Volume 26, Issue S3, July 2021

Virginia Kaklamani, M.D., of the University of Texas Health Sciences Center San Antonio, shared insights on breast cancer research—from the latest clinical trial updates to observational studies of breast cancer care during the COVID-19 pandemic—presented at the 2021 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting.

In the phase III OlympiA trial, 1 year of adjuvant therapy with olaparib significantly improved disease-free survival compared with placebo in patients with early -stage, high-risk, BRCA-mutated, HER2-negative breast cancer, suggesting a new standard of care.

With more than 6 years of follow-up in the phase III PALOMA-3 trial, the addition of palbociclib to fulvestrant maintained a significant survival benefit compared with fulvestrant alone in patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer that progressed on prior endocrine therapy.

In an updated analysis from the phase III MONALEESA-3 trial with more than 4.5 years of follow-up, ribociclib plus fulvestrant maintained a significant overall survival benefit compared with fulvestrant alone in postmenopausal women with HR-negative, HER2-positive advanced breast cancer.

The phase III DAWNA-1 trial met its primary endpoint of improved progression-free survival with dalpiciclib added to fulvestrant in previously treated HR-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer, signaling a new option for combination therapy with a CDK4/6 inhibitor and endocrine therapy.

Alpelisib plus fulvestrant provides long-term disease control in patients with endocrine-resistant, HR-positive, HER2-negative, PIK3CA-mutated advanced breast cancer, according to an updated analysis from the SOLAR-1 and X2101 trials.

Research focused on barriers to the real-world use of CDK4/6 inhibitor therapy in patients with HR+/HER2– breast cancer reveals potential mechanisms and biomarkers of drug resistance.

New studies of novel therapies, including giredestrant, H3B-6545, proxalutamide, and enobosarm, highlight the rich pipeline of future treatment options for patients with advanced, endocrine-resistant, ER+ breast cancer.