Health-related quality of life in premenopausal women with hormone-receptor-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer treated with ribociclib plus endocrine therapy: results from a phase III randomized clinical trial (MONALEESA-7)

Exploring fear of cancer recurrence and related factors among breast cancer patients: A cross-sectional study

AIMS

Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is a multifaceted concept influenced by individual characteristics, social support, psychological factors. This study aims to identify distinct FCR profiles among breast cancer patients and explore the associated variables with these patterns.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study was conducted from April 2022 to March 2023.

METHODS

A convenience sample of 339 patients completed a questionnaire that assessed general and disease-related data, including the Fear of Progression Questionnaire-Short Form, Social Support Rating Scale, Medical Coping Modes Questionnaire. Statistical analysis involved latent profile analysis (LPA) and multinomial logistic regression.

RESULTS

Three latent patterns of FCR were found: the low fear (28.9%), the moderate fear (51.3%), and the high fear (18.0%). The study identified the social support, family monthly income, employment status, utilization of confrontation coping mode and avoidance coping mode, as factors that impacted the FCR.

CONCLUSIONS

Social support, family monthly income, employment status, and medical coping modes have been found to impact the FCR among newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. Healthcare professionals should focus on addressing FCR at diagnosis and implement effective interventions, such as promoting social support and encouraging adaptive coping, to alleviate this concern.

IMPACT

Urgently addressing the FCR in Chinese breast cancer patients is imperative due to its profound influence on their holistic health. Through advanced LPA, we categorized the FCR progression, highlighting risks. These findings have implications for healthcare strategies, offering new insights to manage the FCR and improve patient well-being. Our study adds a fresh perspective to the factors underlying the FCR in breast cancer patients, contributing to the broader comprehension and management of this complex survivorship issue.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

No patient or public contribution.

Efficacy, safety, and prognosis prediction in patients treated with ribociclib in combination with letrozole: Final results of phase 3b RIBECCA study in hormone receptor positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 negative, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer

BACKGROUND

In MONALEESA-2, addition of ribociclib to letrozole resulted in significantly longer progression-free survival (PFS) in postmenopausal women with HR+HER2- advanced breast cancer (ABC). RIBociclib for the treatment of advanCed breast CAncer (RIBECCA) study investigated ribociclib plus letrozole in a patient population reflecting routine clinical practice.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In this multicenter, open-label, single-arm, phase 3b study, patients with HR+HER2- ABC not amenable to curative therapy and ECOG performance status ≤ 2 received ribociclib plus letrozole (cohort A: postmenopausal women and men in first-line; cohort B: pre-/perimenopausal women in first-line [B1], patients pretreated for advanced disease [B2]). The primary endpoint was clinical benefit rate (CBR) by week 24; secondary endpoints included overall response rate (ORR), PFS, overall survival (OS), and safety. Association of patient and tumor characteristics with PFS was analyzed by multivariable Cox regression analysis.

RESULTS

Overall, 487 patients were evaluable for efficacy, 502 for safety. By week 24, CBR was 60.8 % (95 % CI, 56.3-65.1), ORR was 19.3 % (95 % CI, 15.9-23.1). Median PFS was 21.8 months (95 % CI, 13.9-25.3) in first-line postmenopausal patients and 11.0 months (95 % CI, 8.2-16.4) in premenopausal and pretreated patients. Median OS was not reached. Higher baseline ECOG performance status, higher histological grade, and negative progesterone receptor status showed an unfavorable effect on PFS. Most common adverse events were neutropenia (50.0 %), nausea (42.0 %), and fatigue (39.2 %).

CONCLUSION

In this broad population of patients with HR+HER2- ABC, efficacy and safety results of ribociclib plus letrozole were similar to those observed in pivotal trials.

Patient-reported outcomes in high-risk HR+ /HER2- early breast cancer patients treated with endocrine therapy with or without palbociclib within the randomized PENELOPEB study

BACKGROUND

The PENELOPEB trial investigating efficacy and safety of additional 1-year post-neoadjuvant palbociclib to standard endocrine therapy (ET) high-risk hormone receptor-positive (HR+)/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-) early breast cancer patients failed to improve invasive disease-free survival (iDFS). This analysis compared patient-reported outcomes (PROs) between treatment groups.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients received 13 cycles of palbociclib 125 mg/day (n = 631) or placebo (n = 619) orally for 3 out of 4 weeks + ET. European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality-of-Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30), its breast cancer (BR23) and fatigue (FA13) modules, mood questionnaire GAD7 and European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) instruments were used for the assessment of quality of life (QoL). Repeated-measures mixed-effects models were used to evaluate differences in PRO, changes of PRO over time, and treatment-by-time interactions.

RESULTS

924 of 1250 patients (73.9%) completed baseline and at least one post-baseline questionnaire of all PRO instruments. General health status (GHS)/QoL based on EORTC QLQ-C30 was high in both arms (mean [SD]: palbociclib 70.1 [19.3], placebo 71.4 [18.8]) and was slightly higher in the placebo arm (LeastSquare mean difference: 0.82, p < 0.001). Higher fatigue was reported in the palbociclib arm (mean [SD]: 30.3 [23.8] vs. placebo 28.3 [22.7]; p < 0.001). No statistically significant differences were observed among FA13 physical, cognitive, and emotional fatigue subscales.

CONCLUSION

Patient-reported global QoL and fatigue did not substantially change in both treatment arms. Slight differences in GHS, physical functioning, and fatigue favored the placebo arm statistically without achieving clinically meaningful thresholds.

The CDK4/6 inhibitors biomarker landscape: The most relevant biomarkers of response or resistance for further research and potential clinical utility

Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6is) in combination with Endocrine Therapy (ET) represent the standard frontline therapy for patients with Hormone Receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative metastatic Breast Cancer (mBC). Clinical activity and efficacy of CDK4/6is-based therapies have been proven both in the endocrine sensitive and resistant settings. Therapy resistance eventually underpins clinical progression to any CDK4/6is-based therapies, yet there is a lack of validated molecular biomarkers predictive of either intrinsic or acquired resistance to CDK4/6is in clinical practice. As the "post-CDK4/6is" landscape for the management of HR-positive/HER2-negative mBC is rapidly evolving with the introduction of novel therapies, there is an urgent need for the definition of clinically relevant molecular biomarkers of intrinsic/acquired resistance mechanisms to CDK4/6is. This narrative review outlines the role of currently approved CDK4/6is-based therapies, describes the most relevant molecular biomarkers of CDK4/6is-resistance, and ultimately provides a perspective on the clinical and research scenario.

