Stearns, Vered

PURPOSE Predictive biomarkers to identify patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)–positive breast cancer who may benefit from targeted therapy alone are required. We hypothesized that early measurements of tumor maximum standardized uptake values corrected for lean body mass (SULmax) on [ 18 F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography would predict pathologic complete response (pCR) to neoadjuvant pertuzumab and trastuzumab (PT). PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with stage II/III, estrogen receptor–negative, HER2-positive breast cancer received four cycles of neoadjuvant PT. [ 18 F]Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography was performed at baseline and 15 days after PT initiation (C1D15). Eighty evaluable patients were required to test the null hypothesis that the area under the curve of percentage of change in SULmax by C1D15 predicting pCR is less than or equal to 0.65, with a one-sided type I error rate of 10%. RESULTS Eighty-eight women were enrolled (83 evaluable), and 85% (75 of 88) completed all four cycles of PT. pCR after PT alone was 34%. Receiver operating characteristic analysis yielded an area under the curve of 0.76 (90% CI, 0.67 to 0.85), which rejected the null hypothesis. Between patients who obtained pCR versus not, a significant difference in median percent reduction in SULmax by C1D15 was observed (63.8% v 33.5%; P < .001), an SULmax reduction greater than or equal to 40% was more prevalent (86% v 46%; P < .001; negative predictive value, 88%; positive predictive value, 49%), and a significant difference in median C1D15 SULmax (1.6 v 3.9; P < .001) and higher proportion of C1D15 SULmax less than or equal to 3 (93% v 38%; P < .001; negative predictive value, 94%; positive predictive value, 55%) were observed. CONCLUSION Early changes in SULmax predict response to four cycles of PT in estrogen receptor–negative, HER2-positive breast cancer. Once optimized, this quantitative imaging strategy may facilitate a more tailored approach to therapy in this setting.

Abstract Background: Stage III triple negative(TN) inflammatory breast cancer(IBC) is associated with a poor prognosis evidenced by a 15 month(mo) median disease free survival(DFS) and overall survival(OS) of 34 mo. The substantial incidence of developing distant metastasis may be due to the prevalence of cancer cells with stem cell-like features (e.g. CD44+/CD24-) in TNIBC. The transcriptional pathway JAK2/STAT3 is associated with the survival of CD44+/CD24- cells, and preclinical data demonstrates overexpression of activated STAT3(pSTAT3) in &gt; 95% of TNIBC. Preclinical studies have shown that ruxolitinib (Incyte®Corporation), an approved JAK1/JAK2 inhibitor, suppresses pSTAT3 in IBC patient derived xenograft models, and when combined with paclitaxel, results in a synergistic reduction in tumor weight. Given the lack of a known therapeutic target in TNIBC, this preoperative proof of principle study exploits the survival mechanism of CD44+/CD24- stem cells prevalent in this disease, by combining ruxolitinib(Rux) with paclitaxel(T) followed by doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide(AC). Methods: Up to 64 pts with newly diagnosed stage III TNIBC (cT4d, any N, M0) are eligible if they have adequate organ function and are willing to undergo 2 research biopsies(rbx) of the affected breast. Following baseline rbx, pts are randomized to a 7 day(d) run-in phase of Rux vs Rux(15 mg bid) + T(80mg/m2/wkx1). A 2nd rbx is obtained after the run-in phase. Pts randomized to RuxT continue to receive a total of Tx12 wks+Rux. Pts randomized to Rux alone, are re-randomized to receive Tx12 wks+Rux vs Tx12wks alone. Following T, all pts receive AC (A-60mg/m2,C-600mg/m2) every 14d x 4. Pts proceed to modified radical mastectomy (MRM) followed by chest wall/regional lymph nodes radiation therapy. Correlatives: To assess the effect of JAK inhibition with Rux on pSTAT3 and STAT3 related gene expression, molecular and genomic markers (e.g. RNA-seq, ChIPseq, FISH) will be determined in each rbx and residual tumor at MRM. The relative frequency and topology of CD44+/CD24- cell population and pSTAT3 expression by IHC will also be assessed in these tumor specimens. IL-6 and CRP plasma concentrations will be measured at baseline, prior to T and AC and prior to MRM. Statistics: The primary endpoint is change in markers of JAK/STAT inhibition. If the proportion of rbx exhibit a biologic response to Rux alone (i.e. change from pSTAT3 expression to pSTAT3 negative) is &lt;10%, then Rux alone is minimally effective on JAK inhibition vs alternative hypothesis that Rux inhibits JAK if the proportion of biologic response is ≥33%. If ≥5/25 rbx treated with Rux alone have a biologic response then the hypothesis that biologic response is ≤10% is rejected with an error rate of 0.098 (target 0.10). If ≤4/25 rbx have a biologic response then the hypothesis that biologic response is ≥33% is rejected with an error rate of 0.05 (target 0.10). Biologic response of rbx with Rux alone will also be compared with the proportion of biologic response to RuxT (33% vs. 66% based upon presumed synergy with RuxT). Secondary endpoints are clinical: pathologic complete response in breast/lymph nodes, Residual Cancer Burden, DFS and OS. Clinical Trial Information: NCT02876302. Citation Format: Overmoyer B, Regan M, Polyak K, Brock J, Van Poznak C, King T, Haddad T, Stearns V, Hwang S, Winer E. TBCRC 039: Phase II study of combination ruxolitinib (INCB018424) with preoperative chemotherapy for triple negative inflammatory breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2017 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(4 Suppl):Abstract nr OT3-05-01.

