Adding Pertuzumab to Adjuvant Therapy Improves DFS in Early Breast Cancer

Adding pertuzumab (Perjeta) to adjuvant trastuzumab (Herceptin) and chemotherapy improved invasive disease-free survival among patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer, according to an announcement by the drug’s developer, Genentech.¹

Preliminary results from the multicenter, double-blind, phase 3 APHINITY trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01358877) showed that treatment with the combination of pertuzumab, trastuzumab, and chemotherapy achieved a significant reduction in the risk of recurrence of invasive disease or death compared with trastuzumab plus chemotherapy alone.

The safety profile of pertuzumab in combination with trastuzumab and chemotherapy was consistent with previous reports; investigators have not detected any new safety signals.

The study enrolled 4805 patients with operable, HER2-positive, early breast cancer and randomly assigned them 1:1 to receive 6 to 8 cycles of an anthracycline or non-anthracycline-containing chemotherapy regimen with trastuzumab and pertuzumab or placebo, followed by trastuzumab plus pertuzumab or placebo every 3 weeks for 1 year.

Investigators plan to submit full results from the APHINITY trial for presentation at an upcoming medical meeting in 2017.

Reference

1. Phase III APHINITY study shows Genentech’s Perjeta regimen helped people with an aggressive type of early breast cancer live longer without their disease returning compared to Herceptin and chemotherapy [news release]. South San Francisco, CA: Genentech; March 1, 2017. https://www.gene.com/media/press-releases/14655/2017-03-01/phase-iii-aphinity-study-shows-genentech. Accessed March 2, 2017.