Pembrolizumab vs. Observation in People With Triple-negative Breast Cancer Who Had a Pathologic Complete Response After Chemotherapy Plus Pembrolizumab

Recruiting now · Phase 3

Conditions studied: Anatomic Stage II Breast Cancer AJCC v8, Early Stage Triple-Negative Breast Carcinoma, Anatomic Stage IIIA Breast Cancer AJCC v8, Anatomic Stage IIIB Breast Cancer AJCC v8

In brief

This phase III trial compares the effect of continuation of treatment with pembrolizumab (usual approach) to observation only at preventing cancer from coming back in patients with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) who achieved a pathologic complete response after preoperative chemotherapy in combination with pembrolizumab. The usual approach for patients with early-stage TNBC who receive preoperative chemotherapy plus pembrolizumab is to continue to receive pembrolizumab for up to 27 weeks after surgery. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. This trial may help researchers determine if observation is as good as receiving pembrolizumab for 27 weeks after surgery in triple-negative breast cancer patients who achieved a pathologic complete response after preoperative treatment with chemotherapy and pembrolizumab.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT05812807

Run by

Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology

People needed

1295

Starts

2023-06-14

Expected to finish

2033-05-31

Last updated by the study team

2026-08-05

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Age >= 18 years
• Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Status 0-2
• Triple Negative Breast Cancer:
• Patients with a history of clinical stage T1cN1-2 or T2-4N0-2 (clinical stage II or III prior to preoperative therapy) breast cancer at time of diagnosis according to the primary tumor-regional lymph node anatomic staging criteria of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC), 8th edition as determined by the investigator in radiologic assessment, clinical assessment or both
• Patients must have no residual invasive disease in the breast or lymph nodes after the completion of neoadjuvant therapy. Residual ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is allowed. Isolated tumor cells are considered node-negative
• Estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) =< 10%; HER2-negative by American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)/College of American Pathologists (CAP) guidelines (immunohistochemistry [IHC] and fluorescence in situ hybridization [FISH])
• If invasive disease was present in both breasts, participation in the study is permitted as long as the eligibility criteria are met for both tumors/breasts
• Patients must have received neoadjuvant chemotherapy in combination with pembrolizumab for a minimum of 6 cycles. All systemic chemotherapy must have been completed preoperatively
• An interval of no more than 12 weeks between the completion date of the final surgery and the date of randomization
• Note: Adjuvant radiation can be given on study, however, it is recommended to complete adjuvant radiation prior to registration. If radiation is given on study, it is encouraged to be given concurrently with pembrolizumab if the patient is on the pembrolizumab arm, per investigator discretion. Treatment with adjuvant pembrolizumab is strongly discouraged prior to participation in this trial, but if administered (e.g., if patients are awaiting pathology results), pembrolizumab may be administered for up to 6 weeks (i.e., up to 2 q3week doses or up to one q6week dose) post-surgery and must be completed prior to registration post-surgery and must be completed prior to registration
• Use of investigational anti-cancer agents must be discontinued at time of registration
• Adequate excision: Surgical removal of all clinically evident disease in the breast and lymph nodes as follows:
• Breast surgery: Total mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery with histologically negative margins, including no ink on tumor for DCIS, at the time of excision
• * For patients who undergo breast-conserving surgery, the margins of the resected specimen must be histologically free of ductal carcinoma in-situ (DCIS) as determined by the local pathologist. If pathologic examination demonstrates DCIS at the line of resection, additional operative procedures may be performed to obtain clear margins. If DCIS is still present at the resected margin after re-excision(s), the patient must undergo total mastectomy to be eligible. Patients with margins positive for classic lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) are eligible without additional resection
• Lymph node surgery:
• For a patient with clinically N0 disease, a sentinel lymph node biopsy should have been performed at time of surgical evaluation, and if pathologically node positive, the patient is no longer eligible. Isolated tumor cells are considered node-negative
• For a patient with clinically N1 disease at diagnosis (with positive results from a fine-needle aspiration, core biopsy, or sentinel node biopsy performed prior to preoperative therapy) additional surgical evaluation of the axilla following preoperative therapy is required
• ** If they become cN0 (no palpable adenopathy), then a sentinel lymph node biopsy could have been performed at time of surgery (axillary dissection would also be permitted); if the sentinel lymph node biopsy is positive, the patient is no longer eligible
• If sentinel node biopsy performed before preoperative therapy was negative, no additional surgical evaluation of the axilla is required after preoperative therapy. If sentinel node biopsy performed before preoperative therapy was positive, an ALND is required after preoperative therapy
• If the only sentinel node identified by isotope scan is in the internal mammary chain, surgical evaluation of the axilla is still required
• If sentinel node evaluation after preoperative therapy is negative, no further additional surgical evaluation of the axilla is required
• Axillary dissection without sentinel node evaluation is permitted as the initial or sole axillary evaluation after preoperative therapy
• If breast-conserving surgery was performed but patient will not be receiving breast radiation, the patient is not eligible
• Not pregnant and not nursing, because this study involves an agent whose genotoxic, mutagenic and teratogenic effects on the developing fetus and newborn are unknown. Therefore, for women of childbearing potential only, a negative serum or urine pregnancy test done =< 7 days prior to randomization is required
• Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) >= 1,000/mm\^3

