Abstract PD3-12: Efficacy of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor lapatinib in the treatment of patients with HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer and HER2-positive circulating tumor cells - results from the randomized phase III DETECT III trial
Authors: Fehm Tanja , Mueller Volkmar , Banys-Paluchowski Maggie , Fasching Peter A , Friedl Thomas WP , Hartkopf Andreas , Huober Jens , Loehberg Christian , Rack Brigitte , Riethdorf Sabine , Schneeweiss Andreas , Wallwiener Diethelm , Meier-Stiegen Franziska , Hoffmann Oliver , Müller Lothar , Wimberger Pauline , Ruckhaeberle Eugen , Blohmer Jens , Janni Wolfgang 
Published: February 2021

Background: It is well-known that tumor biology may change during the course of the disease due to clonal evolution, and such changes might have important implications for response to targeted treatments. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) could serve as a real-time liquid biopsy to detect changes in tumor biology. It has been demonstrated that patients with HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer (MBC) may have discordant, HER2-positive CTCs in the peripheral blood. However, up to now there is no randomized clinical trial investigating whether treatment decisions based on CTC phenotype provide benefits in terms of improved outcome. The aim of the DETECT III study is to investigate whether patients with initially HER2-negative MBC and HER2-positive CTCs benefit from HER2-targeted therapy with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor lapatinib. In addition, the significance of CTCs as an early predictive marker for response to therapy will be analyzed. Methods: The randomized phase III DETECT III trial (NCT01619111) compares lapatinib in combination with standard therapy versus standard therapy alone in patients with initially HER2-negative MBC and HER2-positive CTCs. Efficacy of lapatinib treatment is evaluated by CTC clearance rate, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). In addition, we investigate the association between CTC results and both PFS and OS to assess the utility of CTCs as an early predictive marker for treatment response. CTC enumeration and phenotyping was performed using the CellSearch® technology (Menarini Silicon Biosystems; Bologna, Italy). Survival data are analyzed using log rank tests, univariable and adjusted multivariable cox regressions. Results: First results on CTC clearance rates, PFS and OS of 105 prospectively randomized patients will be presented. Conclusion: This first randomized clinical trial in breast cancer patients with treatment decisions being based on the phenotype of CTCs will show whether patients with HER2 negative MBC and HER2 positive CTCs benefit from additional HER2-targeted therapy with lapatinib. This finding might be increasingly important as novel HER2-targeted drugs become available.

Citation Format: Tanja Fehm, Volkmar Mueller, Maggie Banys-Paluchowski, Peter A Fasching, Thomas WP Friedl, Andreas Hartkopf, Jens Huober, Christian Loehberg, Brigitte Rack, Sabine Riethdorf, Andreas Schneeweiss, Diethelm Wallwiener, Franziska Meier-Stiegen, Oliver Hoffmann, Lothar Müller, Pauline Wimberger, Eugen Ruckhaeberle, Jens Blohmer, Wolfgang Janni. Efficacy of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor lapatinib in the treatment of patients with HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer and HER2-positive circulating tumor cells - results from the randomized phase III DETECT III trial [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Virtual Symposium; 2020 Dec 8-11; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PD3-12.