Surrogate endpoints for HTA decisions of breast cancer drugs: utility and pitfalls

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Health technology assessment (HTA) of cancer drugs is important to identify whether drugs should be publicly funded. With increasing use of surrogate end points in clinical trials including breast cancer, a review of literature was done to synthesize evidence for validation of these surrogate end points and their potential role in HTA decisions pertaining to breast cancer.

FINDINGS

Disease free survival (DFS) in human epidermal receptor 2 (HER2) positive early breast cancer remains the only validated surrogate end point. Other surrogate end points like pathological complete response (pCR) and event free survival (EFS) in early breast cancer (EBC) and objective response rate (ORR) and progression free survival (PFS) in advanced disease have not been validated for overall survival (OS). Moreover, surrogate end points for quality of life (QOL) have not been established and drugs that improve PFS can have detrimental effect on QOL. End points like pCR have excellent prognostic utility in individual patients but have weak correlation with survival at trial level.

SUMMARY

Most surrogate end points used in breast cancer do not predict OS or QOL which makes it challenging to use them for decisions regarding public funding of cancer drugs. These findings are relevant to HTA agencies prior to making drug reimbursement decisions.

A new perspective on the proper timing of radiotherapy during CDK4/6 inhibitor therapy in patients with "bone-only" metastatic breast cancer

The vast majority of hormone positive and HER2 negative advanced breast cancers can be controlled well by endocrine therapy combined with the groundbreaking use of CDK4/6 inhibitors in the metastatic first-line setting. Approximately 50%-60% of these patients have "bone-only" metastatic disease. In oligometastatic cases or if a certain number of uncontrolled lesions develop during the aforementioned therapy, ablative radiotherapy can be delivered or, in symptomatic cases, urgent irradiation is needed with palliative intent. To achieve the most effective results, parallel with good quality of life, the timing of radiotherapy must be determined precisely, taking into account that different cell cycles are involved during different treatment modalities; therefore, optimization of treatment schedules ensures longer and safer post-progression overall survival. The key question is whether the two treatment modalities are safe concurrently or whether they should be administered separately, and if so, what is the optimal sequence and why? This manuscript aims to answer this important question, with a focus on quality of life. Existing publications focus on safety and toxicity profiles, and efficacy is detailed only tangentially and minimally.

Quality of Life and Treatment-Related Side Effects in Patients With HR+/HER2- Advanced Breast Cancer: Findings From a Multicountry Survey

BACKGROUND

Quality of life (QOL) is a critical factor in decision-making for advanced breast cancer (ABC). There is a need to improve how QOL and treatment-related side effects (SEs) that impact it are clinically assessed. We examined healthcare professionals' (HCPs') and patients' perspectives on the importance of QOL discussions and the impact of SEs on QOL in clinical settings.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional online survey was conducted (7/2020-5/2021) among oncologists, nurses, and patients with HR+/HER2- ABC in 7 countries.

RESULTS

The survey was completed by 502 HCPs and 467 patients. Overall, 88% of oncologists and 49% of patients recalled QOL discussions at follow-up. In the first- through fourth-line (1L, 2L, 3L, and 4L) settings, respectively, 48%, 57%, 79%, and 85% of oncologists reported QOL was very important; 73% and 45% of patients receiving 1L and 2L treatment and 40% receiving 3L+ treatment indicated QOL was important. Patients reported that insomnia, anxiety, back pain, fatigue, diarrhea, hot flashes, low sexual interest, and loss of appetite had a moderate/severe impact on QOL. Of patients experiencing certain SEs, ≥64% did not discuss them with HCPs until there was a moderate/severe impact on QOL. In patients receiving a CDK4/6 inhibitor, SEs, including insomnia, diarrhea, back pain, and fatigue, had a moderate/severe impact on QOL.

CONCLUSIONS

This survey discovered disconnects between HCPs and patients with ABC on the importance of QOL discussions and the impact of SEs on QOL. These data support the use of ABC-specific QOL questionnaires that closely monitor SEs impacting QOL.

Health-related quality of life and clinical complexity of a real-life cohort of patients with advanced HR+/HER2- breast cancer treated with CDK4/6 inhibitors and endocrine therapy

Background

Advanced breast cancer (ABC) is characterized by multidimensional clinical complexity that is usually not considered in randomized clinical trials. In the present real-life study, we investigated the link between clinical complexity and quality of life of patients with HR⁺/HER2^- ABC treated with CDK4/6 inhibitors.

Methods

We evaluated multimorbidity burden assessed with the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale (CIRS), polypharmacy and patient-reported outcomes (PROs). PROs were assessed at baseline (T0), after 3 months of therapy (T1), and at disease progression (T2) using EORTC QLC-C30 and QLQ-BR23 questionnaires. Baseline PROs and changes between T0 and T1 were evaluated amongst patients with different multimorbidity burden (CIRS <5 and ≥5) and polypharmacy (<2 or ≥2 drugs).

Results

From January 2018 to January 2022, we enrolled 54 patients (median age 66 years, IQR 59-74). The median CIRS score was 5 (IQR 2-7), whilst the median number of drugs taken by patients was 2 (IQR 0-4). No changes in QLQ-C30 final scoring between T0 and T1 were observed in the overall cohort (p=0.8944). At T2, QLQ-C30 global score deteriorated with respect to baseline (p=0.0089). At baseline, patients with CIRS ≥5 had worse constipation than patients without comorbidities (p<0.05) and a lower trend in the median QLQ-C30 global score. Patients on ≥2 drugs had lower QLQ-C30 final scores and worse insomnia and constipation (p<0.05). No change in QLQ-C30 final score from T0 to T1 was observed (p>0.05).

Conclusion

Multimorbidity and polypharmacy increase the clinical complexity of patients with ABC and may affect baseline PROs. The safety profile of CDK4/6 inhibitors seems to be maintained in this population. Further studies are needed to assess clinical complexity in patients with ABC.This article is part of the Tackling clinical complexity in breast cancer Special Issue: https://www.drugsincontext.com/special_issues/tackling-clinical-complexity-in-breast-cancer/.

Ribociclib in newly diagnosed hepatitis B infection: A case report

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women worldwide. Actually CDK4/6 inhibitor Ribociclib is approved for the treatment of metastatic hormone-positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER 2)-negative breast cancer, but comorbidities like infectious or cardiovascular diseases may limit its use.

Case report

A 45-year-old woman was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in September 2021; also, her hepatitis screening resulted positive for hepatitis B infection. Patient assumed eradicative therapy for hepatitis and bit after started oncological therapy with Ribociclib.

Outcome

Frequent check of hepatological function was observed since start of eradicative therapy; liver transaminases and bilirubin kept to not rise despite start of oncological treatment with Ribociclib. Patient's Performance Status was also not compromised and revaluation at 4, 9 and 13 months showed partial response and then stable disease.

