Evaluation of Immune Cells and Response-Adapted Chemoimmunotherapy before Surgery for the Treatment of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer, The NeoTRACT Trial

Inclusion Criteria

• Ability of participant OR Legally Authorized Representative (LAR) to understand this study, and participant or LAR willingness to sign a written informed consent
• Female subjects 18 years of age
• Histologically confirmed cT1c-T3N0, cT1-T3N1-N2, cTxN1-2 TNBC * The invasive tumor must be hormone receptor poor, defined as both estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor staining in =< 10% of invasive cancer cells by immunohistochemistry (IHC) * The invasive tumor must be human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative based on the current American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)-College of American Pathologists (CAP) guidelines
• No previous ipsilateral breast surgery for the current breast cancer
• No previous chemotherapy, immunotherapy, endocrine therapy, or radiotherapy for the current breast cancer
• Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0 – 1 documented within 21 days prior to the start of study treatment
• Breast and axillary imaging (including ultrasound and MRI) within 42 days (6 weeks) prior to treatment initiation
• Subjects with clinically and/or radiographically abnormal axillary or internal mammary lymph nodes should have pathologic confirmation of disease status with image-guided biopsy or fine needle aspiration
• Subjects must co-enroll in the PROGECT (HSC #12614) observational registry protocol since funding for elements of this trial is dependent on existing PROGECT infrastructure
• Archival breast tumor tissue has been obtained or has been requested for use, which should include a formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) block or 12 unstained slides (10 x 5 um uncharged slides and 2 x 5 um charged slides) from primary breast tumor. If adequate archival breast tumor tissue is unavailable, a newly obtained core biopsy of the breast tumor should be performed for submission of tumor specimen
• No clinically apparent metastatic disease. Staging to rule out metastatic disease is suggested for patients with clinical TNM stage III disease
• Subjects with bilateral synchronous TNBC are eligible if they meet other eligibility criteria
• Neuropathy: No baseline neuropathy greater than grade 2
• Patients are not pregnant, not breastfeeding, and at least one of the following applies: * Not a woman of reproductive potential * A reproductive potential who agrees to follow the contraceptive guidelines during the treatment period and for at least 120 days after the last dose of study treatment. Should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while participating in this study, she should inform her treating physician immediately
• Absolute neutrophil count >= 1,500/uL (assessed =< 21 days of treatment initiation)
• Platelets >= 100,000/uL (assessed =< 21 days of treatment initiation)
• Leukocytes >= 3,000/uL (assessed =< 21 days of treatment initiation)
• Hemoglobin >= 9.0 g/dL or >= 5.6 mmol/L (assessed =< 21 days of treatment initiation) (must be met without erythropoietin dependency and without erythrocyte transfusion within the last two weeks)
• Creatinine =< 1.5 mg/dL and/or creatinine clearance >= 60 mL/min (assessed =< 21 days of treatment initiation)
• Total bilirubin =< 1.5x upper limit of normal (ULN) or direct bilirubin =< ULN (if total bilirubin > 1.5x ULN) (assessed =< 21 days of treatment initiation)
• Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase [SGOT]) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase [SGPT])=< 2x ULN (assessed =< 21 days of treatment initiation)
• Serum albumin >= 3.0 g/dL (assessed =< 21 days of treatment initiation)
• Only if assigned to regimen C, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) >= 50% by echocardiogram or multigated acquisition (MUGA) scan, per standard of care (assessed within 120 days prior to receiving doxorubicin + cyclophosphamide)
• Subjects with heart failure are not eligible, nor are patients with myocardial infarction, unstable angina pectoris, an arterial thrombotic event, stroke, or transient ischemic attack within the past 12 months, uncontrolled hypertension (systolic blood pressure (BP) > 160 mmHg, diastolic BP > 90 mmHg), uncontrolled or symptomatic arrythmia, or greater than grade 2 peripheral vascular disease (assessed =< 30 days of treatment initiation)

Exclusion Criteria

• Current or anticipated use of other investigational agents while participating in this study
• Subject has previously received chemotherapy, immunotherapy, endocrine therapy, radiotherapy, or surgery for this breast cancer
• Subject has clinically or radiographically detected metastatic disease
• Subject has inflammatory breast cancer
• Subject has a prior or concurrent malignancy whose natural history or treatment (in the opinion of the treating physician) has the potential to interfere with the safety or efficacy assessment of the treatment regimen * Note: Patients with squamous cell or basal cell carcinoma of the skin, ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast, or carcinoma in situ (CIS) of the uterine cervix who have undergone definitive therapy are not excluded from participation
• History of allergic reactions attributed to doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, carboplatin, or docetaxel
• History of severe (>= grade 3) hypersensitivity to pembrolizumab or any of its excipients
• Prior treatment with an anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, anti-PD-L2 inhibitor or with an agent directed to another stimulatory or co-inhibitory T-cell receptor (e.g., CTLA4, OX40, CD137)
• If participant has received major surgery, they must have recovered adequately from the toxicity and/or complications from the intervention prior to starting study treatment
• Subject has received a live vaccine within 30 days prior to treatment initiation * Live vaccines include (but are not limited to) measles, mumps, rubella, varicella/zoster (chicken pox and shingles), yellow fever, rabies, Bacillus-Calmette-Guérin (BCG), typhoid * Seasonal injectable influenza vaccines are killed virus and are allowed
• Subject is currently receiving treatment or has received treatment with an investigational agent within four weeks prior to treatment initiation, or has used an investigational device within four weeks prior to treatment initiation
• Has a diagnosis of immunodeficiency or is receiving chronic steroid therapy (in doses exceeding 10 mg daily prednisone equivalent) or any other form of immunosuppressive therapy within 7 days prior to the first dose of pembrolizumab
• Active autoimmune disease that has required systemic treatment (e.g., disease-modifying agents, corticosteroids, immunosuppressive drugs) in the past two years * Note: Patients using replacement therapy (e.g., thyroxine, insulin, or physiologic corticosteroid therapy) are eligible
• Currently has or has history of (within the past one year) non-infectious pneumonitis requiring steroids
• Active infection requiring systemic therapy
• Known history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection
• Active hepatitis B (defined as hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg] reactive) or hepatitis C (detectable hepatitis c virus [HCV] ribonucleic acid [RNA]) * Testing for hepatitis B and C is not required unless mandated by local health authority
• History or current evidence of any condition, therapy, or laboratory abnormality that might confound the results of this study, interfere with the subject’s participation for the full duration of the study, or it is not in the best interest of the subject to participate, in the opinion of the treating investigator
• Subject has known psychiatric or substance abuse disorder(s) that would interfere with cooperation with the requirements of the study
• Subject is pregnant or breastfeeding or expecting to conceive within the projected duration of the study, starting with the screening visit through 120 days after the last dose of trial treatment. There is a potential for congenital abnormalities and for this regimen to harm breastfeeding infants
• Inadequate hematologic, renal, hepatic, coagulation, or cardiac function