Nivolumab and Standard Chemotherapy before Surgery in Treating Patients with Inflammatory Breast Cancer

Inclusion Criteria

• Histological diagnosis of invasive adenocarcinoma of the breast and a clinical diagnosis of IBC based on presence of inflammatory changes in the involved breast, including erythema and edema (peau d'orange), with or without an underlying palpable mass involving a third or more of the skin of the breast (T4d according to American Joint Committee on Cancer [AJCC] breast cancer staging, 8th edition [ed.]). Pathological evidence of dermal lymphatic invasion should be noted but is not required for diagnosis of IBC.
• In case of bilateral cancer, the investigator should decide prospectively which side will be evaluated for the primary endpoint.
• Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act (CLIA)-certified laboratory testing on the tumor tissue specimen for estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and HER2 must be performed: * HR-positive: defined as estrogen receptor (ER) and/or progesterone receptor (PR) >= 1% per American Society of Clinical Oncology-College of American Pathologists (ASCO-CAP) guidelines * HER2-positive: immunohistochemistry (IHC) 3+ or 2+ with HER2/CEP17 ratio > 2.0 or average HER2 copy number > 6.0 signals/cell) per ASCO-CAP guidelines * TNBC: defined as ER/PR < 1% and HER2-negative per ASCO-CAP guidelines.
• Individuals of all races and ethnic groups are eligible.
• Eastern Cooperative Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 or 1.
• Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) assessment performed by echocardiogram or multigated acquisition scan (MUGA) scan based on institutional preferences. Results must be at or above the normal limit of the institution and/or >= 50%.
• All patients with disease that is deemed by the treating investigator as safely accessible to biopsy are required to undergo research biopsies as outlined in this protocol.
• Ability to understand and willingness to sign a written informed consent document or if appropriate, have an acceptable surrogate capable of giving consent on the subject’s behalf.
• Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) >= 1,500/mcL (within 28 days prior to the first study treatment [cycle 1, day 1]).
• Platelets >= 100,000/mcL (without transfusion within 1 week prior to cycle 1, day 1).
• Hemoglobin >= 9 g/dL or >= 5.6 mmol/L (without transfusion or erythropoietin [EPO] dependency within 1 week prior to cycle 1, day 1).
• Serum creatinine =< 1.5 X upper limit of normal (ULN) OR measured or calculated creatinine clearance (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 (within 28 days prior to the first study treatment [cycle 1, day 1]). * Creatinine clearance should be calculated per institutional standard.
• Serum total bilirubin =< 1.5 X ULN OR direct bilirubin =< ULN for subjects with total bilirubin levels > 1.5 ULN (within 28 days prior to the first study treatment [cycle 1, day 1]).
• Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) =< 2.5 X ULN (within 28 days prior to the first study treatment [cycle 1, day 1]).
• Albumin >= 2.5 mg/dL (within 28 days prior to the first study treatment [cycle 1, day 1]).
• International normalized ratio (INR) or prothrombin time (PT) =< 1.5 X ULN unless subject is receiving anticoagulant therapy as long as PT or partial thromboplastin time (PTT) is within therapeutic range of intended use of anticoagulants (within 28 days prior to the first study treatment [cycle 1, day 1]).
• Activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) =< 1.5 X ULN unless subject is receiving anticoagulant therapy as long as PT or PTT is within therapeutic range of intended use of anticoagulants (within 28 days prior to the first study treatment [cycle 1, day 1]).
• For women of childbearing potential (pre-menopausal women and women less than 12 months after the onset of menopause): must have a pregnancy test every 4 weeks and must have a negative serum or urine pregnancy test (minimum sensitivity 25 IU/L or equivalent units of human chorionic gonadotropin [HCG]) within 24 hours prior to the start of nivolumab.
• For women of childbearing potential: agreement to remain abstinent (refrain from heterosexual intercourse) or use adequate contraceptive measures (barrier methods, intrauterine contraceptive devices, sterilization) during study treatment and for a total of 5 months post-treatment completion. A woman is considered to be of childbearing potential if she is postmenarchal, has not reached a postmenopausal state (>= 12 continuous months of amenorrhea with no identified cause other than menopause), and has not undergone surgical sterilization (removal of ovaries and/or uterus).
• For men: agreement to remain abstinent (refrain from heterosexual intercourse) or use contraceptive measures, and agreement to refrain from donating sperm.

Exclusion Criteria

• Definitive clinical or radiologic evidence of distant metastases.
• Has a known additional malignancy that progressed within the last five years.
• Cardiac disease (history of and/or active disease) that would preclude the use of the drugs included in the treatment regimens.
• Patients known to be human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive.
• Neuropathy >= grade 2, per the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version (v)5.0.
• History of allogeneic stem cell or solid organ transplantation.
• Has active clinically significant autoimmune disease where in the opinion of the investigator would preclude the use of immunotherapy.
• History of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, organizing pneumonia (e.g., bronchiolitis obliterans), or evidence of active pneumonitis.
• Patients with clinically active tuberculosis.
• Pregnancy or lactation at the time of enrollment.
• Prior treatment with CD137 agonists or immune checkpoint−blockade therapies, including anti- CD40, anti−CTLA-4, anti−PD-1, and anti−PD-L1 therapeutic antibodies.
• Treatment with systemic immunosuppressive medications (including but not limited to interferons, IL-2) within 28 days or 5 half-lives of the drug, whichever is longer, prior to study entry.
• Treatment with systemic immunosuppressive medications (including but not limited to prednisone, cyclophosphamide, azathioprine, methotrexate, thalidomide, and anti−tumor necrosis [anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)] factor agents) within 2 weeks prior to randomization or anticipation of need for systemic immunosuppressive medications during the study.
• Inadequate LVEF at baseline, < 50% by either transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) or MUGA.
• History of symptomatic congestive heart failure (CHF): grade >= 3 per NCI CTCAE version 5.0 or class >= II per New York Health Association.
• History of a decrease in LVEF to < 40% or symptomatic CHF.
• Myocardial infarction or unstable angina within 6 months of start of study treatment.
• Current dyspnea at rest due to complications of malignancy, or other disease requiring continuous oxygen therapy.
• Corrected QT interval (QTc) > 450 msec on screening electrocardiography (EKG).
• Clinically significant history of liver disease, including cirrhosis, autoimmune hepatic disorders, HIV infection, or active hepatitis B or hepatitis C.
• Active infection requiring treatment with antiviral therapy or presence of positive test results for hepatitis B (e.g. hepatitis B surface antigen and/or total hepatitis B core antibody) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and HCV assessments are required at screening.
• Patients who test positive for hepatitis B core antibody are eligible if polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is negative for HBV deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).
• Patients who are positive for HCV serology are only eligible if testing for HCV ribonucleic acid (RNA) is negative.
• Subject is pregnant or nursing.
• Known documented or suspected hypersensitivity to the components of the study drugs(s).