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Does the oestrogen receptor concentration of a breast cancer change during systemic therapy?

The effect of systemic therapy on tumour oestrogen receptor (ER) concentration has been studied in 88 patients with large, operable, primary tumours (total 89) of the breast. In 26 patients, tumour was not available for study on one occasion (usually post-treatment). Forty-five patients were treated initially by endocrine therapy but, of these, 13 who had failed to respond went on to receive chemotherapy also. Seventeen patients with low concentrations of ER (less than 20 fmol mg-1 protein) were treated directly by chemotherapy. Patients underwent an incisional biopsy for confirmation of diagnosis and determination of pre-treatment ER by radioligand binding assay, followed by systemic therapy for 3 months (or 6 months for both endocrine and cytotoxic therapies). Response was assessed clinically and mammographically before mastectomy. ER concentration was then determined in the post-treatment tumour specimen. No significant change in ER concentration was seen in any treatment group except when the patients had received tamoxifen; there, receptor concentration fell to very low levels, presumably due to interference with the assay. There was no relationship between tumour response to systemic treatment and change in ER concentration. It is concluded that changes in ER concentration are unlikely to play a major role in the early response of breast tumours to systemic therapy.

Adult

Locoregional recurrence of breast cancer: a retrospective comparison of irradiation alone versus irradiation and systemic therapy.

The role of systemic therapy in addition to irradiation for locoregional recurrence of breast cancer is controversial. In the absence of prospective randomized trials, treatment decisions must be based on retrospective studies. We retrospectively analyzed 230 patients treated for locoregionally recurrent breast cancer between 1964 and 1986. Forty-seven were premenopausal, 173 were postmenopausal, and the menopausal status was unknown in 10 patients. Each patient treated with radiotherapy (RT) and chemotherapy or with RT and hormonal therapy was matched with a control patient treated with RT alone. The addition of hormonal therapy to radiation therapy significantly improved the 5-year overall survival (50 versus 28%), disease-free survival (37 versus 26%), and distant metastases-free survival (45 versus 29%). No improvement in locoregional control was observed. In contrast, chemotherapy did not confer such survival benefits, but there was a trend towards improvement in 5-year locoregional control (68 versus 50%), p = 0.08. Our data support the use of hormonal therapy along with RT at the time of locoregional recurrence of breast cancer. Although our data suggest that chemotherapy is not routinely indicated, controlled clinical trials are needed to define which subsets of patients, if any, benefit from systemic therapy.

Adult

Adjuvant systemic therapy for early breast cancer.

Systemic therapy (chemotherapy or hormonal therapy) as an adjuvant to modalities of local control is now an integral part of the management of almost all patients with primary breast cancer metastatic to axillary lymph nodes. In addition, recent data suggest an expanding role for such treatments in patients without axillary involvement. Although some node-negative patients should probably not receive adjuvant therapy, the precise criteria to be used for selection are still under active discussion in the literature. Of the two types of systemic treatment, it is generally accepted that chemotherapy is indicated for premenopausal patients and that tamoxifen is useful for postmenopausal patients whose tumors contain estrogen or progesterone receptors. The recent analysis of several studies has suggested that chemotherapy may add to the benefits of tamoxifen in some postmenopausal patients as well. A possible role for tamoxifen in younger patients is being evaluated. For patients at relatively low risk of systemic relapse (i.e., those with zero to three involved axillary lymph nodes), no chemotherapy regimen has yet shown an advantage over 6 months of cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil. For patients at high risk, however, doxorubicin-based regimens have demonstrated benefits. High-dose chemotherapies, some involving autologous bone marrow support, are being investigated for patients with ten or more involved nodes who are at very high risk of the eventual development of stage IV disease.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols

Effective systemic therapy for spinal epidural metastases from breast carcinoma.

A complete resolution of spinal epidural metastases following systemic therapy, consisting of chemotherapy and/or hormonal therapy, is reported in four patients with breast carcinoma. Remissions were of substantially longer duration than previous remissions induced by radiotherapy. Single systemic therapy is an underestimated way of treatment for spinal epidural metastases. This way of treatment should be considered when radiotherapy has failed. Under certain circumstances it might even be considered as primary treatment. The protracted remissions following systemic therapy, even in the case of a complete myelographic block, warrant further clinical studies concerning this mode of treatment.

Adult

Primary systemic therapy for operable breast cancer.

