Can Statins Extend Survival in Women With TNBC?

— Link with improved outcomes could have important public health implications, authors say

For women with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), using statins was associated with improved oncologic outcomes, according to results from a retrospective study.

Women who initiated statin use in the 12 months after a TNBC diagnosis had a 58% relative improvement in breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS; standardized HR 0.42, 95% CI 0.20-0.88, P=0.022) and a 30% relative improvement in overall survival (OS; standardized HR 0.70, 95% CI 0.50-0.99, P=0.046), reported Kevin Nead, MD, MPhil, of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and colleagues in the journal Cancer.

When we looked at women without triple-negative disease, "there is absolutely no benefit, or even a hint of a benefit," in regards to BCSS (standardized HR 0.99, 95% CI 0.71-1.39, P=0.97) or OS (standardized HR 1.04, 95% CI 0.92-1.17, P=0.55), Nead told MedPage Today.

"It is important to acknowledge that this study is retrospective," he noted. "But I think this paper makes a strong case that the opportunity to help women with breast cancer by using statins is in those with triple-negative breast cancer, and I think it makes sense, as the next step, to work toward conducting a prospective trial."

There have been numerous studies looking at the association between statin use and breast cancer, with inconsistent results, the authors noted.

There is good biologic evidence that statins decrease breast cancer cell proliferation and increase apoptosis, and they can target key TNBC-associated pathways and can act synergistically with some existing therapies, they observed.

"Given the limited toxicity profile, low cost, and ease of use, an association between statin therapy and improved breast cancer outcomes, particularly in aggressive breast cancer subtypes, could have important public health implications,"...

Read the full new coverage article here:

https://www.medpagetoday.com/hematologyoncology/br...

Journal DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.33797

{No charge but registration may be required. Journal article abstract available w/o charge, full article require a subscription or fee. }

AlabamaDee - That is wonderful news! So happy to hear it! and Cheers! to new drugs!

Share's recorded webinar, "Patient-Centered Dosing for Individuals with MBC" is now available for viewing.

Patient-Centered Dosing for Individuals with MBC

Join the Patient-Centered Dosing Initiative (PCDI)'s Dr. Aditya Bardia, medical oncologist at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and Anne Loeser, patient advocate, author of The Insider's Guide to Metastatic Breast Cancer, to discuss their work with patients and doctors to help select optimal treatment dosage for those living with MBC.

https://www.sharecancersupport.org/patient-centere...

@{Great topic and I so admire the work Anne Loeser has done. No charge to watch! @ 1 hour but platform allows pace control (slower/faster).}

More on the same topic here: https://www.cancertodaymag.org/Pages/cancer-talk/M...

{Free to access. May require registration.... but I don't think so.}

Durability of Response to SARS-CoV-2 BNT162b2 Vaccination in Patients on Active Anticancer Treatment

August 11, 2021

"We recently reported initial findings from a prospective cohort study which evaluated the antispike (anti-S) IgG antibody response to the SARS-CoV-2 BNT162b2 messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine (BioNTech-Pfizer) in patients with solid tumors on active anticancer treatment vs healthy controls.¹ After a median of approximately 5.5 weeks from the second vaccine dose, 90% of the patients with cancer (90/102) and 100% of the healthy controls (78/78) were seropositive, and the median IgG titer in the patients was significantly lower than that in the controls..."

AMA Oncol. Published online August 11, 2021. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2021.4390

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/full...

{No charge for abstract. I was able to down load the full article at no charge.}

Cancer Patients See Sustained Response to COVID Vaccine

— Most patients on active treatment remained seropositive at 4 months

Cancer patients on active treatment achieved sustained responses to the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, though at reduced antibody levels versus healthy controls, according to Israeli investigators.

After about 4 months from the second dose of Pfizer's mRNA vaccine (BNT162b2), 87% of solid tumor patients who had been on active treatment remained seropositive for SARS-CoV-2 antispike IgG antibodies, reported Salomon M. Stemmer, MD, of Rabin Medical Center of Beilinson Hospital in Israel, and colleagues, in a research letter in JAMA Oncology.

"Given the prevalence of breakthrough infections with the Delta variant, these declines may provide justification enough for some patients to pursue a third vaccine booster dose to boost protection," Parikh suggested. "It remains to be seen whether the booster dose could actually improve clinical outcomes, however, and thus clinical trials of the booster dose -- which are ongoing -- are eagerly anticipated."

Read medical news coverage of article at: https://www.medpagetoday.com/hematologyoncology/ot...

{This news seems mostly reassuring. News reporting, abstract and JAMA article all appear to allow free access.}