Systemic treatment of metastatic breast cancer: SABCS 2018

This review summarizes clinically relevant trials in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) presented at the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS). At the meeting updates of two large phase III studies were presented: (1) the biomarker analysis of IMpassion130, trying to define the target population for the checkpoint inhibitor atezolizumab in triple-negative MBC and (2) a subgroup analysis of SOLAR-1, where the efficacy and safety of the alpha-specific Phosphoinositide 3(PI3)-kinase inhibitor alpelisib in combination with fulvestrant was investigated in patients with hormone receptor positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HER2−) MBC. Furthermore, we review the results of a randomized phase II trial (CCTG MA38) comparing a continuous daily dosing of palbociclib to the standard treatment dose, and the phase 1b data of the B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2) inhibitor venetoclax in combination with tamoxifen as a novel drug combination in patients with HR+/HER2−MBC.