Explore the vast range of titles available.

HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer is incurable and new treatments are needed. Addition of atezolizumab to trastuzumab emtansine might potentiate anticancer immunity and enhance the HER2-targeted cytotoxic activity of trastuzumab emtansine. We aimed to test this combination in HER2-positive advanced breast cancer that had progressed after previous treatment with trastuzumab and a taxane. The KATE2 study is a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 study at 68 centres from nine countries across Asia, Australia, North America, and western Europe. Eligible patients were adults (aged ≥18 years) with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1 and centrally confirmed, measurable, HER2-positive advanced breast cancer previously treated with trastuzumab and a taxane. Patients were randomly assigned (2:1) either trastuzumab emtansine (3·6 mg/kg of bodyweight) plus atezolizumab (1200 mg) or trastuzumab emtansine plus placebo; all study drugs were administered by intravenous infusion every 3 weeks. Randomisation was done via an interactive voice and web response system using a permuted block scheme (block size of six) and was stratified by PD-L1 status, world region, and liver metastases. Patients, investigators, and study team members were masked to treatment allocation. The primary endpoint was investigator-assessed progression-free survival in the intention-to-treat population. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02924883, and the study has been completed. Between Sept 26, 2016, and Aug 7, 2017, 330 patients were screened for the study, of whom 202 were randomly allocated either atezolizumab (n=133) or placebo (n=69). At the recommendation of the independent data monitoring committee, treatment assignment was unmasked on Dec 11, 2017, due to futility and the numerically higher frequency of adverse events among patients assigned atezolizumab. This date was set as the clinical cutoff for the primary analysis. Median follow-up was 8·5 months (IQR 6·1–11·5) for patients assigned atezolizumab and 8·4 months (5·3–11·1) for those assigned placebo. Median progression-free survival was 8·2 months (95% CI 5·8–10·7) for patients assigned atezolizumab versus 6·8 months (4·0–11·1) for those assigned placebo (stratified hazard ratio 0·82, 95% CI 0·55–1·23; p=0·33). The most common grade 3 or worse adverse events were thrombocytopenia (17 [13%] among 132 patients who received atezolizumab vs three [4%] among 68 who received placebo), increased aspartate aminotransferase (11 [8%] vs two [3%]), anaemia (seven [5%] vs 0), neutropenia (six [5%] vs three [4%]), and increased alanine aminotransferase (six [5%] vs two [3%]). Serious adverse events occurred in 43 (33%) of 132 patients who received atezolizumab and 13 (19%) of 68 patients who received placebo. One patient who received atezolizumab died due to a treatment-related adverse event (haemophagocytic syndrome). Addition of atezolizumab to trastuzumab emtansine did not show a clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival and was associated with more adverse events. Further study of trastuzumab emtansine plus atezolizumab is warranted in a subpopulation of patients with PD-L1-positive, HER2-positive advanced breast cancer. F Hoffman-La Roche.

Background KRISTINE is an open-label, phase III study of trastuzumab emtansine + pertuzumab (T-DM1 + P) versus docetaxel + carboplatin + trastuzumab + pertuzumab (TCH + P) in patients with HER2-positive, stage II–III breast cancer. We investigated the association of biomarkers with clinical outcomes in KRISTINE. Methods Patients were randomized to receive neoadjuvant T-DM1 + P or TCH + P and assessed for pathologic complete response (pCR; ypT0/is, ypN0). HER2 status (per central assessment), hormone receptor status, PIK3CA mutation status, HER2/HER3 mRNA levels, tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte levels, PD-L1 status, and NanoString data were analyzed. pCR rates by treatment arm were compared across biomarker subgroups. Analyses were descriptive. Results Biomarker analyses included data from all 444 patients (T-DM1 + P, n  = 223; TCH + P, n  = 221) enrolled in KRISTINE. Biomarker distribution was balanced across treatment arms. All subgroups with higher HER2 amplification/expression and immune marker levels showed numerically higher pCR rates in both arms. Mutated versus non-mutated PIK3CA tumors were associated with numerically lower pCR rates in the T-DM1 + P arm but not in the TCH + P arm. In a multivariate analysis, Prediction Analysis of Microarray with the 50-gene classifier (PAM50) HER2-enriched subtype, HER2 gene ratio ≥ 4, and PD-L1-positive status positively influenced the pCR rate. Biomarkers associated with lower pCR rates (e.g., low HER2 levels, positive hormone receptor status, mutated PIK3CA ) were more likely to co-occur. Dynamic on-treatment biomarker changes were observed. Differences in the treatment effects for T-DM1 + P versus TCH + P were similar to those observed in the intent-to-treat population for the majority of the biomarker subgroups. Conclusions Although our biomarker analysis did not identify a subgroup of patients that benefited from neoadjuvant T-DM1 + P versus TCH + P, the data revealed that patients with higher HER2 amplification/expression and immune marker levels had improved response irrespective of treatment arm. These analyses confirm the role of HER2 tumor biology and the immune microenvironment in influencing pCR in the neoadjuvant setting and reaffirm the molecular diversity of HER2-positive breast cancer. Trial Registration : ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02131064. Registered 06 May 2014.

