Trial Of Adjuvant Chemotherapy Research Articles

Does biomarker information impact breast cancer patients' preferences and physician recommendation for adjuvant chemotherapy?

This study aimed to examine how biomarker information would impact patients' preferences and physicians' recommendations for adjuvant breast cancer therapy. At the 18-month follow-up, participants in a large, double-blind randomized controlled trial of adjuvant chemotherapy with bevacizumab or placebo (E5103) were surveyed about their preferred treatment (either chemotherapy A alone or chemotherapy A+B) in two hypothetical scenarios: (1) without biomarker information; and (2) after learning that they tested positive for a "B-receptor" which modestly increased both the benefit and toxicity expected with chemotherapy A+B. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the prospectively collected survey data and used the McNemar's test to examine changes in treatment preferences. A one-time survey of clinical investigators who enrolled patients on the trial evaluated physician recommendations in response to the same biomarker information. 439 patients completed both scenarios on 18-month survey. Most participants preferred A+B in both scenario 1 and 2 (77 and 76% respectively). The increase in benefit and toxicity associated with the positive biomarker information in scenario 2 led 60/439 (14%) of patients to switch their treatment preference. The corresponding physician survey revealed that most physicians chose regimen A+B in scenario 1 (77%), and moreso after the biomarker information was available in scenario 2 (84%). Information about a positive biomarker indicating increased benefit and toxicity from additional chemotherapy did not change many participants' preferred treatment. The majority preferred the most effective course in both scenarios. Similarly, most investigators discounted increased toxicity and valued increased benefit. Parent Trial Registration: NCT00433511.

Randomized Controlled Trial of Adjuvant Chemotherapy with Fluoropyrimidines Versus Surgery-alone for Gastric Cancer.

This prospective randomized study compared the survival of patients with stage IB-IIIA gastric cancer treated with surgery alone or surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. Patients with pathological stage IB-IIIA disease were randomly assigned to the following groups: surgery alone (n=116), or surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil, doxifluridine, or uracil-tegafur for 12 months (n=113). The overall survival rate was 86.1% in the adjuvant group and 78.5% in the surgery-alone group. The overall survival rate did not significantly differ between the adjuvant-chemotherapy and surgery-only groups (p=0.163). In the subgroup analyses, patients with stage II disease and those receiving uracil-tegafur treatment in the adjuvant group showed significantly better prognosis than those in the surgery-alone group (p=0.036 and 0.005, respectively). This study did not find a significant survival benefit to be associated with adjuvant chemotherapy with fluoropyrimidines in patients with stage IB-IIIA gastric cancer. However, it may be effective for patients with stage II disease. Additionally, uracil-tegafur is a promising agent for adjuvant chemotherapy of gastric cancer if S-1 is not available because of its toxicity.

American Cancer Society (ACS) Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines after colon cancer diagnosis and disease-free (DFS), recurrence-free (RFS), and overall survival (OS) in CALGB 89803 (Alliance).

10006 Background: The ACS Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines for Cancer Survivors include: 1) healthy body weight; 2) physical activity; and 3) a diet high in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. It is not known whether colon cancer patients who follow these guidelines have improved DFS, RFS, or OS. Methods: We conducted a prospective study among 992 stage III colon cancer patients enrolled in an adjuvant chemotherapy trial in 1999-2001. Lifestyle was assessed twice. We applied a score developed by McCullough ML et al. to quantify adherence to the ACS guidelines based on BMI; physical activity; and intake of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and red/processed meats (range: 0-6; higher = more healthy behaviors). Alcohol is included in the ACS guidelines for cancer prevention, but not cancer survivors; we tested the score without and with alcohol using McCullough et al.’s cut points: 0 pts = >1/d for women, >2/d for men; 1 pt = no alcohol; 2 pts = >0-1/d for women, >0-2/d for men. We estimated hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for DFS, RFS, and OS adjusting for clinical, demographic, and lifestyle factors. Results: Over 7 y median follow-up, we observed 335 recurrences and 299 deaths (43 without recurrence). Compared to patients with 0-1 pt (262, 26%), patients with 5-6 pts (91, 9%) had 42% lower risk of death (HR: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.34, 0.99; p-trend: 0.01) and a trend toward improved DFS (HR: 0.69; 95% CI: 0.45, 1.06; p-trend: 0.03). When including alcohol in the score, the adjusted HR’s comparing patients with 6-8 pts (162; 16%) to 0-2 pts (187; 91%) were: 0.49 for OS (95% CI: 0.32, 0.76; p-trend: 0.002), 0.58 for DFS (95% CI: 0.40, 0.84; p-trend: 0.01), and 0.64 for RFS (95% CI: 0.44, 0.94; p-trend: 0.05). Conclusions: Colon cancer patients with a healthy body weight who engaged in physical activity, ate a diet high in whole grains, vegetables, and fruits and low in red/processed meats, and drank moderate alcohol had longer DFS and OS than patients who did not engage in these behaviors. Support: U10CA180821, U10CA180882, U10CA180820, K07CA197077, R01CA118553, P50CA127003, R35CA197735. ClinicalTrials.gov:NCT00003835.