Eighty-eight patients presenting with operable breast cancer of 4 cm or greater in diameter (T2, T3, N0, N1, M0) have received primary systemic therapy. Response was assessed following 12 weeks of systemic therapy by linear regression analysis of changes in tumour volume. Definitive locoregional surgery (mastectomy n = 82, wide local excision n = 6) was performed on completion of systemic therapy (3-6 months). Response was observed in 24 (39%) of the 61 patients who received endocrine therapy; all 24 had tumours with an oestrogen receptor (ER) concentration of greater than or equal to 20 fmol mb-1 cytosol protein. Cytotoxic therapy was reserved for patients with tumours of ER concentration less than 20 fmol mg-1 cytosol protein (n = 27) or when endocrine therapy had failed (n = 20). Response was observed in 34 patients (72%). The overall survival rate at 3 years was 86%, with 81% remaining free from local relapse. We propose that the treatment policy outlined in this paper should now be tested against orthodox management by controlled randomised trial.

Adult

[Unilateral chronic granulomatous blepharitis as a leading symptom of Oriental cutaneous leishmaniasis in Germany. Giesma stain as rapid diagnosis and initial description of systemic therapy with gamma-interferon].

Nine months after leaving the Lebanon, a four-year-old immigrant boy presented with a 5 months history of blepharitis. The lesion remained therapy-resistant for aminoglycoside antibiotics. Six months later, the patient presented with an indolent granulomatous necrotizing purulent blepharitis and follicular conjunctivitis. Diagnosis was made by Giemsa stain and histopathology, which revealed amastigotes in macrophages consistent with the diagnosis of oriental cutaneous leishmaniasis. Therapy with systemic recombinant gamma Interferon, which is described for the first time in this disease entity, resulted in a successful primary healing of the cutaneous lesion. Self-healing epithelial keratitis was the only side-effect observed. Ophthalmologists in Germany should be aware of the differential diagnosis of oriental cutaneous Leishmaniasis in patients suffering from chronic granulomatous lid lesions of patients from countries endemic/epidemic for Leishmaniasis. Laboratory diagnosis is simple. Insights into the immunology of infection have made possible novel therapeutic avenues using gamma-Interferon being effective without serve side-effects and allowing for a good primary healing of the cutaneous lesions.

Biopsy

Adjuvant systemic therapy for operable breast cancer.

Adjuvant systemic therapy is now an important and recognized part of the initial management of patients with operable breast cancer. Its value in delaying relapse and prolonging total survival is established for disease of poor prognosis. For premenopausal patients the currently advised treatment is a 6 months course of CMF polychemotherapy and for postmenopausal patients it is daily tamoxifen for 2-5 years. For patients with disease of good prognosis there is a need to evaluate, within randomized trials, the usefulness of newer biological indicators of prognosis to improve selection for and of treatment. Continued monitoring of long-term results for delayed morbidity is also necessary.

Adult

HMGA2 links morphological evolution and microenvironment dynamics to systemic therapy response in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) exhibits significant heterogeneity due to morphological changes and tumor microenvironment dynamics, influencing systemic therapy responses. While the role of high-mobility group AT-hook 2 (HMGA2) in tumor progression has been implicated in other cancers, its significance in ccRCC remains unclear. This study investigates the role of HMGA2 in these processes and its clinical impact. METHODS: Spatial transcriptomics (ST) was performed on primary ccRCC samples to investigate expression trajectories associated with HMGA2 expression and morphological evolution. In metastatic ccRCC cohorts treated with systemic therapy, immunohistochemistry and bulk RNA sequencing data were analyzed to evaluate molecular and clinical features in relation to HMGA2. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data were used to explore immune cell populations and their interactions. Based on these findings, multiplex immunohistochemistry (mIHC) assessed spatial distribution, cell-cell interactions, and pathological responses of key immune populations. RESULTS: HMGA2 expression was associated with aggressive morphological patterns, such as solid sheets and rhabdoid/sarcomatoid. ST revealed a progressive increase in HMGA2 expression along the morphological trajectory, marked by a shift from clear to eosinophilic cytoplasm, with eccentric nuclei and prominent nucleoli, and loss of vascular architecture. HMGA2-high tumors exhibited aggressive phenotypes driven by cell cycle, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and inflammatory signaling pathways. Clinically, patients with high HMGA2 had worse progression-free survival but responded better to immune checkpoint inhibitor combination (Combo-ICI) therapy than to tyrosine kinase inhibitor monotherapy. To assess the immune landscape, scRNA-seq data revealed that HMGA2-high tumors were enriched with progenitor exhausted CD8+ T cells (Tpex), along with increased frequencies of conventional dendritic cell type 1 (cDC1) and inflammatory cDC type 2, which were found to interact with Tpex via ICAM-1. mIHC confirmed that Tpex were enriched among Combo-ICI responders in HMGA2-high tumors, with higher densities and closer proximity to ICAM-1+ cDC1. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that dynamic HMGA2 expression contributes to morphological evolution and modulates immune responses through enhanced Tpex-cDCs engagement, serving as a potential marker for systemic therapy response in ccRCC. However, additional experimental studies are required to validate these mechanisms.

