Breast cancer (BC), especially premenopausal, is emerging rapidly in East Asia in recent 20 years. Half of the breast cancer patients in Asia are younger than 50 years of age. In general, younger or premenopausal patients are associated with poorer prognosis. Premenopausal patients have higher estrogen levels than those in older (postmenopausal) patients. Estrogen is known to suppress anti-tumor T cell response and leading to tumor progression in different animal models (Clin Cancer Res 2016 22:6204), including lung cancer, melanoma, ovarian cancer. One of the mechanisms that contributes to estrogen's suppression of T cell function is via the mobilization of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC). Targeting ER signaling with hormonal therapy can abolish MDSC mobilization, and sensitize tumor cells to antigen specific T cell or NK cell killing (Cancer Discovery 2018 7:72 2017). These study results further support the hypothesis that, E2 is associated with immunosuppressive effect, and may contribute to the suppression of immune surveillance in young female breast cancer patients. These results suggest that E2 may suppress anti-tumor immunity, and E2 reduction improve the anti-tumor immunity. In our preliminary works, the investigators found higher dose (equivalent to premenopausal women serum level) of E2 suppressed T cell activities, while lower dose E2 (postmenopausal serum level) activated T cell activity. The investigators have investigated the combination of anti-PD1 antibody and GnRH agonist plus exemestane (an aromatase inhibitor which will block the production of E2 from adipose tissue) in ER positive premenopausal breast cancer patient refractory to prior endocrine therapy in metastatic setting. The response rate was 38.4%, and median progression-free survival (PFS) was 10.2 months. This outstanding result were presented in AACR 2021 oral session (Cancer Res 2021 81:13\_Supplement, CT028). On the other hand, progesterone is also well known for its anti-inflammation and immune tolerance activity. This possibly makes estrogen reduction treatments, such as gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH agonist), an important partner in augmenting neoadjuvant therapy for patients with premenopausal breast cancer. For triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), endocrine therapy has no anti-tumor effect. On the other hand, the use of GnRH agonist has been tested for the protection of ovary function of young female while receiving adjuvant chemotherapy. Surprisingly, the concomitant use of goserelin and adjuvant chemotherapy improved disease-free survival (HR 0.47, P=0.04) and overall survival (HR 0.45, P=0.05) versus chemotherapy alone in ER negative premenopausal early BC patients in POEMS study, which was initially aimed to improve the success pregnant rate (N Engl J Med 2015 372;923). Endocrine therapy is theoretically antagonist to chemotherapy therapy when concomitantly use. In another report analyzed the outcome of both pre- and postmenopausal women who entered two randomized trials (Gruppo Oncologico Nord-Ovest-Mammella Intergruppo studies) on adjuvant chemotherapy and received either concomitant or sequential hormonal therapy. The result showed a decreasing trend (P = 0.015) in hazard ratio of death with increasing age was observed, indicating that concomitant therapy is more effective than sequential therapy in young patients (Annals of Oncology 2008;19(2):299-307). These results support the hypothesis that, E2 suppression/ER inhibition therapy may modulate immune microenvironment, thereby enhancing the chemotherapy induced immunogenic death effect. The investigators hypothesized that, estrogen level reduction by ovarian function suppression can modulate immune microenvironment, thereby augmenting adjuvant chemotherapy efficacy, regardless of the estrogen receptor (ER) status of cancer cell. Therefore, the investigators plan to test this hypothesis in real clinical model, with standard clinical recommended treatment doses. The study is designed to evaluate whether the GnRH agonist can provide the therapeutic benefit for premenopausal TNBC patients via modulating immune microenvironment. Premenopausal TNBC patients will receive GnRH agonist and neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and the efficacy and immune microenvironment change of co-administration arm will be measured and compared with chemotherapy alone control arm.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
124
After randomization, patients in the experimental arm (Arm A) will receive GnRH agonist injection within 7 days of randomization and during neoadjuvant chemotherapy treatment. The choice of GnRH agonist, including goserelin, leuprorelin and triptorelin giving in monthly, three-monthly or sixth-monthly, will be made by per investigator's discretion.
National Taiwan University Hospital
Taipei, Taiwan
RECRUITINGPathological complete response rate
No invasive residual in breast or nodes; non-invasive breast residuals allowed
Time frame: During surgery
Event free survival
To compare the event-free survival (EFS) assessed by investigator in ITT population after neoadjuvant chemotherapy with/without ovary suppression
Time frame: From date of randomization until the date of first documented progression or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 60 months
Quality of life from patient-report outcome
Quality of life will be assessed by European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire C30 , the minimum values is : 30 , the maximum values is : 126, the higher scores mean a worse outcome
Time frame: At Screening phase, at Treatment 1 cycle 4 day 1 ( each cycle is 14 days or 21 days) , at Treatment 2 cycle 4 day 1 (each cycle is 14 days or 21 days), through study completion, an average of 5 years
Estradiol
Estradiol (E2) pg/mL
Time frame: At Screening phase, at Treatment 1 cycle 1 day 1, at Treatment 1 cycle 3 day 1, at Treatment 2 cycle 1 day 1, at Treatment 2 cycle 3 day 1, during surgery, through study completion, an average of 5 years
Follicle stimulating hormone
Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) mIU/mL
Time frame: At Screening phase, at Treatment 1 cycle 1 day 1, at Treatment 1 cycle 3 day 1, at Treatment 2 cycle 1 day 1, at Treatment 2 cycle 3 day 1, during surgery, through study completion, an average of 5 years
Luteinizing hormone
Luteinizing hormone (LH) mIU/mL
Time frame: At Screening phase, at Treatment 1 cycle 1 day 1, at Treatment 1 cycle 3 day 1, at Treatment 2 cycle 1 day 1, at Treatment 2 cycle 3 day 1, during surgery, through study completion, an average of 5 years
Tumor microenvironment changes after neoadjuvant chemotherapy with/without ovarian suppression
To evaluate the tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL)
Time frame: At Screening phase, at Treatment 1 cycle 1 day 1 ( each cycle is 14 days or 21 days), at Treatment 2 cycle 1 day 1 ( each cycle is 14 days or 21 days), through study completion, an average of 5 years
Pathological complete response by tumor infiltrating lymphocyte
To evaluate the rate of pCR (ypT0/Tis ypN0) as assessed by the local pathologist at the time of definitive surgery in individuals with TIL(+) or TIL(-) tumors.
Time frame: During surgery
Residual cancer burden
To evaluate Residual Cancer Burden (RCB) as assessed by the local pathologist at the time of definitive surgery
Time frame: During surgery
Number of participants with treatment-related adverse events as assessed by CTCAE v5.0
To determine the safety and tolerability of ovarian function suppression in combination with neoadjuvant chemotherapy in locally advanced TNBC subjects
Time frame: up to 32 weeks
Breast cancer quality of life from patient-report outcome
Breast cancer quality of life will be assessed by European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire BR23 , the minimum values is : 22 , the maximum values is : 92, the higher scores mean a worse outcome
Time frame: At Screening phase, at Treatment 1 cycle 4 day 1 ( each cycle is 14 days or 21 days) , at Treatment 2 cycle 4 day 1 ( each cycle is 14 days or 21 days), through study completion, an average of 5 years
Event free survival by tumor infiltrating lymphocyte
To evaluate the event free survival by investigator in individuals with TIL(+) or TIL(-) tumors.
Time frame: From date of randomization until the date of first documented progression or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 60 months.
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