scholarly journals Cardiotoxicity during long-term trastuzumab use in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer: who needs cardiac monitoring?

Author(s):  
N. I. Bouwer ◽  
T. G. Steenbruggen ◽  
J. van Rosmalen ◽  
H. N. Rier ◽  
J. J. E. M. Kitzen ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose Patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) usually receive many years of trastuzumab treatment. It is unknown whether these patients require continuous left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) monitoring. We studied a real-world cohort to identify risk factors for cardiotoxicity to select patients in whom LVEF monitoring could be omitted. Methods We included patients with HER2-positive MBC who received > 1 cycle of trastuzumab-based therapy in eight Dutch hospitals between 2000 and 2014. Cardiotoxicity was defined as LVEF < 50% that declined > 10%-points and was categorized into non-severe cardiotoxicity (LVEF 40–50%) and severe cardiotoxicity (LVEF < 40%). Multivariable Cox and mixed model analyses were performed to identify risk factors associated with cardiotoxicity. Additionally, we explored the reversibility of cardiotoxicity in patients who continued trastuzumab. Results In total, 429 patients were included. Median follow-up for cardiotoxicity was 15 months (interquartile range 8–31 months). The yearly incidence of non-severe + severe cardiotoxicity in the first and second year was 11.7% and 9.1%, respectively, which decreased thereafter. The yearly incidence of severe cardiotoxicity was low (2.8%) and stable over time. In non-smoking patients with baseline LVEF > 60% and no cardiotoxicity during prior neoadjuvant/adjuvant treatment, the cumulative incidence of severe cardiotoxicity was 3.1% after 4 years of trastuzumab. Despite continuing trastuzumab, LVEF decline was reversible in 56% of patients with non-severe cardiotoxicity and in 33% with severe cardiotoxicity. Conclusions Serial cardiac monitoring can be safely omitted in non-smoking patients with baseline LVEF > 60% and without cardiotoxicity during prior neoadjuvant/adjuvant treatment.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherko Kümmel ◽  
Carlo Alberto Tondini ◽  
Jacinta Abraham ◽  
Zbigniew Nowecki ◽  
Bartosz Itrych ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND Intravenous trastuzumab, pertuzumab, and docetaxel is first-line standard of care for patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. Subcutaneous trastuzumab plus intravenous pertuzumab and chemotherapy has shown similar safety and tolerability to intravenous trastuzumab in patients with HER2-positive early and metastatic breast cancer; however, in the metastatic setting, this has yet to be shown globally.METHODS In this open-label, single-arm, multicenter phase 3b study, eligible patients were ≥18 years old with histologically/cytologically confirmed previously untreated HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. All patients received ≥1 dose of subcutaneous trastuzumab (fixed-dose 600 mg) plus intravenous pertuzumab (loading dose: 840 mg/kg; maintenance dose: 420 mg/kg) and docetaxel (≥6 cycles; initial dose 75 mg/m2) every 3 weeks. The primary objective was safety and tolerability; secondary objectives included efficacy.RESULTS At clinical cutoff, 276 patients had completed the study; median duration of follow-up was 27 months. The most common any-grade adverse events were diarrhea, alopecia, and asthenia. The most common grade ≥3 adverse events were neutropenia, febrile neutropenia, and hypertension. There were no cardiac deaths and mean left ventricular ejection fraction was stable over time. Median investigator-assessed progression-free survival was 18.7 months; objective response rate was 75.6%.CONCLUSIONS Efficacy/safety results of subcutaneous trastuzumab plus intravenous pertuzumab and docetaxel in metastatic breast cancer are consistent with historical evidence of intravenous trastuzumab. These findings further support the body of evidence indicating that subcutaneous administration does not affect the safety and efficacy profile of trastuzumab in HER2-positive breast cancer. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02402712 (date of registration: 30th March 2015)


Author(s):  
Sherko Kuemmel ◽  
Carlo A. Tondini ◽  
Jacinta Abraham ◽  
Zbigniew Nowecki ◽  
Bartosz Itrych ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose Intravenous trastuzumab, pertuzumab, and docetaxel are first-line standard of care for patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (mBC). MetaPHER is the first study assessing the safety and tolerability of subcutaneous trastuzumab plus intravenous pertuzumab and chemotherapy in a global patient population with HER2-positive mBC. Methods In this open-label, single-arm, multicenter, phase 3b study, eligible patients were ≥ 18 years old with histologically/cytologically confirmed previously untreated HER2-positive mBC. All received ≥ 1 subcutaneous trastuzumab 600 mg fixed dose plus intravenous pertuzumab (loading dose: 840 mg/kg; maintenance: 420 mg/kg) and docetaxel (≥ 6 cycles; initial dose 75 mg/m2) every 3 weeks. The primary objective was safety and tolerability; secondary objectives included efficacy. Results At clinical cutoff, 276 patients had completed the study; median duration of follow-up was 27 months. The most common any-grade adverse events were diarrhea, alopecia, and asthenia; the most common grade ≥ 3 events were neutropenia, febrile neutropenia, and hypertension. There were no cardiac deaths and mean left ventricular ejection fraction was stable over time. Median investigator-assessed progression-free survival was 18.7 months; objective response rate was 75.6%. Conclusions Safety and efficacy with subcutaneous trastuzumab plus intravenous pertuzumab and docetaxel in mBC are consistent with historical evidence of intravenous trastuzumab with this combination. Findings further support subcutaneous administration not affecting safety/efficacy profiles of trastuzumab in HER2-positive BC with increased flexibility in patient care. A fixed-dose combination of pertuzumab and trastuzumab for subcutaneous injection has recently been approved for the treatment of HER2-positive early/mBC, further addressing the increasing relevance of and need for patient-centric treatment strategies. Trial registration NCT02402712