A phase II study of atezolizumab as neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy in patients (pts) with resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

TPS8580 Background: Trials of neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy have demonstrated an absolute survival benefit of 5% for patients with early stage disease. Atezolizumab is a humanized IgG1 monoclonal antibody that inhibits PD-L1 from binding to its receptors PD-1 and B7.1, thereby restoring anti-tumor immune response. In the OAK trial, a randomized phase III trial of patients with metastatic NSCLC who progressed on platinum based chemotherapy, atezolizumab improved overall survival in patients regardless of PD-L1 expression compared with docetaxel (13.8 months vs. 9.6 months, HR 0.73 [95% CI 0.62 – 0.87]) with a manageable safety profile. Methods: NCT02927301 is a phase II, open-label, single-arm study designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of atezolizumab as a neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy in patients with Stage IB, II, or IIIA NSCLC prior to curative-intent resection. Approximately 180 patients with NSCLC will be enrolled in this study at 15 academic medical centers in the United States. The study has two parts: the primary part will evaluate the ability of neoadjuvant atezolizumab to produce pathologic responses in patients with early stage NSCLC. Atezolizumab 1200 mg IV will be given every 3 weeks for two doses. Surgical resection of tumors following treatment will allow determination of pathologic response rates and potential predictive biomarkers. Part 2 is exploratory and will evaluate atezolizumab adjuvant therapy for up to 12 months in patients who demonstrate clinical benefit in Part 1. The primary endpoint is major pathologic response rate (defined as ≤ 10% of viable tumor tissue) based on surgical resection. Secondary end points include overall response rate by status of mutation load, neoantigen score and gene expression signatures. OS and DFS are exploratory end points. This trial presents a unique opportunity to evaluate exploratory biomarkers given the availability of pre- and post-treatment biopsy specimens for assessment of evolution of immune related markers associated with response. The study opened to accrual in January 2017. Clinical trial information: NCT02927301.

A multicenter randomized controlled trial (RCT) of adjuvant chemotherapy (CT) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) with residual plasma EBV DNA (EBV DNA) following primary radiotherapy (RT) or chemoradiation (CRT).

6002 Background: The benefit of adjuvant CT in NPC is unclear. Post-RT EBV DNA predicts poor survival and may be a biomarker of subclinical residual disease. We conducted a biomarker driven RCT using post-RT EBV DNA to select high risk NPC patients (pts) for adjuvant CT while sparing low risk pts from unnecessary toxicity. Methods: Eligible pts had biopsy proven NPC of AJCC (6th Ed) stage IIB-IVB, detectable EBV DNA ( > 0 copy/ml) at 6-8 weeks post-RT, no persistent locoregional disease or distant metastasis, ECOG 0 or 1, and adequate organ function. Pts were randomized with stratification for primary therapy (RT Vs CRT) and tumor stage (II/III Vs IV) to arm A (adjuvant cisplatin 40 mg/m2 and gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2, both given on D1+8 q3w x 6 cycles) or arm B (clinical follow-up). Primary endpoint was relapse free survival (RFS). With a hazard ratio (HR) of 2, 100 pts were required with a power of 0.8 and an alpha at 0.05. Results: From 9/2006 to 7/2015, 789 pts consented for EBV DNA screening, 218 (27.6%) pts had detectable EBV DNA, and 104 (13.2%) pts were randomized (arm A: 52; arm B: 52). The two arms were well balanced in baseline characteristics. 84.6% received prior neoadjuvant and/or concurrent CT and all received curative RT. Staging distribution: IIB 27.9%, III 37.5%, IVA 19.2%, IVB 15.4%. 8 pts refused adjuvant CT after randomization. Overall 69% and 50% completed 3 and 6 cycles of adjuvant CT respectively. After median follow up of 6.5 years (yr), the 3-yr and 5-yr survival outcomes were summarized in Table. Conclusions: In NPC pts who had residual EBV DNA after curative RT/CRT, adjuvant CT with cisplatin-gemcitabine did not improve survival. Clinical trial information: NCT00370890. [Table: see text]

Genetic correlates of therapeutic toxicities of stage III colon carcinoma patients treated with adjuvant FOLFOX+/-cetuximab (NCCTG N0147, Alliance).

3604 Background: Limited research has investigated the role of variation in the host genome as a determinant of colon carcinoma (CC) outcomes, including toxicity due to therapeutic agents. We examined the relationship between germline genetic factors and treatment-associated serious adverse events (SAEs) in a population of CC patients in which treatment was standardized and follow-up for outcomes was uniformly conducted. Methods: Using existing biospecimens from CC patients with resected stage III disease in a phase III randomized trial of FOLFOX adjuvant chemotherapy with and without cetuximab (NCCTG N0147), genome-wide genotyping arrays were conducted for 2200 patients for a total of ~20 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Using logistic regression models we assessed SNP-specific associations with SAEs, utilizing a discovery-based approach to search the genome in an unbiased manner. Detailed information on SAEs was collected using the Common Toxicity Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE, v3.0). Analyses evaluating associations with specific classes of common grade ≥3 SAEs were performed, including gastrointestinal toxicities, neutropenia, and paresthesias. A threshold of P < 5x10-8was used to denote genome-wide significance. Results: Among patients who received FOLFOX, several SNPs on chr 15 near the ANP32A gene and on chr 2 near the CD207 gene were statistically significantly associated with grade ≥3 neuropathy. The strongest SNP-specific associations in these regions were in the range of odds ratio (OR) = 1.3, P = 2.8×10−10 and OR = 1.5, P = 2.7×10−10, respectively. Conclusions: Findings from this genome-wide analysis demonstrate the potential importance of germline genetic variation in influencing CC patients’ experience of specific toxicities to FOLFOX regimens. These results highlight two genomic regions of potential interest for understanding the biological mechanism for such toxicities, although further evaluation and replication is needed. Support: U10CA180821, U10CA180882, U10CA180820, U10CA180863, U10CA180888, CCSRI 021039, R01CA176272, Eli Lilly & Co, Pfizer, Sanofi. Clinical trial information: NCT00079274 .

