611 research outputs found

    Impact of the number of prior chemotherapy regimens on outcomes for patients with metastatic breast cancer treated with eribulin: A post hoc pooled analysis

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    In a pivotal phase 3 study (Study 305), eribulin mesylate improved overall survival (OS) in patients with previously treated metastatic breast cancer (MBC) compared with treatment of physician's choice (TPC). This post hoc, pooled subgroup analysis of two phase 3 studies (Study 305 and Study 301) reports the influence of the number of prior chemotherapy regimens (0‐6) on OS in patients with locally advanced/MBC randomized to eribulin versus TPC/capecitabine. Patients with ≤ 3 prior chemotherapies for locally advanced/MBC had longer median OS with eribulin (15.3 months) versus control (13.2 months; hazard ratio, 0.858; P = .01)

    Ras/Raf-1/MAPK pathway mediates response to tamoxifen but not chemotherapy in breast cancer patients

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    <b>Purpose</b>: The expression and activation of the Ras/Raf-1/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway plays an important role in the development and progression of cancer, and may influence response to treatments such as tamoxifen and chemotherapy. In this study we investigated whether the expression and activation of the key components of this pathway influenced clinical outcome, to test the hypothesis that activation of the MAPK pathway drives resistance to tamoxifen and chemotherapy in women with breast cancer. <b>Experimental Design</b>: Breast tumors from patients at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary and others treated within the BR9601 trial were analyzed for expression of the three Ras isoforms, total Raf-1, active and inactive forms of Raf-1 [pRaf(ser338) and pRaf(ser259), respectively], MAPK, and phospho-MAPK using an immunohistochemical approach. Analyses were done with respect to disease free-survival and overall survival. <b>Results</b>: Expression and activation of the Ras pathway was associated with loss of benefit from treatment with tamoxifen but not chemotherapy. Overexpression of pRaf(ser338) was associated with shortened disease-free and overall survival time in univariate analyses. Multivariate analysis suggested pRaf(ser338) was independent of known prognostic markers in predicting outcome following tamoxifen treatment (<i>P</i>=0.03). <b>Conclusion</b>: This study suggests that activation of the Ras pathway predicts for poor outcome on tamoxifen but not chemotherapy, and identifies pRaf(ser338) as a potential marker of resistance to estrogen receptor–targeted therapy. In addition, it suggests that expression of pRaf(ser338) could identify patients for whom tamoxifen alone is insufficient adjuvant systemic therapy, but for whom the addition of chemotherapy may be of benefit

    Cytotoxic chemotherapy: Still the mainstay of clinical practice for all subtypes metastatic breast cancer

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    Cytotoxic chemotherapy remains central to the treatment of all subtypes of metastatic breast cancer (MBC). We review evidence-based chemotherapy options for women with MBC after an anthracycline and a taxane including re-challenge with anthracycline or taxane, capecitabine, eribulin and ixabepilone as a single agent or combination with capecitabine (not approved in the EU); and the vinca alkaloid vinflunine as single agent or combined with either capecitabine/gemcitabine (also not approved EU or USA). Etirinotecan pegol, comprising irinotecan bound to polyethylene glycol by a biodegradable linker, is a new cytotoxic agent for patients with MBC that has achieved encouraging response rates in phase II studies; it has been further evaluated in the phase III BEACON trial. New cytotoxics should address novel targets or modes of delivery, achieve meaningful improvements in outcomes and seek to identify predictive biomarker(s)

    Determining lines of therapy in patients with solid cancers: a proposed new systematic and comprehensive framework

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    The complexity of neoplasia and its treatment are a challenge to the formulation of general criteria that are applicable across solid cancers. Determining the number of prior lines of therapy (LoT) is critically important for optimising future treatment, conducting medication audits, and assessing eligibility for clinical trial enrolment. Currently, however, no accepted set of criteria or definitions exists to enumerate LoT. In this article, we seek to open a dialogue to address this challenge by proposing a systematic and comprehensive framework to determine LoT uniformly across solid malignancies. First, key terms, including LoT and ‘clinical progression of disease’ are defined. Next, we clarify which therapies should be assigned a LoT, and why. Finally, we propose reporting LoT in a novel and standardised format as LoT N (CLoT + PLoT), where CLoT is the number of systemic anti-cancer therapies (SACT) administered with curative intent and/or in the early setting, PLoT is the number of SACT given with palliative intent and/or in the advanced setting, and N is the sum of CLoT and PLoT. As a next step, the cancer research community should develop and adopt standardised guidelines for enumerating LoT in a uniform manner

