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There is a strong rationale for combining HER2-targeted therapies with cancer immunotherapy to increase efficacy in breast cancer, particularly in the early-stage setting, where the immune system has not been weakened by heavy pretreatment. ASTEFANIA aims to evaluate the efficacy of adjuvant atezolizumab in combination with ado-trastuzumab emtansine in patients with high-risk, HER2-positive early breast cancer and residual disease following HER2-based neoadjuvant therapy. Eligible patients will be randomized to receive ado-trastuzumab emtansine in combination with either atezolizumab or placebo for 14 cycles within 12 weeks of primary surgery. The primary outcome is invasive disease-free survival and secondary outcomes include additional efficacy end points, safety and pharmacokinetics. The study plans to enroll 1700 patients across 32 counties. Clinical Trial Registration: NCT04873362 ( ClinicalTrials.gov )

PURPOSE APHINITY, at 45 months median follow-up, showed that pertuzumab added to adjuvant trastuzumab and chemotherapy significantly improved invasive disease–free survival (IDFS) (hazard ratio 0.81 [95% CI, 0.66 to 1.00], P = .045) for patients with early human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)–positive breast cancer (BC), specifically those with node-positive or hormone receptor (HR)–negative disease. We now report the preplanned second interim overall survival (OS) and descriptive updated IDFS analysis with 74 months median follow-up. METHODS After surgery and central HER2-positive confirmation, 4,805 patients with node-positive or high-risk node-negative BC were randomly assigned (1:1) to either 1-year pertuzumab or placebo added to standard adjuvant chemotherapy and 1-year trastuzumab. RESULTS This interim OS analysis comparing pertuzumab versus placebo did not reach the P = .0012 level required for statistical significance ( P = .17, hazard ratio 0.85). Six-year OS were 95% versus 94% with 125 deaths (5.2%) versus 147 (6.1%), respectively. IDFS analysis based on 508 events (intent-to-treat population) showed a hazard ratio of 0.76 (95% CI, 0.64 to 0.91) and 6-year IDFS of 91% and 88% for pertuzumab and placebo groups, respectively. The node-positive cohort continues to derive clear IDFS benefit from pertuzumab (hazard ratio 0.72 [95% CI, 0.59 to 0.87]), 6-year IDFS being 88% and 83%, respectively. Benefit was not seen in the node-negative cohort. In a subset analysis, IDFS benefit from pertuzumab showed a hazard ratio of 0.73 (95% CI, 0.59 to 0.92) for HR-positive disease and a hazard ratio of 0.83 (95% CI, 0.63 to 1.10) for HR-negative disease. Primary cardiac events remain < 1% in both the treatment groups. No new safety signals were seen. CONCLUSION This analysis confirms the IDFS benefit from adding pertuzumab to standard adjuvant therapy for patients with node-positive HER2-positive early BC. Longer follow-up is needed to fully assess OS benefit.

Purpose Intravenous trastuzumab, pertuzumab, and docetaxel are first-line standard of care for patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (mBC). MetaPHER is the first study assessing the safety and tolerability of subcutaneous trastuzumab plus intravenous pertuzumab and chemotherapy in a global patient population with HER2-positive mBC. Methods In this open-label, single-arm, multicenter, phase 3b study, eligible patients were ≥ 18 years old with histologically/cytologically confirmed previously untreated HER2-positive mBC. All received ≥ 1 subcutaneous trastuzumab 600 mg fixed dose plus intravenous pertuzumab (loading dose: 840 mg/kg; maintenance: 420 mg/kg) and docetaxel (≥ 6 cycles; initial dose 75 mg/m2) every 3 weeks. The primary objective was safety and tolerability; secondary objectives included efficacy. Results At clinical cutoff, 276 patients had completed the study; median duration of follow-up was 27 months. The most common any-grade adverse events were diarrhea, alopecia, and asthenia; the most common grade ≥ 3 events were neutropenia, febrile neutropenia, and hypertension. There were no cardiac deaths and mean left ventricular ejection fraction was stable over time. Median investigator-assessed progression-free survival was 18.7 months; objective response rate was 75.6%. Conclusions Safety and efficacy with subcutaneous trastuzumab plus intravenous pertuzumab and docetaxel in mBC are consistent with historical evidence of intravenous trastuzumab with this combination. Findings further support subcutaneous administration not affecting safety/efficacy profiles of trastuzumab in HER2-positive BC with increased flexibility in patient care. A fixed-dose combination of pertuzumab and trastuzumab for subcutaneous injection has recently been approved for the treatment of HER2-positive early/mBC, further addressing the increasing relevance of and need for patient-centric treatment strategies. Trial registration NCT02402712

