Dr. Finn on the Potential of CDK Inhibition

Richard S. Finn, MD, associate professor of medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, discusses the potential of CDK inhibition in breast cancer and other malignancies.

There has been a significant amount of preclinical data to suggest CDK inhibition may be important in various malignancies. As the idea to inhibit CDK moves into histologies outside of breast cancer, it will be crucial to identify other biomarkers.

In breast cancer, researchers and oncologists have been fortunate. Estrogen receptor (ER) testing is part of the standard of care and many biomarkers that identify CDK 4/6 dependence occur in ER-positive disease. By selecting by ER status, many biomarkers are ‘captured’ that represent an intact RB pathway.

In other cancers, researchers and oncologists need to select patients better to produce benefit.