Discussion

hepatotoxicity of Ribociclib is reported as a possible side effect, and often positivity for hepatitis is cause of exclusion from therapy; in our case, no hepatotoxicity was noted and patient obtained response in terms of control of both infectious and oncological diseases.

Pan-Asian adapted ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for the diagnosis, staging and treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer

The most recent version of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Clinical Practice Guidelines for the diagnosis, staging and treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) was published in 2021. A special, hybrid guidelines meeting was convened by ESMO and the Korean Society of Medical Oncology (KSMO) in collaboration with nine other Asian national oncology societies in May 2022 in order to adapt the ESMO 2021 guidelines to take into account the differences associated with the treatment of MBC in Asia. These guidelines represent the consensus opinions reached by a panel of Asian experts in the treatment of patients with MBC representing the oncological societies of China (CSCO), India (ISMPO), Indonesia (ISHMO), Japan (JSMO), Korea (KSMO), Malaysia (MOS), the Philippines (PSMO), Singapore (SSO), Taiwan (TOS) and Thailand (TSCO). The voting was based on the best available scientific evidence and was independent of drug access or practice restrictions in the different Asian countries. The latter were discussed when appropriate. The aim of these guidelines is to provide guidance for the harmonisation of the management of patients with MBC across the different regions of Asia, drawing from data provided by global and Asian trials whilst at the same time integrating the differences in genetics, demographics and scientific evidence, together with restricted access to certain therapeutic strategies.

Rationale and trial design of NATALEE: a Phase III trial of adjuvant ribociclib + endocrine therapy versus endocrine therapy alone in patients with HR+/HER2- early breast cancer

Background

Ribociclib has demonstrated a statistically significant overall survival benefit in pre- and postmenopausal patients with hormone receptor positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HR+/HER2-) advanced breast cancer. New Adjuvant Trial with Ribociclib [LEE011] (NATALEE) is a trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of adjuvant ribociclib plus endocrine therapy (ET) versus ET alone in patients with HR+/HER2- early nonmetastatic breast cancer (EBC).

Methods/design

NATALEE is a multicenter, randomized, open-label, Phase III trial in patients with HR+/HER2- EBC. Eligible patients include women, regardless of menopausal status, and men aged ⩾18 years. Select patients with stage IIA, stage IIB, or stage III disease (per the anatomic classification in the AJCC Cancer Staging Manual, 8th edition) with an initial diagnosis ⩽18 months prior to randomization are eligible. Patients receiving standard (neo)adjuvant ET are eligible if treatment was initiated ⩽12 months before randomization. Patients undergo 1:1 randomization to ribociclib 400 mg/day (3 weeks on/1 week off) +ET (letrozole 2.5 mg/day or anastrozole 1 mg/day [investigator's discretion] plus goserelin [men or premenopausal women]) or ET alone. Ribociclib treatment duration is 36 months; ET treatment duration is ⩾60 months. The primary end point is invasive disease-free survival.

Discussion

The 36-month treatment duration of ribociclib in NATALEE is extended compared with that in other adjuvant cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) inhibitor trials and is intended to maximize efficacy due to longer duration of CDK4/6 inhibition. Compared with the 600-mg/day dose used in advanced breast cancer, the reduced ribociclib dose used in NATALEE may improve tolerability while maintaining efficacy. NATALEE includes the broadest population of patients with HR+/HER2- EBC of any Phase III trial currently evaluating adjuvant CDK4/6 inhibitor treatment.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03701334 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03701334).

CDK4/6 Inhibitors—Overcoming Endocrine Resistance Is the Standard in Patients with Hormone Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer

Purpose of review: Tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors can be considered as some of the first targeted therapies. For the past 30 years, they were the endocrine treatment standard in the advanced and early breast cancer setting. CDK4/6 inhibitors, however, are the first substances in almost two decades to broadly improve the therapeutic landscape of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer patients for the upcoming years. This review is designed to discuss the recent history, current role, future directions and opportunities of this substance class. Recent findings: The CDK4/6 inhibitors abemaciclib, dalpiciclib, palbociclib and ribociclib have all demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival in advanced disease. However, to date, abemaciclib and ribociclib are the only CDK4/6 inhibitors to have shown an improvement in overall survival in patients with metastatic breast cancer. Moreover, abemaciclib is the first CDK4/6 inhibitor to also reduce the risk of recurrence in those with early-stage disease. Further CDK inhibitors, treatment combinations with other drugs and different therapy sequences are in development. Summary: Achieving significant improvements in survival rates in the advanced and early breast cancer treatment setting, CDK4/6 inhibitors have set a new standard of care for patients with advanced breast cancer. It remains important to better understand resistance mechanisms to be able to develop novel substances and treatment sequences.

Quality of life with ribociclib versus abemaciclib as first-line treatment of HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer: a matching-adjusted indirect comparison

Background

A cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor (CDK4/6i) + endocrine therapy is recommended as first-line treatment for hormone receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HR+/HER2-) advanced breast cancer (ABC). Quality of life (QoL) is an important endpoint that affects treatment decisions. Understanding the relevance of CDK4/6i treatment on QoL is gaining importance given use in earlier treatment lines for ABC and an emerging role in treating early breast cancer in which QoL may be more impactful. In the absence of head-to-head trial data, a matching-adjusted indirect comparison (MAIC) permits comparative efficacy between trials.

Objective

In this analysis, patient-reported QoL for MONALEESA-2 [ribociclib + aromatase inhibitor (AI)] and MONARCH 3 (abemaciclib + AI) was compared using MAIC with a focus on individual domains.

Design

An anchored MAIC of QoL comparing ribociclib + AI versus abemaciclib + AI was performed using data from the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer quality of life questionnaire (QLQ)-C30 and BR-23 questionnaires.

Methods

Individual patient data from MONALEESA-2 and published aggregated data from MONARCH 3 were included in this analysis. Time to sustained deterioration (TTSD) was calculated as the time from randomization to a ⩾10-point deterioration with no later improvement above this threshold.

Results

Patients from the ribociclib (n = 205) and placebo (n = 149) arms of MONALEESA-2 were matched with patients from the abemaciclib (n = 328) and placebo (n = 165) arms of MONARCH 3. After weighting, baseline patient characteristics were well balanced. TTSD significantly favored ribociclib versus abemaciclib in appetite loss [hazard ratio (HR), 0.46; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.27-0.81], diarrhea (HR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.23-0.79), fatigue (HR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.41-0.96), and arm symptoms (HR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.30-0.79). TTSD did not significantly favor abemaciclib compared with ribociclib in any functional or symptom scale of the QLQ-C30 or BR-23 questionnaires.

