Jackisch, Christian

Abstract Background: BRCA1/2 genes play a central role in DNA repair. Therefore, pts harboring gBRCA1/2m treated with chemotherapy might be at higher risk of acute hematological toxicities due to the lower level of functional BRCA1/2 protein potentially resulting in more toxicity. Published results are discordant, further data are needed. Methods: Pts with early TNBC and known gBRCA1/2m treated with anthracycline-taxane based NACT in the GeparQuinto (n=487), GeparSixto (n=291) and GeparOcto (n=393) studies were included. Primary G-CSF prophylaxis was foreseen only for the iddETC arm in GeparOcto. Primary objective was the rate of neutropenia grade (G)3-4 after cycle 1; secondary objectives were the rate of other hematological toxicities G3-4 and the overall toxicity rate after cycle 1 as well as hematological toxicities in gBRCA1/2 pts during the taxane part of chemotherapy. Results: 209/1171 evaluated pts (17.8%) had a gBRCA1/2m (177 gBRCA1m, 33 gBRCA2m). Median age was 48yrs [21-78]. The rate of neutropenia G3-4 after cycle 1 in gBRCA1/2 wildtype (wt) pts was 35.7% vs 37.4% in gBRCA1/2m (p=0.683), 35.9% in gBRCA1m (p=1.000), 44.8% in gBRCA2m (p=0.330). gBRCA1/2 mutational status did not predict neutropenia G3-4 at univariate (OR=1.08, 95%CI 0.78-1.48 p=0.658) or multivariate analysis adjusted for age, BMI and treatment (OR=1.26, 95%CI 0.87-1.82 p=0.226). The overall rate and the rates of other hematological toxicities are shown in the table. gBRCA1/2 mutational status did also not predict for any other hematological toxicities G3-4 (univariate OR=0.94, 95%CI 0.64-1.40 p=0.773; multivariate OR=0.94, 95%CI 0.62-1.43 p=0.779). gBRCA1/2 mutational status predicted for hematological toxicities G3-4 under taxane treatment (univariate OR=1.94, 95%CI 1.35-2.77 p<0.001; multivariate OR=2.91, 95%CI 1.55-5.45 p=0.001). During taxane treatment, the overall rate of hematological toxicities G3-4 in wt pts was 43.1% (n=270) vs 59.5% (n=91) in gBRCA1/2m, p<0.001; anemia G3-4 2.6% (n=16) vs 3.3% (n=5), p=0.584; leucopenia G3-4 32.7% (n=203) vs 47.1% (n=72), p=0.001; neutropenia G3-4 35.8% (n=219) vs 49.3% (n=73), p=0.003; thrombopenia G3-4 1.4% (n=9) vs 4.6% (n=7), p=0.024; febrile neutropenia 5.9% (n=37) vs 4.6% (n=7), p=0.696. Conclusions: Overall, gBRCA1/2 mutation is not associated with a significantly higher risk of severe hematological toxicities. Under taxane therapy, pts with gBRCA1/2 demonstrate a higher rate of hematological toxicities G3-4, especially neutropenia, compared to wildtype pts, and should therefore be carefully monitored. Hematological toxicities after cycle 1wildtypegBRCA1/2mp-valuegBRCA1mp-valuegBRCA2mp-valueN%N%N%N%neutropenia G3-432635.77437.40.6836135.91.0001344.80.330febrile neutropenia171.831.41.00010.60.33726.10.130leucopenia G3-424425.83818.20.0212815.80.0041030.30.548anemia G3-420.200.01.00000.01.00000.01.000thrombopenia G3-4111.210.50.70510.60.70400.01.000any hematological toxicities G1-477782.617081.70.76314180.10.4533090.90.344any hematological toxicities G3-442846.38843.60.5337241.90.3171651.60.587 Citation Format: Jenny Furlanetto, Volker Möbus, Andreas Schneeweiss, Kerstin Rhiem, Hans Tesch, Jens-Uwe Blohmer, Kristina Lübbe, Michael Untch, Christoph Salat, Jens Huober, Peter Klare, Rita Schmutzler, Fergus J Couch, Bianca Lederer, Bernd Gerber, Dirk-Michael Zahm, Ingo Bauerfeind, Valentina Nekljudova, Claus Hanusch, Christian Jackisch, Theresa Link, Sibylle Loibl, Peter A Fasching. Germline (g)BRCA1/2 mutations (m) and hematological toxicities in patients (pts) with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) [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 P6-10-03.

