Atezolizumab in early triple-negative breast cancer: the randomized phase 3 NSABP B-59/GeparDouze trial

In the randomized phase 3 NSABP B-59/GeparDouze trial, adding atezolizumab to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in early-stage triple-negative breast cancer did not improve event-free survival and the primary endpoint was not met. The pathological complete response rate was higher with atezolizumab (63.3% vs 57.0%), but the better tumour response to preoperative treatment did not translate into fewer recurrences. This is a result in which two endpoints diverge: pathological complete response alone proves an insufficient measure of immunotherapy benefit in this setting.