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Background: Cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitors are now the standard of care for hormone receptor–positive (HR+), HER2-negative (HER–) metastatic breast cancer (MBC). However, guidelines are lacking regarding their optimal sequencing with other available agents. This study examines physician practice patterns and treatment outcomes of palbociclib and subsequent therapies in a real-world setting. Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted for consecutive patients with MBC who received palbociclib between February 2015 and August 2017 at the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center. Kaplan-Meier method was used to generate time-to-event curves and estimate median progression-free survival (mPFS). Log-rank test was used to compare differences. Results: A total of 200 patients, with a median age of 59.4 years and a follow-up of 19.5 months, were included. Palbociclib was most frequently combined with letrozole (73.5%), followed by fulvestrant (25%), anastrozole (1%), and tamoxifen (0.5%). Most patients received palbociclib in the endocrine-resistant setting (n=42, n=50, and n=108 in the first-, second-, and subsequent-line settings, respectively), and the fraction of patients receiving palbociclib as first- or second-line therapy increased in recent months (P=.0428). mPFS was 20.7, 12.8, and 4.0 months with palbociclib administered in the first-, second-, and subsequent-line settings, respectively (P<.0001). Incidences of grade 3/4 neutropenia (41.5%) and dose reductions (29%) were comparable to reports in the literature. Among patients whose disease progressed on palbociclib (n=104), the most frequent next-line treatment was capecitabine (n=21), followed by eribulin (n=16), nab-paclitaxel (n=15), and exemestane + everolimus (n=12). mPFS with hormone therapy alone or in combination with targeted agents (n=32) after first-, second-, and subsequent-line palbociclib was 17.0, 9.3, and 4.2 months, respectively (P=.04). mPFS with chemotherapy (n=70) was not reached, 4.7, and 4.1 months after first-, second-, and subsequent-line palbociclib, respectively (P=.56). Conclusions: Palbociclib is effective for HR+/HER2– MBC in real-world practice. Hormone therapy alone or in combination with targeted agents remains an effective option after palbociclib progression.

Background: Inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/6i) are widely used as first-line therapy for hormone receptor–positive metastatic breast cancer (HR+ MBC). Although abemaciclib monotherapy is also FDA-approved for treatment of disease progression on endocrine therapy, there is limited insight into the clinical activity of abemaciclib after progression on prior CDK4/6i. Patients and Methods: We identified patients with HR+ MBC from 6 cancer centers in the United States who received abemaciclib after disease progression on prior CDK4/6i, and abstracted clinical features, outcomes, toxicity, and predictive biomarkers. Results: In the multicenter cohort, abemaciclib was well tolerated after a prior course of CDK4/6i (palbociclib)-based therapy; a minority of patients discontinued abemaciclib because of toxicity without progression (9.2%). After progression on palbociclib, most patients (71.3%) received nonsequential therapy with abemaciclib (with ≥1 intervening non-CDK4/6i regimens), with most receiving abemaciclib with an antiestrogen agent (fulvestrant, 47.1%; aromatase inhibitor, 27.6%), and the remainder receiving abemaciclib monotherapy (19.5%). Median progression-free survival for abemaciclib in this population was 5.3 months and median overall survival was 17.2 months, notably similar to results obtained in the MONARCH-1 study of abemaciclib monotherapy in heavily pretreated HR+/HER2-negative CDK4/6i-naïve patients. A total of 36.8% of patients received abemaciclib for ≥6 months. There was no relationship between the duration of clinical benefit while on palbociclib and the subsequent duration of treatment with abemaciclib. RB1, ERBB2, and CCNE1 alterations were noted among patients with rapid progression on abemaciclib. Conclusions: A subset of patients with HR+ MBC continue to derive clinical benefit from abemaciclib after progression on prior palbociclib. These results highlight the need for future studies to confirm molecular predictors of cross-resistance to CDK4/6i therapy and to better characterize the utility of abemaciclib after disease progression on prior CDK4/6i.