Abstract
PURPOSE: This investigation sought to examine the efficacy and safety of low-dose apatinib used alongside chemotherapy in the clinical management of patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) within a real-world setting, whilst comparing the outcomes with those treated solely with chemotherapy. METHODS: This case series study analyzed clinical data and treatment outcomes of 163 patients with metastatic TNBC who underwent rescue treatment at the Medical Oncology Department of Clinical Oncology, Fujian Cancer Hospital, School of Fujian Medical University, China, between October 2011 and January 2023. All the patients underwent rescue treatment with either chemotherapy alone or apatinib (250 mg/day) combined with chemotherapy. The study's primary outcome was progression-free survival (PFS), whereas the secondary outcomes included overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and safety profiles. RESULTS: The study was designed to compare two groups [1]. Out of the 163 TNBC patients who participated in the study, 107 individuals (65.6%) received treatment based on chemotherapy, whereas 56 patients (34.4%) were given treatment based on a combination of low-dose apatinib (250 mg/day) and other treatments, including chemotherapy. After propensity score matching (PSM), the objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) of patients with advanced triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) who received apatinib-based treatment were 50.0 and 90.0%, respectively, while they were 6.7 and 20.0%, respectively, for the chemotherapy-based group (P < 0.001). The group that received apatinib-based treatment showed superior results in both PFS and OS compared to the group that received chemotherapy. The median PFS and OS for the apatinib-based group were 7.8 and 20.3 months, respectively, while they were only 2.2 months and 9.0 months, respectively, for the chemotherapy-based group (P < 0.001) [2]. Patients who were administered combo therapies, including PD-1 inhibitors, were excluded. In total, 97 patients received chemotherapy alone, while 34 patients were treated with apatinib in combination with chemotherapy. After propensity score matching (PSM), the ORR and DCR for the total group who received combo therapies were 44.4 and 81.5%, respectively, while they were 11.1 and 22.2%, respectively, for the chemotherapy alone group (P < 0.001). The group receiving both apatinib and chemotherapy displayed notable advantages over the group solely receiving chemotherapy in regards to PFS and OS for the entirety of the population. The PFS was found to be 7.8 months in comparison to 2.1 months (P < 0.001) and the OS was 21.1 months in contrast to 9.0 months (P < 0.001). Apatinib combined with chemotherapy induced grade 3/4 hematological toxicities, including neutropenia (8.8%) and thrombocytopenia (2.9%). Additionally, non-hematological toxicities were commonly observed, such as Hand-foot syndrome (35.3%), proteinuria (26.5%), hypertension (61.8%), higher alanine aminotransferase levels (26.5%), and fatigue (35.3%). The most frequent non-hematological grade 3/4 toxicities were Hand-foot syndrome (2.9%) and hypertension (5.9%). The study did not report any fatal adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of low-dose apatinib with chemotherapy has proven to be more effective than chemotherapy alone in treating metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Additionally, the occurrence of grade 3/4 non-hematologic toxicities was significantly lower compared to the recommended dose of apatinib.