Precision medicine in extended adjuvant endocrine therapy for breast cancer

In this review, the evolving role of currently available genomic assays for hormone receptor-positive, early-stage breast cancer in the selection of patients for extended adjuvant endocrine therapy will be discussed.

Several studies have investigated the prognostic performance of the Oncotype DX, Breast Cancer Index (BCI), Prosigna, and EndoPredict genomic assays in the late recurrence setting (>5 years after diagnosis), beyond standardly used clinicopathologic parameters, with mixed results. Recently, BCI has also been validated to predict the likelihood of benefit from extended endocrine therapy, though certain data limitations may need to be addressed to justify routine use in clinical practice.

Even after 5 years of adjuvant endocrine therapy, patients with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer have a significant risk for late recurrence, including distant metastases, that might be prevented with longer durations of endocrine therapy. However, the added toxicity and variable benefit derived from extended endocrine therapy make optimal patient selection crucial. Genomic assays are in development to risk-stratify patients for late recurrence and determine efficacy of extended endocrine therapy, with the aim to help guide extended endocrine therapy decisions for clinicians and individualize treatment strategies for patients.