The primary joint efficacy analysis of the Anthracyclines in Early Breast Cancer (ABC) trials reported in 2017, failed to demonstrate non-anthracycline adjuvant therapy was non-inferior to anthracycline-based regimens in high-risk, early breast cancer. This abstract reports results of the final analyses of the study efficacy end points conducted with 6.9 years of median follow-up. Long-term analysis of invasive disease-free survival (IDFS), the primary end point of the ABC trials, remains consistent with the original results, as non-inferiority of the non-anthracycline regimens could not be declared on the basis of the original criteria. The secondary end point of recurrence-free interval, which excluded deaths not due to breast cancer as events, favored anthracycline-based regimens, and tests for heterogeneity were significant for hormone receptor status (P = .02) favoring anthracycline regimens for the hormone receptor–negative cohorts.

There was no difference in overall survival, and review of the type of IDFS events in the groups suggested reductions in cancer recurrences achieved with anthracycline regimens were offset by late leukemias and deaths unrelated to breast cancer.

Frequently, early stage cancer studies do not complete and publish longer term results, so this recent item in JCO on breast cancer is important: studies should (and are expected by regulators) to publish late results where applicable.

READ THE ARTICLE – https://ascopubs.org/doi/abs/10.1200/JCO.23.01428?md5=573d0563e8200abc9b5d7aed73288be9&cid=DM16361&bid=346393763