Citations

Importance Neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NST) has been associated with pathologic complete response (pCR) in up to 60% of breast cancers (BCs). The findings of this trial question the necessity of surgery. Objective To report preplanned 5-year efficacy outcomes evaluating radiotherapy alone without breast surgery in patients selected with image-guided vacuum assisted biopsy (VAB). Design, Setting, and Participants This single-arm, prospective, phase 2 nonrandomized clinical trial was conducted at 7 US medical centers and included women 40 years or older with cT1-2N0-1M0 ERBB2 -positive (formerly HER2 -positive) or triple-negative invasive BC who showed residual breast lesions after NST of less than 2 cm on imaging. Enrollment was from March 6, 2017, to November 9, 2021. Data analysis was from October to December 2024. Intervention Image-guided VAB of the tumor bed (9G with a minimum of 12 cores) was performed after standard NST. Patients with clinically node-negative disease at diagnosis and no residual cancer in the breast on post-NST VAB underwent whole-breast radiotherapy with a boost without breast or axillary surgery. Patients with initial documented nodal disease and a breast pCR on VAB underwent targeted axillary dissection, while those with residual cancer when undergoing VAB had standard breast and axillary surgery. Patients were monitored with physical examinations and mammography every 6 months. Main Outcome Measures The primary outcome was ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence. Results Fifty patients (median [IQR] age, 62 [55-77] years) were enrolled and underwent post-NST VAB. Twenty-nine (58%) and 21 (42%) patients had ERBB2 -positive and triple-negative invasive BC, respectively. Breast pCR on VAB was identified in 31 patients (62%; 95% CI, 47.2%-75.34%), and axillary pCR was identified among all 8 patients with initial nodal metastases and breast pCR on VAB who underwent targeted axillary dissection. At a median follow-up of 55.4 (IQR, 44.0-63.5) months, the ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence rate was 0%, and disease-free and overall survival rates were 100% for patients without breast surgery. Conclusions and Relevance The results of this nonrandomized clinical trial that reported preplanned 5-year outcomes suggest that omission of breast surgery in select patients after NST may be feasible, with no recurrences seen. More confirmatory studies are necessary before this new approach alters surgical practice. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02945579

Abstract Germinal center B-cell lymphomas frequently exhibit monoallelic loss-of-function mutations in the histone acetyltransferases CREBBP and p300, which contribute to lymphoma development, disrupt normal germinal center biology, and promote immune evasion. This study evaluates YF2, a histone acetyltransferase activator that increases CREBBP/p300 activity, as a potential therapeutic approach for B-cell lymphoma. YF2 binds the bromodomain of CREBBP/p300, increasing their auto-acetylation and enzymatic activity. It also induces cytotoxicity in B-cell lymphoma cell lines, with a stronger response in those carrying CREBBP / EP300 mutations. Additionally, YF2 increases the acetylation of key CREBBP/p300 substrates, including H3K27, p53, and BCL6, leading to enhanced apoptosis and altered B-cell diTerentiation. YF2 is well tolerated in vivo and extends survival in both cell line- and patient-derived xenograft mouse models. Moreover, YF2 exposure upregulates antigen-presentation markers and reshapes the immune microenvironment, strengthening responses to immune checkpoint blockade. Taken together, these findings support pharmacologic activation of CREBBP/p300 with YF2 as a compelling therapeutic strategy for B-cell lymphoma. Significance YF2 stimulates CREBBP/p300 activity to normalize B-cell diTerentiation and enhance immune recognition, oTering a potential approach to limit lymphoma progression and strengthen immunotherapy responses.

Importance High-quality evidence regarding suppressive valacyclovir treatment in herpes zoster ophthalmicus (HZO) is necessary to guide care. Objective To determine whether suppressive valacyclovir compared with placebo delays the occurrence of new or worsening stromal keratitis (SK), endothelial keratitis (EK), iritis, or dendriform epithelial keratitis (DEK) during 12 months of treatment and if treatment benefit persisted at 18 months (secondary end point). Design, Setting, and Participants The Zoster Eye Disease Study (ZEDS) was a randomized clinical trial conducted in 95 sites from November 2017 to June 2024. Immunocompetent, nonpregnant adults with a history of an HZO rash, documented active keratitis or iritis within 1 year, and an estimated glomerular filtration rate of 45 mL/min/1.73 m 2 or greater were eligible. After determined to be eligible, participants were randomized in 4 strata: age at onset (<60 years vs ≥60 years) and disease duration (<6 months vs ≥6 months). Interventions A total of 12 months of double-masked daily valacyclovir, 1000 mg, or placebo. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was time to first occurrence within 12 months of new or worsening SK, EK, iritis, or DEK. Results A total of 527 participants (median [IQR] age, 60 [50-68] years; 266 female [50.5%]; 266 in the valacyclovir group; 261 in the placebo group) were randomized in 4 strata; 481 completed 12 months, and 460 completed 18 months. Data were analyzed by intention to treat. At 12 months, primary end points occurred in 86 participants (33%) assigned to placebo and 74 (28%) assigned to valacyclovir, and at 18 months in 104 participants (40%) assigned to placebo and 86 (32%) assigned to valacyclovir. The hazard ratio (HR) of the primary end point at 12 months was 0.77 for participants taking valacyclovir vs placebo (HR, 0.77; adjusted 95% CI, 0.56-1.05; P = .09) and 0.73 at the secondary end point at 18 months (HR, 0.73; adjusted 95% CI, 0.55-0.97; P = .03). There was a reduction of multiple other secondary end points at 12 months (HR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.52-0.95; P = .02) and 18 months (HR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.55-0.95; P = .02). Conclusions and Relevance Although the primary outcome did not show a benefit of suppressive valacyclovir treatment, secondary study outcomes showed treatment superiority at the 18-month end point and reduced number of multiple episodes of keratitis or iritis at both 12 and 18 months. These results support consideration of 1 year of suppressive valacyclovir treatment for HZO. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03134196

