Breast Cancer Immunotherapy: A Team Science Approach.

Immunotherapy has reshaped the treatment landscape of several malignancies, including breast cancer. While historically considered less immunogenic, breast cancer-particularly the triple-negative subtype (TNBC)-has demonstrated responsiveness to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). TNBC is characterized by higher tumor mutational burden, elevated PD-L1 expression, and increased tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, making it a leading focus of immunotherapy development.

Efficacy of Metastasis-Directed Radiation Therapy to Prolong Systemic Therapy for Patients with Oligoprogressive Metastatic Breast Cancer.

Background: Clinical trials have shown mixed results regarding the benefit of metastasis-directed radiation therapy (MDRT) in oligoprogressive (OP) metastatic breast cancer (MBC), leading to ongoing debate about its role. This study aimed to investigate whether MDRT can prolong the duration of systemic therapy for ≥6 months in patients with OP MBC.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients with MBC who received MDRT for OP disease between December 2017 and March 2023.

New Drugs, New Toxicities: Side Effects of New and Emerging Breast Cancer Therapies.

With the rapid introduction of novel breast cancer therapies, recognizing and managing side effects is essential to maintain adherence and improve outcomes. As novel oral endocrine therapies and combination strategies including targeted agents have prolonged progression and in some cases disease-free survival, early recognition and appropriate management of these toxicities is critical to optimize quality of life. Dermatologic adverse events are frequently associated with novel breast cancer therapies including immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), targeted therapies, and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs).

Efficacy and immune-related adverse events of pembrolizumab with bone-modifying agents in female patients with breast cancer.

Background: Emerging studies demonstrate that some bone-modifying agents (BMAs), such as denosumab (Dmab), can modulate immune responses by increasing tumor-infiltrating T cells and expanding the T-cell repertoire. Female patients with breast cancer in particular often receive concurrent treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) and BMAs. However, the clinical impact of BMAs on immune-related adverse events (irAE) and cancer outcomes in patients treated with ICI remains poorly understood.

Trop-2 expression as a biomarker of response to sacituzumab govitecan in patients with HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer: A pilot study.

Background: Sacituzumab govitecan (SG) is an anti-Trop-2 antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) approved for use in HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer (MBC). This study explores whether Trop-2 expression serves as a biomarker of excellent response versus non-response to sacituzumab govitecan (SG) in HER2-negative MBC.

Methods: Trop-2 expression was determined from patients with HER2-negative MBC categorized as non-responders and excellent responders to SG.

Comparative Genomic Characterization of Small Cell Carcinoma of the Bladder Compared With Urothelial Carcinoma and Small Cell Lung Carcinoma.

Purpose: Small cell bladder cancer (SCBC) is a rare histologic variant of bladder cancer with an aggressive disease course and poor outcomes. Given its uncommon nature, there is a paucity of high-quality data characterizing genomic drivers of this disease, and most patients are treated with approaches mirroring small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Leveraging the Tempus Lens deidentified clinically annotated genomic data set, we sought to evaluate the mutational landscape of SCBC relative to urothelial carcinoma (UC) and SCLC.

Pharmacological activity of OST-01, a natural product from baccharis coridifolia, on breast cancer cells.

Natural products have long been a viable source of therapeutic agents, providing unique structures and mechanisms that may be beneficial for cancer treatment. Herein we first report on the anticancer activity OST-01, a natural product from Baccharis Coridifolia, on breast cancer cells, including triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). OST-01 significantly inhibited cell proliferation and oncogenic activities of TNBC cells in vitro.

Left ventricular global longitudinal strain is worse in BRCA mutation positive breast cancer patients prior to cancer treatment and premature menopause.

Purpose: Breast cancer patients with mutations in human tumor suppressor genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 are at higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) than the general population, as they are frequently exposed to cardiotoxic chemotherapy, anti-estrogen therapy, radiation, and/or oophorectomy for cancer-related treatment and prophylaxis. Animal and cell culture models suggest that BRCA mutations may play an independent role in heart failure. We sought to evaluate cardiac structure and function in female BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers with breast cancer compared to BRCA wildtype women with breast cancer.

