODX remains out of reach for many patients in under-resourced geographies like Asia, Africa etc where healthcare insurance is not a norm. CanAssist Breast (CAB) is an affordable prognostic test developed on Indian patients. CAB couples the immunohistochemistry technique with an AI/ML-based prediction model to segregate patients as either low-risk or high-risk for distant breast cancer recurrence. CAB has been validated in the USA, Spain, Germany, Austria, Italy, and The Netherlands for predicting 5–10-year distant recurrences and has comparable low-risk accuracy with that of ODX/MammaPrint. In this abstract, we present real-world data about cost-analysis of the use of CanAssist Breast versus ODX in a single cancer care centre in Rajasthan, a state in Western India that has a per capita income of $ 1504 as against $ 68,400 in the USA. Methods: 124 patients with node-negative early BC were treated at a trust hospital in Jaipur, Rajasthan from 2020-2022. All the high-risk patients received chemotherapy at the treating clinician’s discretion. For the cost analysis model, the cost of chemotherapy drugs, hospitalization charges, and costs involved in managing short-term adverse events was compared for CAB and ODX. Treatment is provided at subsidized costs to the patients in this trust hospital. Results: The median age of this cohort was 55 years (35-78), with primarily T2 and G2 diseases. High-risk proportions were 27% and 17% (as per TAILORx) and by CAB and ODX respectively. The cost of ODX is 5.8 times higher than the cost of CAB. The cost savings per patient with CAB over ODX were US $ 3477 (Rs. 278161) in this trust hospital. Conclusions: This economic model shows that the use of ODX could impose an economic burden due to its cost. Use of CAB would lead to savings without comprising the patient’s health, as both tests have comparable performance.

Complications Post-Axillary and Breast Surgery in the Management of Early Breast Cancer

Complications Post-Axillary and Breast Surgery in the Management of Early Breast Cancer

Trends and variation in treatment of early breast cancer in European certified breast centres: an EUSOMA-based analysis

BackgroundPractice indicators (PI) measure provided care making use of real-world data. This study describes trends and variations in adjuvant treatment of early breast cancer (EBC) using the European Society of Breast Cancer Specialists (EUSOMA) database. MethodsThe analysis was conducted on anonymous cumulative data registered by 56 certified breast centres, which all entered at least 500 new diagnoses in the database in the 10-year period 2010–2019. Practice trends of radiotherapy, endocrine treatment, chemotherapy, and anti-HER2 therapy were evaluated. The association with age group (<50, 50–69, ≥70) and geographical area of the centre (Northern, Central, Southern Europe; NE, CE, SE) was assessed with the Pearson Chi2 test for independence in contingency tables. ResultsIn total, 150,150 patients with EBC were selected. Overall, radiotherapy was administered more frequently in NE centres, and conversely, endocrine, chemo-, and anti-HER2 therapy were used more frequently in SE centres (p<0.001). 46.9% of the pN1 patients received postmastectomy radiotherapy, with significant differences by age and geographical region (p < 0.001). Adjuvant endocrine treatment for endocrine-sensitive carcinoma in situ was administered in 46.1%, with a decreasing trend during the study period (58.5–34.5%; p < 0.001). Anti-HER2 therapy was delivered in 75.6% of all patients with HER2BC T1a/bN0, patients older than 70 received anti-HER2 in 67.6% in SE compared to 31.3% in NE centres. ConclusionImportant variations in EBC management between European certified breast centres have been demonstrated. PI using real-world data can help to monitor, evaluate, and eventually guide and align good clinical practice in the management of breast cancer.