Citations

123 Background: Lymph node dissection, axillary or sentinel, often results in restrictions of arm movement, including range of motion (ROM), either temporarily or permanently. The objective of this secondary analysis was to determine if a lymphedema (LE) prevention program would also impact ROM in both the affected arm as well as the unaffected arm. Methods: As part of the Lymphedema Education and Prevention study (CALGB 70305), women from participating sites (N=41) were randomized to either the “education only” (n=253) arm (information about LE signs and symptoms and risk reduction strategies) or “education + exercise” (n=315) arm (education plus arm stretching and breathing exercises and a visit with a physical therapist). Self-administered surveys asking for how high the patient can reach with each arm at pre-surgery, 12 and 18 months after surgery were used to assess self-reports of ROM for each arm (5 categories in total: very little, about half, nearly full, overhead, and full). Differences in ROM between study groups for each arm were compared using chi-square tests before surgery, and 12 and 18 months after surgery. Results: Before surgery, women in the “education + exercise” group were less likely to report full ROM for both arms (left: 58% vs 75%; right: 57% vs 76%; p=0.0004 for both arms) compared to women in the “education only” group, while at 12 months, women in the “education + exercise” group reported greater ROM (left: 91% vs 84% p=0.16; right: 90% vs 83%; p=0.02) compared to women in the “education only” group. By 18 months, both groups approached 93% with full ROM for both arms. Conclusions: Women who participated in a LE prevention intervention that included exercise and a visit to a physical therapist regained full ROM in both arms sooner than women who did not receive the exercise intervention. All women receiving lymph node dissection should receive physical therapy to regain ROM quickly after surgery and to help maintain physical functioning. Support: UG1CA189823, UG1CA189817, UG1CA189819, U10CA180790, U10CA180836, U10CA180850, and UL1TR001409; Clinical trial information: NCT00376597.

Abstract Purpose: p95HER2 is a truncated form of HER2 that confers resistance to trastuzumab in vitro, but clinical results have been conflicting to date. Given that p95HER2 levels correlate with total HER2 expression levels, which confer better outcomes, we sought to evaluate the p95HER2/HER2 ratio in the North Central Cancer Treatment Group N0337 and N98-32-52 trials. Experimental Design: The HERmark assay and VeraTag technology (Monogram Biosciences) were used to measure total HER2 and p95HER2 expression levels in 91 patient samples. Results: In the multivariate model, increasing total HER2 level was significantly associated with longer (OS; HR, 0.33; P = 0.002) and decreasing p95HER2 level was significantly associated with longer OS (HR, 4.2; P = 0.01). Total HER2 expression level was significantly associated with longer progression-free survival (PFS) (HR, 0.57; P = 0.04), whereas p95HER2 level was not (HR, 1.7; P = 0.25). However, there was a positive association between p95HER2 and total HER2 expression levels (R2 = 0.48; P < 0.001). Consistent with our hypothesis, the ratio of p95HER2/HER2 was significantly associated with worsening PFS (HR, 1.7; P = 0.04) and OS (HR, 2.8; P = 0.002). Patients with the highest tertile of p95HER2/HER2 values had significantly less favorable PFS (HR, 1.8; P = 0.06) and OS (HR, 2.3; P = 0.02). Conclusions: A high p95HER2/HER2 ratio identified patients with metastatic breast cancer with poor outcomes on trastuzumab-based therapies. Further investigation of the p95HER2/HER2 ratio as a potential prognostic or predictive biomarker for HER2-targeted therapy is warranted. Clin Cancer Res; 24(13); 3053–8. ©2018 AACR.

5 Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an immunogenic breast cancer subtype, with a greater percentage of tumors containing tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) compared to non-TNBC. TILs are prognostic for recurrence and predictive for chemotherapy benefit in TNBC, but not in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive tumors. A subset of TNBC expresses the androgen receptor (AR), and resembles ER-positive breast cancer in terms of demographics (older age) and clinical course (later recurrences that tend to involve bone). However, little is known regarding the association between TILs and AR expression in TNBC. Methods: From a cohort of 9982 women with surgically-treated non-metastatic breast cancer, patients who met criteria for TNBC (ER/PR < 1% and HER2-negative) by centralized-pathology review were included as previously published [Leon-Ferre et al, Breast Cancer Res Treat 2017]. Stromal TILs in these tumors were quantified on full-face hematoxylin and eosin sections from the surgical specimen, following the 2014 TIL Working Group recommendations [Salgado et al, Ann Oncol 2014]. The expression of AR [EPR1535(2), Abcam] was scored as a continuous variable (1% increments), and categorized as absent (0%), low (1-25% ), low-moderate (26-50%) moderate (51-75%) and high (> 75%) and correlated with TIL density. Results: 605 patients met criteria for TNBC. The median age was 56 years. Most tumors were T1-2 (95%), N0-1 (86%), and high grade (88%). The median stromal TIL content was 20% (0-90%). Tumor tissue was available for AR staining in 509/605 patients. 165 (32%) tumors expressed AR as follows: low: 12%, low-moderate: 7%, moderate: 5%, and high: 8%. Apocrine tumors (n = 30) expressed AR most frequently (86%) and at higher levels (AR high: 50%). For all 509 tumors, the median stromal TIL content according to AR expression was AR absent: 20%, AR low: 20%, AR low-moderate: 15%, AR high: 10%. AR and stromal TILs (both as continuous variables) demonstrated a weak inverse correlation (correlation coefficient -0.1064, p = 0.017). Conclusions: AR expression in TNBC is associated with lower levels of stromal TILs. Additional data correlating the AR, stromal TILs and outcomes in this cohort will be presented at the meeting.

