Safety and efficacy of trastuzumab administered as a 30-min infusion in patients with HER2-positive advanced gastric cancer.

PURPOSE: To investigate the safety and efficacy of 30-min maintenance infusions of trastuzumab in advanced gastric cancer positive for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2).

METHODS: This was a retrospective study conducted across five Korean hospitals in patients with HER2-positive gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma treated with first-line, 3-weekly trastuzumab plus chemotherapy. The first dose of trastuzumab (8 mg/kg) was administered as a 90-min infusion, with all subsequent maintenance infusions (6 mg/kg) given over 30 min. The primary aim was to investigate infusion-related reactions and cardiac events with 30-min infusions of trastuzumab. Objective response rate, progression-free survival, and overall survival were secondary endpoints.

RESULTS: The study included 128 patients (efficacy population), of whom 123 received both induction and maintenance infusions and formed the safety population. The median age was 63 years; 80% were presenting for the first time with metastatic disease, and 94% were treated with trastuzumab plus capecitabine/cisplatin. Infusion-related reactions were observed in 32 of 123 patients (26%). There were no cardiac events. The most frequent adverse events were anorexia and nausea, followed by vomiting, fatigue, mucositis, sensory neuropathy, and hand-foot syndrome. Most events were grade 1-2 and were manageable. No patient discontinued study treatment due to adverse events. The objective response rate was 63%, and included 6 complete responses.

CONCLUSIONS: Trastuzumab 30-min maintenance infusions were well tolerated with a good safety profile, and resulted in sustained efficacy in patients with HER2-positive advanced gastric cancer.