Chemotherapy or endocrine therapy, first-line treatment for patients with hormone receptor-positive HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer in China: a real-world study

BACKGROUND: Although endocrine therapy (ET) is the preferred option for hormone receptor-positive HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer (HR+/HER2– MBC), chemotherapy (CT) is still commonly used. The objective of this real-world study was to present the actual choice of first-line treatment for patients with HR+/HER2– MBC and evaluate the consistency with guidelines in China. METHODS: Patients with HR+/HER2– MBC between 1996 and September 2018 were identified from of the database of Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology Breast Cancer (CSCO BC). The statistical description was conducted to present the first-line treatment. Factors influencing the prescription of ET or CT were obtained using univariate and multivariate analysis. The consistency of the actual treatment with the guideline of Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology Breast Cancer (CSCO BC guideline) was evaluated. RESULTS: Of 1,877 patients, 662 (35.3%) received ET, and 1,215 (64.7%) received CT. ET proportion was only 25.4% in 1996–2005 and gradually increased to 44.6% in 2016–2018. Aromatase inhibitors (69% of ET) and taxane-based regimens (66% of CT) were the most commonly used ET and CT, respectively. Univariate and multivariate analysis showed that patients with age ≥60, distant relapse-free interval (DRFI) ≥24 months, ER+/PR+, bone metastasis only, or progression on (neo)adjuvant ET were preferably chosen for ET as first-line treatment. Factors associated with preferring CT were de novo stage IV, liver or lung metastasis. 17.2% of patients (322 cases) who had neither visceral metastasis nor progression on (neo)adjuvant ET wrongly received CT instead of ET, which is inconsistent with CSCO BC guideline. More than half of patients receiving CT discontinued their initial treatment due to adverse events and other non-disease progression reasons. CONCLUSIONS: Although high proportion of HR+/HER2– MBC patients received CT as first-line treatment in China, it is gratifying to see that the proportion of patients receiving ET has gradually increased. Our study revealed that 17.2% of patients were over-treated according to CSCO BC guideline, which may provide data to promote guideline adherence. The clinical application for ET should be appropriately expanded in first-line treatment, especially for patients without visceral disease and proof of endocrine resistance.