Orexins are hypothalamic peptides that play an important role in maintaining wakefulness in mammals. Permanent deficit in orexinergic function is a pathophysiological hallmark of rodent, canine and human narcolepsy. Here we report that in rats, dogs and humans, somnolence is induced by pharmacological blockade of both orexin OX 1 and OX 2 receptors. When administered orally during the active period of the circadian cycle, a dual antagonist increased, in rats, electrophysiological indices of both non-REM and, particularly, REM sleep, in contrast to GABA A receptor modulators; in dogs, it caused somnolence and increased surrogate markers of REM sleep; and in humans, it caused subjective and objective electrophysiological signs of sleep. No signs of cataplexy were observed, in contrast to the rodent, dog or human narcolepsy syndromes. These results open new perspectives for investigating the role of endogenous orexins in sleep-wake regulation.

BackgroundPrespecified exploratory biomarker analyses of the phase II/III GATSBY study (NCT01641939) assessed whether patient subgroups experienced a survival benefit from trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) versus taxane therapy, and to advance understanding of HER2-positive advanced gastric/gastroesophageal junction cancer (AGC) disease biology.MethodsAdults with HER2-positive AGC whose disease progressed during/after first-line therapy were enrolled and randomized to receive T-DM1 [Stage 1: 3.6 mg/kg q3w, 2.4 mg/kg qw, or taxane (docetaxel/paclitaxel); Stage 2: 2.4 mg/kg qw or taxane]. Primary efficacy endpoint was overall survival (OS). Prespecified exploratory biomarkers included HER2, HER3, PTEN, PIK3CA mutation status, FcγR, and cMET. Tumor samples from patients who received 2.4 mg/kg T-DM1 (n = 228) or taxane (n = 117) were included.ResultsMedian OS was longer in subgroups with HER2 immunohistochemistry (IHC) 3+ [9.5 versus 8.3 months for T-DM1 versus taxane; hazard ratio (HR) 0.99 (95% CI 0.68–1.43)] versus HER2 IHC 2+/in situ hybridization-positive [5.2 versus 9.2 months for T-DM1 versus taxane; HR 1.53 (95% CI 0.94–2.50)] tumors. Trends towards increased median OS were also observed in subgroups with > versus ≤ median HER2 mRNA expression, higher versus lower HER2 gene copy number, HER2 gene ratio and H score, and homogenous or nonfocal HER2 IHC staining. T-DM1 was not associated with superior OS versus taxane in any subgroup.ConclusionsPatients with previously treated HER2-positive AGC with higher HER2 expression experienced a better treatment effect from T-DM1 than those with lower HER2 expression and may derive comparable survival benefits from T-DM1 and taxane therapy.Clinical trials registrationNCT01641939 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01641939).

The randomized, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III PEONY trial (NCT02586025) demonstrated significantly improved total pathologic complete response (primary endpoint) with dual HER2 blockade in HER2-positive early/locally advanced breast cancer, as previously reported. Here, we present the final, long-term efficacy (secondary endpoints: event-free survival, disease-free survival, overall survival) and safety analysis (62.9 months’ median follow-up). Patients (female; n  = 329; randomized 2:1) received neoadjuvant pertuzumab/placebo with trastuzumab and docetaxel, followed by adjuvant 5-fluorouracil, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide, then pertuzumab/placebo with trastuzumab until disease recurrence or unacceptable toxicity, for up to 1 year. Five-year event-free survival estimates are 84.8% with pertuzumab and 73.7% with placebo (hazard ratio 0.53; 95% confidence interval 0.32–0.89); 5-year disease-free survival rates are 86.0% and 75.0%, respectively (hazard ratio 0.52; 95% confidence interval 0.30–0.88). Safety data are consistent with the known pertuzumab safety profile and generally comparable between arms, except for diarrhea. Limitations include the lack of ado-trastuzumab emtansine as an option for patients with residual disease and the descriptive nature of the secondary, long-term efficacy endpoints. PEONY confirms the positive benefit:risk ratio of neoadjuvant/adjuvant pertuzumab, trastuzumab, and docetaxel treatment in this patient population. Previously, the authors reported the primary analysis of a phase III randomized control trial investigating dual HER2 blockade in HER2-positive early/locally advanced breast cancer. Here, the authors report the long-term efficacy and safety analysis of this trial.