Importance Evidence regarding suppressive valacyclovir treatment on postherpetic neuralgia is necessary to guide care. Objective To test the hypothesis that suppressive treatment with 1000 mg/d of oral valacyclovir for 12 months reduces the prevalence, severity, and duration of postherpetic neuralgia compared with placebo at 12 and 18 months in participants with herpes zoster ophthalmicus (HZO). Design, Setting, and Participants Multicenter, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial including 527 immunocompetent, nonpregnant adults with history of HZO rash, documented keratitis, or iritis within 1 year and an estimated glomerular filtration rate of 45 mL/min/1.73 m 2 or greater. The study was conducted at 95 participating sites (in Canada, New Zealand, and the US) from November 2017 to June 2024 and participant visits occurred every 3 months. Intervention Treatment with 1000 mg/d of valacyclovir or placebo for 12 months. Main Outcomes and Measures Prevalence of postherpetic neuralgia, severity as determined by pain score (a score of ≥3 on a scale of 1-10), pain duration (≥3 months after HZO onset), and total daily dose of pain medication. Results Of the 527 participants (490 completed 12 months of treatment and 460 completed 18 months), 73 (14%) had postherpetic neuralgia and were analyzed by age at HZO onset (<60 years or ≥60 years) and disease duration (recent [<6 months] or chronic [≥6 months]). Of the 73 participants with postherpetic neuralgia (34 in the valacyclovir group and 39 in the placebo group), the mean age was 62.4 years (SD, 13.6 years), 59% were female, 5% were Black or African American, and 10% were Hispanic. The prevalence of postherpetic neuralgia at 12 months was not reduced by valacyclovir (12/32 [38%]) compared with placebo (14/35 [40%]) (between-group difference, 2.5% [95% CI, −20.8% to 25.8%]; P >.99). The participants who were younger than 60 years at HZO onset and had a chronic disease duration had lower pain scores in the valacyclovir group (mean score, 0.3 [SD, 0.9]) vs the placebo group (mean score, 0.8 [SD, 1.9]) at 12 months ( P = .045) and at 18 months (mean score, 0.2 [SD, 0.9] vs 1.0 [SD, 2.3], respectively; P = .02). There was a decrease in pain duration in the valacyclovir group at 18 months (mean, 13.6 [SD, 11.4] months) vs the placebo group (mean, 18.7 [SD, 29.5] months) (linear mixed-effects model between-group difference, −3.39 months [95% CI, −6.73 to −0.04 months]; P = .046). The total daily dose of neuropathic pain medication was lower in the valacyclovir group (mean, 271.4 [SD, 593.8] mg/d) vs the placebo group (mean, 363.4 [SD, 592.2] mg/d) at 12 months (linear mixed-effects model P = .006) and at 18 months (mean, 209.0 [SD, 412.8] mg/d vs 286.2 [SD, 577.9] mg/d, respectively; linear mixed-effects model P = .01). Conclusions and Relevance One year of suppressive treatment with valacyclovir was associated with a lower dosage of neuropathic pain medication. Participants in the valacyclovir group, who were younger at HZO onset and had a chronic disease duration, had lower pain scores. These secondary outcomes support consideration of 1 year of suppressive treatment with valacyclovir to reduce dosage of pain medications and pain due to HZO. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03134196

