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Pilot Trial of Trastuzumab Starting with or after the Doxorubicin Component of a Doxorubicin plus Paclitaxel Regimen for Women with HER2-Positive Advanced Breast Cancer

¹ Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milan, Italy;
² Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain;
³ Frauenklinik vom Roten Creuz, Munich, Germany;
⁴ West Deutsches Tumor Zentrum, Essen, Germany;
⁵ Hospital Clinico, Barcelona, Spain;
⁶ F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Basel, Switzerland

Purpose: Combining trastuzumab with doxorubicin and paclitaxel (AT) is attractive because of the activity of AT and survival improvements observed when trastuzumab is added to either agent in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. This pilot study evaluates the efficacy and cardiac tolerability of AT followed by paclitaxel with trastuzumab started with AT or paclitaxel alone and investigates pharmacokinetic interactions.

Experimental Design: Two cohorts of 16 patients were enrolled. Cohort 1 received three cycles of AT (60/150 mg/m²) plus trastuzumab (4 mg/kg initial dose followed by 2 mg/kg), initiated concomitantly with doxorubicin, followed by nine cycles of paclitaxel (80 mg/m²) plus trastuzumab and then trastuzumab alone. Cohort 2 was treated with the same regimen, but trastuzumab was initiated with paclitaxel after AT. Cardiac function, pharmacokinetic interactions, and efficacy were evaluated.

Results: Median baseline left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 62% (range, 57–74%) and 66% (range, 57–77%) in cohorts 1 and 2, respectively. Most patients had an absolute decrease in LVEF. Congestive heart failure was not observed. LVEF in three patients decreased to <50% but recovered despite continued treatment. Response rates were 87.5% in both cohorts (cohort 1:2 complete response, 12 partial response; cohort 2:3 complete response, 11 partial response). No unexpected side effects were observed. Pharmacokinetics of paclitaxel and its metabolites and of doxorubicin were similar without and with trastuzumab.

Conclusions: Trastuzumab administered with AT followed by weekly paclitaxel alone is highly active whether trastuzumab is initiated with AT or paclitaxel. Congestive heart failure was not observed, and LVEF decreases were reversible. Further studies of this regimen are warranted.

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