Final results of the international randomized PORTEC-3 trial of adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy (RT) versus RT alone for women with high-risk endometrial cancer.

5502 Background: Women with high-risk endometrial cancer (HREC) are at increased risk of distant metastasis and endometrial cancer-related death. The randomized PORTEC-3 intergroup trial was initiated to investigate the benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy during and after radiotherapy (CTRT) versus pelvic radiotherapy (RT) alone for women with HREC. Methods: Women with HREC (FIGO stage I grade 3 with deep myometrial invasion and/or LVSI; stage II or III; or serous/clear cell histology) were randomly allocated (1:1) to RT (48.6 Gy in 1.8 Gy fractions) or CTRT (two cycles of cisplatin 50 mg/m² in week 1 and 4 of RT, followed by four cycles of carboplatin AUC5 and paclitaxel 175 mg/m² at 3-week intervals) with stratification for participating center, lymphadenectomy, stage, and histological type. The co-primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and failure-free survival (FFS). The Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test and Cox regression analysis were used for final analysis according to intention-to-treat. PORTEC-3 is registered with ISRCTN (ISRCTN14387080) and ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT00411138). Results: 686 women were enrolled between 2006 and 2013. 26 women were excluded; 13 withdrew consent early and 13 were ineligible, which left 660 patients in the analysis, with a median follow up time of 60.2 months (IQR 47.1–72.9): 330 CTRT and 330 RT. Three- and five-year OS for CTRT vs. RT was 84.4% versus 83.9%, and 81.8% versus 76.7%; overall HR 0.79 [95% CI 0.57-1.12, p=0.183]. Three-year FFS was 79.7% (CTRT) versus 71.8% (RT), and at 5 years 75.5% versus 68.9%, overall HR for FFS 0.77 [0.58-1.03, p=0.078]. Patients with stage III EC had lower 5-year FFS and OS compared to stage I-II (FFS 63.9% vs 78.9%, p<0.001, and OS 74.3% vs 83.1%, p=0.003). They also had greatest benefit of CTRT: 5-year FFS for stage III was 69.3% for CTRT vs 58.0% for RT [95% CI 0.45-0.97, p=0.032], and 5-year OS for stage III was 78.7 % vs 69.8% (p=0.114). Conclusions: Adjuvant chemotherapy given during and after pelvic radiotherapy for treatment of HREC did not significantly improve 5-year FFS and OS, compared with RT alone. For women with stage III EC FFS was however significantly improved with CTRT by 11% at 5 years. Follow-up will continue to evaluate long-term outcomes. Clinical trial information: NCT00411138.

A secondary analysis of PSA response in NRG Oncology/RTOG 9902: A phase III trial of adjuvant chemotherapy with androgen suppression and radiation for high-risk prostate cancer (CaP).

5078 Background: RTOG 9902 was a randomized controlled trial of the addition of adjuvant chemotherapy (CT; paclitaxel, oral etoposide, and estramustine x4 cycles) to 24 mo of androgen suppression (AS) and radiation (RT) for patients (pts) with high-risk CaP., beginning with an initial 4 mo of AS; RT began after 2 mo. 9902 accrued 397 pts and closed early due to excess toxicity. At a median follow-up of 9.2 years, there was no benefit to CT, but it is hypothesized that a subset analysis by post-RT PSA identifies pts that benefit from treatment intensification with CT. Methods: Post-RT PSA status was dichotomized at > 0.2 ng/mL within 1 mo of RT. Landmark analysis redefined starting times for disease-free survival (DFS), time to distant metastasis (TDM) and overall survival (OS) at 16 weeks post-RT (36 weeks post-randomization) when CT was planned to complete. Pts were excluded if they did not get RT or assigned CT, or experienced DFS events/lost to follow-up < 36 wks post-randomization. Hazard ratios (HR), 95% confidence intervals (CI), and PSA-by-treatment interaction were estimated by Cox or competing-risks regression. Results: 333 pts were analyzed: 190 without and 143 with CT. 37% of pts had a post-RT PSA ≤0.2, 34% > 0.2, and 29% no recorded PSA in the defined interval. CT was associated with improved DFS for pts with PSA > 0.2 (HR 0.59, 0.38-0.91), but not for those with PSA ≤0.2 (HR 0.94, 0.60-1.46; interaction p = 0.13). This association, for those with PSA > 0.2, persisted in those pts who received the full course of CT and trended in the same direction for pts receiving 1-3 cycles. CT was associated with a trend toward improved TDM in the PSA > 0.2 group (HR 0.56, 0.23-1.35) and not in the PSA≤0.2 group (HR 1.31, 0.36-4.70), based on 32 pts with metastases. OS did not show the same pattern (PSA > 0.2: HR 0.98, 0.55-1.77; PSA≤0.2: HR 0.57, 0.29-1.13). Conclusions: This analysis suggests that men with high-risk CaP and suboptimal response to AS+RT, as identified by post-RT PSA > 0.2, may benefit from adjuvant CT. Prospective trials using contemporary CT (e.g. docetaxel) will help optimize treatment for these men. NRG-GU002, recently activated, is addressing this issue.

