Randomized phase II trial of first-line trastuzumab plus docetaxel and capecitabine compared with trastuzumab plus docetaxel in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer

QL1701 (a proposed trastuzumab biosimilar) versus reference trastuzumab plus docetaxel as first-line therapy for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer: a multicenter, randomized, double-blinded, parallel-controlled, phase III equivalence trial

BACKGROUND

QL1701 is a proposed biosimilar to the reference trastuzumab (Herceptin®). This trial compared the efficacy and safety of QL1701 with the reference trastuzumab in first-line treatment of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive metastatic breast cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This randomized, double-blinded, parallel-controlled, phase III equivalence trial was conducted in 73 centers in China. Eligible patients with histologically or cytologically diagnosed HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer were randomly assigned (1 : 1) to receive either QL1701 or reference trastuzumab in combination with docetaxel (every 3 weeks) for eight cycles as the first-line treatment. Then, in patients with objective responses or stable disease, the QL1701 or reference trastuzumab with or without docetaxel was maintained for totally up to 12 months if tolerated. The primary endpoint was 24-week objective response rate (ORR) assessed by an independent review committee (IRC). The equivalence margin was 0.80-1.25 with a 90% confidence interval (CI) for the ORR ratio (QL1701 to reference trastuzumab).

RESULTS

Between 29 April 2020 and 15 March 2022, 474 patients were randomized, and 473 received either QL1701 (n = 236) or reference trastuzumab (n = 237). The risk ratio for 24-week ORR was 1.07 (90% CI 0.94-1.21). The 90% CI fell within the pre-specified equivalence margin of 0.80-1.25. The 24-week ORR assessed by IRC was 59.7% (95% CI 53.2% to 66.1%) versus 56.1% (95% CI 49.5% to 62.5%) in QL1701 and the reference trastuzumab, respectively. As of 12 April 2023, there were no notable differences in progression-free survival (median: 8.3 versus 8.4 months) and overall survival (1-year rate: 95.1% versus 93.3%) between the two groups. Safety, pharmacokinetic (PK), and immunogenicity profiles were similar between the two groups.

CONCLUSION

QL1701 demonstrated equivalent efficacy and similar safety to the reference trastuzumab when combined with docetaxel in the first-line treatment of patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, with similar PK and immunogenicity profiles.

Efficacy and safety of first-line regimens for advanced HER2-positive breast cancer: A Bayesian network meta-analysis

Background

The current standard of care for advanced human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer is pertuzumab plus trastuzumab and docetaxel as first-line therapy. However, with the development of newer treatment regimens, there is a lack of evidence regarding which is the optimal treatment strategy. The aim of this network meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of first-line regimens for advanced HER2-positive breast cancer by indirect comparisons.

Methods

A systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis were conducted. The PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for relevant articles published through to December 2023. The hazard ratio (HR) and 95% credible interval (CrI) were used to compare progression-free survival (PFS) between treatments, and the odds ratio and 95% CrI were used to compare the objective response rate (ORR) and safety.

Results

Twenty randomized clinical trials that included 15 regimens and 7094 patients were analyzed. Compared with the traditional trastuzumab and docetaxel regimen, PFS was longer on the pyrotinib and trastuzumab plus docetaxel regimen (HR: 0.41, 95% CrI: 0.22-0.75) and the pertuzumab and trastuzumab plus docetaxel regimen (HR: 0.65, 95% CrI: 0.43-0.98). Consistent with the results for PFS, the ORR was better on the pyrotinib and trastuzumab plus docetaxel regimen and the pertuzumab and trastuzumab plus docetaxel regimen than on the traditional trastuzumab and docetaxel regimen. The surface under the cumulative ranking curve indicated that the pyrotinib and trastuzumab plus docetaxel regimen was most likely to rank first in achieving the best PFS and ORR. Comparable results were found for grade ≥3 AE rates of ≥10%.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that the pyrotinib and trastuzumab plus docetaxel regimen is most likely to be the optimal first-line therapy for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.

Efficacy and safety of first-line therapy in patients with HER2-positive advanced breast cancer: a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

PURPOSE

The numerous first-line treatment regimens for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive advanced breast cancer (ABC) necessitate a comprehensive evaluation to inform clinical decision-making. We conducted a Bayesian network meta-analysis (NMA) to compare the efficacy and safety of different interventions.

METHODS

We systematically searched for relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane Library and online abstracts from inception to June 1, 2023. NMA was performed to calculate and analyze progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), and adverse events of grade 3 or higher (≥ 3 AEs).

RESULTS

Out of the 10,313 manuscripts retrieved, we included 28 RCTs involving 11,680 patients. Regarding PFS and ORR, the combination of trastuzumab with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) was more favorable than dual-targeted therapy. If only using trastuzumab, combination chemotherapy is superior to monochemotherapy in terms of PFS. It is important to note that the addition of anthracycline did not result in improved PFS. For patients with hormone receptor-positive HER2-positive diseases, dual-targeted combined with endocrine therapy showed better benefit in terms of PFS compared to dual-targeted alone, but it did not reach statistical significance. The comprehensive analysis of PFS and ≥ 3 AEs indicates that monochemotherapy combined with dual-targeted therapy still has the optimal balance between efficacy and safety.

CONCLUSION

Monochemotherapy (Docetaxel) plus dual-target (Trastuzumab and Pertuzumab) therapy remains the optimal choice among all first-line treatment options for ABC. The combination of trastuzumab with TKIs (Pyrotinib) demonstrated a significant improvement in PFS and ORR, but further data are warranted to confirm the survival benefit.

Pyrotinib plus capecitabine for trastuzumab-resistant, HER2-positive advanced breast cancer (PICTURE): a single-arm, multicenter phase 2 trial

BACKGROUND

Patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive advanced breast cancer and primary resistance to trastuzumab have a poor clinical outcome and lack good evidence to inform clinical decision. This study investigated the efficacy and safety of pyrotinib plus capecitabine in this population.

METHODS

This phase 2 trial was conducted at 16 sites in China. Patients received oral pyrotinib 400 mg once daily and capecitabine 1000 mg/m2 twice a day on days 1-14 of each 21-day cycle until disease progression or intolerable toxicity. The primary endpoint was investigator-assessed progression-free survival (PFS).

RESULTS

Between June 2019 and September 2021, 100 patients were enrolled with a median age of 51 years (range, 24-69). All patients had been treated with trastuzumab and 21 (21.0%) patients had prior use of pertuzumab. As of August 31, 2022, the median follow-up duration was 20.1 months (range, 1.3-38.2). The median PFS was 11.8 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 8.4-15.1), which crossed the pre-specified efficacy boundary of 8.0 months. The objective response rate was 70.0% (70/100), with a median duration of response of 13.8 months (95% CI, 10.2-19.3). The disease control rate was 87.0% (87/100). The median overall survival was not reached. The most common grade ≥ 3 treatment-emergent adverse event was diarrhea (24 [24.0%]). No treatment-related deaths occurred.

CONCLUSIONS

Pyrotinib plus capecitabine can be considered to be a treatment option in HER2-positive advanced breast cancer patients who have shown primary resistance to trastuzumab. Even in the era of modern anti-HER2 treatments, this clinical setting warrants more investigations to meet unmet needs.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04001621. Retrospectively registered on June 28, 2019.

