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PET imaging with 16a-18 F-fluoro-17b-fluoroestradiol ( 18 F-FES), a radiolabeled form of estradiol, allows whole-body, noninvasive evaluation of estrogen receptor (ER). 18 F-FES is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a diagnostic agent "for the detection of ER-positive lesions as an adjunct to biopsy in patients with recurrent or metastatic breast cancer." The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) convened an expert work group to comprehensively review the published literature for 18 F-FES PET in patients with ER-positive breast cancer and to establish appropriate use criteria (AUC). The findings and discussions of the SNMMI 18 F-FES work group, including example clinical scenarios, were published in full in 2022 and are available at https://www.snmmi.org/auc. Of the clinical scenarios evaluated, the work group concluded that the most appropriate uses of 18 F-FES PET are to assess ER functionality when endocrine therapy is considered either at initial diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer or after progression of disease on endocrine therapy, the ER status of lesions that are difficult or dangerous to biopsy, and the ER status of lesions when other tests are inconclusive. These AUC are intended to enable appropriate clinical use of 18 F-FES PET, more efficient approval of FES use by payers, and promotion of investigation into areas requiring further research. This summary includes the rationale, methodology, and main findings of the work group and refers the reader to the complete AUC document.

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Testicular cancer is the most common neoplasia in men between the ages of 15 to 44 years. Choriocarcinoma represents less than 2% of testicular tumors. It is usually characterized by an early hematogenous spread to the lungs and brain. Metastases to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract are extremely rare. Most metastatic lesions in the GI tract are seen in the small bowel.

The addition of targeted therapies (TT) to endocrine therapy (ET) has improved the outcomes of patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer (mBC). However, it is unknown whether patients with invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) or mixed invasive ductal and lobular carcinoma (mixed) histologies experience the same magnitude of benefit from this therapy as those with invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). We aim to determine whether patients with IDC, ILC, and mixed HR+/HER2− mBC derive similar benefit from the addition of cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 inhibitors (CDK4/6is), mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor (mTORi), and phosphoinositide 3-kinase inhibitor (PI3Ki) to ET in HR+/HER2− mBC. We conducted an observational, population-based investigation using data from the MD Anderson prospectively collected database. We conducted a histology-based analysis of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) durations in 3784 patients with HR+/HER2− mBC who were treated with TT plus ET between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2021. Out of the 3784 patients, 2975 were included in the final analysis. Of these, 2249 received CDK4/6is (81% IDC, 15% ILC, and 4% mixed), 1027 received everolimus (82% IDC, 14% ILC, and 4% mixed) and 49 received alpelisib (81% IDC and 19% ILC). The addition of targeted therapy to ET did not result in statistically significant differences in PFS or OS duration among patients with IDC, ILC, and mixed HR+/HER2− mBC. We concluded that for patients with HR+/HER2− mBC, the addition of TT to ET leads to a similar magnitude of benefit, irrespective of histology.

A 58-year-old woman developed warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia after receiving trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for 5 days.

ImportanceApproximately 45% to 60% of hormone receptor (HR)–positive metastatic breast cancer (mBC) shows a low-level expression of ERBB2. Low ERBB2 expression is defined as ERBB2 immunohistochemical expression of 1+ or 2+ with a negative ERBB2 amplification by in situ hybridization. The efficacy of the antibody-drug conjugate trastuzumab deruxtecan in low-ERBB2, HR-positive mBC has been practice changing. However, there are conflicting data on the prognostic value of low ERBB2 expression in HR-positive mBC and whether low ERBB2 expression is a separate entity.ObjectiveTo examine whether outcomes differ by immunohistochemical analysis for patients with HR-positive mBC with low ERBB2 expression vs those without ERBB2 expression when treated with targeted therapy (TT) plus endocrine therapy (ET).Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis single-institution cohort study used prospectively collected electronic data from the MD Anderson Cancer Center for patients with a diagnosis of HR-positive mBC treated with ET in combination with a TT (cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors [CDK4/6is], everolimus, or alpelisib) between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2021.ExposureHR-positive mBC with either low or no ERBB2 expression.Main Outcome and MeasuresThe main outcomes were median progression-free survival and overall survival. Data on demographic characteristics, estrogen and progesterone receptor status, ERBB2 status, histologic subtype, menopausal status, treatment duration, and survival status were collected.ResultsA total of 1585 women (median [range] age, 51 [24-92] years) were included in the study. Of these women, 1013 (63.9%) had mBC with low ERBB2 expression and 572 (36.1%) had mBC with no ERBB2 expression. A total of 1084 (68.4%) were treated with a CDK4/6i (912 patients were treated in the first line and 172 were treated in the second line); 475 (30.0%) received everolimus and 26 (1.6%) received alpelisib. In the patients who received a first-line CDK4/6i, 618 (67.8%) received an aromatase inhibitor as their ET backbone and 265 (29.1%) received fulvestrant. With a median follow-up time of 17.9 months (range, 1-111 months), progression-free survival and overall survival were not statistically different between the patients with low and no ERBB2 expression treated with TT plus ET.Conclusions and RelevanceIn this cohort study of patients with HR-positive mBC treated with TT plus ET, low ERBB2 expression did not have a significant association with prognosis.

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