Background: The APHINITY trial demonstrated that pertuzumab, when added to adjuvant trastuzumab and chemotherapy, modestly but statistically significantly improved invasive disease-free survival (IDFS) among patients with HER2-positive, operable breast cancer. From November 2011 until August 2013, 2400 patients were randomly assigned to receive pertuzumab and 2405 to receive placebo. The clinical cut off-date for the primary analysis was 19 Dec 2016 after a median follow-up of 45.4 months. In the intent-to-treat (ITT) population, the estimates of the 3-year rates of IDFS were 94.1% in the pertuzumab group and 93.2% in the placebo group (hazard ratio [HR], 0.81; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.66 to 1.00; P=0.045). The benefit appeared more pronounced in patients with node-positive disease, with a HR of 0.77 (95% CI 0.62-0.96), and in those with hormone receptor-negative disease, where the HR was 0.76 (95% CI 0.56-1.04). Based on these results, pertuzumab in combination with trastuzumab was approved for high risk early HER2-positive breast cancer patients. The first interim analysis of OS took place at that same time. A total of 169 patients had died, with no significant treatment effect with regards to mortality found at that time. Diarrhea, grade 3 or higher, was more frequent within the pertuzumab group (9.8%) compared with the placebo group (3.7%). Heart failure, cardiac death, and cardiac dysfunction were infrequent in both treatment groups. Results: At 74.1 months of median follow-up (clinical cut-off date June 19, 2019), we now report results of the pre-planned, calendar-driven second interim OS analysis which requires a p-value of 0.0012 to reach statistical significance. Updated descriptive analyses of IDFS and cardiac safety were also performed. Fewer deaths were observed in the pertuzumab (P) arm [125 (5.2%) vs 147 (6.1%)], however statistical significance was not reached at this interim analysis. The hazard ratio for OS is 0.85 [95% CI 0.67-1.07 (p=0.17)]; 6-year OS percents are 94.8% vs 93.9% (0.9% difference).Updated IDFS results based on 508 events in the ITT population are: hazard ratio 0.76 [95% CI 0.64-0.91]; 6-year IDFS percents are 90.6% vs 87.8% (2.8% difference). Of note, the difference was due mainly to the reduction in distant (5.9% vs 7.7%) and loco-regional (1.2% vs 2.0%) BC relapses. The node-positive cohort continues to derive clear benefit from the addition of P: hazard ratio 0.72 (95% CI 0.59-0.87). The benefit in terms of 6-year IDFS percent is 4.5% [87.9% vs 83.4%].In the node-negative cohort, the IDFS hazard ratio is 1.02 (95% CI; 0.69-1.53) with 95% of patients being event-free in both arms at 6 years.With longer follow up, a treatment benefit of P is also seen in the hormone receptor (HR) positive cohort: IDFS hazard ratio for HR positive is 0.73 (95% CI 0.59 -0.92). IDFS hazard ratio for HR negative is 0.83 (95% CI 0.63 -1.10). No new cardiac safety concerns emerged. One additional primary cardiac event (heart failure) was reported in the P arm and 1 additional patient in each arm had a secondary cardiac event resulting to 18 and 8 for primary cardiac events and 65 and 68 for secondary cardiac events in the P and placebo arms, respectively. The benefit of P in HER2+ early BC is maintained, with the greatest benefit continuing to be observed in the node positive population. With longer follow-up, the benefit of P no longer appears to depend on HR status. Continued follow up of patients is very important to determine possible benefit for OS. A calendar-driven third interim OS analysis is planned in 2.5 years, and the event-driven final OS analysis is planned when 640 deaths have occurred. Citation Format: Martine Piccart, Marion Procter, Debora Fumagalli, Evandro de Azambuja, Emma Clark, Michael S. Ewer, Eleonora Restuccia, Guy Jerusalem, Susan Dent, Linda Reaby, Hervé Bonnefoi, Ian Krop, Tsang-Wu Liu, Tadeusz Pieńkowski, Masakazu Toi, Nicolas Wilcken, Michael Andersson, Young-Hyuck Im, Ling-Ming Tseng, Hans-Joachim Lueck, Marco Colleoni, Estefania Monturus, Mihaela Sicoe, Sébastien Guillaume, José Bines, Richard Gelber, Giuseppe Viale, Christoph Thomssen. Interim overall survival analysis of APHINITY (BIG 4-11): A randomized multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial comparing chemotherapy plus trastuzumab plus pertuzumab versus chemotherapy plus trastuzumab plus placebo as adjuvant therapy in patients with operable HER2-positive early breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr GS1-04.

