Comparative Efficacy of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors and Antibody–Drug Conjugates in HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients with Brain Metastases: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis

Abstract

HER2-positive breast cancer brain metastasis (BCBM) is an important clinical problem. A systematic review and network meta-analysis were conducted to compare the efficacy of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs), two categories of emerging agents in this field. We implemented a comprehensive literature search of PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials.gov, and abstracts of oncology conferences. A network meta-analysis following Bayesian approaches was performed. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and odds ratios (ORs) with credible intervals (CrIs) were calculated to estimate progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and the incidence of central nervous system (CNS) disease progression. Sixteen studies were included. Pairwise comparisons of PFS showed salient divergency between T-DXd and the physician’s choice of treatment (HR 0.17; 95% CrI 0.03–0.82) or afatinib (HR 0.14; 95% CrI 0.02–1.00). T-DXd and T-DM1 ranked first regarding PFS and OS, respectively, followed by TKI-containing regimens. The incidence of CNS disease progression was analyzed separately according to baseline BCBM status, among which neratinib-containing regimens were most likely to rank the best. In conclusion, ADCs including T-DXd and T-DM1 showed better efficacy than TKIs in the survival outcomes for HER2-positive BCBM patients. Treatments based on neratinib or T-DM1 revealed favorable results in reducing the recurrent rate of CNS.