Heroes is a multicentre, national, non-randomized, open-label, phase 2 study. The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the feasibility of therapeutic de-escalation in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer with disease controlled after 2 years of maintenance treatment with anti-HER2 targeted therapy AND ctDNA negative testing. The main question it aims to answer is : • Is it possible to identify patients for whom temporary or permanent discontinuation of treatment is possible without impacting prognosis?
Metastatic breast cancer remains a difficult disease to cure in the majority of cases. Improved biological knowledge has made it possible to separate these heterogeneous pathologies into several subtypes. For the HER2 subtype, which accounts for around 15% of breast cancers, very significant progress has been made in recent years with innovative treatments known as anti-HER2 therapies (trastuzumab, pertuzumab, T-DM1, T-DXd). Long-term disease control has been achieved in at least 20% of these patients with these new treatments. However, the treatments are continued indefinitely, impacting patients' quality of life through toxicity and chronic administration. It is possible that, for some patients, these treatments can be discontinued while maintaining surveillance. To assess this possibility, new biological tools, notably the search for circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), look very promising for detecting any tumor cells in the body, even to very small traces (minimal residual disease). The primary objective of this trial is to evaluate the feasibility of therapeutic de-escalation (temporary or complete discontinuation) in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer whose disease is controlled after 2 years of maintenance treatment with anti-HER2 targeted therapy AND a negative ctDNA test.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
170
Heroes is a de-escalation study. Patient must have received continuous anti-HER2 targeted therapy (including Trastuzumab, Trastuzumab/Pertuzumab, Trastuzumab-Deruxtecan, T-DM1) for at least 2 years in any line setting for their HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer with complete response or partial response at last radiological assessment. Patients with ctDNA negative test at baseline will stop their anti-HER2 targeted therapy during the study
ctDNA test will be performed at 1.5 month after inclusion and every 3 months during 2 years. Note: For the ctDNA negative patients who become ctDNA positive: ctDNA test will be performed once, 3 months after restarting treatment (+/-1 week).
Centre Eugène marquis
Rennes, France
RECRUITINGProgression-free rate
The progression-free rate (PFR) is the percentage of patient with disease progression defined as the time from the date of registration to the date of the first documented event among radiological progressions (RECIST 1.1), molecular progressions definitive as ctDNA-positive results, or death due to any cause, whichever occurs first.
Time frame: 1 year
Progression-free survival
Progression-free survival (PFS) is defined as the time from the date of registration to the date of the first documented cancer progression measured by RECIST 1.1 or death due to any cause, whichever occurs first.
Time frame: 1 year
ctDNA dynamics
The ctDNA dynamics is defined as changes in the level of ctDNA (from negative to positive) during the surveillance phase.
Time frame: 1 year
ctDNA positivity rate
Positivity rate is defined as the proportion of patients with positive ctDNA results.
Time frame: 1 year
Overall Survival
Overall Survival (OS) is defined as the time from the date of registration to the date of death due to any cause
Time frame: 1 year
Molecular response
Molecular response is defined as the percentage of patients who reached molecular remission (ctDNA clearance) 3 months after reintroduction of anti-HER2 treatment among patients with ctDNA positive without RECIST progression.
Time frame: 1 year
Objective Response Rate
Objective Response Rate (ORR) is defined as the number of patients with at least a confirmed complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) to reintroduction of anti-HER2 treatment, among patients with RECIST progression during the surveillance phase
Time frame: 1 year
Duration of Response
The duration of response (Dor) is defined, among patients with RECIST progression during the surveillance phase, as the time from the onset of response after reintroduction of anti-HER2 treatment, to progression or death due to any cause, whichever occurs first.
Time frame: 1 year
Quality of life questionnaire - Core 30 (QLQ-C30)
Developed by the EORTC, this self-reported questionnaire assesses the health-related quality of life of cancer patients in clinical trials. The questionnaire includes five functional scales (physical, everyday activity, cognitive, emotional, and social), three symptom scales (fatigue, pain, nausea and vomiting), a health/quality of life overall scale, and a number of additional elements assessing common symptoms (including dyspnea, loss of appetite, insomnia, constipation, and diarrhea), as well as, the perceived financial impact of the disease. All of the scales and single-item measures range in score from 0 to 100. A high scale score represents a higher response level.
Time frame: At baseline then every 3 months during 2 years and every 6 months the third year
Quality of Life Questionnaire - Breast cancer module (QLQ-BR45)
This EORTC breast cancer specific questionnaire is intended to supplement the QLQ-C30. The QLQ-BR45 incorporates nine multi-item scales to assess body image, sexual functioning, breast satisfaction, systemic therapy side effects, arm symptoms, breast symptoms, endocrine therapy symptoms, skin mucosis symptoms, endocrine sexual symptoms. In addition, single items assess sexual enjoyment, future perspective and being upset by hair loss. All items are rated on a four-point Likert-type scale (1 = "not at all", 2 = "a little", 3 = "quite a bit", and 4 = "very much"), and are linearly transformed to a 0-100 scale. Higher scores indicate more severe symptoms or problems.
Time frame: At baseline then every 3 months during 2 years and every 6 months the third year
State-Trait Anxiety Inventory - state (STAI-S)
The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory - state (STAI-S) is a commonly used measure of state anxiety. This 20-item questionnaire measures the intensity of the participant's anxiety at the moment of testing. The items are designed to measure an individual's feelings oftension, apprehension, nervousness, and worry. All items are rated on a 4-point scale (1 = "not at all", 2 = "somewhat", 3 = "moderately", and 4 = "very much"). Scores range from 20 to 80, with higher scores correlating with greater anxiety.
Time frame: At 6 months and 1 year
Decision regret scale (DRS)
The decision regret was developed to measure regret after health-care decisions. This questionnaire incorparate 5 items about decision regret, decision correctness, belief in making the same decision again, wisdom and any resulting harm from the decision. All items are rated on a 5-point Likert-type scale (1 = "strongly agree", 2 = "agree", 3 = "neither agree or disagree", 4 = "disagree", and 5 = "strongly disagree"), and are transformed to a 0-100 scale. Higher scores indicate more regret.
Time frame: At 6 months and 1 year
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