This research study is studying radiation therapy in combination with an immunotherapy as a possible treatment for metastatic hormone receptor (HR) positive, HER2-negative breast cancer. The interventions involved in this study are: * Palliative Radiotherapy * Pembrolizumab
This research study is a Phase II clinical trial. Phase II clinical trials test the safety and effectiveness of an investigational intervention to learn whether the intervention works in treating a specific disease. "Investigational" means that the intervention is being studied. In this research study, the investigators are evaluating the safety and effectiveness of palliative radiotherapy ("radiation therapy") in combination with pembrolizumab in HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer. This study is designed to test how well radiation therapy in combination with pembrolizumab treats this type of cancer. The FDA has approved radiation therapy as a treatment option for this type of breast cancer. The FDA (the U.S. Food and Drug Administration) has not approved pembrolizumab for this specific disease but it has been approved in the United Sates for other types of cancer. Pembrolizumab is a drug that may treat cancer by working with the immune system. The immune system is the body's natural defense against disease. The immune system sends types of cells called "T cells" throughout the body to detect and fight infections and diseases, including cancer. For some types of cancer, the T cells do not work as they should and are prevented from attacking the tumors. Pembrolizumab is thought to work by blocking a protein in the T cells called PD-1 ("programmed death 1"), which then allows these cells and other parts of the immune system to attack tumors. The combination of pembrolizumab and radiation therapy is investigational. The study drug and radiation therapy, when given separately, work in different waysto help stop the cancer cells from growing and spreading. However, it is not known if giving the study drug and radiation therapy at the same time will have a better anti-cancer effect than giving each treatment on its own.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
8
Pembrolizumab (formerly MK-3475) is a potent and highly selective humanized monoclonal antibody (mAb) of the IgG4/kappa isotype designed to directly block the interaction between PD1 and its ligands, PD-L1 and PD-L2.
Palliative radiotherapy aims to shrink cancer, slow down its growth or control symptoms.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Objective Response Rate
The objective response rate (ORR) was defined as the proportion of participants achieving complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) outside the field of radiation based on RECIST 1.1 criteria on treatment. Per RECIST 1.1 for target lesions: CR is complete disappearance of all target lesions and PR is at least a 30% decrease in the sum of longest diameter (LD) of target lesions, taking as reference baseline sum LD. PR or better overall response assumes at a minimum incomplete response/stable disease (SD) for the evaluation of non-target lesions and absence of new lesions. Complete Response (CR), Disappearance of all target lesions; Partial Response (PR), \>=30% decrease in the sum of the longest diameter of target lesions; Overall Response (OR) = CR + PR.
Time frame: Tumor measurements are repeated every 6 weeks for the first 24 weeks and then every 9 weeks thereafter. Treatment continued until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Treatment duration was 1 cycle. Response was evaluated up to 3 months.
Incidence of Grade 4 Treatment-Related Toxicity
All grade 4 adverse events (AE) with treatment attribution of possibly, probably or definite based on CTCAEv3 as reported on case report forms were counted. Incidence is the number of patients experiencing at least one treatment-related grade 4 AE of any type during the time of observation.
Time frame: Tumor measurements are repeated every 6 weeks for the first 24 weeks and then every 9 weeks thereafter. Treatment continued until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Response was evaluated up to 3 months.
Median Progression-free Survival (PFS)
Progression-free survival based on the Kaplan-Meier method is defined as the duration of time from study entry to documented disease progression (PD) or death. Per RECIST 1.1 criteria: progressive disease (PD) is at least a 20% increase in the sum of longest diameter (LD) of target lesions taking as reference the smallest sum LD recorded since the treatment started or the appearance of one or more new lesions. PD for the evaluation of non-target lesions is the appearance of one or more new lesions and/or unequivocal progression of non-target lesions.
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Time frame: Tumor measurements are repeated every 6 weeks for the first 24 weeks and then every 9 weeks thereafter. Treatment continued until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The maximum follow-up time is 3 months.
Median Overall Survival (OS)
OS based on the Kaplan-Meier method is defined as the time from study entry to death or censored at date last known alive.
Time frame: Tumor measurements are repeated every 6 weeks for the first 24 weeks and then every 9 weeks thereafter. Treatment continued until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The maximum follow-up time is 13 months.