Researchers conducted a Phase III clinical trial to compare two treatments for patients with locally recurrent or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. This specific group of patients had not received prior treatment and were not eligible for immunotherapy. The study involved 644 people, who were split into two groups: one receiving datopotamab deruxtecan and the other receiving a standard chemotherapy.
The results showed that patients who received datopotamab deruxtecan lived significantly longer without their cancer progressing compared to those on chemotherapy. Specifically, the progression-free survival was 10.8 months versus 5.6 months for the chemotherapy group. Additionally, the overall survival was 23.7 months for those on datopotamab deruxtecan and 18.7 months for those on chemotherapy.
Regarding safety, both treatments had some side effects. About 33% of patients receiving datopotamab deruxtecan experienced high-grade treatment-related events, while 29% of the chemotherapy group experienced similar issues. However, fewer people had to stop their treatment due to side effects in the datopotamab deruxtecan group compared to the chemotherapy group. These findings suggest a promising option for patients who cannot use immunotherapy.