Whole-genome/exome analysis of circulating tumor DNA and comparison to tumor genomics from patients with heavily pre-treated ovarian cancer: subset analysis of the PERMED-01 trial

IntroductionThe poor prognosis of ovarian carcinoma (OvC) is due to the advanced stage at diagnosis, a high risk of relapse after first-line therapies, and the lack of efficient treatments in the recurrence setting. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis is a promising tool to assess treatment-resistant OvC and may avoid iterative tissue biopsies. We aimed to evaluate the genomic profile of recurrent heavily pre-treated OvC.MethodsWe performed tumor panel-based sequencing as well as low-coverage whole-genome sequencing (LC-WGS) of tumor and plasma collected in patients with ovarian cancer included in the PERMED-01 trial. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) data of plasma samples were also analyzed and compared to mutation and copy number alteration (CNA) tumor profiles. The prognostic value [progression-free survival (PFS)] of these alterations was assessed in an exploratory analysis.ResultsTumor and plasma genomic analyses were done for 24 patients with heavily pretreated OvC [67% high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC)]. Tumor mutation burden was low (median 2.04 mutations/Mb) and the most frequent mutated gene was TP53 (94% of HGSC). Tumor CNAs were frequent with a median of 50% of genome altered fraction. Plasma LC-WGS and WES detected ctDNA in 21/24 cases (88%) with a median tumor fraction of 12.7%. We observed a low correlation between plasma and tumor CNA profiles. However, this correlation was significant in cases with the highest circulating tumor fraction. Plasma genome altered fraction and plasma mutation burden (p = 0.011 and p = 0.041, respectively, log-rank tests) were associated with PFS.ConclusionsCombination of LC-WGS and WES can detect ctDNA in most pre-treated OvCs. Some ctDNA characteristics, such as genome altered fraction and plasma mutation burden, showed prognostic value. ctDNA assessment with LC-WGS may be a promising and non-expansive tool to evaluate disease evolution in this disease with high genomic instability.Clinical Trial Registrationhttps://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02342158, identifier NCT02342158

Liquid Biopsies for Ovarian Carcinoma: How Blood Tests May Improve the Clinical Management of a Deadly Disease

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Satisfaction with fertility-and sexuality-related information in young women with breast cancer—ELIPPSE40 cohort

International audienceBackground: Young breast cancer survivors are often dissatisfied with the information provided on fertility and sexuality. Our aim was to discuss possible contributing factors and to propose strategies to increase patient satisfaction with such information. Methods: Using the French National Health Insurance System database, we constituted the ELIPPSE40 regional cohort of 623 women, aged 18–40, diagnosed with breast cancer between 2005 and 2011. As of January 2014, 319 women had taken part in the 10-, 16-, 28 and 48-month telephone interviews. Satisfaction with the information provided about the potential impact of cancer and its treatment on fertility and sexuality was assessed at 48 months after diagnosis on 5-point Likert scales. Results: Four years after diagnosis, only 53.0 and 42.6 % of women were satisfied with fertility-and sexuality-related information, respectively, without any significant change over the 2009–2014 period (P = 0.585 and P = 0.676 respectively). The two issues were moderately correlated (ρ = 0.60; P <0.001). General satisfaction with medical follow-up was the only common correlate. Irrespective of sociodemographic and medical characteristics, satisfaction with fertility-related information was greater among women with a family history of breast/ovarian cancer who had the opportunity to ask questions at the time of cancer disclosure. Satisfaction with sexuality-related information increased with the spontaneous provision of information by physicians at cancer disclosure. Conclusions: Promoting both patients' question asking behavior and more systematic information could improve communication between caregivers and young breast cancer survivors and address distinct unmet needs regarding fertility-and sexuality-related information

Endometrial Carcinoma: Immune Microenvironment and Emerging Treatments in Immuno-Oncology

International audienceEndometrial cancer (EC) can easily be cured when diagnosed at an early stage. However, advanced and metastatic EC is a common disease, affecting more than 15,000 patients per year in the United Sates. Only limited treatment options were available until recently, with a taxane–platinum combination as the gold standard in first-line setting and no efficient second-line chemotherapy or hormone therapy. EC can be split into four molecular subtypes, including hypermutated cases with POLE mutations and 25–30% harboring a microsatellite instability (MSI) phenotype with mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR). These tumors display a high load of frameshift mutations, leading to increased expression of neoantigens that can be targeted by the immune system, including (but not limited) to T-cell response. Recent data have demonstrated this impact of programmed death 1 and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) inhibitors on chemo-resistant metastatic EC. The uncontrolled KEYNOTE-158 and GARNET trials have shown high response rates with pembrolizumab and dostarlimab in chemoresistant MSI-high tumors. Most responders experiment long responses that last more than one year. Similar, encouraging results were obtained for MMR proficient (MMRp) cases treated with a combination of pembrolizumab and the angiogenesis inhibitor lenvatinib. Approvals have, thus, been obtained or are underway for EC with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) used as monotherapy, and in combination with antiangiogenic agents. Combinations with other targeted therapies are under evaluation and randomized studies are ongoing to explore the impact of ICI-chemotherapy triplets in first-line setting. We summarize in this review the current knowledge of the immune environment of EC, both for MMRd and MMRp tumors. We also detail the main clinical data regarding PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors and discuss the next steps of development for immunotherapy, including various ICI-based combinations planned to limit resistance to immunotherapy

