Smith, Mary Lou

PURPOSE EA1181 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04266249 ) is a single-arm trial evaluating neoadjuvant taxane, trastuzumab, and pertuzumab (THP) in patients with clinical stage II/IIIa human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)–positive breast cancer. This report focuses on the secondary end points of pathologic complete response (pCR) rates and associated factors. The primary end point—3-year recurrence-free survival among patients achieving a pCR (ypT0/Tis, ypN0)—will be reported when data mature. METHODS Patients received four cycles of trastuzumab and pertuzumab (HP) with either once per week paclitaxel (12 weeks) or docetaxel (every 3 weeks for four cycles), followed by surgery. Clinicopathologic characteristics were assessed in all patients. The HER2DX pCR score was determined using diagnostic biopsy samples in a representative subset. Logistic regression models identified factors associated with pCR. RESULTS A total of 2,175 patients were enrolled (781 HER2+/estrogen receptor‑negative [ER–]; 1,394 HER2+/ER+). Of 2,141 patients who initiated THP, the overall pCR rate was 43.8%: 63.7% in HER2+/ER– and 32.4% in HER2+/ER+ tumors. Higher pCR rates were observed in tumors that were ER-negative or low ER expressing, progesterone receptor-negative or low expressing, HER2 immunohistochemistry (IHC) 3+, and in patients treated with once per week paclitaxel. T3 disease was associated with a lower pCR rate in HER2+/ER– tumors; otherwise, tumor (T) and nodal (N) stage did not significantly affect pCR. Among 569 patients assessed for HER2DX pCR scores, a high score was independently associated with higher pCR rates, after adjustment for clinicopathologic variables. CONCLUSION Neoadjuvant THP achieved pCR in nearly two-thirds of patients with HER2+/ER– and one third with HER2+/ER+ breast cancer. Low hormone receptor expression, HER2 IHC 3+ status, once per week paclitaxel use, and a high HER2DX pCR score were independent predictors of pCR. These findings should help optimize risk stratification and treatment personalization for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.

The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines for Breast Cancer include recommendations for clinical management of patients with carcinoma in situ, invasive breast cancer, Paget’s disease, Phyllodes tumor, inflammatory breast cancer, and management of breast cancer during pregnancy. The panel convenes annually to update recommendations based on a review of recently published clinical trials. This selection from the NCCN Guidelines for Breast Cancer focuses on the recommendations for the management of recurrent or stage IV (M1) metastatic breast cancer. It summarizes the treatment strategies stratified by tumor biology, including hormone receptor status and HER2 expression, as well as clinical factors such as prior therapy and disease-free interval. Throughout all treatment lines, supportive care, quality of life preservation, toxicity minimization, and clinical trial participation are emphasized as integral components of patient care.

Abstract Objective Invasive presurgical evaluation plays a key role in pediatric epilepsy surgery, particularly in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)‐negative cases, by guiding resective, disconnective, or ablative procedures. This International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery Taskforce study provides an updated global overview of current invasive evaluation practices. Methods Group‐level data were collected from 61 epilepsy surgery programs (49 pediatric‐only) in 29 countries across six continents. Included were children and adolescents who underwent presurgical evaluation and epilepsy surgery in 2023. The study was designed to enable comparison with the similar ILAE survey conducted in 2004. Results A total of 2427 patients were included. Invasive evaluations were performed in 21.1% of cases, most frequently in North America (33.7%, higher than Europe: 18.0%, p = .003). Among invasive cases, 32.3% had no detectable MRI abnormalities. The main indication for invasive evaluation was seizure onset localization (88.1%), followed by motor or sensory mapping (17.2%) and language mapping (14.2%). Stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) was the predominant technique (19.8% overall, 93.6% of invasive cases), more common in North America (30.0%, p = .021) and less common in South America (7.4%, p < .001). Subdural electrodes were used in only 3.2% of invasive cases, and combined depth and subdural approaches in 3.2%. SEEG‐guided radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RF‐TC) was performed in 40.9% of SEEG cases, most commonly in Asia (63.8%). In 16.2% of invasive evaluations, patients did not proceed to resection, disconnection, or ablation, with the highest rate in Europe (28.5%). Significance This global survey provides the first broad overview of invasive evaluation practices in pediatric epilepsy surgery across participating centers worldwide. It highlights the widespread adoption of SEEG, declining use of subdural electrodes, and increasing application of SEEG‐guided RF‐TC. The high proportion of MRI‐negative cases and the considerable proportion of patients not proceeding to resection, disconnection, or ablation underscore the complexity of contemporary surgical candidates and the need for further refinement of selection strategies.

