Trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) has been shown to benefit progression-free survival and overall survival in patients with metastatic breast cancer (mBC) after progression on ≥1 human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-targeted therapies. However, interstitial lung disease (ILD) and cardiotoxicity are the most significant toxicities associated with T-DXd. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the incidence and severity of these toxicities in mBC patients treated with T-DXd. We searched PubMed, Cochrane, and Scopus databases, and conferences websites for randomized clinical trials and nonrandomized studies of intervention including HER2-low or HER2-positive mBC patients who received at least one dose of T-DXd. Statistical analysis was carried out using R software. We included 15 studies comprising 1970 patients with a mean follow-up of 13.3 months. Median age ranged from 53 to 59 years, 61.9% were non-Asian, and 67.4% had hormone receptor-positive mBC. In a pooled analysis, the incidence of ILD was 11.7% [222 patients; 95% confidence interval (CI) 9.1% to 15.0%]. Patients receiving T-DXd dose of 6.4 mg/kg developed a significantly higher rate of ILD (22.7%) compared to those receiving a dose of 5.4 mg/kg (9.3%) (P < 0.01). Most cases of ILD (80.2%; 174/217 patients) were mild (grade 1 or 2). Grade 3 or 4 ILD was reported in 29 patients (13.4%), and grade 5 in 14 patients (6.4%). The incidence of decreased left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 1.95% (95% CI 0.65% to 3.73%), and the QT interval (QTi) prolongation was 7.77% (95% CI 2.74% to 20.11%). Most patients were asymptomatic, but four had LV dysfunction and heart failure (0.26%). In this meta-analysis of 1970 patients with mBC, treatment with T-DXd was associated with a 11.7% incidence of ILD, 7.7% incidence of prolonged QTi, and 1.9% incidence of reduced LVEF. Early detection and management of T-DXd-related toxicity by a multidisciplinary team may ultimately improve patient outcomes.

Purpose: To investigate the influence of music therapy on the reduction of fatigue in women with breast or gynecological malignant neoplasia during radiotherapy, since it is one of the most frequent side effects of this type of treatment, and may interfere with self-esteem, social activities, and quality of life. Experimental Design: Randomized controlled trial (control group [CG] and music therapy group [MTG]) to assess fatigue, quality of life, and symptoms of depression in women undergoing radiotherapy using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy: Fatigue (FACT-F) version 4, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–General (FACT-G) version 4, and Beck Depression Inventory in 3 separate times, namely, during the first week of radiotherapy, on the week of the intermediary phase, and during the last week of radiotherapy. Individual 30- to 40-minute sessions of music therapy with the presence of a trained music therapist were offered to participants. Results: In this study, 164 women were randomized and 116 (63 CG and 53 MTG) were included in the analyses, with mean age of 52.90 years (CG) and 51.85 years (MTG). Participants in the MTG had an average of 10 music therapy sessions, totaling 509 sessions throughout the study. FACT-F results were significant regarding Trial Outcome Index (P = .011), FACT-G (P = .005), and FACT-F (P = .001) for the MTG compared with the CG. Conclusions: Individual music therapy sessions may be effective to reduce fatigue related to cancer and symptoms of depression, as well as to improve quality of life for women with breast or gynecological cancer undergoing radiotherapy. Further well-designed research studies are needed to adequately determine the effects of music therapy on fatigue.

Identification of modifiable risk factors for breast cancer is critical for primary prevention of the disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate how certain lifestyle variables modify the chances of developing breast cancer based on menopausal status. A case-control study was performed in a group of 542 women, 197 who were diagnosed with breast cancer and 344 control individuals. The groups were matched by age, body mass index, and menopausal status. Participants were evaluated for level of physical activity, alcohol consumption, smoking habit, weight, height, and waist circumference (WC). A multivariate logistic regression model was used to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Regular consumption of alcoholic beverages (2.91, 95% CI 1.58–5.38 and 1.86, 95% CI 1.15–3.03) and sedentary behavior (2.08; 95% CI 1.12–3.85 and 1.81; 95% CI 1.12–2.94) were associated with breast cancer risk in pre- and postmenopausal women, respectively. High WC (3.31, 95% CI 1.45–7.55) was associated with an increased risk of developing breast cancer in premenopausal women. While in postmenopausal women, current smoking (2.43, 95% CI 1.01–5.83) or previous history of smoking (1.90; 95% CI 1.14–3.14) increased the chances of developing breast cancer. Sedentary behavior and current consumption of alcoholic beverages were more likely to increase the risk of developing breast cancer regardless of menopausal status.

Programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) has been investigated in various types of cancer; however, the role of PD-L1 expression in breast cancer remains controversial. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the association of PD-L1 expression with clinicopathological variables, overall survival (OS), and disease-free survival (DFS) in invasive breast cancer. A total of 965 articles were included from CINAHL, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus databases. Of these, 22 studies encompassing 6468 cases of invasive breast cancer were included in the systematic review, and 15 articles were included in the meta-analysis. PD-L1 expression was associated with age ≥ 50 years, lymph node status-negative, progesterone receptor-negative, Ki67 ≥ 20%, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative. PD-L1 positivity was associated with worse OS (hazard ratio, HR, 2.39; 95% confidence interval, CI, 1.26–3.52; p =< 0.000); however, there was no significant improvement in DFS (HR 0.17; 95% CI −0.12–0.46; p =< 0.252). PD-L1 positivity was significantly associated with the clinicopathological characteristics of favorable and unfavorable prognoses. However, the final clinical outcome was associated with lower OS and had no significant association with DFS.