Background Previous trials showed that fixed-dose subcutaneous trastuzumab and hyaluronidase-oysk (Herceptin Hylecta™; H SC) was non-inferior to weight-based intravenous trastuzumab (Herceptin®; H IV) in terms of pathologic complete response and serum trough concentration in HER2-positive early breast cancer (BC), with a comparable safety profile (NCT00950300), and demonstrated a compelling patient (pt) preference for H SC (NCT01401166). IV pertuzumab (PERJETA®; P IV) + H IV + docetaxel (D IV) was also shown to significantly improve progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival vs. placebo + H IV + D IV in HER2-positive metastatic BC (NCT00567190). Here we report results from the final analysis of MetaPHER (NCT02402712), the largest study to evaluate safety and tolerability of first-line H SC + P IV + D IV for HER2-positive metastatic/locally advanced BC. Earlier analyses have been reported (Kümmel SABCS 2016; P4-21-42; Kümmel ESMO 2018; 323P). Methods Pts were ≥18-year-old females who had received no previous systemic non-hormonal anticancer therapy for their disease, had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1, and a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥50%. Brain metastases and concomitant hormone therapy were allowed. Pts received 600 mg H SC + 840 mg loading/420 mg maintenance doses of P IV + ≥6 cycles of D IV (75 mg/m2→100 mg/m2; >6 cycles were given at the investigator’s discretion) every 3 weeks until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, withdrawal of consent, death, or predefined study end. The primary objective was to evaluate safety and tolerability. Adverse events (AEs) were graded per National Cancer Institute - Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.0; left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) was classified according to the New York Heart Association Functional Classification system. Safety results are descriptive. Exploratory efficacy endpoints were PFS and objective response rate (ORR). Results Four hundred eighteen pts were enrolled; 412 were treated and analyzed for safety, and 160 remained on treatment at study end. Data cutoff was May 23, 2019 with median follow-up of 27 months (max. 45 months). Baseline demographics were similar to the interim analysis. Median cycles of H SC, P IV, and D IV were 22.0, 21.5, and 6.0, respectively (some discontinued P IV due to toxicity but remained on H SC per the protocol). Most pts experienced ≥1 any-grade AE (406; 98.5%); 221 (53.6%), grade ≥3 AEs; 107 (26.0%), serious AEs; 87 (21.1%), AEs leading to withdrawal from any study treatment; 87 (21.1%), investigator-reported administration-related and local injection-site reactions (21 [5.1%] H SC-related). There were 87 deaths (21.1% of pts): 73 (17.7%) from disease progression, nine (2.2%) due to AEs, and five (1.2%) due to other causes after treatment discontinuation. Three pts (0.7%) experienced grade ≥3 cardiac AEs, and one (0.2%) a serious AE suggestive of congestive heart failure. Of the 396 pts with LVEF measurements at baseline and ≥1 post-baseline visit, 40 (10.1%) had LVEF drops (to Citation Format: Sherko Kümmel, Carlo A Tondini, Jacinta Abraham, Zbigniew Nowecki, Bartosz Itrych, Erika Hitre, Bogusława Karaszewska, Alejandro Juarez, Flavia Morales-Vásquez, Jose Manuel Pérez García, Servando Cardona-Huerta, Mark Benyunes, Eleonora Restuccia, Adam Knott, Estefanía Monturus, Marco Sequi, Miguel Martín. Subcutaneous trastuzumab and hyaluronidase-oysk with intravenous pertuzumab and docetaxel in HER2-positive advanced breast cancer: Final analysis of the phase IIIb, multicenter, open-label, single-arm MetaPHER study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-18-05.

