HR+/HER2- breast cancer (BC) is the most prevalent subtype, representing 70% of all breast cancer cases. This subtype typically has a more favorable prognosis than others.
The 5-year relative survival rates are 100% for localized disease, 90.5% for regional disease, and 35.4% for patients diagnosed with metastatic disease4. In HR+/HER2- BC, the overexpression of hormone receptors allows estrogen and progesterone to stimulate tumor growth and proliferation; and hence endocrine therapy (ET) is generally used as the standard treatment, often combined with CDK4/6 inhibitors or targeted therapies when suitable. However, once the cancer progresses on ET, treating HR+/HER2- mBC becomes more challenging and treatment options are often limited to different single-agent chemotherapy regimens. The median overall survival with chemotherapy after ET resistance is only about one year and decreases further with each subsequent chemotherapy regimen7. Therefore, patients with endocrine-resistant HR+/HER2- mBC are in need for alternative treatment options that prolong their survival and maintain quality of life.
In recent years, studies with novel antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for HR+/HER2- mBC have shown promising results, offering more treatment options and giving hope to patients with this subtype of breast cancer.