Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024;20(34):2647-2659.
doi: 10.1080/14796694.2024.2388022. Epub 2024 Sep 5.

Patterns and outcomes in HR+/HER2- advanced/metastatic breast cancer patients in Brazil receiving palbociclib

Patricia Simon  1 , Ankita Jain  1 , Alexandra Guarin  1 , Luciana Piton  1 , Carla Fabrine Carvalho  2 , Júlia Lima  2 , Felipe Nazareth  2
Affiliations

Patterns and outcomes in HR+/HER2- advanced/metastatic breast cancer patients in Brazil receiving palbociclib

Patricia Simon et al. Future Oncol. 2024.

Abstract

Aim: To outline the demographic and clinical features, treatment approaches and clinical outcomes of patients treated with palbociclib as the initial therapy for HR+/HER2- advanced or metastatic breast cancer (aBC/mBC) in private healthcare facilities in Brazil.Materials & methods: This study involved a retrospective review conducted from June 2022 to May 2023.Results: The study included 121 patients, with an average age of 54.4 years, and 82 (67.7%) were menopausal at the time of diagnosis. Of these, 51 patients (42.1%) were treated with palbociclib and fulvestrant, while 67 patients (55.8%) received palbociclib and aromatase inhibitors. Most patients (65.3%) did not need to adjust their doses. The progression-free survival rates were 78% at 6 months and 60% at 12 months. Overall survival rates were 86% at 6 months and 70% at 12 months.Conclusion: Palbociclib combinations show promising effectiveness in managing HR+/HER2- advanced or metastatic breast cancer.

Keywords: metastatic breast cancer; overall survival; palbociclib; progression-free survival; real-world.

Plain language summary

Treatment & results in Brazilian women with advanced or metastatic breast cancer given palbociclibBreast cancer is a major health issue worldwide, and it is the most common cancer among women in Brazil, with death rates on the rise. A significant portion of breast cancer cases are hormone receptor-positive (HR+) and HER2-negative (HER2-), making targeted treatments essential. One such treatment is palbociclib, a medication that inhibits Cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 (CDK4/6), enzymes important in cell division. Clinical trials such as PALOMA-1, PALOMA-2 and PALOMA-3 have shown that palbociclib can help patients with advanced or metastatic HR+/HER2- breast cancer live longer without their disease getting worse. Studies in real-world settings around the world have confirmed these benefits, evaluating how well the treatment works over time. Palbociclib was approved for use in Brazil in 2018. This study looks back at the records of women treated with palbociclib in private healthcare settings in the country. It aims to provide crucial information which can help guide future treatment decisions.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no competing interests or relevant affiliations with any organization or entity with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Kaplan–Meier curve of the progression free survival. Time to death regards the time interval from the initiation date of palbociclib treatment to date of death or end of follow-up. Progression free survival is defined as the time from palbociclib combination treatment initiation until the earliest of: clinician-documented progression while on palbociclib, death, start of a new therapy line after the final palbociclib dose if the reason for discontinuation of palbociclib was disease progression, or last available follow-up.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Kaplan–Meier curve of the overall survival. Time to death regards the time interval from palbociclib combination treatment initiation to date of death or end of follow-up.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ferlay J, Shin HR, Bray F, et al. . Estimates of worldwide burden of cancer in 2008: GLOBOCAN 2008. Int J Cancer. 2010;127(12):2893–2917. doi:10.1002/ijc.25516 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Carioli G, La Vecchia C, Bertuccio P, et al. . Cancer mortality predictions for 2017 in Latin America. Ann Oncol Off J Eur Soc Med Oncol. 2017;28(9):2286–2297. doi:10.1093/annonc/mdx301 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Estimativa 2020 - | INCA - Instituto Nacional de Câncer. https://www.inca.gov.br/estimativa

    2. • National document of cancer estimates in Brazil.

    1. Finn RS, Crown JP, Lang I, et al. . The cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor palbociclib in combination with letrozole versus letrozole alone as first-line treatment of oestrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative, advanced breast cancer (PALOMA-1/TRIO-18): a randomised Phase II study. Lancet Oncol. 2015;16(1):25–35. doi:10.1016/S1470-2045(14)71159-3 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Finn RS, Martin M, Rugo HS, et al. . Palbociclib and letrozole in advanced breast cancer. N Engl J Med. 2016;375(20):1925–1936. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1607303 - DOI - PubMed

MeSH terms

Grants and funding