Targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor can provide substantial clinical benefit for women with hard-to-treat triple-negative breast cancer.

A Phase-II randomized trial has shown that adding the anti-EGFR antibody Cetuximab ( Erbitux ) to Cisplatin chemotherapy doubled the response rate and time to progression when compared to Cisplatin chemotherapy given alone in a study of 173 heavily pre-treated women.

Women in the study had so-called triple negative tumors, meaning they did not express estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors or HER2. These tumors are associated with a poor prognosis, partly because they tend to grow and spread through the body very rapidly, and partly because they do not respond well to other therapies.

The study included 173 women with metastatic cancer who were randomized to receive either Cetuximab ( 400 mg/m3 initial dose and then 250 mg/m3 weekly ) plus up to six 3-weekly cycles of Cisplatin, or Cisplatin alone. Patients also had the option to switch to the combination, or Cetuximab alone if their disease progressed.

The best overall response rate, of 20%, was seen with the Cetuximab / Cisplatin combination. This was twice as high as the overall response rate with Cisplatin alone ( 10.3% ). Adding Cetuximab to Cisplatin also more than doubled the median length of progression-free survival, from 1.5 to 3.7 months.

The findings suggest that EGFR could play a role in the progression of triple-negative breast cancer.

Source: ESMO Meeting, 2010

XagenaMedicine2010


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