Sequential targeting of PARP with carboplatin inhibits primary tumour growth and distant metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer

Abstract Background Patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) develop early recurrence. While PARP inhibitors (PARPi) have demonstrated potential in BRCA1/2 -mutant (BRCA MUT ) TNBC, durable responses will likely be achieved if PARPi are used in combination. It is plausible that sequential administration of a potent PARPi like talazoparib in combination with carboplatin can enhance primary tumour and metastasis inhibition in BRCA MUT and BRCA1/2 wild-type (BRCA WT ) TNBCs, and decrease toxicity. Methods We evaluated the impact of the concurrent combination of talazoparib and carboplatin on cell survival in 13 TNBC cell lines. We compared the concurrent and sequential combination upon fork replication, migration and invasion. We also used three orthotopic xenograft models to evaluate primary tumour growth, distant metastasis, and toxicity. Results Concurrent talazoparib and carboplatin was synergistic in 92.3% of TNBC cell lines, independent of BRCA1/2 -mutation status. The sequential combination decreased fork speed in normal cells, but not in TNBC cells. The talazoparib-first sequential combination resulted in a strong reduction in migration (70.4%, P < 0.0001), invasion (56.9%, P < 0.0001), lung micrometastasis (56.4%, P < 0.0001), and less toxicity in a BRCA WT model. Conclusion The sequential combination of talazoparib and carboplatin is an effective approach to inhibit micrometastatic disease, providing rationale for the use of this combination in early TNBC patients.