PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Switch of breast tumors to HER2-low in recurrence may provide greater therapeutic options

ESMO Breast Cancer 2021 Virtual Congress, 5-8 May

Switch of breast tumors to HER2-low in recurrence may provide greater therapeutic options
2021-05-08
(Press-News.org) Lugano, Switzerland, 8 May 2021 - The finding that breast tumours can evolve to express low HER2 potentially widens the number of patients who can benefit from new investigational agents, typically novel antibody-drug conjugate therapies, that are currently in clinical trials for HER2-low tumours.

The first study of its kind exploring how breast cancers change from the primary to the recurrent tumour has revealed that nearly 30% of breast cancer patients convert from, or to, human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER)2-low status. Specifically, the study found that 14% of triple-negative breast cancers with HER2-negative expression (also referred to as HER2-0) in the primary tumour converted to HER2-low expression in the recurrent tumour possibly offering an option to such hard-to-treat tumours.

Traditionally, breast cancers are categorised as: hormone receptor positive (HR+)/HER 2-negative, (also known as luminal-like), HER2-positive, or triple negative (negative for oestrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, and excess HER2 protein). HER2-low refers to HER2-negative tumours with low HER2 biomarker expression. About half of breast cancers classified as HER2-negative show low HER2 expression.

Presenting the findings at this year's ESMO Breast Cancer Virtual Congress is Dr Federica Miglietta, School of Oncology, University of Padua, Italy. (1) "The results provide a whole new insight on how HER2-low tumours might evolve as a subgroup, possibly challenging the current dichotomy between HER2-positive and HER2-negative breast cancer," she said. "Our findings stress the importance of re-testing HER2 expression on tumour relapse since it might provide the option of new therapeutic opportunities, currently in a trial, and hopefully in the near future, in the clinic." Several clinical trials are ongoing in HER2-low breast cancer.

In total, 29% of recurrent breast cancer biopsies showed conversion either from, or to, HER2-low expression. In primary tumours and relapse tumours, HER2-low expression was seen in 34% and 38% of tumours, respectively. A total of 15% HER2-negative tumours switched to HER2-low tumours, and 14% HER2-low switched to HER2-negative.

The study also confirmed that HER2-low expression was more frequent in HR+/HER2-negative tumours compared to triple negative tumours (47% vs 36% on primary tumour samples, 54% vs 36% on relapse samples). Plus, the switch from HER2-negative to HER2-low in primary to recurrent tumours was 21% vs 14% in luminal-like and triple negative, respectively.

Commenting on the findings, Professor Aleix Prat, Head Medical Oncology, at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Spain said: "These changes on HER2-low levels are substantial. There could be a biological rationale for this, or a technical one, given that there is currently no standardisation of how to determine levels of the HER2 biomarker in metastatic biopsies, which could be biopsied from skin, liver or bone and give different results."

"We need to work out how the HER2 status determines response to therapies - is it the HER2 status in the primary tumour, or in the metastatic biopsy that is important? Maybe some patients have HER2-low expression in metastatic tumours and now respond when they didn't previously, and this might change again over time and further relapses."

"This all speaks to a much greater need to biopsy metastatic tumours. Importantly, we need to determine who will benefit from treatments for HER2-low, because patients will be asking about this in the clinic soon if trial results are positive," said Prat.

INFORMATION:

Notes to Editors Please make sure to use the official name of the meeting in your reports: ESMO Breast Cancer Virtual Congress 2021

Official Congress Hashtag: #ESMOBreast21

Disclaimer This press release contains information provided by the author of the highlighted abstract and reflects the content of this abstract. It does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the ESMO who cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the data. Commentators quoted in the press release are required to comply with the ESMO Declaration of Interests policy and the ESMO Code of Conduct.

References 1 https://www.esmo.org/meetings/esmo-breast-2021-virtual 2 Abstract 4MO_PR 'HER2-low breast cancer: evolution from primary breast cancer to relapse.' will be presented by Federica Miglietta during the Mini Oral Session 2 on Saturday, 8 May, 12:45-14:00 (CEST). Annals of Oncology, Volume 32, Supplement 2, May 2021

About the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) ESMO is the leading professional organisation for medical oncology. With more than 25,000 members representing oncology professionals from over 160 countries worldwide, ESMO is the society of reference for oncology education and information. ESMO is committed to offer the best care to people with cancer, through fostering integrated cancer care, supporting oncologists in their professional development, and advocating for sustainable cancer care worldwide. http://www.esmo.org

4MO_PR - HER2-low breast cancer: evolution from primary breast cancer to relapse.??