603 Background: Accurate prediction of pathologic complete response (pCR) after preoperative therapy for HER2-positive (HER2+) breast cancer can help triage patients to immediate surgery vs additional preoperative therapy. Pre-surgery (i.e., after neoadjuvant therapy) imaging studies may help estimate the likelihood of pCR. In EA1181, patients (pts) with stage II-IIIA HER2+ breast cancer received four cycles of preoperative taxane, trastuzumab, and pertuzumab (THP×4). Pre-surgery imaging was required, though the specific imaging modality was not mandated. Here, we report the accuracy of pre-surgery breast MRI to predict pCR (ypT0/Tis, ypN0). Methods: Among 2,141 pts treated with THPx4, 1,378 had pre-surgery breast MRI and were representative of the overall cohort, although T3 tumors were more common (16% vs 9%). MRI reports were available for 1,351 pts; all reports were centrally reviewed and classified as radiologic complete response (rCR; no residual tumor enhancement and normalization of lymph nodes, if applicable) or radiologic residual disease (rRD). Reports with indeterminate radiologic response were independently reviewed by two study radiologists blinded to pathology outcomes. Among pts with rCR who had pathologic residual disease (pRD), we also assessed the extent of residual disease by residual cancer burden (RCB) score. Among pts with rRD who had a pCR, we determined the proportion who only had residual ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Results: See Table. Conclusions: After neoadjuvant therapy, preoperative MRI accurately predicted pCR in 86% of patients with HER2+/ER− disease and may help identify patients who can proceed directly to surgery. MRI is insufficient to predict pCR for pts with HER2+/ER+ disease, as only 55% with complete response on MRI had a pCR at surgery. A pre-surgery MRI that indicated residual disease was accurate in 80% of pts with HER2+/ER+ disease, but in only 45% of pts with HER2+/ER- cancer. Accurately predicting residual disease after THPx4 allows for consideration of additional therapy that may increase the chance of pCR. Combining imaging like MRI with other biomarkers, such as tissue-based markers or circulating tumor DNA, may improve prediction of pCR and facilitate personalization of treatment decisions in HER2+ breast cancer. All pts with pre-surgery MRI (n=1351)pCR rate overall in this cohort = 47% MRI result Pathology pCR pRD rCR 70.6% (341/483) 29.4%(142/483) 78% had RCB1 rRD 34%(295/868) 21% of 295 had DCIS only 66.01% (573/868) ER- (n=589)*Overall pCR rate in ER- subset = 68% MRI result Pathology pCR pRD rCR 86.1% (205/238) 13.9% (33/238) 85% had RCB1 rRD 55.3% (194/351) 19% of 194 had only DCIS 44.7% (157/351) ER+ (n= 762)*Overall pCR rate in ER+ subset = 31% MRI result Pathology pCR pRD rCR 55.5% (136/245) 44.5% (109/245) 76% had RCB1 rRD 19.5% (101/517) 26% of 101 had only DCIS 80.5% (416/517)

