Results of the DEBBRAH study: Prof François Duhoux meets Dr Marta Vaz Batista

Dr Marta Vaz Batista, medical oncologist at Hospital Professor Doutor Fernando Fonseca, Amadora in Portugal, discusses with Prof François Duhoux, medical oncologist and head of clinic of the department of oncology at the Cliniques Universitaires in Brussels, on her Poster Spotlight presentation at SABCS 2023, in which she communicated the results of one of the cohorts of the DEBBRAH study.  

The DEBRBAH study focuses on trastuzumab deruxtecan in patients with advanced breast cancer and CNS involvement, specifically brain metastasis or leptomeningeal carcinomatosis. The presented results pertain to the cohort with leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, including patients with HER2+ and HER2 low advanced breast cancer previously treated with chemotherapy and, for HER2-positive patients, anti-HER2 targeted therapy. Given the poor prognosis in this population, where patients had received one to eight previous lines of therapy (median of four), the study aimed to evaluate overall survival. In this single-arm trial with seven patients, the median OS was 13.3 months, with two patients still ongoing treatment at the data cutoff. Notable is the absence of new safety concerns, with side effects including nausea and no cases of pneumonitis.

While the results are promising, it’s acknowledged that this is a phase two trial with a small sample size. The efficacy of trastuzumab deruxtecan in CNS disease, particularly leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, remains an area of interest. The study provides valuable prospective data, and though cautious, the findings suggest trastuzumab deruxtecan could be a beneficial alternative in patients with limited treatment options.

Reference:

Vaz Batista M. et al., Trastuzumab Deruxtecan in patients with HER2[+] or HER2-Low Advanced Breast Cancer and Pathologically Confirmed Leptomeningeal Carcinomatosis: Results from Cohort 5 of the DEBBRAH Study –   SABCS 2023, #PS11-05