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Published on: August 12, 2015
Impact of BRCA Mutation on Treatment Outcomes of Endocrine Therapy ± CDK4/6 Inhibitors in Hormone
Hamdy A Azim1, Hagar Elghazawy2, Kyrillus S Shohdy3
1Clinical Oncology Department, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
Purpose:
The prognostic significance of BRCA1/2 mutation and RB1 alteration (Alt) in patients with hormone receptor-positive (HR+)/human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-negative (HER2-) breast cancer (BC) treated with endocrine therapy (ET) ± cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) remains unresolved. This meta-analysis aimed to define their influence on therapy outcomes in the early and metastatic stages.
Materials And Methods:
We systematically searched PubMed, Cochrane, and Google Scholar databases. Primary end points included disease-free (or progression-free) survival (DFS/PFS) and overall survival (OS) according to BRCA1/2 mutation or RB1 Alt status. A separate analysis of individual-patient data for metastatic HR+/HER2- BC extracted from MSK-MET project was performed.
Results:
Twenty-two studies comprising 34,960 patients were eligible for meta-analysis. In the early setting, in eight studies (n = 7,857 patients with HR+ BC received ET), BRCA1/2 mutant type (MT) was associated with a marginally significant worse DFS (hazard ratio, 1.64 [95% CI, 1 to 2.69]; P = .05) and a significantly worse OS (hazard ratio, 1.52 [95% CI, 1.20 to 1.92]; P = .0006) versus BRCA wild-type (WT). In the metastatic setting, in 11 studies (n = 12,670 patients received ET+ CDK4/6i), BRCA1/2 mutation was associated with a significantly worse PFS (hazard ratio, 1.87 [95% CI, 1.45 to 2.41]; P < .00001) and OS (hazard ratio, 1.38 [95% CI, 1.15 to 1.65]; P = .0005) versus BRCA WT. The individual-patient data confirmed the poorer prognosis of BRCA2 MT and RB1 Alt, but not BRCA1 MT, and a significant co-occurrence of RB1 loss of heterozygosity (LOH) among BRCA2 MT carriers.
Conclusion:
The current analysis adds to the body of evidence supporting the inferior outcomes of ET± CDK4/6i in BRCA MT compared with BRCA WT. Given its significant coexistence with RB1 LOH, BRCA2 MT BC seems uniquely resistant to ET± CDK4/6i, a point that is profoundly different from sporadic or even BRCA1 MT HR+/HER2- BC.
Insights
BRCA1/2 mutations and RB1 alterations are linked to worse outcomes in hormone receptor-positive breast cancer treated with endocrine therapy and CDK4/6 inhibitors. BRCA2 mutations, in particular, indicate resistance to these treatments.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Genetics
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Hormone receptor-positive (HR+)/human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-negative (HER2-) breast cancer (BC) is the most common subtype.
- Endocrine therapy (ET) ± cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) are standard treatments for HR+/HER2- BC.
- The prognostic role of BRCA1/2 mutations and RB1 alterations in this context is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the prognostic significance of BRCA1/2 mutations and RB1 alterations in HR+/HER2- BC patients.
- To determine the impact of these genetic alterations on outcomes with ET ± CDK4/6i in both early and metastatic settings.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search of PubMed, Cochrane, and Google Scholar.
- Meta-analysis of 22 studies including 34,960 patients.
- Individual-patient data analysis from the MSK-MET project for metastatic BC.
Main Results:
- BRCA1/2 mutations were associated with worse disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in the early setting (ET).
- In the metastatic setting (ET + CDK4/6i), BRCA1/2 mutations significantly worsened progression-free survival (PFS) and OS.
- Individual-patient data confirmed poorer prognosis for BRCA2 mutations and RB1 alterations, with frequent RB1 loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in BRCA2-mutated cases.
Conclusions:
- BRCA1/2 mutations are associated with inferior outcomes in HR+/HER2- BC treated with ET ± CDK4/6i.
- BRCA2-mutated BC, especially with RB1 LOH, shows unique resistance to ET ± CDK4/6i, differing from sporadic or BRCA1-mutated BC.
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