Scientific publications
Pembrolizumab in combination with gemcitabine for patients with HER2-negative advanced breast cancer: GEICAM/2015-04 (PANGEA-Breast) study. Scientific Publication
L de la Cruz-Merino 1 2 , M Gion 3 4 , J Cruz 3 5 , J L Alonso-Romero 3 6 , V Quiroga 3 7 , F Moreno 3 8 , R Andrés 3 9 , M Santisteban 3 10 11 , M Ramos 3 12 , E Holgado 3 13 , J Cortés 3 14 15 16 , E López-Miranda 3 4 , A Cortés 4 , F Henao 17 3 , N Palazón-Carrión 17 3 , L M Rodriguez 3 5 , I Ceballos 3 5 , A Soto 6 , A Puertes 6 , M Casas 3 , S Benito 3 , M Chiesa 3 , S Bezares 3 , R Caballero 3 , C Jiménez-Cortegana 18 , V Sánchez-Margalet 18 , F Rojo 3 19 20
Background: We evaluated a new chemoimmunotherapy combination based on the anti-PD1 monoclonal antibody pembrolizumab and the pyrimidine antimetabolite gemcitabine in HER2- advanced breast cancer (ABC) patients previously treated in the advanced setting, in order to explore a potential synergism that could eventually obtain long term benefit in these patients.
Methods: HER2-negative ABC patients received 21-day cycles of pembrolizumab 200 mg (day 1) and gemcitabine (days 1 and 8). A run-in-phase (6 + 6 design) was planned with two dose levels (DL) of gemcitabine (1,250 mg/m2 [DL0]; 1,000 mg/m2 [DL1]) to determine the recommended phase II dose (RP2D). The primary objective was objective response rate (ORR). Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) density and PD-L1 expression in tumors and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) levels in peripheral blood were analyzed.
Results: Fourteen patients were treated with DL0, resulting in RP2D. Thirty-six patients were evaluated during the first stage of Simon's design. Recruitment was stopped as statistical assumptions were not met. The median age was 52; 21 (58%) patients had triple-negative disease, 28 (78%) visceral involvement, and 27 (75%) ≥ 2 metastatic locations. Progression disease was observed in 29 patients. ORR was 15% (95% CI, 5-32). Eight patients were treated ≥ 6 months before progression. Fourteen patients reported grade ≥ 3 treatment-related adverse events. Due to the small sample size, we did not find any clear association between immune tumor biomarkers and treatment efficacy that could identify a subgroup with higher probability of response or better survival. However, patients that experienced a clinical benefit showed decreased MDSCs levels in peripheral blood along the treatment.
Conclusion: Pembrolizumab 200 mg and gemcitabine 1,250 mg/m2 were considered as RP2D. The objective of ORR was not met; however, 22% patients were on treatment for ≥ 6 months. ABC patients that could benefit of chemoimmunotherapy strategies must be carefully selected by robust and validated biomarkers. In our heavily pretreated population, TILs, PD-L1 expression and MDSCs levels could not identify a subgroup of patients for whom the combination of gemcitabine and pembrolizumab would induce long term benefit.
CITATION BMC Cancer. 2022 Dec 3;22(1):1258. doi: 10.1186/s12885-022-10363-3
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