In a nutshell
This study investigated the safety and effectiveness of the drug eribulin (Halaven) for the treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer and resistance to taxane therapies. The study concluded that eribulin was effective and well tolerated in patients with metastatic breast cancer.
Some background
Taxanes are a type of chemotherapy often used in the treatment of breast cancer. Cancer can become resistant to taxane therapy (drug no longer stops cancer growth) and therefore alternative therapies must be used.
Eribulin is a therapy used in breast cancer that has metastasized (spread to other parts of the body). There is little information about the safety and effectiveness of eribulin therapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer that is resistant to taxane therapy.
Methods & findings
51 patients with metastatic breast cancer and taxane drug resistance underwent an average of 4 cycles of eribulin therapy.
2% of patients saw a complete response (disappearance of all signs of cancer) to the therapy and 23.5% of patients saw a partial response (decrease in the size of a tumor). 49% of patients had disease progression. The average progression-free survival time (time following treatment before the disease progresses) was 3.6 months.
Side effects included blood disorders such as leukopenia and neutropenia (low numbers of white blood cells) and anemia (low iron levels in the blood).
The bottom line
The current study concluded that eribulin was effective and well tolerated in patients with metastatic breast cancer resistant to taxanes.
The fine print
A limitation of this study was the lack of a control group to compare against.
Published By :
Breast Cancer Research and Treatment
Date :
Apr 28, 2016
