Combination Chemotherapy and Paclitaxel Plus Trastuzumab in Treating Women With Palpable Breast Cancer That Can Be Removed by Surgery

Summary

This randomized phase III trial is studying giving fluorouracil together with epirubicin and cyclophosphamide followed by paclitaxel and trastuzumab to see how well it works compared with giving paclitaxel together with trastuzumab followed by fluorouracil, epirubicin, cyclophosphamide, and trastuzumab in treating women with palpable breast cancer that can be removed by surgery. Drugs used in chemotherapy work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Monoclonal antibodies, such as trastuzumab, can block tumor growth in different ways. Some block the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Others find tumor cells and help kill them or carry tumor-killing substances to them. It is not yet known whether it is more effective to give combination chemotherapy before or after treatment with paclitaxel plus trastuzumab.

Timeline

Start

2007-07

Primary completion

2012-06

Completion

2013-02-21

Publications

• Buzdar AU, Suman VJ, Meric-Bernstam F, Leitch AM, Ellis MJ, Boughey JC, Unzeitig GW, Royce ME, Hunt KK. Disease-Free and Overall Survival Among Patients With Operable HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Treated With Sequential vs Concurrent Chemotherapy: The ACOSOG Z1041 (Alliance) Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Oncol. 2019 Jan 1;5(1):45-50. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2018.3691.
• Lesurf R, Griffith OL, Griffith M, Hundal J, Trani L, Watson MA, Aft R, Ellis MJ, Ota D, Suman VJ, Meric-Bernstam F, Leitch AM, Boughey JC, Unzeitig G, Buzdar AU, Hunt KK, Mardis ER. Genomic characterization of HER2-positive breast cancer and response to neoadjuvant trastuzumab and chemotherapy-results from the ACOSOG Z1041 (Alliance) trial. Ann Oncol. 2017 May 1;28(5):1070-1077. doi: 10.1093/annonc/mdx048.
• Buzdar AU, Suman VJ, Meric-Bernstam F, Leitch AM, Ellis MJ, Boughey JC, Unzeitig G, Royce M, McCall LM, Ewer MS, Hunt KK; American College of Surgeons Oncology Group investigators. Fluorouracil, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide (FEC-75) followed by paclitaxel plus trastuzumab versus paclitaxel plus trastuzumab followed by FEC-75 plus trastuzumab as neoadjuvant treatment for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer (Z1041): a randomised, controlled, phase 3 trial. Lancet Oncol. 2013 Dec;14(13):1317-25. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(13)70502-3. Epub 2013 Nov 13.

Drugs

Indications