Background: There is growing recognition of the importance of patient-reported tolerability in complementing traditional clinician-reported safety evaluation of cancer therapies. Recent regulatory guidance listed the evaluation of overall side effect impact as a core patient-reported outcome in oncology clinical trials. A single item (‘GP5’) that asks about side effect bother is included in the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy and has been used to capture overall side effect impact. This paper sought to expand the evidence base for GP5 by examining its association with clinician-reported treatment-emergent adverse events and patient-reported global health. Methods: We examined six commercial cancer clinical trials that collected GP5. The patient population was drawn from the safety population and the analysis focused on the first on-treatment assessment. Clinician-reported adverse events were classified as symptomatic if such adverse events were considered amenable to patient self-reporting (e.g. nausea). Chi-square tests and Pearson’s correlation were used to examine associations. We considered adverse event grade and frequency, both for symptomatic adverse events and any type of adverse events. Global health was measured using the visual analogue scale of the EuroQol-5 Dimensions-3 Levels measure. ‘Moderate-severe’ bother was characterised as scores of 2–4 on a 0–4 point scale for GP5, and ‘severe’ bother was characterised as scores of 3–4. Analyses were conducted separately for each trial. Results: Data from 3,557 patients were included. Across the trials, most (71.7%–94.2%) patients had an adverse event of some kind, but fewer (17.1%–44.4%) had an adverse event of grade 3 or higher. In general, fewer than 50% of patients (20.6%–44.2%) reported moderate-severe bother and 5.8%–17.% reported severe bother. There were consistent, albeit not always statistically significant, associations between GP5 and adverse events, and GP5/global health correlations ranged from −0.17 to −0.41. Discussion: GP5 is associated with both clinician- and patient-reported symptoms, suggesting its validity and usefulness as part of comprehensive tolerability assessment of cancer trials.

The treatment landscape of invasive early-stage and metastatic breast cancer is evolving constantly. These NCCN Guidelines Insights focus on recent updates included in the most recent version (version 5.2025) of the NCCN Guidelines for Breast Cancer specific to workup, locoregional therapy, surveillance, and systemic neoadjuvant/adjuvant therapy recommendations for invasive, nonmetastatic breast cancer.

501 Background: EA1181 (NCT04266249) is a single-arm trial of neoadjuvant THP for patients with clinical anatomic stage II/III HER2+ breast cancer; patients with cT4 or cN3 disease were excluded . Assessing the primary endpoint, 3-year recurrence-free survival in patients with a pCR (ypT0/Tis, ypN0), requires longer follow-up. Here, we present results for the secondary objective of pCR rate and its relation to clinicopathologic factors and the HER2DX pCR likelihood score (Reveal Genomics) derived from gene expression and clinical features. Methods: Patients received 4 cycles of trastuzumab and pertuzumab (HP) with weekly paclitaxel (12 weeks) or docetaxel (q3w x 4), followed by surgery. Clinicopathologic features were assessed for all patients and HER2DX pCR score (stratified by ER status) was determined using the diagnostic biopsy in a representative subset of study participants. Results: 2175 patients were enrolled. Median age was 55 years (range 22-88 years); 58% had clinical stage IIA, 33% stage IIB, and 9% stage III. 45% had nodal involvement (mostly cN1). 781 tumors were HER2+/ER- and 1394 HER2+/ER+ (locally tested ). 2141 patients started THP, for whom the pCR rate was 44% overall, 63.7% in HER2+/ER- and 32.4% in HER2+/ER+ tumors. Disease progressed during THP in 16 patients (0.7%). The pCR rate varied inversely to the proportion of cells staining for ER among patients with HER2+/ER+ breast cancer: 1-10%+, 62.5%; 11-69%, 51.6%; ≥70%, 22.5% (p <0.001). The pCR rate was significantly associated with higher grade, especially in HER2+/ER+ disease. T and N stage did not significantly affect pCR rate. Among 569 patients assessed for the HER2DX pCR score, the pCR rate was significantly greater for patients with a higher vs lower score, regardless of ER status (Table). Further correlations and interactions will be presented. Conclusions: Neoadjuvant THP resulted in pCR in nearly two-thirds of pts with clinical stage II/III HER2+/ER- and in one-third with HER2+/ER+ breast cancer. There was no association with clinical stage. Lower ER expression and higher grade were associated with higher pCR rates. The HER2DX pCR score was a significant predictor of pCR, regardless of ER status. Clinical trial information: NCT04266249 . All Participants HER2+/ER- HER2+/ER+ # patients enrolled pCR rate (95% CI) # patients enrolled pCR rate (95% CI) # patients enrolled pCR rate (95% CI) Evaluable Cohort 2141 44%(42-46%) 774 64%(60-67%) 1367 32%(30-35%) HER2DX Cohort 569 48%(44- 52%) 230 69% (63-75%) 339 34%(29-39%) HER2DX pCR-high score 182 (32%) 68%(60-74%) 147 (64%) 70% (62-77%) 36 (11%) 58%(41-74%) HER2DX pCR-medium score 161 (28%) 67% (59- 74%) 70 (30%) 74%(62- 84%) 89 (26%) 61%(50-71%) HER2DX pCR-low score 226 (40%) 19%(14- 25%) 13 (6%) 31%(9-61%) 214 (63%) 18%(13-24%) P-value HER2DX score <0.001 0.010 <0.001

