Cancer Treatment > By Cancer Type > Breast > Biomarkers, targeted and immunotherapies
Biomarkers, targeted and immunotherapies for breast cancer
This section covers the following topics:
- Tumor biomarker testing for treatment selection
- Genetic testing for inherited mutations for treatment selection
- Tumor biomarker testing for prognosis
- PARP inhibitors
- Immunotherapies
- Other targeted therapy
Biomarker testing for treatment selection
Biomarker tests look at samples of blood, tumor or other tissue for changes or abnormalities caused by cancer. These tests can give doctors clues about the cancer, including:
- how fast the cancer is growing
- which treatments are most likely to work
- whether or not the cancer is responding to treatment or growing
- whether or not the cancer has come back after remission
Biomarker tests may be used to select treatments, and help patients avoid side effects from treatments that will not work for them. Biomarker tests used to select a specific treatment are sometimes called "companion diagnostic tests." These tests may be done on tumor tissue or (in many cases) on blood. See our Biomarker Testing section for more information.
ER, PR and HER2
After breast cancer tissue is removed by surgery or biopsy, it is standard of care to test all breast cancers for three common biomarkers:
- estrogen receptors (ER)
- progesterone receptors (PR)
- Her2
Biomarkers for Advanced Breast Cancer
For people with advanced breast cancer, additional biomarker testing may be done to study the genes and proteins within the cancer to help doctors choose the best treatment. Some treatments will work best for people whose cancer cells have specific changes. These treatments are sometimes called targeted therapies. The biomarker test for a specific targeted therapy is sometimes called a companion diagnostic test. Some tests look for only one biomarker at a time. Examples of single biomarker tests for breast cancer include:
- PIK3CA: Testing for this gene in advanced ER-positive, Her2-negative breast cancer can help identify people most likely to respond to the medication PIQRAY (alpelisib).
- PD-L1: Testing for the PD-L1 protein can help identify people with advanced triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) who are most likely to respond to the immunotherapy drugs Tecentriq (atezolizumab) and Keytruda (pembrolizumab).
Other tests may search for many biomarkers within the same test. Often these panel tests look for multiple markers, including FDA-approved treatments as well as those that have not yet been proven effective in breast cancer. Examples of multiple biomarker tumor tests for breast cancer include:
- FoundationOne
- MSK-IMPACT
Genetic tests for inherited mutations for treatment selection
Genetic testing for an inherited mutation may be used to guide treatment selection for people diagnosed with breast cancer.
- People with advanced breast cancer who test positive for an inherited BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation may benefit from treatments known as PARP inhibitors. Two PARP inhibitors—Lynparza and Talzenna—are approved as targeted therapy for treating advanced breast cancer in people with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation.
- People who test positive for other inherited gene mutations may qualify for clinical trials looking at targeted therapies to treat hereditary breast cancer.
Tumor biomarker tests for prognosis
These tests are used for people with early stage ER/PR-positive cancers to predict:
- if the cancer is likely to come back
- the benefit of adding chemotherapy to the treatment plan
- how long hormonal therapy should be used
Some examples of the most commonly used prognostic tests for breast cancer are listed below:
- Oncotype Dx™
- Breast Cancer Index™
- MammaPrint™
- Prosigna™
PARP inhibitors
PARP inhibitors work by blocking a protein used by cells to repair damaged DNA. They were initially developed to treat cancers in people with an inherited gene mutation BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation. For people with advanced breast cancer, two PARP inhibitors have received FDA-approval as targeted therapy for treating people with a BRCA mutation. The two approved drugs are:
- Lynparza (olaparib)
- Talzenna (talazoparib)
Research is ongoing to learn if PARP inhibitors are affective for treating breast cancer in other situations, including:
- people with an inherited mutation in a different gene that repairs DNA damage (for example: PALB2, ATM or CHEK2).
- people who do not have an inherited gene mutation, but their tumor tested positive for an acquired mutation in a gene that repairs DNA damage.
- people with earlier stage cancers.
Immunotherapies
Immunotherapies are cancer treatments that hlep the body’s immune system detect and attack cancer cells. There are several different categories of immunotherapies. See our Immunotherapy section for more information.
- The drug Tecentriq (atezolizumab) is a type of immunotherapy known as an immune checkpoint inhibitor. Tecentriq has been approved as treatment for metastatic, triple-negative breast cancer. Tecentriq is used in combination with the chemotherapy, Abraxane (nab-paclitaxel) to treat tumors that test positive for the biomarker called PDL1.
- Keytruda (pembrolizumab) is approved in combination with chemotherapy for treatment of triple-negative breast cancer that is metastatic or locally recurrent and unresectable that tests positive for a biomarker called PD-L1.
- with a biomarker known as microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR). Although this biomarker is not common in breast cancer, it is often seen in people with a Lynch syndrome gene mutation who develop cancer.
