A randomized phase II trial of nab-paclitaxel with or without mifepristone for advanced triple-negative breast cancer

Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) activity may mediate chemoresistance in advanced triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Preclinical studies demonstrate that GR antagonism can augment the effect of taxanes in TNBC models. We hypothesized that pretreatment with mifepristone, a potent GR antagonist, would enhance nab-paclitaxel efficacy in advanced TNBC.

This trial was terminated early due to poor accrual. 29 of 64 planned patients were enrolled. Patients were randomized to receive nab-paclitaxel with or without mifepristone; oral mifepristone 300 mg was administered the day prior and day of each dose of nab-paclitaxel. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS); secondary/exploratory endpoints included response rate and correlation of response with GR expression.

The addition of mifepristone to nab-paclitaxel did not improve PFS (3.0 m vs 3.0 m, p = 0.687) or overall response rate (23% vs 31.5%) compared to nab-paclitaxel alone. There was a trend towards improved overall survival in the combination group, primarily driven by one long-term responder. Increased rates of grade 3 neutropenia (46% vs 7%) and febrile neutropenia were observed in the combination arm, while other toxicities were similar in both groups. Increased GR expression was not correlated with clinical response in the combination arm.

While there were responders to the combination, the study was underpowered to meet the primary endpoint. Higher rates of neutropenia were observed in the combination, but overall it was well tolerated. Preclinical data in TNBC and clinical data in other malignancies support further investigation of GR modulators. Future studies should incorporate biomarkers to select patients who benefit from GR inhibition.