Breast Cancer Tweets From AACR 2012 Annual Meeting

AACR 2012 meeting summary - Breast cancer

Epidemiology, survival rate

• Breast cancer is the most common noncutaneous cancer diagnosed in women in the U.S. #AACR — J Nat'l Cancer Inst (@JNCI_Now) April 3, 2012 
• The 5-year survival rate for breast cancer for caucasian women is 81%, compared to 64% for African-American women. #AACR — J Nat'l Cancer Inst (@JNCI_Now) April 3, 2012

• #AACR: 1-2% increased survival in breast cancer patients in last 15 years; in part due to personalized treatments. -- J Nat'l Cancer Inst‏ @JNCI_Now 2:42 PM - 2 Apr 12 via web • Tweet

Risk

• #AACR Long-term use of estrogen + progesterone & estrogen-only hormone therapy are linked with a higher risk for developing breast cancer. -- Medscape Oncology‏ @MedscapeOnc 12:27 PM - 1 Apr 12 via bitly • Tweet
• AACR: Study links long-term #estrogen use to#breast cancer http://ow.ly/a2aHP #AACR. -- OncologyNurseAdvisor‏ @ONAcom 2:40 PM - 2 Apr 12 via HootSuite • Tweet 

• #AACR Older pts with early luminal A breast cancer have low risk of relapse, & possibly can forgo radiation &be managed with tamoxifen alone. -- Medscape‏ @Medscape 12:03 PM - 1 Apr 12 via bitly • Tweet 

• Woah -> Nurses & flight attnds have 3-fold risk of developing breast cancer. Do you work night shift? Join the Army of Women! #AACR — Jamie Ledezma (@blakesmum) April 3, 2012

Prevention

• Cruciferous veges consumption linked to improved breast cancer survival rates: bit.ly/HPOAlV #aacr #bcsm #breastcancer — Jennifer Thompson (@Jenntrix) April 3, 2012
• In NHSII, eating more fiber in high school years links to lower risk of precursor lesions linked to later breast cancer. Colditz #AACR — AICR(@aicrtweets) April 3, 2012

Drugs, Trials - AE37

• #AACR: Ph II trial shows AE37 to be effective br cancer vaccine; prevents recurrence; targets HER-2 protein. Ph III trial planned. -- J Nat'l Cancer Inst‏ @JNCI_Now 6:49 AM - 2 Apr 12 via web • Tweet
• Peptide Vaccine Stimulates Immune Response in Patients With Breast Cancer http://bit.ly/HDFSHqvia @addthis $GNBT #AACR. -- rjs@pipelinereview‏ @pipelinereview 6:46 AM - 2 Apr 12 via Tweet Button • Tweet
• 【#AACR 101】 Peptide vaccine is a vaccine which comes from a small portion of protein. -- Naoto T. Ueno 上野直人‏ @teamoncology 6:50 AM - 2 Apr 12 via Twitterrific for Mac • Tweet
• Peptide vaccine stimulated immune response in#breastcancer patients. #AACR http://fb.me/1vOj1BkAS . -- Naoto T. Ueno 上野直人‏ @teamoncology 6:48 AM - 2 Apr 12 via Facebook • Tweet
• 【#AACR 101】 AE37 is a HER2 Peptide Vaccine to fight to cancer independent of HLA-type. Vaccine can be HLA restricted which limit pt type. -- Naoto T. Ueno 上野直人‏ @teamoncology 7:17 AM - 2 Apr 12 via Twitterrific for Mac • Tweet
• @teamoncology AE37 promiscous peptide. E75 hla restricted. E75 Ph 3 hla+ node + only, AE37's to be node +/-, hla+/-, wider group. #AACR. -- rjs@pipelinereview‏ @pipelinereview 7:34 AM - 2 Apr 12 via Twitter for Android • Tweet

About Generex's AE37 vaccine

AE37 vaccine is being developed by Antigen Express, Worcester, Mass., a subsidiary of Generex Biotechnology Corporation (OTCBB: GNBT.OB), Toronto, to prevent relapse in patients who had breast cancer.  The vaccine is designed to induce immune response against HER2-positive cancer cells.

The vaccine is being tested in patients with loco-regional breast cancer with low to moderate HER2 expressing tumors.  Currently these patients are treated with chemotherapy or radiotherapy, and are not good candidates for trastuzumab.

