Addition of Carboplatin to Anthracycline and Taxane Therapy Improved Event-Free Survival Among Patients With Early-Stage Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
According to results from the phase 3 PEARLY trial, the addition of carboplatin to standard anthracycline and taxane therapy significantly improved event-free survival (EFS) among patients with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).
These data were presented by Joohyuk Sohn, MD, PhD, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea, at the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois.
In this multicenter, open-label trial, 868 patients with stage II or III TNBC were randomized to receive carboplatin plus doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide followed by taxane treatment (n = 434) or doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide followed by taxane treatment (n = 434). Stratification was based on nodal status, institution, treatment setting, and germline BRCA status. The primary end point was EFS. Key secondary end points included overall survival (OS) and safety.
At a median follow-up of 51.1 months, the 5-year EFS rate was 82.3% in the carboplatin arm and 75.1% in the control arm (hazard ratio [HR] 0.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.49 to 0.92; P = .012). OS data was immature, with a 5-year OS rate of 90.7% in the carboplatin arm and 87% in the control arm (HR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.42 to 1.02; P = .057). Grade ≥3 treatment-related adverse event rates were 74.6% in the carboplatin arm and 56.7% of patients in the control arm. One patient died due to a treatment-related adverse event (infection) in the carboplatin arm and 2 patients died in the control arm (infection and suicide).
As Dr Sohn concluded, “The PEARLY trial provides compelling evidence for including carboplatin in the treatment of early stage TNBC, underscoring its value in an adjuvant KEYNOTE 522 trial-based treatment setting and suggesting potential applicability in the neoadjuvant setting post-surgery.”
Source:
Sohn J, Kim GM, Jung KH, et al. A randomized, multicenter, open-label, phase III trial comparing anthracyclines followed by taxane versus anthracyclines followed by taxane plus carboplatin as (neo) adjuvant therapy in patients with early triple-negative breast cancer: Korean Cancer Study Group BR 15-1 PEARLY trial. Presented at the ASCO Annual Meeting. May 31-June 4, 2024; Chicago, IL. Abstract #LBA502
