On June 5, 2017 Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY), the Breast International Group (BIG), Breast European Adjuvant Study Team (BrEAST) and Frontier Science Foundation (FS) reported the Phase III APHINITY study showed adjuvant (after surgery) treatment with the combination of Perjeta (pertuzumab), Herceptin (trastuzumab) and chemotherapy (the Perjeta-based regimen) significantly reduced the risk of breast cancer recurrence or death (invasive disease-free survival; iDFS) by 19% in people with HER2-positive early breast cancer (eBC) compared to Herceptin and chemotherapy alone (HR=0.81; 95% CI 0.66-1.00, p=0.045) (Press release, Hoffmann-La Roche, JUN 5, 2017, View Source [SID1234519367]). Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo! At three years, 94.1% of people treated with the Perjeta-based regimen did not have their breast cancer return compared to 93.2% treated with Herceptin and chemotherapy.1 The safety profile of the Perjeta-based regimen was consistent with that seen in previous studies, with a low incidence of cardiac events and no new safety signals.1,2
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Based on data available at the time of the primary analysis, an estimate of iDFS at four years showed that 92.3% of people treated with the Perjeta-based regimen did not have their breast cancer return compared to 90.6% treated with Herceptin and chemotherapy, suggesting that further analyses with longer follow-up will be important to provide additional insights on these treatments.1
"The goal of adjuvant treatment is to help each person with cancer have the best chance of a cure, and we come closer to this goal with each advance," said Sandra Horning, M.D., Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Product Development. "In the APHINITY study, the Perjeta-based regimen improved upon the high bar set by Herceptin in people with HER2-positive early breast cancer. We look forward to working with global health authorities to bring this treatment option to patients."
Gunter von Minckwitz, M.D., study coordinator from the BIG and academic study partners, President of the German Breast Group, added, "APHINITY provides yet another example of the importance of industry-academic collaborations and their value in advancing cancer care for people affected by this challenging disease. The median follow-up at the primary analysis was 45.4 months, and these early data are very encouraging. As we continue to follow patients up to 10 years, we hope that future analyses will provide additional insights on the role of a pertuzumab-based regimen in HER2-positive early breast cancer."
At the time of the primary analysis, with median follow-up of 45.4 months, the reduction in risk of invasive breast cancer recurrence with the Perjeta-based regimen was greatest in people with lymph node-positive (HR=0.77; 95% CI 0.62-0.96, p=0.019) or hormone receptor-negative disease (HR=0.76; 95% CI 0.56-1.04, p=0.085).1 At three years, among people with node-positive disease, 92.0% of people treated with the Perjeta-based regimen did not have their breast cancer return compared to 90.2% treated with Herceptin and chemotherapy, and iDFS rates in the hormone receptor-negative disease subgroup were 92.8% in the Perjeta-based arm and 91.2% in the Herceptin and chemotherapy arm.1 The number of events in both treatment arms was low in people with node-negative disease, where no benefit with the Perjeta-based regimen was detected at this time.1
HER2-positive breast cancer is an aggressive form of the disease that affects approximately one in five people with breast cancer.3 Despite advancements in the treatment of HER2-positive eBC, one in four people treated with Herceptin and chemotherapy will eventually see their cancer return in the long-term.4,5 Treating breast cancer early, before it has spread, may help prevent the disease from returning and potentially reaching an incurable stage.6
Adjuvant therapy is given after surgery and is aimed at killing any remaining cancer cells to help reduce the risk of the cancer returning.6
Full results of the primary analysis will be presented in an oral session today at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) in Chicago by Gunter von Minckwitz, M.D., study coordinator from the BIG and academic study partners (Abstract #LBA500), and will be featured in ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper)’s official press programme. Results from the APHINITY trial will also be published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.
About APHINITY7
APHINITY (Adjuvant Pertuzumab and Herceptin IN Initial TherapY in Breast Cancer, NCT01358877/ BO25126/ BIG 4-11) is an international, Phase III, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, two-arm study evaluating the efficacy and safety of Perjeta plus Herceptin and chemotherapy compared to Herceptin and chemotherapy as adjuvant therapy in 4,805 people with operable HER2-positive eBC.
People enrolled in the study underwent surgery and were randomised to one of two arms (1:1) to receive either:
Six to eight cycles of chemotherapy (anthracycline or non-anthracycline-containing regimen) with Perjeta and Herceptin, followed by Perjeta and Herceptin every three weeks for a total of one year (52 weeks) of treatment.
Six to eight cycles of chemotherapy (anthracycline or non-anthracycline-containing regimen) with placebo and Herceptin, followed by placebo and Herceptin every three weeks for a total of one year (52 weeks) of treatment.
Radiotherapy and/or endocrine therapy could be initiated at the end of adjuvant chemotherapy. For people with hormone receptor-positive disease enrolled in the APHINITY trial, it was recommended that endocrine therapy be administered for at least five years after completing adjuvant chemotherapy. The APHINITY study allowed for a range of standard chemotherapy regimens to be used and participants with both node-positive and node-negative disease were eligible for enrolment. The primary efficacy endpoint of the APHINITY study is iDFS, which in this study is defined as the time a patient lives without return of invasive breast cancer at any site or death from any cause after adjuvant treatment. Secondary endpoints include cardiac and overall safety, overall survival, disease-free survival and health-related quality of life.
* iDFS at four years was calculated based on data available at the time of primary analysis with median follow-up of 45.4 months
** Primary cardiac events included heart failure New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III or IV with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) drop ≥10 points from baseline and to below 50%, and cardiac death
About Perjeta
Perjeta is a medicine that targets the HER2 receptor, a protein found on the outside of many normal cells and in high quantities on the outside of cancer cells in HER2-positive cancers.8,9 Perjeta is designed specifically to prevent the HER2 receptor from pairing (or ‘dimerising’) with other HER receptors (EGFR/HER1, HER3 and HER4) on the surface of cells, a process that is believed to play a role in tumour growth and survival. Binding of Perjeta to HER2 may also signal the body’s immune system to destroy the cancer cells. The mechanisms of action of Perjeta and Herceptin are believed to complement each other, as both bind to the HER2 receptor, but to different places. The combination of Perjeta and Herceptin is thought to provide a more comprehensive, dual blockade of HER signalling pathways, thus preventing tumour cell growth and survival.10,11