TNBC & ESR1: New Targeted Therapy Approaches
New therapies are changing the landscape for breast cancer treatment. This breakthrough News Directory 3 report unveils promising advancements in targeted therapy approaches. Discover how sacituzumab govitecan, combined with pembrolizumab, boosts progression-free survival in PD-L1 positive, metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Moreover, learn about vepdegestrant, a novel oral PROTAC, and its benefits for patients with ESR1-mutated, ER+/HER2-negative breast cancer. Presented at the ASCO annual meeting, these findings highlight improved outcomes for harder-to-treat tumors. Both studies offer hope. Dive deep into the analysis of these advancements. Discover what’s next.
Breast Cancer Advances: Sacituzumab and Vepdegestrant show Promise
Updated June 02, 2025
New research presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting highlights potential advances in breast cancer treatment, offering solutions for both triple-negative and hard-to-treat tumors.
Sacituzumab govitecan (Trodelvy), combined with pembrolizumab, demonstrated a 35% improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) for newly diagnosed patients with PD-L1 positive, metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), according to results from the ASCENT-04/KEYNOTE-D19 trial. Sara M. Tolaney, MD, MPH, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, presented the findings, noting the combination’s potential to improve outcomes in this challenging cancer.
A second study, VERITAC-2, examined vepdegestrant, a novel oral PROTAC estrogen receptor (ER) degrader, against fulvestrant in women with ER+/HER2-negative breast cancer. Erika P. Hamilton, MD, of Sarah cannon Research Institute, presented the results, which were also published in the New England Journal of Medicine. While vepdegestrant did not show significant benefits for the overall study population, it did demonstrate a notable advantage for patients with ESR1-mutated cancer.
The ASCENT-04 trial randomized 443 patients, with one group receiving sacituzumab govitecan plus pembrolizumab and the other receiving chemotherapy plus pembrolizumab. Key findings included a median PFS of 11.2 months for the sacituzumab govitecan arm compared to 7.8 months for the chemotherapy arm. The overall response rate was also higher in the sacituzumab govitecan arm (59.7% vs 53.2%), with a longer median duration of response (16.5 months vs 9.2 months).
“There’s been much interest in trying to combine antibody-drug conjugates with checkpoint inhibition,given robust preclinical and clinical data for the combination,” said Sara M. Tolaney, MD MPH, chief of the Division of Breast Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
In the VERITAC-2 trial, vepdegestrant showed a median PFS of 5.0 months versus 2.1 months for fulvestrant in the ESR1-mutated population, representing a 43% PFS advantage. This suggests that vepdegestrant could be a valuable treatment option for patients previously treated for ESR1-mutated ER+/HER2– advanced breast cancer.
“These results support vepdegestrant as a potential monotherapy treatment option for patients with previously treated ESR1-mutant,ER+/HER2– advanced breast cancer,” said Erika P. Hamilton, MD, of Sarah Cannon Research institute.
what’s next
Researchers are optimistic about the potential of sacituzumab govitecan and vepdegestrant to improve outcomes for patients with specific types of breast cancer. Further studies are needed to fully understand the long-term benefits and optimal use of these therapies.