BREAST CANCER

The FDA has granted neratinib with an orphan drug designation for the treatment of patients with breast cancer–related brain metastases.

The combination of atezolizumab and nab-paclitaxel has been approved by the European Commission as a frontline treatment for adult patients with unresectable, locally advanced, or metastatic PD-L1–positive triple-negative breast cancer, a result of the positive outcomes in the phase III IMpassion130 trial.

The FDA has drafted new industry recommendations for sponsors to encourage male inclusion in clinical trials for breast cancer.<br /> &nbsp;

In an interview with <em>Targeted Oncology,</em> Carol Mangione, MD, MSPH, a co-author on the USPSTF Recommendation Statement, gave insight&nbsp;into the specifics of the recommendations and how the Task Force hopes these suggestions will impact patient outcomes.<br /> &nbsp;

CDK4/6 inhibitors<strong> </strong>offer clear benefits in pro&shy;gression-free survival, delayed time to chemotherapy, and overall survival in both pre and postmenopausal patients with estrogen receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer, said Angela DeMichele, MD, MSCE.

In a presentation at the <em>18th Annual </em>International Congress on the Future of Breast Cancer&reg; East, hosted by Physicians&rsquo; Education Resource&reg;, LLC, in New York, Armin Shahrokni, MD, MPH, emphasized the importance of performing a comprehensive geriatric assessment for each patient to determine optimal treatment.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology and Friends of Cancer Research have issued a joint research statement that broadens eligibility criteria affecting 2 patient subgroups: patients with treated/stable brain metastases and those with new, active, or progressive brain metastases.<br /> &nbsp;

Both cell cycle-specific and nonspecific mechanisms that lead to acquired resistance to CDK4/6 inhibition in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer have resulted in multiple promising agents and combinations for the second-line management of metastatic disease.

Reporting on the debate with his peer, Lawrence J. Solin, MD, FACR, FASTRO explained his stance on whole breast irradiation in comparison with partial breast irradiation in breast cancer treatment during an interview with <em>Targeted Oncology</em>.&nbsp;More research is needed to support the idea that PBI can be used for more patients, according to Solin.

Sara M. Tolaney, MD, MPH, discusses the evolving role of neoadjuvant endocrine therapy in the breast cancer space. She says there is particular interest in using this therapy in patients with HER2-positive and triple-negative breast cancer, but it can be more challenging in patients with ER-positive disease.

Ribociclib in combination with fulvestrant demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in overall survival in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor&ndash;positive, HER2-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer, according to interim results from the phase III MONALEESA-3 trial.

The combination of abemaciclib and fulvestrant has demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in overall survival compared with fulvestrant and placebo in women with HR&ndash;positive, HER2-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer who have previously received endocrine therapy, according to updated interim results from the phase III MONARCH 2 trial.

Carey K. Anders, MD, spoke with <em>Targeted Oncology</em> about treatment options emerging to improve outcomes for patients with metastatic breast cancer and secondary brain metastases.

The combination of pembrolizumab with chemotherapy demonstrated a benefit in terms of pathological complete response when used as neoadjuvant therapy compared with chemotherapy alone in patients with triple-negative breast cancer, according to interim results of the pivotal phase III KEYNOTE-522 trial.

Neratinib has received approval from Health Canada for the treatment of patients with early-stage, hormone receptor&ndash;positive, HER2-overexpressed/amplified breast cancer in the extended adjuvant setting. The agent should be given to patients 1 year after completing trastuzumab-based adjuvant therapy.<br /> &nbsp;

Breast Cancer

Jane Lowe Meisel, MD, reviewed systemic therapy options for treating patients with breast cancer with a group of physicians during a&nbsp;<em>Targeted Oncology&nbsp;</em>live case-based peer perspectives discussion. Meisel explained the treatment considerations she makes for treating patients with breast cancer during the dinner event in terms of 2 case studies.