F. Miglietta1, G. Griguolo1, M. Bottosso1, T. Giarratano2, M. Lo Mele3, M. Fassan4, M. Cacciatore5, E. Genovesi1, D. De Bartolo4, G. Vernaci2, P.F. Conte1, V. Guarneri1, M.V. Dieci1 1Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology (DISCOG), University of Padova, Padova, Italy,2Dipartimento di Oncologia 2, IOV - Istituto Oncologico Veneto IRCCS, Padova, Italy,3Surgical Pathology Unit, University Hospital of Padova, Padova, Italy,4Department of Medicine (DIMED), Surgical Pathology & Cytopathology Unit, University of Padova, Padova, Italy,5Department of Pathology and Molecular Genetics, Treviso General Hospital, Treviso, Italy

Background: About a half of breast cancers traditionally classified as HER2-negative show a low HER2 expression (IHC 1+ or IHC 2+ and ISH negative) that can be targeted by new antibody-drug conjugates. There is no data on the evolution of HER2-low status from primary tumor to relapse.

Methods: Patients with matched primary and relapse breast cancer samples from two Institutions (IOV-IRCCS Padova and Treviso Hospital) were included. HER2 was evaluated according to ASCO/CAP recommendations in place at the time of diagnosis. Cases diagnosed between 2007 and 2013 were reviewed by IHC to comply with the cutoff of >10% cells staining for HER2 positivity. Moreover, 100 random samples were reviewed by a blinded pathologist: agreement with the original report was 80%. HER2-neg cases were sub-classified as HER2-low (IHC 1+, or IHC 2+ and ISH not amplified), or HER2-0 (IHC 0).

Results: 575 patients were included. Primary?tumor?phenotype was: 59% luminal-like (HR+/HER2-neg), 25% HER2-pos, 16% triple negative. The proportion of HER2-low cases was 34% on the primary tumor and 38% on the relapse samples. Among HER2-neg cases, HER2-low status was more frequent in Luminal-like vs triple negative tumors (47% vs 41% on primary tumor samples, p=0.268;?54% vs 40% on relapse samples, p=0.006). The overall rate of HER2 discordance was 38% (Table 1), mostly represented by HER2-0 switching to HER2-low (15%) and HER2-low switching to HER2-0 (14%). A minority (9%) of cases lost or acquired HER2-positivity. Among patients with a primary HER2-neg?tumor, the rate of HER2 discordance was higher in luminal-like vs triple negative cases (45% vs 35% p=0.080). This difference was mostly driven by cases switching from HER2-0 to HER2-low: 40% of luminal-like/HER2-0 vs 24% of triple negative/HER2-0 patients (p=0.088).

Conclusions: HER2-low expression is highly unstable during disease evolution. Relapse biopsy in case of a primary HER2-0 tumor may open new opportunities for treatment in a relevant proportion of patients.

Legal entity responsible for the study: The authors Funding: Has not received any funding Disclosure: M.Fassan: Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), outside the submitted work: Astellas Pharma; Advisory/Consultancy, outside the submitted work:Diaceutics; Advisory/Consultancy, outside the submitted work:Tesaro; Research grant/Funding (institution), outside the submitted work: QED Therapeutics. P.F. Conte: Research grant/Funding (institution), outside the submitted work: Merck; Honoraria (self), Research grant/Funding (institution), outside the submitted work: Roche; Honoraria (self), outside the submitted work: Novartis; Honoraria (self), outside the submitted work: Lilly. V. Guarneri: Honoraria (self), Research grant/Funding (institution), outside the submitted work: Roche; Honoraria (self), outside the submitted work: Novartis; Honoraria (self), outside the submitted work: Eli Lilly. M.V. Dieci: Honoraria (self), outside the submitted work: Genomic Health; Honoraria (self), outside the submitted work: Eli Lilly; Honoraria (self), outside the submitted work: Celgene. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Switch of breast tumors to HER2-low in recurrence may provide greater therapeutic options

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Mild COVID-19 infection is very unlikely to cause lasting heart damage

2021-05-08
Mild Covid-19 infection is very unlikely to cause lasting damage to the structure or function of the heart, according to a study led by UCL (University College London) researchers and funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and Barts Charity. The researchers say the results, published in JACC Cardiovascular Imaging, should reassure the public, as they relate to the vast majority of people who had Covid-19 infections with mild or no symptoms. This study of 149 healthcare workers recruited from Barts Health and Royal Free London NHS Trusts is the largest and most detailed study to date into ...