Conclusions

This MAIC indicates that ribociclib + AI is associated with better symptom-related QoL than abemaciclib + AI for postmenopausal patients with HR+/HER2- ABC treated in the first-line setting.

Trial registration

NCT01958021 (MONALEESA-2) and NCT02246621 (MONARCH 3).

Safety and Feasibility of Radiation Therapy Combined with CDK 4/6 Inhibitors in the Management of Advanced Breast Cancer

The addition of CDK4/6 inhibitors to endocrine therapy in advanced hormone receptor-positive HER2-negative breast cancer has led to practice-changing improvements in overall survival. However, data concerning the safety of CDK4/6i combination with radiotherapy (RT) are conflicting. A retrospective evaluation of 288 advanced breast cancer patients (pts) treated with CDK4/6i was performed, and 100 pts also received RT. Forty-six pts received 63 RT courses concurrently and fifty-four sequentially before CDK4/6i initiation (76 RT courses). Neutropenia was common (79%) and more frequent during and after concurrent RT than sequential RT (86% vs. 76%); however, CDK4/6i dose reduction rates were similar. In patients treated with CDK4/6i alone, the dose reduction rate was 42% (79 pts) versus 38% with combined therapy, and 5% discontinued treatment due to toxicity in the combined group. The risk of CDK4/6i dose reduction was correlated with neutropenia grade, RT performed within the first two CDK4/6i cycles, and more than one concurrent RT; a tendency was observed in concurrent bone irradiation. However, on multivariate regression analysis, only ECOG 1 performance status and severe neutropenia at the beginning of the second cycle were found to be associated with a higher risk of CDK4/6i dose reduction. This largest single-center experience published to date confirmed the acceptable safety profile of the CDK4/6i and RT combination without a significantly increased toxicity compared with CDK4/6i alone. However, one might delay RT for the first two CDK4/6i cycles, when myelotoxic AE are most common.

Antitumor response and quality of life: is there a need to sacrifice? Clinical observation: long-term and safe control of the disease using a combination of ribociclib with letrozole. Case report

Metastatic luminal B HER2-negative breast cancer (HR+/HER2- mBC) occupies a leading place in the global structure of morbidity and mortality among women. The current gold standard of first-line treatment is the combination of CDK4/6 inhibitors with aromatase inhibitors, among which ribociclib with letrozole is distinguished. According to the MONALEESA-2 study, the addition of ribociclib to letrozole significantly increased the median overall survival to 63.9 months, reducing the risk of death by 24%. The safety profile of the combination is manageable, and the development of adverse events led to the interruption of therapy only in 7.5% of cases. A study of the actual clinical practice of CompLEEment-1 also confirmed the safety and effectiveness of the combination. Maintaining and improving the quality of life is one of the main tasks in the treatment of patients with HR+/HER2- mBC. According to the MONALEESA-2 study, the addition of ribociclib significantly affects the maintenance of quality of life and leads to a decrease in the intensity of pain syndrome. The published data allowed us to assign a combination of ribociclib and letrozole 4 points on the ESMO-MCBS scale. The safety of long-term use of the combination in the first line of treatment illustrated by clinical observation. The patient's progression-free survival during therapy was 40 months, which significantly exceeds the data of the MONALEESA-2 and CompLEEment-1 studies. The maximum effect (partial response according to RECIST 1.1 -40%) achieved after 24 weeks and persisted for 24 months. Clinically, the patient noted a decrease in the severity of the pain syndrome after 8 weeks of therapy. Against the background of therapy, it was possible to maintain the quality of life without sacrificing antitumor efficacy.

Health-related quality of life in breast cancer patients treated with CDK4/6 inhibitors: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Evaluation of health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) among cancer patients has gained an increasing importance and is now a key determinant of anticancer treatments' value. HR-QoL has been assessed in trials testing cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) in breast cancer (BC), using various questionnaires at different timepoints. HR-QoL reports from BC patients treated with CDK4/6i in the real-world setting are also available.

METHODS

We systematically reviewed the literature, searching for full-length articles, and selected conference abstracts reporting data on HR-QoL in BC patients at any stage and of any molecular subtype treated with abemaciclib, palbociclib or ribociclib.

RESULTS

A total of 533 full-length articles and 143 abstracts were retrieved. After screening for eligibility, 38 records were included (31 clinical trials; 7 real-world reports). Assessment methods were heterogeneous across studies in terms of questionnaires, evaluation timepoints and endpoints. Overall, adding CDK4/6i to endocrine therapy did not worsen patients' HR-QoL, with a positive trend towards pain improvement. Gastrointestinal scores (diarrhea, nausea and appetite loss) statistically favored the control arm among metastatic BC patients receiving abemaciclib, whereas they were superimposable in the early setting. The combination of palbociclib and endocrine therapy showed similar HR-QoL outcomes compared with endocrine therapy alone, but determined better scores compared with chemotherapy. HR-QoL was specifically assessed in premenopausal patients treated with ribociclib, showing similar scores compared with postmenopausal patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite methodological heterogeneity does not allow a proper comparison, HR-QoL was generally maintained with CDK4/6i. However, differences between abemaciclib, palbociclib and ribociclib exist and mainly rely on the distinct safety profiles of the compounds. These differences should be acknowledged and taken into account in the clinical practice.

Pre-operative ribociclib plus letrozole versus chemotherapy: Health-related quality of life outcomes from the SOLTI CORALLEEN trial

INTRODUCTION

In the phase II CORALLEEN trial, patients with PAM50 luminal B early breast cancer (EBC) were randomised to neoadjuvant ribociclib plus letrozole (R + L) or chemotherapy based on anthracyclines and taxanes. Results from the primary efficacy analysis showed a similar proportion of patients with response at surgery in both groups. How health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes with R + L compare with chemotherapy in EBC setting is still unknown. Here, we report the results of the HRQoL analysis from the CORALLEEN study.

METHODS

A total of 106 women were randomised 1:1 to receive neoadjuvant R + L (n = 52) or chemotherapy (n = 54). Patient-reported outcomes were assessed using two questionnaires: EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-BR23. Change from baseline in the global health status, functional, and symptom scales was analysed using linear mixed-effect models, and between-treatment differences were estimated along with 95% confidence interval (95% CI).

RESULTS

At baseline, the overall questionnaire available rate was 94.3%, and patient-reported outcomes were similar between treatment groups. At the end of the study treatment (24 weeks), patients receiving R + L showed better global health status scores with a between-treatment difference of 17.7 points (95% CI 9.2-26.2; p-value <0.001). The R + L group also presented numerically better outcomes in all functional and symptom scales. The larger between-treatment differences in symptom severity were found in fatigue (-28.9; 95% CI -38.5 to -19.3), appetite loss (-23; 95% CI -34.9 to -11.2) and systematic therapy side-effects (-11.4; 95% CI -18.3 to -4.6).

