Trastuzumab Deruxtecan (DS-8201a) Versus Investigator's Choice for HER2-low Breast Cancer That Has Spread or Cannot be Surgically Removed [DESTINY-Breast04]
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03734029 |
Recruitment Status :
Active, not recruiting
First Posted : November 7, 2018
Results First Posted : June 15, 2023
Last Update Posted : June 15, 2023
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This study will compare DS-8201a to physician choice standard treatment.
Participants must have HER2-low breast cancer that has been treated before.
Participants' cancer:
- Cannot be removed by an operation
- Has spread to other parts of the body
Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
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Breast Cancer | Drug: Trastuzumab deruxtecan (DS-8201a) Drug: Capecitabine Drug: Eribulin Drug: Gemcitabine Drug: Paclitaxel Drug: Nab-paclitaxel | Phase 3 |
This is a randomized, 2-arm, Phase 3, open-label, multicenter study to compare the safety and efficacy of trastuzumab deruxtecan versus the physician's choice (2:1) in HER2-low, unresectable and/or metastatic breast cancer participants.
The Sponsor proposes to define a new HER2-low population in this trial including tumors with IHC 1+ and IHC 2+/ISH- HER2 expression.
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Actual Enrollment : | 557 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Parallel Assignment |
Intervention Model Description: | Parallel model, randomized at a 2:1 ratio |
Masking: | None (Open Label) |
Primary Purpose: | Treatment |
Official Title: | A Phase 3, Multicenter, Randomized, Open-label, Active Controlled Trial of DS-8201a, an Anti-HER2-antibody Drug Conjugate (ADC), Versus Treatment of Physician's Choice for HER2-low, Unresectable and/or Metastatic Breast Cancer Subjects |
Actual Study Start Date : | December 27, 2018 |
Actual Primary Completion Date : | January 11, 2022 |
Estimated Study Completion Date : | March 2024 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
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Experimental: Trastuzumab deruxtecan
HER2-low, unresectable, and/or metastatic breast cancer participants previously treated with chemotherapy randomized to DS8201a
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Drug: Trastuzumab deruxtecan (DS-8201a)
DS-8201a is a lyophilized powder reconstituted into a sterile aqueous solution (100 mg/5 mL) to be administered intravenously
Other Name: DS-8201a |
Active Comparator: Physician's Choice
HER2-low, unresectable, and/or metastatic breast cancer participants previously treated with chemotherapy randomized to Physician's choice from the following options:
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Drug: Capecitabine
Administered according to label, as one option for Physician's Choice (determined before randomization) Drug: Eribulin Administered according to label, as one option for Physician's Choice (determined before randomization) Drug: Gemcitabine Administered according to label, as one option for Physician's Choice (determined before randomization) Drug: Paclitaxel Administered according to label, as one option for Physician's Choice (determined before randomization) Drug: Nab-paclitaxel Administered according to label, as one option for Physician's Choice (determined before randomization) |
- Progression-free Survival (PFS) Based on Blinded Independent Central Review (BICR) in the Hormone Receptor-Positive Cohort in Participants With HER2-low Breast Cancer [ Time Frame: From the date of randomization to the earliest date of the first objective documentation of radiographic disease progression or death due to any cause, up to approximately 3 years ]Progression-free survival (PFS), defined as at least a 20% increase in the sum of diameters of target lesions, was assessed from the date of randomization to the date of the first radiographic disease progression or death due to any cause, whichever came first. PFS was based on blinded independent central review (BICR) in the hormone receptor-positive cohort according to modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST) version 1.1. Median PFS was from Kaplan-Meier analysis. Confidence interval for median was computed using the Brookmeyer-Crowley method.
- Progression-free Survival (PFS) Based on Blinded Independent Central Review (BICR) in Participants With HER2-low Breast Cancer (All Patients) Regardless of Hormone Receptor Status [ Time Frame: From the date of randomization to the earliest date of the first objective documentation of radiographic disease progression or death due to any cause, up to approximately 3 years ]Progression-free survival (PFS), defined as at least a 20% increase in the sum of diameters of target lesions, was assessed from the date of randomization to the date of the first radiographic disease progression or death due to any cause, whichever came first. PFS was based on blinded independent central review (BICR) according to modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST) version 1.1. Median PFS was from Kaplan-Meier analysis. Confidence interval for median was computed using the Brookmeyer-Crowley method.
