A plain language summary of the ASCENT study: Sacituzumab Govitecan for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer

Sacituzumab Govitecan (also known by the brand name TRODELVY^®) is a new and available treatment for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer, or mTNBC for short. Metastatic breast cancer means the breast cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Triple negative means the breast cancer does not have 3 common proteins on the cell surface called receptors. This is a summary of the ASCENT study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in April 2021. This study compared Sacituzumab Govitecan with standard chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is a treatment that kills cancer cells or stops them from dividing. 529 people with mTNBC took part in the study across 7 countries. All who took part had already received 2 previous chemotherapies, which stopped working for their cancer. The study showed that patients who took Sacituzumab Govitecan lived longer than those who took a different chemotherapy while on the study. Tumors shrank in more patients who took Sacituzumab Govitecan than in patients who took chemotherapy. In general, patients who took Sacituzumab Govitecan experienced more side effects. This included low levels of a type of white blood cell known as neutrophils (neutropenia) and loose or watery stool (diarrhea). Use of supportive care lessened these side effects. This summary also includes insights and perspectives from 2 breast cancer patient advocates. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT number: NCT02574455. To read the full Plain Language Summary of this article, click on the View Article button above and download the PDF. Link to original article here.