Risk factors associated with brain metastases in ECOG-ACRIN E1505, a phase III randomized trial of adjuvant chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab for patients with completely resected stage IB (>/= 4 cm) - IIIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

8539 Background: ECOG-ACRIN E1505 was a phase III randomized trial of adjuvant chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab for patients with completely-resected Stage IB (>4CM) – IIIA non-small cell lung cancer. Prior studies have shown that the risk of brain recurrence in patients after definitive surgical resection is approximately 10%; however, covariates associated with development of brain recurrence have varied across these studies. We sought to estimate the incidence of and risk factors for brain recurrence. Methods: Among the 1501 patients enrolled to ECOG-ACRIN E1505, 121 patients developed brain metastases as their first site of recurrence and are the subject of this investigation. All 1501 patients underwent a pneumonectomy (N = 192) or (bi)lobectomy and had an R0 resection. The cumulative incidence of brain recurrence was estimated after adjusting for recurrence at other sites and death as competing events. A multivariable regression model was fitted using the methodology of Fine and Gray to evaluate the effect of covariates on the subdistribution of brain recurrence. Results: With a median follow-up of 50.3 months, a total of 121 brain metastases had been reported as the first site of recurrence. The incidence of brain recurrence at 12 months post-randomization was 3.7% (95% CI: 2.8% – 4.7%), and it increased to 8.5% (95% CI: 7.0% - 10.0%) at 3 years, and to 9.9% (95% CI: 8.0% - 11.7%) at 6 years. Risk factors for brain metastases included pneumonectomy(HR=1.8; p=0.01), and nonsquamous histology(HR=2.04; p=0.003), but bevacizumab(HR=0.64; p=0.02) was associated with potentially protective effect. Conclusions: The cumulative incidence of brain recurrence increased over time to 9.9% at 6 years in this population of patients with surgically-resected non-small cell lung cancer. Treatment, tumor histology, and type of resection appear to be associated with the risk of brain recurrence. Clinical trial information: NCT00324805.

Nut consumption and survival in stage III colon cancer patients: Results from CALGB 89803 (Alliance).

3517 Background: Recent prospective cohort studies suggest states of energy excess and hyperinsulinemia, including type 2 diabetes (T2D), obesity, sedentary lifestyle, Western pattern diet, increased dietary glycemic load, high intake of sugar-sweetened beverages, and elevated plasma C-peptide are each associated with an increased risk of colon cancer (CC) recurrence and mortality. Conversely, observational studies indicate that increasing nut intake is associated with lower risk of T2D, metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance. However, the effect of nut intake on CC recurrence and survival is unknown. Methods: We conducted a prospective, observational study of 826 patients with stage III CC who reported dietary intake with food frequency questionnaires while enrolled in a randomized adjuvant chemotherapy trial. Using Cox proportional hazards regression, we assessed associations of nut intake with cancer recurrence and mortality. The primary endpoint was disease-free survival (DFS) defined as time from completion of dietary questionnaire following adjuvant therapy to cancer recurrence, death or last follow-up. Results: Compared to patients who abstained from nuts, those who consumed ≥ 2 servings of nuts per week had an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 0.58 (95% CI, 0.37 to 0.92; Ptrend = 0.03) for DFS and 0.43 (95% CI, 0.25 to 0.74; Ptrend = 0.01) for overall survival (OS). On subgroup analysis, the significant association was confined to tree-nut intake: HR = 0.54 (95% CI, 0.34 to 0.85; Ptrend = 0.04) for DFS and HR = 0.47 (95% CI, 0.27 to 0.82; Ptrend= 0.04) for OS. There was no significant association between intake of peanut or peanut butter and patient outcome. Association of total nut intake with improved outcomes was maintained across other known or suspected predictors of recurrence and mortality, including across common genomic alterations (microsatellite instability, KRAS mutation, BRAF mutation, and PIK3CA mutation). Conclusions: Higher consumption of nuts may be associated with significantly reduced cancer recurrence and death in patients with stage III CC. Support: U10CA180821, U10CA180882, Pfizer. Clinical trial information: NCT00003835.

Postoperative survival following perioperative MAGIC versus neoadjuvant OE02-type chemotherapy in oesophageal adenocarcinoma.

