Neoadjuvant chemotherapy with trastuzumab followed by adjuvant trastuzumab versus neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone, in patients with HER2-positive locally advanced breast cancer (the NOAH trial): a randomised controlled superiority trial with a parallel HER2-negative cohort.

BACKGROUND: The monoclonal antibody trastuzumab has survival benefit when given with chemotherapy to patients with early, operable, and metastatic breast cancer that has HER2 (also known as ERBB2) overexpression or amplification. We aimed to assess event-free survival in patients with HER2-positive locally advanced or inflammatory breast cancer receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy with or without 1 year of trastuzumab. METHODS: We compared 1 year of treatment with trastuzumab (given as neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment; n=117) with no trastuzumab (118), in women with HER2-positive locally advanced or inflammatory breast cancer treated with a neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimen consisting of doxorubicin, paclitaxel, cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil. Randomisation was done with a computer program and minimisation technique, taking account of geographical area, disease stage, and hormone receptor status. Investigators were informed of treatment allocation. A parallel cohort of 99 patients with HER2-negative disease was included and treated with the same chemotherapy regimen. Primary endpoint was event-free survival. Analysis was by intention to treat. This study is registered, number ISRCTN86043495. FINDINGS: Trastuzumab significantly improved event-free survival in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer (3-year event-free survival, 71% [95% CI 61-78; n=36 events] with trastuzumab, vs 56% [46-65; n=51 events] without; hazard ratio 0.59 [95% CI 0.38-0.90]; p=0.013). Trastuzumab was well tolerated and, despite concurrent administration with doxorubicin, only two patients (2%) developed symptomatic cardiac failure. Both responded to cardiac drugs. INTERPRETATION: The addition of neoadjuvant and adjuvant trastuzumab to neoadjuvant chemotherapy should be considered for women with HER2-positive locally advanced or inflammatory breast cancer to improve event-free survival, survival, and clinical and pathological tumour responses. FUNDING: F Hoffmann-La Roche.

Research-based PAM50 subtype predictor identifies higher responses and improved survival outcomes in HER2-positive breast cancer in the NOAH study.

PURPOSE: We report a retrospective exploratory analysis of the association of the research-based prediction analysis of microarray 50 (PAM50) subtype predictor with pathologic complete response (pCR) and event-free survival (EFS) in women enrolled in the NeOAdjuvant Herceptin (NOAH) trial. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Gene expression profiling was performed using RNA from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded core biopsies from 114 pretreated patients with HER2-positive (HER2(+)) tumors randomized to receive neoadjuvant doxorubicin/paclitaxel (AT) followed by cyclophosphamide/methotrexate/fluorouracil (CMF), or the same regimen in combination with trastuzumab for one year. A control cohort of 42 patients with HER2-negative tumors treated with AT-CMF was also included. The PAM50 subtypes, the PAM50 proliferation score, and the PAM50 risk of relapse score based on subtype (RORS) and subtype and proliferation (RORP) were evaluated. RESULTS: HER2-enriched (HER2-E) tumors predominated within HER2(+) disease, although all PAM50 intrinsic subtypes were identified across the three cohorts. The OR for achieving pCR with trastuzumab-based chemotherapy for HER2(+)/HER2-E and HER2(+)/RORP-high were 5.117 (P = 0.009) and 8.469 (P = 0.025), respectively, compared with chemotherapy only. The pCR rates of HER2(+)/HER2-E and HER2(+)/RORP-high after trastuzumab-based chemotherapy were 52.9% and 75.0%, respectively. A statistically nonsignificant trend was observed for more pronounced survival benefit with trastuzumab in patients with HER2(+)/HER2-E and HER2(+)/RORP-high tumors compared with patients with HER2(+)/non-HER2-E and HER2(+)/non-RORP-high tumors, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: As determined by EFS and pCR, patients with HER2(+)/HER2-E tumors, or HER2(+)/RORP-high tumors, benefit substantially from trastuzumab-based chemotherapy. The clinical value of this genomic test within HER2(+) disease warrants further investigation.