Neratinib, an irreversible ErbB receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, in patients with advanced ErbB2-positive breast cancer.
OBJECTIVE
Neratinib is an oral, irreversible pan-ErbB receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor. The efficacy and safety of neratinib were evaluated in two cohorts of patients with advanced ErbB2-positive breast cancer-those with and those without prior trastuzumab treatment-in an open-label, multicenter, phase II trial.


METHODS
Patients in the two cohorts (prior trastuzumab, n = 66; no prior trastuzumab, n = 70) received oral neratinib 240 mg once daily. The primary end point was the 16-week progression-free survival (PFS) rate for the evaluable population (prior trastuzumab, n = 63; no prior trastuzumab, n = 64), as assessed by independent review.


RESULTS
The 16-week PFS rates were 59% for patients with prior trastuzumab treatment and 78% for patients with no prior trastuzumab treatment. Median PFS was 22.3 and 39.6 weeks, respectively. Objective response rates were 24% among patients with prior trastuzumab treatment and 56% in the trastuzumab-naïve cohort. The most common adverse events were diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue. Diarrhea was the most frequent grades 3 to 4 adverse event, occurring in 30% of patients with prior trastuzumab treatment and in 13% of patients with no prior trastuzumab treatment, which prompted dose reductions in 29% and 4% of patients, respectively, but treatment discontinuation in only one patient. No neratinib-related, grades 3 or 4 cardiotoxicity was reported.


CONCLUSIONS
Oral neratinib showed substantial clinical activity and was reasonably well tolerated among both heavily pretreated and trastuzumab-naïve patients who had advanced, ErbB2-positive breast cancer. Diarrhea was the most common adverse effect but was manageable with antidiarrheal agents and dose modification.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 44 Binney St, Boston, MA, USA. hburstein@partners.org
Harold J
HJ
Burstein
Yan
Y
Sun
Luc Y
LY
Dirix
Zefei
Z
Jiang
Robert
R
Paridaens
Antoinette R
AR
Tan
Ahmad
A
Awada
Anantbhushan
A
Ranade
Shunchang
S
Jiao
Gary
G
Schwartz
Richat
R
Abbas
Christine
C
Powell
Kathleen
K
Turnbull
Jennifer
J
Vermette
Charles
C
Zacharchuk
Rajendra
R
Badwe
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011804:Quinolines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D000068878:Trastuzumab
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D011804:Quinolines; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D000068878:Trastuzumab; C487932:neratinib