Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of Treatments for VMS During Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy

A panelist discusses how endocrine therapy remains the cornerstone of treatment for hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, emphasizing its role in reducing relapse risk and mortality while highlighting the importance of tolerability and individualized care across the subtype’s heterogeneous presentations.

A panelist notes that although chemotherapy’s adverse effects are intense but short-lived, endocrine therapy for hormone receptor–positive breast cancer involves persistent symptoms over several years, making symptom management essential for patient adherence and quality of life.

A panelist explains that although hormone replacement therapy is contraindicated in patients with breast cancer due to recurrence risks, new nonhormonal treatments targeting neurokinin receptors in the brain offer promising relief for vasomotor symptoms without interfering with endocrine therapy.

A panelist highlights that at ASCO 2025, a landmark phase 3 trial showed a new treatment significantly reduced moderate-to-severe hot flashes in patients with breast cancer receiving endocrine therapy, with rapid and sustained symptom relief and high patient continuation rates over 2 years.

A panelist shares that secondary results from the trial showed early and sustained improvements in sleep and quality of life, underscoring the therapy’s potential to enhance endocrine treatment adherence by alleviating vasomotor symptoms (VMS) that often lead to poor adherence in patients with breast cancer.

A panelist emphasizes that effectively managing endocrine therapy adverse effects—particularly vasomotor symptoms—can significantly improve treatment adherence, which is critical for reducing recurrence risk and improving survival in patients with breast cancer.

A panelist notes that although the treatment was generally well tolerated—with fatigue, somnolence, and diarrhea being the most common adverse effects—long-term data on breast cancer outcomes such as recurrence and survival are still lacking, underscoring the need for extended follow-up and real-world evidence to fully assess long-term safety and efficacy.

A panelist explains that although liver function was closely monitored due to potential concerns about the investigational therapy and concurrent endocrine treatments, no serious hepatotoxicity was observed during the trial. However, continued monitoring in longer-term and real-world settings remains important to confirm the treatment’s liver safety profile.

A panelist emphasizes that the OASIS 4 findings, with those of prior OASIS studies, strongly support the use of this drug class for managing vasomotor symptoms (VMS) in patients with breast cancer receiving endocrine therapy and highlights the need for future research in underserved populations such as men with breast cancer and those with metastatic disease.