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The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the efficacy and safety in patients with lymph node-positive HR+/HER2- breast cancer. The main questions it aims to answer are:
Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three treatment regimens:
Following the completion of their respective treatment regimens, participants will proceed to undergo surgery. The effectiveness of the treatments will be assessed through pathological evaluations, as well as by measuring levels of residual cancer burden (RCB) and examining changes in the tumor immune microenvironment.
The study aims to evaluate the safety of these combined treatment approaches and to determine if they offer superior efficacy compared to outcomes reported in previous studies.
Breast cancer is a leading malignancy among women globally, with early diagnosis and treatment being crucial for better outcomes. Over 90% of breast cancer patients are diagnosed at an early stage, and approximately two-thirds have the hormone receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HR+/HER2-) subtype. Despite this, these patients often exhibit resistance to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, with a pathologic complete response (pCR) rate of only 5-15%, which is significantly lower compared to other subtypes and is associated with poor prognosis. This indicates the necessity for optimizing current treatment strategies.
In recent years, significant advancements have been made in the application of immunotherapy for breast cancer. The studies demonstrated that the addition of immune checkpoint inhibitors to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for patients with high-risk early-stage HR+/HER2- breast cancer significantly improved pCR rates.
Building on these findings, this study proposes a novel strategy of dose-intensified radiation to the tumor (tumor boost) during the neoadjuvant immuno-chemotherapy phase. The advantage of this approach is that it can activate the immune system while the tumor tissue is still intact, providing a rich source of tumor antigens, which aids in enhancing the immune system's recognition and destruction of cancer cells.
Toripalimab is an optimal immunotherapy agent to study, as this agent has recently been approved by the FDA for use in multiple tumor types. It is therefore ready to be tested for efficacy in other disease sites and in combination with other treatments. This study will provide valuable insights into the potential of immunotherapy in combination with radiotherapy to improve outcomes for patients with lymph nodes-positive, high-risk HR+/HER2- breast cancer.
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| The control group | Active Comparator | Patients in this arm receive only a single injection of toripalimab without any radiotherapy as an initial treatment. After a three-week interval, patients receive the standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy in combination with toripalimab, starting with four cycles of paclitaxel and toripalimab, followed by four cycles of epirubicin and toripalimab. |
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| The SBRT-combined group 1 | Experimental | Patients enrolled in this treatment arm will undergo SBRT focused on the primary tumor, receiving a total dose of 24Gy divided into three fractions over the course of 3 to 5 working days. Following the radiation therapy, toripalimab will be administered between the second and fifth days post-treatment. After a three-week rest period, patients will commence the standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimen combined with toripalimab. This regimen will begin with four cycles of paclitaxel combined with toripalimab and followed by four cycles of epirubicin combined with toripalimab. |
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| The SBRT-combined group 2 | Experimental | In this treatment protocol, patients will receive a total radiation dose of 24Gy in three fractions, specifically targeting the primary tumor. Concurrently, the axillary lymph nodes will be treated with a dose of 9Gy in three fractions. This radiation therapy will be conducted over a period of 3 to 5 working days. Following the radiation therapy, toripalimab will be administered between the second and fifth days after the completion of the radiation treatment. After a three-week interval, patients will proceed with the standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimen combined with toripalimab. This regimen includes an initial phase of four cycles of paclitaxel paired with toripalimab, which will be followed by a subsequent phase of four cycles of epirubicin paired with toripalimab. |
| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SBRT | Radiation | Target the primary tumor region with a single dose of 8Gy, or deliver a dose of 3Gy to the axillary lymph nodes, administered once a day for three consecutive days. |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| pCR rate | Pathological Complete Response (pCR) is characterized by the absence of any invasive residual primary tumor in both the breast and lymph nodes. The primary objective of this study is to compare the pCR rates between two treatment approaches: neoadjuvant toripalimab combined with SBRT followed by immuno-chemotherapy, and neoadjuvant toripalimab combined with chemotherapy. | At the end of immuno-chemotherapy up to 4-6 months |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| RCB level | Residual Cancer Burden (RCB) level is a classification system used to assess the amount of cancer remaining in the breast tissue and lymph nodes after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. It is determined by evaluating several factors including the primary tumor area, the percentage of the tumor area that is invasive cancer, and the extent of lymph node involvement. The RCB index categorizes patients into four groups from group 0 to III indicating none to extensive residual cancer burden. |
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Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
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| Name | Role | Phone | Extension | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jian Huang | Contact | +86-13958123068 | drhuangjian@zju.edu.cn | |
| Ting Zhang | Contact | +86-571-87783521 | zezht@zju.edu.cn |
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| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University | Recruiting | Hangzhou | Zhejiang | China |
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| Immuno-chemotherapy | Drug | Standard new adjuvant treatment with toripalimab combined with chemotherapy, that is in the first phase consisting of paclitaxel and toripalimab for four cycles, followed by epirubicin, cyclophosphamide, and toripalimab for another four cycles. |
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| breast surgery up to 4-6 months after trial initiation |
| TILs | Changes in the tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte score (TILs), as determined by the Salgado criteria, indicate an engagement of the immune system in cancer, with scores ranging from 0 to 100%. A higher score in TILs correlates with improved patient outcomes. The planned collection of biopsy samples at three critical points-before treatment, after the initial dose of Toripalimab with or without radiation therapy, and at the time of surgical resection-will enable a comprehensive serial evaluation of TILs. This approach will help to quantify the impact of radiation therapy on the immune response induced by Toripalimab. | Pre-treatment, post-initial dose of Toripalimab with or without radiation up to 4 weeks, and at surgical resection up to 4-6 months. |
| SBRT-related Adverse Events | Treatment toxicities. radiation-related AEs, especially Acute Radiation Dermatitis. | at least once a week within 2-4 weeks after the start of radiotherapy. |