Loprinzi, Charles L.

Abstract Background: Eyebrow and eyelash loss are widely recognized as consequences of some chemotherapies, but prevalence and predictors are understudied. The purpose of this study was to evaluate real world experiences of eyebrow and eyelash loss during treatment for breast cancer. Methods: Breast cancer survivors participating in the ongoing prospective Mayo Clinic Breast Disease Registry (MCBDR) were mailed a survey one year after diagnosis. Respondents were asked to recall their severity of eyebrow and eyelash loss since diagnosis, measured from “no loss” to “a little loss” to “a lot of loss” to “complete loss”. Results: 524 participants were mailed a survey including these questions between May 2020 and November 2020; the median time from diagnosis to survey completion was 12 months (range 6 months). Of the 265 participants whose responses were available for analysis (median age 60.8 years), 88 (33%) had received chemotherapy, including 39 (44%) who received doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide, 16 (18%) who received docetaxel and cyclophosphamide, 56 (64%) who received paclitaxel, and 11 (13%) who received carboplatin. 173 (65%) had received endocrine therapy: 56 (32%) of patients who received endocrine therapy received tamoxifen, and 115 (66%) received aromatase inhibitors. 124 (47%) reported at least a little eyebrow loss, and 22 (8%) reported complete loss. Forty-seven percent reported at least a little eyelash loss, and 27 (10%) reported complete loss (Table 1). In the subgroup of 88 patients who received chemotherapy, the rates of at least a little eyebrow and eyelash loss were 50% and 55%, respectively, and rates of complete loss were 8% and 9%. Rates of eyebrow and eyelash loss did not appear to differ significantly by age. Conclusion: Eyebrow and eyelash loss are frequently reported during breast cancer-directed therapy. Future investigations into the incidence and treatment of this side effect are needed. Table 1.<55 years old55+ years oldEyebrow Loss (N)%Eyelash Loss (N)%Eyebrow Loss (N)%Eyelash Loss (N)%No Loss4551%4753%9655%9353%A Little Loss2629%2225%3922%3922%A lot of loss1011%1112%2715%2514%Complete Loss89%910%148%1810%Funding Source: Breast Cancer Research Foundation (CLL) Clinic Citation Format: Elizabeth Cathcart-Rake, Charles L Loprinzi, Fergus Couch, Janet Olson, Brittany Dulmage, Maryam Lustberg, Nicole Larson, Kathryn J Ruddy. Eyebrow/eyelash loss among survivors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2021 Dec 7-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-10-11.

While oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy (OIPN) is more common and severe in patients who receive the previous standard, 6-month oxaliplatin-based treatment, we hypothesized that OIPN was still pervasive in patients who received shorter, 3-month-treatment regimens. Using six EORTC QLQ-CIPN20 questions that quantify numbness (N), tingling (T) and shooting/burning pain (P) in upper/lower distal extremities, our aim is to quantify patient-reported responses over 3 months (6 cycles) of oxaliplatin regarding symptom-specific timing, location and severity. For each question, patients were asked how each of the sensory symptoms had affected them during the preceding week, with 1 = “Not at all”, 2 = “A little”, 3 = “Quite a bit” and 4 = “Very much”. The proportional odds model for the cumulative log odds of response that allowed symptom-specific patient heterogeneity to be obtained was applied to a pooled dataset from the placebo arms of two multisite OIPN prevention trials and fit separately to the upper/lower distal extremities. For each symptom, we report the cycle-specific marginal probabilities for each response. In 141 patients, substantial patient heterogeneity in the likelihood, at a given cycle, of a more severe response for a symptom was present. Distinct patterns in the probabilities for each response over time for N and T were observed between the upper/lower distal extremities, while the probabilities of a response >1 for P was largely negligible in both locations. Despite the decrease in exposure to oxaliplatin from 6 to 3 months, OIPN was still pervasive with patients experiencing considerable N and T in the fingers (or hands) and toes (or feet).