CONCLUSIONS

Neoadjuvant R + L was associated with better HRQoL outcomes compared with chemotherapy in patients with luminal B EBC.

REGISTRATION IDENTIFICATION

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03248427.

Real-World Clinical Outcomes of Ribociclib in Combination with a Non-Steroidal Aromatase Inhibitor and a Luteinizing Hormone-Releasing Hormone Agonist in Premenopausal HR+/HER2− Advanced Breast Cancer Patients: An Italian Managed Access Program

Ribociclib plus an aromatase inhibitor and ovarian function suppression is the preferred first-line option for pre-/perimenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer. We opened an italian managed access program (MAP) that permitted access to ribociclib to selected patients and allowed to collect informative results on the clinical impact of the therapy. The MAP (April 2018–May 2020) included 64 premenopausal patients, with characteristics similar to those of the MONALEESA-7 trial. Of 57 patients with a known response, 48 (84.2%) achieved a clinical benefit (i.e., complete response, N = 7 (12.3%); partial response, N = 17 (29.8%); stable disease, N = 24 (42.1%)), while 9 (15.8%) experienced tumor progression. Some patients (N = 15–23.4%) needed ribociclib dose reduction because of adverse events. Thereafter, the treatment was well tolerated, and no new safety signals emerged. Our study is the first reported Italian real-world evidence of ribociclib effectiveness in premenopausal HR+/HER2− advanced breast cancer patients. Response and clinical benefit rates were particularly encouraging compared with those of the ribociclib group of MONALEESA-7. Our work confirms that ribociclib in combination with endocrine therapy is highly effective in the treatment of premenopausal HR+/HER2− advanced breast cancer patients with an expected safety profile.

Psychosocial Aspects of Living Long Term with Advanced Cancer and Ongoing Systemic Treatment: A Scoping Review

(1) Background: Studies examining the psychosocial impact of living long term on systemic treatment in advanced cancer patients are scarce. This scoping review aimed to answer the research question “What has been reported about psychosocial factors among patients living with advanced cancer receiving life-long systemic treatment?”, by synthesizing psychosocial data, and evaluating the terminology used to address these patients; (2) Methods: This scoping review was conducted following the five stages of the framework of Arksey and O’Malley (2005); (3) Results: 141 articles published between 2000 and 2021 (69% after 2015) were included. A large variety of terms referring to the patient group was observed. Synthesizing qualitative studies identified ongoing uncertainty, anxiety and fear of disease progression or death, hope in treatment results and new treatment options, loss in several aspects of life, and worries about the impact of disease on loved ones and changes in social life to be prominent psychosocial themes. Of 82 quantitative studies included in the review, 76% examined quality of life, 46% fear of disease progression or death, 26% distress or depression, and 4% hope, while few studies reported on adaptation or cognitive aspects. No quantitative studies focused on uncertainty, loss, or social impact; (4) Conclusion and clinical implications: Prominent psychosocial themes reported in qualitative studies were not included in quantitative research using specific validated questionnaires. More robust studies using quantitative research designs should be conducted to further understand these psychological constructs. Furthermore, the diversity of terminology found in the literature calls for a uniform definition to better address this specific patient group in research and in practice.

Radiotherapy with Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 4/6 Inhibitors: A Multi-institutional Safety and Toxicity Study

PURPOSE

To investigate radiotherapy (RT) toxicity when given with Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) compared to RT alone.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with hormonal receptor-positive and human epidermal growth factor-2 negative metastatic breast cancer treated with RT at four cancer centers in Alberta, Canada between 2016 and 2020. Toxicity in patients treated with RT within 30 days of initiating to discontinuing CDK4/6i (RT+CDK4/6i) was compared to toxicity of RT in CDK4/6i naïve patients (RT alone). The primary outcome was acute grade (G) II or higher, non-hematological toxicity within 30 days of RT. We also explored toxicity based on the timing of RT (prior, concurrent, post) in relation to CDK4/6i. Propensity score matching was applied to create comparable cohorts. A generalized linear mixed model was used to evaluate factors associated with acute toxicity.

RESULTS

132 patients (220 RT sites) in the RT+CDK4/6i and 53 patients (93 RT sites) in RT alone were eligible. The rate of acute GII or higher non-hematological toxicity was 11.5% vs. 7%, respectively (p=0.439), and acute GIII or higher non-hematological toxicity was 3.7% vs. 0%, respectively (p=0.151). Acute toxicity in RT+CDK4/6i group was mainly observed when RT was given concurrently (67%) with most of the GIII toxicity recorded. After propensity score matching, the association of acute toxicity with RT+CDK4/6i vs. RT alone was not significant on multivariable analysis, Odds Ratio 3.13 (95% confidence interval: 0.74 - 13.2; p=0.121).

CONCLUSIONS

We did not observe a significant association between CDK4/6i use and acute, GII or higher, non-hematological toxicity, in women with metastatic breast cancer receiving palliative RT. Given the findings of GIII toxicity, caution is advised whenever CDK4/6i is given concurrently with RT.

Cost-effectiveness of ribociclib for premenopausal or perimenopausal women with HR+/HER2− advanced breast cancer: a Brazilian public health care system perspective

Introduction:

The MONALEESA-7 trial compared ribociclib plus endocrine therapy (ET) with placebo as first-line treatment of advanced luminal/HER2-negative breast cancer (ABC) in premenopausal and perimenopausal women (age <50 years) and showed significant benefits to progression-free survival and overall survival. This study aimed to compare the cost-effectiveness of ribociclib + ET versus ET alone in patients with ABC from the perspective of the Brazilian public national health system.

Methods:

We calculated the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) using a Markov model with progression-free survival, post-progression survival, and death states. We expressed ICER as incremental costs per progression-free life-year (PFLY) and quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained in a 10-year time horizon. We used parametric survival distributions fit to MONALEESA-7 data to generate survival distributions for progression-free and post-progression survival. The largest British preference study in breast cancer served as the basis to estimate health-state utilities. We estimated direct costs (ABC treatment, follow-up, monitoring, and adverse events) using Brazilian-specific values from public sources. An expert consensus panel determined the resource patterns required. We applied annual discounts of 5% to costs and QALYs.

Results:

Ribociclib + ET resulted in an incremental gain of 1.03 PFLYs and 0.80 QALYs at a cost of $37,319.31. The ICER of ribociclib + ET versus ET was $36,379.41 per PFLY gained and $46,590.79 per QALY gained. In deterministic sensitivity analysis, results were primarily affected by the annual discount rate, followed by the cost of ribociclib. In probabilistic sensitivity analysis, simulations agreed with the base-case.

