Citations

Abstract Background: Changes in cognitive function are commonly reported in breast cancer (BC) survivors. Longitudinal studies have only recently been completed and are few. In particular, long term studies are lacking. The purpose of this abstract is to describe self-reported cognitive changes in women before the start, or after the first cycle of chemotherapy, through 12 months. Methods: The data for this analysis were collected as part of a placebo-controlled randomized trial evaluating ginkgo biloba for the prevention of cognitive decline during adjuvant chemotherapy for BC. As there was no evidence that gingko biloba impacted cognitive function in any way, the sample was combined. Descriptive statistics were calculated to obtain the percent of women reporting worse perceived functioning or changes in their cognitive function at the start of chemotherapy, at the completion of treatment, and at 6, 12 and 24 months later (24 month data still being analyzed). 210 women, mostly white and mostly beginning anthracycline based chemotherapy, completed self report measures of cognition throughout the study. Women rated 10 areas of functioning by choosing a number from 1, signifying “functioning extremely less than normal”, to 7, signifying “extremely better than normal”. A score of 4 represented functioning perceived as “normal” for the respondent. Results: At baseline and after chemotherapy, the means for all 10 self reported cognitive items indicated “less than normal” functioning. Areas with the worst functioning included memory, ability to think clearly, staying focused, and planning ahead. At 6 and 12 months after chemotherapy, a percentage of participants reported worse functioning compared to baseline in every area. Changes in functioning are in the table below. Table 1 At 12 months, the mean for only 4 items indicated these areas were at “normal” functioning. These were the ability to learn, solve problems, react quickly and balance a checkbook. Discussion: For a subgroup of women, cognitive changes continue to worsen throughout 12 months and for many, perceived deficits remain. Areas most negatively impacted relate to attention, memory and executive function. Future research should focus on identifying predictors of worse functioning and continued research is needed to elucidate targets for intervention research to prevent unwanted cognitive changes. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2010;70(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-14-10.

Abstract Background: The role of estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) in breast cancer has been studied extensively, and its protein expression is prognostic and a primary determinant of endocrine sensitivity; however, much less is known about the role of ERß. In vitro studies demonstrate a tumor suppressive function for ERß, and we have recently implicated a role for ERα in sensitizing ERα expressing breast cancer cells to the anti-estrogenic effects of endoxifen. However, the in vivo relevance of ERα remains unclear due to conflicting reports. Here, we provide evidence that some of this controversy may be explained by variability in antibody specificity. In addition, we describe the development and characterization of a novel, highly specific monoclonal antibody and provide data regarding ERα expression in human breast cancers. Methods: Five commercially available ERα antibodies were screened for their sensitivity and specificity using western blotting, immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry in known ERα negative and positive cell lines as well as in normal human tissue samples. A novel monoclonal ERα antibody (C10) was developed and characterized in the same manner. Following identification of two specific antibodies, ERα expression was assessed in 66 breast tumors collected prior to adjuvant therapy. Samples were scored separately for nuclear and cytoplasmic staining. Results: In depth analysis of commercially available ERα antibodies reveled that the majority were non-specific with substantial cross-reactivity to ERα . Only one commercial antibody (PPG5/10), which solely recognizes full-length ERß, and our newly developed monoclonal antibody, which recognizes full-length and all 4 ERα variants, were determined to be sensitive and specific for ERα expression. These same two antibodies resulted in strong staining for endogenous levels of ERα protein in normal prostate tissue by immunohistochemistry. We further assessed these two antibodies in a set of breast tumors. Preliminary analysis revealed significant differences for ERα positivity between these two antibodies. Based on nuclear staining, 92% of tumors were ERα positive using the PPG5/10 antibody while only 34% were positive with C10. Approximately 50% of all tumors exhibited cytoplasmic staining with both antibodies. Conclusions: Our studies demonstrate that the majority of commercially available ERα antibodies are either non-specific or insensitive for the detection of ERα via immunohistochemistry. The present data call into question the relevance of prior studies which tested the association between clinical outcome and ERα expression and demonstrate the need to further analyze the role of ERα in breast cancer using highly specific and validated antibodies. While both the PPG5/10 and C10 antibodies are highly specific for ERß, the significant discrepancy in nuclear staining between them in breast tumors may be due to changes in epitope availability as a result of post-translational processing. Our newly developed C10 antibody could provide additional discriminatory features which may be useful in predicting response to therapy and/or associations with other clinicopathological factors and such studies are currently underway. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2010;70(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-09-25.

