Citations

PURPOSE BRCA carriers face high risks of developing both breast and ovarian/fallopian tube cancers (hereafter referred to as ovarian ). Among BRCA carriers with ovarian cancer, it is not clear whether the risk of breast cancer is sufficiently high that risk-reducing mastectomy should be offered. This study aimed to assess the risk of breast cancer BRCA carriers after a diagnosis of ovarian cancer. METHODS We included women with a pathogenic/likely pathogenic variant in BRCA1 or BRCA2 , a diagnosis of ovarian cancer, and no other cancer history and no risk-reducing bilateral mastectomy. Women were followed for incident breast cancer from the date of ovarian cancer diagnosis or the date of baseline questionnaire, whichever came last. The 5-, 10-, and 15-year cumulative risks of breast cancer were compared for women with ovarian cancer and an age-matched set of control women without ovarian cancer. RESULTS A total of 960 participants with ovarian cancer were identified (814 BRCA1 and 146 BRCA2 carriers). After a mean follow-up of 4.9 years, 41 women (4.3%) developed breast cancer, at a mean age at diagnosis of 57.5 years (range, 39-74). Actuarial cumulative breast cancer risks after ovarian cancer were 4.4%, 8.9%, and 11.5% at 5, 10, and 15 years, respectively. Only three breast cancer–related deaths occurred. Among 741 age-matched BRCA carriers without ovarian cancer, actuarial cumulative risks of breast cancer were 20.9%, 38.6%, and 47.2% at 5, 10, and 15 years, respectively. The hazard ratio for breast cancer, after an ovarian cancer diagnosis, compared with no ovarian cancer, was 0.18 ([95% CI, 0.12 to 0.27]; P < .0001). CONCLUSION After ovarian cancer, BRCA carriers have a relatively low risk of breast cancer. Risk-reducing mastectomy should not be recommended routinely, but might be considered for long-term survivors. Magnetic resonance imaging surveillance and/or mammography is a realistic alternative.

PURPOSE The continuous development of new imaging approaches, molecular phenotyping, genetic subtypes, prognosis assessments, and effective therapies across a range of disease states has created a need to redefine terminology and best practices for clinical trial conduct in patients with advanced prostate cancer. Methods We convened an international expert committee of diverse working groups, the Prostate Cancer Working Group 4 (PCWG4), between 2016 and 2025. Our objective was to formulate updated criteria based on emerging evidence and clinical trial data in a biomarker context to provide guidance for clinical trial design, eligibility, and end point assessments for patients with advanced prostate cancer. RESULTS PCWG4 redefines terminology around the disease state and previous therapies in a patient-centric context and terminology focused on androgen pathway modulation. We consider imaging, with a particular focus on positron emission tomography (PET)–defined disease. New recommendations are provided for disease state terminology, defining eligibility criteria, response and delay/prevent end points, intervals for reassessments including imaging, and patient-reported outcome determination. We provide recommendations in a biomarker-based context of use for the intended indication, reflective of patient benefit for specific interventions. We emphasize the need for development of validated PET imaging and molecular and phenotypic criteria as well as trial designs to appropriately risk stratify patients, predict and assess benefit, and measure post-treatment outcomes reliably in a trial framework. CONCLUSION PCWG4 updates recommendations on patient and tumor characterization, therapy development, and imaging criteria and extends guidance into earlier androgen pathway modulator–naïve/sensitive disease states to reflect an evolving, heterogeneous, and diverse patient population to optimize treatment benefits for all patients.