Conclusion:

Ribociclib increased PFLYs and QALYs in patients with HR+/HER2− ABC when added to ET. Because Brazil does not have a formally defined cost-effectiveness threshold, other domains need to be considered for incorporation decisions, such as disease burden and humanistic impact on this young, economically active population. These findings may be useful in discussions for incorporation of ribociclib into the Brazilian public health system.

Ribociclib efficacy in special populations and analysis of patient reported outcomes in the MONALEESA trials

INTRODUCTION

Cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) inhibitors abemaciclib, palbociclib and ribociclib radically modified the treatment of hormone receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor 2-negative advanced breast cancer. Ribociclib efficacy was proved in the phase III MONALEESA-2, -3 and -7 trials. In the first-line setting, ribociclib plus endocrine therapy determined statistically significant improvements in progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in pre-menopausal (MONALEESA-7) and post-menopausal (MONALEESA-2) women. Likewise, ribociclib and fulvestrant induced a significant PFS and OS benefit in post-menopausal women previously treated with endocrine therapy (MONALEESA-3). Additionally, ribociclib did not affect patient health-related quality of life in all the MONALEESA trials.

AREAS COVERED

We reviewed the results of the available randomized phase III trials testing ribociclib and endocrine therapy in advanced breast cancer, focusing on different patient subgroups and then on health-related quality of life.

EXPERT OPINION

The benefit of ribociclib was consistent across patient subgroups and is maintained in populations with unfavorable features, such as those with endocrine resistance or visceral metastases. Furthermore, the addition of ribociclib to endocrine therapy delays quality of life deterioration and improves pain scores. These results represent a pivotal improvement for the treatment of advanced breast cancer patients receiving CDK4/6 inhibitors.

Updated Overall Survival of Ribociclib plus Endocrine Therapy versus Endocrine Therapy Alone in Pre- and Perimenopausal Patients with HR+/HER2- Advanced Breast Cancer in MONALEESA-7: A Phase III Randomized Clinical Trial

PURPOSE

Ribociclib plus endocrine therapy (ET) demonstrated a statistically significant progression-free survival and overall survival (OS) benefit in the phase III MONALEESA-7 trial of pre-/perimenopausal patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive (HR+), HER2-negative (HER2-) advanced breast cancer (ABC). The median OS was not reached in the ribociclib arm in the protocol-specified final analysis; we hence performed an exploratory OS and additional outcomes analysis with an extended follow-up (median, 53.5 months).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients were randomized to receive ET [goserelin plus nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor (NSAI) or tamoxifen] with ribociclib or placebo. OS was evaluated with a stratified Cox proportional hazard model and summarized with Kaplan-Meier methods.

RESULTS

The intent-to-treat population included 672 patients. Median OS was 58.7 months with ribociclib versus 48.0 months with placebo [hazard ratio = 0.76; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.61-0.96]. Kaplan-Meier estimated OS at 48 months was 60% and 50% with ribociclib and placebo, respectively. Subgroup analyses were generally consistent with the OS benefit, including patients who received NSAI and patients aged less than 40 years. Subsequent antineoplastic therapies following discontinuation were balanced between the ribociclib (77%) and placebo (78%) groups. Use of cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors after discontinuation was higher with placebo (26%) versus ribociclib (13%). Time to first chemotherapy was significantly delayed with ribociclib versus placebo. No drug-drug interactions were observed between ribociclib and either NSAI.

CONCLUSIONS

Ribociclib plus ET continued to show significantly longer OS than ET alone in pre-/perimenopausal patients, including patients aged less than 40 years, with HR+/HER2- ABC with 53.5 months of median follow-up (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02278120).

Correlation between work productivity loss and EORTC QLQ-C30 and -BR23 domains from the MONALEESA-7 trial of premenopausal women with HR+/HER2− advanced breast cancer

Background:

The phase III MONALEESA-7 trial (NCT02278120) assessed ribociclib + endocrine therapy (ET) versus ET in premenopausal women with HR+/HER2− advanced breast cancer (ABC). The relationship between work productivity loss (WPL) and domains of European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life (EORTC QLQ-C30) and the breast cancer (BC)-specific module (QLQ-BR23) has not been explored in ABC. In this post hoc analysis (data cutoff, November 30, 2018), we assessed the correlation between the WPL component of the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment: General Health (WPAI:GH) questionnaire and EORTC QLQ-C30/BR23 domains.

Methods:

We analyzed EORTC and WPAI:GH data from 329 patients in both treatment arms of MONALEESA-7 who were employed during the trial. Separate univariable mixed-model repeated measures (MMRM) regression models were fitted for each domain, with WPL as dependent variable and each EORTC domain score as a single fixed-effect covariate. Linear and quadratic relationships were considered based on the Akaike information criterion. Next, two separate multivariable MMRM regression models were fitted with WPL a dependent variable and all QLQ-C30/BR23 domain scores as fixed-effect covariates. The strength of correlation between WPL and EORTC domains was assessed in terms of minimally important differences for the QLQ-C30/BR23 modules.

Results:

Our univariable analysis showed that greater WPL was statistically significantly associated with lower levels of overall quality of life (QoL) and other functional domains and with higher levels of all symptomatic domains of the QLQ-C30/BR23 modules. Our multivariable analysis determined that this correlation was primarily driven by changes in QoL; physical, role, social, and future perspective domains; and BC-specific symptomatic domains.

Conclusion:

This analysis determined the QoL domains that correlate with WPL in premenopausal patients with HR+/HER2− ABC. These results may inform prognostic tools to identify and characterize patients with greater risk for WPL and help design interventional strategies to minimize WPL.

Quality-of-life methodology in hormone receptor-positive advanced breast cancer: Current tools and perspectives for the future

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is increasingly recognized as important when evaluating cancer treatments. The use, reporting, and analysis of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), however, are not standardized in clinical trials and are often poorly implemented in clinical practice. We report the results of a systematic literature review (PubMed search: January 1, 2000 to August 15, 2020) of PROM use, reporting, and analysis in phase 3 clinical trials of hormone receptor-positive (HR+) advanced breast cancer (ABC). Further inspection of cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) inhibitor publications was performed to examine PROMs in the HR+/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative setting. A total of 88 results were identified in the initial search; 32 were included in the final analysis. Among included studies, most (66%) had been published in the last 5 years (2015 to 2020). CDK4/6 inhibitors (38%) were the most common agents reported. No clear standard for PROM use, reporting, or analysis was found. The most common PROMs were European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30; 59%) and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B; 34%). Important differences, among studies that reported them, ranged from 5 to 10 points for the EORTC QLQ-C30 and 8 points for the FACT-B total score. This review showed that a lack of clear consistency remains for PROM use, reporting, and analysis in phase 3 clinical trials of HR+ ABC. However, HRQOL is of high interest in the literature, including for CDK4/6 inhibitors.

