Strong and Sustained Response to Treatment with Carboplatin plus Nab-Paclitaxel in a Patient with Metastatic, Triple-Negative, BRCA1-Positive Breast Cancer

Our case describes a 51-year-old female, diagnosed in April 2008 with a triple-negative, BRCA1-positive, infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the left breast. Initial platinum-based therapy resulted in a complete regression until November 2009, when a recurrence of the disease was detected. As no evidence of metastasis was found, a dose-dense regimen of doxorubicin plus cyclophosphamide was administered, followed by paclitaxel. The patient was actively monitored until March 2012, when brain metastases were discovered and successfully treated with whole-brain radiation therapy. Three months later, the patient experienced severe abdominal pain, and CT scans revealed extensive metastatic disease, including a large mass in the abdomen and more than 20 bilateral pulmonary metastases. Treatment commenced with carboplatin plus nab-paclitaxel. However, carboplatin was stopped after 4 cycles due to persistent neutropenia, and nab-paclitaxel was continued as monotherapy. Whole-body CT scans performed in October 2012 and March 2013 revealed a significant response to therapy, and the patient reported feeling well and being fully mobile. No treatment-related adverse events were observed. A routine brain MRI scan carried out on April 18, 2013, revealed a recurrence of brain metastases; however, CT scans confirmed that disease progression was not systemic, but confined to the central nervous system. Despite the initiation of treatment with irinotecan plus temozolomide on April 24, the patient died on July 2, 2013. The author believes that this case is the first report of a robust response to nab-paclitaxel monotherapy in triple-negative BRCA1-positive breast cancer, and that it supports further studies of nab-paclitaxel in this aggressive indication.