Abstract Background PARP inhibitors (PARPi) are active in patients (pts) with germline BRCA1/2 or PALB2 mutated (gBRCA1/2; gPALB2m) breast cancer (BC). Preclinical data suggest PARPi leads to intratumoral activation of the proinflammatory cGAS/STING pathway, recruiting CD8+ T cells, and sensitizing gBRCAm cancers to immune-targeted therapy. Prolonged preoperative treatment with PARPi monotherapy has demonstrated notable pathologic complete response (pCR) rates. The randomized phase II TBCRC 056 study evaluates the PARPi niraparib (N) with the anti-PD-1 antibody dostarlimab (D) as neoadjuvant treatment of gBRCAm or gPALB2mHER2-negative BC, with cohorts for both triple negative BC (TNBC, Arms A and B) and estrogen receptor positive (ER+) BC (Arm C). Results from Arms A and B are being presented. Methods Eligible pts (gBRCA1/2m/gPALB2m BC, T &gt;1.0 cm, ER- (&lt;10%), HER2-) were randomized to either Arm A: upfront combination N 200 mg orally QD and D 500 mg IV every 3 weeks (wks) for 18 wks (1 cycle = 3 wks), or Arm B: N monotherapy for 3 wks, followed by combination N plus D for 15 wks, with baseline (BL) and wk 3 tumor biopsies. After 18 wks, pts either underwent surgery or received additional preoperative systemic therapy (per MD choice) after an end of treatment biopsy if residual disease present. The primary study objectives are to evaluate pCR in Arms A and B combined, as well as change in stromal tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (sTILs) from BL to 3 wks in each Arm separately; 46 pts and a target pCR rate of 50% provides 85% power to reject the null hypothesis of pCR &lt; 30%. Results A total of 46 pts with TNBC enrolled to Arms A and B (38 gBRCA1m (82.6%), 8 gBRCA2m (17.4%), 0 gPALB2m). Median age was 39.3 years (range 24.8-72.8); 84.8% self-reported White, 6.5% Black, 4.3% Asian, and 8.7% Hispanic. Clinical stage distribution was 37.0% stage I, 45.7% stage II, and 17.4% stage III; most had ER- BC (42 ER &lt;1%, and 4 ER 1-10%). Among all pts, 38 (82.6%) completed the target number of cycles of D, with mean cycles received 5.1. Five pts discontinued D early (3 inadequate response/progression, 2 unacceptable AE: LFTs, rash). A total of 38 pts (82.6%) completed 6 cycles of N, with mean cycles received 5.7. Seven pts discontinued N early (3 inadequate response/progression, 4 unacceptable AE: LFTs, anemia, rash (2)). Most common AEs (&gt; grade 2) with D+N were anemia (26.1%), fatigue (21.7%), hypertension (15.2%), hypothyroidism (15.2%), and neutropenia (15.2%). Most common Grade &gt;3 AEs with D+N were anemia (17%) and neutropenia (6.5%). Among all pts, 23 (50%) had a pCR at surgery (90% CI 37.1% - 62.9%), 12 (26.1%) had residual disease (4 RCB-I, 5 RCB-II, 2 RCB-III, 1 RCB not calculable), and 11 (23.9%) crossed over to additional preoperative therapy. The pCR rate exceeded the protocol efficacy criterion of &gt;43%, a significant increase over null hypothesis. pCR rates were the same on Arms A (50%, 90% CI 31.1% - 68.9%) and B (50%, 90% CI 31.9% - 68.1%). Among 15 pts on Arm A with evaluable sTILs at BL and 3 wks, mean sTILs at BL was 16% (range 1% - 40%), and at 3 wks was 27.4% (range 0.5% - 60%), for an average increase of 11.4% (p=0.009). Among 22 pts on Arm B with evaluable sTILs at BL and 3 wks, mean sTILs at BL was 19.5% (range 1% - 75%), and at 3 wks was 42.1% (range 1% - 85%), for an average increase of 22.7% (p=0.0003). Among all pts, BL sTILs (continuous) were significantly higher among those who achieved pCR than those who did not (median 15% vs. 5%, p=0.03). There was no relationship between pCR and BL PD-L1 score, or pCR and ER-0 vs. ER-low. Conclusions In pts with gBRCAm early TNBC, 18 wks of targeted therapy using PARPi and anti-PD1 agents, with or without 3-week PARPi lead-in, resulted in a pCR rate of 50%, and a statistically significant increase in sTILs from BL to 3 wks. Further ongoing correlative work may identify best candidates for this non-chemotherapy-based approach. Citation Format: E. L. Mayer, N. Graham, R. A. Leon-Ferre, M. Rozenblit, C. A. Santa-Maria, S. Isakoff, J. Specht, N. Tung, V. Abramson, J. Desrosiers, A. Schubert, B. Koca, S. M. Tolaney, E. P. Winer, I. E. Krop, A. C. Wolff, G. I. Shapiro, N. Tayob, J. L. Guerriero. Tbcrc 056: a phase 2 study of neoadjuvant niraparib with dostarlimab for patients with BRCA- or PALB2-mutated breast cancer: results from the TNBC cohorts [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2025; 2025 Dec 9-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2026;32(4 Suppl):Abstract nr RF5-02.