Background The phase III EMILIA and TH3RESA trials demonstrated clinical benefits of trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) therapy in patients with previously treated HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Data from these and other trials showed that T-DM1–associated survival benefits were observed across biomarker subgroups tested in these trials. Prespecified, exploratory analyses of the phase III MARIANNE study examined the effects of HER2-related biomarkers on PFS in patients administered T-DM1 in the first-line MBC setting. Methods In MARIANNE, patients with previously untreated HER2-positive MBC were randomized (1:1:1) to trastuzumab plus taxane, T-DM1 plus placebo, or T-DM1 plus pertuzumab. Biomarker subgroups included HER2 and HER3 mRNA expression levels (≤median vs. >median), HER2 staining intensity (IHC 3+ vs. 2+ vs. 0/1+), PIK3CA status (mutated vs. non-mutated), PTEN H-score (≤median vs. >median), and PTEN protein expression level (0 vs. 1+ vs. 2+ vs. 3+ vs. 4+). PFS was analyzed descriptively for each subgroup using Kaplan–Meier methodology. Additional exploratory post-hoc analyses evaluated the effects of HER2 heterogeneity. Multivariate analyses were also performed. Results Median PFS was numerically longer for patients with HER2 mRNA levels >median versus ≤median across treatment arms. In general, there were no predictive biomarkers of benefit for either T-DM1 treatment arm; most hazard ratios were close to 1 with wide confidence intervals that included the value 1. Focal HER2 expression (IHC 3+ or IHC 2+) was present in 3.8% of patients and was associated with numerically shorter PFS in the T-DM1–containing treatment arms versus trastuzumab plus taxane. Compared with non-mutated PIK3CA , mutated PIK3CA was associated with numerically shorter median PFS across treatment groups. Post-hoc multivariate analysis showed HER2 mRNA expression and mutated PIK3CA were prognostic for PFS ( P  ≤ 0.001 for both biomarkers). Conclusions In MARIANNE, biomarkers related to the HER2 pathway did not have predictive value for PFS when comparing T-DM1 (with or without pertuzumab) with trastuzumab plus taxane. However, HER2 mRNA level and PIK3CA mutation status showed prognostic value. Evaluation of other potential biomarkers, including immune markers, is ongoing. Trial registration Registration number: NCT01120184 . Date of registration: April 28, 2010 (registered prospectively).

Introduction The Caribbean islands Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao (ABC islands) face challenges in providing palliative care for people with dementia. The Desired Dementia Care Towards End of Life (DEDICATED) approach empowers healthcare professionals to provide person-centered palliative care to individuals with dementia. This study examines healthcare professionals’ needs for improving palliative care and their experiences with implementing the DEDICATED approach, as well as its impact on palliative care for people with dementia on the ABC islands. Methodology A consortium was established with stakeholders from the ABC islands to facilitate the training of 72 healthcare professionals in implementing the DEDICATED approach in these locations. A needs assessment questionnaire, referred to as the ‘DEDICATED questionnaire’, was completed to explore the needs for palliative care improvement on the ABC islands. For each island, a focus group was organized to gather feedback from healthcare professionals about their experiences with implementing the DEDICATED approach. A descriptive thematic analysis was performed. Results In total, 49 healthcare professionals completed the DEDICATED questionnaire, which indicated high needs for improvement in aspects such as familiarization with a person with dementia and conducting advance care planning. Twenty healthcare professionals participated in the focus groups. Five main themes were identified, related to the implementation of the DEDICATED approach in the islands’ sociocultural and organizational aspects, the approach’s impact on palliative dementia care, and the necessity of adapting the DEDICATED approach to local contexts. The results revealed that talking about death and palliative care is considered taboo in ABC island culture. Healthcare professionals expressed a need for further refinements to stimulate the implementation of the approach. The DEDICATED approach increased awareness about providing person-centered care and stimulated healthcare professionals to more proactively discuss the palliative care needs of people with dementia and their family caregivers. Conclusion The DEDICATED approach showed added value for healthcare professionals in the context of the ABC islands. The approach encouraged proactive discussions about palliative and end-of-life care. However, cultural and contextual aspects, such as religion, could pose barriers to the implementation of the approach. Further refinements are needed to align the DEDICATED approach with the context of the ABC islands, thereby stimulating its implementation. Trial registration Not applicable.

