Testing the Effect of Decreasing Chemotherapy in Patients with HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Without Evidence of Remaining Cancer after Receiving Pre-Surgery Chemotherapy and HER2-Targeted Therapy
This clinical trial studies how well paclitaxel, trastuzumab, and pertuzumab work in eliminating further chemotherapy after surgery in patients with HER2-positive stage II-IIIa breast cancer who have no cancer remaining at surgery (either in the breast or underarm lymph nodes) after pre-operative chemotherapy and HER2-targeted therapy. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as paclitaxel, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Trastuzumab is a form of “targeted therapy” because it works by attaching itself to specific molecules (receptors) on the surface of tumor cells, known as HER2 receptors. When trastuzumab attaches to HER2 receptors, the signals that tell the cells to grow are blocked and the tumor cell may be marked for destruction by the body’s immune system. Pertuzumab is a monoclonal antibody that may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Giving paclitaxel, trastuzumab, and pertuzumab may enable fewer chemotherapy drugs to be given without compromising patient outcomes compared to the usual treatment.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criterea
- Patient must be >= 18 years of age
- Patients must have an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 or 1
- Patient must have histologically confirmed HER2-positive primary invasive breast carcinoma, determined by local testing. The tumor must have either HER2 immunohistochemistry (IHC) result of 3+ or HER2/CEP17 ratio >= 2 with >= 4.0 HER2 signals per cell by in situ hybridization (ISH). Tumors with HER2/CEP17 ISH ratio 6, unless HER2 IHC result is 3+
- Patients hormone receptor (ER and PR) status must be known and will be determined by local testing. Patients with either hormone receptor–positive or hormone receptor- negative HER2-positive breast cancer are eligible
- Patients must have AJCC 8th edition stage II or IIIa according to anatomic staging table at diagnosis
* Patients without nodal involvement (cN0) are eligible if T size > 2.0 cm (T2-3)
** NOTE: Cohort for patients with 2-3 cm, ER+ and node negative HER2-positive/ER-positive disease closed on July 27, 2022
* Patients with HER2-positive/ER-negative disease without nodal involvement (cN0) are eligible if T size > 2.0 cm (T2-3)
* Patients with HER2-positive/ER-positive disease without nodal involvement (cN0) are eligible if T size > 3.0 cm
* Patients with nodal involvement (cN1-2) are eligible if T1-3
* Patients with clinical T4 or N3 disease are not eligible
- Patient must be willing and able (i.e., have no contraindication) to receive standard adjuvant therapy, consisting of HER2-directed therapy, radiation (if indicated) and endocrine therapy (if ER+) if achieving pCR at surgery
- Patient with bilateral invasive breast cancers are eligible if both cancers are HER2-positive at least one meets protocol eligibility and neither cancer renders the patient ineligible
- Patients with multiple ipsilateral invasive tumors are eligible as long as all tumors are HER2-positive, and at least one tumor focus meets eligibility criteria. Multiple lesions that appear part of the same index tumor do not require additional biopsy/HER2 testing. However, even if biopsy is not deemed necessary, consideration should be given to placing a clip in any lesion that is 1 cm or further from the primary tumor to ensure that all tumor is removed at surgery AND that the pathologist can locate all primary sites of tumor to assess pathologic response at surgery
- Patients must not have impaired decision-making capacity
- Patient must not have a history of any prior (ipsilateral or contralateral) invasive breast cancer
* One exception: a patient with a history of T1N0 triple negative breast cancer diagnosed more than 10 years earlier, who remains disease free is eligible
- Patient must not have prior ipsilateral ductal breast carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Patients with prior lobular breast carcinoma in situ (LCIS), atypical hyperplasia, other high risk benign lesions or contralateral DCIS (without evidence of microinvasion) are eligible. Current ipsilateral or contralateral DCIS (diagnosed at the time of the current invasive cancer) is permitted
* NOTE: Patients currently receiving endocrine therapy for prior contralateral DCIS are eligible
- Patient must not have stage IV (metastatic) breast cancer
* Staging studies (CT chest/abdomen/pelvis and a bone scan or PET-CT scan) are required for stage III disease (according to AJCC cancer staging manual anatomic staging table, 8th edition) or those with abnormal baseline liver function tests (LFTs), symptoms (e.g., new bone pain) or abnormal physical exam findings (National Comprehensive Cancer Network [NCCN] guidelines version [V]1.2019)
- Patient must not have T4 and/or N3 disease, including inflammatory breast cancer
- Patient must not have any prior treatment for the current breast cancer, including surgery, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, radiation or experimental therapy
- Patients with a history of other non-breast malignancies are eligible if they have been disease-free for at least 5 years, and are deemed by the investigator to be at low risk for recurrence of that malignancy
* Patients with the following cancers are eligible if diagnosed and treated within the past 5 years: cervical cancer in situ, basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, melanoma-in-situ and localized papillary or follicular thyroid cancer who have completed recommended treatment including surgery. Patients with any other cancers within the last 5 years are ineligible
- Patents must have a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) within normal institutional parameters (or >= 50%)
- Patients must not have > grade 1 peripheral neuropathy of any etiology
- Patients must have a bilateral mammogram and a diagnostic breast ultrasound (on the side of the cancer[s]) (with or without breast MRI) performed at screening. An axillary ultrasound on the side of the cancer(s) is also required. Comprehensive breast and axillary imaging must be performed within 60 days of registration (i.e. the patient’s mammogram/ breast ultrasound /axillary ultrasound OR their breast MRI). Either mammogram/ultrasound (including imaging of the ipsilateral axilla) or breast MRI must be performed within 60 days of registration
- Baseline imaging of the ipsilateral axilla by ultrasound is mandatory. For subjects with axillary lymph node(s) suspicious on clinical exam or imaging, patient must be willing to have a needle aspiration or core biopsy to determine the presence of metastatic disease in the lymph nodes. A clip must be placed in the involved axillary lymph node. (If there are more than 1 suspicious axillary nodes, only one clipped node is required). Alternatives to a clip that reliably mark the involved node for removal at surgery are acceptable (e.g., carbon tattooing, Savi scout, radiofrequency identification [RFID] etc.)