Abstract Previous findings suggested that patients (pts) with copy number alterations of MYC (8q24) and centromere 8 (CEN 8) in the setting of HER2-positive breast cancer may be associated with improved outcome to adjuvant trastuzumab. Our tissue microarray (TMA) data suggested that alternate cutpoints for MYC copy number anomalies [of 802 pts, those with MYC:CEN8 ratio ≥1.3 or <1.3 & polysomy 8 (N=658; 82%) had a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.44 (P<0.001) and those with MYC copy number ≥2.5 (N=669; 84%) had a HR of 0.42 (P<0.001)] were potentially predictive of benefit from adjuvant trastuzumab when administered concurrently with chemotherapy in the NCCTG N9831 HER2+ phase III trial. Purpose: We were interested in determining whether MYC is the target protein responsible for the suggested benefit from trastuzumab. We evaluated the association between MYC protein expression and disease-free survival (DFS) of pts randomized to receive chemotherapy alone (Arm A) or chemotherapy with sequential (Arm B) or concurrent trastuzumab (Arm C) using N9831 TMAs. Patients/Methods: This analysis included 1220 pts from Arms A, B, and C. The percentage of strong (3+) nuclear staining was determined in TMA sections containing 3 cores per block using immunohistochemistry (IHC; clone 9E10, Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO). A patient's tumor was considered positive (MYC+) if the maximum nuclear 3+ staining percentage across cores was >30% a priori. Median follow-up was 5.8 years. Results: Of 1220 pts with completed IHC analyses, 557 (46%) were MYC+. MYC+ was associated with a higher rate of hormone receptor positivity (58% vs 48%, chi-sq P<0.001) and higher rate of nodal positivity (92% vs 84%, chi-sq P<0.001) but not associated with age, race, tumor histology, tumor grade, or tumor size. In comparing DFS between arms C and A, MYC+ and MYC-pts had HRs of 0.46 (p=0.002; A: 187 pts, 57 events, C: 161 pts, 25 events) and 0.70 (p=0.09; A: 213 pts, 59 events, C: 208 pts, 38 events), respectively (interaction p=0.20). In comparing DFS between arms B and A, MYC+ and MYC-pts had HRs of 0.74 (p=0.11; B: 209 pts, 52 events) and 0.81 (p=0.29; B: 242 pts, 53 events), respectively (interaction p=0.80) (Figure). In addition, pts with nuclear MYC staining of 3+ in 0-9%, 10-30%, 31-60%, and 61-100% of cells had HRs (C vs A) of 0.98 (95% CI 0.53-1.82), 0.54 (95% CI 0.30-0.97), 0.55 (95% CI 0.27-1.12), and 0.37 (95% CI 0.19-0.75). Conclusions: In our analysis of 1220 pts, we observed that MYC protein expression positively correlated with hormone receptor positivity and nodal status. We observed a trend towards greater trastuzumab benefit among MYC+ as compared to MYC-pts. A rising trend in trastuzumab benefit was observed with increasing MYC protein expression. Analyses including pts with whole sections and outcome by MYC protein and gene copy number will be presented. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2010;70(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-09-08.