104 Background: Lymphedema (LE), a side effect of BC treatment, affects 8%–56% of women. The study tested the effectiveness of an education only vs education + exercise intervention on LE incidence in a group randomized trial (NCT00376597) of 38 cooperative group sites. Methods: Newly diagnosed women with stage I-III BC were consented and arm circumference and range of motion were measured pre-surgery. After surgery, patients (pts) were enrolled based on the randomization assignment of their treating institution, stratified by their type of node dissection (sentinel or axillary), and received either: education only: its causes, signs, symptoms and risk reduction strategies, or education + personalized exercise instruction from a physical therapist, with elastic compression garments to wear during heavy arm use and air travel. Pts completed surveys and arm measurements at baseline (BL), 12 and 18 months with the LE endpoint defined as ≥ 10% difference in limb volume at any time from BL to 18 months or physician diagnosis of LE. Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel (CMH) tests were used to compare the LE-free rate between arms, adjusted for type of biopsy. Logistic regression assessed predictors of LE. Results: 568 pts were enrolled, 45% in education only, and 55% in education + exercise, with 554 (98%) included in the analyses. Pts were on average 57.7 years, White (83%), non-Hispanic (92%) and married (62%). 47% only had sentinel node dissection, 35% had mastectomy, and 37% had chemotherapy. The LE-free rate was 58% in education only vs 55% in education + exercise (CMH p = 0.73). Predictors of LE included surgery type (lumpectomy vs mastectomy, OR = 2.22, p < 0.001) and chemotherapy (no vs yes, OR = 1.73, p = 0.02), after adjusting for BMI and type of node dissection. Only one-third wore the sleeve at least 75% of the time and only 50% did LE exercises at least weekly. Conclusions: There was no difference by intervention arm in LE incidence by 18 months. Poor adherence in the education + exercise arm may have been a factor. Additional analyses will assess quality of life, body image and knowledge about LE by arm. Further research is needed to effectively prevent LE in pts after BC surgery. Research Support: UL1TR001409; U10CA037447, UG1CA189823 Clinical trial information: NCT00376597.

97 Background: A diagnosis of EC significantly impairs patient (pt)’s survival and quality of life (QoL). We explored the relationship between pt-assessed QoL and survival. Methods: The Mayo Clinic Romero (formerly Esophageal Adenocarcinoma-Barrett's Esophagus) Registry prospectively collects clinical data during a pt's treatment course. QoL is recorded at enrollment (baseline) and annually using a validated 12-item Linear Analog Self-Assessment (LASA). A 10-pt scale is applied; ≤5 was termed clinically deficient QoL. Initial TNM staging, clinical (age, sex, prior chemotherapy, and esophagectomy), and socioeconomic variables (marital/employment status) were analyzed using Cox proportional hazards regression models. Results: 836 pts were analyzed. Median age was 64 years. 166, 506 and 164 pts had early, locally advanced, and metastatic EC, with 5-year survival rates of 75.1%, 33.6%, and 8.1%, respectively (P≤.0001). Poorer survival rates were seen in clinically QoL deficient pts in the following categories: Overall QoL (Hazard Ratio [H.R.] 0.66; 95% C.I., 0.54-0.80; P≤.0001) and LASA subsets for physical (H.R. 0.68; 95% C.I., 0.57-0.82; P≤.0001), emotional well-being (H.R. 0.69; C.I., 0.57-0.84; P=.0003), and social activity (H.R. 0.76; C.I., 0.63-0.91; P=.0028). No difference in survival was observed for marital or employment status, familial support, and financial/legal concerns. Pts with esophagectomy prior to LASA evaluation had improved survival (H.R. 0.68; 95% C.I., 0.55-0.85; P=.0005). No survival difference was observed whether pts received chemotherapy, before or after their baseline LASA evaluation. Conclusions: A strong association exists between pt’s overall survival and better overall QOL, physical, emotional well-being, and social activities. Using LASA to clinically monitor QoL at specified intervals may afford providers the opportunity to intervene when patients begin to experience QoL decline. The determinants of clinically deficit QoL and its impact on survival warrant further translational and prospective research.