Redefining the Incidence and Profile of Fluoropyrimidine-Associated Cardiotoxicity in Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Aim: The cardiac toxicity that occurs during administration of anti-tumor agents has attracted increasing concern. Fluoropyrimidines have been used for more than half a century, but their cardiotoxicity has not been well clarified. In this study, we aimed to assess the incidence and profile of fluoropyrimidine-associated cardiotoxicity (FAC) comprehensively based on literature data. Methods: A systematic literature search was performed using PubMed, Embase, Medline, Web of Science, and Cochrane library databases and clinical trials on studies investigating FAC. The main outcome was a pooled incidence of FAC, and the secondary outcome was specific treatment-related cardiac AEs. Random or fixed effects modeling was used for pooled meta-analyses according to the heterogeneity assessment. PROSPERO registration number: (CRD42021282155). Results: A total of 211 studies involving 63,186 patients were included, covering 31 countries or regions in the world. The pooled incidence of FAC, by meta-analytic, was 5.04% for all grades and 1.5% for grade 3 or higher. A total of 0.29% of patients died due to severe cardiotoxicities. More than 38 cardiac AEs were identified, with cardiac ischemia (2.24%) and arrhythmia (1.85%) being the most frequent. We further performed the subgroup analyses and meta-regression to explore the source of heterogeneity, and compare the cardiotoxicity among different study-level characteristics, finding that the incidence of FAC varied significantly among different publication decades, country/regions, and genders. Patients with esophagus cancer had the highest risk of FAC (10.53%), while breast cancer patients had the lowest (3.66%). The treatment attribute, regimen, and dosage were significantly related to FAC. When compared with chemotherapeutic drugs or targeted agents, such a risk was remarkably increased (χ2 = 10.15, p < 0.01; χ2 = 10.77, p < 0.01). The continuous 5-FU infusion for 3–5 consecutive days with a high dosage produced the highest FAC incidence (7.3%) compared with other low-dose administration patterns. Conclusions: Our study provides comprehensive global data on the incidence and profile of FAC. Different cancer types and treatment appear to have varying cardiotoxicities. Combination therapy, high cumulative dose, addition of anthracyclines, and pre-existing heart disease potentially increase the risk of FAC.

Comparative review of pharmacological therapies in individuals with HER2-positive advanced breast cancer with focus on hormone receptor subgroups

Breast cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of targeted therapies in human epidermal receptor 2 (HER2)-positive advanced breast cancer (ABC) have provided an evidence base for regulatory and reimbursement agencies to appraise the use of cancer therapies in clinical practice. However, a subset of these patients harbor additional biomarkers, for example, a positive hormone receptor status that may be more amenable to therapy and improve overall survival (OS). This review seeks to explore the reporting of evidence for treatment effects by the hormone receptor status using the RCT evidence of targeted therapies for HER2-positive ABC patients. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines were followed to identify published RCTs. Extracted data were synthesized using network meta-analysis to obtain the relative effects of HER2-positive-targeted therapies. We identified a gap in the reporting of the effectiveness of therapies by the hormone receptor status as only 15 out of 42 identified RCTs reported hormone receptor subgroup analyses; the majority of which reported progression-free survival but not OS or the overall response rate. In conclusion, we recommend that future trials in ABC should report the effect of cancer therapies in hormone receptor subgroups for all outcomes.

Efficacy and Safety of Anti-HER2 Agents in Combination With Chemotherapy for Metastatic HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Patient: A Network Meta-Analysis

Background

The presence of anti-HER2 agents, such as trastuzumab, pertuzumab, and trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1), significantly improved the prognosis of metastatic HER2-positive (HER2+) breast cancers (BC). However, drug resistance and disease progression are still common. In order to further improve the treatment efficacy, new clinical trials about anti-HER2 agents in combination with chemotherapy are growing rapidly. We conducted the network meta-analysis to synthesize evidences of clinical trials to identify the best therapy for metastatic HER2+ BC.

Methods

A systematic search of randomized controlled trials regarding anti-HER2 agents in combination with chemotherapy for advanced or metastatic breast cancers up to May 2020 was conducted in Embase, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library. The primary outcome was progression-free survival (PFS). The secondary outcomes were overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), and safety. Bayesian network meta-analysis was conducted to synthesize the results and rank the therapies.

Results

Twenty-six studies, including 16 studies for first-line treatments and 10 studies for second- or later-line treatments were included in the network meta-analysis. For first-line studies, the THP (taxanes + trastuzumab + pertuzumab) regimen exhibited the highest probability to be the optimal treatment in all efficacy outcomes and moderate safety. For second- or later-line studies, the T-DM1 and XHTuC (capecitabine + trastuzumab + tucatinib) regimens ranked top two in all efficacy outcomes according to the surface under the cumulative ranking (SUCRA) results. T-DM1 ranked first in PFS and OS whereas XHTuC ranked first in ORR. The safety outcomes of T-DM1 and XHTuC were acceptable.

Conclusions

THP was still the optimal first-line treatment for metastatic HER2+ BC. T-DM1 and XHTuC were recommended for second-line treatments.

Systematic Review Registration

INPLASY.com, identifier (INPLASY202090086).

Targeting HER2 in Breast Cancer: Latest Developments on Treatment Sequencing and the Introduction of Biosimilars

Approximately 20% of all breast cancers overexpress the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). Targeting breast cancer through this vital oncogenic protein has been a major step towards improved patient outcomes. Today, several anti-HER2 agents are in clinical use including: the monoclonal antibodies trastuzumab and pertuzumab; the small molecule inhibitors lapatinib, neratinib, and tucatinib; and the antibody-drug conjugates ado-trastuzumab emtansine and trastuzumab deruxtecan, in some jurisdictions. In addition, several trastuzumab biosimilars have recently been granted regulatory approval in North America and the EU, and are enhancing patient access to HER2-directed therapy. The various agents differ greatly in their side-effect profiles and approved indications, from neoadjuvant and adjuvant use in early disease, to first- and later-line use in metastatic disease. This review discusses the current treatment recommendations for the use of anti-HER2 agents alone and in combination, examines the latest advances in HER2-targeted drugs and how they may be best applied in clinical practice, and provides guidance on optimal sequencing of the growing array of therapeutic options for HER2-positive breast cancer.

Capecitabine for hormone receptor-positive versus hormone receptor-negative breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Retrospective analyses suggest that capecitabine may carry superior activity in hormone receptor-positive relative to hormone receptor-negative metastatic breast cancer. This review examined the veracity of that finding and explored whether this differential activity extends to early breast cancer.

OBJECTIVES

To assess effects of chemotherapy regimens containing capecitabine compared with regimens not containing capecitabine for women with hormone receptor-positive versus hormone receptor-negative breast cancer across the three major treatment scenarios: neoadjuvant, adjuvant, metastatic.

SEARCH METHODS

On 4 June 2019, we searched the Cochrane Breast Cancer Specialised Register; the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; 2019, Issue 5) in the Cochrane Library; MEDLINE; Embase; the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform; and ClinicalTrials.gov.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Randomised controlled trials looking at chemotherapy regimens containing capecitabine alone or in combination with other agents versus a control or similar regimen without capecitabine for treatment of breast cancer at any stage. The primary outcome measure for metastatic and adjuvant trials was overall survival (OS), and for neoadjuvant studies pathological complete response (pCR).