Humans

Bone scan flare predicts successful systemic therapy for bone metastases.

Changes in osteoblast function, assessed by serial bone scans and serum alkaline phosphatase bone isoenzyme (ALP-Bl) and osteocalcin, have been studied in 53 patients receiving systemic therapy for bone metastases from advanced breast cancer. In 12/16 patients with healing of lytic disease on x-ray a paradoxical deterioration in the bone scan appearances after 3 mo treatment was seen. This was characterized by increased activity in baseline lesions and the appearance of new foci of tracer uptake; changes which are indistinguishable from progressive disease. After 6 mo successful treatment the bone scan improved with reduced tracer uptake and no new lesions since the 3-mo scan. New lesions appearing after 6 mo indicated progressive disease. These changes are attributed to a flare in osteoblast activity induced by successful systemic therapy and confirmed by a transient rise in osteocalcin and ALP-Bl. After 1 mo of treatment 15/16 responders showed a rise in both parameters compared with only 5/23 nonresponders (p = less than 0.001). The flare response is the rule rather than the exception after successful systemic therapy for bone metastases. The appearance of new lesions or increasing activity in known lesions during the first 3 mo is as likely to herald radiological response as disease progression.

Adult

Systemic therapy in node-negative patients: updated findings from NSABP clinical trials. National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project.

This report updates findings from two National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) clinical trials conducted to evaluate the worth of systemic therapy for the treatment of node-negative breast cancer patients. In trial B-13, 737 women with estrogen receptor (ER)-negative tumors treated by sequential methotrexate and fluorouracil (MTX----5-FU) followed by leucovorin were compared with a control group treated by surgery alone. Findings for all patients through 5 years of follow-up indicate a 27% reduction in treatment failure as a result of MTX----5-FU (76% vs 67%). While patients 49 years old or less and 50 years old or more benefited significantly from MTX----5-FU, the effect on disease-free survival (DFS) was greatest in those 50 years or older, where a 50% reduction in treatment failure occurred (86% vs 72%). A 69% reduction in mortality resulting from MTX----5-FU was observed in the older group (95% vs 84%). Trial B-14 compared placebo with tamoxifen (TMX) in 2844 patients with ER-positive tumors. As originally reported, findings through 5 years of follow-up indicate a significant reduction (36%) in treatment failure as a result of the TMX (82% vs 72%). Improvement in DFS was highly significant in both age groups. In patients 49 years old or younger, there was a 44% reduction in DFS (81% vs 66%) and, in those 50 years old or more, a 31% reduction (82% vs 74%). A Cox proportional hazards model failed to indicate a benefit from MTX----5-FU and TMX in all patient subgroups. Both therapies reduced local-regional and distant recurrence, as well as breast tumor recurrence following lumpectomy. Updated findings from trials B-13 and B-14 continue to support our conclusions that (a) no subgroups of node-negative patients that we examined have such a good outcome as to preclude the use of effective systemic therapy in their treatment and (b) despite the benefits observed from MTX----5-FU and TMX, no subgroup of patients was so affected as to preclude use of a particular subgroup in assessing other therapy regimens in additional clinical trials. The identification and evaluation of markers to determine which patients should receive systemic therapy are of the highest priority. At present, however, the use of markers for therapeutic decision making regarding individual patients is tenuous.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols

Short term high density systemic therapy for metastatic breast cancer.

Twenty-three patients with metastatic breast carcinoma were induced with a complex systemic therapy regimen in an attempt to ascertain if a complete remission rate greater than 50% could be obtained with intensive drug exposure. The durability of the remissions was observed by discontinuing therapy after 3 cycles in complete remission or after 6 cycles of treatment, whichever was longer. In 13 patients consolidation radiation therapy to the pre-treatment sites of disease was administered after discontinuing systemic therapy. Each 28 day cycle of the drug regimen consisted of pulses of adriamycin, vincristine, dibromodulcitol, prednisone, methotrexate with leukovorin rescue, hexamethylmelamine, bleomycin (discontinued after entry #17), fluoxymesterone, and tamoxifen. Eighteen of the 23 patients achieved complete remissions (78%) and 3 had partial remissions. The median times to treatment failure and survival were, respectively, 12.3 and 19.4 mos. The times for complete remission patients were, respectively, 13.5 and 23.9 mos. Consolidation radiotherapy at greater than or equal to 40 Gy to drug induced pre-study sites of complete remission was associated with first relapses at pre-study sites in 5/30 (17%) instances, compared to 21/35 (60%) in sites not receiving radiotherapy. Side-effects were commensurate with the intensity of the treatment program and are detailed in the text. Although the achievement of a high complete remission rate is promising, the failure to extend their duration beyond that of historical data suggests that additional conceptual and therapeutic approaches need to be explored.

