Combination Chemotherapy With or Without Trastuzumab in Treating Women With Metastatic Breast Cancer

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: I. To evaluate the safety and feasibility of the combination of liposomal doxorubicin (Doxil) and Taxotere (Taxotere) ± trastuzumab (Herceptin), particularly with respect to cardiotoxicity. II. To evaluate the overall objective response rate, response duration, time to treatment failure, and median survival of patients with metastatic breast cancer treated with Doxil and Taxotere ± Herceptin. III. To determine the overall toxicity of Doxil and Taxotere ± Herceptin in patients with advanced breast cancer. IV. To determine whether there is an association between trough plasma levels of cTnT (cardiac troponin T) and NT-proBNP (brain natriuretic peptide) and any cardiac event (CHF or LVEF decrease). V. To determine tissue and plasma levels of HER2 using several assays and explore potential correlation with protocol treatment toxicity and/or response. OUTLINE: Patients are assigned to one of two treatment arms according to HER2 overexpression status. Arm I (HER2 nonoverexpressed): Patients receive doxorubicin hydrochloride liposome IV over 30 minutes followed by docetaxel IV over 1 hour. Treatment is repeated every 3 weeks for 8 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients may receive maintenance therapy of docetaxel IV over 1 hour either weekly or every 3 weeks. Maintenance continues in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Arm II (HER2 overexpressed): Patients receive trastuzumab IV over 90 minutes on day 1, with subsequent doses over 30 minutes. Patients receive doxorubicin HCl liposome IV over 30 minutes followed by docetaxel IV over 1 hour on day 2 of course 1, followed by subsequent doses on day 1 of each course. Antibody therapy continues weekly and chemotherapy every 3 weeks for 8 courses. Patients may receive maintenance therapy of trastuzumab IV over 30 minutes weekly followed by docetaxel IV over 1 hour weekly or every 3 weeks. Maintenance continues in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients are followed every 3 months for 2 years, every 6 months for 3 years, and then annually thereafter. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 89 patients were accrued for this study.