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors independently extracted data and assessed risk of bias and certainty of evidence using the GRADE approach. Hazard ratios (HRs) were derived for time-to-event outcomes, and odds ratios (ORs) for dichotomous outcomes, and meta-analysis was performed using a fixed-effect model.

MAIN RESULTS

We included 26 studies with outcome data by hormone receptor: 12 metastatic studies (n = 4325), 6 neoadjuvant trials (n = 3152), and 8 adjuvant studies (n = 13,457). Capecitabine treatment was added in several different ways across studies. These could be classified as capecitabine alone compared to another treatment, capecitabine substituted for part of the control chemotherapy, and capecitabine added to control chemotherapy. In the metastatic setting, the effect of capecitabine was heterogenous between hormone receptor-positive and -negative tumours. For OS, no difference between capecitabine-containing and non-capecitabine-containing regimens was observed for all participants taken together (HR 1.01, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.98 to 1.05; 12 studies, 4325 participants; high-certainty evidence), for those with hormone receptor-positive disease (HR 0.93, 95% CI 0.84 to 1.04; 7 studies, 1834 participants; high-certainty evidence), and for those with hormone receptor-negative disease (HR 1.00, 95% CI 0.88 to 1.13; 8 studies, 1577 participants; high-certainty evidence). For progression-free survival (PFS), a small improvement was seen for all people (HR 0.89, 95% CI 0.82 to 0.96; 12 studies, 4325 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). This was largely accounted for by a moderate improvement in PFS for inclusion of capecitabine in hormone receptor-positive cancers (HR 0.82, 95% CI 0.73 to 0.91; 7 studies, 1594 participants; moderate-certainty evidence) compared to no difference in PFS for hormone receptor-negative cancers (HR 0.96, 95% CI 0.83 to 1.10; 7 studies, 1122 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). Quality of life was assessed in five studies; in general there did not seem to be differences in global health scores between the two treatment groups at around two years' follow-up. Neoadjuvant studies were highly variable in design, having been undertaken to test various experimental regimens using pathological complete response (pCR) as a surrogate for disease-free survival (DFS) and OS. Across all patients, capecitabine-containing regimens resulted in little difference in pCR in comparison to non-capecitabine-containing regimens (odds ratio (OR) 1.12, 95% CI 0.94 to 1.33; 6 studies, 3152 participants; high-certainty evidence). By subtype, no difference in pCR was observed for either hormone receptor-positive (OR 1.22, 95% CI 0.76 to 1.95; 4 studies, 964 participants; moderate-certainty evidence) or hormone receptor-negative tumours (OR 1.28, 95% CI 0.61 to 2.66; 4 studies, 646 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). Four studies with 2460 people reported longer-term outcomes: these investigators detected no difference in either DFS (HR 1.02, 95% CI 0.86 to 1.21; high-certainty evidence) or OS (HR 0.97, 95% CI 0.77 to 1.23; high-certainty evidence). In the adjuvant setting, a modest improvement in OS was observed across all participants (HR 0.89, 95% CI 0.81 to 0.98; 8 studies, 13,547 participants; moderate-certainty evidence), and no difference in OS was seen in hormone receptor-positive cancers (HR 0.86, 95% CI 0.68 to 1.09; 3 studies, 3683 participants), whereas OS improved in hormone receptor-negative cancers (HR 0.72, 95% CI 0.59 to 0.89; 5 studies, 3432 participants). No difference in DFS or relapse-free survival (RFS) was observed across all participants (HR 0.93, 95% CI 0.86 to 1.01; 8 studies, 13,457 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). As was observed for OS, no difference in DFS/RFS was seen in hormone receptor-positive cancers (HR 1.03, 95% CI 0.91 to 1.17; 5 studies, 5604 participants; moderate-certainty evidence), and improvements in DFS/RFS with inclusion of capecitabine were observed for hormone receptor-negative cancers (HR 0.74, 95% CI 0.64 to 0.86; 7 studies, 3307 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). Adverse effects were reported across all three scenarios. When grade 3 or 4 febrile neutropenia was considered, no difference was seen for capecitabine compared to non-capecitabine regimens in neoadjuvant studies (OR 1.31, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.77; 4 studies, 2890 participants; moderate-certainty evidence), and a marked reduction was seen for capecitabine in adjuvant studies (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.47 to 0.64; 5 studies, 8086 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). There was an increase in diarrhoea and hand-foot syndrome in neoadjuvant (diarrhoea: OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.32 to 2.89; 3 studies, 2686 participants; hand-foot syndrome: OR 6.77, 95% CI 4.89 to 9.38; 5 studies, 3021 participants; both moderate-certainty evidence) and adjuvant trials (diarrhoea: OR 2.46, 95% CI 2.01 to 3.01; hand-foot syndrome: OR 13.60, 95% CI 10.65 to 17.37; 8 studies, 11,207 participants; moderate-certainty evidence for both outcomes).

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

In summary, a moderate PFS benefit by including capecitabine was seen only in hormone receptor-positive cancers in metastatic studies. No benefit of capecitabine for pCR was noted overall or in hormone receptor subgroups when included in neoadjuvant therapy. In contrast, the addition of capecitabine in the adjuvant setting led to improved outcomes for OS and DFS in hormone receptor-negative cancer. Future studies should stratify by hormone receptor and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) status to clarify the differential effects of capecitabine in these subgroups across all treatment scenarios, to optimally guide capecitabine inclusion.

JAC1 suppresses proliferation of breast cancer through the JWA/p38/SMURF1/HER2 signaling

The overexpression of HER2 is associated with a malignant proliferation of breast cancer. In this study, we developed a non-cytotoxic JWA gene activating compound 1 (JAC1) to inhibit the proliferation of HER2-positive breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo experimental models. JAC1 increased the ubiquitination of HER2 at the K716 site through the E3 ubiquitin ligase SMURF1 which was due to the decreased expression of NEDD4, the E3 ubiquitin ligase of SMURF1. In conclusion, JAC1 suppresses the proliferation of HER2-positive breast cancer cells through the JWA triggered HER2 ubiquitination signaling. JAC1 may serve as a potential therapeutic agent for HER2-positive breast cancer.

ONS Guidelines™ for Cancer Treatment-Related Skin Toxicity

BACKGROUND

Management of cancer treatment-related skin toxicities can minimize treatment disruptions and improve patient well-being.

OBJECTIVES

This guideline aims to support patients and clinicians in decisions regarding management of cancer treatment-related skin toxicities.

METHODS

A panel developed a guideline for management of cancer treatment-related skin toxicities using GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) for certainty of evidence and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine criteria for trustworthy guidelines. The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool assessed risk of bias. A quantitative or narrative synthesis of the evidence was completed.

RESULTS

The panel issued seven conditional recommendations for epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor rash, hand-foot skin reaction, hand-foot syndrome, and chemotherapy-induced alopecia. The panel suggested strategies for prevention and treatment for all toxicities except hand-foot syndrome, which only has a prevention recommendation.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING

Cancer treatment-related skin toxicities can significantly affect quality of life. Incorporation of these interventions into clinical care can improve patient outcomes.

SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL CAN BE FOUND AT&NBSP;HTTPS

//onf.ons.org/supplementary-material-ons-guidelines-cancer-treatment-related-skin-toxicity.

