Cancer survivorship research: the challenge of recruiting adult long term cancer survivors from a cooperative clinical trials group

With the growing number of adult cancer survivors, there is increasing need for information that links potential late and long term effects with specific treatment regimens. Few adult cancer patients are treated on clinical trials; however, patients previously enrolled in these trials are an important source of information about treatment-related late effects. Focusing on colorectal cancer survivors, we used the database from five phase III randomized clinical trials from the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast & Bowel Project (NSABP) to recruit and enroll long term survivors in a study of late health outcomes and quality of life. We describe the challenges to recruitment of patients more than 5 –20 years after treatment. Sixty-five NSABP treatment sites were invited to enroll patients in the study. Sixty participated with the potential to recruit 2,408 patients. We received registration forms on only 976 patients (41%) of whom 744 (76%) expressed interest in participating and 708 completed interviews (95% of those expressing interest; 29% of total potential sample). There were multiple barriers to recruitment (difficulty locating patients, lack of institutional commitment, lack of patient interest). Patients treated on clinical trials are an important potential source for examining the late effects of cancer treatments. Retrospective recruitment has substantial limitations. In the future, mechanisms should be established for prospective long-term follow-up to identify and understand the frequency and type of late effects associated with cancer treatments. As cancer patients are living longer, it will be important to learn from participants in clinical trials whether or not specific treatment regimens are associated with any serious late effects

Cigarette smoking, physical activity, and alcohol consumption as predictors of cancer incidence among women at high risk of breast cancer in the NSABP P-1 trial.

BackgroundNSABP P-1 provides an opportunity to examine the association of behavioral factors with prospectively monitored cancer incidence and interactions with tamoxifen.MethodsFrom 1992 to 1997, 13,388 women with estimated 5-year breast cancer risk greater than 1.66% or a history of lobular carcinoma in situ (87% younger than age 65; 67% postmenopausal) were randomly assigned to tamoxifen versus placebo. Invasive breast cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, and endometrial cancer were analyzed with Cox regression. Predictors were baseline cigarette smoking, leisure-time physical activity, alcohol consumption, and established risk factors.ResultsAt median 7 years follow-up, we observed 395, 66, 35, and 74 breast cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, and endometrial cancer, respectively. Women who had smoked were at increased risk of breast cancer (P = 0.007; HR = 1.3 for 15-35 years smoking, HR = 1.6 for ≥ 35 years), lung cancer (P < 0.001; HR = 3.9 for 15-35 years, HR = 18.4 for ≥ 35 years), and colon cancer (P < 0.001; HR = 5.1 for ≥ 35 years) versus never-smokers. Low activity predicted increased breast cancer risk only among women assigned to placebo (P = 0.021 activity main effect, P = 0.013 activity-treatment interaction; HR = 1.4 for the placebo group) and endometrial cancer among all women (P = 0.026, HR = 1.7). Moderate alcohol (>0-1 drink/day) was associated with decreased risk of colon cancer (P = 0.019; HR = 0.35) versus no alcohol. There were no other significant associations between these behaviors and cancer risk.ConclusionAmong women with elevated risk of breast cancer, smoking has an even greater impact on breast cancer risk than observed in past studies in the general population.ImpactWomen who smoke or are inactive should be informed of the increased risk of multiple types of cancer

Symptoms and QOL as Predictors of Chemoprevention Adherence in NRG Oncology/NSABP Trial P-1

Tamoxifen provides a 50% reduction in the incidence of breast cancer (BC) among high-risk women, yet many do not adhere to the five-year course of therapy. Using the prospective double-blind National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project P-1 study, we evaluated whether participant-reported outcomes were associated with drug adherence and whether baseline behavioral risk factors modified those associations. P-1 participants were randomly assigned to placebo vs tamoxifen (20mg/day). Mixed effects logistic regression was used to evaluate whether baseline or three-month SF-36 quality of life (QOL) mental and physical component summaries (MCS, PCS), and participant-reported symptoms (gynecologic, vasomotor, sexual, and other) predicted 12-month drug adherence (76-100% of assigned medication). The evaluation accounted for age, treatment, estimated breast cancer risk, education, baseline smoking, alcohol consumption, and obesity. All statistical tests were two-sided. Participants enrolled at least three years before trial unblinding and without medically indicated discontinuation before 12 months were eligible for the present analyses (n = 10 576). At 12 months, 84.3% were adherent. Statistically significant predictors of adherence were: three-month MCS (odds ratio [OR] = 1.15 per 10 points, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.06 to 1.25); three-month gynecologic symptoms among moderate alcohol drinkers (OR = .79, 95% CI = 0.72 to 0.88); baseline vasomotor symptoms among participants assigned tamoxifen (OR = .88, 95% CI = 0.80 to 0.97); and three-month sexual symptoms among younger participants (OR = .89 at age 41 years, 95% CI = 0.80 to 0.99). The strongest association was with three-month other symptoms (OR = .77, 95% CI = 0.63 to 0.93). PCS was not associated with adherence. Symptom and QOL associations were not modified by smoking or obesity. Promoting QOL and managing symptoms early in therapy may be important strategies to improve adherence

Calmodulin-like protein 3 is an estrogen receptor alpha coregulator for gene expression and drug response in a SNP, estrogen, and SERM-dependent fashion

Abstract Background We previously performed a case–control genome-wide association study in women treated with selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) for breast cancer prevention and identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in ZNF423 as potential biomarkers for response to SERM therapy. The ZNF423rs9940645 SNP, which is approximately 200 bp away from the estrogen response elements, resulted in the SNP, estrogen, and SERM-dependent regulation of ZNF423 expression and, “downstream”, that of BRCA1. Methods Electrophoretic mobility shift assay–mass spectrometry was performed to identify proteins binding to the ZNF423 SNP and coordinating with estrogen receptor alpha (ERα). Clustered, regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 genome editing was applied to generate ZR75-1 breast cancer cells with different ZNF423 SNP genotypes. Both cultured cells and mouse xenograft models with different ZNF423 SNP genotypes were used to study the cellular responses to SERMs and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. Results We identified calmodulin-like protein 3 (CALML3) as a key sensor of this SNP and a coregulator of ERα, which contributes to differential gene transcription regulation in an estrogen and SERM-dependent fashion. Furthermore, using CRISPR/Cas9-engineered ZR75-1 breast cancer cells with different ZNF423 SNP genotypes, striking differences in cellular responses to SERMs and PARP inhibitors, alone or in combination, were observed not only in cells but also in a mouse xenograft model. Conclusions Our results have demonstrated the mechanism by which the ZNF423 rs9940645 SNP might regulate gene expression and drug response as well as its potential role in achieving more highly individualized breast cancer therapy