11553 Background: Little is known about the toxicity of trastuzumab (T) or of trastuzumab + lapatinib (T + L), approved in the advanced setting, in older pts. We have performed a sub-analysis of the Adjuvant Lapatinib and/or Trastuzumab Treatment Optimisation (ALTTO) trial focused on treatment completion and toxicity of T and T+L in older pts (aged ≥65 years (yr)). Methods: The ALTTO trial (NCT00490139, NCCTG N063D) randomised 8381 pts with early HER2+ BC into 4 arms and we included the T and T+L arms in our analysis. Eligible pts for our study were those having received at least one dose of assigned treatment. Treatment completion was evaluated through the rate of temporary treatment interruptions (TTI), permanent treatment discontinuations (PTD) and lapatinib dose reductions (LDR). Toxicity was evaluated via a selected set of adverse events of interest (AEIs). Risk factors for TTI, PTD, LDR and AEIs were assessed, including comorbidities and polypharmacy at baseline (defined as use 5 or more co-medications) and AEIs during treatment. Results: A total of 430 pts≥65-year-old were identified for this sub-analysis, out of a total of 4190 pts with a median age of 68 yrs (range 65-80). Older pts were more likely to have comorbidities (70% vs 38%). Treatment completion was worse among older pts in the T+L arm but not in the T arm (Table). AEIs were more common in the T+L arm in all patients, with older patients having higher AEI rates (78.04% in older vs 63.38% in younger), particularly diarrhea (60.75% vs 38.0%). Identified risk factors (multivariate) for worse treatment completion in the T and T+ L arms included concomitant use of chemotherapy and the occurrence of grade 3 adverse events, among others. Conclusions: T + L has worse treatment completion and is more toxic in older patients, while T was well tolerated. Identifiable risk factors at baseline and during the course of treatment could be used to aid in regimen selection and management for both T and T + L in their respective indications. Support: UG1CA189823, Novartis;https://acknowledgments.alliancefound.org. [Table: see text]

Abstract Background We investigated the clinical outcomes and behavior of HER2+ EBC according to centrally tested HR status in pts treated with modern chemotherapy (CT) and trastuzumab (T)-based regimens. Patients and methods ALTTO is an international phase 3 trial in HER2+ EBC pts randomized to 4 adjuvant anti-HER2 treatment arms: T alone, lapatinib (L) alone, their sequence (T->L) or their combination (T+L). Pts in the L alone arm were excluded from the present analysis. HER2 and HR status were centrally tested for all patients. HER2 status was defined based on the 2007 ASCO/CAP guidelines. HR-positive (HR+) was defined as ≥1% tumor cells with expression of estrogen (ER) and/or progesterone receptors.We investigated the prognosis of pts with HR+ or negative (HR-) HER2+ EBC, the risk of developing early (years 0-5) and late (years 6-8) recurrences, the factors impacting this risk, and the patterns of relapse according to HR status. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were used to compare hazard rates within the HR subgroups; a conditional landmark analysis was conducted to investigate late recurrences. For the hazard ratios for HR status, an interaction between log(time) and HR status was included as proportional hazard assumption was not satisfied. Results This analysis included 6,271 HER2+ pts of whom 3,601 (57%) had HR+ and 2,670(43%) HR- EBC. Median follow-up was 6.93 years (range 6.81-6.96). 