Efficacy and safety of continuous infusion of Rh-endostatin combined with platinum-based chemotherapy for advanced triple-negative breast cancer.

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to prospectively evaluate and investigate the efficacy and safety of recombinant human endostatin (Rh-endostatin) combined with platinum-based regimens for advanced triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients.

METHODS

This study was a prospective, single-arm, single-center, open-label trial. From January 2017 to August 2019, 21 women aged 18-70 years with histologically confirmed advanced TNBC were enrolled. Rh-endostatin at 30 mg/d was continuously pumped for 7 days and used synchronously with the chemotherapy cycle. The primary endpoint of this study was progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary endpoints included objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), clinical benefit rate (CBR), overall survival (OS), and toxicity.

RESULTS

The median PFS (mPFS) was 8.8 months (95% CI: 7.2-10.4 months), and the median OS was 13.3 months (95% CI: 11.6-15.0 months). The ORR and CBR for the whole population were 47.6% and 52.4%, respectively. Patients sensitive to anthracycline and taxane drugs showed a significantly longer mPFS compared to those who were resistant to anthracycline and taxane drugs (mPFS: 8.8 vs. 5.3 months, P=0.038). For patients who received first- and second-line therapy or beyond, the mPFS was 8.8 and 5.3 months, respectively, with a significant difference (P=0.025). No statistically significant differences in the mPFS between pemetrexed combined with platinum and gemcitabine/taxanes combined with platinum were observed. The most common grade 3-4 hematologic toxicities were neutropenia (14.3%) and anemia (14.3%). One patient (4.8%) experienced febrile neutropenia. No grade 3-4 non-hematologic toxicities were observed, and no treatment-related deaths were reported in this study.

CONCLUSIONS

This study revealed that Rh-endostatin might enhance the antitumor effects of platinum-based chemotherapy for advanced TNBC patients with well-tolerated toxicities, which may provide a new basis and novel idea for the treatment of TNBC. However, further investigations and validation of its long-term efficacy and toxicity are warranted in the future.