Use of CDK4/6 Inhibitors
- CDK4/6 inhibitors are a newer class of drugs indicated for postmenopausal women with hormone receptor positive metastatic breast cancer
- One of the common side effects of these medicines is a reduction in white blood cells which are part of your body’s immune system
- Patients need to speak to their doctors to see if this is something they need to be concerned with, given the ongoing pandemic
- These drugs have been effective in improving survival in women with this type of metastatic breast cancer
If your type of breast cancer is hormone-receptor-positive and HER2-negative, and you are postmenopausal, then you may be treated with CDK4/6 inhibitors. They are a newer class of medicines used to treat breast cancers. A common side effect of these medications is low white blood cell counts, also called neutropenia, which can lower your immunity.
This side effect may cause some concern, says Dr. Elizabeth Comen, a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. “Patients may want to talk to their doctors about it since these medications could lower their white blood cell count somewhat and affect their immune system,” she says.
White blood cells are the ones that fight infections and are part of our immune response. “Whether or not patients should remain on these drugs is really a conversation they should be having with their doctor,” says Dr. Comen.
Every Patient Is Unique
Some people with breast cancer may take CDK4/6 inhibitors for years with no negative side effect, such as any significant reduction of their white blood cell count. In that instance, physicians may feel very comfortable keeping them on the medications, especially if they are in an area where COVID-19 is less of a concern. “On the other hand, a patient may be newly diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, and we’re not sure of the exact dose they should be on, and there may be ways that the doctor can think about that or adjust the dose so that there is less concern about being immune compromised,” says Dr. Comen.
Related: Hopeful News for Breast Cancer: A New Drug Combination to Extend Survival Time
However, the good news is that CDK4/6 inhibitors clearly improve overall survival in postmenopausal women with metastatic breast cancer. “The reality is that most patients who have estrogen receptor positive metastatic breast cancer and are newly diagnosed, can do very well for long periods of time on these medications,” says Dr. Comen.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Dr. Elizabeth Comen serves as a medical advisor to SurvivorNet. She is a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Read More
Use of CDK4/6 Inhibitors
- CDK4/6 inhibitors are a newer class of drugs indicated for postmenopausal women with hormone receptor positive metastatic breast cancer
- One of the common side effects of these medicines is a reduction in white blood cells which are part of your body’s immune system
- Patients need to speak to their doctors to see if this is something they need to be concerned with, given the ongoing pandemic
- These drugs have been effective in improving survival in women with this type of metastatic breast cancer
If your type of breast cancer is hormone-receptor-positive and HER2-negative, and you are postmenopausal, then you may be treated with CDK4/6 inhibitors. They are a newer class of medicines used to treat breast cancers. A common side effect of these medications is low white blood cell counts, also called neutropenia, which can lower your immunity.
This side effect may cause some concern, says Dr. Elizabeth Comen, a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. “Patients may want to talk to their doctors about it since these medications could lower their white blood cell count somewhat and affect their immune system,” she says.
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White blood cells are the ones that fight infections and are part of our immune response. “Whether or not patients should remain on these drugs is really a conversation they should be having with their doctor,” says Dr. Comen.
Every Patient Is Unique
Some people with breast cancer may take CDK4/6 inhibitors for years with no negative side effect, such as any significant reduction of their white blood cell count. In that instance, physicians may feel very comfortable keeping them on the medications, especially if they are in an area where COVID-19 is less of a concern. “On the other hand, a patient may be newly diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, and we’re not sure of the exact dose they should be on, and there may be ways that the doctor can think about that or adjust the dose so that there is less concern about being immune compromised,” says Dr. Comen.
Related: Hopeful News for Breast Cancer: A New Drug Combination to Extend Survival Time
However, the good news is that CDK4/6 inhibitors clearly improve overall survival in postmenopausal women with metastatic breast cancer. “The reality is that most patients who have estrogen receptor positive metastatic breast cancer and are newly diagnosed, can do very well for long periods of time on these medications,” says Dr. Comen.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Dr. Elizabeth Comen serves as a medical advisor to SurvivorNet. She is a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Read More