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) was 86% (85-87) in HR+ and 83% (82-85) in HR- pts; 8-year DFS was 80% (78-81) in HR+ and 79% (77-81) in HR- pts. The mean annual hazards of recurrence in years 0-5 were 3% in HR+ and 4% in HR- pts, while in years 6-8 they were 3% in HR+ and 2% in HR- pts. The hazard ratios for HR status (ref=HR-) were 0.60 (0.51-0.72) overall, 0.74 (0.65-0.85) for years 0-5 and 1.61 (1.17-2.24) for years 6-8. In HR+ pts, risk factors for recurrence overall were age ≥65 (p=0.01), tumor size pT3-4 (p<0.001), nodal status pN1-3 (p<0.001), tumor grade 2 or 3 (p<0.001), anthracycline-only CT (p<0.001), no use of aromatase inhibitors (p<0.001), and ER<10% (p=0.01). Main risk factors for recurrence in both years 0-5 and years 6-8 were pN2-3 (p=0.04 for both) and high (≥5) HER2 FISH ratio (p=0.02 for both). In HR- pts, risk factors for recurrence overall were BMI (obesity or underweight; p=0.01), pT3-4 (p<0.001), pN1-3 (p<0.001) and anthracycline-only CT (p<0.001). No significant risk factors for recurrence in years 0-5 were identified. Main risk factor for recurrence in years 6-8 was BMI (obesity; p=0.002). HR+ pts had lower incidence of visceral disease (58.8% vs. 69.6%; p=0.005) and lung metastasis (18.5% vs. 27.8%; p=0.006); bone was the most common site of first recurrence (30%). Conclusions This large analysis of centrally tested HR+ and HR- HER2+ EBC provides strong evidence on the existence of two different diseases within the HER2+ population based on HR expression. These up-to-date estimates of pts outcomes after modern CT and T-based regimens may be used as “historical control” for the design of future de-escalation or escalation trials separately in HR+ and HR- HER2+ EBC pts. Citation Format: Lambertini M, Campbell C, Gelber RD, Viale G, McCullough A, Tonghua L, Hilbers F, Korde LA, Werner O, Chumsri S, Jackisch C, Wolff AC, Vaz-Luis I, Ferreira AR, Prat A, Moreno Aspitia A, Piccart M, Loi S, de Azambuja E. Dissecting the effect of hormone receptor (HR) status expression in patients (pts) with HER2-positive (HER2+) early breast cancer (EBC): Exploratory analysis from the ALTTO (BIG 2-06) trial [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-08-14.

502 Background: Pre-specified 5-year analyses of the phase III Adjuvant Lapatinib and/or Trastuzumab Treatment Optimisation (ALTTO) Trial defined in Amendments 11&12. Methods: From June 2007 to July 2011, 8381 patients (pts) were randomised from 946 sites in 44 countries to receive either L+T, T→L, L, or T. In 2011, due to futility the L arm was closed and is not included in this analysis. The primary end point is disease-free survival (DFS). Secondary objectives include treatment comparisons with respect to overall survival (OS), time to recurrence (TTR), time to distant recurrence (TDR), cardiac and overall safety and tolerability. Primary analysis results of the study were published in JCO 2015 34:1034-1042. This updated analysis occurs at a 6.9 yrs median follow up (MFU). Results: All patients have reached 5-years of follow-up. 705 DFS events for L+T vs T have been observed. HR for DFS was 0.86 (95% CI, 0.74-1.00; 6-yr DFS%=85% vs 82%) for L+T vs T and 0.93 (95% CI, 0.81-1.08; 6-yr DFS%=84% vs 82%) for T→L vs. T. The 6-year OS was 93%, 92%, and 91% for L+T, T→L, and T, respectively. HR for OS was 0.86 (95% CI, 0.70-1.06) for L+T vs. T and 0.88 (95% CI, 0.71-1.08) for T→L vs. T. DFS differences for L+T vs. T were slightly higher for the hormone-receptor(ER)-negative [HR 0.80 (95% CI, 0.64-1.00; 6-yr DFS%=84% vs. 80%)] and the sequential chemotherapy [HR 0.83 (95% CI, 0.69-1.00; 6-yr DFS%=83% vs.79%)] subgroups. There were no differences in sites of first DFS events according to treatment arm for CNS, loco-regional, or distant recurrences. There were more AEs related to study treatment (L+T 93% vs T 64%). The incidence of primary cardiac end points was low: 1% for L+T, 0.5% for T→L and 0.9% for T. Conclusions: The HRs for this updated analysis are similar to those from the Primary Analysis and the event rate remains lower than anticipated (705 vs 850 planned). Cardiac toxicity remains low. This analysis suggests that HER2+/ER- tumors may have a different biology than HER2+/ER+ and may benefit more from dual HER2 blockade. Long-term follow up continues. Clinical trial information: NCT00490139.