"AE37 peptide/GM-CSF vaccine: A vaccine containing HER2/Neu-derived epitope (amino acids 776-790) linked to li-Key peptide (li-Key/HER2/neu hybrid peptide or AE37), and combined with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), with potential antineoplastic and immunoadjuvant activities. Upon vaccination, AE37 may activate the immune system and stimulate T-helper cells against HER2/Neu expressing cancer cells. GM-CSF may potentiate the immune response against cancer cells expressing the HER2/Neu antigen. The Ii-Key moiety, a 4-amino acid (LRMK) epitope from the MHC class II-associated invariant chain (Ii protein), increases T-helper cell stimulation against HER2/neu antigen when compared to unmodified class II epitopes. HER2/neu, a tumor associated antigen (TAA), is overexpressed in a variety of tumor cell types and is highly immunogenic. Check for active clinical trials or closed clinical trials using this agent. (NCI Thesaurus)" -- from cancer.gov

"The key findings from the study (reported at AACR 2012) are that patients receiving AE37 indeed developed a specific immune response as indicated by an increase in circulating T cells in their blood specific for the HER2 fragment as well as a positive skin test (delayed type hypersensitivity).  In addition, patients receiving AE37 demonstrated a reduction in T regulatory cells, which are know to be able to hamper an immune response." -- Generex, press release, April 3, 2012.

About AE vaccine's Phase IIb clinical trial

Randomized single-blinded trial comparing AE37 and GMCSF with GM-CSF alone.  Positive Phase II data continues to filter from various meetings and sources:

"...the approximate 46% reduction in breast cancer recurrence in low HER2 expressing tumors together with excellent safety... Phase I studies clearly identified the potential for AE37 to induce the immune system to focus on the HER2 protein through helper (CD4) and cytotoxic (CD8) immune cells in patients." -- press release.  Jan 3, 2012 (here or here)

Interim data from 215 patients released at the SABCS meeting in December 2012 found 42% fewer disease recurrences in AE37 arm compared to the control arm after a median follow up of 17 months.  Among those patients with low HER2 expression, the recurrence reduction was 49%.  The vaccine was not effective in reducing recurrence in high HER2 expression tumor containing patients.

"Last week, Generex provided an update from this same trial at the Cancer Immunotherapy Summit in Boston. At a median of 22 months follow up with more than 250 patients enrolled, 89 percent of low HER2 expressing patients treated with the AE37-containing regimen experienced disease-free survival compared to around 72 percent in the control arm." -- Genomeweb, March 7, 2012.

Drugs, Trials (continued)

• Two Specific Agents Worse Than One in Treating Endocrine Resistant Breast Cancer Cells http://explore.georgetown.edu/news/?ID=62740&PageTemplateID=295 #AACR. -- Georgetown Lombardi‏ @LombardiCancer 2:02 PM - 2 Apr 12 via web • Tweet  
• #Regeneron has presented preclinical studies of a novel antitumoral antibody #REGN1400.Live from#AACR 2012. -- Cortellis Editorial‏ @Cortellis 3:16 PM - 2 Apr 12 via Twitter for BlackBerry® • Tweet

Neo-adjuvent therapy, prevention therapy

• Powell Brown now talking about breast cancer prevention drugs. First lapatinib- as a neoadjuvent for DCIS breast cancer before surgery.#AACR. -- David Woessner‏ @pinfoto 12:12 PM - 2 Apr 12 via Echofon • Tweet 
• Dasatinib for 3-4 wks as neoadjuvent for triple-neg. BC prior to surgery then subsequent chemo. 2 responders of 22 being evaluated. #AACR. -- David Woessner‏ @pinfoto 12:23 PM - 2 Apr 12 via Echofon • Tweet
• Presurgical lapatinib or Metformin active in a "window of opportunity" trial for DCIS breast cancer. #AACR. -- David Woessner‏ @pinfoto 12:52 PM - 2 Apr 12 via Echofon • Tweet

Diagnostics, biomarkers

• looks like a good one about #NGS of triple negative breast cancer at #AACR http://bit.ly/HHNC0r . -- Ian Taylor‏ @dynemobiosystem 4:29 AM - 2 Apr 12 via Twitter for Mac • Tweet
• Ratio CD68:CD8 predicts survival & response 2 neoadjuvant chemo. CD68high/CD8low expression correlates w/ reduced OS in breast cancer. #AACR. -- Carole Tactacan‏ @carole12 7:48 AM - 2 Apr 12 via Tweetbot for iOS • Tweet

Tumor escape, metastasis, resistance

• Loss of 53BP1 is a possible cause of resistance of BRCA mutated breast tumors to PARP inhibitors in mice #AACR. -- Philippe Aftimos MD‏ @aftimosp 8:52 AM - 2 Apr 12 via Twitter for iPad • Tweet
• Breast Cancer Resistance Linked to Timing of Soy Consumption http://ow.ly/a213N #AACR. -- Georgetown Lombardi‏ @LombardiCancer 11:31 AM - 2 Apr 12 via HootSuite • Tweet

Biology

• Macrophages can account for 10% of breast cancers. #AACR. -- J Nat'l Cancer Inst‏ @JNCI_Now 11:12 AM - 2 Apr 12 via web • Tweet
• Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is the most common type of non-invasive breast cancer. http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/types/dcis/ #AACR. -- David Woessner‏ @pinfoto 12:42 PM - 2 Apr 12 via Twitter for iPad • Tweet