- Progression-free Survival Based on Investigator Assessment in the Hormone Receptor-Positive Cohort in Participants With HER2-low Breast Cancer [ Time Frame: From the date of randomization to the earliest date of the first objective documentation of radiographic disease progression or death due to any cause, up to approximately 3 years ]Progression-free survival (PFS), defined as at least a 20% increase in the sum of diameters of target lesions, was assessed from the date of randomization to the date of the first radiographic disease progression or death due to any cause, whichever came first. PFS was based on investigator assessment in the hormone receptor-positive cohort according to modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST) version 1.1. Median PFS was from Kaplan-Meier analysis. Confidence interval for median was computed using the Brookmeyer-Crowley method.
- Progression-free Survival Based on Investigator Assessment in Participants With HER2-low Breast Cancer (All Patients) [ Time Frame: From the date of randomization to the earliest date of the first objective documentation of radiographic disease progression or death due to any cause, up to approximately 3 years ]Progression-free survival (PFS), defined as at least a 20% increase in the sum of diameters of target lesions, was assessed from the date of randomization to the date of the first radiographic disease progression or death due to any cause, whichever came first. PFS was based on investigator assessment according to modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST) version 1.1. Median PFS was from Kaplan-Meier analysis. Confidence interval for median was computed using the Brookmeyer-Crowley method.
- Overall Survival (OS) in the Hormone Receptor-Positive Cohort in Participants With HER2-low Breast Cancer [ Time Frame: From the date of randomization up to the date of death due to any cause, up to approximately 3 years ]Overall survival (OS) was defined as the time from the date of randomization to the date of death due to any cause. If there was no death reported for a participant before the data cutoff for OS analysis, OS was censored at the last contact date at which the participant was known to be alive.
- Number of Overall Survival Events (Deaths) [ Time Frame: From the date of randomization up to the date of death due to any cause, up to approximately 3 years ]
- Overall Survival (OS) in All Patients [ Time Frame: From the date of randomization up to the date of death due to any cause, up to approximately 3 years ]Overall survival (OS) was defined as the time from the date of randomization to the date of death due to any cause. If there was no death reported for a participant before the data cutoff for OS analysis, OS was censored at the last contact date at which the participant was known to be alive.
- Best Overall Response and Confirmed Objective Response Rate (ORR) in the Hormone Receptor-Positive Cohort in Participants With HER2-low Breast Cancer [ Time Frame: From screening and every 6 weeks up to withdrawal of subject consent, progressive disease (PD), or unacceptable toxicity, up to approximately 3 years ]Best overall response rate and confirmed objective response rate (ORR) were assessed by blinded independent central review (BICR) and investigator assessment. Complete response (CR) was defined as a disappearance of all target lesions, partial response (PR) was defined as at least a 30% decrease in the sum of diameters of target lesions, and stable disease (SD) was defined as neither sufficient shrinkage to qualify for PR nor sufficient increase to qualify for progressive disease (PD; at least a 20% increase in the sum of diameters of target lesions. Confirmed ORR was defined as the number of participants with complete and partial responses and confirmed by a second assessment.
- Best Overall Response and Confirmed Objective Response Rate (ORR) in Participants With HER2-low Breast Cancer (All Patients) [ Time Frame: From screening and every 6 weeks up to withdrawal of subject consent, progressive disease (PD), or unacceptable toxicity, up to approximately 3 years ]Best overall response rate and confirmed objective response rate (ORR) were assessed by blinded independent central review (BICR) and investigator assessment. Complete response (CR) was defined as a disappearance of all target lesions, partial response (PR) was defined as at least a 30% decrease in the sum of diameters of target lesions, and stable disease (SD) was defined as neither sufficient shrinkage to qualify for PR nor sufficient increase to qualify for progressive disease (PD; at least a 20% increase in the sum of diameters of target lesions. Confirmed ORR was defined as the number of participants with complete and partial responses and confirmed by a second assessment.
- Duration of Response in the Hormone Receptor-Positive Cohort in Participants With HER2-low Breast Cancer [ Time Frame: From the date of the first documented objective response (CR or PR) to the first documented disease progression or death, whichever occurs first, up to approximately 3 years ]Duration of Response (DoR) is defined as the date of the first documented objective response (complete response [CR] or partial response [PR]) to the first documented disease progression or death, whichever occurs first. DoR was based on blinded independent central review (BICR) and investigator assessment. Median was from Kaplan-Meier estimate. Confidence interval for median was computed using the Brookmeyer-Crowley method.
- Duration of Response in Participants With HER2-low Breast Cancer (All Patients) [ Time Frame: From the date of the first documented objective response (CR or PR) to the first documented disease progression or death, whichever occurs first, up to approximately 3 years ]Duration of Response (DoR) is defined as the date of the first documented objective response (complete response [CR] or partial response [PR]) to the first documented disease progression or death, whichever occurs first. DoR was based on blinded independent central review (BICR) and investigator assessment. Median was from Kaplan-Meier estimate. Confidence interval for median was computed using the Brookmeyer-Crowley method.
