Refining Individual Risk in Breast Cancer

At the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, Joseph A. Sparano, MD (Montefiore Medical Center) orally presented the results of a meta-analysis in which he and colleagues developed and validated a new prognostic tool, RSClin™. The online resource integrates patients’ clinical–pathological features and 21-gene recurrence score test results to more precisely guide adjuvant chemotherapy, particularly in nuanced cases of node-negative breast cancer.

Read the feature on RSClin™ in this issue.

Next Steps for HDAC Inhibitors in Breast Cancer after E2112

Following her oral presentation at the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, Roisin M. Connolly, MD (University College Cork, Ireland), discussed the phase III E2112 trial's negative results with several news outlets. E2112 explored the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor entinostat in combination with endocrine therapy in patients with advanced breast cancer whose disease had developed resistance to aromatase inhibitor therapy.

"Although E2112 did not find a survival benefit for entinostat in these patients, it was extremely important that we answered an important research question with assistance from the 608 patients who enrolled in E2112," Dr. Connolly says. "Other studies are exploring HDAC inhibitors in different breast cancer settings including the potential immune-modulatory impact of entinostat and other HDAC inhibitors. Pending the outcomes of these trials, there may still be a role for HDAC inhibitors in treating solid tumors, such as breast cancer, in the future. I am so grateful to the study team, the sites, and the participating patients for helping to answer a crucial clinical question."

Record Accrual for TMIST

Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the holiday season, the TMIST breast cancer screening trial posted its three highest monthly enrollments in the fourth quarter of 2020 (October-December). At year-end, the study had enrolled 37,807 participants at 104 sites in the US and worldwide. As organized medicine works to achieve equity in healthcare, TMIST is one of the most inclusive clinical trials ever performed. Nearly 20% of the enrollees from the US are Black women. The average Black cohort in US clinical trials is approximately 8%.

Community Cancer Committee Reforms

The ECOG-ACRIN Community Cancer Committee, led by Matthias Weiss, MD, PhD (Mayo Clinic), is in the process of reforming, with a new charter, new membership, and the creation of a core committee. The purpose of the committee is to help facilitate rapid protocol development across scientific committees, assist with identifying accrual barriers to EA trials when needed, and support trial adoption and accrual efforts at community-based sites. The core committee intends to expand community participation in ECOG-ACRIN by engaging more community oncologists in ECOG ACRIN’s various committees, subcommittees, and working groups. Look for more details about this initiative in a future issue.

Radiological Society of North America Honors David Mankoff

David Mankoff, MD, PhD (University of Pennsylvania), Co-Chair of the ECOG-ACRIN Biomarker Steering Committee, Co-Chair of the Scientific Planning Committee, and active member of multiple disease-oriented scientific and imaging-science committees, was named Outstanding Researcher for 2020 by the RSNA. The award honors that pioneer who has fundamentally changed the future of the field of radiology. As one of the foremost authorities in nuclear medicine/PET, Dr. Mankoff is a molecular imaging science leader and a pioneer in developing whole-body PET imaging. Watch the tribute video.

Research Advocacy Network: Voices in Health Equity Symposium

ECOG-ACRIN is co-sponsoring the Research Advocacy Network’s Voices in Health Equity Symposium, taking place throughout January. The Symposium features four presentations by leaders in the field, including Melissa Simon, MD, MPH (Northwestern University), chair of the ECOG-ACRIN Health Equity Committee. The Symposium highlights inclusive, patient-centered communication practices that reach and represent all voices.

Learn more or register for the Symposium’s roundtable discussion on February 3, 2021.