What is this summary about?: This summary describes an article published in the medical journal Frontiers in Oncology in September 2023. The article reports results from a study that looked at breast cancer treatments for older patients aged 75 years or older. The study focused on a type of cancer called HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer. HR+/HER2- stands for hormone receptorpositive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative. This study evaluated whether older patients with this type of cancer benefited from the combination of two medicines - palbociclib and an aromatase inhibitor - compared with taking an aromatase inhibitor alone.
How was the study in this summary carried out?: The Flatiron database contains medical records for people with cancer in the US. This study used deidentified health care information from this database. 'Deidentified' means that all information that could identify an individual was removed to protect individuals' privacy. People in this study received treatment in routine care and not in a clinical trial.
What do the results mean?: Older patients who took palbociclib plus an aromatase inhibitor lived longer than those who took an aromatase inhibitor alone. Older patients who took palbociclib plus an aromatase inhibitor also lived longer without their cancer getting worse and started chemotherapy later than those who took an aromatase inhibitor alone. These results support using palbociclib plus an aromatase inhibitor as the first treatment for patients aged 75 years or older with HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer.
Keywords: aromatase inhibitor; elderly; metastatic breast cancer; palbociclib; plain language summary.