medwireNews: An analysis of the phase 3 PALLAS trial has shown no significant increase in SARS-CoV-2 test positivity and symptomatic infection with the adjuvant use of the CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib alongside endocrine therapy (ET) in patients with early breast cancer.
“These data provide reassurance about the safety of using palbociclib in breast cancer treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic,” write Erica Mayer (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA) and co-workers in a comment published in The Lancet Oncology.
Of the 5125 participants who remained on study, 721 underwent COVID-19 testing between December 2019 and November 2020, and 12.2% had a positive result.
The rates were comparable between the palbociclib plus ET and ET alone groups, at 11.3% of 362 tested patients and 13.1% of 359, respectively.
Symptomatic infections occurred in 64.8% of the 88 COVID-19-positive patients, with once again no significant difference between patients who did versus did not receive palbociclib, at corresponding rates of 68.3% and 61.7%.
There was one death due to COVID-19 in the palbociclib plus ET group and two in the ET alone group.
“As no COVID-19 vaccination programme was active during the data collection timeframe, the impact of vaccination on the rates of infection could not be addressed in this investigation, but could be considered in a future analysis,” conclude Mayer et al.
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