You may not qualify if…

• No stage IV (metastatic) breast cancer
• No history of any prior (ipsi- or contralateral) invasive breast cancer. Prior DCIS is allowed
• No evidence of recurrent disease following preoperative therapy and surgery
• No known active liver disease, e.g. due to hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), autoimmune hepatic disorders, or sclerosing cholangitis
• No history of intolerance, including Grade 3 or 4 infusion reaction or hypersensitivity to pembrolizumab or murine proteins or any components of the product
• Note: Prior immune-related adverse events (irAEs) are allowed if they resolved to ≤ grade 1 and the patient tolerated subsequent therapy without requiring chronic steroids for the irAE. The following are exceptions to this criterion: Grade 2 or lower immune mediated endocrinopathies due to neoadjuvant checkpoint inhibition but patients are stable on endocrine therapy and were able to continue checkpoint inhibition.
• No medical conditions that require chronic systemic steroids (>10 mg prednisone daily or equivalent) or any other form of immunosuppressive medications and has required such therapy in the last two years. Replacement therapy (e.g. thyroxine, insulin, or physiologic corticosteroid replacement therapy for adrenal or pituitary insufficiency, etc.) is not considered a form of systemic therapy
• Patients who are unable or unwilling to comply with the requirements of the protocol per investigator assessment are not eligible

Where it is running

• Thomas Hospital — Fairhope, Alabama, United States (enrolling)
• Mobile Infirmary Medical Center — Mobile, Alabama, United States (enrolling)
• University of South Alabama Mitchell Cancer Institute — Mobile, Alabama, United States (enrolling)
• Katmai Oncology Group — Anchorage, Alaska, United States (enrolling)
• CTCA at Western Regional Medical Center — Goodyear, Arizona, United States (enrolling)
• Kingman Regional Medical Center — Kingman, Arizona, United States (enrolling)
• Cancer Center at Saint Joseph's — Phoenix, Arizona, United States (enrolling)
• Mayo Clinic Hospital in Arizona — Phoenix, Arizona, United States (enrolling)
• Highlands Oncology Group - Fayetteville — Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States (enrolling)
• NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital and Fowler Family Cancer Center - Jonesboro — Jonesboro, Arkansas, United States (enrolling)
• University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences — Little Rock, Arkansas, United States (enrolling)
• Highlands Oncology Group - Rogers — Rogers, Arkansas, United States (enrolling)
• Highlands Oncology Group — Springdale, Arkansas, United States (enrolling)
• Mission Hope Medical Oncology - Arroyo Grande — Arroyo Grande, California, United States (enrolling)
• PCR Oncology — Arroyo Grande, California, United States (enrolling)
• Alta Bates Summit Medical Center-Herrick Campus — Berkeley, California, United States (enrolling)
• Tower Cancer Research Foundation — Beverly Hills, California, United States (enrolling)
• Marshall Cancer Center — Cameron Park, California, United States (enrolling)
• Mercy Cancer Center - Carmichael — Carmichael, California, United States (enrolling)
• Mercy San Juan Medical Center — Carmichael, California, United States (enrolling)
• Enloe Medical Center — Chico, California, United States (enrolling)
• Kaiser Permanente Dublin — Dublin, California, United States (enrolling)
• Mercy Cancer Center - Elk Grove — Elk Grove, California, United States (enrolling)
• Stanford Cancer Center Emeryville — Emeryville, California, United States (enrolling)
• Kaiser Permanente-Fremont — Fremont, California, United States (enrolling)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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