Dr. Goetz on Survival Data With CDK4/6 Inhibitors in Breast Cancer

Matthew P. Goetz, MD, chair of the Breast Cancer Disease-Oriented Group and co-leader of the Women’s Cancer Center at the Mayo Clinic, discusses survival data with CDK4/6 inhibitors in patients with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer.

An article published in the New England Journal of Medicine on the PALOMA-3 study showed a trend toward improved survival in patients who received fulvestrant and palbociclib (Ibrance) after progressing on endocrine therapy as opposed to those who received fulvestrant alone. The suspected benefit was noted in patients who were sensitive to endocrine therapy—those who had been on an aromatase inhibitor in the adjuvant or metastatic setting for a prolonged period of time, says Goetz.

Additional data with abemaciclib (Verzenio) showed that patients with high-risk disease, liver metastases, high-grade tumors, and estrogen receptor-negative disease derived a significant benefit from the monotherapy. Based on these data, there may be differences in survival between these agents, he adds.