Abstract Background: DNA methylation is a promising prognostic and predictive biomarker of response to treatment in advanced breast cancer (Fackler MJ. Can Res 2014). We evaluated whether baseline and change in tissue and serum methylation would predict pathological complete response (pCR) in patients with HER2-negative early breast cancer treated with PST. Methods: TBCRC008 was a multicenter placebo-controlled trial that investigated pCR (no invasive cancer in breast/axilla) following 12 weeks of preoperative carboplatin and albumin-bound paclitaxel with or without the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor vorinostat in 62 patients with HER2-negative breast cancer. We performed an exploratory planned biomarker study correlating baseline and change (D15) in tumor tissue and serum methylation with pCR. Methylation was measured using cumulative methylation index (CMI) in quantitative multiplexed methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (QM-MSP) assays; cMethDNA assay for serum (Fackler MJ. Can Res 2014) and QM-MSP for tissue (Fackler MJ. Can Res 2004). The analysis population included all patients with available methylation and pCR data. Association between CMI level (log transformed baseline, D15, change) and pCR was evaluated using univariate as well as multivariable logistic regression models controlling for treatment arm and estrogen receptor (ER) status. Additional subgroup analyses assessed association of CMI level with pCR stratified by ER status and treatment arms, respectively. Spearman's correlation coefficient was performed to evaluate the correlation between tissue and serum CMI. Results: pCR data were available for 61 of 62 patients. One patient with unknown response was treated as a non-responder. The pCR rate was similar in both arms (vorinostat 25.8%, placebo 29%). Both tissue and serum CMI data were available in 55 (baseline), 50 (D15) and 46 (change) patients. Elevated serum methylation based on a predefined threshold (6.9 units) was identified in 23/59 (39%) patients. In univariate analysis, one log unit increase in tissue CMI levels at D15 was associated with a 40% lower chance of obtaining a pCR (odds ratio, OR=0.60, 95% CI 0.37-0.97; p=0.037). The multivariable analysis did not show a statistically significant association of tissue or serum CMI with pCR, although a similar trend in magnitude towards association with pCR was observed for D15 and change in tumor tissue CMI (OR 0.67 and 0.57, p=0.129 and 0.147 respectively). Subgroup analyses suggested a significant association between tissue CMI levels at D15 and pCR in the group treated with vorinostat [tissue OR: 0.44 (0.20, 0.93), p=0.03; serum OR 0.37 (0.13, 1.07), p=0.07] but not in the placebo group. No significant correlation was observed between tissue and serum CMI. Conclusion: This is the first study to evaluate the predictive role of tissue and serum methylation (CMI) in patients with early breast cancer treated with PST ± an HDAC inhibitor. Methylation was detected more frequently in tissue than serum. Tissue CMI levels at D15 may predict poor response to this regimen. Further evaluation of the predictive role of methylation in early breast cancer is warranted. Citation Format: Connolly RM, Fackler MJ, Zhang Z, Zhou XC, Goetz MP, Boughey JC, Walsh B, Carpenter J, Storniolo AM, Watkins S, Barielson E, Sukumar S, Stearns V. Tumor and serum DNA methylation in women receiving preoperative chemotherapy (PST) with or without vorinostat in primary operable HER2-negative breast cancer in TBCRC008 [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 P1-09-15.