Capecitabine + Epirubicin + Cyclophosphamide Combination Therapy (CEX Therapy) as Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for HER-2-Negative Breast Cancer: A Retrospective, Single-Center Study

BACKGROUND

We modified and administered capecitabine + epirubicin + cyclophosphamide combination therapy (CEX) as neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for HER-2-negative breast cancer and retrospectively analyzed its effectiveness and tolerability at our center.

METHODS

The inclusion criteria were presence of breast cancer negative for HER-2 and positive lymph node metastasis, or negative lymph node metastasis when tumor diameter was 20 mm or greater without distant metastasis. Additional inclusion criteria were a performance status of 0 or 1, an EF >60%, and an age of 75 years or less. Clinical outcomes were evaluated after 4 courses of epirubicin 80 mg/m2, cyclophosphamide 500 mg/m2 (administered every 3 weeks), and capecitabine 1,500 mg/m2 (administered for 2 weeks and withdrawn for 1 week).

RESULTS

A clinical benefit was noted in all 18 patients who received CEX as neoadjuvant chemotherapy during the period from 2009 through 2013. The clinical response rate was 83.3% (15/18), and the clinical complete response rate was 50%. Aesthetic outcomes of breast-conserving surgery were positive in all patients. Among patients with satisfactory outcomes, 33.3% had a pathologic complete response (triple-negative: 6, luminal: 0) and 68.8% were n0 (triple-negative: 8, luminal: 3). All patients with a pathologic complete response are presently alive, free of recurrence, and currently undergoing follow-up. Adverse events were classified as grade 2 or lower in all patients.

CONCLUSIONS

CEX therapy administered as neoadjuvant chemotherapy could be useful for individualized treatment. In particular, this regimen was effective for triple-negative breast cancer.

Targeted therapeutic options and future perspectives for HER2-positive breast cancer

Over the past 2 decades, there has been an extraordinary progress in the regimens developed for the treatment of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer. Trastuzumab, pertuzumab, lapatinib, and ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) are commonly recommended anti-HER2 target agents by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This review summarizes the most significant and updated research on clinical scenarios related to HER2-positive breast cancer management in order to revise the guidelines of everyday clinical practices. In this article, we present the data on anti-HER2 clinical research of neoadjuvant, adjuvant, and metastatic studies from the past 2 decades. We also highlight some of the promising strategies that should be critically considered. Lastly, this review lists some of the ongoing clinical trials, findings of which may soon be available.

Comparison of 4th ESO-ESMO international consensus guidelines for advance breast cancer and Chinese anti-cancer association committee of Breast Cancer Society guideline

The primary aim of the international advance breast cancer (ABC) guidelines are to guide treatment decisions in many different healthcare settings, but need adaptations due to different access to care. These guidelines are based on the most up-to-date evidence. However, Chinese experts have a different national condition and policies to face. The Chinese Anti-Cancer Association Committee of Breast Cancer Society guideline (CBCS guideline) is to guide treatments and to reflect unmet needs of Chinese breast cancer patients. Although, most of the recommendations in the two guidelines are the same, some of them are different. In this article, with regard to country-specific peculiarities, a working group of Chinese breast cancer experts compare the similarities and differences between the ABC guideline and CBCS guideline and commented on the voting results of the ABC panelists. We also discuss why these differences exist, such as lack of access, different tumor biology and epidemiology, and even different culture. The money which patients have to pay out of pocket for their medical cost and the availability of drugs lie at the heart of the issues of guideline differences.

HER2 positive bilateral metachronous primary breast carcinoma: A case report

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positive is a unique molecular subtype of breast cancer (BC) characterized by high malignancy and poor prognosis. Bilateral primary breast cancer (BPBC) harboring HER2 gene amplification is available to be detected among the BC survivors due to the increasing use of anti-HER2 adjuvant therapy. However, owing to the paucity of cases reported, knowledge of treating HER2-positive BPBC patients including the clinical behavior, histopathologic characteristics, anti-HER2 therapeutic response and disease outcome are not fully understood. Here we report a case of its kind receiving nonstandardized treatment during adjuvant stage. Upon tumor recurrence with liver metastasis, she received trastuzumab combined with chemotherapy and reached a PFS of 14.5 months in first-line treatment. While maintained trastuzumab plus carboplatin as second-line treatment progressed promptly, re-treatment of trastuzumab after lapatinib administration in third line can still benefit the patient. The present case report delineates an anti-HER2 path for a particular characterized patient, and also provides new evidence of trastuzumab re-usage after disease progression of prior anti-HER2 therapy.

Current Therapies for Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients

The median survival of patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) has more than doubled, since the discovery of HER2-targeted treatments: it rose from less than 2 years in 2001 (prior introduction of trastuzumab) to more than 4 years in 2017. The initial generation of HER2-targeted therapies included trastuzumab with taxanes in the first line, followed by the addition of lapatinib and by a switch to another cytotoxic agent after progression. Results of CLEOPATRA, EMILIA, and TH3RESA trials have changed this clinical practice. The current consensus includes horizontal dual blockade (trastuzumab + pertuzumab) with taxanes or vinorelbine in the first line, followed by trastuzumab-emtansine (T-DM1) in the second line, with addition of lapatinib in the later lines of treatment. However, the fast and simultaneous development of new drugs led to a relative shortage of clinical evidence to support this sequence. Triple-positive breast cancers (TPBC), which express both hormonal receptors and HER2, constitute nearly half of HER2-positive cases. For these tumors, the current consensus is to add endocrine therapy after completion of cytotoxic treatment. Again, this consensus is not fully evidence-based. In view of the recent progress in treatment of estrogen-receptor positive breast cancers, a series of trials is evaluating addition of CDK4/6 inhibitors, aromatase inhibitors or fulvestrant to HER2-targeted and cytotoxic chemotherapy in TPBC patients. Despite the remarkable progress in treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer, metastatic disease is still incurable in the majority of patients. A wide range of novel therapies are under development to prevent and overcome resistance to current HER2-targeted agents. This review discusses pivotal clinical trials that have shaped current clinical practices, the current consensus recommendations, and the new experimental treatments in metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer.

Trastuzumab combined with doublet or single-agent chemotherapy as first-line therapy for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer

PURPOSE

To investigate the efficacy and safety of doublet versus single-agent chemotherapy (CT) plus trastuzumab (H) as first-line therapy for human epidermal growth factor 2 receptor (HER2)-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC).

METHODS

We searched for randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that evaluated the treatment effects of single-agent or doublet CT+H as first-line therapies for HER2-positive MBC. The main outcomes measured for this study included the overall response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). A meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis (TSA) were performed, and the study quality was evaluated using the GRADE framework. The PROSPERO registry number of our analysis is CRD42016043766.

RESULTS

The results from four RCTs including 1044 participants were pooled. Moderate-quality evidence indicated that compared with single-agent CT+H, doublet CT+H correlated better with prolonged PFS (hazard ratio [HR] 0.69, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.63-0.75, P < 0.0001) and OS (HR = 0.90, 95% CI 0.88-0.92, P < 0.0001). However, moderate-quality evidence revealed no significant difference between the two regimens regarding the ORR (relative risk [RR] = 1.07, 95% CI 0.98-1.17, P = 0.157), which was confirmed by TSA, indicating that the cumulative Z-curve entered the futility area. Moderate-quality evidence indicated that treatment-related grade 3 or 4 toxicities of thrombocytopenia (RR = 4.08, P = 0.000), nausea/vomiting (RR = 4.26, P = 0.002), diarrhea (RR = 2.81, P = 0.002), and stomatitis (RR = 5.02, P = 0.003) were observed more frequently with doublet CT+H than with single-agent CT+H.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with single-agent CT, the combination of doublet CT with trastuzumab as first-line therapy for HER2-positive MBC is associated with longer PFS and OS, but more treatment-related grade 3 or 4 toxicities. Therefore, doublet CT appears to be an appropriate regimen for HER2-positive MBC with a good performance status.

