๐ฌIn plain words
What the trial is, and whether it could suit you
Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women worldwide. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), defined by the lack of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and HER2 expression, comprises approximately 15% of all breast cancers and is the most aggressive subtype, associated with a higher risk of early recurrence and death compared to other breast cancer subtypes. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT), administered before definitive surgery, is the standard of care for stage II-III TNBC (eTNBC), and pathological complete response (pCR), defined as the absence of invasive cancer in the breast and lymph nodes at surgery, following neoadjuvant systemic therapy, is strongly associated with improved survival in this population.
In the pivotal phase 3 KEYNOTE-522 study, the addition of Pembrolizumab (an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI), a PD-1 inhibitor) to NACT significantly improved
Sign in to get the eligibility rules as simple questions to take to your doctor.
๐ Eligibility rules (as published)
Inclusion Criteria:
* Patient is eligible per physician's discretion for the KEYNOTE-522 regimen (Neoadjuvant paclitaxel-carboplatin-doxorubicin-cyclophosphamide-pembrolizumab)
* Signed written informed consent
* Histologically confirmed primary infiltrating breast cancer with estrogen receptor expression \<1%, Progesterone receptor expression \<1%, and without overexpression and/or amplification of HER2 according to ASCO/CAP 2013 guideline (locally assessed)
* T2-3N0, T1-3N1 disease according to TNM-staging (8th edition, AJCC).
* Nodal status must be examined by ultrasound and fine-needle aspiration or core biopsy in case of suspicious lymph nodes.
* No evidence of distant metastases (Stage IV disease) on FDG-PET performed within 35 days of enrollment.
* Age โฅ18
* WHO performance status โค 2
* Visible breast tumor on contrast enhanced MRI (no minimal longest diameter required)
* MRI breast must be performed within 35 days prior to registration
* Patients with a history of autoimmune disease are eligible for the study per treating physician's discretion.
* Laboratory requirements - within 21 days prior to enrollment:
* Adequate bone marrow function (ANC โฅ1.5 x 109/l, platelets โฅ100 x 109/l)
* Adequate hepatic function (ALT, AST and bilirubin โค2.5 times upper limit of normal)
* Subjects with Gilbert's syndrome may have a total bilirubin โฅ2.5 ร the ULN range, if no evidence of biliary obstruction exists;
* Adequate renal function: creatinine clearance \>50 ml/min estimated using the Cockcroft-Gault equation, or based on a 24-hour urine collection measurement
* LVEF โฅ50% measured by echocardiography
* Women of childbearing potential and men must agree to remain abstinent (refrain from heterosexual intercourse) or use adequate contraceptive methods (failure rate of \<1% per year,) during treatment and for at least 6 months after the last dose of pembrolizumab. A woman is considered to be of childbearing potential if she is post-menarcheal, has not reached a postmenopausal state (โฅ12 continuous months of amenorrhea with no identified cause other than menopause), and has not undergone surgical sterilization (removal of ovaries and/or uterus). Examples of contraceptive methods with a failure rate of \<1% per year include bilateral tubal ligation, male sterilization, established, proper use of hormonal contraceptives that inhibit ovulation, hormone-releasing intrauterine devices (IUDs), and copper IUDs. Women who are not postmenopausal (โฅ12 months of non-therapy-induced amenorrhea) or surgically sterile must have a negative ฮฒ-HCG serum or urine pregnancy test result.
Exclusion Criteria:
* Concurrent breastfeeding
* Concurrent contralateral or ipsilateral non-TNBC second primary infiltrating breast cancer. Contralateral or ipsilateral TNBC second primary infiltrating breast cancer or DCIS is allowed.
* Concurrent anti-cancer treatment or another investigational drug
* Any psychological, familial, sociological, or geographical condition potentially hampering compliance with the study protocol and follow-up schedule
* Patients who have a history of a second malignancy are eligible, provided the malignancy has been adequately treated, there is no ongoing treatment for the second malignancy, and overall principal investigator (PI) approval is obtained.
* Has undergone excisional biopsy of the primary tumor, and/or axillary lymph node dissection prior to study treatment.
* Diagnosis of immunodeficiency or is receiving chronic systemic steroid therapy (in dosing exceeding 10 mg daily of prednisone equivalent) or any other form of immunosuppressive therapy within 7 days prior to the first dose of study intervention.
* History or current evidence of any condition, therapy, laboratory abnormality, or other circumstance that might confound the results of the study or interfere with the participant's ability to cooperate with the requirements of the study, such that it is not in the best interest of the participant to participate, in the opinion of the treating investigator.