LBA1 Background: Adjuvant endocrine therapy with AI vs T improves outcomes in postmenopausal HR+ BC. TEXT and SOFT were designed to test whether adjuvant AI improves outcomes in premenopausal women with HR+ BC treated with OFS (AI question) and to determine the value of OFS in women who remain premenopausal and are suitable for adjuvant T (OFS question). Methods: TEXT and SOFT, randomized phase 3 trials, enrolled 5,738 premenopausal women with HR+ early BC from Nov03 to Apr11 (2672 TEXT; 3066 SOFT). TEXT randomized women within 12wk of surgery to 5y E+OFS vs T+OFS; chemotherapy (CT) was optional and concurrent with OFS. SOFT randomized women to 5y E+OFS vs T+OFS vs T alone, either within 12wk of surgery if no CT planned, or within 8mo of completing (neo)adjuvant CT. OFS was by choice of 5y triptorelin, oophorectomy, or ovarian irradiation. The primary endpoint is disease-free survival (DFS: randomization until invasive local, regional, distant recurrence, or contralateral breast; 2nd malignancy; death). Due to low event rates, protocol amendments in 2011 changed the analysis plans to answer the AI question (E+OFS vs T+OFS) by joint analysis of TEXT and SOFT. By Q3’2013 with >5y median follow-up, 436 DFS events were projected, providing 84% power for HR=0.75 with E+OFS vs T+OFS (stratified logrank 2-sided α=0.05). Results: At 5.7y median follow-up, 514 (11%) DFS events were reported in the ITT population comparing E+OFS (n=2346) vs T+OFS (n=2344). Patients assigned E+OFS had significantly reduced DFS hazard (HR=0.72; 95% CI, 0.60-0.86; P=0.0002) vs T+OFS; 5y DFS was 91.1% vs 87.3%. Reductions were similar for secondary endpoints of BC-free interval (HR=0.66 (0.55-0.80) 5y BCFI 92.8% vs 88.8%) and distant recurrence-free interval (HR=0.78 (0.62-0.97)), though not overall survival (HR=1.14 (0.86-1.51)) at this early follow-up (194 (4%) deaths). Grade 3-4 targeted AEs were reported in 31% E+OFS vs 29% T+OFS patients. Conclusion: In premenopausal women with HR+ BC, adjuvant treatment with E+OFS significantly reduced the risk of recurrence compared to T+OFS. Clinical trial information: NCT00066703 / NCT00066690 .

270 Background: Neuropathy is a common and potentially enduring and disabling complication of adjuvant taxane therapy. Recent studies have identified candidate host single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with taxane-induced neuropathy (Schneider et al. ASCO 2011, abstr. 1000). We therefore sought to determine whether neuropathy was associated with breast cancer recurrence. Methods: This study included 4,950 eligible women with axillary lymph node positive or high-risk node-negative breast cancer who received up to 4 cycles of AC (doxorubicin 60 mg/m2 and cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m2) every 3 weeks, followed by either: (1) paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 every 3 weeks x 4 (P3), (2) paclitaxel 80 mg/m2 weekly x 12 (P1), (3) docetaxel 100 mg/m2 every 3 weeks x 4 (D3), or (4) docetaxel 35 mg/m2 weekly x 12 (D1). Chemotherapy doses were based on actual body weight. Cox proportional hazards model were used to determine the relationship between neuropathy and disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) treating neuropathy status as a time dependent covariate and using a landmark analysis. Results: Of 4,702 patients who received at least 1 taxane dose, grade 2-4 neuropathy developed in 20%, 27%, 16%, and 16% in the P3, P1, D3, and D1 arms, respectively. In a model including age, tumor size, nodal status, treatment arm, neuropathy, and the neuropathy- treatment interaction, there was no relationship between neuropathy and DFS and OS in the entire population, for any of the individual treatment arms, or for any breast cancer subtypes, whether analyzed as a time-dependent covariate or using a landmark analysis. Baseline covariates associated with an increase rate of neuropathy included black race (25% vs. 19% grade 2-4, p=0.02) and obesity (21% vs. 19%, p=0.04), but not age. Conclusions: There was no association between taxane-induced neuropathy and DFS or OS in patients treated with contemporary AC-taxane therapy, including weekly paclitaxel. These findings show that taxane-induced neuropathy is not associated with outcome, thus suggesting that validation of SNPs predictive of neuropathy may be useful in identifying patients at higher risk for neuropathy but not taxane benefit and thereby improve therapeutic individualization.

