A new drug may offer fresh hope to patients with advanced breast cancer that has become resistant to standard treatments, according to a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
The SERENA-6 trial found that the camizestrant drug significantly improves progression-free survival for patients with ESR1-mutated, hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, the most common type of advanced breast cancer.
About 40% of patients with this cancer develop ESR1 mutations, making current treatments like aromatase inhibitors less effective. Camizestrant directly degrades oestrogen receptors, allowing treatment to stay effective even with these mutations.
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In the study, 3,256 patients were screened using circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) tests for ESR1 mutations. Of these, the 315 who tested positive and showed no radiologic progression were enrolled. About half the patients were given the oral drug camizestrant, while the other half continued their usual treatment.
The study showed that, after about a year, those taking camizestrant had a progression-free survival of 16 months, compared to just 9 months for patients on standard therapy. Nearly 30% of patients on camizestrant remained progression-free after two years, versus only 5% in the control group. In addition to delaying disease progression, camizestrant also helped patients maintain their quality of life for a longer period.
The researchers also found that camizestrant was well tolerated, with very few patients complaining of side effects like neutropenia (low white blood cell counts) and photopsia (flashes of light).
