Considering Unmet Needs of Premenopausal Patients With Breast Cancer

The Young-PEARL study (NCT02592746) compared exemestane (Aromasin) plus palbociclib (Ibrance) with ovarian function suppression (OFS) to capecitabine in premenopausal women with HR+/HER2– metastatic breast cancer. While the initial results showed improved progression-free survival (PFS) with the combination therapy, the updated analysis with longer follow-up did not demonstrate a significant difference in overall survival (OS) between the 2 groups.

Although the combination therapy extended PFS, it also led to a shorter time between the first and second disease progression compared to capecitabine. While the combination had more adverse effects, primarily neutropenia, both treatment options were generally manageable. In conclusion, the study found that while exemestane plus palbociclib with OFS improves PFS, it did not translate to a longer overall survival for these patients.

Here, Yeon Hee Park, MD, medical oncologist at the Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, South Korea, discusses the unmet needs in the patient population this study focused on.