New breast cancer treatment prolongs survival, slows disease progression
What's the story
A new combination therapy has shown promise in treating aggressive, advanced breast cancer.
The treatment includes two targeted drugs (inavolisib and palbociclib) and a hormone therapy (fulvestrant).
It extended overall survival by an average of seven months compared to patients in the control group, who received palbociclib and fulvestrant.
It also delayed disease progression by 17.2 months, longer than the control group's 7.3 months.
Treatment extension
Triple therapy delays need for further chemotherapy
The new treatment regimen also delayed the need for subsequent chemotherapy by nearly two years, compared to patients in the control group.
The study was funded by Roche and presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago.
It involved 325 patients from 28 countries, including the US, UK, Australia, Singapore, Brazil, France, and Germany.
Treatment effectiveness
Triple therapy shows potential for targeting common breast cancer
The triple therapy has shown potential in targeting PIK3CA-mutated HR+, HER2- breast cancer, a common form of the disease.
About 70% of patients have HR+, HER2- breast cancer and PIK3CA mutations are found in 35%-40% of these cases.
These mutations are linked to tumor growth, disease progression, and treatment resistance.
Treatment breakthrough
Study identifies targeted treatment regimen for breast cancer
Dr. Jane Lowe Meisel, co-director of breast medical oncology at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, said the INAVO120 trial has identified a targeted treatment regimen that significantly improves survival in patients with untreated PIK3CA-mutated hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer.
The study also found a significant reduction in cancer growth in around 62.7% of patients in the triple therapy group compared to 28% in the control group.
Patient response
Inavolisib-based therapy well tolerated by patients
The new drug inavolisib works by blocking the activity of the PIK3CA protein.
The combination with inavolisib was generally well tolerated, with only a few patients experiencing side effects that led them to discontinue treatment.
Nick Turner, Professor of Molecular Oncology at the Institute of Cancer Research, London and Consultant Medical Oncologist at Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, led the UK arm of the trial.