- All-Cause Mortality [ Time Frame: From the date of randomization up to the date of death due to any cause, up to approximately 3 years ]All-cause mortality is defined as all anticipated and unanticipated deaths due to any cause, with the number and frequency of such events by arm or comparison group of the clinical study.

Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
- Is the age of majority in their country
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Has pathologically documented breast cancer that:
- Is unresectable or metastatic
- Has low-HER2 expression defined as IHC 2+/ISH- or IHC 1+ (ISH- or untested)
- Is HR-positive or HR-negative
- Has progressed on, and would no longer benefit from, endocrine therapy
- Has been treated with 1 to 2 prior lines of chemotherapy/adjuvant in the recurrent or metastatic setting
- Was never previously HER2-positive (ICH 3+ or ISH+) on prior pathology testing (per American Society of Clinical Oncology-College of American Pathologists [ASCO-CAP] guidelines)
- Has documented radiologic progression (during or after most recent treatment)
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Has adequate archival tumor samples available or is wiling to provide fresh biopsies prior to randomization for:
- assessment of HER2 status
- assessment of post-treatment status
- Has at least 1 measurable lesion per Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors 1.1
- Has protocol-defined adequate cardiac, bone marrow, renal, hepatic and blood clotting functions
- Male and female participants of reproductive/childbearing potential, agrees to follow instructions for method(s) of contraception and agrees to avoid preserving ova or sperm for at least 4.5 months after treatment (or longer, per locally approved labels)
Exclusion Criteria:
- Is ineligible for all options in the physician's choice arm
- Has breast cancer ever assessed with high-HER2 expression
- Has previously been treated with any anti-HER2 therapy, including an antibody drug conjugate
- Has uncontrolled or significant cardiovascular disease
- Has spinal cord compression or clinically active central nervous system metastases
- Has history of (noninfectious) interstitial lung disease (ILD)/pneumonitis that required steroids, has current ILD/pneumonitis, or suspected ILD/pneumonitis that cannot be ruled out by imaging at screening
- Has any medical history or condition that per protocol or in the opinion of the investigator is inappropriate for the study

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT03734029

Study Director: | Global Clinical Leader | Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. |
Documents provided by Daiichi Sankyo, Inc.:
Responsible Party: | Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT03734029 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
DS8201-A-U303 2018-003069-33 ( EudraCT Number ) 184223 ( Registry Identifier: JAPIC CTI ) DESTINY-B04 ( Other Identifier: Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca ) |
First Posted: | November 7, 2018 Key Record Dates |
Results First Posted: | June 15, 2023 |
Last Update Posted: | June 15, 2023 |
Last Verified: | May 2023 |
Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement: | |
Plan to Share IPD: | Yes |
Plan Description: | De-identified individual participant data (IPD) and applicable supporting clinical trial documents may be available upon request at https://vivli.org/. In cases where clinical trial data and supporting documents are provided pursuant to our company policies and procedures, Daiichi Sankyo will continue to protect the privacy of our clinical trial participants. Details on data sharing criteria and the procedure for requesting access can be found at this web address: https://vivli.org/ourmember/daiichi-sankyo/ |
Supporting Materials: |
Study Protocol Statistical Analysis Plan (SAP) Informed Consent Form (ICF) |
Time Frame: | Studies for which the medicine and indication have received European Union (EU) and United States (US), and/or Japan (JP) marketing approval on or after 01 January 2014 or by the US or EU or JP Health Authorities when regulatory submissions in all regions are not planned and after the primary study results have been accepted for publication. |
Access Criteria: | Formal request from qualified scientific and medical researchers on IPD and clinical study documents from clinical trials supporting products submitted and licensed in the United States, the European Union and/or Japan from 01 January 2014 and beyond for the purpose of conducting legitimate research. This must be consistent with the principle of safeguarding study participants' privacy and consistent with provision of informed consent. |
URL: | https://vivli.org/ourmember/daiichi-sankyo/ |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: | Yes |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: | No |
Anti-HER2-Antibody Drug Conjugate (ADC) Unresectable or Metastatic Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-low DESTINY - Breast 04 |
Breast Neoplasms Neoplasms by Site Neoplasms Breast Diseases Skin Diseases Paclitaxel Camptothecin Albumin-Bound Paclitaxel Gemcitabine Capecitabine Trastuzumab Trastuzumab deruxtecan Immunoconjugates Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic |
Antineoplastic Agents Tubulin Modulators Antimitotic Agents Mitosis Modulators Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic Antimetabolites Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological Immunologic Factors Physiological Effects of Drugs Topoisomerase I Inhibitors Topoisomerase Inhibitors Enzyme Inhibitors |