Carboplatin-Cyclophosphamide or Paclitaxel without or with Bevacizumab as First-Line Treatment for Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (BOOG 2013-01)

Abstract

<b><i>Background:</i></b> The addition of bevacizumab to chemotherapy conferred a modest progression-free survival (PFS) benefit in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC). However, no overall survival (OS) benefit has been reported. Also, its combination with carboplatin-cyclophosphamide (CC) has never been investigated. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> The Triple-B study is a multicenter, randomized phase IIb trial that aims to prospectively validate predictive biomarkers, including baseline plasma vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (pVEGFR-2), for bevacizumab benefit. mTNBC patients were randomized between CC and paclitaxel (P) without or with bevacizumab (CC ± B or P ± B). Here we report on a preplanned safety and preliminary efficacy analysis after the first 12 patients had been treated with CC+B and on the predictive value of pVEGFR-2. <b><i>Results:</i></b> In 58 patients, the median follow-up was 22.1 months. Toxicity was manageable and consistent with what was known for each agent separately. There was a trend toward a prolonged PFS with bevacizumab compared to chemotherapy only (7.0 vs. 5.2 months; adjusted HR = 0.60; 95% CI 0.33–1.08; <i>p</i> = 0.09), but there was no effect on OS. In this small study, pVEGFR-2 concentration did not predict a bevacizumab PFS benefit. Both the intention-to-treat analysis and the per-protocol analysis did not yield a significant treatment-by-biomarker test for interaction (<i>p</i>_interaction = 0.69). <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b>CC and CC+B are safe first-line regimens for mTNBC and the side effects are consistent with those known for each individual agent. pVEGFR-2 concentration did not predict a bevacizumab PFS benefit.