The optimal management of resectable oesophageal adenocarcinoma is controversial, with many centres using neoadjuvant chemotherapy following the Medical Research Council (MRC) oesophageal working group (OE02) trial and the MRC Adjuvant Gastric Infusional Chemotherapy (MAGIC) trial. The more intensive MAGIC regimen is used primarily in gastric cancer but some also use it for oesophageal cancer. A database of cancer resections (2001-2013) provided information on survival of patients following either OE02 or MAGIC-type treatment. The data were compared using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Straight-to-surgery patients were also reviewed and divided into an 'early' cohort (2001-2006, OE02 era) and a 'late' cohort (2006-2013, MAGIC era) to estimate changes in survival over time. Subgroup analysis was performed for responders (tumour regression grade [TRG] 1-3) versus non-responders (TRG 4 and 5) and for anatomical site (gastro-oesophageal junction [GOJ] vs oesophagus). An OE02 regimen was used for 97 patients and 275 received a MAGIC regimen. Those in the MAGIC group were of a similar age to those undergoing OE02 chemotherapy but the proportion of oesophageal cancers was higher among MAGIC patients than among those receiving OE02 treatment. MAGIC patients had a significantly lower stage following chemotherapy than OE02 patients and a higher median overall survival although TRG was similar. On subgroup analysis, this survival benefit was maintained for GOJ and oesophageal cancer patients as well as non-responders. Analysis of responders showed no difference between regimens. 'Late' group straight-to-surgery patients were significantly older than those in the 'early' group. Survival, however, was not significantly different for these two cohorts. Although the original MAGIC trial comprised few oesophageal cancer cases, our patients had better survival with MAGIC than with OE02 chemotherapy in all anatomical subgroups, even though there was no significant change in operative survival over the time period in which these patients were treated. The use of the MAGIC regimen should therefore be encouraged in cases of operable oesophagogastric adenocarcinoma.

Pooled Analysis of the Prognostic and Predictive Effects of TP53 Comutation Status Combined With KRAS or EGFR Mutation in Early-Stage Resected Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer in Four Trials of Adjuvant Chemotherapy.

Purpose Our previous work evaluated individual prognostic and predictive roles of TP53, KRAS, and EGFR in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In this analysis, we explore the prognostic and predictive roles of TP53/KRAS and TP53/EGFR comutations in randomized trials of adjuvant chemotherapy versus observation. Patients and Methods Mutation analyses (wild-type [WT] and mutant) for TP53, KRAS, and EGFR were determined in blinded fashion in multiple laboratories. Primary and secondary end points of pooled analysis were overall survival and disease-free survival. We evaluated the role of TP53/KRAS comutation in all patients and in the adenocarcinoma subgroup as well as the TP53/EGFR comutation in adenocarcinoma only through a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model stratified by trial. Results Of 3,533 patients with NSCLC, 1,181 (557 deaths) and 404 (170 deaths) were used for TP53/KRAS and TP53/EGFR analyses. For TP53/KRAS mutation status, no prognostic effect was observed ( P = .61), whereas a borderline predictive effect ( P = .04) was observed with a deleterious effect of chemotherapy with TP53/KRAS comutations versus WT/WT (hazard ratio, 2.49 [95% CI, 1.10 to 5.64]; P = .03). TP53/EGFR comutation in adenocarcinoma was neither prognostic ( P = .83), nor significantly predictive ( P = .86). Similar results were observed for both groups for disease-free survival. Conclusion We could identify no prognostic effect of the KRAS or EGFR driver and TP53 tumor suppressor comutation. Our observation of a potential negative predictive effect of TP53/KRAS comutation requires validation.

Potentially Curable Pancreatic Cancer: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline Update

Purpose To update the Potentially Curable Pancreatic Cancer: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline published on May 31, 2016. The October 2016 update focuses solely on new evidence that pertains to clinical question 4 of the guideline: What is the appropriate adjuvant regimen for patients with pancreatic cancer who have undergone an R0 or R1 resection of their primary tumor? Methods The recently published results of a randomized phase III study prompted an update of this guideline. The high quality of the reported evidence and the potential for its clinical impact prompted the Expert Panel to revise one of the guideline recommendations. Results The ESPAC-4 study, a multicenter, international, open-label randomized controlled phase III trial of adjuvant combination chemotherapy compared gemcitabine and capecitabine with gemcitabine monotherapy in 730 evaluable patients with resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Median overall survival was improved in the doublet arm to 28.0 months (95% CI, 23.5 to 31.5 months) versus 25.5 months (95% CI, 22.7 to 27.9 months) for gemcitabine alone (hazard ratio, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.68 to 0.98; P = .032). Grade 3 and 4 adverse events were similar in both arms, although higher rates of hand-foot syndrome and diarrhea occurred in patients randomly assigned to the doublet arm. Recommendations All patients with resected pancreatic cancer who did not receive preoperative therapy should be offered 6 months of adjuvant chemotherapy in the absence of medical or surgical contraindications. The doublet regimen of gemcitabine and capecitabine is preferred in the absence of concerns for toxicity or tolerance; alternatively, monotherapy with gemcitabine or fluorouracil plus folinic acid can be offered. Adjuvant treatment should be initiated within 8 weeks of surgical resection, assuming complete recovery. The remaining recommendations from the original 2016 ASCO guideline are unchanged.

