Abstract P1-03-04: Visceral fat area as a predictive factor in metastatic HER2 negative breast cancer patients treated by first line chemotherapy with weekly paclitaxel and bevacizumab
Authors: Guiu Séverine , Guiu Boris , Chevrier Marion , Billa Oumar , Levy Christelle , Trédan Olivier , Desmoulins Isabelle , Debled Marc , Ferrero Jean-Marc , Jouannaud Christelle , Gonçalves Anthony , Rios Maria , Mouret-Reynier Marie-Ange , Berger Frédérique , TOUMI Fatima-Zohra , Lemonnier Jérôme , Pierga Jean-Yves , Dabakuyo Sandrine , Gourgou Sophie 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Background Obesity has previously been correlated with poorer survival in both early and metastatic breast cancer. Adipose tissues release proangiogenic factors such as Insulin-like Growth Factor and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor that may ultimately promote tumor growth. CTscan can be used to measure the visceral fat area (VFA) and the subcutaneous fat area (SFA) on the same section. High VFA has been shown to independently predict poorer outcome in patients given first-line bevacizumab-based treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer and metastatic renal cell carcinoma. The prospective multicenter COMET trial included metastatic HER2 negative breast cancer patients receiving bevacizumab and paclitaxel as fist-line chemotherapy. This study was designed to identify and validate reliable factors to predict benefit of bevacizumab and allow for a more personalized use of this antiangiogenic agent. Our aim was to evaluate the prognostic value of BMI (Body Mass Index), VFA and SFA in the COMET cohort and their impact on the quality of life. Patients and Methods Out of the 510 patients included in the COMET trial from 9/2012 to 3/2016, 480 received bevacizumab and paclitaxel as first-line treatment and 360 had available CTscan data. VFA and SFA were measured retrospectively on the CTscans performed before chemotherapy initiation, at the level of the umbilicus with the patient in the supine position. ImageJ software was used to measure pixels with densities in the -190 HU to -30 HU range in order to delineate the subcutaneous and visceral compartments and to compute the cross-sectional area of each in cm2. These measurements were performed by a radiologist blinded to patients’ characteristics and outcomes. For VFA and SFA, we used a threshold at the median value. VFA and SFA levels were tested for their association with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). The impact on quality of life was based on the Global Health Status, the Physical functioning, the Emotional functioning, Fatigue and Pain scores. Results The mean age at inclusion was 57 years (range: 28-83). At initial diagnosis, the main histological type was invasive ductal carcinoma (n = 247, 80.7%). Most patients had received prior neoadjuvant/adjuvant chemotherapy (n = 245, 68.1%) and a large majority (95.4%) had less than 3 metastatic sites. One hundred and forty patients (46.7%) had histological grade II and 41% had grade III tumors. The majority of the patients had positive hormone receptor tumor (n = 238, 79.3 %) and 62 (20.7%) had triple-negative tumor subtype. The median BMI was 24.7 (range : 17-46). After a median follow-up of 60.6 months (95%CI, 60-61.3), median PFS was 9.5 months (95CI, 8.6-10.3). There was no significant correlation between BMI (p = 0.69), VFA (p = 0.24) or SFA (p = 0.58) and PFS in the univariate analysis. The median OS was 29.6 months (95CI, 25.9-32.4). BMI, VFA and SFA were not correlated with OS. Out of the 360 patients, 328 had available data regarding the quality of life. There was no impact of the VFA or the SFA on the different quality of life scores. Conclusions In our prospective cohort of 360 patients with metastatic breast cancer receiving bevacizumab and paclitaxel as first-line treatment, high VFA or high SFA were not associated with a poorer survival. VFA and SFA had no impact on quality of life.
Citation Format: Séverine Guiu, Boris Guiu, Marion Chevrier, Oumar Billa, Christelle Levy, Olivier Trédan, Isabelle Desmoulins, Marc Debled, Jean-Marc Ferrero, Christelle Jouannaud, Anthony Gonçalves, Maria Rios, Marie-Ange Mouret-Reynier, Frédérique Berger, Fatima-Zohra TOUMI, Jérôme Lemonnier, Jean-Yves Pierga, Sandrine Dabakuyo, Sophie Gourgou. Visceral fat area as a predictive factor in metastatic HER2 negative breast cancer patients treated by first line chemotherapy with weekly paclitaxel and bevacizumab [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2022 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(5 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-03-04.