Abstract Background: The association of TILs with pathologic complete response (pCR) and survival in HER2+ breast cancer is not well established with several prior studies showing inconsistent results. In this secondary analysis of EA1181, we evaluated the association between stromal TILs (sTILs) and pCR rates. Methods: EA1181 (NCT04266249) enrolled patients (pts) with anatomic clinical stage II/III HER2+ breast cancer who preoperatively received 4 cycles of trastuzumab and pertuzumab with 12 weeks of paclitaxel or docetaxel q3w x 4 (THP), followed by surgery. sTILs density was assessed on full-face hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained tumor biopsy sections. sTILs scores were analyzed per protocol as a continuous variable (every 10% increment) and as a categorical variable (&lt;10% vs 10-60% vs &gt;60% as per Denkert et al, 2018), and also with an exploratory 30% cutoff commonly used in TNBC. Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine the association between sTILs and pCR, adjusting for available baseline factors. The associations between sTILs (by category) and clinicopathologic characteristics were examined using Fishers’ exact test. Results: Among 2141 pts with HER2+ BC treated on EA1181, H&E slides were available for 1328 (62%). The study population evaluated for sTILs was comparable to the overall population. pCR rates were 44.5% overall, 64% for HER2+/ER- and 33% for HER2+/ER+ disease. sTILs distribution was: 623 (47%) &lt;10%, 698 (52%) 10-60%, and 7 (0.5%) &gt;60%, which led us to merge the latter two groups (705 [53%] had ≥10% sTILs). In univariable and multivariable analyses, increasing sTILs (as a continuous variable) were associated with increasing pCR rates in both HER2+/ER+ and HER2+/ER- disease (p&lt;0.001; Table). sTILs analyzed as a categorical variable (&lt;10% vs ≥10%) were significantly associated with pCR for all patients (combined) and for those with HER2+/ER+ disease. In exploratory analysis using a cutoff of &lt;30% vs ≥30% sTILs, an association with pCR was also seen in univariable analysis for both HER2+/ER+ disease (p&lt;0.001) and HER2+/ER- disease (p=0.045), though in multivariable analysis with clinical factors, sTILs &gt;30% remained a significant predictor for pCR only in HER2+/ER+ disease. Additional exploratory analysis with other molecular biomarkers, intrinsic subtypes, and immune signatures will be presented. Conclusion: sTILs were associated with pCR after THP, further supporting the important role of immune mechanisms in HER2+ breast cancer, and highlighting a potentially robust predictive tool to assess pathologic response. Baseline sTILs could potentially inform the preoperative design of future trials of therapy optimalization. Association of baseline sTILs with recurrence free survival in EA1181 will be reported in the future. Citation Format: S. S. Badve, F. Zhao, N. Tung, Y. Gokmen-Polar, C. C. O'Sullivan, A. Prat, E. P. Winer, J. L. Wright, A. Recht, A. C. Weiss, J. A. Tjoe, S. M. Feldman, G. B. Rocque, M. Smith, N. Unni, S. Sardesai, S. Tang, S. Modi, W. J. Irvin, P. Villagrassa, C. Battelli, A. K. Krie, N. Bagegni, M. A. George, M. L. Telli, V. F. Borges, N. D’Abreo, P. Shah, K. D. Miller, A. H. Partridge, L. A. Carey, A. M. DeMichele, A. C. Wolff, ECOG-ACRIN.Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and pathologic complete response (pCR) in stage II/III HER2+ breast cancer treated with taxane, trastuzumab, and pertuzumab (THP): secondary results from the ECOG-ACRIN EA1181/CompassHER2 pCR trial [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2025; 2025 Dec 9-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2026;32(4 Suppl):Abstract nr GS1-04.