TPOAb and Thyroid Function Are Not Associated with Breast Cancer Outcome: Evidence from a Large-Scale Study Using Data from the Taxotere as Adjuvant Chemotherapy Trial (TACT, CRUK01/001)

Background: Small-scale studies correlated the presence of thyroid autoimmunity with both improved or worsened breast cancer outcome. Objectives: We aimed to clarify this association in a large cohort using the phase III, randomized, controlled Taxotere as Adjuvant Chemotherapy Trial (TACT, CRUK01/001). Methods: TACT women >18 years old with node-positive or high-risk node-negative early breast cancer (pT1–3a, pN0–1, M0), with stored plasma (n = 1,974), taken 15.5 (median; IQR 7.0–24.0) months after breast surgery were studied. Patients had also received chemotherapy (100%), radiotherapy (1,745/1,974; 88.4%), hormonal therapy (1,378/ 1,974; 69.8%), or trastuzumab (48/1,974; 2.4%). History of thyroid diseases and/or related treatments was not available. The prognostic significance of autoantibodies to thyroid peroxidase (TPOAb; positive ≥6 kIU/L), free-thyroxine and thyrotropin (combined: euthyroid, hypothyroid, hyperthyroid) was evaluated for disease-free survival (DFS), overall-survival (OS), and time-to-recurrence (TTR), with Cox regression models in univariate and multivariable analyses. The extended median follow-up was 97.5 months. Results: No difference in DFS was found by TPOAb status (unadjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 0.97, 95%CI: 0.78–1.19; p = 0.75) and/or thyroid function (unadjusted HR [hypothyroid vs. euthyroid]: 1.15, 95% CI: 0.79–1.68; p = 0.46; unadjusted HR [hyperthyroid vs. euthyroid]: 1.14, 95% CI: 0.82–1.61; p = 0.44). Similar results were obtained for OS, TTR, multivariable analyses, when TPOAb titre by tertiles was considered, and in a subgroup of 123 patients with plasma collected before adjuvant treatments. Conclusions: No evidence for a prognostic role of TPOAb and/or thyroid function in moderate-to-high-risk early breast cancer was found in the largest and longest observational study to date.

PD-L1 protein expression assessed by immunohistochemistry is neither prognostic nor predictive of benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy in resected non-small cell lung cancer

The expression of programmed death (PD) ligand 1 (PD-L1) protein expression assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) has been correlated with response and survival benefit from anti-PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitor therapies in advanced non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). The efficacy of several agents appears correlated with PD-L1 expression. It remains controversial whether PD-L1 is prognostic in NSCLC. We assessed the prognostic value of PD-L1 IHC and its predictive role for adjuvant chemotherapy in early stage NSCLC. Tumor sections from three pivotal adjuvant chemotherapy trials (IALT, JBR.10, CALGB 9633) using the E1L3N antibody were studied in this pooled analysis. PD-L1 staining intensity and percentage in both tumor cells (TCs) and immune cells (ICs) were scored by two pathologists. The average or consensus PD-L1 expression levels across intensities and/or percent cells stained were correlated with clinicopathological and molecular features, patient survivals and potential benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy. Results from 982 patients were available for analysis. Considering staining at any intensities for overall PD-L1 expression, 314 (32.0%), 204 (20.8%) and 141 (14.3%) tumor samples were positive for PD-L1 staining on TCs using cut-offs at ≥1%, ≥10% and ≥25%, respectively. For PD-L1 expressing ICs, 380 (38.7%), 308 (31.4%) and 148 (15.1%) were positive at ≥ 1%, ≥10% and 25% cut-offs, respectively. Positive PD-L1 was correlated with squamous histology, intense lymphocytic infiltrate, and KRAS but not with TP53 mutation. EGFR mutated tumors showed statistically non-significant lower PD-L1 expression. PD-L1 expression was neither prognostic with these cut-offs nor other exploratory cut-offs, nor were predictive for survival benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. PD-L1 IHC is not a prognostic factor in early stage NSCLC patients. It is also not predictive for adjuvant chemotherapy benefit in these patients.

TOP2A, GGH, and PECAM1 are associated with hematogenous, lymph node, and peritoneal recurrence in stage II/III gastric cancer patients enrolled in the ACTS-GC study.

BackgroundTo identify factors related to relapse sites, we carried out an exploratory biomarker analysis of data from the Adjuvant Chemotherapy Trial of TS-1 for Gastric Cancer study, which is a randomized, controlled trial comparing postoperative adjuvant S-1 therapy with surgery alone in 1,059 patients with stage II/III gastric cancer.Patients and MethodsSurgical specimens from 829 patients were retrospectively examined, and 63 genes involved in a variety of biological processes were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR. Gene expression normalized to reference genes was categorized as lower or higher than the median, and association with relapse sites was analyzed based on 5-year relapse-free survival.ResultsHematogenous, lymph node, and peritoneal recurrence developed in 72, 105, and 138 of the 829 patients, respectively; hazard ratios were 0.79 (95% confidential interval: 0.54–1.16), 0.51 (0.31–0.82), and 0.60 (0.42–0.84), respectively. Expression of platelet/endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1 (PECAM1) and topoisomerase II alpha (TOP2A) was strongly correlated with hematogenous recurrence and peritoneal recurrence, respectively (false discovery rate = 7.7×10−5 and 0.002, respectively). Gamma-glutamyl hydrolase (GGH) expression was moderately correlated with lymph node recurrence (false discovery rate = 0.34). Relapse-free survival was worse in patients expressing high levels of PECAM1 (hazard ratio = 2.37, 1.65–3.41), TOP2A (hazard ratio = 2.35, 1.55–3.57), or GGH (hazard ratio = 1.87, 1.13–3.08), respectively. A multivariate analysis revealed that these were stronger independent risk factors than tumor histological type.ConclusionIn patients with stage II/III gastric cancer, TOP2A, GGH, and PECAM1 levels in primary tumors are linked to high risk of hematogenous, lymph node, and peritoneal recurrence, respectively.

