Emerging drugs for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer: a focus on phase II immunotherapy trials

Apr 19, 2021Expert opinion on emerging drugs

New drugs being tested in phase II immunotherapy trials for treating triple-negative breast cancer

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Abstract

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) accounts for 10-20% of invasive breast cancers and is associated with aggressive characteristics and poor outcomes.

Chemotherapy is currently the primary treatment for TNBC, but immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) may enhance treatment efficacy, especially in PD-L1-positive patients.
Recent advances suggest that combining ICIs with chemotherapy and targeted therapies could lead to better patient outcomes.
Ongoing phase II trials are exploring innovative strategies, including targeting multiple immune checkpoints and adding specific inhibitors to existing therapies.
Understanding the tumor microenvironment's immunosuppressive effects is crucial for improving treatment responses.
Challenges such as the need for effective predictive biomarkers remain significant in the development of immunotherapy for TNBC.

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: Triple-negative breast cancer accounts for 10-20% of invasive breast cancers and is characterized by an aggressive phenotype and poor outcomes in the early and advanced settings compared to other breast cancer subtypes. Chemotherapy continues to be the mainstay of treatment, but recent advances have demonstrated the benefit of adding immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) to chemotherapy regimens for patients with both early and advanced TNBC, particularly if PD-L1-positive. Despite these results, further improvements are needed.: This review covers immunotherapy drugs which have recently completed, involved in ongoing or due to start phase II trials. This includes approaches to augment the response to existing ICIs, next-generation ICIs, combination treatments with targeted agents and drugs that target the tumor microenvironment. Potential development issues are also discussed.: The field of immunotherapy is developing rapidly and holds great promise for patients with TNBC. Promising avenues of research currently in phase II trials include targeting multiple immune checkpoints simultaneously and the addition of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT inhibitors to ICI/chemotherapy regimens. A better understanding of the immunosuppressive role played by the tumor microenvironment has also been important. However, challenges remain, particularly regarding the need for more effective predictive biomarkers. Introduction Areas covered Expert opinion

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Emerging drugs for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer: a focus on phase II immunotherapy trials

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