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshiro Mizuno ◽  
Akira Tsunoda ◽  
Yasutaka Tono ◽  
Hiroyasu Oda ◽  
Mikiya Ishihara ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Although weekly paclitaxel and trastuzumab is generally considered to be less cardiotoxic than an anthracycline regimen, low baseline left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of ≤55%, hypertension, and high body mass index (BMI) have been reported as risk factors for cardiotoxicity. Without these risk factors, the incidence of cardiotoxicity is expected to be minimal. Method: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 86 patients with HER2-positive, node-negative breast cancer between February 2012 and December 2018. Patients were selected for this study according to the following criteria: (1) patients were administered weekly treatment with paclitaxel and trastuzumab for 12 weeks, followed by trastuzumab; (2) baseline LVEF was 60% or more; (3) echocardiography was performed before, during, and at the end of treatment; (4) no hypertension or well-controlled with medication; and (5) BMI was < 30. We investigated the occurrence of cardiotoxicity. A decline in LVEF was defined as a decrease of 15% or more from baseline, or < 50% decrease in LVEF.Results: A total of 40 patients fulfilled the eligibility criteria. The median age was 55.5 (35 to 72) and median baseline LVEF was 68% (60 to 77). The median number of echocardiograms was five (3-7). Out of 40, trastuzumab were completed in 39. Among the 39 patients, no symptomatic congestive heart failure or asymptomatic LVEF decline was observed. Conclusion: In our study, no cardiotoxicity was observed in paclitaxel and trastuzumab. Assessment of cardiac function during treatment may be simplified in patients without risk factors for cardiotoxicity.


1999 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 1425-1425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicente Valero ◽  
Aman U. Buzdar ◽  
Richard L. Theriault ◽  
Nozar Azarnia ◽  
Gustavo A. Fonseca ◽  
...  

PURPOSE: To determine the efficacy and safety profile, including the risk for cardiac toxicity, of liposome-encapsulated doxorubicin (TLC D-99), fluorouracil (5-FU), and cyclophosphamide as first-line chemotherapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-one women were registered in this phase II study. All patients had measurable disease and no previous chemotherapy for MBC. Treatment consisted of TLC D-99 60 mg/m2 and cyclophosphamide 500 mg/m2 on day 1 and 5-FU 500 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8 every 3 weeks. Serial cardiac monitoring, including endomyocardial biopsies, was performed. RESULTS: The overall response rate was 73% (95% confidence interval, 57% to 86%). The median duration of response was 11.2 months, the median time to treatment failure was 8.1 months, and the median overall survival duration was 19.4 months. The median number of cycles per patient was 10. The median cumulative dose of TLC D-99 was 528 mg/m2. Ten patients required hospitalization for febrile neutropenia. Nausea/vomiting, stomatitis, and fatigue higher than grade 2 occurred in 12%, 15%, and 41% of patients, respectively. Twenty-one patients reached a cumulative doxorubicin dose greater than 500 mg/m2. Three patients (7%) were withdrawn from the study due to protocol-defined cardiac toxicity, two because of a decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction to ≤ 40%, and one because her endomyocardial biopsy result was grade 1.5. One patient had congestive heart failure that was probably nonanthracycline related. CONCLUSION: This chemotherapy regimen, including TLC D-99, was highly active against MBC and associated with low cardiac toxicity despite high cumulative doses of doxorubicin.


2007 ◽  
Vol 25 (18_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1106-1106 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Stickeler ◽  
D. O. Watermann ◽  
J. Woll ◽  
M. Foeldi ◽  
G. Gitsch

