Dr. Singh on Dose Dense ACTHP in HER2+ Breast Cancer

Jasmeet C. Singh, MD, a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses results from a retrospective analysis looking at the effectiveness of dose dense doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide followed by paclitaxel, trastuzumab (Herceptin), and pertuzumab (Perjeta; ACTHP) in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.

Results showed that in patients who received neoadjuvant dose dense ACTHP followed by adjuvant anti-HER2 treatment, the invasive disease-free survival (IDFS) rate and overall survival rates were 91% and 96%, respectively. The primary objective of the study was iDFS, according to Singh.

For the study, charts from 236 patients who received the dose dense ACTHP in the neoadjuvant setting were reviewed. Of 235 evaluable patients, 62% had a pathologic complete response (pCR); furthermore, 52% of those with hormone receptor—positive disease and 78% of those with HR-negative disease had a pCR.

In patients who did not have a pCR, the 3-year iDFS rate was 87% compared with 94% in those who had a pCR. The 3-year OS rate for those with a pCR was 98% compared with 93% in those without a pCR. These data confirm that patients who achieve a pCR have better outcomes compared with those who don’t have a pCR in HER2-positive breast cancer, concludes Singh.