Dr. Mahtani on TEXT and SOFT Trial Data in HR+ Breast Cancer

Reshma L. Mahtani, DO, assistant professor of clinical medicine, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, discusses the updated data from the TEXT and SOFT clinical trials in premenopausal women with hormone-receptor positive (HR+) breast cancer.

The trials demonstrated that there is a benefit to the addition of ovarian function suppression. There’s a small survival signal and an improvement in overall survival in the patients who had received prior chemotherapy. The absolute benefits are higher in patients who have higher risk disease such as those who are very young and those who require chemotherapy. This underscores the need for individualized patient care, says Mahtani.

For most premenopausal patients, ovarian function suppression is associated with more side effects. A woman who receives an aromatase inhibitor as opposed to tamoxifen may experience issues with joint discomfort, osteoporosis, and libido. Physicians need to make sure that they’re only exposing patients to those additional side effects if they expect to see a benefit, states Mahtani.