Background: Neoadjuvant trastuzumab/pertuzumab (HP) plus chemotherapy for HER2-positive breast cancer (BC) achieved promising efficacy. The additional cardiotoxicity still existed. Brecan study evaluated the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD)/cyclophosphamide and sequential nab-paclitaxel based on HP (PLD/C/HP-nabP/HP).
Patients and methods: Brecan was a single-arm phase II study. Eligible patients with stages IIA-IIIC HER2-positive BC received 4 cycles of PLD, cyclophosphamide, and HP, followed by 4 cycles of nab-paclitaxel and HP. Definitive surgery was scheduled after 21 days for patients completing treatment or experiencing intolerable toxicity. The primary endpoint was the pathological complete response (pCR).
Results: Between January 2020 and December 2021, 96 patients were enrolled. Ninety-five (99.0%) patients received 8 cycles of neoadjuvant therapy and all underwent surgery with 45 (46.9%) breast-conserving surgery and 51 (53.1%) mastectomy. The pCR was 80.2% (95%CI, 71.2%-87.0%). Four (4.2%) experienced left ventricular insufficiency with an absolute decline in LVEF (43%-49%). No congestive heart failure and ≥grade 3 cardiac toxicity occurred. The objective response rate was 85.4% (95%CI, 77.0%-91.1%), including 57 (59.4%) complete responses and 25 (26.0%) partial responses. The disease control rate was 99.0% (95%CI, 94.3%-99.8%). For overall safety, ≥grade 3 AEs occurred in 30 (31.3%) and mainly included neutropenia (30.2%) and asthenia (8.3%). No treatment-related deaths occurred. Notably, age of >30 (P = .01; OR = 5.086; 95%CI, 1.44-17.965) and HER2 IHC 3+ (P = .02; OR = 4.398; 95%CI, 1.286-15.002) were independent predictors for superior pCR (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT05346107).
Conclusion: Brecan study demonstrated the encouraging safety and efficacy of neoadjuvant PLD/C/HP-nabP/HP, suggesting a potential therapeutic option in HER2-positive BC.
Keywords: HER2 positive; breast cancer; dual HER2 blockade; neoadjuvant therapy; pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD).
© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press.