Altretamine

Systemic therapy in resectable breast cancer.

There is now convincing evidence that adjuvant systemic therapy for high-risk breast cancer can significantly reduce tumor mortality at 5 years. The overall treatment benefit for women with node-positive tumors may be considered moderate but clinically important. The most frequent choices of chemotherapy and hormonal therapy are discussed. In patients with node-negative receptor-negative tumors there is preliminary evidence of benefit from adjuvant combination chemotherapy. Primary (neoadjuvant) chemotherapy can allow conservative surgery in most tumors suitable for mastectomy, but this form of treatment remains, at present, experimental. Potential long-term toxicity from systemic adjuvant therapy should be continuously monitored.

Antineoplastic Agents

[Systemic therapy of male subfertility].

Almost 90% of subfertile patients show no specific aetiological condition to account for their pathological spermiogram and therefore have to be subjected to non-causal systemic therapy. The retrospective analysis of 212 patients who were treated with 30 mg tamoxifen daily because of oligozoospermia showed a significant (p less than 0.001) increase in sperm density without influencing other ejaculate parameters. The gravidity rate amounted to 32% after 6 months of therapy, on average. 147 patients with isolated asthenozoospermia treated by means of 600 IU kallikrein daily showed a resultant significant elevation (p less than 0.002) in sperm motility only. Endocrine profiles showed no statistical changes. The gravidity rate was 37%. Combination therapy with tamoxifen and kallikrein resulted in a significant increase in both sperm density and motility in males with oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT-syndrome) provided pretherapeutic levels were above 10 million sperms/ml. The problems encountered in the systemic therapy of male subfertility are discussed.

Adolescent

Evolutionary and resistance dynamics in oligometastatic and oligoprogressive cancer treated with stereotactic radiotherapy and systemic therapies: A systematic review and focused meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Oligometastatic and oligoprogressive disease treated with stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) represents a clinically heterogeneous entity. Increasing evidence suggests that anatomical definitions alone may not adequately capture underlying biological diversity. This systematic review aimed to synthesize translational evidence exploring evolutionary dynamics, resistance mechanisms, and biomarker-driven stratification in patients treated with SABR. METHODS: A systematic literature review was performed including prospective and retrospective studies evaluating translational biomarkers in oligometastatic or oligoprogressive settings treated with SABR. Studies assessing genomic, transcriptomic, circulating or immune-related biomarkers were included. Data were summarized qualitatively according to predefined translational domains: (i) evolutionary dynamics under systemic therapy pressure, (ii) baseline biological stratification, (iii) longitudinal circulating biomarkers, and (iv) systemic immune remodeling. Exploratory quantitative visual syntheses were performed using reported hazard ratios when conceptually comparable endpoints were available. RESULTS: 19 studies comprising 1527 patients were included. Across tumor types and treatment contexts, translational analyses consistently indicated that anatomically defined oligometastatic states encompass biologically distinct subgroups with different risks of systemic progression. Studies evaluating oligoprogression under ongoing systemic therapy suggested a distinction between spatially constrained resistance and systemic molecular escape, supported by circulating tumor DNA and tissue- or plasma-based molecular profiling (including genomic and transcriptomic analyses). Baseline biological features, including adverse genomic signatures and circulating biomarkers, were associated with inferior progression outcomes despite metastasis-directed therapy. Longitudinal biomarkers provided early signals of treatment response and systemic control. Immune remodeling after SABR showed context-dependent effects, both systemic immune activation and treatment-related immunosuppression reported across studies.

Humans

Adjuvant systemic therapy in "early" breast cancer.

"Early" breast cancer is a systemic disease in the majority of cases. Progress has been and is being made toward the determination of those women at risk of recurrence. Attractive as it seems, the value of systemic adjuvant therapy, given at the time of minimal tumour load i.e., after mastectomy, is not proven. Therefore, for the average case it is better to treat the cancer locally and to observe and leave further evaluation of systemic therapy to those centres which are able to conduct controlled, randomized trails.

Antineoplastic Agents