Abstract P5-14-02: Triple negative breast cancer - Adjuvant chemotherapy use and survival outcomes in Stage IA disease

Abstract Background: The potential benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with Stage IA triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) has not been defined. In general, patients with T1a and T1b lesions have not been included in adjuvant chemotherapy trials and the inclusion of T1c tumors has been limited. In this study using National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) we investigated the actual use of adjuvant chemotherapy in Stage IA TNBC patients relative to tumor size (T1a, T1b, T1c) and report their survival outcomes. Patients and Methods: Using NCDB we evaluated a cohort of 13,065 women with TNBC diagnosed between 2010-2012 who had American Joint Committee on Cancer Stage IA (node-negative with pathological T1a, T1b or T1c) tumors. Overall survival (OS) was the primary outcome variable. Based on the tumor size, patients were stratified on receipt of adjuvant chemotherapy or not. Patients were also stratified according to receipt of adjuvant radiation, radiation with boost, or none. Other adjusted variables included: age, race, Charlson comorbidity index, payer status, income, education, distance traveled, treating facility, and treatment delays. Multivariate Cox regression was employed to analyze the effect of adjuvant chemotherapy on overall survival. Results: The mean patient age for the entire cohort was 59.2 years (range 22-90 years), 55.8 years for the chemotherapy group, and 67.8 years for the non-chemotherapy group. There were 1275 T1a, 3197 T1b, and 7729 T1c patients. Tumor size was a very strong predictor of survival. Compared to T1a tumors, HR for death was 1.43 (95% CI: 0.86 –2.37) for T1b tumors and 3.00 (95% CI: 1.86 – 4.83) for T1c tumors. Out of all T1a, T1b, and T1c tumors in this cohort, 48.1 %, 72.6%, and 89.3% of patients received adjuvant chemotherapy respectively. A hazard ratio (HR) of death was 0.42 (95% CI: 0.31 – 0.57) for all patients who received chemotherapy compared to non-chemotherapy group. 4-year OS by tumor size and chemotherapy usage is listed in the table indicating an absolute increase of OS with adjuvant chemotherapy employment. HR for death was 0.90 (CI: 0.62 – 1.31) with use of radiation only and 0.67 (95% CI: 0.53 – 0.85) with use of radiation with boost when compared to no radiation therapy. 4-year OS (in percentage) with and without adjuvant chemotherapy use for node-negative T1a, T1b, and T1c TNBCTumor sizeNo ChemotherapyChemotherapyP ValueT1a93.78 %98.36 %0.146T1b91.91 %97.10 %<0.0001T1c80.62 %94.41 %<0.0001 Conclusion: NCDB indicated that the majority of patients with Stage IA TNBC received adjuvant chemotherapy, including 48% of patients with T1a lesions. Our data analysis demonstrated a statistically significant 4-year OS benefit in patients with T1b and T1c tumors who received adjuvant chemotherapy compared to those who did not. The survival benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with T1a tumors, however, did not reach statistical significance. Prospective randomized trials could define the potential benefits of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with Stage IA TNBC, particularly for those with T1a and T1b tumors. Citation Format: Patel AN, Shi R, Peddi P, Burton GV. Triple negative breast cancer - Adjuvant chemotherapy use and survival outcomes in Stage IA disease [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-14-02.

Association of osteopontin with specific prognostic factors and survival in adjuvant breast cancer trials of the Hellenic Cooperative Oncology Group

BackgroundThe shift towards an earlier diagnosis of breast cancer (BC) highlights the need for biomarkers that would identify patients at risk for relapse and metastatic spread and indicate the potential value of additional treatment strategies. Osteopontin (OPN) is a matricellular protein that has been suggested to be a potential biomarker in BC. In the present study, we used archived BC patient samples to assess the clinical utility of OPN.Methods Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor tissue samples from 975 patients were collected from two large phase III randomized adjuvant chemotherapy trials (HE10/97 and HE10/00) that included patients with high risk BC. All tissue samples were assessed for ER, PgR, Ki67 and HER2 protein expression. OPN protein and mRNA expression was evaluated using immunohistochemistry and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, respectively.ResultsOPN mRNA expression data were available for 814 patients, whereas OPN protein expression data were available for 546 patients. The majority of patients were ER/PgR-positive (78.3%), HER2-negative (76.5%) and Ki67-positive (55.2%) and had received adjuvant radiation therapy (76.8%) and hormonal therapy (81.1%). OPN mRNA expression was significantly associated with age (60.9% in high OPN tumors vs. 54.1% in low OPN tumors, p = 0.047), ER/PgR-negative status (25.7 vs. 17.2%, p = 0.004) and BC subtypes (p = 0.021). In addition, high OPN mRNA expression was significantly associated with reduced DFS (HR 1.26, 95% CI 1.00–1.59, Wald’s p = 0.050) and OS (HR 1.37, 95% CI 1.05–1.78, p = 0.019), while it retained its prognostic significance for both DFS (HR 1.39, 95% CI 1.10–1.77, p = 0.007) and OS (HR 1.54, 95% CI 1.61–2.05, p = 0.003) in the multivariate analysis.ConclusionsWe showed that high OPN mRNA expression is associated with decreased DFS and OS in a large cohort of BC patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy in a clinical trial setting. Our results suggest that OPN may serve as a prognostic factor and a potential target for therapy.Trial registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry; HE10/97 ACTRN12611000506998; HE10/00 ACTRN12609001036202