- Patient must not have a concurrent serious medical condition that would preclude completion of study therapy. For example, uncontrolled hypertension (systolic > 180 mm Hg and/or diastolic > 100 mm Hg) or clinically significant (i.e., active) cardiovascular disease: cerebrovascular accident/stroke or myocardial infarction within 6 months prior to registration, unstable angina, congestive heart failure (CHF) or serious cardiac arrhythmia requiring medication and other concurrent serious diseases that may interfere with planned treatment
- Patient must not be pregnant or breast-feeding due to the potential harm to an unborn fetus and possible risk for adverse events in nursing infants with the treatment regimens being used. Patients must also not expect to conceive from the time of registration, while on study treatment, and until at least 7 months after the last dose of study treatment.
* All patients of childbearing potential must have a blood test or urine study within 14 days prior to registration to rule out pregnancy. If the pregnancy test (e.g., human chorionic gonadotropin [HCG] level) is abnormal but is felt to represent a false positive test for pregnancy (e.g., due to treatments being administered for egg harvesting, or because of recent miscarriage), a note by the treating gynecologist explaining why the team is confident the woman is not pregnant is required
* A patient of childbearing potential is anyone, regardless of sexual orientation or whether they have undergone tubal ligation, who meets the following criteria: 1) has achieved menarche at some point, 2) has not undergone a hysterectomy or bilateral oophorectomy; or 3) has not been naturally postmenopausal for at least 24 consecutive months (i.e., has had menses at any time in the preceding 24 consecutive months)
- Patient of childbearing potential and sexually active patients must use accepted and effective method(s) of contraception or to abstain from sexual intercourse for the duration of their participation in the study and for 7 months after the last dose of study treatment
- Patient must be willing and able to sign informed consent
- Leukocytes >= 3,000/mcL (obtained =< 28 days prior to protocol registration)
- Absolute neutrophil count >= 1,500/mcL (obtained =< 28 days prior to protocol registration)
- Platelets >= 100,000/mcL (obtained =< 28 days prior to protocol registration)
- Total bilirubin =< 1.5 x institutional upper limit of normal (ULN) (obtained =< 28 days prior to protocol registration)
- Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase [SGOT])/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase [SGPT]) =< 2.5 x institutional ULN (obtained =< 28 days prior to protocol registration)
- Creatinine =< 1.5 x institutional ULN (obtained =< 28 days prior to protocol registration)
- Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients on effective anti-retroviral therapy with undetectable viral load within 6 months are eligible for this trial
- For patients with evidence of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, the HBV viral load must be undetectable on suppressive therapy, if indicated
- Patients with a history of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection must have been treated and cured. For patients with HCV infection who are currently on treatment, they are eligible if they have an undetectable HCV viral load
Participating Clinics
North Star Lodge Cancer Center at Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital
Summerlin Hospital Medical Center
Radiation Oncology Centers of Nevada Southeast
Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada - Central Valley
Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada-Summerlin
OptumCare Cancer Care at Fort Apache
Cancer and Blood Specialists-Shadow
HealthCare Partners Medical Group Oncology/Hematology-Centennial Hills
HealthCare Partners Medical Group Oncology/Hematology-San Martin
GenesisCare USA - Vegas Tenaya
GenesisCare USA - Fort Apache
Cancer and Blood Specialists-Tenaya
Kingman Regional Medical Center
Las Vegas Cancer Center-Medical Center
Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada-Southeast Henderson
Las Vegas Cancer Center-Henderson
GenesisCare USA - Henderson
GenesisCare USA - Las Vegas
HealthCare Partners Medical Group Oncology/Hematology-Tenaya
Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada - Henderson
Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center
Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada - Northwest
Radiation Oncology Centers of Nevada Central
Radiation Oncology Associates
Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada-Horizon Ridge
OptumCare Cancer Care at MountainView
Hope Cancer Care of Nevada
OptumCare Cancer Care at Charleston
Hope Cancer Care of Nevada-Pahrump
OptumCare Cancer Care at Seven Hills
Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada - Town Center
Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada
Alliance for Childhood Diseases/Cure 4 the Kids Foundation
Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center
Renown Regional Medical Center
Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center
University Medical Center of Southern Nevada
HealthCare Partners Medical Group Oncology/Hematology-Maryland Parkway
Cancer and Blood Specialists-Henderson
Urology Specialists of Nevada - Northwest
Las Vegas Urology - Sunset
Las Vegas Urology - Cathedral Rock
Las Vegas Urology - Pebble
Las Vegas Urology - Pecos
Las Vegas Urology - Green Valley
Urology Specialists of Nevada - Green Valley
Urology Specialists of Nevada - Central
Urology Specialists of Nevada - Southwest
Las Vegas Prostate Cancer Center