Pembrolizumab and Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients with Locally Recurrent or Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Inclusion Criteria

• Be willing and able to provide written informed consent/assent for the trial
• Histologically or cytologically-confirmed triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) (defined as estrogen receptor [ER] < 1%, progesterone receptor [PR] < 1%, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 [her-2]-neu 0-1+ by immunohistochemistry [IHC] or fluorescence in situ hybridization [FISH]-negative or as per doctor of medicine [MD] discretion) at each enrolling institution
• Metastatic or locally recurrent TNBC
• Subjects who are resistant to conventional chemotherapy or have declined conventional therapy for TNBC; patients having received any prior line of systemic therapy for inoperable/recurrent or metastatic disease are eligible
• At least one tumor for which palliative RT is considered appropriate standard therapy
• At least one index lesion that will not undergo RT and which is measurable based on RECIST 1.1
• If an archived tumor tissue is available, be willing to provide tissue from a newly obtained core or excisional biopsy of a tumor lesion; newly-obtained is defined as a specimen obtained up to 6 weeks (42 days) prior to initiation of treatment on day 1 of RT
• Repeat palliative RT will be permitted for the treatment of isolated, non-target lesions
• Consent for blood draws for research purposes
• Consent for use of available archived tissue for research purposes
• Have a performance status of 0 or 1 on the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance scale
• Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) >= 1.5 K/mcL, should be performed within 28 days of treatment initiation, unless otherwise indicated
• Platelets >= 100 K/mcL, should be performed within 28 days of treatment initiation, unless otherwise indicated
• Hemoglobin >= 9 g/dL or >= 5.6 mmol/L without transfusion or erythropoietin (EPO) dependency (within 7 days of assessment), should be performed within 28 days of treatment initiation, unless otherwise indicated
• Serum creatinine =< 1.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN), should be performed within 28 days of treatment initiation, unless otherwise indicated OR
• Measured or calculated creatinine clearance (glomerular filtration rate [GFR] can also be used in place of creatinine or creatinine clearance [CrCl]) >= 60 mL/min for subject with creatinine levels > 1.5 x institutional ULN; creatinine clearance should be calculated per institutional standard, should be performed within 28 days of treatment initiation, unless otherwise indicated
• Serum total bilirubin =< 1.5 x ULN OR direct bilirubin =< ULN for subjects with total bilirubin levels > 1.5 ULN, should be performed within 28 days of treatment initiation, unless otherwise indicated
• Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase [SGOT]) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase [SGPT]) =< 2.5 x ULN OR =< 5 x ULN for subjects with liver metastases, should be performed within 28 days of treatment initiation, unless otherwise indicated
• Albumin >= 2.5 mg/dL, should be performed within 28 days of treatment initiation, unless otherwise indicated
• International normalized ratio (INR) or prothrombin time (PT) =< 1.5 x ULN unless subject is receiving anticoagulant therapy as long as PT or activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) is within therapeutic range of intended use of anticoagulants
• Activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) =< 1.5 x ULN unless subject is receiving anticoagulant therapy as long as PT or aPTT is within therapeutic range of intended use of anticoagulants, should be performed within 28 days of treatment initiation, unless otherwise indicated
• Female subject of childbearing potential should have a negative pregnancy test or documentation of absence of pregnancy by a gynecologist within 2 weeks of initiating radiation therapy
• Female subjects of childbearing potential should be willing to use 2 methods of birth control or be surgically sterile, or abstain from heterosexual activity for the course of the study through 120 days after the last dose of study medication; subjects of childbearing potential are those who have not been surgically sterilized or have not been free from menses for > 1 year

Exclusion Criteria

• Is currently participating and receiving study therapy or has participated in a study of an investigational agent and received study therapy or used an investigational device within 4 weeks of the first dose of treatment
• Has a diagnosis of immunodeficiency or is receiving systemic steroid therapy or any other form of immunosuppressive therapy within 7 days prior to the first dose of trial treatment
• Has a known history of active tuberculosis (TB) (Bacillus tuberculosis)
• Hypersensitivity to pembrolizumab or any of its excipients
• Has had a prior anti-cancer monoclonal antibody (mAb) within 4 weeks prior to study day 1 or who has not recovered (i.e., >= grade 1 or at baseline) from adverse events due to agents administered more than 4 weeks earlier
• Has had prior chemotherapy or targeted small molecule therapy within 2 weeks prior to study day 1 or who has not recovered (i.e., >= grade 1 or at baseline) from adverse events due to a previously administered agent * Note: subjects with =< grade 2 neuropathy are an exception to this criterion and may qualify for the study
• If subject received major surgery, they must have recovered adequately from the toxicity and/or complications from the intervention prior to starting therapy
• Has a known additional malignancy that progressed or required treatment in the last 5 years; exceptions include basal cell carcinoma of the skin or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin that has undergone potentially curative therapy or in situ cervical cancer
• Has known active central nervous system (CNS) metastases and/or carcinomatous meningitis; subjects with previously treated brain parenchymal metastases may participate provided they are stable (without evidence of progression by imaging for at least four weeks prior to the first dose of trial treatment and any neurologic symptoms have returned to baseline), have no evidence of new or enlarging brain metastases, and are not using steroids for at least 7 days prior to trial treatment; this exception does not include carcinomatous meningitis, which is excluded regardless of clinical stability
• Has active autoimmune disease that has required systemic treatment in the past 2 years (i.e. with use of disease modifying agents, corticosteroids or immunosuppressive drugs); replacement therapy (eg., thyroxine, insulin, or physiologic corticosteroid replacement therapy for adrenal or pituitary insufficiency, etc.) is not considered a form of systemic treatment
• Has known history of/active, non-infectious pneumonitis requiring treatment with steroids or has history of/active interstitial lung disease
• Has an active infection requiring systemic therapy
• Has a history or current evidence of any condition, therapy, or laboratory abnormality that might confound the results of the trial, interfere with the subject's participation for the full duration of the trial, or is not in the best interest of the subject to participate, in the opinion of the treating investigator
• Has known psychiatric or substance abuse disorders that would interfere with cooperation with the requirements of the trial
• Is pregnant or breastfeeding, or expecting to conceive or father children within the projected duration of the trial, starting with the pre-screening or screening visit through 120 days after the last dose of trial treatment
• Has received prior therapy with an anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, or anti-PD-L2 agent or has participated in another Merck pembrolizumab clinical trial
• Has a known history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (HIV 1/2 antibodies)
• Has known active hepatitis B (e.g., hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg] reactive) or hepatitis C (e.g., hepatitis C virus [HCV] ribonucleic acid [RNA] [qualitative] is detected)
• Has received a live vaccine within 30 days of planned start of study therapy * Note: seasonal influenza vaccines for injection are generally inactivated flu vaccines and are allowed; however intranasal influenza vaccines (e.g., Flu-mist) are live attenuated vaccines, and are not allowed