Randomized phase 2 trial of carboplatin with or without everolimus for advanced triple-negative breast cancer

Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) are associated with a high frequency of PTEN loss, which can lead to activation of the mTOR pathway. A randomized phase 2 trial at Tisch Cancer Institute (New York, NY) evaluated addition of the mTOR inhibitor everolimus to carboplatin for advanced TNBC. The addition was well tolerated and resulted in significant improvement of median progression-free survival (4.7 months with the combination versus 4.2 months with carboplatin alone; HR 0.49; p=0.0390) and a nonsignificant improvement of median overall survival (17.6 months versus 14.6 months; p=0.6593). The authors conclude that carboplatin plus everolimus provides a promising treatment option for patients with advanced TNBC.