Targeting protein quality control pathways in breast cancer

The efficient production, folding, and secretion of proteins is critical for cancer cell survival. However, cancer cells thrive under stress conditions that damage proteins, so many cancer cells overexpress molecular chaperones that facilitate protein folding and target misfolded proteins for degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome or autophagy pathway. Stress response pathway induction is also important for cancer cell survival. Indeed, validated targets for anti-cancer treatments include molecular chaperones, components of the unfolded protein response, the ubiquitin-proteasome system, and autophagy. We will focus on links between breast cancer and these processes, as well as the development of drug resistance, relapse, and treatment.

Adjuvant Capecitabine in Combination With Docetaxel, Epirubicin, and Cyclophosphamide for Early Breast Cancer: The Randomized Clinical FinXX Trial

Importance

Capecitabine is not considered a standard agent in the adjuvant treatment of early breast cancer. The results of this study suggest that addition of adjuvant capecitabine to a regimen that contains docetaxel, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide improves survival outcomes of patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

Objective

To investigate the effect of capecitabine on long-term survival outcomes of patients with early breast cancer, particularly in subgroups defined by cancer estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) content, and HER2 content (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2).

Design, Setting, and Participants

This is an exploratory analysis of the multicenter FinXX randomized clinical trial that accrued 1500 women in Finland and Sweden between January 27, 2004, and May 29, 2007. About half received 3 cycles of docetaxel followed by 3 cycles of cyclophosphamide, epirubicin, and fluorouracil (T+CEF), while the other half received 3 cycles of docetaxel plus capecitabine followed by 3 cycles of cyclophosphamide, epirubicin, and capecitabine (TX+CEX). Data analysis took place between January 27, 2004, and December 31, 2015.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Recurrence-free survival (RFS).

Results

Following random allocation, 747 women received T+CEF, and 753 women received TX+CEX. Five patients were excluded from the intention-to-treat population (3 had overt distant metastases at the time of randomization; 2 withdrew consent). The median age of the remaining 1495 patients was 53 years at the time of study entry; 157 (11%) had axillary node-negative disease; 1142 (76%) had ER-positive cancer; and 282 (19%) had HER2-positive cancer. The median follow-up time after random allocation was 10.3 years. There was no significant difference in RFS or overall survival between the groups (hazard ratio [HR], 0.88; 95% CI, 0.71-1.08; P = .23; and HR, 0.84, 95% CI, 0.66-1.07; P = .15; respectively). Breast cancer-specific survival tended to favor the capecitabine group (HR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.60-1.04; P = .10). When RFS and survival of the patients were compared within the subgroups defined by cancer steroid hormone receptor status (ER and/or PR positive vs ER and PR negative) and HER2 status (positive vs negative), TX+CEX was more effective than T+CEF in the subset of patients with TNBC (HR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.31-0.92; P = .02; and HR, 0.55, 95% CI, 0.31-0.96; P = .03; respectively).

Conclusions and Relevance

Capecitabine administration with docetaxel, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide did not prolong RFS or survival compared with a regimen that contained only standard agents. Patients with TNBC had favorable survival outcomes when treated with the capecitabine-containing regimen in an exploratory subgroup analysis.

Trial Registration

clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00114816.

HER-2 Positive Breast Cancer - a Mini-Review

Breast cancer is one of among all cancers with increased incidence, high mortality rate, and high economic and social costs. The the most common type of cancer among females worldwide, breast cancer is actually the uncontrolled proliferation of cells which attain malignancy. Recently it has shown that breast cancer contributes 11% among all types of cancer diagnosed globally on an annual basis and it is one of the leading causes of death among women. The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) is a receptor tyrosine-protein kinase erbB-2 normally involved in the proliferation and division of breast cells. In some abnormal cases the HER2 gene does not work correctly and makes too many copies of itself. HER2-positive (HER2+) breast cancers constitute an aggressive type of breast cancer and tend to grow faster and are more likely to spread. However, therapies that specifically target HER2, such as Herceptin® (traztuzumab), are very effective. HER2 targeted therapies, has significantly improved the therapeutic outcome for patients with HER2 positive breast cancer.

Trastuzumab Emtansine With or Without Pertuzumab Versus Trastuzumab Plus Taxane for Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2-Positive, Advanced Breast Cancer: Primary Results From the Phase III MARIANNE Study

Purpose Trastuzumab and pertuzumab are human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) -targeted monoclonal antibodies, and trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) is an antibody-drug conjugate that combines the properties of trastuzumab with the cytotoxic activity of DM1. T-DM1 demonstrated encouraging efficacy and safety in a phase II study of patients with previously untreated HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. Combination T-DM1 and pertuzumab showed synergistic activity in cell culture models and had an acceptable safety profile in a phase Ib and II study. Methods In the MARIANNE study, 1,095 patients with centrally assessed, HER2-positive, advanced breast cancer and no prior therapy for advanced disease were randomly assigned 1:1:1 to control (trastuzumab plus taxane), T-DM1 plus placebo, hereafter T-DM1, or T-DM1 plus pertuzumab at standard doses. Primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS), as assessed by independent review. Results T-DM1 and T-DM1 plus pertuzumab showed noninferior PFS compared with trastuzumab plus taxane (median PFS: 13.7 months with trastuzumab plus taxane, 14.1 months with T-DM1, and 15.2 months with T-DM1 plus pertuzumab). Neither experimental arm showed PFS superiority to trastuzumab plus taxane. Response rate was 67.9% in patients who were treated with trastuzumab plus taxane, 59.7% with T-DM1, and 64.2% with T-DM1 plus pertuzumab; median response duration was 12.5 months, 20.7 months, and 21.2 months, respectively. The incidence of grade ≥ 3 adverse events was numerically higher in the control arm (54.1%) versus the T-DM1 arm (45.4%) and T-DM1 plus pertuzumab arm (46.2%). Numerically fewer patients discontinued treatment because of adverse events in the T-DM1 arms, and health-related quality of life was maintained for longer in the T-DM1 arms. Conclusion T-DM1 showed noninferior, but not superior, efficacy and better tolerability than did taxane plus trastuzumab for first-line treatment of HER2-positive, advanced breast cancer.

Trastuzumab cardiotoxicity: from clinical trials to experimental studies

Epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2) is overexpressed in 20 to 25% of human breast cancers, which is associated with aggressive tumour growth and poor prognosis. Trastuzumab (Herceptin®) is a humanized monoclonal antibody directed against HER-2, the first highly selective form of therapy targeting HER-2 overexpressing tumours. Although initial trials indicated high efficacy and a favourable safety profile of the drug, the first large, randomized trial prompted a retrospective analysis of cardiac dysfunction in earlier trials utilizing trastuzumab. There has been ongoing debate on the cardiac safety of trastuzumab ever since, initiating numerous clinical and preclinical investigations to better understand the background of trastuzumab cardiotoxicity and evaluate its effects on patient morbidity. Here, we have given a comprehensive overview of our current knowledge on the cardiotoxicity of trastuzumab, primarily focusing on data from clinical trials and highlighting the main molecular mechanisms proposed.

