Relative Risk of Peripheral Neuropathy With Ado-Trastuzumab Emtansine (T-DM1) Compared to Taxane-Based Regimens in Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2)-Positive Cancers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background Peripheral neuropathy (PN), especially peripheral sensory neuropathy (PSN), is significant toxicity of taxanes, the most used class of microtubule inhibitors for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer patients. Ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) is a HER2-targeted antibody-drug conjugate, consisting of trastuzumab and a microtubule inhibitor DM1, which has been approved for HER2-positive breast cancer. T-DM1 has also been found to cause significant PN, including PSN. Methods We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of phase 3 randomized controlled trials using T-DM1 in the experimental arm and a taxane-based regimen in the control arm to determine the relative risk of PN and PSN associated with T-DM1 as compared to taxanes. A total of 1,857 patients were included in the analysis. The Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel method and the random-effects model were used to calculate the pooled risk ratio (RR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) for all-grade and grade ≥3 PN and PSN. Results The relative risks of all-grade PN and all-grade PSN were lower with T-DM1 compared to taxanes. The pooled RR of all-grade PN was 0.59, 95% CI: 0.39-0.89, P = 0.01, and the pooled RR of all-grade PSN was 0.58, 95% CI: 0.46-0.74, P < 0.0001. Conclusions Our meta-analysis demonstrated that T-DM1 is associated with a relatively lower risk of all-grade PN and PSN than the taxane-based regimens for HER2-positive cancers. It could be an area of consideration in selecting therapy for HER2-positive breast cancer patients at high risk of developing or having pre-existing PN and PSN.