    Chromosome instability and benefit from adjuvant anthracyclines in breast cancer

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    BACKGROUND: Duplication of the centromeric region of chromosome 17 (Ch17CEP) is associated with sensitivity to anthracyclines. An explanation may be chromosome instability (CIN); a frequent event in solid tumours associated with poor outcome. The predictive value of CIN seems to be drug dependent and CIN has been associated with both sensitivity and resistance to chemotherapy. METHODS: In this study, we used fluorescent in situ hybridisation for chromosomes 1, 7, 11, 17 and 18 to identify patients with high tumour CIN% in 322 patients recruited into the BR9601 clinical trial. RESULTS: High tumour CIN% was correlated to Ch17CEP (P=3.68e−7) and is associated with a reduced RFS (P=0.0011) and OS (P=0.04). Patients with high CIN had a decreased risk of death on E-CMF compared with CMF. CONCLUSION: CIN is of prognostic significance and may be of predictive value in determining anthracycline response, although further testing is required

    Efficacy of eribulin for metastatic breast cancer based on localization of specific secondary metastases: a post hoc analysis

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    Prior pooled analysis of eribulin studies (301 and 305) indicated eribulin prolonged overall survival (OS) in patients with locally advanced/metastatic breast cancer (MBC) regardless of visceral or nonvisceral disease. This hypothesis-generating post hoc analysis examined the efficacy of eribulin according to the location of metastatic sites at baseline in 1864 pretreated patients with locally advanced/MBC from studies 301 and 305. Analyses included OS, progression-free survival (PFS), and objective response rate; OS and PFS were also analyzed according to estrogen-receptor status. Eribulin appeared efficacious in patients with locally advanced/MBC, irrespective of the location of metastases at baseline. A nominally significant difference in OS in favor of patients randomized to eribulin compared with control in patients with bone, lymph node, and chest wall/breast/skin metastases at baseline was observed. Additionally, a difference in OS was also seen in patients with liver metastases randomized to eribulin versus control (median: 13.4 versus 11.3 months, respectively; hazard ratio, 0.84 [95% CI: 0.72, 0.97]). Results of this exploratory analysis suggest that eribulin may be efficacious for the treatment of locally advanced/MBC for patients with bone, liver, lung, lymph node, and chest wall/breast/skin metastases

    Pharmacoeconomic analysis of adjuvant oral capecitabine vs intravenous 5-FU/LV in Dukes' C colon cancer: the X-ACT trial

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    Oral capecitabine (Xeloda<sup>®</sup>) is an effective drug with favourable safety in adjuvant and metastatic colorectal cancer. Oxaliplatin-based therapy is becoming standard for Dukes' C colon cancer in patients suitable for combination therapy, but is not yet approved by the UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the adjuvant setting. Adjuvant capecitabine is at least as effective as 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin (5-FU/LV), with significant superiority in relapse-free survival and a trend towards improved disease-free and overall survival. We assessed the cost-effectiveness of adjuvant capecitabine from payer (UK National Health Service (NHS)) and societal perspectives. We used clinical trial data and published sources to estimate incremental direct and societal costs and gains in quality-adjusted life months (QALMs). Acquisition costs were higher for capecitabine than 5-FU/LV, but higher 5-FU/LV administration costs resulted in 57% lower chemotherapy costs for capecitabine. Capecitabine vs 5-FU/LV-associated adverse events required fewer medications and hospitalisations (cost savings £3653). Societal costs, including patient travel/time costs, were reduced by >75% with capecitabine vs 5-FU/LV (cost savings £1318), with lifetime gain in QALMs of 9 months. Medical resource utilisation is significantly decreased with capecitabine vs 5-FU/LV, with cost savings to the NHS and society. Capecitabine is also projected to increase life expectancy vs 5-FU/LV. Cost savings and better outcomes make capecitabine a preferred adjuvant therapy for Dukes' C colon cancer. This pharmacoeconomic analysis strongly supports replacing 5-FU/LV with capecitabine in the adjuvant treatment of colon cancer in the UK
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