Cancer Hospital Announces “ABC” Regimen, Breaking New Ground in Treating Brain Metastases from Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

On March 4, 2026, news came from the Breast Tumor Center of Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center: A research team led by Professor Zhang Jian and Professor Hu Xichun published a landmark independent research result online in the top international oncology journal "Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO)". This study successfully constructed and verified a new three-drug combination treatment regimen called "ABC", which significantly broke through the treatment bottleneck of brain metastases in advanced triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Clinical trial data show that the intracranial objective response rate of patients treated with this regimen is as high as 77.1%, and the median overall survival (OS) is extended to 21.1 months, which is nearly double the historical data, and the overall safety is good. This achievement provides a valuable "Chinese solution" to triple-negative breast cancer patients with brain metastases who are facing the dilemma of "no drug available" around the world.

The dilemma of "no man's land" needs to be solved: a treatment problem that has lasted for many years

Triple-negative breast cancer is known as the "most toxic breast cancer" due to the lack of effective targets and high degree of malignancy. Among them, brain metastasis faces multiple challenges such as the difficulty of breaking the blood-brain barrier, scarcity of effective targets, and poor overall prognosis. The incidence of brain metastasis in advanced triple-negative breast cancer is as high as 26% to 46%, which is significantly higher than other breast cancer subtypes. However, the available clinical systemic treatments are extremely limited and have long been regarded as a "no man's land" that is difficult to conquer in the field of breast cancer treatment.

"Currently, clinically for advanced triple-negative breast cancer, most standard treatments are PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors combined with chemotherapy, but unfortunately, patients with active brain metastases have rarely been included in previous clinical trials." Professor Zhang Jian said that it is such a clinical dilemma that has strengthened the team's determination to conquer this "no man's land." "We hope to focus on the urgent needs of patients, explore more efficient and accessible treatment models, and find a way to survive for patients with triple-negative breast cancer with brain metastases."

Innovative three-drug joint attack: traditional platinum drugs gain "new vitality"

In order to solve the dilemma of brain metastasis of triple-negative breast cancer, Professors Hu Xichun and Professor Zhang Jian led a team to form a multidisciplinary research team more than 10 years ago to focus on this treatment pain point and embarked on a long road of scientific research and exploration.

Facing the "natural barrier" of the blood-brain barrier, the research team did not adopt the traditional idea of ​​superimposing drugs. Instead, they accurately "arranged troops" based on pathological mechanisms and innovatively constructed the "ABC" combination of adebrelimab (Adebrelimab), bevacizumab (Bevacizumab), and cisplatin/carboplatin (Cisplatin/Carboplatin).

Regarding the synergistic mechanism of the program, Professor Li Ting vividly explained: “If the blood-brain barrier is compared to a ‘city wall’, then the three drugs in the ‘ABC’ program are a ‘tough team’ that works in perfect harmony. Bevacizumab is like a ‘pioneer’, by improving the tumor microenvironment and normalizing blood vessels, Improve the penetration and efficacy of immunotherapy and chemotherapy drugs in the brain; adebrelimab can activate the body's immune cells to form an "encirclement and suppression force"; cisplatin/carboplatin drugs can directly reach brain lesions and accurately eliminate targeted tumor cells. The three perform their respective duties and work together to break through the treatment limitations of the blood-brain barrier. "

Breaking through treatment barriers: survival benefits are expected to reach a new level

Based on the above research ideas, the research team launched a single-center, single-arm phase II clinical trial, which included patients with recurrent and metastatic triple-negative breast cancer and brain metastases. The results of the trial are exciting: the patient's intracranial objective response rate reached 77.1%, which was significantly better than the historical control; the median overall survival broke the historical record, reaching 21.1 months, the overall median progression-free survival was 8.3 months, and the median intracranial progression-free survival was 10.3 months. The overall treatment was safe and controllable, which fully confirmed that the "ABC" program is expected to break through the existing treatment bottlenecks and has the potential to improve patient prognosis.

As targeted therapy drugs continue to iterate and innovate, the Fudan Oncology Team’s “ABC” plan chose seemingly “traditional” platinum-based drugs. Behind this decision is the research team’s profound consideration based on a global perspective and taking into account clinical reality.

"Platinum-based drugs have a sufficient evidence-based basis for relieving brain metastases. More importantly, they are one of the chemotherapy drugs with the highest accessibility and richest application experience in the world." Professor Hu Xichun emphasized, "As researchers, we must not only climb the peak of scientific research innovation, but also take root in clinical practice, make research results globally accessible and benefit the people, ensure that the program can take root in different medical resource backgrounds, and effectively benefit more patients with advanced triple-negative breast cancer."

From laboratory to clinic: "Fudan classification" shows clinical value again

It is worth mentioning that this study also deeply integrates the triple-negative breast cancer molecular classification system originally created by the team of Professor Shao Zhimin, director of the Breast Tumor Center of Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center and chief expert of the multidisciplinary team of breast tumors, and Professor Jiang Yizhou, deputy director of the hospital. Professor Zhang Jian introduced the research results in detail, "We accurately classified the enrolled patients through the 'Fudan classification' and found that the efficacy of this program was particularly outstanding for patients with immunomodulatory type, with a median progression-free survival of 19 months. This further confirms the importance of individualized treatment under the guidance of accurate classification and provides a clear direction for the optimization of our subsequent program."

"The proposal of the 'ABC' plan and the results of clinical trials are not only a major breakthrough in the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer brain metastasis, a 'no man's land', but also a strong confirmation of the clinical value of our hospital's 'Fudan Classification' system, contributing a uniquely valuable 'Chinese solution' to patients with triple-negative breast cancer brain metastasis around the world." Professor Zhang Jian finally said that in the future, Fudan’s oncology team will continue to delve into follow-up clinical research, continuously optimize this treatment plan, and continue to explore more new ways of cancer treatment, using Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to protect the lives and hopes of cancer patients around the world.