LINKED ARTICLES

This article is part of a themed section on New Insights into Cardiotoxicity Caused by Chemotherapeutic Agents. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v174.21/issuetoc.

Efficacy and safety of trastuzumab combined with chemotherapy for first-line treatment and beyond progression of HER2-overexpressing advanced breast cancer

Objective

To observe the efficacy and safety of trastuzumab combined with chemotherapy in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-overexpressing advanced breast cancer.

Methods

A total of 90 patients with HER2-overexpressing advanced breast cancer were enrolled in this study. All patients were diagnosed with ductal invasive breast cancer by pathological analysis, and were aged between 31–73 years with a median of 51 years. HER2-positivity was defined as 3(+) staining in immunochemistry or amplification of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH, ratio ≥2.0). Trastuzumab was administered in combination with chemotherapy as first-line treatment and beyond progression as a secondline, third-line, and above treatment in 90, 34, 14, and 6 patients, respectively. The chemotherapy regimen was given according to normal clinical practice. The response rate was evaluated every two cycles, and the primary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Survival curves were estimated by using Kaplan-Meier graphs and were compared by using log-rank test statistics. Multivariate analysis was done using Cox’s proportional hazards regression model, and the level of significance was P<0.05.

Results

All 90 patients received at least one dose of trastuzumab, and efficacy could be evaluated in 85 patients. The median follow-up was 50 months. In total, 72 (80.00%) patients had visceral metastasis, and 43 (47.78%) patients had progressed after one or more extensive chemotherapy regimens for metastatic diseases. The median PFS for first-line trastuzumab was 10 months (range, 2–59 months), and the median OS after metastasis or initially local advanced disease was 22 months (range, 2–116 months).

Conclusions

Trastuzumab combined with chemotherapy was active and well-tolerated as a first-line treatment and even beyond progression in HER2-overexpressing advanced breast cancer as a second-line or third-line treatment. However, its efficacy is certainly less beyond this point.

Over-treatment in metastatic breast cancer

Metastatic breast cancer is an incurable disease and the main goals of treatment are prolongation of survival and preservation/improvement of quality of life. Thus the main philosophy of treatment should be to use the least toxic methods, as long as they provide sufficient disease control. In ER-positive tumours this can be in many cases achieved by endocrine therapy; in HER2-positive cancers efficacy of backbone therapy can be enhanced by an anti-HER2 agent. In patients requiring chemotherapy, consecutive single agent regimen provide disease control of a duration at least comparable to multidrug regimen, at a cost of significantly lower toxicity and are a preferred strategy in the majority of cases. Available data demonstrate, however, that aggressive chemotherapy is still overused in many metastatic breast cancer patients. The objective of this manuscript is to critically review available data on treatment choices and sequence in metastatic breast cancer across all breast cancer subtypes in relation to possible overtreatment, including therapies which are not recommended by current guidelines or not even approved. Our aim is to provide guidance on applying these data to clinical practice, but also to describe various, often non-scientific factors influencing therapeutic decisions in an aim to identify areas requiring educational and possibly political actions.

Long-term combination chemotherapy using eribulin and trastuzumab for three patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive metastatic breast cancer

The combination chemotherapy regimen of eribulin (ERI) and trastuzumab (TRA)—the ERI-TRA regimen—has been shown to be highly tolerable for patients with recurrent or metastatic human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer. However, no sufficient clinical evidence is available for the long-term safety profile of the regimen. We report on three patients in the Phase I combination study of the regimen, for whom the regimen could be conducted over the long term. Patient #1 was a 68-year-old woman and underwent the regimen until cycle 23. Patient #2 was a 61-year-old woman and underwent the regimen until cycle 27. Patient #3 was a 59-year-old woman and underwent the regimen until cycle 22. All these patients had undergone TRA-based combination therapy before the onset of the regimen. Any new categories of adverse events did not occur in association with the long-term combination chemotherapy. Neutropenia experienced by these patients was reversible and easily manageable by dose adjustment (interruption/delay and reduction). Neither increase in the risk of cardiomyopathy nor the worsening of peripheral neuropathy greater than grade 1 was found. The present regimen was suggested to be a novel chemotherapeutic option for patients with HER2-positive recurrent or metastatic breast cancer. The fact that the long-term ERI-TRA regimen was successfully conducted for these patients can be supplementary clinical information that is beneficial for clinical oncologists.

Metronomic Chemotherapy for Metastatic Breast Cancer - a Systematic Review of the Literature

Conventional chemotherapy is generally administered in high doses followed by a treatment-free period to give the body needful time to recover. This "maximum tolerated dose" approach results in high response rates. However, long periods between therapy cycles can lead to development of resistance mechanisms and consequently disease progression. One of the most interesting alternative strategies is metronomic chemotherapy. This concept relies on the continuous administration of chemotherapy at low doses and aims at targeting endothelial cells in the tumor bed as well. Recently, metronomic chemotherapy has been incorporated into the recommendations issued by the German AGO expert panel (www.ago-online.de). A systematic review of PubMed/Medline, ClinicalTrials.gov, the European Clinical Trials Database (EudraCT) and the Cochrane Database was conducted. In the present review, we discuss the current evidence on metronomic chemotherapy in metastatic breast cancer.

Recent developments and translational aspects in targeted therapy for metastatic breast cancer

Biologically distinct subtypes of metastatic breast cancer (MBC) have been defined by multiple efforts in recent years, showing broad heterogeneity at the molecular level of disease. Throughout this endeavour, oncogenic drivers within MBC were identified as potential therapeutic targets. With recent results from clinical trials targeting these well-known cancer-promoting pathways, this review is trying to elucidate as well as summarise current new therapeutic aspects in MBC and shed light on translational aspects within this entity.

Risk of severe cardiotoxicity following treatment with trastuzumab: a meta-analysis of randomized and cohort studies of 29,000 women with breast cancer

Trastuzumab prolongs survival in women with HER2-positive breast cancer, but may increase the risk of heart disease. The occurrence of severe cardiotoxicity, however, is not defined in real-life settings. We performed a meta-analysis of clinical trials and cohort studies to estimate the frequency of cardiotoxicities following trastuzumab treatment. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library (1996-January 2014). The primary outcome was the frequency of severe cardiotoxicities up to 3-years after trastuzumab initiation. Among 58 studies (29,598 patients), severe cardiotoxicity occurred in 3.00% (95% CI 2.41-3.64), 2.62% (95% CI 1.97-3.35), and 3.14% (95% CI 2.12-4.37) of overall, early (EBC) and metastatic (MBC) breast cancer patients, respectively. In EBC, the proportion increased from 2.40% at the first year to a plateau of approximately 3% after the second year. In MBC, the proportion increased from 3.00 to 3.68% when trastuzumab was used as first line or further lines of therapy, respectively. In EBC, cardiotoxicity occurred in 2.90% of patients treated with taxanes and anthracyclines compared to 0.92% in patients treated with taxanes without anthracyclines. The occurrence of cardiotoxicity varied according to age, increasing from 2.31% in individuals <50 years, to 3.46% in those 50-59 years, to 4.91% in those >60 years of age. Cardiotoxicity was higher in smokers (5.3%), dyslipidemic patients (3.9%), BMI ≥25 (6.5%), diabetes (6.2%), hypertension (5.5%), or positive history of cardiac disease (19.1%). RCTs consistently report lower cardiac toxicity rates than observational studies (EBC: 1.7 versus 3.2; MBC: 2.8 versus 4.4). Following trastuzumab initiation, approximately three in 100 patients develop severe cardiotoxicity after 2 years. Patients enrolled in cohort studies, who more closely reflect women treated for breast cancer in real-life settings compared to RCTs, are at higher risk of developing cardiac events.

