Atezolizumab in combination with nab-paclitaxel as neoadjuvant treatment for early stage triple-negative breast cancer

Atezolizumab as an intravenous infusion in combination with an intravenous infusion of nab-paclitaxel (chemotherapy) is in clinical development for the neoadjuvant treatment of early stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). TNBC is an uncommon type of breast cancer in which the cancer cells do not express receptors for oestrogen or progesterone or HER2 protein. Treatment of TNBC is challenging because of a lack of targeted therapy, aggressive disease course, and relatively poor prognosis. Treatment is usually through a combination of surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy.
Atezolizumab is a cancer medicine that enhances T-cell (part of the immune system) activity against tumours. Nab-paclitaxel is a chemotherapy that combines the chemotherapy drug paclitaxel with a protein called albumin. It inhibits cell growth by preventing cell division. The combination may offer an additional neoadjuvant treatment option to improve clinical efficacy in the treatment of people with early stage TNBC, an aggressive disease with no approved targeted therapy.