(1) Background: The objective of this study was to determine the long-term efficacy of fractional CO2 laser therapy in breast cancer survivors. (2) Methods: This was a single-arm study of breast cancer survivors. Participants received three treatments of fractional CO2 laser therapy and returned for a 4 week follow-up. Participants were contacted for follow-up at annual intervals. The Vaginal Assessment Scale (VAS), the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), the Female Sexual Distress Scare Revised (FSDS-R), the Urinary Distress Inventory (UDI), and adverse events were collected and reported for the two-year follow-up. The changes in scores were compared between the four-week and two-year and the one-year and two-year follow-ups using paired t-tests. (3) Results: In total, 67 BC survivors were enrolled, 59 completed treatments and the four week follow-up, 39 participated in the one-year follow-up, and 33 participated in the two-year follow-up. After initial improvement in the VAS from baseline to the four week follow-up, there was no statistically significant difference in the VAS score (mean Δ 0.23; 95% CI [−0.05, 0.51], p = 0.150) between the four week follow-up and the two-year follow-up. At the two-year follow-up, the FSFI and FSDS-R scores remained improved from baseline and there was no statistically significant change in the FSFI score (mean Δ −0.83; 95% CI [−3.07, 2.38] p = 0.794) or the FSDS-R score (mean Δ −2.85; 95% CI [−1.88, 7.59] p = 0.227) from the one to two-year follow-up. The UDI scores approached baseline at the two-year follow-up; however, the change between the one- and two-year follow-ups was not statistically significant (mean Δ 4.76; 95% CI [−1.89, 11.41], p = 0.15). (4) Conclusions: Breast cancer survivors treated with fractional CO2 laser therapy have sustained improvement in sexual function two years after treatment completion, suggesting potential long-term benefit.

Background Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy is a common and often severe side effect from many chemotherapeutic agents, with limited treatment options. There is no literature on the use of topical cannabinoids for chemotherapy-induced neuropathy. Case Presentations The current manuscript presents a case series of patients presenting in oncology clinics at Sutter Health, CA and Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN from April 2019 to December 2020 with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy who used topical creams containing the cannabinoids delta-nine-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and/or cannabidiol (CBD). Conclusions This case series suggests that topical cannabinoids may be helpful for patients with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. This paper also discusses the potential mechanisms of action by which topical cannabinoids might alleviate established CIPN symptoms. A randomized placebo-controlled trial using a standardized product is planned to study the actual efficacy of such treatment.

NT-proBNP, soluble ST2 (sST2), and galectin-3 are biomarkers of cardiac dysfunction that have been proposed as identifiers of patients experiencing asymptomatic cardiac dysfunction after anthracycline-based chemotherapy. This study aimed to compare the proportion of breast cancer (BC) survivors with elevated serum levels of these three putative biomarkers by prior receipt of anthracycline (yes vs. no). Five-hundred-eighty survivors of BC who had received anthracycline-based chemotherapy were matched by age and time between diagnosis and serum storage to 580 who had not. Cardiac biomarker levels were analyzed using immunoassays. Analyses were carried out using linear and logistic regression models. Anthracycline recipients had higher values of NT-proBNP than non-recipients (mean 116.0 ng/L vs. 97.0 ng/L, respectively; p < 0.001). Values for ST2 and galectin-3 did not significantly differ by receipt of anthracycline. After further adjustment for age at breast cancer diagnosis, ethnicity, and receipt of trastuzumab, associations between receipt of anthracycline and higher NT-proBNP persisted (p < 0.001), showing that NT-proBNP may be a biomarker of cardiovascular toxicity after receipt of anthracycline-based chemotherapy. Further research to assess the clinical utility of NT-proBNP testing after receipt of anthracycline is recommended. sST2 and galectin-3 do not appear to differentiate between anthracycline recipients and non-recipients amongst breast cancer survivors.

Background: Active malignancy accounts for 20% of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in the community and is the second leading cause of death among cancer patients. Rivaroxaban offers a convenient alternative to conventional anticoagulation for VTE in cancer patients but its efficacy and safety for this group of patients is not well documented. Patients and Methods: All patients with cancer-associated deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE), enrolled into Mayo Rochester Thrombophilia Clinic Direct Oral Anticoagulants Registry between November 1, 2012 and April 30, 2015, were followed prospectively to provide an estimate of the efficacy and safety of this form of therapy. Follow up was obtained in person or by mailed or telephone survey. Results: Out of the 377 patients in the registry, 118 (31%) patients (51% female, mean age 66±10 years) had active malignancy related VTE (62% DVT, 24% PE, and 14% DVT/PE) treated with rivaroxaban. The most common malignancies in this group were: gastrointestinal (20%), lung (13%) and ovary/uterine (13%). Over the follow up period, the VTE recurrence rate was 3.3% (2 DVT and 2 PE; of these, 2 occurred during periprocedural interruptions of anticoagulation); and the major bleeding rate was 3%. There were 26 deaths (22%), none related to VTE or bleeding. The main reasons for choosing rivaroxaban were lower cost compared to LMWH, no need for injections, and the lack of food/drug interactions. Conclusions: These data support that rivaroxaban may provide a safe, effective, and convenient alternative treatment option to standard therapy for cancer related VTE treatment.