Research progress of CDK4/6 inhibitors in ER-positive and HER2-negative advanced breast cancer

Abstract

Endocrine therapy is one of the standard treatment options for breast cancer which plays an important role in treating patients with estrogen receptor (ER) positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) negative breast cancer. However, some patients develop resistance during therapy due to factors such as tumor heterogeneity, which is particularly acute in the treatment of advanced breast cancer. Based on aiming at a rational and effective treatment, some clinical trials recently have demonstrated that compared to endocrine therapy alone, cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) inhibitors combined with endocrine therapy can significantly improve the prognosis of ER-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer. Its main products are Palbociclib, Ribociclib and Abemaciclib. This review mainly focuses on the mechanism and related clinical trials of CDK4/6 inhibitor inhibitors in ER-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer. Key words: Cyclin-dependent kinase 4; Cyclin-dependent kinase 6; Enzyme inhibitors; Receptors, estrogen; Breast neoplasms; Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2