Park and Graff Explore the Evolving Role of CDK4/6 Inhibitors in Metastatic Breast Cancer

In Oncology Unplugged, a podcast series from MedNews Week, host Chandler Park, MD, a medical oncologist at the Norton Cancer Institute in Louisville, Kentucky, talks through advancements in breast cancer management with Stephanie L. Graff, MD, FACP, FASCO, the director of Breast Oncology at Lifespan Cancer Institute in Providence, Rhode Island.

In this episode, Drs Park and Graff discuss the evolution of treatment for patients with metastatic hormone receptor (HR)–positive breast cancer, with a focus on the role of CDK4/6 inhibitors in treatment sequencing. Dr Graff highlights findings from the phase 3 postMONARCH trial (NCT05169567), which evaluated the continuation of CDK4/6 inhibition with abemaciclib (Verzenio) in combination with fulvestrant (Faslodex) following progression on a prior CDK4/6 inhibitor in patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer. She emphasizes that the study demonstrated a significant improvement in progression-free survival with the addition of abemaciclib to fulvestrant vs fulvestrant alone, supporting the use of CDK4/6 inhibitors beyond first-line treatment, irrespective of the initial agent used.

Drs Park and Graff also examine the potential future directions for CDK4/6 inhibitors in combination with other targeted therapies, such as PI3K inhibitors and selective estrogen receptor degraders. Additionally, Dr Graff underscores the significance of ongoing trials, including the phase 3 EMBER-3 trial (NCT04975308) of imlunestrant (LY3484356) in patients with estrogen receptor–positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer.