Helena M Earl1, Louise Hiller2, Janet A Dunn2, Clare Blenkinsop2, Louise Grybowicz3, Anne-Laure Vallier3, Jean Abraham4, Jeremy Thomas5, Elena Provenzano6, Luke Hughes-Davies7, Ioannis Gounaris8, Karen McAdam9, Stephen Chan10, Rizvana Ahmad11, Tamas Hickish12, Stephen Houston13, Daniel Rea14, John Bartlett15, Carlos Caldas16, David A Cameron17, Larry Hayward5. 1. University of Cambridge, Department of Oncology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK; NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, and Cambridge Breast Cancer Research Unit Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. Electronic address: hme22@cam.ac.uk. 2. Warwick Clinical Trials Unit, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK. 3. Cambridge Clinical Trials Unit-Cancer Theme, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK. 4. University of Cambridge, Department of Oncology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK; NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, and Cambridge Breast Cancer Research Unit Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK. 5. Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK. 6. NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, and Cambridge Breast Cancer Research Unit Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK. 7. Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK. 8. Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK; Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, Cambridge, UK. 9. Peterborough City Hospital, Edith Cavell Campus, Peterborough, UK. 10. Nottingham University Hospital (City Campus), Nottingham, UK. 11. West Middlesex University Hospital, Isleworth, UK. 12. Royal Bournemouth Hospital, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, UK. 13. The Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Guildford, UK. 14. City Hospital, Dudley Road, Birmingham, UK. 15. Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, MaRS Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK. 16. University of Cambridge, Department of Oncology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK; NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, and Cambridge Breast Cancer Research Unit Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, Cambridge, UK. 17. Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The ARTemis trial was developed to assess the efficacy and safety of adding bevacizumab to standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy in HER2-negative early breast cancer. METHODS: In this randomised, open-label, phase 3 trial, we enrolled women (≥18 years) with newly diagnosed HER2-negative early invasive breast cancer (radiological tumour size >20 mm, with or without axillary involvement), at 66 centres in the UK. Patients were randomly assigned via a central computerised minimisation procedure to three cycles of docetaxel (100 mg/m(2) once every 21 days) followed by three cycles of fluorouracil (500 mg/m(2)), epirubicin (100 mg/m(2)), and cyclophosphamide (500 mg/m(2)) once every 21 days (D-FEC), without or with four cycles of bevacizumab (15 mg/kg) (Bev+D-FEC). The primary endpoint was pathological complete response, defined as the absence of invasive disease in the breast and axillary lymph nodes, analysed by intention to treat. The trial has completed and follow-up is ongoing. This trial is registered with EudraCT (2008-002322-11), ISRCTN (68502941), and ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01093235). FINDINGS: Between May 7, 2009, and Jan 9, 2013, we randomly allocated 800 participants to D-FEC (n=401) and Bev+D-FEC (n=399). 781 patients were available for the primary endpoint analysis. Significantly more patients in the bevacizumab group achieved a pathological complete response compared with those treated with chemotherapy alone: 87 (22%, 95% CI 18-27) of 388 patients in the Bev+D-FEC group compared with 66 (17%, 13-21) of 393 patients in the D-FEC group (p=0·03). Grade 3 and 4 toxicities were reported at expected levels in both groups, although more patients had grade 4 neutropenia in the Bev+D-FEC group than in the D-FEC group (85 [22%] vs 68 [17%]). INTERPRETATION: Addition of four cycles of bevacizumab to D-FEC in HER2-negative early breast cancer significantly improved pathological complete response. However, whether the improvement in pathological complete response will lead to improved disease-free and overall survival outcomes is unknown and will be reported after longer follow-up. Meta-analysis of available neoadjuvant trials is likely to be the only way to define subgroups of early breast cancer that would have clinically significant long-term benefit from bevacizumab treatment. FUNDING: Cancer Research UK, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis.
RCT Entities:
BACKGROUND: The ARTemis trial was developed to assess the efficacy and safety of adding bevacizumab to standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy in HER2-negative early breast cancer. METHODS: In this randomised, open-label, phase 3 trial, we enrolled women (≥18 years) with newly diagnosed HER2-negative early invasive breast cancer (radiological tumour size >20 mm, with or without axillary involvement), at 66 centres in the UK. Patients were randomly assigned via a central computerised minimisation procedure to three cycles of docetaxel (100 mg/m(2) once every 21 days) followed by three cycles of fluorouracil (500 mg/m(2)), epirubicin (100 mg/m(2)), and cyclophosphamide (500 mg/m(2)) once every 21 days (D-FEC), without or with four cycles of bevacizumab (15 mg/kg) (Bev+D-FEC). The primary endpoint was pathological complete response, defined as the absence of invasive disease in the breast and axillary lymph nodes, analysed by intention to treat. The trial has completed and follow-up is ongoing. This trial is registered with EudraCT (2008-002322-11), ISRCTN (68502941), and ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01093235). FINDINGS: Between May 7, 2009, and Jan 9, 2013, we randomly allocated 800 participants to D-FEC (n=401) and Bev+D-FEC (n=399). 781 patients were available for the primary endpoint analysis. Significantly more patients in the bevacizumab group achieved a pathological complete response compared with those treated with chemotherapy alone: 87 (22%, 95% CI 18-27) of 388 patients in the Bev+D-FEC group compared with 66 (17%, 13-21) of 393 patients in the D-FEC group (p=0·03). Grade 3 and 4 toxicities were reported at expected levels in both groups, although more patients had grade 4 neutropenia in the Bev+D-FEC group than in the D-FEC group (85 [22%] vs 68 [17%]). INTERPRETATION: Addition of four cycles of bevacizumab to D-FEC in HER2-negative early breast cancer significantly improved pathological complete response. However, whether the improvement in pathological complete response will lead to improved disease-free and overall survival outcomes is unknown and will be reported after longer follow-up. Meta-analysis of available neoadjuvant trials is likely to be the only way to define subgroups of early breast cancer that would have clinically significant long-term benefit from bevacizumab treatment. FUNDING: Cancer Research UK, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis.
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