e12504 Background: Representative pt populations in clinical trials are essential to address healthcare disparities between different racial/ethnic groups, including treatment access and pt outcomes. Many clinical trials mainly include White pts, which may limit the generalizability of the results to the global population. A framework that was recently developed by Genentech for improving inclusion of underrepresented pt groups, as well as the CHIMES (NCT04377555) and EMPACTA (NCT04372186) studies, have all shown the feasibility of inclusive studies. ASTEFANIA (NCT04873362) is a pt-centric study, which includes pt/investigator collaboration to keep a pt focus and tactics to recruit a diverse population and enable participation of underserved communities. We report early recruitment data. Methods: Global/local initiatives and inclusive eligibility criteria remove barriers to enrollment of underserved pts and support treatment journeys. Eligible pts (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0/1; no prior immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment) are randomized 1:1 to T-DM1 (3.6 mg/kg) + atezolizumab (1200 mg)/placebo every 3 weeks for 14 cycles (stratification factors: clinical stage, hormone receptor status, preoperative anti-HER2 therapy, PD-L1 status). Primary endpoints: IDFS in intention-to-treat and PD-L1-positive populations. Secondary endpoints include overall survival, patient-reported outcomes (PROs), and safety. To remove pt access barriers and ease pt burden, consent and PRO forms are available in multiple languages, mobile nursing/telemedicine is planned for pts in rural areas, a wellness app and culturally sensitive support videos are being created, and financial support is provided for study-related expenses and loss of earnings. Results: Recruitment began in May 2021. By Feb 9, 2022, 236 pts were randomized: 147 White (62%), 72 Asian (31%; Indian [n = 4], Korean [46], Chinese [16], other [6]), 10 Hispanic (4%; 5 of whom also identify as American Indian), 2 Black (1%), and 5 pts (2%) whose race/ethnicity was unreported/unknown. Of these, 27 (11%) have received financial support. Enrollment in Africa begins later this year. Mobile nursing/telemedicine is planned for 14 countries. Conclusions: As the first study of its kind in HER2-positive EBC, ASTEFANIA actively aims to be accessible and include pts from a range of races/ethnicities and socially underserved backgrounds. There is a growing need for more compassionate and inclusive research. To do this, forward planning of pt-centric studies is essential to reduce the burden on study resources. We hope that the tactics outlined here will allow us to achieve our goals of inclusive research. Clinical trial information: NCT04873362.

BACKGROUND Intravenous trastuzumab, pertuzumab, and docetaxel is first-line standard of care for patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. Subcutaneous trastuzumab plus intravenous pertuzumab and chemotherapy has shown similar safety and tolerability to intravenous trastuzumab in patients with HER2-positive early and metastatic breast cancer; however, in the metastatic setting, this has yet to be shown globally.METHODS In this open-label, single-arm, multicenter phase 3b study, eligible patients were ≥18 years old with histologically/cytologically confirmed previously untreated HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. All patients received ≥1 dose of subcutaneous trastuzumab (fixed-dose 600 mg) plus intravenous pertuzumab (loading dose: 840 mg/kg; maintenance dose: 420 mg/kg) and docetaxel (≥6 cycles; initial dose 75 mg/m2) every 3 weeks. The primary objective was safety and tolerability; secondary objectives included efficacy.RESULTS At clinical cutoff, 276 patients had completed the study; median duration of follow-up was 27 months. The most common any-grade adverse events were diarrhea, alopecia, and asthenia. The most common grade ≥3 adverse events were neutropenia, febrile neutropenia, and hypertension. There were no cardiac deaths and mean left ventricular ejection fraction was stable over time. Median investigator-assessed progression-free survival was 18.7 months; objective response rate was 75.6%.CONCLUSIONS Efficacy/safety results of subcutaneous trastuzumab plus intravenous pertuzumab and docetaxel in metastatic breast cancer are consistent with historical evidence of intravenous trastuzumab. These findings further support the body of evidence indicating that subcutaneous administration does not affect the safety and efficacy profile of trastuzumab in HER2-positive breast cancer. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02402712 (date of registration: 30th March 2015)

Summary Background CLEOPATRA was a phase 3 study comparing the efficacy and safety of pertuzumab, trastuzumab, and docetaxel with placebo, trastuzumab, and docetaxel in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. In the primary analysis and subsequent reports, progression-free and overall survival were significantly improved in the pertuzumab group compared with the placebo group. Here, we report the end-of-study analysis of CLEOPATRA. Methods This was a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial that was done at 204 centres in 25 countries. Eligible patients were 18 years or older, had HER2-positive, metastatic breast cancer, had not received previous chemotherapy or biological treatment for their metastatic disease, and had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1. All study drugs were given intravenously, every 3 weeks. Patients were assigned to receive either