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Antitumor Immunity Effects in the Advanced Setting
Lancet Oncol; ePub 2016 Dec 6; Luen, et al
Higher tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) values are linked with improved overall survival in women with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer treated with docetaxel, trastuzumab, and pertuzumab or placebo, according to a study involving nearly 700 individuals.
Participants were from the CLEOPATRA randomized phase 3 study that analyzed the effect of adding either pertuzumab or placebo to first-line trastuzumab and docetaxel therapy. Investigators looked at the quantity of TILs in tumor samples, and their impact on progression-free and overall survival; clinicopathological characteristics; and pertuzumab treatment. Among the results:
- There were 519 progression-free survival events.
- 358 patients died.
- Median TIL value was 10%.
- There was no significant link between TIL values and progression-free survival.
- Each 10% increase in stromal TILs improved survival odds by 11%.
- Pertuzumab’s treatment effect did not differ significantly by TIL value for either progression-free or overall survival.
The authors noted that their findings suggest that the effect of antitumor immunity extends to the advanced setting.
Luen S, Salgado R, Fox S, et al. Tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes in advanced HER2-positive breast cancer treated with pertuzumab or placebo in addition to trastuzumab and docetaxel: A retrospective analysis of the CLEOPATRA study. [Published online ahead of print December 6, 2016]. Lancet Oncol. doi:10.1016/S1470-2045(16)30631-3.