Impact of neoadjuvant pembrolizumab adherence on pathologic complete response in triple-negative breast cancer: a real-world analysis.

Background: The addition of pembrolizumab (pembro) to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is standard of care for the treatment of early triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) after KEYNOTE-522 trial demonstrated improved pathologic complete response (pCR) rates with the combination. However, the optimal treatment strategy for TNBC remains uncertain as questions persist about which patients benefit from pembro and the best treatment schedule and regimen. We identified real-world clinical characteristics and treatment variables associated with response to NAC plus pembro.

The Challenges of Treating Patients with Breast Cancer and Obesity.

Obesity is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m or more and is associated with worse outcomes in patients with breast cancer, resulting in an increased incidence of breast cancer, recurrence, and death. The incidence of obesity is increasing, with almost half of all individuals in the United States classified as obese. Patients with obesity present with unique pharmacokinetics and physiology and are at increased risk of developing diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease, which leads to specific challenges when treating these patients.

Incidence and prognostic impact of HER2-positivity loss after dual HER2-directed neoadjuvant therapy for HER2+ breast cancer.

Background: Loss of HER2 "positivity" can occur in patients with residual disease after neoadjuvant treatment, but the incidence of HER2-positivity loss after neoadjuvant dual HER2-targeted treatment plus chemotherapy, the current standard-of-care for most early stage HER2-positive breast cancers, is not well described. Previous studies that report the HER2 discordance rate after neoadjuvant treatment also do not include the novel HER2-low category. In this retrospective study, we determine the incidence and prognostic impact of HER2-positivity loss, including the evolution to HER2-low disease, after neoadjuvant dual HER2-targeted therapy with chemotherapy.

A Comparison of Clinicopathologic Outcomes Across Neoadjuvant and Adjuvant Treatment Modalities in Resectable Gastric Cancer.

Importance: Treatment of resectable gastric cancer (RGC) uses a multimodal approach, including surgical treatment and chemotherapy with or without radiation therapy, and the optimal treatment strategy and timing of each of these modalities is unknown.

Objective: To investigate the association of various neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment modalities with pathologic complete response (pCR), surgical margin status (SMS), and overall survival (OS) in RGC.

Design, Setting, And Participants: For this comparative effectiveness study, the National Cancer Database was interrogated to identify patients with RGC diagnosed from 2004 to 2015.

Clinical Utility of Olaparib in the Treatment of Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer: A Review of Current Evidence and Patient Selection.

Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) is an aggressive and fatal disease with a median survival of 36 months. With the advent of genetic sequencing to identify individual genomic profiles and acquired tumor-specific pathways, targeted therapies have revolutionized cancer treatment, including the treatment strategy in mCRPC. Poly(adenosine 5'-diphosphate) ribose polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) are oral drugs that target mutations in the homologous recombination repair (HRR) pathway, which are found in approximately 27% of prostate cancer patients.

The Masquerading, Masculinizing Tumor: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Androgen-producing tumors in women are rare neoplasms that can cause secondary virilizing characteristics. Of patients presenting with symptoms of hyperandrogenism, these tumors are found in ∼0.2% of cases.

Dubin-Johnson Syndrome Presenting During Cardiac Transplantation Evaluation.

Dubin-Johnson syndrome is a rare, benign disorder that results in conjugated hyperbilirubinemia. The disease manifests as intermittent jaundice without long-term hepatic or other clinical complications. This article reports a case of Dubin-Johnson syndrome, which was identified during cardiac transplant evaluation for cardiomyopathy secondary to a polyglycogen storage disease.

Eosinophilic pneumonia: A rare manifestation of amiodarone toxicity diagnosed using traditional bronchoscopy.

Amiodarone is an antiarrhythmic agent used primarily to treat atrial and ventricular arrhythmias. However, the drug also has many adverse effects, including pulmonary toxicity, and a wide range of pulmonary diseases have been reported. Amiodarone-induced eosinophilic pneumonia is a relatively rare adverse effect with an incidence ranging between 5 and 13% [1].