pertuzumab or placebo at a loading dose of 840 mg, and 420 mg thereafter; plus trastuzumab at 8 mg/kg loading dose and 6 mg/kg thereafter; and docetaxel at 75 mg/m2, escalating to 100 mg/m2 if tolerated. Pertuzumab or placebo and trastuzumab were given until disease progression; docetaxel was given for six cycles, or longer at the investigators’ discretion. Randomisation (1:1) was done by use of an interactive voice-response system and was stratified by geographical region (Asia, Europe, North America, or South America) and previous treatment (previous adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy vs none). The primary endpoint was independent review facility-assessed progression-free survival, which has been reported previously. Since the confirmatory overall survival analysis had also occurred before this prespecified end-of-study analysis, analyses presented here are descriptive. Overall survival analyses were based on the intention-to-treat population with crossover patients analysed in the placebo group; analyses were not adjusted for crossover to the pertuzumab group and are likely to be conservative. Safety analyses were based on treatment received; crossover patients were counted in the placebo group up to the day before first pertuzumab dose. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov , number NCT00567190 . Findings Between Feb 12, 2008, and July 7, 2010, 1196 patients were assessed for eligibility, of whom 808 were enrolled and randomly assigned. 402 patients were assigned to receive docetaxel plus trastuzumab plus pertuzumab, and 406 patients were assigned to receive docetaxel plus trastuzumab plus placebo. Clinical cutoff for this analysis was Nov 23, 2018. Between July 2012 and clinical cutoff, 50 patients crossed from the placebo to the pertuzumab group. Median follow-up was 99·9 months in the pertuzumab group (IQR 92·9–106·4) and 98·7 months (90·9–105·7) in the placebo group. Median overall survival was 57·1 months (95% CI 50–72) in the pertuzumab group and 40·8 months (36–48) in the placebo group (hazard ratio 0·69, 95% CI 0·58–0·82); 8-year landmark overall survival rates were 37% (95% CI 31–42) in the pertuzumab group and 23% (19–28) in the placebo group. The most common grade 3–4 adverse event was neutropenia (200 [49%] of 408 patients in the pertuzumab group, 183 [46%] of 396 patients in the placebo group). Five (1%) of 408 patients in the pertuzumab group and six (2%) of 396 patients in the placebo group had treatment-related deaths. One new serious adverse event suggestive of congestive heart failure (pertuzumab group) and one new symptomatic left ventricular systolic dysfunction (post-crossover) occurred since the previous analysis. Interpretation Our analysis shows that the previously observed improvements in overall survival with pertuzumab, trastuzumab, and docetaxel versus placebo, trastuzumab, and docetaxel were maintained after a median of more than 8 years of follow-up. The long-term safety and cardiac safety profiles of pertuzumab, trastuzumab, and docetaxel were maintained in the overall safety population and within crossover patients. HER2-targeted therapy has changed the natural history of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, with the dual blockade of pertuzumab and trastuzumab, with docetaxel, demonstrating an 8-year landmark overall survival rate of 37%. Funding F Hoffmann-La Roche and Genentech.

1020 Background: Progression-free and overall survival (PFS and OS) were significantly improved with 1L P + H + D v Pla + H + D in 808 pts with HER2-positive MBC in CLEOPATRA (NCT00567190). OS was increased by an unprecedented 15.7 mo (median 56.5 mo with P + H + D v 40.8 mo with Pla + H + D; HR 0.68; 95% CI 0.56, 0.84; p < .001) with a median follow-up of 50 mo [Swain et al. NEJM 2015]). Here we report the end-of-study analysis with a median follow-up of 99 mo (max 120 mo). Methods: In this descriptive analysis, OS was compared between arms using the log-rank test, stratified by prior treatment status and geographic region. The Kaplan–Meier approach was used to estimate median OS, and a stratified Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the HR and 95% CIs. Subgroup analyses of OS were performed for stratification factors and other baseline characteristics. Results: Clinical cutoff was Nov 23, 2018. Since Jul 2012, 50 pts crossed from the Pla to the P arm. These pts are counted in the Pla arm for efficacy analyses and up to the first dose of P for safety analyses. The OS HR was 0.69 (95% CI 0.58, 0.82), favoring P + H + D. Median OS was 57.1 mo in the P arm (402 pts) and 40.8 mo in the Pla arm (406 pts; Δ 16.3 mo). The 8-year landmark OS rates were 37% and 23%, respectively. The OS benefit in predefined subgroups, including in pts previously treated with H in the (neo)adjuvant setting (88 pts, HR 0.86; 95% CI 0.51, 1.43), remained consistent with the overall result and previous reports. The overall safety profile of P + H + D was consistent with the known P safety profile. There was only one new serious adverse event suggestive of congestive heart failure (onset ~77 mo on treatment in the P arm, resolution in 34 days, pt continued on study medication) and one new symptomatic left ventricular systolic dysfunction (onset ~46 mo after crossing to the P arm, resolution in 34 days) since the previous analysis. Conclusions: The OS improvement with 1L P + H + D v Pla + H + D for pts with HER2-positive MBC was maintained after an additional 4 years of long-term follow-up, as were the safety and cardiac safety profiles. Clinical trial information: NCT00567190.