Cancer du sein triple-négatif : caractéristiques histocliniques et moléculaires, prise en charge et perspectives thérapeutiques

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Eribulin Efficacy on Brain Metastases in Heavily Pretreated Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer

International audienceThe onset of brain metastases (BM) is a major turning point during advanced breast cancer (ABC) evolution, with only few treatment options when local therapies have failed. The therapeutic effect of eribulin, a wildly used drug in the treatment of ABC, remains unclear in this setting. Patients and Methods: We performed a retrospective observational study to assess eribulin efficacy in patients with ABC who displayed BM at time of eribulin initiation. We collected data from the medical files of all ABC patients who received eribulin at our institution from 2012 until 2020. Our main endpoint was the central nervous system (CNS) progression-free survival. (CNS-PFS). Other evaluation criteria were extra-cranial progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results: Twenty patients with BM monitoring data available were selected out of the 549 who received eribulin during the inclusion period. Fifteen patients (75%) had BM progressive as the best response, three patients (15%) had disease stabilization for more than 6 months and only one patient had a partial response according to RECIST 1.1 criteria. Median CNS-PFS was 3.39 months (95CI (3.02–3.76)). Cox univariate analysis identified molecular subtype as the only prognostic parameter in our cohort, with patients with hormone-receptor positive tumors less likely to experience CNS progression than those with triple-negative MBC (HR = 0.23 (95CI = 0.07–0.80), p = 0.021). Median extra-cranial PFS was 2.67 months (95CI (2.33–3.01)). Median OS was 7.68 months (95CI (0–17.41)). Conclusion: Eribulin seems to have only a limited impact on BM evolution. Hormone receptors expression may identify a subset of patients with better BM control

Safety Results and Analysis of Eribulin Efficacy according to Previous Microtubules-Inhibitors Sensitivity in the French Prospective Expanded Access Program for Heavily Pre-treated Metastatic Breast Cancer

International audiencePURPOSE:Eribulin is approved for advanced breast cancers refractory to anthracyclines and taxanes. Efficacy according to sensitivity to previous therapies has been poorly explored.MATERIALS AND METHODS:Safety data were collected prospectively and we retrospectively collected efficacy data from the five French centres that participated in the Eribulin E7389-G000-398 expanded access program. Our main objectiveswere exploration of safety and analysis of eribulin efficacy (progression-free survival [PFS] and overall survival [OS]) according to sensitivity to the last microtubule-inhibiting agent administered.RESULTS:Median eribulin treatment duration was 3.3 months for the 250 patients included in this prospective single-arm study. Two hundreds and thirty-nine patients (95.6%) experienced an adverse event (AE) related to treatment including 129 (51.6%) with grade ≥ 3 AEs. The most frequently observed toxicities were cytopenias (59.6% of included patients), gastrointestinal disorders (59.2%), and asthenia (56.4%). The most frequent grade 3-4 AE was neutropenia (37.2% with 4.8% febrile neutropenia). Median PFS and OS were 4.6 and 11.8 months, respectively. Patients classified as responders to the last microtubule-inhibiting therapy had a longer OS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.69; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.51 to 0.94; p=0.017), and tended to display a better PFS (HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.58 to 1.04; p=0.086). OS improvement was still significant in multivariate analysis (adjusted HR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.35 to 0.79; p=0.002).CONCLUSION:This work based on a prospective study suggests that identification of patients likely to be more sensitive to eribulin could be based on their previous response to microtubules inhibitors

Advance Approval of Outpatient Chemotherapy via Phone Call Optimizes Healthcare Delivery without Compromising Patient Satisfaction with Care

International audiencePatient satisfaction is linked to the amount of time spent with the physician. At the same time, long waiting times in hospitals are a major source of patient dissatisfaction. The aim of this study was to determine whether advance approval of outpatient chemotherapy (CT) via phone call can optimize healthcare delivery without compromising patient satisfaction with care. Between 2013 and 2016, 343 patients with breast/gynecological cancer scheduled to undergo CT on day 8 and/or day 15 of the CT cycle were enrolled in a before-after study conducted in a French comprehensive cancer center. In the control group, 168 patients received a face-to-face consultation with an oncologist on the day of CT for approval of the upcoming CT session. In the intervention group, 175 patients received a phone call from a healthcare provider the day before CT, where assessment of toxicity from the previous CT session was recorded and submitted to an oncologist for approval of the upcoming CT session. At the end of the 6th CT cycle, patient satisfaction was evaluated using EORTC IN-PATSAT32. A total of 233 questionnaires were analyzed (response rate: 77.7%). Satisfaction with care was similar between the two groups. No differences in perceived health status were observed, but self-reported time in hospital was lower in the intervention group than in the control group (p = 0.007). Advance approval of outpatient CT via phone call is feasible and particularly relevant in the current context of immunotherapy development