Other targeted therapies
Targeted therapies are treatments that act on certain molecules or targets within cancer cells to prevent the cancer cells from growing or spreading while sparing normal cells. Tumor biomarker testing can help doctors identify the patients most likely to benefit from a targeted therapy. Common targeted therapies used in breast cancer include:
- Her2-positive breast cancers are often treated with drugs that target the Her2 protein. Common anti-Her2 therapies include Herceptin (trastuzumab), Perjeta (pertuzumab) and Tukysa (tucatinib) and Phesgo (pertuzumab, trastuzumab and hyaluronidase).
- People with ER/PR-positive advanced breast cancer are often treated with CDK4/6 inhibitors. CDK4/6 inhibitors target proteins found in some breast cancers called CDK inhibitors. The three CDK4/6 inhibitors approved for use in breast cancer are: Ibrance (palbociclib), Kisqali (ribociclib) and Verzenio (abemaciclib).
- The drug Piqray (alpelisib) is FDA approved for people who have advanced, ER/PR-positive breast cancer who test positive for a tumor biomarker called PIK3CA. PIK3CA is an acquired gene mutation found in some ER-positive breast cancers.
Table of targeted and immunotherapies for breast cancer
Name of drug | Cancer stage | Indication | Biomarker | Type of agent |
---|---|---|---|---|
Herceptin (trastuzumab) |
Early stage | The treatment of Her2-positive breast cancer | Her2 overexpression (Her2-positive) | Antibody targeting Her2 receptors |
Perjeta (pertuzumab) |
Locally advanced, inflammatory or early stage | Combined with Herceptin (trastuzumab) and docetaxel as treatment before surgery (neoadjuvant) | Her2 overexpression (Her2-positive) | Antibody targeting Her2 receptors |
Phesgo (pertuzumab, trastuzumab combined injection) | Early stage |
Before surgery (neoadjuvant) for tumors larger than 2 cm or node-positive or after surgery (adjuvant treatment) for early breast cancer that has a high likelihood of coming back |
Her2 overexpression (Her2-positive) | Antibody targeting Her2 receptors |
Kadcyla (trastuzumab emtansine) |
Early stage | Adjuvant treatment of patients with early breast cancer who still have disease after neoadjuvant taxane and treatment with Hercptin | Her2 overexpression (Her2-positive) | Antibody targeting Her2 receptors |
Kadcyla (trastuzumab emtansine) |
Metastatic | For patients who previously received Herceptin and chemotherapy, separately or in combination. Patients should have either received therapy for metastatic disease, or developed disease recurrence during or within six months of completing adjuvant therapy | Her2 overexpression (Her2-positive) | Antibody targeting Her2 receptors |
Tukysa (tucatinib) | Metastatic | In combination with Herceptin (trastuzumab) to treat cancer which has progressed after at least one prior treatment with an anti-HER2 treatment in the metastatic setting | Her2 overexpression (Her2-positive) | Kinase inhibitor |
Trodelvy (sacituzumab govitecan-hziy) | Metastatic | For metastatic breast cancer that progressed, recurred or did not respond to at least two previous lines of treatment | Triple-negative (ER/PR-negative, Her2-negative) | Antibody-drug conjugate (chemotherapy attached to antibody found in TNBC) |
Afinitor (everolimus) |
Metastatic | Combined with Aromasin (exemestane) for postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer which progressed with Femara (letrozole) or Arimidex (anastrozole) | ER/PR-positive and Her2-negative |
MTOR inhibitor (type of kinase inhibitor) |
Piqray (alpelisib) |
Metastatic | Combined with Faslodex (fulvestrant) as treatment in men or post-menopausal women who progressed on or after treatment with hormone therapy. | ER/PR-positive and Her2-negative and PIK3CA-positive |
Kinase inhibitor |
Verzenio (abemaciclib) | Metastatic | Used alone to treat men or women with breast cancer that has progressed after treatment with hormone therapy and chemotherapy in the metastatic setting. | ER/PR-positive and Her2-negative |
CDK4/6 inhibitor |
Metastatic | Combined with Faslodex (fulvestrant) as treatment in women whose disease progressed following endocrine therapy. | ER/PR-positive and Her2-negative | CDK4/6 inhibitor | |
Ibrance (palbociclib) |
Metastatic | Combined with an aromatase inhibitor as treatment of advanced cancer as initial hormone therapy in postmenopausal women or in men |
ER/PR-positive and Her2-negative | CDK4/6 inhibitor |
Metastatic | Combined with Faslodex (fulvestrant) as treatment in postmenopausal women or in men whose disease progressed following endocrine therapy | ER/PR-positive and Her2-negative | CDK4/6 inhibitor | |
Kisqali (ribociclib) |
Metastatic | Combined with an aromatase inhibitor for the treatment of pre/perimenopausal or postmenopausal women as initial hormone based therapy | ER/PR-positive and Her2-negative | CDK4/6 inhibitor |
Metastatic | Combined with Faslodex (fulvestrant) for the treatment of postmenopausal women, as initial hormone based therapy. | ER/PR-positive and Her2-negative | CDK4/6 inhibitor | |
Lynparza (olaparib) | Metastatic | For treatment of patients who have previously received chemotherapy, or hormone therapy for patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive disease | BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation and Her2-negative | PARP inhibitor |
Talzenna (talazoparib) |
Metastatic | For treatment of metastatic breast cancer | BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation and Her2-negative | PARP inhibitor |
Keytruda (pembrolizumab) | Metastatic | Combined with chemotherapy for treatment of locally recurrent unresectable or metastatic triple negative breast cancer | Triple-negative (ER/PR-negative and Her2-negative) PD-L1-positive |
Immune checkpoint inhibitor |
Tecentriq (atezolizumab) | Metastatic | Combined with Abraxane (protein-bound paclitaxel) | Triple-negative (ER/PR-negative and Her2-negative) PD-L1-positive |
Immune checkpoint inhibitor |
The following clinical trials are focused on targeted or immunotherapies for people with an inherited mutation who have been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Advanced solid tumors of any type, including breast cancer
- NCT03565991: A Phase II Study to Evaluate the Safety and Anti-tumor Activity of Avelumab in Combination with Talazoparib in Patients with a BRCA or ATM Mutation. This study is looking at the safety and effectiveness of the combination of an immunotherapy (known as Avelumab) and a PARP inhibitor (known as Talazoparib) is for treating patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors who have an inherited mutation in ATM, BRCA1 or BRCA2.
