Alpelisib Plus Fulvestrant in PIK3CA-Altered and PIK3CA-Wild-Type Estrogen Receptor-Positive Advanced Breast Cancer: A Phase 1b Clinical Trial.

The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway is frequently activated in patients with estrogen receptor-positive (ER+), endocrine therapy-resistant breast cancers. To assess the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), safety, and activity of alpelisib, an oral, PI3Kα-specific inhibitor, plus fulvestrant in patients with ER+ advanced breast cancer (ABC). An open-label, single-arm, phase 1b study of alpelisib plus fulvestrant was conducted at 10 centers in 5 countries. Participants were 87 postmenopausal women with PIK3CA-altered or PIK3CA-wild-type ER+ ABC, whose cancer progressed during or after antiestrogen therapy. The study began enrolling patients October 5, 2010, and the data cutoff was March 22, 2017. Escalating doses of alpelisib were administered once daily, starting at 300 mg, plus fixed-dose fulvestrant, 500 mg, in the dose-escalation phase; alpelisib at the recommended phase 2 dose plus fulvestrant in the dose-expansion phase. The primary end point was determination of the MTD of once-daily alpelisib plus fulvestrant. Secondary end points included safety and preliminary activity. From October 5, 2010, to March 22, 2017, 87 women (median age: 58 years [range, 37-79 years]; median of 5 prior lines of antineoplastic therapy) received escalating once-daily doses of alpelisib (300 mg, n = 9; 350 mg, n = 8; 400 mg, n = 70) plus fixed-dose fulvestrant (500 mg). During dose escalation, dose-limiting toxic effects were reported in 1 patient (alpelisib, 400 mg): diarrhea (grade 2), vomiting, fatigue, and decreased appetite (all grade 3). The MTD of alpelisib when combined with fulvestrant was 400 mg once daily, and the recommended phase 2 dose was 300 mg once daily. Overall, the most frequent grade 3/4 adverse events with alpelisib, 400 mg, once daily (≥10% of patients), regardless of causality, were hyperglycemia (19 [22%]) and maculopapular rash (11 [13%]); 9 patients permanently discontinued therapy owing to adverse events. Median progression-free survival at the MTD was 5.4 months (95% CI, 4.6-9.0 months). Median progression-free survival with alpelisib, 300 to 400 mg, once daily plus fulvestrant was longer in patients with PIK3CA-altered tumors (9.1 months; 95% CI, 6.6-14.6 months) vs wild-type tumors (4.7 months; 95% CI, 1.9-5.6 months). Overall response rate in the PIK3CA-altered group was 29% (95% CI, 17%-43%), with no objective tumor responses in the wild-type group. Alpelisib plus fulvestrant has a manageable safety profile in patients with ER+ ABC, and data suggest that this combination may have greater clinical activity in PIK3CA-altered vs wild-type tumors. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01219699.