Diagnostics, biomarkers, targets

• #AACR: IDH1 mutations found in many tumor types; 1/3 of breast cancers have PIK3 mutations. -- J Nat'l Cancer Inst‏ @JNCI_Now 2:41 PM - 2 Apr 12 via web • Tweet
• Gene signatures have a easier time predicting prognosis in ER+ cancers than ER- #aacr. -- A6raham And3rs0n‏ @tpolytmus 3:40 PM - 2 Apr 12 via TweetDeck • Tweet
• 【#AACR 101】 Targeting HER3 as part of HER family Rx seems to be the trend in drug development in cancer. MEHD7945A, Pertuzumab, AZD8931 etc. -- Naoto T. Ueno 上野直人‏ @teamoncology 3:47 PM - 2 Apr 12 via Twitterrific for Mac • Tweet
• Scientists at @FoxChaseCancer identify key protein players in hard-to-treat #breast #cancers http://j.mp/HDD5mo #AACR 2012. -- NCI Media Relations‏ @NCIMedia 4:10 PM - 2 Apr 12 via TweetDeck • Tweet

Triple-negative breast cancer

• 【#AACR 101】 What is triple negative #breastcancer? ER-, PR-, HER2- but biologically heterogeneous. JCI paper shows 6 subtypes is TNBC. —Naoto T. Ueno 上野直人 (@teamoncology) April 3, 2012
• 【#AACR 101】 basal like breast cancer and TNBC is not equal biologically. There are ER+ basal type. —Naoto T. Ueno 上野直人 (@teamoncology) April 3, 2012
• Triple-negative tumors are often described as interval cancers; and are commonly found in premenopausal African American women. ##AACR — J Nat'l Cancer Inst (@JNCI_Now) April 3, 2012
• Intriguing data from UMich's Newman on rates of trip-neg breast cancer. Much > in women in Ghana than in African Americans & Whites #AACR. -- Carmen Phillips‏ @CarmenBPhillips 9:15 AM - 2 Apr 12 via HootSuite • Tweet

Epigenetic reprogamming of TNBC cells by SID decoy

• S. Waxman demonstration epigenetic reprograming of TNBC cell lines by SID decoy #BreastCancer #AACR — Philippe Aftimos MD (@aftimosp) April 3, 2012
• S. Waxman: "Reprogramed" TN #BreastCancer cells show changes in morphogenesis after treatment and gain sensitivity to tamoxifen #AACR — Philippe Aftimos MD (@aftimosp) April 3, 2012
• S. Waxman: invasion capability of the triple negative #BreastCancer cell lines is also inhibited #AACR — Philippe Aftimos MD (@aftimosp) April 3, 2012

Message of this session: TNBC is difficult to treat? Turn it into luminal BC using lessons from differentiation therapies in APL #AACR — Philippe Aftimos MD (@aftimosp) April 3, 2012

• @aftimosp: looking forward to discover how to turn triple negative into luminal #BreastCancer with differentiation therapy #AACR — Laura Strong (@scientre) April 3, 2012

PARP inhibitors

• PARP inhibitor takeaways: BRCA1 not equivalent to BRCA2. Not all PARP inhibitors at created equal. #aacr — Laura Strong (@scientre) April 3, 2012
• 【#AACR 101】 There Brca mutation and brca-ness in biology. It generally means DNA repair system is damaged. —Naoto T. Ueno 上野直人 (@teamoncology) April 3, 2012
• @aftimosp In PARP inhibitor sess, talked briefly about secondary mutations restoring BRCA function, possible role of platinum therapy #aacr — Laura Strong (@scientre) April 3, 2012

Advocacy

• Love/Avon Army: Gather 1 mill. women of every age & ethnicity to partner w/ breast cancer researchers to help eradicate cancer. #AACR — J Nat'l Cancer Inst (@JNCI_Now) April 3, 2012

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RELATED AACR 2012 POSTS:

Postcard From the AACR 2012 Annual Meeting - Part 1 - various cancers
Postcard From the AACR 2012 Annual Meeting - Part 2 - funding, trials, epidemiology
Postcard From the AACR 2012 Annual Meeting - Part 3 - personalized medicine, NGS, TCGA
Postcard From the AACR 2012 Annual Meeting - Part 4 - The Grapevine, quotes, and interesting stuff


RELATED BREAST CANCER POSTS:
San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2011: Clinical Trials Report. December 8, 2011.
One-Two Punch: Curbing HER-2 Positive Breast Cancer with Herceptin-Tykerb Combo. January 12, 2012.
EMILIA Study Results: Roche's Trastuzumab Emtansine (T-DM1) Delays Metastatic Breast Cancer Progression. March 31, 2012.