AbstractThe Psychiatric Pediatric Issues Task Force of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) aimed to develop recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of anxiety and depression in children and adolescents with epilepsy. The Task Force conducted a systematic review and identified two studies that assessed the accuracy of four screening measures for depression and anxiety symptoms compared with a psychiatric interview. Nine studies met the eligibility criteria for treatment of anxiety and depressive disorders or symptoms. The risk of bias and certainty of evidence were assessed. The evidence generated by this review followed by consensus where evidence was missing generated 47 recommendations. Those with a high level of agreement (≥80%) are summarized. Diagnosis: (1) Universal screening for anxiety and depression is recommended. Closer surveillance is recommended for children after 12 years, at higher risk (e.g., suicide‐related behavior), with subthreshold symptoms, and experiencing seizure worsening or therapeutic modifications. (2) Multiple sources of ascertainment and a formal screening are recommended. Clinical interviews are recommended whenever possible. The healthcare provider must always explain that symptom recognition is essential to optimize treatment outcomes and reduce morbidity. (3) Questioning about the relationship between symptoms of anxiety or depression with seizure worsening/control and behavioral adverse effects of antiseizure medications is recommended. Treatment: (1) An individualized treatment plan is recommended. (2) For mild depression, active monitoring must be considered. (3) Referral to a mental health care provider must be considered for moderate to severe depression and anxiety. (4) Clinical care pathways must be developed. (5) Psychosocial interventions must be tailored and age‐appropriate. (6) Healthcare providers must monitor children with epilepsy who are prescribed antidepressants, considering symptoms and functioning that may not improve simultaneously. (7) Caregiver education is essential to ensure treatment adherence. (8) A shared‐care model involving all healthcare providers is recommended for children and adolescents with epilepsy and mental health disorders. We identified clinical decisions in the management of depression and anxiety that lack solid evidence and provide consensus‐based guidance to address the care of children and adolescents with epilepsy.

Breast cancer is treated with a multidisciplinary approach involving surgical oncology, radiation oncology, and medical oncology. The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) for Breast Cancer include recommendations for clinical management of patients with carcinoma in situ, invasive breast cancer, Paget’s disease, Phyllodes tumor, inflammatory breast cancer, and management of breast cancer during pregnancy. The content featured in this issue focuses on the recommendations for overall management of systemic therapy (preoperative and adjuvant) options for nonmetastatic breast cancer. For the full version of the NCCN Guidelines for Breast Cancer, visit NCCN.org .

Background: There are limited evidence-based data to guide treatment recommendations for breast cancer (BC) patients ≥80 years (P80+). Identifying and addressing unmet needs are critical. Aims: Advocate-BREAST80+ compared the needs of P80+ vs. patients < 80 years (P80−). Methods: In 12/2021, a REDCap survey was electronically circulated to 6918 persons enrolled in the Mayo Clinic Breast Disease Registry. The survey asked about concerns and satisfaction with multiple aspects of BC care. Results: Overall, 2437 participants responded (35% response rate); 202 (8.3%) were P80+. P80+ were less likely to undergo local regional and systemic therapies vs. P80− (p < 0.01). Notably, P80+ were significantly less satisfied with information about the short and long-term side effects of BC therapies and managing toxicities. P80+ were also less likely to have participated in a clinical trial (p < 0.001) or to want to do so in the future (p = 0.0001). Conclusions: Although P80+ experienced less anxiety and symptom-related distress compared with P80−, they were significantly less satisfied with information regarding the side effects of BC therapies and their management. P80+ were significantly less likely to have participated in a clinical trial or be open to considering this option. Future studies should address educational needs pertaining to side effects and barriers to research participation in P80+.