Long-chain omega-3 fatty acid and fish intake after colon cancer diagnosis and disease-free, recurrence-free, and overall survival in CALGB 89803 (Alliance).

585 Background: Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (LCN-3 FA) may prevent colon cancer (CC) progression, but data in humans are lacking. We hypothesized that LCN-3 FA and dark meat fish intake after CC diagnosis would be associated with longer disease-free survival (DFS), particularly among patients (pts) whose tumors expressed COX2. Methods: We conducted a prospective study among 1011 stage III CC pts enrolled in an adjuvant chemotherapy trial in 1999-2001. Intakes of dark meat fish; canned tuna; breaded fish; shrimp, lobster, scallops, clams; other fish; and fish oil supplements were assessed via food frequency questionnaire during and 6 months (mo) after therapy. Less than 5% of pts reported fish oil supplements. We estimated hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for disease-free, recurrence-free (RFS), and overall (OS) survival, adjusting for clinical, sociodemographic, and lifestyle factors. In a subset of 510 pts, we examined whether tumor COX2 expression modified the association between LCN-3 FA intake and DFS. Results: We observed 343 CC recurrences and 305 deaths (7 y median follow-up). Higher LCN-3 FA intake after CC diagnosis was associated with 28% improved DFS [HR highest (Q4) vs. lowest (Q1) quartile: 0.72 (0.54, 0.97); p: 0.03]. The association was driven by CC recurrence [RFS - HR Q4 vs. Q1: 0.68 (0.50, 0.94); p: 0.01; OS - HR Q4 vs. Q1: 0.79 (0.56, 1.13); p: 0.17]. Among pts with moderate/high COX2 expression tumors, LCN-3 FA intake was associated with 80% improved DFS [HR Q4 vs. Q1: 0.2 (0.06-0.76); p: 0.006]; there was no association among pts with absent/low COX2 expression ( p-interaction: 0.13). When we examined dietary sources of LCN-3 FA, pts who consumed dark meat fish ≥ 2 times/mo vs. none had longer DFS [HR: 0.64 (0.48, 0.86); p: 0.007), RFS [HR: 0.61 (0.44, 0.83); p: 0.005], and OS [HR: 0.68 (0.48, 0.97); p: 0.05]. No other fish or seafood after CC diagnosis was associated with DFS, RFS, or OS. Conclusions: LCN-3 FA and dark meat fish intake after CC diagnosis may be associated with improved DFS, especially among pts with high COX2 expression tumors. Support: K07CA197077, U10CA180821, U10CA180882. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00003835.

The impact of the extent of gastric resection on advanced gastric cancer treated with systemic chemotherapy.

194 Background: In previous clinical trials of adjuvant chemotherapy for gastric cancer, severe toxicity and discontinuation of chemotherapy was more common in patients receiving total gastrectomy (TG) than in those with distal gastrectomy (DG). However, data on the significance of the extent of gastric resection for stage IV gastric cancer treated with systemic chemotherapy are not available. Methods: This is a retrospective review of patients who were received chemotherapy with S-1 and cisplatin for stage IV gastric cancer at our institution between June 2009 and August 2015. The patients were classified into three groups according to the extent of gastrectomy (TG, DG and no gastric resection (NG)) before chemotherapy. Patient characteristics, survival and toxicities of chemotherapy were compared between three groups. Results: Among the 83 patients, 24 underwent TG, 19 DG, and 40 NG. Patient characteristics were well balanced between three groups. There was no significant difference in the requirement for dose reduction between TG, DG and NG patients (29% vs 11% vs 20%, respectively, p= 0.32). However, the rate of discontinuation because of toxicity was significantly higher in TG than in DG or NG patients (46% vs 16% vs 25%, respectively, p= 0.04). The main reasons of discontinuation were anorexia (43%), myelosuppression (23%), nausea (18%) and diarrhea (16%). The median progression-free survival was 8.9, 6.1 and 5.3 months ( p= 0.25), and the median overall survival was 16.0, 16.0 and 9.8 months ( p= 0.40) in the patients with TG, DG and NG, respectively. Conclusions: There was a high frequency of discontinuation of systemic chemotherapy in the advanced gastric cancer patients who underwent TG, but it was not associated with prognosis.