Research table: Trop-2 antibody-drug conjugates for metastatic breast cancer treatment

This summary table contains detailed information about research studies. Summary tables are a useful way to look at the science behind many breast cancer guidelines and recommendations. However, to get the most out of the tables, it’s important to understand some key concepts. Learn how to read a research table.

Introduction: Trop-2 antibody-drug conjugates combine a Trop-2 antibody and a chemotherapy drug. This combination allows the targeted delivery of the chemotherapy to cancer cells that express Trop-2.

Sacituzumab govitecan and datopotamab deruxtecan

The Trop-2 antibody-drug conjugates sacituzumab govitecan (Trodelvy) and datopotamab deruxtecan (Datroway) can each be used to treat some hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancers. They can also be used to treat some triple negative metastatic breast cancers.

Compared to chemotherapy, sacituzumab govitecan or datopotamab deruxtecan may give people more time before the cancer worsens and may improve survival.

Learn more about sacituzumab govitecan, including its side effects.

Learn more about datopotamab deruxtecan, including its side effects.

Learn about guidelines for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.

Study selection criteria: Randomized clinical trials with 200 or more participants.

Study	Study Population (number of participants)	Drug(s) Used	Objective Response Rate—Percent who Responded to Treatment (95% CI)	Overall Survival Better with Trop-2 Antibody-Conjugate Compared to Chemotherapy
Randomized clinical trials – sacituzumab govitecan
ASCENT-03 trial [1]	558 people with triple negative metastatic breast cancer	Sacituzumab govitecan alone	48%
		Chemotherapy alone (paclitaxel, nab-paclitaxel, or gemcitabine plus carboplatin)	46%
TROPiCS-02 study [2]	543 people with triple negative metastatic breast cancer	Sacituzumab govitecan alone	20%	Yes
		Chemotherapy alone (eribulin, vinorelbine, capecitabine, or gemcitabine)	14%
ASCENT trial [3-4]	529* people with triple negative metastatic breast cancer	Sacituzumab govitecan alone	31%	Yes†
		Chemotherapy alone (eribulin, vinorelbine, capecitabine, or gemcitabine)	4%
Randomized clinical trials – sacituzumab govitecan plus pembrolizumab
ASCENT trial – 04/KEYNOTE-D19 trial [5]	443 people with PD-L1-positive triple negative metastatic breast cancer	Sacituzumab govitecan plus pembrolizumab	60%
		Chemotherapy (paclitaxel, nab-paclitaxel, or gemcitabine plus carboplatin) plus pembrolizumab	53%
Randomized clinical trials – datopotamab deruxtecan
TROPION-Breast01 [6]	732 people with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer	Datopotamab deruxtecan alone	37%	No
		Chemotherapy alone (eribulin, vinorelbine, capecitabine, or gemcitabine)	22%
TROPION-Breast02 [7]	644 people with triple negative metastatic breast cancer	Datopotamab deruxtecan alone	63%	Yes
		Chemotherapy alone (paclitaxel, nab-paclitaxel, carboplatin, eribulin, or capecitabine)	39%

NA = Not available at this time

* 61 of the 529 participants had brain metastases.

† Compared to people who got chemotherapy, people who got sacituzumab govitecan were less likely to die (from breast cancer or other causes), with a hazard ratio of 0.51 (0.42-0.63). Among participants who did not have brain metastases, overall survival at 1 year was 46% among those who got sacituzumab govitecan and 19% among those who got chemotherapy.

References

1. Cortés J, Punie K, Barrios C, et al. for the ASCENT-03 Clinical Trial Investigators. Sacituzumab govitecan in untreated, advanced triple-negative breast cancer. N Engl J Med. 393(19):1912-1925, 2025.
2. Rugo HS, Bardia A, Marmé F, et al. Overall survival with sacituzumab govitecan in hormone receptor-positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative metastatic breast cancer (TROPiCS-02): a randomised, open-label, multicentre, phase 3 trial. Lancet. 402(10411):1423-1433, 2023.
3. Bardia A, Hurvitz SA, Tolaney SM, et al. for the ASCENT Clinical Trial Investigators. Sacituzumab govitecan in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. N Engl J Med. 384(16):1529-1541, 2021.
4. Bardia A, Rugo HS, Tolaney SM, et al. Final results from the randomized phase III ASCENT clinical trial in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer and association of outcomes by human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 and trophoblast cell surface antigen 2 expression. J Clin Oncol. 42(15):1738-1744, 2024.
5. Tolaney SM, de Azambuja E, Kalinsky K, et al. for the ASCENT-04/KEYNOTE-D19 Clinical Trial Investigators. Sacituzumab govitecan plus pembrolizumab for advanced triple-negative breast cancer. N Engl J Med. 394(4):354-366, 2026.
6. Pistilli B, Jhaveri K, Im S-A, et al. for the TROPION-Breast01 investigators. Datopotamab deruxtecan versus chemotherapy in previously treated inoperable/metastatic hormone-receptor-positive HER2-negative breast cancer: final overall survival analysis of the phase 3 TROPION-Breast01 study. Ann Oncol. 37(5):663-674, 2026.
7. Dent R, Shao Z, Schmid P, et al. for the TROPION-Breast02 investigators. Datopotamab deruxtecan in patients with untreated, advanced triple-negative breast cancer (TROPION-Breast02): a randomised, open-label, international, phase III trial. Ann Oncol. 2026 Apr 3 [Online ahead of print].

Updated 07/17/26