Dr. Tripathy on Combination Strategies With CDK4/6 Inhibitors in HR+ Breast Cancer

Debu Tripathy, MD, professor and chairman, Department of Breast Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses combination strategies with CDK4/6 inhibitors for the treatment of patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive breast cancer.

There is a lot of interest in combining CDK4/6 inhibitors with other biological therapies, says Tripathy. In the neoMONARCH study, patients received neoadjuvant abemaciclib (Verzenio) and endocrine therapy. The biopsies that were done after patients had been on therapy showed the development of an immune infiltrate with T cells in the tumor. That has heightened the interest in immunotherapy combinations, explains Tripathy.

There has been some interest in combining CDK inhibitors with other targeted therapies such as signal transduction inhibitors like PI3 kinase inhibitors. Those trials are underway, says Tripathy. Though the data show that those agents can be given safely, physicians will need later phase trials to understand the benefits.