Hematologic malignancies, including leukemias, lymphomas, and multiple myeloma, are diseases of older adults (age ≥ 60 years). Treatment decisions in older adults with cancer are heavily influenced by patient fitness: the ability of an individual patient to tolerate the off-target effects of anti-cancer therapy. Sarcopenia, defined as low muscle mass and strength, is increasingly recognized as an important marker of fitness. Furthermore, sarcopenia is known to be modifiable with nutrition and exercise interventions in older adults without cancer, but such evidence is limited for patients with cancer. Much of the literature on sarcopenia in older adults with cancer has focused on patients with solid tumors. However, there is an increasing body of literature on the impact of sarcopenia in older adults with hematologic malignancies. In this comprehensive review, we attempt to (i) describe the most up-to-date diagnostic criteria and diagnostic approach to sarcopenia, (ii) summarize the prognostic impact of sarcopenia among older adults with hematologic malignancies, (iii) discuss the proposed mechanisms of sarcopenia and its pathogenesis, (iv) review the evidence for interventions targeting sarcopenia, and (v) provide future directions for the advancement of sarcopenia management among older adults with hematologic malignancies.

BACKGROUND: TRPC6 (transient receptor potential canonical 6) channels, encoded by the TRPC6 gene, are widely expressed in cardiomyocytes and play a critical role in maintaining intracellular Ca 2 + homeostasis. Variants in TRPC6 are associated with chemotherapy-related cardiomyopathy. Specifically, the TRPC6 A404V polymorphism, with a minor (404 V) allele frequency of 12% in the general population, has been identified in patients undergoing anthracycline therapy. However, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unexplored. METHODS: Using patch-clamp recordings, Ca 2 + imaging, computational analysis, and molecular biology techniques, we assessed the effects of doxorubicin and its metabolite, doxorubicinol, on regulating TRPC6 alanine (A) at position 404 replaced by valine (V; A404V) channel expression and function in a heterologous expression system and native cardiac cells. RESULTS: Both additive and recessive models demonstrated a significant association between the TRPC6 A404V variant and doxorubicin-related cardiomyopathy. The TRPC6 A404V channel exhibited higher membrane expression levels compared with the wild type (WT) control. Patch-clamp recordings showed that both TRPC6 WT and A404V channels remained mostly inactive at baseline. Application of 50 μmol/L 1-oleoyl acetyl-sn-glycerol (OAG), a TRPC6 activator, significantly increased the inward- and outward-current densities of WT and A404V channels. Furthermore, a 24-hour treatment with 0.5 μmol/L doxorubicin enhanced TRPC6 mRNA expression and potentiated the OAG effects on both WT and A404V channels, with a more pronounced response in A404V channels. Treatment with 0.5 μmol/L doxorubicinol had no effect on OAG-induced current densities in either WT or A404V channels. Doxorubicin effects on intracellular Ca 2 + levels were confirmed by Ca 2 + imaging in native cardiac cells. Computational modeling revealed that the A404V mutation induces a conformational change in the OAG-binding pocket, enhancing its interaction with OAG in the A404V protein compared with the WT control. CONCLUSIONS: The TRPC6 A404V is a gain-of-function variant that exhibits enhanced activity in the presence of doxorubicin. Therefore, the TRPC6 A404V variant represents a risk factor for anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity in patients with cancer.

Abstract Measurable residual disease (MRD) assessment has become central to risk-adapted treatment strategies in multiple myeloma, yet the prognostic value of MRD negativity following autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) across individual high-risk cytogenetic abnormalities (HRCAs) remains unclear. We analyzed 351 newly diagnosed patients who achieved MRD negativity (sensitivity 2.4×10 − 6 ) at Day 100 following ASCT and had baseline cytogenetic data available. Median follow-up was 50.4 months. Standard-risk cytogenetics were present in 46% (n = 162), while 34% (n = 118) had one HRCA and 20% (n = 71) had ≥ 2 HRCAs. Despite uniform MRD negativity, several HRCAs continued to confer inferior progression-free survival (PFS). Compared with the standard-risk group (4-year PFS 84%), patients with del(17p), 1q21+, t(4;14), or MAF translocations [t(14;16)/t(14;20)] had significantly lower 4-year PFS rates: 56% (HR 2.89; p = 0.0001), 60% (HR 2.46; p = 0.0001), 43% (HR 3.50; p = 0.0001), and 58% (HR 2.51; p = 0.01), respectively. Isolated del(17p) and 1q21 + also conferred inferior PFS. The 4-year PFS was 65% for patients with one HRCA (HR 2.31; p = 0.0004) and 55% for those with ≥ 2 HRCAs (HR 2.75; p = 0.0001). In this large MRD-negative post-ASCT cohort, several HRCAs, including isolated HRCAs, remained clinically meaningful drivers of inferior PFS, highlighting that early MRD negativity does not uniformly mitigate the impact of high-risk biology.

Adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) constitute a growing population with challenges related to cardiovascular and neurological health. Many individuals born with CHD experience neurodevelopmental delays in childhood. Ongoing neurocognitive and psychological concerns impact education, employment, and quality of life. Despite this, interventions to address these issues are largely unexplored. Collaborations among multidisciplinary experts and patient partners culminated at a 2‐day Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD)/Neuro Conference (April 2024) to review the current state of knowledge and guide future directions for research and clinical care. Three working groups separately focused on genetics and brain health, characterizing outcomes, and interventions among patients with ACHD. This article focuses on the work of the interventions group. A consensus statement was created to synthesize current knowledge, identify key gaps, and recommend next steps around 5 critical questions designed to guide research and clinical care for interventions with ACHD: (1) What interventions are effective for improving neurocognitive functioning? (2) What interventions are effective for improving psychological wellbeing? (3) What evidence do we have about safety and efficacy of psychotropic medications? (4) What interventions can improve health literacy? (5) What are modifiable facilitators and barriers to accessing high‐quality neurocognitive and psychological interventions? Limited research and fragmented health systems hinder interventions in ACHD. Efforts from pediatric congenital heart disease could inform the ACHD community. Although interventions are costly and resource intensive, neglecting neurocognitive and psychological needs could lead to lower quality of life and higher health care costs. By ultimately shifting to prevention and intervention, the ACHD community could facilitate positive outcomes.

Abstract Background The Joint Propagation Model (JPM)‐based CenTauR scale was recently introduced to harmonize tau‐PET quantification across different radiotracers. This study examined how CenTauR harmonization enhances the comparability of tau‐PET quantification across matched cohorts using different tracers. The evaluation focused on three key aspects: (1) comparing tau‐PET positivity rates as defined by CenTauR, (2) evaluating its diagnostic accuracy for symptomatic AD, and (3) analyzing longitudinal changes in tau‐PET rates over time. Method The JPM, developed by the CPAD‐led Tau PET Harmonization Working Group (Leuzy et al., Alzheimers Dement. 2024; Figure 1A), models relationships between anchor point subjects and head‐to‐head tau‐PET SUVR data onto the CenTauR scale, providing conversion equations for multiple tracers. JPM equations were applied to [ 18 F]flortaucipir SUVR (Meta‐temporal ROI) data from 561 cognitively impaired participants in the ADNI and OASIS‐3 studies. Using ROC analysis, we determined the CenTauR cut‐off for positivity (T+) that maximized the Youden index for discriminating between FDA‐approved positive/negative visual reads. Three separate cohorts, scanned using [ 18 F]flortaucipir (ADNI), [ 18 F]MK‐6240 (CPAS), and [ 18 F]RO‐948 (BioFINDER‐2), were matched 1:1 by age, MMSE, amyloid‐β, and clinical diagnosis. CenTauR‐based metrics were compared across these cohorts. Result A cut‐off of 18 CenTauRs was found to optimally classify [ 18 F]flortaucipir PET visual reads (Figure 1B). The matching procedure identified 1089 participants (363 per cohort). The frequency of T+ using the 18 CenTauRs cut‐off for the Meta‐Temporal ROI was highly comparable across tracers across groups, except for the Aβ‐positive cognitively unimpaired group, where variability was more pronounced due to a smaller sample size (Figure 2A). Similarly, tau‐PET discriminative accuracy for symptomatic AD vs controls remained similar across [ 18 F]flortaucipir and [ 18 F]MK‐6240 (Figure 2B). In a separate sample of 212 matched participants from ADNI ([ 18 F]flortaucipir) and AIBL ([ 18 F]MK‐6240) with baseline and 1‐year follow‐up tau‐PET scans, 1‐year change in CenTauRs was comparable (Figure 2C). An exploratory voxelwise transformation, utilizing the Meta‐Temporal conversion equation in a representative case scanned with both [ 18 F]flortaucipir and [ 18 F]MK‐6240, demonstrates the potential for voxelwise CenTauR harmonization (Figure 3). Conclusion These analyses suggest that CenTauR harmonization increases the comparability of tau‐PET data acquired with different tracers. Additional validation analyses with larger cohorts including other radiotracers ([ 18 F]PI‐2620) are underway.