Challenges in Prognosis, Systemic Therapy, and Survival in Patients with HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer candidates to systemic chemotherapy

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Elena Aguirre José Pérez-Garcia, Dr. Carlos Barrios, Dr. Serena Di Cosimo, Dr. Joseph Gligorov, Dr. Juan de la Haba, Dr. Javier Cortés, Dr. Antonio Llombart-Cussac, Dr.

Abstract

Abstract


In patients with HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer who are not candidates for endocrine therapy, several regimens are approved, but there is no consensus on which should be preferred. The impressive gains in progression-free survival achieved by combining two cytotoxic drugs or chemotherapy plus bevacizumab have not consistently translated into overall survival benefits. Survival in this population depends on a wide range of biological and clinical factors, some of which remain unclear. International guidelines recommend that combination regimens should be limited to clinically aggressive situations. However, an evidence-based definition that could help guide treatment decisions and trial design has not been established for so-called ‘poor-prognosis’ or ‘aggressive’ tumors. In this article, we summarize the current literature regarding prognosis and treatment of patients with no endocrine options for HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer. The choice of optimal systemic therapy should be based on robust prognostic factors, the biologic characteristics of the tumor, and the type and severity of comorbidities. Furthermore, we suggest that combination regimens (chemotherapy doublets or bevacizumab-based regimens) may be considered appropriate options for patients with well-defined criteria representing poor-prognosis disease.

Keywords: Metastatic breast cancer, Chemotherapy, Clinical Prognostic Factor

Article Details

How to Cite
AGUIRRE, Elena et al. Challenges in Prognosis, Systemic Therapy, and Survival in Patients with HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer candidates to systemic chemotherapy. Medical Research Archives, [S.l.], v. 5, n. 12, dec. 2017. ISSN 2375-1924. Available at: <https://esmed.org/MRA/mra/article/view/1587>. Date accessed: 20 apr. 2024. doi: https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v5i12.1587.
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Research Articles

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