Ice core data show why, despite lower sulfur emissions in US and Western Europe, air pollution is dropping more slowly

Ice core data show why, despite lower sulfur emissions in US and Western Europe, air pollution is dropping more slowly
2021-05-08
The air in the United States and Western Europe is much cleaner than even a decade ago. Low-sulfur gasoline standards and regulations on power plants have successfully cut sulfate concentrations in the air, reducing the fine particulate matter that harms human health and cleaning up the environmental hazard of acid rain. Despite these successes, sulfate levels in the atmosphere have declined more slowly than sulfur dioxide emissions, especially in wintertime. This unexpected phenomenon suggests sulfur dioxide emission reductions are less efficient than expected for cutting sulfate aerosols. A new study led by Tokyo ...

The Lancet Rheumatology: Largest study to date confirms non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications do not result in worse COVID-19 outcomes

2021-05-08
The use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, does not lead to higher rates of death or severe disease in patients who are hospitalised with COVID-19, according to a new observational study of more than 72,000 people in the UK published in The Lancet Rheumatology journal. NSAIDs are common treatments for acute pain and rheumatological diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthrosis. Early in the pandemic, there was debate on whether the use of such drugs increased the severity of COVID-19, which led to urgent calls for investigations between NSAIDs and COVID-19. The ISARIC CCP-UK (International Severe Acute Respiratory and emerging ...

The legume family tree

The legume family tree
2021-05-07
The most comprehensive study of the family tree for legumes, the plant family that includes beans, soybeans, peanuts, and many other economically important crop plants, reveals a history of whole-genome duplications. The study also helps to uncover the evolution of genes involved in nitrogen fixation--a key trait likely important in the evolutionary spread and diversification of legumes and vital for their use as "green manure" in agriculture. To reconstruct the family tree, researchers compared the DNA sequence of more than 1500 genes from 463 different legume species, including 391 newly sequenced species, that span the diversity of this large plant family. A paper describing the ...

New research sets stage for development of salmonella vaccine

2021-05-07
With the COVID-19 vaccines on many people's minds, some may be surprised to learn that we do not yet have vaccines for many common infectious diseases. Take salmonella, for example, which can infect people through contaminated food, water and animals. According to the World Health Organization, non-typhoidal salmonella infection affects more than 95 million people globally each year, leading to an estimated 2 million deaths annually. There is no approved vaccine for salmonella in humans, and some strains are antibiotic-resistant. But just as scientists spent decades doing the ...

New study examines social network's relation to binge drinking among adults

New study examines social networks relation to binge drinking among adults
2021-05-07
For some people, social gatherings can be a time to imbibe. And for some, that can turn into a time to overindulge. But how do your neighborhood and your social network affect binge drinking? Along with colleagues at the RAND corporation in Santa Monica, Indiana University researcher Hank Green examined how neighborhood and social network characteristics were related to adult binge drinking. He and his co-authors found that both factors play a role in how much someone drinks, information that can help us better understand binge drinking among adults. The study was published in the journal Health and Place, indexed in Science Direct and PubMed. "Adults living ...

Archaeologists pinpoint population for the Greater Angkor region

Archaeologists pinpoint population for the Greater Angkor region
2021-05-07
EUGENE, Ore. -- May 7, 2021 -- Long-running archaeological research, boosted by airborne lidar sensing and machine-learning algorithms, finds that Cambodia's Greater Angkor region was home to 700,000-900,000 people. The sprawling city, which thrived from the 9th to 15th centuries, has slowly revealed its forest-hidden past to archaeologists, but its total population has been a mystery. The new estimate, made possible by a study designed at the University of Oregon, is the first for the entire 3,000-square-kilometer mix of urban and rural landscape. The findings published May 7 in the journal ...

Stop the genetic presses!