176 Background: The purpose of the study was to determine the effectiveness of olanzapine (OLN) for the prevention of nausea and vomiting in patients receiving highly emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC). Methods: A randomized, double-blind, phase III trial was performed in chemotherapy-naïve patients receiving cisplatin, > 70 mg/m2, or cyclophosphamide-anthracycline-based chemotherapy, comparing OLN to placebo in combination with aprepitant (APR), a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist (5-HT3), and dexamethasone (DEX). The OLN regimen was 10 mg of oral OLN, 125 mg APR, a 5-HT3, and oral DEX 12 mg pre-chemotherapy, day 1, and 10 mg/day of oral OLN and 8 mg DEX on days 2-4 post-chemotherapy plus 80 mg APR on days 2, 3 post-chemotherapy. The placebo (PLA) regimen was oral placebo, pre-chemotherapy, day 1, and on days 2-4 post-chemotherapy; the APR, 5-HT3, and DEX pre- and post-chemotherapy were identical to that used in the OLN regimen. Fosaprepitant (150 mg IV), day 1 was allowed for substitution for the oral aprepitant. Palonosetron, ondansetron, or granisetron were the permitted 5-HT3 options. Nausea was measured on a 0-10 visual analogue scale, with 0 being “no nausea at all” and 10 being “nausea as bad as it can be”. No nausea was the primary endpoint and, complete response (no emesis and no use of rescue medications) was a secondary endpoint. Results: 401 patients (202 OLN, 199 PLA) were enrolled in the study. The proportion of patients who had no nausea was significantly greater for the OLN regimen compared to the PLA regimen for the acute period (24h post-chemotherapy) (74% vs. 45%, p < 0.0006), for the delayed period ( 24-120 h post-chemotherapy) (43% vs. 26%, p < 0.0006), and for the overall period (0-120 h) (39% vs. 22%, p < 0.0006). Complete response was significantly improved for the OLN patients compared to PLA patients for the acute (85% vs. 65%, p < 0.0001), the delayed (67% vs. 53%, p < 0.0078), and the overall periods (64% vs. 41%, p < 0.0001). There were no grade 3 or 4 toxicities. Conclusions: No nausea, the primary endpoint, and complete response, a secondary endpoint, were significantly improved with OLN, compared to PLA. Clinical trial information: NCT02116530.

BACKGROUNDPostmenopausal women with breast cancer receiving aromatase inhibitors are at an increased risk of bone loss. The current study was undertaken to determine whether upfront versus delayed treatment with zoledronic acid (ZA) impacted bone loss. This report described the 5‐year follow‐up results.METHODSA total of 551 postmenopausal women with breast cancer who completed tamoxifen treatment and were undergoing daily letrozole treatment were randomized to either upfront (274 patients) or delayed (277 patients) ZA at a dose of 4 mg intravenously every 6 months. In the patients on the delayed treatment arm, ZA was initiated for a postbaseline bone mineral density T‐score of <‐2.0 or fracture.RESULTSThe incidence of a 5% decrease in the total lumbar spine bone mineral density at 5 years was 10.2% in the upfront treatment arm versus 41.2% in the delayed treatment arm (P<.0001). A total of 41 patients in the delayed treatment arm were eventually started on ZA. With the exception of increased NCI Common Toxicity Criteria (CTC) grade 1/2 elevated creatinine and fever in the patients treated on the upfront arm and cerebrovascular ischemia among those in the delayed treatment arm, there were no significant differences observed between arms with respect to the most common adverse events of arthralgia and back pain. Osteoporosis occurred less frequently in the upfront treatment arm (2 vs 8 cumulative cases), although this difference was not found to be statistically significant. Bone fractures occurred in 24 patients in the upfront treatment arm versus 25 patients in the delayed treatment arm.CONCLUSIONSImmediate treatment with ZA prevented bone loss compared with delayed treatment in postmenopausal women receiving letrozole and these differences were maintained at 5 years. The incidence of osteoporosis or fractures was not found to be significantly different between treatment arms. Cancer 2015;121:2537–2543. © 2015 American Cancer Society.

Patients with cancer often have complex needs that must be met within a short intervention window. The authors highlight opportunities for improved multidisciplinary care for patients with advanced cancer and their families.