AstraZeneca's breast cancer drug fails in late-stage trial test

Truqap, the breast cancer drug which was on trial has failed to meet its main goal, the drug manufacturer AstraZeneca said on Tuesday. It said that its breast cancer drug, Truqap, in combination with chemotherapy agent, paclitaxel, did not meet its main goals in a late-stage trial to improve overall survival of patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

The trial, known as CAPItello-290, was testing whether the drug combination improved overall survival in patients with inoperable or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer versus the older and cheaper chemotherapy agent, paclitaxel, in combination with a placebo. The study failed to achieve its goals in both the overall trial population and in a sub-group of patients with tumours harbouring specific biomarker alterations, the drugmaker said.

“Despite modest advances, triple-negative breast cancer remains one of the most challenging forms of disease to treat due to the lack of known actionable biomarker targets, and chemotherapy-based regimens continue to be the mainstay of treatment. While the CAPItello-290 trial results have not shown what we hoped, they provide important information to further understand this aggressive form of breast cancer where patients are in urgent need of new treatments," said Peter Schmid, MD, Barts Cancer Institute, London, UK, and principal investigator for the trial.

"Truqap is currently being evaluated in Phase III trials for the treatment of breast cancer (CAPItello-292) and prostate cancer (CAPItello-280 and CAPItello-281) in combination with established treatments," the drug maker has said in a press release.

What is triple negative breast cancer?

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a type of breast cancer characterized by the absence of three common receptors: estrogen receptors (ER), progesterone receptors (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). This subtype accounts for about 10-20% of all breast cancers and is often more aggressive, with a higher likelihood of spreading and recurring compared to other breast cancer types. TNBC primarily affects younger women and is more common among African American and Hispanic women. Because TNBC lacks the three receptors commonly targeted in breast cancer therapies, treatment options are limited to chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery, rather than hormone therapy or HER2-targeted treatments. Research is ongoing to find more effective treatments for TNBC, including immunotherapy and targeted therapies. Early detection and tailored treatment plans are crucial for improving outcomes for those diagnosed with this challenging form of breast cancer.
(With inputs from Reuters)