Sacituzumab govitecan improves survival in advanced breast cancer

Treatment with sacituzumab govitecan (SG), a novel antibody-drug conjugate, provides survival benefits in women diagnosed with hormone receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HR+/HER2–) breast cancer, reports a study.

This systematic review and meta-analysis made use of PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane databases up to December 2023 while adhering to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Clinical trials and observational studies assessing SG in patients with advanced breast cancer were identified.

Progression-free survival (PFS) was the primary outcome, while secondary outcomes included overall survival (OS), objective response rate, clinical benefit rate, duration of response (DOR), and adverse event profiles. The investigators used Review Manager for statistical analysis.

Nine studies met the eligibility criteria for the systematic review, of which two were included in the meta-analysis.

In the pooled analysis, SG use correlated with improved PFS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.53, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.34–0.83; p=0.005; I², 86 percent) and OS (HR, 0.63, 95 percent CI, 0.36–1.11; p=0.11; I², 92 percent). Significant results were also noted for DOR, with a standard mean difference of 0.22 (95 percent CI, 0.03–0.42; p=0.02; I², 61 percent).

"SG demonstrates significant benefit in PFS and duration of response in patients with HR+/HER2– advanced breast cancer,” the investigators said. 

“Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer in women, with HR+/HER2– being the predominant subtype,” they said. "SG ... has emerged as a promising treatment for metastatic HR+/HER2– breast cancer.”