BERENICE (NCT02132949) assessed the cardiac safety of the neoadjuvant–adjuvant pertuzumab–trastuzumab-based therapy for high-risk, HER2-positive early breast cancer (EBC). We describe key secondary objectives at final analysis. Eligible patients received dose-dense doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide q2w × 4 ➝ paclitaxel qw × 12 (Cohort A) or 5-fluorouracil, epirubicin, cyclophosphamide q3w × 4 ➝ docetaxel q3w × 4 (B) as per physician’s choice. Pertuzumab–trastuzumab (q3w) was initiated from the taxane start and continued post-surgery to complete 1 year. Median follow-up: 64.5 months. There were no new cardiac issues and a low incidence of Class III/IV heart failure (Cohort B only: one patient (0.5%) in the adjuvant and treatment-free follow-up (TFFU) periods). Fourteen patients (7.7%) had LVEF declines of ≥10% points from baseline to <50% in Cohort A, as did 20 (10.5%) in B during the adjuvant period (12 (6.2%) in A and 7 (3.6%) in B during TFFU). The five-year event-free survival rates in Cohorts A and B were 90.8% (95% CI: 86.5, 95.2) and 89.2% (84.8, 93.6), respectively. The five-year overall survival rates were 96.1% (95% CI: 93.3, 98.9) and 93.8% (90.3, 97.2), respectively. The final analysis of BERENICE further supports pertuzumab–trastuzumab-based therapies as standard of care for high-risk, HER2-positive EBC.

Prognostic or predictive biomarkers in HER2-positive early breast cancer (EBC) may inform treatment optimization. The ADAPT HER2-positive/hormone receptor-positive phase II trial (NCT01779206) demonstrated pathological complete response (pCR) rates of ~40% following de-escalated treatment with 12 weeks neoadjuvant ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) ± endocrine therapy. In this exploratory analysis, we evaluated potential early predictors of response to neoadjuvant therapy. The effects of PIK3CA mutations and immune (CD8 and PD-L1) and apoptotic markers (BCL2 and MCL1) on pCR rates were assessed, along with intrinsic BC subtypes. Immune response and pCR were lower in PIK3CA-mutated tumors compared with wildtype. Increased BCL2 at baseline in all patients and at Cycle 2 in the T-DM1 arms was associated with lower pCR. In the T-DM1 arms only, the HER2-enriched subtype was associated with increased pCR rate (54% vs. 28%). These findings support further prospective pCR-driven de-escalation studies in patients with HER2-positive EBC.

Background Conventional chondrosarcomas are malignant cartilage tumors considered radioresistant. Nevertheless, retrospective series show a small but significant survival benefit for patients with locally advanced disease treated with radiotherapy. And, in daily practice when considered inoperable their irradiation is an accepted indication for proton beam radiotherapy. Therefore, we investigated the sensitivity of chondrosarcoma cell lines and -tissue samples towards radiotherapy and screened for biomarkers to identify predictors of radiosensitivity. Methods Proliferation and clonogenic assays were performed in chondrosarcoma cell lines after γ-radiation in combination with mutant IDH1 inhibitor AGI-5198. In addition, glutathione levels were measured using mass spectrometry. Chondrosarcoma tumor explants were irradiated after which γ-H2AX foci were counted. Mutation analysis was performed using the Ion AmpliSeq™ Cancer Hotspot Panel and immunohistochemical staining’s were performed for P-S6, LC-3B, P53, Bcl-2, Bcl-xl and Survivin. Results were correlated with the number of γ-H2AX foci. Results Chondrosarcoma cell lines were variably γ-radiation resistant. No difference in radiosensitivity, nor glutathione levels was observed after treatment with AGI-5198. Irradiated chondrosarcoma patient tissue presented a variable increase in γ-H2AX foci compared to non-radiated tissue. Samples were divided into two groups, high and low radioresistant, based on the amount of γ-H2AX foci. All four highly resistant tumors exhibited mutations in the pRb pathway, while none of the less radioresistant tumors showed mutations in these genes. Conclusions Chondrosarcoma cell lines as well as primary tumors are variably radioresistant, particularly in case of a defective Rb pathway. Whether selection for radiotherapy can be based upon an intact Rb pathway should be further investigated.