Neoadjuvant pyrotinib plus trastuzumab and nab-paclitaxel for HER2-positive early or locally advanced breast cancer: an exploratory phase II trial

The anti-tumor activity and acceptable tolerability of pyrotinib plus chemotherapy have been demonstrated in phase III trials in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive metastatic breast cancer (BC). In this study, we assessed the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant pyrotinib plus trastuzumab and albumin-bound paclitaxel in women with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive early or locally advanced BC.In this single-arm exploratory phase II trial, patients with untreated human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive BC (stage IIA-IIIC) received pyrotinib 400 mg once daily, trastuzumab 4 mg/kg loading dose, followed by 2 mg/kg once a week, and albumin-bound paclitaxel 125 mg/m2 once a week for four 21-day cycles before surgery. The primary endpoint of the study was total pathological complete response (pCR) rate, defined as no microscopic invasive tumor remnants in the breast and axillary lymph nodes. The secondary endpoints were investigator-assessed objective response rate (ORR) and adverse event profiles.Between May 17, 2019 and November 26, 2019, a total of 21 patients were enrolled. The total pCR rate was 57.1% (12/21), whereas 23.8% (5/21) and 19.0% (4/21) of patients had minimal and moderate residual disease (RD), respectively. The ORR reached 100% (21/21) at the end of the neoadjuvant therapy. Grade ≥3 treatment-related adverse events were observed in 42.9% (9/21) of patients, including decreased neutrophil count [7 (33.3%)], diarrhoea [6 (28.6%)], decreased white blood cell count [5 (23.8%)], and vomiting [2 (9.5%)]. Adverse event-related dose reduction and interruption of pyrotinib occurred in 6 (28.6%) and 11 (52.4%) patients, respectively.In women with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive early or locally advanced BC, neoadjuvant pyrotinib plus trastuzumab and albumin-bound paclitaxel effectively promoted total pCR rate with an acceptable safety profile (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04152057).