> Emerging Areas in the Treatment of Metastatic Breast Cancer
Many new treatments for metastatic breast cancer are under study. Most of these treatments are drug therapies. Some focus on treating the entire body, while others focus on the breast, chest wall and nearby lymph nodes. Findings from studies of these therapies will determine whether they become a part of standard care for metastatic breast cancer.
After talking with your health care provider, we strongly encourage you to consider joining a clinical trial of new treatments for metastatic breast cancer.
Learn more about clinical trials.
Bisphosphonates
There is promising but controversial evidence that bisphosphonates may lower the risk of bone disease in women with metastatic breast cancer that hasn't yet spread to the bones [118-119]. Because these are early findings and much more research is needed, bisphosphonate therapy for the prevention of bone metastases should only be taken as part of a clinical trial.
Learn more about bisphosphonates.
Tyrosine-kinase inhibitors
Tyrosine-kinase inhibitors are targeted therapies for cancer. Although some tyrosine-kinase inhibitors are used to treat other types of cancer, lapatinib (Tykerb) is the only one FDA-approved for the treatment of breast cancer. Lapatinib is only used to treat HER2/neu-positive metastatic breast cancer.
Other tyrosine-kinase inhibitors are under study for use in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.
Learn more about lapatinib in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.
Pertuzumab
Pertuzumab is an antibody that targets HER2/neu-positive cancer cells. Recent findings from a randomized controlled trial showed pertuzumab in combination with trastuzumab and chemotherapy slowed the growth of HER2/neu-positive metastatic breast cancer better than treatment with trastuzumab and chemotherapy alone [168]. At this time, pertuzumab is still under study and only available in a clinical trial.
mTOR inhibitors
mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) inhibitors are a class of targeted therapy drugs under study as a way to increase the benefit of hormone therapy. Hormone therapy is usually the first treatment for metastatic cancers that are hormone receptor-positive. Recent findings showed the combination of the mTOR inhibitor everolimus (Afinitor, Novartis) and the aromatase inhibitor exemestane slowed the growth of hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer better than exemestane alone [169]. Although everolimus is FDA-approved for treating other types of cancer, at this time, it is not approved for treating breast cancer and is only available in a clinical trial.
PARP inhibitors
Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors are a new class of drugs under study for many types of cancer, including breast cancer. PARP is an enzyme involved in DNA repair. Some chemotherapy drugs damage DNA. Adding a PARP inhibitor to these chemotherapy plans may lower the chances that cancer cells become resistant to the chemotherapy.
At present, PARP inhibitors are only offered in clinical trials for people with metastatic breast cancer. Early findings suggest that PARP inhibitors hold the most promise for BRCA1 and BRCA2 carriers, although clinical trials with non-carriers are still ongoing [38]. Some findings suggest they may hold promise for triple negative metastatic breast cancers [120].
Read comments on the potential uses of PARP inhibitors from our Chief Scientific Advisor, Dr. Eric Winer.
Bevacizumab (Avastin) and other anti-angiogenesis drugs
Bevacizumab (Avastin) blocks angiogenesis, which is the growth of new blood vessels. Without a blood supply, the cancer cannot grow.
Although early data found bevacizumab offered benefit to women with HER2/neu-positive metastatic breast cancer, longer-term follow-up data did not confirm these findings [110-111]. In November 2011, the FDA revoked its approval for the use of bevacizumab in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer [112]. However, bevacizumab and other anti-angiogenesis are still under study for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer and for treatment in the neoadjuvant setting for early breast cancer. Bevacizumab is still FDA-approved for use in other cancers.
Our commitment to research
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| At Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, we are committed to ending breast cancer forever by energizing science to find the cures and ensuring quality care for all people, everywhere. Our global research and grants programs are essential driving forces for achieving this mission. A Komen for the Cure grant has touched every major breast cancer breakthrough and major scientists of the past 29 years—including three Nobel Prize winners. Funding for discoveries in genetics and biology has evolved into personalized, less invasive treatments for what was once a “one-treatment-fits-all” disease. Learn more about the exciting research we are funding. |
Clinical trials
Many new drugs for advanced breast cancer are being studied in clinical trials. The following websites may be helpful in finding a list of trials:
National Cancer Institute (NCI) clinical trials website
http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/
National Institutes of Health (NIH) clinical trials websites
http://www.cc.nih.gov/
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/
BreastCancerTrials.org
http://www.breastcancertrials.org
CenterWatch clinical trials listing service
http://www.centerwatch.com/
Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups
http://www.cancertrialshelp.org/
ECancerTrials.com clinical trials matching and referral services
http://ecancertrials.com/
Ask your health care team about joining a clinical trial. If your medical center does not offer clinical trials, you may want to get a referral to a cancer center with access to emerging treatments.
Learn more about clinical trials.
Updated 02/08/12