Stop the genetic presses!
2021-05-07
The protein, known as NusG, pauses the transcription machinery at specific DNA sequences to facilitate what is called "intrinsic termination" and prevent unwanted transcription that could disrupt cellular function. A new study, led by Penn State researchers, shows that NusG and the related protein, NusA, together facilitate termination at about 88% of the intrinsic terminators in the bacteria Bacillus subtilis. Understanding this process expands our basic knowledge of this key cellular function and could eventually aid in the development of antibiotics that target and disrupt gene regulation ...

Sleep disorders tally $94.9 billion in health care costs each year

2021-05-07
Boston, Mass. – Sleep disorders are associated with significantly higher rates of health care utilization, conservatively placing an additional $94.9 billion in costs each year to the United States health care system, according to a new study from researchers at Mass Eye and Ear, a member hospital of Mass General Brigham. In their new analysis, published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, the researchers found the number of medical visits and prescriptions filled were nearly doubled in people with sleep disorders such as sleep apnea and insomnia, compared to similar people without. Affected patients were also more likely to visit the emergency department and have more comorbid medical ...

Turning a pancreatic cancer cell's addiction into a death sentence

Turning a pancreatic cancer cells addiction into a death sentence
2021-05-07
(Toronto, Friday, May 7, 2021) -- Probing the unique biology of human pancreatic cancer cells in a laboratory has yielded unexpected insights of a weakness that can be used against the cells to kill them. Led by Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (PM) Scientist Dr. Marianne Koritzinsky, researchers showed that about half of patient-derived pancreatic cancer cell lines are highly dependent or "addicted" to the protein peroxiredoxin 4 (PRDX4), as a result of the altered metabolic state of the cancer cell. This addiction is vital for the cancer cell's survival, thereby also making it a precise, potential target against the cancer. Pancreatic cancer is a deadly disease with an overall five-year survival of only eight per cent. Moreover, 36% to 46% of patients who undergo surgery with ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Is your partner’s disturbed sleep keeping you up at night? Letting go of unattainable dreams may keep you both happy in bed

Molecular orientation is key: shining new light on electron behavior using 2-photon photoemission spectroscopy

Continuous non-invasive glucose sensing on the horizon with the development of a new optical sensor.

Brain recordings in people before surgery reveal how all minds plan what to say prior to speaking

A KAIST-Seoul National University Hospital research team develops a computational workflow that predicts metabolites and metabolic pathways associated with somatic mutations in cancers

Bendable energy storage materials by cool science

Inorganic nitrate can help protect patients against kidney damage caused during coronary angiographic procedures

Active social lives help dementia patients, caregivers thrive

New technique measures psilocybin potency of mushrooms

UC Irvine-led research team discovers role of key enzymes that drive cancer mutations

All creatures great and small: Sequencing the blue whale and Etruscan shrew genomes

Sustainable solution for wastewater polluted by dyes used in many industries

Food companies’ sponsorship of children’s sports encourages children to buy their products, Canadian research suggests

USC receives $3.95 million CIRM grant for organoid resource center

New research finds boreal arctic wetlands are producing more methane over time

TLI Investigator Dr. Wei Yan named Editor-in-Chief of the Andrology Journal

New study reveals insights into COVID-19 antibody response durability

Climate change alters the hidden microbial food web in peatlands

Text nudges can increase uptake of COVID-19 boosters– if they play up a sense of ownership of the vaccine

A new study shows how neurochemicals affect fMRI readings

Digital reminders for flu vaccination improves turnout, but not clinical outcomes in older adults

Avatar will not lie... or will it? Scientists investigate how often we change our minds in virtual environments

8-hour time-restricted eating linked to a 91% higher risk of cardiovascular death

Alternative tidal wetlands in plain sight overlooked Blue Carbon superstars

The majority of Americans do not support anti-democratic behavior, even when elected officials do

Genes identified that allow bacteria to thrive despite toxic heavy metal in soil

Scientists’ discovery could reduce dependence on animals for vital anti-blood clot drug

Artificial streams reveal how drought shapes California’s alpine ecosystems

Not in my backyard? Wind turbines have little effect on US property values

The costs of a changing landscape

[Press-News.org] Switch of breast tumors to HER2-low in recurrence may provide greater therapeutic options
ESMO Breast Cancer 2021 Virtual Congress, 5-8 May