Common Breast Cancer Streets May Find Reprieve with AstraZeneca Medication
In a groundbreaking development, AstraZeneca's experimental drug, camizestrant (AZD9833), is making waves in the fight against breast cancer. This oral selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) is currently in Phase III clinical trials, targeting hormone receptor-positive (HR+), HER2-negative advanced breast cancer.
Camizestrant is designed to degrade estrogen receptors, including mutant forms of ESR1, a gene that often causes resistance to initial hormone therapy. By doing so, camizestrant aims to extend the benefit of first-line therapy, delaying or overcoming resistance in patients with HR+, HER2-negative breast cancer.
The ongoing Phase III trial, presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting, involves 3,256 participants with advanced breast cancer. The study compares the use of camizestrant in combination with the CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib to standard therapy (anastrozole plus palbociclib) as a first-line systemic treatment.
Preliminary results suggest that camizestrant could significantly improve outcomes for patients. Those who were switched to camizestrant had a median of 16 months without disease progression or death, compared to 9.2 months for those in the control arm. This represents a reduction in the risk of disease progression or death by more than half.
The focus of the study is on a common type of breast cancer that becomes resistant to treatment due to changes in the ESR1 gene. About 40% of patients whose breast cancer is responsive to hormone therapy develop ESR1 mutations during their initial therapy.
AstraZeneca is also investigating camizestrant in combination with other agents, such as the PARP inhibitor AZD5305, in advanced solid tumors. This could potentially broaden the drug's applicability or enhance its efficacy.
While the exact clinical benefit data from Phase III trials specific to patients developing ESR1 mutations during initial therapy is pending, the preliminary mechanistic rationale and trial design suggest camizestrant may delay resistance and prolong response in this population.
Other SERDs, such as Orserdu (approved in the U.S. in 2023), as well as drugs from Eli Lilly and Roche, and a different kind of degrader from Pfizer and Arvinas, are in late-stage testing. These developments indicate a growing interest in SERDs as a potential solution for breast cancer patients who develop ESR1 mutations.
In conclusion, camizestrant holds promise as an effective option for extending the benefit of first-line endocrine therapy in HR+, HER2-negative breast cancer patients who develop ESR1 mutations, pending confirmation by ongoing Phase III results. The study also highlights camizestrant's potential to improve quality of life for patients compared to current hormone therapies. AstraZeneca plans to use the data presented at ASCO to request regulatory approval for camizestrant.
- AstraZeneca's experimental drug, camizestrant (AZD9833), is being researched as a potential solution for breast cancer patients who develop ESR1 mutations.
- Camizestrant, an oral selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD), targets hormone receptor-positive (HR+), HER2-negative advanced breast cancer.
- The ongoing Phase III trial of camizestrant involves 3,256 participants with advanced breast cancer, comparing it to standard therapy in a first-line systemic treatment.
- Preliminary results indicate that camizestrant could significantly improve outcomes for patients, with a median of 16 months without disease progression or death, compared to 9.2 months for the control arm.
- The focus of the study is on a common type of breast cancer that becomes resistant to treatment due to changes in the ESR1 gene, with about 40% of patients developing ESR1 mutations during their initial therapy.
- AstraZeneca is also investigating camizestrant in combination with other agents, such as the PARP inhibitor AZD5305, in advanced solid tumors.
- The FDA is likely to be closely monitoring the progress of camizestrant, given its potential to extend the benefit of first-line therapy and improve healthcare outcomes for breast cancer patients.