Efficacy and safety of capecitabine-based first-line chemotherapy in advanced or metastatic breast cancer: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

We sought to evaluate the efficacy and safety of capecitabine-based therapy as first-line chemotherapy in advanced breast cancer. Randomised controlled trials of capecitabine monotherapy or combined treatment were included in the meta-analysis. PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library database and important meeting summaries were searched systematically. Outcomes were progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), overall response rate (ORR) and grades 3-4 drug-related adverse events.Nine trials with 1798 patients were included. The results indicated a significant improvement with capecitabine-based chemotherapy compared with capecitabine-free chemotherapy in ORR (relative risk [RR] 1.14, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03 to 1.26, P = 0.013) and PFS (hazard ratio [HR] 0.77, 95% CI 0.69 to 0.87, P < 0.0001). Overall survival favoured capecitabine-based chemotherapy, but this was not significant. There were more incidences of neutropenia and neutropenic fever in the capecitabine-free chemotherapy group and more vomiting, diarrhoea and hand-foot syndrome in the capecitabine-based chemotherapy group. There were no significant differences in nausea, fatigue, cardiotoxicity or mucositis/stomatitis between the two treatment regimens.Capecitabine-based chemotherapy significantly improves ORR and PFS in patients with advanced breast cancer, but has no demonstrable impact on OS. Capecitabine-based regimens are suitable as first-line treatment for patients with advanced breast cancer.

Targeted Therapies in Breast Cancer: Implications for Advanced Oncology Practice

The systemic therapeutic management of breast cancer has undergone significant transformation in the past decade. Without targeted therapies, conventional treatment with cytotoxic agents has reached the limit of its potential in terms of patient survival for most types of cancer. Enhanced understanding of the pathogenesis of tumor cell growth and metastasis has led to the identification of signaling growth pathways as targets for these directed therapies. Novel therapies targeted to HER2/neu, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), poly(ADP ribose) polymerase (PARP), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), histone deacetylase (HDAC), the heat shock protein, and cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors have been developed and have demonstrated some efficacy in breast cancer. Recognition and management of the toxicities associated with targeted therapies is imperative. This review will describe the clinical development and utilization of targeted therapies currently in use or in clinical trials, with a focus on considerations for the oncology advanced practitioner.

Long term HER2+ metastatic breast cancer survivors treated by trastuzumab: Results from the French cohort study LHORA

PURPOSE

The LORHA study described the clinical features of patients and tumours in long-term responders from a subset of breast cancer patients who responded to 1st-line trastuzumab and without disease progression.

METHODS

This was an ambispective, multicentre, non-interventional study conducted in 57 centres in France. Eligible patients were women with HER2+metastatic or locally-advanced breast cancer, treated with 1st-line therapy, progression-free for ≥3 years after starting trastuzumab, and followed-up for 12 months.

RESULTS

160 patients were recruited, 128 were included in the efficacy analysis subset (median age: 61 years; [34-95 years]). A majority (88%) had invasive ductal carcinoma; 53% had SBR grade III carcinoma, and 58% were positive for hormonal receptors. The median time since diagnosis was 8 years [3-26 years]. The most frequent metastatic sites were the bone, liver, lymph nodes, and lungs in 43%, 35%, 20% and 19% of patients, respectively. The median duration of 1st-line trastuzumab was 4.5 years [0.8-12.1], combined with paclitaxel and docetaxel in 35 and 72 patients, respectively. Median PFS (progression-free survival) was 6.4 years [5.7; Not Reached]. No trastuzumab-related deaths were observed. In the safety analysis subset (N = 134), 3 cardiac adverse events considered related to trastuzumab were recorded in 3 patients (2.2%), and only one prospective congestive cardiac failure was of grade ≥3.

CONCLUSIONS

The LORHA study showed that long term responders to 1st-line trastuzumab for locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer could achieve a median PFS of more than 6 years, with an acceptable safety profile.

HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer: a changing scenario

Adjuvant trastuzumab (AT) dramatically improved HER2-positive breast cancer prognosis. Relapsed disease after AT has different patterns and information is available from observational studies. In this Review Chemotherapy regimens combined to anti-HER2 blockade are discussed, focusing in particular the role of anthracyclines, taxanes and capecitabine. The use of trastuzumab beyond progression and the role of other anti-HER2 agents like lapatinib, pertuzumab and T-DM1 are explored, as also dual blockade and in trastuzumab resistant Patients. Metastatic "de novo" HER2 Luminal (co-expression of HER2 and hormone receptors) Patients are eligible for anastrozole and trastuzumab but if pretreated with trastuzumab they are also eligible for lapatinib and letrozole. In any case endocrine treatment plays a complementary role to chemotherapy which remains pivotal. The last topic explored is treatment options for patients with brain metastases where both trastuzumab given concurrent with radiotherapy or lapatinib and capecitabine appear as potentially active.

Neoadjuvant breast cancer treatment as a sensitive setting for trastuzumab biosimilar development and extrapolation

ABSTRACT 

Aims: Identify sensitive end points and populations for similarity studies of trastuzumab and biosimilar monoclonal antibodies. Methods: We performed meta-analyses of trastuzumab clinical trials data: overall response rate (ORR) and progression-free survival in metastatic breast cancer (MBC), and total pathologic complete response (tpCR) and event-free survival in the neoadjuvant setting. Fitted models predicted the maximum loss in long-term efficacy for different similarity trial designs. Immunogenicity rates were investigated in different early breast cancer (EBC) study phases. Results: Using the same equivalence margins for ORR (MBC) and tpCR (EBC), the predicted maximum loss in long-term efficacy with a biosimilar candidate versus the reference product is smaller for tpCR than for ORR. In EBC this predicted loss could be controlled with feasible patient numbers for a typical clinical trial. Analyses suggested that a treatment-free follow-up phase is preferable for immunogenicity characterization. Conclusion: Treatment of patients with neoadjuvant breast cancer represents a sensitive setting for establishing biosimilarity of efficacy and immunogenicity. tpCR is a sensitive end point in this setting to establish biosimilarity between a biosimilar candidate and its reference product.

Antibody-targeted drugs and drug resistance--challenges and solutions

Antibody-based therapy of various human malignancies has shown efficacy in the past 30 years and is now one of the most successful and leading strategies for targeted treatment of patients harboring hematological malignancies and solid tumors. Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) aim to take advantage of the affinity and specificity of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to selectively deliver potent cytotoxic drugs to antigen-expressing tumor cells. Key parameters for ADC include choosing the optimal components of the ADC (the antibody, the linker and the cytotoxic drug) and selecting the suitable cell-surface target antigen. Building on the success of recent FDA approval of brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) and ado-trastuzumab emtansine (Kadcyla), ADCs are currently a class of drugs with a robust pipeline with clinical applications that are rapidly expanding. The more ADCs are being evaluated in preclinical models and clinical trials, the clearer are becoming the parameters and the challenges required for their therapeutic success. This rapidly growing knowledge and clinical experience are revealing novel modalities and mechanisms of resistance to ADCs, hence offering plausible solutions to such challenges. Here, we review the key parameters for designing a powerful ADC, focusing on how ADCs are addressing the challenge of multiple drug resistance (MDR) and its rational overcoming.

