Objective: To quantify the comparative efficacy of currently available endocrine-based therapies (ETs) for postmenopausal women with hormone receptor positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 negative (HR+/HER2-) metastatic breast cancer (mBC) after non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor (NSAI) progression.
Design: Network meta-analysis (NMA).
Methods: Randomized clinical trials of ETs for HR+/HER2- mBC were identified via a systematic literature review using MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library and key conference proceedings. All trials met the following inclusion criteria: (1) included women with HR+/HER2- mBC; (2) previous treatment with ETs or chemotherapy as first-line therapy; (3) treatment with ET as monotherapy or in combination with targeted therapy; (4) progression-free survival (PFS) was reported; and (5) published in 2007 (when HER2 testing became standardized) or later. Regimens were compared using pairwise hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% credible intervals (CrIs) of PFS obtained from a Bayesian NMA. Treatments with different approved dosages were pooled into the same arm; anastrozole and exemestane were pooled as aromatase inhibitors (AIs) due to clinical similarities.
Results: A total of 4 trials and 6 regimens (palbociclib + fulvestrant, everolimus + fulvestrant, everolimus + AI, fulvestrant + AI, fulvestrant and AI) were eligible for inclusion. Palbociclib + fulvestrant and everolimus + AI had 50% and 55% reduced hazard of progression or death vs. AI (95% CrI upper bound ≤1), respectively. Palbociclib + fulvestrant, everolimus + AI and everolimus + fulvestrant had 54%, 58% and 40% reduced hazard vs. fulvestrant (95% CrI upper bound ≤1), while palbociclib + fulvestrant and everolimus + AI had 52% and 55% reduced hazard vs. fulvestrant + AI (95% CrI upper bound ≤1), respectively.
Conclusion: Postmenopausal women with HR+/HER2- mBC who had previously failed an NSAI and received palbociclib + fulvestrant, everolimus + AI or everolimus + fulvestrant had longer PFS compared to those who received fulvestrant or AI alone.
Keywords: HR+/HER2−; Metastatic breast cancer; endocrine-based therapies; network meta-analysis.