Ten-year analysis of the prospective multicentre Chemo-N0 trial validates American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)-recommended biomarkers uPA and PAI-1 for therapy decision making in node-negative breast cancer patients

Eur J Cancer. 2013 May;49(8):1825-35. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2013.01.007. Epub 2013 Mar 13.

Abstract

Aim: Final 10-year analysis of the prospective randomised Chemo-N0 trial is presented. Based on the Chemo-N0 interim results and an European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) pooled analysis (n=8377), American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and Arbeitsgemeinschaft Gynäkologische Onkologie (AGO) guidelines recommend invasion and metastasis markers urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA)/plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) for risk assessment and treatment decision in node-negative (N0) breast cancer (BC).

Methods: The final Chemo-N0 trial analysis (recruitment 1993-1998; n=647; 12 centres) comprises 113 (5-167) months of median follow-up. Patients with low-uPA and PAI-1 tumour tissue levels (n=283) were observed. External quality assurance guaranteed uPA/PAI-1 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) standardisation. Of 364 high uPA and/or PAI-1 patients, 242 agreed to randomisation for CMF chemotherapy (n=117) versus observation (n=125).

Results: Actuarial 10-year recurrence rate (without any adjuvant systemic therapy) for high-uPA/PAI-1 observation group patients (randomised and non-randomised) was 23.0%, in contrast to only 12.9% for low-uPA/PAI-1 patients (plog-rank=0.011). High-risk patients randomised to cyclophosphamide-methotrexate-5-fluorouracil (CMF) therapy had a 26.0% lower estimated probability of disease recurrence than those randomised for observation (intention-to-treat (ITT)-analysis: hazard ratio (HR) 0.74 (0.44-1.27); plog-rank=0.28). Per-protocol analysis demonstrated significant treatment benefit: HR 0.48 (0.26-0.88), p=0.019, disease-free survival (DFS) Cox regression, adjusted for tumour stage and grade.

Conclusions: Chemo-N0 is the first prospective biomarker-based therapy trial in early BC defining patients reaching good long-term DFS without adjuvant systemic therapy. Using a standardised uPA/PAI-1 ELISA, almost half of N0-patients could be spared chemotherapy, while high-risk patients benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. These 10-year results validate the long-term prognostic impact of uPA/PAI-1 and the benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy in the high-uPA/PAI-1 group at highest level of evidence. They thus support the guideline-based routine use of uPA/PAI-1 for risk-adapted individualised therapy decisions in N0 breast cancer.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01317108.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use*
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / metabolism
  • Breast Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Breast Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Breast Neoplasms / pathology
  • Chemotherapy, Adjuvant
  • Cyclophosphamide / administration & dosage
  • Decision Making
  • Disease-Free Survival
  • Drug Therapy / methods
  • Drug Therapy / psychology
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Female
  • Fluorouracil / administration & dosage
  • Humans
  • Methotrexate / administration & dosage
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasm Staging
  • Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 / metabolism
  • Prognosis
  • Prospective Studies
  • Risk Factors
  • Time Factors
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator / metabolism

Substances

  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1
  • Cyclophosphamide
  • Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator
  • Fluorouracil
  • Methotrexate

Associated data

  • ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT01317108