Abstract Purpose: Germline alterations in homologous recombination repair (gHRR) genes affect the pathogenesis, treatment options, and survival of patients with cancer. However, distinct gHRR gene alterations may differentially affect treatment response and oncogenic signaling. In this study, we interrogated genomic and transcriptomic data and assessed clinical outcomes of patients with gHRR mutations across four BRCA-associated cancers (breast, ovarian, pancreatic, and prostate cancers) to identify therapeutic vulnerabilities. Experimental Design: We assessed 24,309 patients undergoing matched tumor/normal next-generation DNA and RNA sequencing. Annotated gHRR gene variants [germline BRCA1, germline BRCA2, germline PALB2, germline ATM (gATM), and germline CHEK2] were analyzed. HRs were used to assess survival outcomes comparing germline versus sporadic groups. Somatic alterations and their frequencies were compared across gHRR-altered groups. Differential gene expression and gene set enrichment analysis were used to compare transcriptomic profiles. Results: Somatic TP53 mutations were depleted in gATM carriers (P < 0.05) across all four BRCA-associated cancers by up to 2.5-fold. Tumors with germline BRCA1/2 mutations were associated with improved survival in patients with ovarian cancer and had consistent enrichment of TP53 mutations in all four cancers. gATM mutations displayed elevated p53 transcriptional activity in all four cancers, with significance reached in breast and prostate cancers (P < 0.01). In breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers, gATM tumors demonstrated significantly increased inflammatory pathways (P < 0.001). Finally, using gene dependency data, we found that cell lines that were highly dependent on ATM were co-dependent on canonical p53 function. Conclusions: gATM-associated cancers seem to require intact p53 activity and this synthetic essentiality may be used to guide targeted therapies that perturb canonical TP53 function.

Abstract Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma involving the brain, cerebrospinal fluid, or retina/vitreous without systemic involvement. Induction with high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) followed by consolidation with autologous stem cell transplant (auto-SCT) has become the standard treatment paradigm for most patients. However, limited data are available regarding the efficacy of a maintenance approach with HD-MTX. Herein, we retrospectively reviewed the characteristics and outcomes of 148 patients diagnosed with PCNSL between October 2010 and June 2022, who underwent HD-MTX–based induction therapy followed by either auto-SCT consolidation (n = 70) or HD-MTX maintenance therapy (n = 37). At a median follow-up time of 4.5 years, the progression-free survival (PFS) was 8.3 years and the overall survival (OS) was not reached. Compared to patients who underwent auto-SCT, patients who received maintenance HD-MTX had a higher median age at diagnosis of 72 vs 62 years and a trend toward higher proportion of patients being Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group 2 or higher (41% vs 29%). At 5-years postinduction treatment initiation, the PFS rates in the auto-SCT cohort and HD-MTX maintenance cohort were 74.6% and 72.6%, respectively, and the OS rates were 76.0% and 82.4%, respectively. Overall, there was no significant difference in PFS or OS based on postinduction management strategy. Our data suggest that maintenance HD-MTX may be a reasonable, time-limited treatment strategy for patients with PCNSL responding to initial induction therapy.

202 Background: While several PARP inhibitors are approved in combination with hormonal therapies for metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), their use in castrate sensitive prostate cancer (CSPC) is understudied. We previously reported that olaparib monotherapy (without ADT) shows significant clinical activity in BRCA2 -altered patients with biochemically recurrent (BCR) prostate cancer. Here, we explored prognostic and predictive PARP-related mRNA biomarkers derived from primary prostate tumors. Methods: We characterized the expression of 16 PARP transcripts using a cohort of 52,266 radical prostatectomy (RP) specimens (2016-2024) undergoing Decipher prostate genomic classifier testing (Veracyte Inc). Transcriptome-wide mRNA expression data as well as baseline clinical/pathologic factors were retrieved from the Decipher GRID database (NCT02609269). Associations between high PARP expression (top 25%), baseline factors, and gene signatures were examined using logistic regression. We assessed the association between PARP expression and distant metastases in 3 retrospective cohorts (n= 545, 855, and 325). Finally, we evaluated PARP expression in our prior phase II trial (NCT03047135, n=39) of olaparib monotherapy in the setting of BCR following RP. Results: Higher mRNA levels of PARP1 , 2 , 8 and 14 showed strong associations (all P <0.001) with known adverse prognostic factors such as very-high Decipher score (>0.85), high Gleason grade (GG5) and non-organ confined disease (EPE, SVI and LNI), while higher PARP6 and 7 expression were associated with more favorable disease characteristics. High PARP1 expression was positively correlated with DNA-repair deficiency (r=0.77) and tumor immune microenvironment (r=0.62) signatures. In 3 independent retrospective cohorts of intermediate-high risk PCa patients, higher PARP1 expression was strongly associated with development of distant metastases after RP (HR 1.70, 1.81, and 1.67 respectively; all P <0.05). Finally, in our phase II trial of patients with BCR who received olaparib monotherapy, PARP1 (but not PARP2 ) expression from RP was 1.5-fold higher in samples with BRCA2 mutations (median 0.416 vs 0.276, P =0.01) and was associated with overall improved PSA progression-free survival (continuous variable, HR 0.55, P =0.01) and longer time to next systemic treatment (continuous variable, HR 0.66, P =0.02). Conclusions: High PARP1 mRNA expression, measured at RP, is associated with aggressive disease biology and greater risk of metastasis. However, high PARP1 (but not PARP2 ) levels are associated with improved response to PARP inhibition in the setting of BCR prostate cancer. Future trials testing PARP (including PARP1-selective) inhibitors in the CSPC space should consider measuring PARP1 mRNA levels in addition to BRCA1/2 mutation status. Clinical trial information: NCT02609269 , NCT03047135 .