Safety and tolerability of subcutaneous trastuzumab for the adjuvant treatment of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive early breast cancer: SafeHer phase III study's primary analysis of 2573 patients.

AIM: To assess the safety and tolerability of adjuvant subcutaneous trastuzumab (Herceptin® SC, H SC), delivered from an H SC Vial via hand-held syringe (Cohort A) or single-use injection device (Cohort B), with or without chemotherapy, for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive stage I to IIIC early breast cancer (EBC) in the phase III SafeHer study (NCT01566721). METHODS: Patients received 600 mg fixed-dose H SC every 3 weeks for 18 cycles. The chemotherapy partner was at the investigators' discretion (H SC monotherapy was limited to ≤10% of the population). Data from the first H SC dose until 28 days (plus a 5-day window) after the last dose are presented. Results are descriptive. RESULTS: In the overall population, 2282/2573 patients (88.7%) experienced adverse events (AEs). Of the above, 128 (5.0%) patients experienced AEs leading to study drug discontinuation; 596 (23.2%) experienced grade ≥ 3 AEs and 326 (12.7%) experienced serious AEs. Grade ≥ 3 cardiac disorders were reported in 24 patients (0.9%), including congestive heart failure in eight (0.3%). As expected, the AE rates varied according to the timing of chemotherapy in both cohorts, with higher rates in concurrent versus sequential chemotherapy subgroups. In the concurrent chemotherapy subgroup, AEs were more common during the actual period of concurrent chemotherapy compared with the period when patients did not receive concurrent chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: SafeHer confirms the safety and tolerability of the H SC 600 mg fixed dose for 1 year (every 3 weeks for 18 cycles) as adjuvant therapy with concurrent or sequential chemotherapy for HER2-positive EBC. These primary analysis results are consistent with the known safety profile for intravenous H and H SC.

Trastuzumab retreatment after relapse on adjuvant trastuzumab therapy for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast cancer: final results of the Retreatment after HErceptin Adjuvant trial.

AIMS: Trastuzumab, in combination with chemotherapy, is the standard of care for patients with early and metastatic human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer. The Retreatment after HErceptin Adjuvant trial assessed the efficacy and safety of trastuzumab plus a taxane as first-line treatment for patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) who had relapsed after adjuvant trastuzumab for HER2-positive early breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In total, 43 patients with HER2-positive MBC who had received previous adjuvant trastuzumab for ≥10 months, with a relapse-free interval of ≥6 months after the last adjuvant trastuzumab dose, were recruited. Eligible patients (n = 41) were assigned to receive trastuzumab, either weekly or every 3 weeks, in combination with docetaxel or paclitaxel until disease progression. RESULTS: At the final analysis, with a median follow-up time of 40 months, a positive response was observed in 25/41 patients (61%; 95% confidence interval: 48.7-80.4%), stable disease in 7/41 (17.1%) and progressive disease in 6/41 (14.6%). Three patients had missing response assessments (one had no measurable lesions at baseline and two had no post-baseline tumour assessments). The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 8.0 months (95% confidence interval: 6-11 months) and the median overall survival was 25.0 months (16-33 months). No correlation was found between response rate, PFS or overall survival and the duration of adjuvant trastuzumab treatment, trastuzumab-free interval, relapse-free interval, hormone receptor status or type of pre-metastatic treatment. The most common adverse events (all grades) were alopecia (32%) and diarrhoea (32%). Six patients (14.6%) developed at least one serious adverse event. No congestive heart failure or any unexpected adverse events were reported. CONCLUSION: Trastuzumab, in combination with a taxane, is an effective and well-tolerated first-line treatment for MBC in patients who relapse after trastuzumab-based adjuvant therapy.