1106 Background: Combination therapy of doxorubicin and trastuzumab is highly effective for Her2 positive MBC but characterized by frequent cardiac toxicity (CT). PLD can significantly reduce CT compared to conventional doxorubicin. Patients and Methods: 15 patients were enrolled in a phase II trial to evaluate cardiac safety of T (4 mg/Kg loading dose day 2, followed by weekly 2 mg/Kg) in combination with PLD (40 mg/m2 IV bolus day 1, q 28 d). 75% of pts. presented with more than 1 metastatic site and 40% for second line treatment. PLD was administered for 6 or 9 cycles, respectively, T until disease progression. To assess CT, all pts were evaluated with electrocardiogram (ECG) and echocardiograms (E) for Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction (LVEF) at baseline, every cycle during PLD and T, and every three months during T therapy alone. CT was defined as appearance of signs/ symptoms of congestive heart failure and/or an absolute decrease in LVEF > 10 units (below 50%) or decrease in LVEF > 15 units (above 50%). Results: Four pts. received 6 cycles, 4 pts. received 9 cycles of PLD, 4 pts discontinued treatment due to PD, 3 pts. due to toxicity. After a median follow up time of 15.4 months, 6 pts. (42.9%) demonstrated a clinical benefit and median OS was 16.2 months. Non cardiac side effects were mild with only 3 CTC Grade 3 events of 247 treatment cycles (1.2%). Three pts. developed minor ECG changes without pathological significance and 5 pts. had minor changes in their E with slight diastolic (n=3) or systolic (n=2) dysfunction. During follow-up, 3 pts. were diagnosed with pathological E findings, including 1 slight decrease of LVEF, one diffuse hypokinesia and one strong decrease in LVEF.The median LVEF in the study cohort was 66.1% at baseline, 62.7% after 6 cycles of therapy, 64.4% at the first follow up and did not change significantly until the 5 th examination. Conclusions: This study supports the combination of PLD and H in pts. with HER2 overexpressing metastatic breast cancer as a safe and feasible therapy. Due to the promising clinical response rates in this prognostically unfavorable group, this combination should be evaluated in larger studies as a potential regimen for adjuvant treatment of breast cancer. No significant financial relationships to disclose.


2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (34) ◽  
pp. 5685-5692 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heikki Joensuu ◽  
Petri Bono ◽  
Vesa Kataja ◽  
Tuomo Alanko ◽  
Riitta Kokko ◽  
...  

Purpose Docetaxel has not been compared with vinorelbine as adjuvant treatment of early breast cancer. Efficacy and long-term safety of a short course of adjuvant trastuzumab administered concomitantly with chemotherapy for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) –positive cancer are unknown. Patients and Methods One thousand ten women with axillary node–positive or high-risk node-negative breast cancer were randomly assigned to receive three cycles of docetaxel or vinorelbine, followed in both groups by three cycles of fluorouracil, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide (FEC). Women with HER2-positive cancer (n = 232) were further assigned to either receive or not receive trastuzumab for 9 weeks with docetaxel or vinorelbine. The median follow-up time was 62 months after random assignment. Results Women assigned to docetaxel had better distant disease–free survival (DDFS) than those assigned to vinorelbine (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.66; 95% CI, 0.49 to 0.91; P = .010). In the subgroup of HER2-positive disease, patients treated with trastuzumab tended to have better DDFS than those treated with chemotherapy only (HR = 0.65; 95% CI, 0.38 to 1.12; P = .12; with adjustment for presence of axillary nodal metastases, HR = 0.57; P = .047). In exploratory analyses, docetaxel, trastuzumab, and FEC improved DDFS compared with docetaxel plus FEC (HR = 0.32; P = .029) and vinorelbine, trastuzumab, and FEC (HR = 0.31; P = .020). The median left ventricular ejection fraction of trastuzumab-treated patients remained unaltered during the 5-year follow-up; only one woman treated with trastuzumab was diagnosed with a heart failure. Conclusion Adjuvant treatment with docetaxel improves DDFS compared with vinorelbine. A brief course of trastuzumab administered concomitantly with docetaxel is safe and effective and warrants further evaluation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 5073-5083
Author(s):  
Susan Dent ◽  
Dean Fergusson ◽  
Olexiy Aseyev ◽  
Carol Stober ◽  
Gregory Pond ◽  
...  

Purpose: The optimal frequency for cardiac monitoring of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in patients receiving trastuzumab-based therapy for early breast cancer (EBC) is unknown. We conducted a randomized controlled trial comparing 3- versus 4-monthly cardiac monitoring. Patients and Method: Patients scheduled to receive trastuzumab-containing cancer therapy for EBC with normal (>53%) baseline LVEF were randomized to undergo LVEF assessments every 3 or 4 months. The primary outcome was the change in LVEF from baseline. Secondary outcomes included the rate of cardiac dysfunction (defined as a decrease in the LVEF of ≥10 percentage points, to a value <53%), delays in or discontinuation of trastuzumab therapy, and cardiology referral. Results: Of the 200 eligible and enrolled patients, 100 (50%) were randomized to 3-monthly and 100 (50%) to 4-monthly cardiac monitoring. Of these patients, 98 and 97 respectively underwent at least one cardiac scan. The estimated mean difference in LVEF from baseline was −0.94% (one-sided 95% lower bound: −2.14), which exceeded the pre-defined non-inferiority margin of −4%. There were also no significant differences between the two study arms for any of the secondary endpoints. The rate of detection of cardiac dysfunction was 16.3% (16/98) and 12.4% (12/97) in the 3- and 4-monthly arms, respectively (95% CI: 4.0 [−5.9, 13.8]). Conclusions: Cardiac monitoring every 4 months was deemed non-inferior to that every 3 months in patients with HER2-positive EBC being treated with trastuzumab-based therapy. Given its costs and inconvenience, cardiac monitoring every 4 months should be considered standard practice. Registration: NCT02696707, 18 February 2016.


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