Researchers from the ibs.GRANADA present significant advances in a new therapy against breast cancer in early stages
A study published in The Lancet Oncology shows the positive effects of an innovative treatment that combines two drugs, giraredestrant and palbociclib, to stop the proliferation of tumor cells
An international team, including researchers from the Granada Biosanitary Research Institute (ibs.GRANADA) and the San Cecilio University Clinical Hospital, has achieved promising results with a new combination of drugs to treat early-stage breast cancer that respond to hormones. The coopERA Breast Cancer clinical trial marks a significant advance in the fight against this disease, opening the door to more effective and personalized treatments.
The study included 221 postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-expressing breast cancer in the early stages of the disease. In this type of cancer, tumor cells have receptors that are activated by hormones such as estrogen or progesterone, promoting tumor growth. The research evaluated a new oral drug called giraredestrant, which blocks and breaks down tumor hormone receptors, combined with palbociclib, a drug that inhibits tumor cell division.
For two weeks, participants received either giraredestrant or the standard of care, anastrozole, followed by 16 weeks of combination therapy with palbociclib. Results showed that giraredestrant reduced the cell proliferation marker Ki75 by 67%, compared with a 67% reduction with anastrozole. This improvement was maintained after combination therapy, highlighting the potential of the novel therapeutic approach.
In addition to its efficacy, the trial also confirmed that giraredestrant is safe and well tolerated, both as monotherapy and in combination with palbociclib. The researchers noted that these results justify the continuation of further clinical studies, which are already underway, to evaluate giraredestrant as an alternative for the treatment of early breast cancer.
"The results and the good tolerance of the treatment are very encouraging, as they show that the significant reduction in the Ki67 marker makes this treatment not only effective but also well tolerated by patients," explained Dr. Isabel Blancas, lead researcher of the Ae23-Translational and Integrative Oncology group at ibs.GRANADA, head of the Medical Oncology Section at the San Cecilio University Clinical Hospital, and co-author of the study. "This advance brings us one step closer to more personalized and effective treatments for breast cancer."
Sergio Granados, co-investigator in charge of the Ae23 group at ibs.GRANADA, emphasized that "the decrease in Ki67 is a key indicator of treatment effectiveness, with important implications for reducing relapses and improving long-term outcomes."
The researchers stress that this strategy not only reduces tumor proliferation before surgery, but also could improve long-term survival and reduce relapsesThese findings, the result of an international collaboration, highlight the importance of translational research in the transformation of scientific discoveries into clinical solutions.
With this new therapy, the horizon is broadened for women facing this disease, consolidating the relevance of research in improving oncological treatments.
About the group:
El grupo Ae23-Translational and Integrative Oncology The ibs.GRANADA group focuses on clinical, translational and integrative research in the field of oncology. The group is created from the synergy between clinical researchers and basic researchers. Its main objective is to transform the advances in basic research into practical clinical applications that directly benefit the health of patients. This translational medicine approach seeks to maximize the medical impact of the knowledge generated in the laboratory, promoting more targeted, effective, less toxic and personalized treatments. Its lines of work include translational oncology, which connects biomedical research with clinical practice, and integrative oncology, aimed at addressing cancer from a broader, holistic and multidisciplinary perspective, putting the patient at the center and providing more humane care.
More information: https://www.ibsgranada.es/grupos-de-investigacion/ae23-oncologia-traslacional-e-integrativa/
Bibliographic reference:
Hurvitz, SA, Bardia, A., Quiroga, V., Park, YH, Blancas, I., Alonso-Romero, JL, Vasiliev, A., Adamchuk, H., Salgado, M., Yardley, DA, Berzoy, O., Zamora-Auñón, P., Chan, D., Spera, G., Xue, C., Ferreira, E., Badovinac Crnjevic, T., Pérez-Moreno, PD, López-Valverde, V., … Fasching, PA (2023). Neoadjuvant palbociclib plus either giredestrant or anastrozole in oestrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative, early breast cancer (coopERA Breast Cancer): an open-label, randomized, controlled, phase 2 study. In The Lancet Oncology (Vol. 24, Issue 9, pp. 1029–1041). Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1470-2045(23)00268-1
