The role of abemaciclib in treatment of advanced breast cancer

• Main Authors: Amelia McCartney, Erica Moretti, Giuseppina Sanna, Marta Pestrin, Emanuela Risi, Luca Malorni, Laura Biganzoli, Angelo Di Leo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publishing 2018-05-01
• Series: Therapeutic Advances in Medical Oncology
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1177/1758835918776925

Until recently, the mainstay of treatment in the majority of hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor 2 receptor (HER2)-negative advanced breast cancer (ABC) has consisted of single-agent endocrine therapy (ET). However, as understanding of endocrine resistance has grown, newer targeted agents have come to the fore. Inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinase complexes 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) combined with ET has shown significant activity in HR+ HER2− ABC, with impressive results in terms of progression-free survival (PFS) when compared with ET alone. This review summarizes the seminal findings pertaining to CDK4/6 inhibition in this population, specifically focusing on abemaciclib, contrasted with palbociclib and ribociclib. Potential directions for future studies are discussed, as a way of addressing outstanding issues such as establishing optimal treatment sequencing and agent combinations, appropriate patient selection to derive maximal benefits, predictive biomarkers and the employment of CDK4/6 inhibition beyond the ABC setting.