LBA4 Background: Lapatinib (L) is a HER1-HER2 tyrosine kinase inhibitor. The Adjuvant Lapatinib and/or Trastuzumab Treatment Optimisation (ALTTO) Trial is a randomised, phase III trial comparing 3 oral L-containing regimens with T, each given for 1 year. Methods: From June 2007 to July 2011, 8381 patients (pts) were randomised from 946 sites in 44 countries to receive either L+T, T→L, L, or T. Anti-HER2 therapy was initiated after completing all chemotherapy (N=4613), concurrently with a taxane following anthracycline (N=3337), or concurrently with a non-anthracycline, platinum-containing regimen (N=431). The L arm was closed in Aug 2011 for futility and is not presented. The primary endpoint is invasive disease-free survival (DFS). L+T vs. T is tested for superiority and T→L vs. T is tested for non-inferiority at 1.11 margin. P≤0.025 is required for statistical significance. 850 DFS events in the L+T vs. T comparison would provide 80% power to detect a true hazard ratio (HR) of 0.80 with experiment-wide alpha=0.05. The current analysis was planned to occur either after observing these 850 events or at 4.5 yrs median follow up (MFU). Results: Pt and disease characteristics were well balanced. 40% were node-negative and 57% were hormone receptor positive. Only 555 DFS events for the L+T vs. T comparison were observed at 4.5 years MFU. HR for DFS was 0.84 (97.5% CI, 0.70-1.02; P=0.048; 4-yr DFS%=88% vs. 86%) for L+T vs. T and 0.93 (97.5% CI, 0.76-1.13; non-inferiority P=0.044; 4-yr DFS%=87% vs. 86%) for T→L vs. T. Diarrhoea (75% vs. 20%), rash (55% vs. 20%) and hepatobiliary (23% vs. 16%) adverse events were more frequent in L+T vs. T. Primary cardiac endpoints were infrequent (<1%) in all arms. Conclusions: L+T has lower risk of a DFS event compared with T, and T→L appeared non-inferior to T, but neither finding was statistically significant. The first DFS results of dual HER2 blockade in the adjuvant ALTTO at 4.5 years MFU are unexpected considering the effect shown by doubling the pCR rate with L+T vs. T in the NeoALLTO trial. Follow up continues. Clinical trial information: NCT00490139.

Abstract Background: We have previously shown in a phase III neoadjuvant trial that early development of lapatinib-induced rash (i.e. within 6 weeks after lapatinib initiation) is independently associated with a higher chance of obtaining a pathological complete response (Azim et al; JCO 2013). In the current study, we aimed to investigate whether early lapatinib-induced rash is associated with improved survival in the context of a large phase III adjuvant trial. Methods: This analysis is based on the ALTTO trial (BIG 2-06, Alliance N063D), in which patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer were randomized to adjuvant trastuzumab, lapatinib, their sequence or their combination for a total duration of 1 year. In this sub-study, we evaluated whether the development of rash (any grade) within 6 weeks of lapatinib initiation was associated with disease-free (DFS) and overall survival (OS). All analyses were tested in a multivariate model adjusted for treatment arm, treatment completion and trial stratification factors. Results: A total of 6,098 lapatinib-treated patients were included in the current analysis; of whom 2,006 patients (32.9%) developed early lapatinib-induced rash, 1,025 (16.8%) developed rash after 6 weeks and 3,067 (50.3%) did not develop rash. No differences in patient characteristics were observed between the three groups apart from a higher frequency of younger patients (≤ 50) in the early rash group (54% vs. 47% and 44%, p&lt;0.0001). At a median follow-up of 4.5 years, 876 (14.37%) and 377 (6.18%) patients in the lapatinib containing arms experienced a DFS and OS event, respectively. In a multivariate analysis confined to patients randomized to the lapatinib containing arms, the development of early rash was associated with improved DFS (HR: 0.80; 95%CI: 0.69-0.93, p=0.004) and OS (HR: 0.61; 95%CI: 0.48 - 0.78, p&lt;0.001) compared to patients who did not develop early rash, with no interaction according to patient's age (p=0.9). No significant association was observed between the development of rash after 6 weeks of lapatinib initiation and survival. Compared to patients randomized to the trastuzumab alone arm (n=2,076), patients who developed early rash in the sequence (n=580) or combination (n=704) arms of trastuzumab/lapatinib had superior DFS (Sequence: HR 0.75 [95% CI: 0.58 – 0.98], p=0.034; Combination: HR 0.69 [95% CI: 0.54 – 0.89], p=0.005) and OS (Sequence: HR 0.57 [95%CI: 0.36 – 0.88], p=0.012; Combination: HR 0.59 [95% CI: 0.39 – 0.89], p=0.011). On the other hand, patients randomized to the lapatinib only arm who developed early rash (n=722) still had inferior DFS (HR 1.28 [95% CI: 1.04 – 1.59], p=0.02) with no difference in OS (HR: 0.95; 95%CI: 0.67 – 1.35, p=0.79) compared to patients randomized to the trastuzumab alone arm. Conclusions: The results support our previous findings in the neoadjuvant setting that early development of skin rash within the first 6 weeks can identify patients who derive superior benefit of lapatinib treatment. Citation Format: Azim Jr HA, Sonnenblick A, Agbor-Tarh D, Bradbury I, Daly F, Huang Y, Dueck AC, Pritchard K, Wolff AC, Jackisch C, Lang I, Untch M, Smith I, Boyle F, Xu B, Gomez H, Perez E, Piccart M, de Azambuja E. The impact of early lapatinib-induced rash on disease-free and overall survival in patients treated within the ALTTO phase III randomized trial. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PD5-07.

