Which Breast Cancer Patients Benefit from Everolimus?

Those with PI3KCA mutations and PTEN loss were less likely to experience disease progression.

Two prior industry-sponsored, randomized, phase III trials, BOLERO-1 (Lancet Oncol 2015; 16:816) and BOLERO-3 (Lancet Oncol 2014; 15:580), explored whether the mTOR inhibitor everolimus would provide clinical benefit to patients with advanced breast cancer. In BOLERO-1, adding everolimus to trastuzumab and paclitaxel in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive disease did not improve progression-free survival (PFS). In the BOLERO-3 trial, adding everolimus to trastuzumab and vinorelbine significantly improved PFS in HER2-positive patients who developed disease progression after treatment with trastuzumab and paclitaxel.

Given that the mechanism of action of everolimus is on the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway — which is f…

Reviewing Author

William J. Gradishar, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardLilly; AstraZeneca; Gilead

Grant/Research SupportBreast Cancer Research Foundation

Editorial BoardsClinical Breast Cancer; Oncology; Annals of Surgery; Breast Cancer Research and Treatment

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesNational Comprehensive Cancer Network (Chair, Breast Cancer Panel); American Board of Internal Medicine (Medical Oncology Board)