Abstract:
Abstract: Background In the first-line salvage treatment of advanced hormone receptor positive (HR+)/HER2 negative (HER2-) breast cancer, the optimal endocrine combination regimen for CDK4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) remains unclear. Objective To compare the efficacy and safety of CDK4/6i combined with aromatase inhibitors (AI) or Fulvestrant as first-line salvage therapy in patients with HR+ /HER2- advanced breast cancer.Methods Patients diagnosed with HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer at the Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from October 2018 to June 2024 were enrolled. Based on the first-linesalvage therapy regimen, patients were divided into AI combination group (CDK4/6i combined with AI) and Fulvestrant combination group (CDK4/6i combined with Fulvestrant). The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS), and secondary
endpoints included objective response rate (ORR), clinical benefit rate (CBR), and safety. Results Totally 202 patients were enrolled, with 102 cases in the AI combination group and 100 cases in the Fulvestrant combination group. There were no statistically significant differences in ORR (32.4% vs 28.0%, P=0.500), CBR (83.3% vs 81.0%, P=0.665) and the median PFS (18.0 vs 13.0 months, HR=0.75, 95% CI: 0.54-1.03, P=0.067) between the AI combination group and the Fulvestrant combination group. In patients whose DFI≥24 months, the median PFS was 19 months in the AI combination group, which was superior to 13 months in the Fulvestrant combination group (HR=0.64, 95% CI: 0.44-0.94, P=0.019). The most common adverse events in the AI and Fulvestrant combination groups were neutropenia (72.5% vs 70.0%), leukopenia (70.6% vs 69.0%), and anemia (38.2% vs 29.0%). The most common grade 3/4 adverse events were neutropenia (35.3% vs 38.0%). There were 25 patients (12.4%) showing a dose reduction of CDK4/6i or endocrine drugs due to adverse events, and the dose reduction rate was 6.9% in the AI combination group and 18.0% in the Fulvestrant combination group, with statistically significant difference (P=0.016). Conclusion In first-line salvage therapy for HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer, both AI and Fulvestrant are viable endocrine combination options with CDK4/6 inhibitors, exhibiting good safety profiles. For patients whose DFI≥24 months, the combination of CDK4/6i and AI may achieve better efficacy, and this combined regimen can maintain the targeted therapy dose of CDK4/6i.