Abstract Genetic risks in breast cancer remain only partly understood. Here, we report the results of a genome-wide association study of germline DNA from 4,658 women, including 252 women experiencing a breast cancer recurrence, who were entered on the MA.27 adjuvant trial comparing the aromatase inhibitors (AI) anastrozole and exemestane. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of top significance were identified in the gene encoding MIR2052HG, a long noncoding RNA of unknown function. Heterozygous or homozygous individuals for variant alleles exhibited a ∼40% or ∼63% decrease, respectively, in the hazard of breast cancer recurrence relative to homozygous wild-type individuals. Functional genomic studies in lymphoblastoid cell lines and ERα-positive breast cancer cell lines showed that expression from MIR2052HG and the ESR1 gene encoding estrogen receptor-α (ERα) was induced by estrogen and AI in a SNP-dependent manner. Variant SNP genotypes exhibited increased ERα binding to estrogen response elements, relative to wild-type genotypes, a pattern that was reversed by AI treatment. Further, variant SNPs were associated with lower expression of MIR2052HG and ERα. RNAi-mediated silencing of MIR2052HG in breast cancer cell lines decreased ERα expression, cell proliferation, and anchorage-independent colony formation. Mechanistic investigations revealed that MIR2052HG sustained ERα levels both by promoting AKT/FOXO3-mediated ESR1 transcription and by limiting ubiquitin-mediated, proteasome-dependent degradation of ERα. Taken together, our results define MIR2052HS as a functionally polymorphic gene that affects risks of breast cancer recurrence in women treated with AI. More broadly, our results offer a pharmacogenomic basis to understand differences in the response of breast cancer patients to AI therapy. Cancer Res; 76(23); 7012–23. ©2016 AACR.

Abstract Background: Biomarkers to predict response to platinum-based therapy in early breast cancer are needed. HRD is a promising predictor of response to DNA damaging agents, such as platinums. We hypothesized that HRD (high HRD score ≥ 42 and/or tumor BRCA [tBRCA] mutation) would predict pathological complete response (pCR) in patients with HER2-negative early breast cancer treated with PST comprising a platinum, regardless of estrogen receptor (ER) status. Methods: TBCRC008 was a multicenter placebo-controlled trial that investigated pCR (no invasive cancer in breast/axilla) following 12 weeks of preoperative carboplatin and albumin-bound paclitaxel with or without vorinostat in patients with ER-positive or triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) (Connolly RM. JNM 2015). The pCR rate was similar in both arms (vorinostat 25.8%, placebo 29%). We performed an exploratory biomarker study correlating baseline tumor biopsy HRD status with pCR. The analysis population included all patients with available HRD and pCR data. We compared the proportion of patients with pCR by HRD status using Fisher's exact test. A subset analysis compared pCR proportions by high (≥42) vs. low (&lt;42) HRD score in those patients who did not have tBRCA mutation. A logistic regression model included HRD status, ER status, treatment arm, tumor grade and use of additional anthracycline-based non-study chemotherapy prior to definitive surgery. Results: HRD status and pCR data were available for 48/62 patients (30 ER-positive, 18 TNBC). Of these, 46% of tumors were HR deficient (n=22/48, 33% ER-positive [10/30], 67% TNBC [12/18]). We observed a significantly higher pCR rate in patients with HR deficiency vs not (50% vs 7.7%, p=0.002) in the overall population. A similar trend was observed in ER-positive (30% vs 5%, p=0.095) and TNBC (66.7% vs 16.7%, p=0.13) patients. There was no significant difference when analyzed by treatment arm (vorinostat vs placebo). In a subgroup analysis (n=40) of patients without tBRCA (25 ER-positive, 15 TNBC), a significantly higher pCR rate was observed in those with high vs low HRD score (64.3% vs 7.7%, p &lt;0.001). After adjusting for ER status, randomized treatment, use of AC treatment, and tumor grade, patients whose tumors exhibited HR deficiency had a greater than 6 fold increase in pCR compared to those without HR deficiency (adjusted odds ratio = 6.76, 95% CI = 0.85-53.99, p=.072). Conclusion: This is the first study to evaluate the predictive role of HRD status in patients with ER-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer treated with platinum-based therapy. Our results also support prior observations that HRD status is a promising predictive biomarker of response to platinum agents in TNBC. Further evaluation of this question is warranted in both TNBC and ER-positive breast cancer. Citation Format: Connolly R, Elkin E, Timms K, Goetz M, Boughey J, Zhang Z, Walsh B, Carpenter J, Storniolo A, Watkins S, Gabrielson E, Hartman A-R, Stearns V. Homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) as a predictive biomarker of response to preoperative systemic therapy (PST) in TBCRC008 comprising a platinum in HER2-negative primary operable breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-07-13.