The role of CDK4/6 inhibitors in early breast cancer

Abstract

The use of cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) has proven to be a successful strategy in the treatment of advanced hormone receptor-positive (HR⁺) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2^-) breast cancer (BC), leading to a strong interest in their possible role in the treatment of early luminal BC. In this review we collect the most relevant and recent information on the use of CDK4/6i for the treatment of early BC in the neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings. Specifically, we evaluate the results of the large phase 3 adjuvant trials recently released, which have yielded apparently divergent results. We also examine the relevance of biomarkers as response predictive factors for CDI4/6i, the combination between radiotherapy and CDK4/6i, and provide a critical discussion on the evidence that we have so far and future directions of the role of these drugs in the treatment of early BC.

Keywords: Abemaciclib; Adjuvant therapy; Cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors; Early breast cancer; Palbociclib.