SABCS: Addition of Tucatinib Ups Survival in HER2+ Metastatic Breast Cancer

Adding tucatinib to trastuzumab and capecitabine is associated with improved progression-free and overall survival among heavily pretreated patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive metastatic breast cancer, according to a study published online Dec. 11 in the New England Journal of Medicine to coincide with the annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held from Dec. 10 to 14 in Texas.

Rashmi K. Murthy, M.D., from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and colleagues randomly assigned patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, with or without brain metastases, previously treated with trastuzumab, pertuzumab, and trastuzumab emtansine, to receive either tucatinib or placebo in combination with trastuzumab and capecitabine.

The researchers found that progression-free survival at one year was 33.1 and 12.3 percent in the tucatinib- and placebo-combination groups, respectively (hazard ratio for disease progression or death, 0.54), with median duration of progression-free survival of 7.8 and 5.6 months, respectively. At two years, overall survival was 44.9 and 26.6 percent in the tucatinib- and placebo-combination groups, respectively (hazard ratio for death, 0.66), with median overall survival of 21.9 and 17.4 months, respectively. Progression-free survival at one year was 24.9 and 0 percent in the tucatinib- and placebo-combination groups, respectively, among patients with brain metastases (hazard ratio, 0.48), with median progression-free survival of 7.6 and 5.4 months, respectively.

"Tucatinib plus trastuzumab and capecitabine is an active combination in heavily pretreated patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, including those with previously untreated, treated and stable, or treated and progressing brain metastases," the authors write.

The study was funded by Seattle Genetics, the manufacturer of tucatinib.

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