Background Lapatinib (L) plus trastuzumab (T) improves outcomes for metastatic human epidermal growth factor 2–positive breast cancer and increases the pathologic complete response in the neoadjuvant setting, but their role as adjuvant therapy remains uncertain. Methods In the Adjuvant Lapatinib and/or Trastuzumab Treatment Optimization trial, patients with centrally confirmed human epidermal growth factor 2–positive early breast cancer were randomly assigned to 1 year of adjuvant therapy with T, L, their sequence (T→L), or their combination (L+T). The primary end point was disease-free survival (DFS), with 850 events required for 80% power to detect a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.8 for L+T versus T. Results Between June 2007 and July 2011, 8,381 patients were enrolled. In 2011, due to futility to demonstrate noninferiority of L versus T, the L arm was closed, and patients free of disease were offered adjuvant T. A protocol modification required P ≤ .025 for the two remaining pairwise comparisons. At a protocol-specified analysis with a median follow-up of 4.5 years, a 16% reduction in the DFS hazard rate was observed with L+T compared with T (555 DFS events; HR, 0.84; 97.5% CI, 0.70 to 1.02; P = .048), and a 4% reduction was observed with T→L compared with T (HR, 0.96; 97.5% CI, 0.80 to 1.15; P = .61). L-treated patients experienced more diarrhea, cutaneous rash, and hepatic toxicity compared with T-treated patients. The incidence of cardiac toxicity was low in all treatment arms. Conclusion Adjuvant treatment that includes L did not significantly improve DFS compared with T alone and added toxicity. One year of adjuvant T remains standard of care.

Abstract Learning Objectives Discuss methods for improving the efficiency of global clinical trials. Explain the need for national regulatory authorities and collaborative cancer groups to initiate efforts to quicken the activation process in their countries. Describe the activation process of phase III studies and its complex and heterogeneous regulation across different geographic and economic regions. Purpose. This study measured the time taken for setting up the different facets of Adjuvant Lapatinib and/or Trastuzumab Treatment Optimization (ALTTO), an international phase III study being conducted in 44 participating countries. Methods. Time to regulatory authority (RA) approval, time to ethics committee/institutional review board (EC/IRB) approval, time from study approval by EC/IRB to first randomized patient, and time from first to last randomized patient were prospectively collected in the ALTTO study. Analyses were conducted by grouping countries into either geographic regions or economic classes as per the World Bank's criteria. Results. South America had a significantly longer time to RA approval (median: 236 days, range: 21–257 days) than Europe (median: 52 days, range: 0–151 days), North America (median: 26 days, range: 22–30 days), and Asia-Pacific (median: 62 days, range: 37–75 days). Upper-middle economies had longer times to RA approval (median: 123 days, range: 21–257 days) than high-income (median: 47 days, range: 0–112 days) and lower-middle income economies (median: 57 days, range: 37–62 days). No significant difference was observed for time to EC/IRB approval across the studied regions (median: 59 days, range 0–174 days). Overall, the median time from EC/IRB approval to first recruited patient was 169 days (range: 26–412 days). Conclusion. This study highlights the long time intervals required to activate a global phase III trial. Collaborative research groups, pharmaceutical industry sponsors, and regulatory authorities should analyze the current system and enter into dialogue for optimizing local policies. This would enable faster access of patients to innovative therapies and enhance the efficiency of clinical research.