Trastuzumab (herceptin): a retrospective analysis of the effects of long-term application in a series of patients with breast cancer

INTRODUCTION

About 20 % of all mamma carcinomas are HER2 positive. The overexpression of HER2 is considered to be a negative prognostic factor. Trastuzumab is a monoclonal anti-HER2 antibody developed to target HER2 overexpressing tumor cells. So far, there is only little data available on long-term effects of trastuzumab. This is why we analyzed the medical records of our patient collective with respect to tolerability and oncological outcomes of long-term trastuzumab treatment.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Our retrospective observational study included all patients of the Saarland University Hospital with breast cancer who received trastuzumab for more than 18 months between 2003 and 2012. We analyzed the medical records with respect to oncological outcome, tolerability and cardiac side effects.

RESULTS

A total of n = 15 patients had been treated with trastuzumab for over 18 months with a mean therapy duration of 57.2 months (range 18-119 months). The mean follow-up time was 113.5 months (range 50-240 months). Three of the patients had a treatment interruption for an average of 2.6 months (range 3-5), which was not due to side effects. The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was controlled at regular intervals in all of the patients. Upon the beginning of the trastuzumab treatment, the mean LVEF was 68 %. In one patient, the trastuzumab treatment was discontinued after 41 months because of a decrease of the LVEF below normal levels.

CONCLUSION

Trastuzumab is well tolerated even during long-term use. Patients with HER2 overexpression and metastases can be treated well with trastuzumab for up to 119 months.

Subcutaneous Administration of Monoclonal Antibodies in Oncology

Treatment with monoclonal antibodies (mabs) has become an established component of oncological therapy. The monoclonal antibodies available for this purpose are mainly administered intravenously in individually adapted doses according to body weight over longer treatment times. For other chronic diseases such as, for example, diabetes mellitus, the subcutaneous administration of drugs is an established therapy option. For the subcutaneous administration of larger volumes as needed for mab solutions the extracellular matrix of the subcutaneous tissue represents a problem. The co-formulation with recombinant human hyaluronidase makes the relatively pain-free administration of larger fluid volumes and thus the subcutaneous administration of monoclonal antibodies possible, as illustrated by the development of a subcutaneous formulation of trastuzumab. This constitutes a less invasive, time-optimised and flexible form of administration for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer that, with its fixed dosing possibilities, contributes to therapeutic safety. The example of trastuzumab shows that the subcutaneous administration of monoclonal antibodies can simplify oncological long-term therapy not only for the patients but also for the medical personnel.

Cisplatin improves antitumor activity of weekly nab-paclitaxel in patients with metastatic breast cancer

Although nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-paclitaxel) is approved to be given every 3 weeks, weekly use of this drug is becoming a new standard of care in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). This prospective Phase II study was conducted to improve the efficacy of weekly nab-paclitaxel with cisplatin in MBC patients. Seventy-three women with recurrent or MBC were eligible for participation. Nab-paclitaxel was administered weekly at a dose of 125 mg/m(2) on day 1, day 8, and day 15, followed by cisplatin 75 mg/m(2) on day 1, repeated every 28 days with a maximum of 6 cycles. The primary objective was investigator-assessed overall response rate (ORR). A high ORR of 67.1% was obtained, with rates of 80.6% for the first-line patients and 80% for patients not pretreated with taxanes. Among those who had objective responses, a large percentage of patients (83.7%) showed quickly remarkable tumor shrinkage during the first two cycles. The median progression-free and overall survival times were 9.8 and 26.9 months, respectively. For the patients receiving first-, second-, and third-line therapy or beyond, median progression-free survival was 11.7, 7.7, and 7.6 months, respectively (P=0.005). Molecular subtype was not significantly associated with ORR or disease progression. Grade 4 neutropenia occurred in 46 patients (63.0%), with febrile neutropenia found in 9 patients (12.3%). Grade 3 peripheral neuropathy was an accumulated dose-limiting toxicity occurring in 19 patients (26.0%). Efficacy of weekly nab-paclitaxel can be improved by adding cisplatin. The doublet is highly effective, with quick response, manageable toxicity, and possible equivalence across molecular subtypes in MBC patients.

Trastuzumab emtansine: mechanisms of action and drug resistance

Trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) is an antibody-drug conjugate that is effective and generally well tolerated when administered as a single agent to treat advanced breast cancer. Efficacy has now been demonstrated in randomized trials as first line, second line, and later than the second line treatment of advanced breast cancer. T-DM1 is currently being evaluated as adjuvant treatment for early breast cancer. It has several mechanisms of action consisting of the anti-tumor effects of trastuzumab and those of DM1, a cytotoxic anti-microtubule agent released within the target cells upon degradation of the human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2)-T-DM1 complex in lysosomes. The cytotoxic effect of T-DM1 likely varies depending on the intracellular concentration of DM1 accumulated in cancer cells, high intracellular levels resulting in rapid apoptosis, somewhat lower levels in impaired cellular trafficking and mitotic catastrophe, while the lowest levels lead to poor response to T-DM1. Primary resistance of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer to T-DM1 appears to be relatively infrequent, but most patients treated with T-DM1 develop acquired drug resistance. The mechanisms of resistance are incompletely understood, but mechanisms limiting the binding of trastuzumab to cancer cells may be involved. The cytotoxic effect of T-DM1 may be impaired by inefficient internalization or enhanced recycling of the HER2-T-DM1 complex in cancer cells, or impaired lysosomal degradation of trastuzumab or intracellular trafficking of HER2. The effect of T-DM1 may also be compromised by multidrug resistance proteins that pump DM1 out of cancer cells. In this review we discuss the mechanism of action of T-DM1 and the key clinical results obtained with it, the combinations of T-DM1 with other cytotoxic agents and anti-HER drugs, and the potential resistance mechanisms and the strategies to overcome resistance to T-DM1.

First-line trastuzumab plus taxane-based chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer: cost-minimization analysis

AIM

To carry out a cost-minimization analysis including a comparison of the costs arising from first-line treatment by trastuzumab plus docetaxel versus trastuzumab plus paclitaxel in patients with metastatic breast cancer.

METHODS

All consecutive patients with human epidermal growth receptor 2-postive metastatic breast cancer who were treated at Besançon University Hospital and Saint Vincent private hospital between 2001 and 2010 by first-line therapy containing trastuzumab plus taxane were retrospectively studied. Economic analysis took into account costs related to drugs, hospitalization, and healthcare travel.

RESULTS

Progression-free survival difference between the two treatments was not significant (p = 0.65). First-line treatment by trastuzumab plus taxane was estimated at approximately €68,000 (p = 0.74). The drug costs represented around 70-75% of the total cost, mainly related to the use of trastuzumab.

CONCLUSION

Our economic analysis shows that although the costs of the two trastuzumab plus taxane regimens are similar, they may contribute to the on-going debate about the availability and use of innovative chemotherapy drugs, in particular in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive metastatic breast cancer with new therapies such as trastuzumab-DM1 and pertuzumab.