De novo Metastatic Breast Cancer Arising in Young Women: Review of the Current Evidence

Women with metastatic breast cancer remains a heterogeneous group of patients with different prognostic outcomes and therapeutic needs. Young women with de novo metastatic breast cancer (dnMBC) represent a peculiar population with respect to tumor biology, prognosis, clinical management and survivorship issues. Overall, these patients are able to attain long-term survival with a proper management of both primary tumor and distant metastases. On the other hand, they are also at higher risk of experiencing a deterioration in their quality of life (QoL) due to primary cancer-related side effects. Young women are also likely to harbor germline pathogenic variants in cancer predisposition genes which could affect treatment decisions and have a direct impact on the lives of patients' relatives. The loco-regional management of the primary tumor represents another thorny subject, as the surgical approach has shown controversial effects on the survival and the QoL of these patients. This review aims to provide an update on these issues to better inform the clinical management of dnMBC in young women.

Quality of life of therapies for hormone receptor positive advanced/metastatic breast cancer: Regulatory aspects and clinical impact in Europe

In recent years, the number of trials incorporating health-related quality of life (HRQoL) data has increased. The impact of HRQoL on regulatory decision making in the European context and on clinical practice is not well established. We conducted an analysis of the role of QoL data extracted from the clinical trials of the drugs approved for hormone receptor positive/HER2-negative advanced/metastatic breast cancer (mBC). The results from the HRQoL were collected and a meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the impact of experimental drugs compared to standard treatments. The results showed a non-detrimental effect in HRQoL from the new treatments. As regards the approval process, from an examination of the European Medicine Agency (EMA) documents, HRQoL was reported nonextensively and contained and discussed in the European assessment reports (EPARs) for eleven trials in the approval process and cited in three cases in the EPARs and summary of medicinal product characteristics (SmPC). An effort should be made by all the stakeholders to increase the visibility of the HRQoL results in order to allow increased consideration in the approval process to make QoL data more easily and visibly available for the clinician and the patients. The evaluation should be reflected in the SmPC in order to increase the amount of information provided to the physician.

Full population results from the core phase of CompLEEment-1, a phase 3b study of ribociclib plus letrozole as first-line therapy for advanced breast cancer in an expanded population

PURPOSE

CompLEEment-1 is a phase 3b trial in an expanded patient population with hormone receptor-positive (HR +), human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-negative (HER2-) advanced breast cancer (ABC), the largest current trial of cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 inhibitors in ABC.

METHODS

Patients treated with ≤ 1 line of prior chemotherapy and no prior endocrine therapy for ABC received ribociclib 600 mg/day (3-weeks-on/1-week-off) plus letrozole 2.5 mg/day and additionally monthly goserelin/leuprolide in men and pre-/perimenopausal women. Eligibility criteria allowed inclusion of patients with stable CNS metastases and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 2. Primary objectives were safety and tolerability, and secondary objectives were efficacy and quality of life (QoL).

RESULTS

Overall, 3,246 patients were evaluated (median follow-up 25.4 months). Rates of all-grade and grade ≥ 3 treatment-related adverse events (AEs) were 95.2% and 67.5%, respectively. Treatment-related discontinuations due to all grade and grade ≥ 3 AEs occurred in 12.9% and 7.3% of patients, respectively. Rates of all-grade AEs of special interest (AESI) were as follows: neutropenia (74.5%), increased alanine aminotransferase (16.2%), increased aspartate aminotransferase (14.1%), and QTcF prolongation (6.7%); corresponding values for grade ≥ 3 AESI were 57.2%, 7.7%, 5.7%, and 1.0%, respectively. Median time to progression was 27.1 months (95% confidence interval, 25.7 to not reached). Patient QoL was maintained during treatment.

CONCLUSION

Safety and efficacy data in this expanded population were consistent with the MONALEESA-2 and MONALEESA-7 trials and support the use of ribociclib plus letrozole in the first-line setting for patients with HR + , HER2- ABC.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

linicalTrials.gov NCT02941926.

Endocrine Treatment and Targeted Therapy for Hormone Receptor-Positive, Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer: ASCO Guideline Update

PURPOSE

To update recommendations of the ASCO systemic therapy for hormone receptor (HR)-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) guideline.

METHODS

An Expert Panel conducted a systematic review to identify new, potentially practice-changing data.

RESULTS

Fifty-one articles met eligibility criteria and form the evidentiary basis for the recommendations.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Alpelisib in combination with endocrine therapy (ET) should be offered to postmenopausal patients, and to male patients, with HR-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative, PIK3CA-mutated, ABC, or MBC following prior endocrine therapy with or without a cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitor. Clinicians should use next-generation sequencing in tumor tissue or cell-free DNA in plasma to detect PIK3CA mutations. If no mutation is found in cell-free DNA, testing in tumor tissue, if available, should be used as this will detect a small number of additional patients with PIK3CA mutations. There are insufficient data at present to recommend routine testing for ESR1 mutations to guide therapy for HR-positive, HER2-negative MBC. For BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carriers with metastatic HER2-negative breast cancer, olaparib or talazoparib should be offered in the 1st-line through 3rd-line setting. A nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor (AI) and a CDK4/6 inhibitor should be offered to postmenopausal women with treatment-naïve HR-positive MBC. Fulvestrant and a CDK4/6 inhibitor should be offered to patients with progressive disease during treatment with AIs (or who develop a recurrence within 1 year of adjuvant AI therapy) with or without one line of prior chemotherapy for metastatic disease, or as first-line therapy. Treatment should be limited to those without prior exposure to CDK4/6 inhibitors in the metastatic setting.Additional information can be found at www.asco.org/breast-cancer-guidelines.

First-Line Treatment with a Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 4/6 Inhibitor Plus an Aromatase Inhibitor for Metastatic Breast Cancer in Alberta

In this analysis, we describe population-based outcomes for first-line treatment with a cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor (CDK4/6i) combined with an aromatase inhibitor (AI). All patients who were prescribed CDK4/6i + AI from January 2016 through June 2019 were included. Patient demographics, tumour and treatment characteristics were collected and described. Survival distributions were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method. Multivariate analysis (MVA) was constructed to examine associations between potentially prognostic clinical variables and progression-free survival (PFS). In total, 316 patients were included. The median age was 61 years. After a median follow-up of 28.1 months, the median PFS was 37.9 months (95% CI, 26.7–NR). In the MVA, PR-negative tumour (HR, 2.37; 95% CI, 1.45–3.88; p = 0.001) and CDK4/6i dose reduction (HR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.06–2.16; p = 0.022) predicted worse PFS. Median overall survival (OS) was not reached. The 30-month and 36-month OS rates were 74% and 68%, respectively. Of patients who progressed, 89% received second-line treatment. Median time to progression on second-line chemotherapy was 9.0 (5.8–17.6) months, and median time to progression on second-line hormonal therapy +/− targeted agent was 4.0 (3.4–8.6) months (p = 0.012). CDK4/6i + AI as first-line treatment for HR-positive, HER2-negative MBC in Alberta is justified based on favourable PFS and early OS outcomes.