- NCT03718091: M6620 (VX-970) in Selected Solid Tumors. This is a phase 2 study looking at M6620, a drug designed to inhibit the ATR enzyme. Inhibiting ATR may block how cancers repair their damaged DNA. The study is specifically enrolling patients with an inherited BRCA1, BRCA2 or ATM. The study is also enrolling people with a mutation in any of the following genes based on tumor testing: testing: BRCA1, BRCA2, ATM BRCA1 or BRCA2, BARD1, BRIP1, CDK12, CHEK2, FANCA, FANCC, FANCE, FANCF, FANCM, MRE11A, NBN, PALB2, RAD51B, RAD51C, or RAD51D.
- NCT04171700: A Study to Evaluate Rucaparib in Patients With Solid Tumors and With Deleterious Mutations in HRR Genes (LODESTAR). This study is evaluating the response of rucaparib in patients with advanced cancers and with deleterious mutations (either inherited or found on tumor testing) in Homologous Recombination Repair (HRR) genes, including: BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2, RAD51C, RAD51D, BARD1, BRIP1, FANCA, NBN, RAD51 or RAD51B.
Breast cancer
- NCT03330847: Safety and Efficacy of Olaparib Combined with Agents Targeting DNA Damage Repair Compared to Olaparib Alone. The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of treatment with the PARP inhibitor, olaparib combined with the drug Ceralasertib compared with olaparib alone for patients with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.
- NCT03344965: A Phase 2 Study of Olaparib Monotherapy in Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients with Germline or Somatic Mutations in DNA Repair Genes (Olaparib Expanded). This study is looking at how well olaparib works in people with metastatic breast cancer and any of the following mutations (either inherited or found on tumor testing) : ATM, ATR, BARD1, BRIP1 (FANCJ), CHEK2 , FANCA, FANCC, FANCD2, FANCE, FANCF, FANCM, MRE11A, NBN, PALB2, RAD50, RAD51C,
RAD51D. - NCT02401347: Talazoparib Beyond BRCA (TBB) Trial. People with an inherited mutation who have metastatic triple-negative breast cancer may qualify for this study. This study is looking at how well the PARP inhibitor talazoparib works in people with the following mutations (either inherited or found on tumor testing) : PTEN, PALB2, CHEK2, ATM, NBN, BARD1, BRIP1, RAD50, Rad51c, Rad51d, MRE11, ATR, FANCA, FANCC, FANCD2, FANCE, FANCF, FANCG, FANCL, plus other HR-related genes at the discretion of the primary investigators.
- NCT02734004: A Phase I/II Study of MEDI4736 in Combination With Olaparib in Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors. (MEDIOLA). The purpose of this study is to look at the effectiveness, safety, and antitumor activity of study drugs MEDI4736 in combination with olaparib and MEDI4736 in combination with olaparib and bevacizumab in advanced breast cancer people with the following mutations (either inherited or found on tumor testing) ATM, BARD1, BRCA1, BRCA2, BRIP1, CDK12, CHEK1, CHEK2, FANCL, PALB2, PPP2R2A, RAD51B, RAD51C, RAD51D, RAD54L).
- NCT03911973: Gedatolisib Plus Talazoparib in Advanced Triple Negative or BRCA1/2 Positive, HER2 Negative Breast Cancers. This study is designed to determine efficacy of gedatolisib in combination with talazoparib in advanced HER2-negative breast cancer that is triple negative or caused by a BRCA1/2 mutation.
- Breast Cancer Treatment in Women with PALB2 Mutations. The PALB2 Study is an international research study to better understand breast cancer treatment among women with a PALB2 gene mutation. Participants are asked to complete online or paper study questionnaires (every two years for 10 years) and share their family history, medical, and genetics records.