Platinum-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy for triple-negative breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is associated with higher aggressiveness and mortality than hormone-positive breast cancer because of the lack of approved therapeutic targets. Patients with TNBC who attain a pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy have improved survival. Platinum-based agents show promising activity in TNBC; however, their use remains controversial. We conducted a meta-analysis to assess the role of platinum-based agents in neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with TNBC.

We performed an extensive literature search of the Pubmed, Embase, and Cochrane databases. We calculated pooled odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the identified studies.

Eight randomized controlled trials with 1345 patients were included in the analysis. The addition of platinum-based agents improved pCR compared with neoadjuvant therapy based on anthracyclines, cyclophosphamide, taxanes, and fluorouracil (49.1% vs. 35.9%; OR: 1.87, 95% CI: 1.23-2.86). Hematological adverse events were similar in both groups, except for more thrombocytopenia in the platinum-based group (OR: 7.96, 95% CI: 3.18-19.93).

The addition of platinum-based agents to neoadjuvant chemotherapy improved pCR rates in patients with TNBC, with a slight increase in hematological toxicities. Platinum-based agents might thus be an accessible and economically viable option in patients with TNBC.