Biases in study design, implementation, and data analysis that distort the appraisal of clinical benefit and ESMO-Magnitude of Clinical Benefit Scale (ESMO-MCBS) scoring

Background

The European Society for Medical Oncology-Magnitude of Clinical Benefit Scale (ESMO-MCBS) is a validated, widely used tool developed to score the clinical benefit from cancer medicines reported in clinical trials. ESMO-MCBS scores assume valid research methodologies and quality trial implementation. Studies incorporating flawed design, implementation, or data analysis may generate outcomes that exaggerate true benefit and are not generalisable. Failure to either indicate or penalise studies with bias undermines the intention and diminishes the integrity of ESMO-MCBS scores. This review aimed to evaluate the adequacy of the ESMO-MCBS to address bias generated by flawed design, implementation, or data analysis and identify shortcomings in need of amendment.

Methods

As part of a refinement of the ESMO-MCBS, we reviewed trial design, implementation, and data analysis issues that could bias the results. For each issue of concern, we reviewed the ESMO-MCBS v1.1 approach against standards derived from Helsinki guidelines for ethical human research and guidelines from the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use, the Food and Drugs Administration, the European Medicines Agency, and European Network for Health Technology Assessment.

Results

Six design, two implementation, and two data analysis and interpretation issues were evaluated and in three, the ESMO-MCBS provided adequate protections. Seven shortcomings in the ability of the ESMO-MCBS to identify and address bias were identified. These related to (i) evaluation of the control arm, (ii) crossover issues, (iii) criteria for non-inferiority, (iv) substandard post-progression treatment, (v) post hoc subgroup findings based on biomarkers, (vi) informative censoring, and (vii) publication bias against quality-of-life data.

Conclusion

Interpretation of the ESMO-MCBS scores requires critical appraisal of trials to understand caveats in trial design, implementation, and data analysis that may have biased results and conclusions. These will be addressed in future iterations of the ESMO-MCBS.

•

We reviewed trial design, implementation, and data analysis issues that could bias the results of trials.

•

These issues could skew the results of ESMO-MCBS scores.

•

Six design, two implementation, and two analysis issues were reviewed, and seven shortcomings were identified.

•

These issues will be addressed in future versions of the MCBS scale.

•

Interpretation of MCBS scores requires critical appraisal of trials.

Update Breast Cancer 2020 Part 5 - Moving Therapies From Advanced to Early Breast Cancer Patients

In recent years, significant progress has been made in new therapeutic approaches to breast cancer, particularly in patients with HER2-positive and HER2-negative/hormone receptor-positive (HR+) breast cancer. In the case of HER2-positive tumours, these approaches have included, in particular, treatment with pertuzumab, T-DM1, neratinib and, soon, also tucatinib and trastuzumab deruxtecan (neither of which has yet been authorised in Europe). In patients with HER2-/HR+ breast cancer, CDK4/6 inhibitors and the PIK3CA inhibitor alpelisib are of particular importance. Further novel therapies, such as Akt kinase inhibitors and oral SERDs (selective estrogen receptor down regulators), are already being investigated in ongoing clinical trials. These therapeutic agents are not only being introduced into curative, (neo-)adjuvant therapeutic settings for HER2-positive tumours; a first favourable study on abemaciclib as an adjuvant therapy has now also been published. In patients with triple-negative breast cancer, after many years of negative study results with the Trop-2 antibody drug conjugate (ADC) sacituzumab govitecan, a randomised study has been published that may represent a significant therapeutic advance. This review describes the latest developments in breast cancer subsequent to the ESMO Congress 2020.

Cost-effectiveness of ribociclib plus endocrine therapy versus placebo plus endocrine therapy in HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer

BACKGROUND: The 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology guidelines recommend first-line treatment of hormone receptor (HR)-positive breast cancer with endocrine therapy plus or minus palbociclib, a selective cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)4/6 inhibitor. In 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved ribociclib, a new orally available selective CDK4/6 inhibitor. While gains in progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) from ribociclib are important for clinical and treatment outcomes, trade-offs in adverse events (AEs) and additional costs necessitate cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) to assist consideration by third-party payer systems, physicians, and patients. OBJECTIVES: To (a) develop a Markov model and (b) determine the cost-effectiveness of ribociclib plus endocrine therapy versus endocrine therapy alone as treatment for premenopausal and perimenopausal patients with HR-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer. METHODS: A lifetime 3-state Markov model ("stable," "progressed," and "dead" health states) was developed using a U.S. payer perspective. Transition probabilities were calculated based on OS and PFS outcomes from the randomized controlled phase 3 trial MONALEESA-7. These Kaplan-Meier curves were extended to lifetime by estimating best-fit distributions using loglogistic distribution for ribociclib curves and Weibull distribution for placebo curves. Costs were obtained from national data sources using 2019 U.S. dollars (USD) and discounted by 3%. Utilities were obtained via published breast cancer literature and were included for each health state and for time spent with each AE. Results were expressed as an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) expressed as USD per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) saved. Treatments were assumed to be cost-effective based on a willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold of $150,000 per QALY gained. Base-case, 1-way sensitivity tornado diagrams and probabilistic sensitivity analyses demonstrated changes in the ICER and were driven by the cost of ribociclib and the utility of remaining in the stable health state. RESULTS: Ribociclib plus endocrine therapy was cost-effective at an ICER of $124,513 per QALY when compared with endocrine therapy alone at a WTP threshold of $150,000. The ribociclib plus endocrine therapy arm had an effectiveness of 5.28 QALYs and a total cost of $385,112, while placebo plus endocrine therapy provided only 2.46 QALYs at a lower total cost of $67.246. The model was sensitive to the cost of ribociclib and the utility of time spent in the stable health state. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis demonstrated that endocrine therapy alone was cost-effective until a WTP of $125,000 and was cost-effective 72% of the time at the WTP threshold. CONCLUSIONS: Ribociclib plus endocrine therapy is more cost-effective than endocrine therapy alone. Professionals in managed care settings should consider the pharmacoeconomic benefits of ribociclib for the treatment of HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer as they make value-based formulary decisions. Further CEAs should be considered as direct treatment comparison trials between CDK4/6 inhibitors are completed in the future. DISCLOSURES: No outside funding supported this study. The authors have nothing to disclose.