In a research update for oncology professionals, researchers from MD Anderson Cancer Center reported that the addition of a panitumumab to a carboplatin-containing neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimen was correlated with a higher rate of pathologic complete response among 17 patients with triple-negative inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), a rare type of aggressive breast cancer. 

"There is a potential rationale if the cancer is triple negative," said Ruth O'Regan, MD, professor and head, Hematology, Medical Oncology and Palliative Care, but she cautioned that overall, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors have not been shown to be effective in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer.  

Dr. O'Regan, who was not involved with the study, noted that due to the single-arm nature of the study, it's difficult to conclude what the addition of panitumumab may have contributed to the rate of pathologic complete response.

Resources:

• "EGFR Inhibitor Shows Signal in Triple-Negative Inflammatory Breast Cancer," MedPage Today, June 8, 2018