Abstract Background: Mammographic density, the variation in fat, epithelial and stromal tissues seen on screening mammography, is a strong risk factor for breast cancer and can be modified by hormonal agents. Changes in density from tamoxifen or postmenopausal hormone (PMH) use are associated with risk, suggesting that density may be a surrogate marker of therapeutic efficacy. Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are given as adjuvant therapy in hormone receptor positive postmenopausal breast cancer and are known to decrease levels of estrone and estradiol in both serum and breast tissue. Our goal here was to examine the influence of AIs on mammographic density in women with early breast cancer. Methods: We conducted a case-control study of postmenopausal breast cancer patients initiating adjuvant AI therapy (anastrozole or exemestane) on protocols NCIC CTG MA27, NCCTG N063I and MC (Mayo Clinic) 0532. Eligibility included; an intact contralateral breast with no prior surgery; a screening mammogram within twelve months before AI initiation and at 9-15 months on therapy; no prior endocrine therapy and informed consent. Controls were sampled from the Mayo Mammography Health Study, a cohort of 19,924 receiving screening mammography at the Mayo Clinic, and matched to cases on age, prior PMH use, baseline body mass index (BMI) and interval between mammograms. Pre-treatment and on-study mammograms for cases (corresponding mammograms for controls) were digitized. Change in percent density was estimated on the craniocaudal view of the non-cancerous breast using two methods: a subjective assessment of change by an expert radiologist (within 5%; 5-10% increase, 10-25% increase, 25%+ increase, 5-10% decrease, 10-25% decrease and 25%+ decrease) and a quantitative assessment of absolute change using a computer-assisted thresholding program (Cumulus). Analyses compared magnitude of change in density by both the subjective and quantitative methods between cases and matched controls. Results: 574 pairs were eligible for analyses (MA27-505 cases; N063I-12 cases; MC0532-57 cases). Characteristics of the two groups are shown in the table below. Using either density estimation method, there was a greater decrease in density among women on AI therapy vs. matched controls. In 33% (95% CI: 29-37%) of pairs, there was at least a one greater category decrease for the case relative to her control by subjective estimation. In 14% (95% CI: 11-18%) of the pairs, there was at least a 5% greater decrease for the case relative to her control by quantitative estimation. Data will be available according to AI class (non-steroidal versus steroidal) in November. Conclusions: In the largest report to date to examine the influence of AI therapy on mammographic density, we provide evidence that AI is associated with decreases in density in a small subgroup of women. We are currently examining factors that influence these AI-associated decreases in density and whether these differences are unique to one class of AI. (Supported in part by NIH grants P50CA116201, U01GM61388, U10CA77202, U10CA25224) Citation Information: Cancer Res 2010;70(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-09-03.

Abstract Background: Clinical guidelines for breast cancer survivors with and at-risk for lymphedema have advised against upper body exercise, preventing them from obtaining established health benefits of weight-lifting. The primary hypotheses of the Physical Activity and Lymphedema Trial were that lymphedema onset and worsening would not differ after a one-year weightlifting intervention compared to no exercise among survivors at risk for and with breast cancer-related lymphedema. Methods: We performed a randomized controlled trial of a twice-weekly progressive weight-lifting intervention involving 141 breast cancer survivors with stable arm lymphedema at study entry and 154 survivors at-risk for lymphedema at study entry. Treatment group participants were provided a gym membership and 13 weeks of supervised instruction; the remaining nine months were unsupervised. Control group participants were provided the intervention after study completion. The primary outcome was the change in arm swelling at one year, as measured by water volumetry of the affected and unaffected arms. Secondary outcomes included the clinician defined incidence of onset and exacerbations of lymphedema, lymphedema symptoms, and muscle strength. Participants with lymphedema were required to wear a well-fitted compression garment while weight-lifting. Results: Among the women who entered the study with lymphedema, the proportion who experienced a 5% or greater increase in arm swelling (interlimb difference) was similar in the treatment and control groups (11% versus 12%; cumulative incidence ratio [95% confidence interval], 1.00 (0.88 to 1.13) As compared with the control group, the women in the intervention group with lymphedema had greater improvements in self-reported lymphedema symptom severity (p=0.03), and a lower incidence of lymphedema exacerbations as assessed by a certified lymphedema specialist (14% versus 29% in the control group, p= 0.04). Among the women who entered the study without lymphedema, more control than treatment group women experienced lymphedema onset defined by 5% increase in interlimb difference (17 versus 11%, p = 0.35). Among higher risk women (5+ lymph nodes removed), this comparison was statistically significant (22 versus 7%, p=0.04). Clinician-defined BCRL onset occurred in 1 treatment and 3 control group women (p=0.62). Conclusions: Slowly progressive weight-lifting had no significant impact on arm swelling among breast cancer survivors with lymphedema, and resulted in a reduced incidence of lymphedema flares and improvement in symptoms. In breast cancer survivors at risk for lymphedema, a program of slowly progressive weight-lifting, compared with no intervention, did not result in increased incidence of lymphedema. In secondary analyses, women with 5+ nodes removed who did weight-lifting were less likely to experience increases in arm swelling. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2010;70(24 Suppl):Abstract nr ES9-3.

