LETROZOLE IMPROVES PROGRESSION-FREE SURVIVAL OF POSTMENOPAUSAL PATIENTS WITH ADVANCED BREAST CANCER TREATED WITH...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Medical Physics
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Advanced breast cancer (aBC) often develops resistance to standard therapies due to PI3K pathway hyperactivation, frequently caused by PIK3CA gene mutations.
• This resistance poses a significant challenge in treating postmenopausal women with luminal B aBC.
• Investigating novel therapeutic combinations is crucial to overcome treatment resistance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of combining pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD), mild magnetothermy (MT), and letrozole in improving survival outcomes for postmenopausal aBC patients with PIK3CA mutations.
• To compare the treatment outcomes of PLD + MT + letrozole versus PLD + MT alone in this patient population.

Main Methods:

• A study involving postmenopausal aBC patients who had progressed on prior therapies.
• Group 1 received PLD + MT every 28 days for 4 courses plus daily letrozole for 4 months.
• Group 2 received PLD + MT without letrozole; each group was stratified by PIK3CA status (mutant vs. wild-type).

Main Results:

• The combination of PLD + MT + letrozole demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) compared to PLD + MT alone.
• Median PFS in Group 1 was 10.6 months versus 8.9 months in Group 2 (p = 0.005).
• Sensitivity analyses confirmed improved PFS in patients with wild-type PIK3CA receiving the combination therapy.

Conclusions:

• The combination of PLD, MT, and letrozole is a more effective treatment strategy for postmenopausal aBC patients.
• This enhanced efficacy was observed irrespective of the patient's PIK3CA gene status.
• The findings support the potential of this combined approach in overcoming treatment resistance in aBC.