ESMO 2020: In-Home Administration of Subcutaneous Trastuzumab Via Single-Use Injection
Posted: Tuesday, September 29, 2020
Subcutaneous trastuzumab administered with a single-use injection device appeared to be well tolerated among patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer, regardless of whether the treatment was administered at home or in the hospital. A.J. ten Tije, MD, PhD, of Amphia Hospital, Breda, Netherlands, and colleagues reported that in-home treatment administration did not seem to cause any new safety signals among patients. The results of the open-label phase IIIB HOMERUS study were reported at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Virtual Congress 2020 (Abstract 223P).
The study team enrolled 125 patients to receive a fixed-dose (600 mg) of subcutaneous trastuzumab using a single-use injection device for approximately 5 minutes from trained health-care professionals in a hospital. After three cycles, the patients continued with in-home treatment administration for up to 15 cycles. The patients had the option of continuing treatment at home or conducting treatment at the hospital after cycle 3. The Short Form Health Survey and a mood and anxiety questionnaire were used to measure safety and tolerability at cycles 2, 3, and 9 as well as cycles 10, 12, or 13.
More than 96% of the patient population chose to continue treatment at home after six cycles. The average Short Form Health Survey physical score improved by 4.4 points between cycles 3 and 9, and there were no effects on the mental score or the mood and anxiety questionnaire.
The majority of patients (97%; n = 121) reported experiencing adverse events. However, grade 3 adverse events were observed in 18% (n = 23) of patients, and 10% (n = 8) of patients reported serious adverse events. Not a single grade 4 or 5 adverse event was reported. The research team reported two deaths, although they were unrelated to the trastuzumab treatment.
Disclosure: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit oncologypro.esmo.org.