Abstract Summary. Src is believed to play an important role in cancer, and several agents targeting Src are in clinical development. Design. We reviewed Src structure and function and preclinical data supporting its role in the development of cancer via a PubMed search. We conducted an extensive review of Src inhibitors by searching abstracts from major oncology meeting databases in the last 3 years and by comprehensively reviewing ongoing clinical trials on ClinicalTrials.gov. Results. In this manuscript, we briefly review Src structure and function, mechanisms involving Src that lead to the development of cancer, and Src inhibitors and key preclinical data establishing a rationale for clinical application. We then focus on clinical data supporting their use in solid tumor malignancies, a newer arena than their more well-established hematologic applications. Particularly highlighted are clinical trials investigating new biomarkers as well as ongoing studies assessing Src inhibitor activity in biomarker-selected patient populations. We also review newer investigational Src-targeting agents. Conclusions. Src inhibitors have shown little activity in monotherapy trials in unselected solid tumor patient populations. Combination studies and biomarker-driven clinical trials are under way.

Background— Preoperative factors associated with increased mortality and worse outcome after tricuspid valve replacement in patients with severe tricuspid regurgitation are poorly understood. Methods and Results— We retrospectively analyzed 189 patients (37% men; age, 67.5±11.3 years) who underwent tricuspid valve replacement for severe tricuspid regurgitation. Operative mortality rate was 10%, and was associated with intra-aortic balloon pump (odds ratio, 3.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.9 to 5.6; P <0.0001) or the presence of severe symptoms (New York Heart Association class IV relative to classes II and/or III) at the time of surgery (1.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.05 to 2.8; P =0.02). At the end of follow-up (29.3±27.1 months), 70 patients (37%) died, 6 (3%) needed tricuspid reoperation, and 41 (21.7%) were readmitted for heart failure. Seventy-eight patients (41.3%) were free from cardiovascular events (death, tricuspid reoperation, or heart failure admissions). The only echocardiographic parameter independently associated with adverse outcomes was a decrease in the right index of myocardial performance ratio. All-cause mortality was independently associated with a higher Charlson index (hazard ratio, 1.18; 95% confidence interval, 1.01 to 1.36; P =0.03), shorter right index of myocardial performance ratio (0.91; 95% confidence interval, 0.87 to 0.96; P =0.005), and preoperative New York Heart Association IV class (1.71; 95% confidence interval, 1.3 to 2.2; P <0.0001). In 68 patients with isolated tricuspid valve replacement, the associations between short right index of myocardial performance ratio, high Charlson index, New York Heart Association class IV, and increased mortality remained significant. Conclusions— Tricuspid valve replacement for severe tricuspid regurgitation can be performed with an acceptable operative mortality if patients undergo surgery before the onset of advanced heart failure symptoms. Late mortality is associated with a high preoperative Charlson index, short right index of myocardial performance ratio, and advanced New York Heart Association class.

The majority of patients with gastrointestinal cancers are over the age of 65. This age group comprises the minority of the patients enrolled in clinical trials, and it is unknown whether older patients achieve similar results as younger patients in terms of survival benefit and tolerability. In addition, there are few studies specifically designed for patients over 65 years. Subset analyses of individual trials and studies using pooled patient data from multiple trials provide some understanding on outcomes in older patients with gastrointestinal cancers. This article reviews the evidence on chemotherapeutic regimens in the elderly with colorectal, pancreatic, and gastroesophageal cancers, and discusses a practical approach to provide the best outcomes for older patients.