CD(or CDK)4/6 Inhibitors & Hormone Receptor Positive Breast Cancer
- CD4/CD6 are a class of medications that can be used to treat certain types of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer.
- Estrogen receptor-positive means a breast cancer needs the hormone estrogen to grow. CD4/CD6 drugs work to decrease the amount of estrogen that can be taken into a cancer cell, with the goal of slowing the rate at which that cancer cell can grow.
- There are several different CD4/CD6 inhibitors on the market, including Ibrance, Kisqali, and Verzenio.
Dr. Elizabeth Comen, a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and an advisor to SurvivorNet, said that in the past, doctors had attempted to treat estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer with medications that only interacted with the estrogen receptor. However, now, CD4/CD6 inhibitors can be used in combination with some of the hormone therapies that are already in use for this type of breast cancer such as aromatase inhibitors.
How do CD4/CD6 inhibitors work?
Read More"They each have a slightly different side effect profile and it's really important to talk to your doctor about what those side effects are, and what drug may be right for you," she said.
Possible side effects
According to the National Library of Medicine, possible side effects include:
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Fatigue
- Neutropenia (low count of a type of white blood cell – neutrophils)
- Leukopenia (low white blood cell count)
- Anemia (low red blood cell count)
- Thrombocytopenia (low platelets)
“For the most part, the side effects that patients can face on these drugs are usually very well managed and can be managed either with additional medications or sometimes just by lowering the dose of the medication that you’re on,” Dr. Comen added.
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