OBJECTIVE: Cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) combined with endocrine therapy have demonstrated significant clinical benefits in progression-free and overall survival. This study investigates the outcomes associated with two kinds of CDK4/6i in patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive metastatic and relapsed breast cancer to inform real-world evidence of treatment strategies.
METHODS: This retrospective study included 340 Taiwanese patients with HR-positive advanced breast cancer from the Taipei Veterans General Hospital, between 2018 and 2023. We analyzed patient characteristics, treatment strategies and outcomes associated with two CDK4/6i. The efficacy of patients who experienced economic burden and interrupted CDK4/6i treatment after 2 years of National Health Insurance (NHI) reimbursement was also investigated.
RESULTS: Patients receiving ribociclib and palbociclib showed no significant differences in age, histology, body mass index(BMI), or pathologic status. The distribution of disease status and endocrine therapy partners was comparable between the two groups. Dose reduction was similar, while patients with palbociclib tended to discontinue CDK4/6i usage, and those with ribociclib tended to switch to the other CDK4/6i or endocrine partners. There was no significant difference in progression-free survival (PFS) between the two CDK4/6i in the first-line setting. Adverse prognostic factors were increasing HER2 IHC score, higher Ki-67 levels, visceral and liver metastasis, prior chemotherapy, and endocrine therapy resistance, while higher BMI, bone-only metastasis, and letrozole treatment were associated with a lower risk of progression. The limited follow-up time in our study was insufficient to assess the outcomes of patients treated with interrupted CDK4/6i for up to two years under the NHI reimbursement policy.
CONCLUSIONS: Treatment outcomes between the two types of CDK4/6i did not differ significantly, indicating the safety and efficacy of CDK4/6i for the Asian population. Ribociclib and palbociclib showed similar efficacy in PFS in the real-world setting.

BACKGROUND: Cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) inhibitors marked a milestone in the breast cancer treatment. Due to the potential impact of adverse effects on treatment decisions and patient outcomes, careful consideration of the varying toxicities of CDK4/6 inhibitors is crucial, as three inhibitors-palbociclib, abemaciclib, and ribociclib-have been approved with differences in adverse event profiles. However, limitations in clinical trials call for urgent real-world safety studies to evaluate and compare the risk of adverse events (AEs) among these CDK4/6 inhibitors. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze AEs of CDK4/6 inhibitors and provide insights for clinical drug selection, using real world database.
METHODS: The AEs of CDK4/6 inhibitors in the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (2015-2022) were analyzed. Four disproportionality methods were used to detect safety signals: reporting odds ratio (ROR), proportional reporting ratio, Bayesian Confidence Neural Network Propagation, and Multi-Item Gamma Poisson Shrinker. Venn analysis was used to compare and select common and specific AEs.
RESULTS: This study included 73,042 patients treated with palbociclib, 25,142 with ribociclib, and 7563 with abemaciclib. All three inhibitors had 27 common AEs. Palbociclib exhibited the highest ROR for hematologic toxicities, while ribociclib showed the highest ROR for macrocytosis, nail disorders, and hepatic lesions. Abemaciclib displayed the highest ROR for mucosal toxicity. Common signals for both palbociclib and ribociclib included hematologic toxicities, decreased immune responsiveness, and aphthous ulcers. Myelosuppression, oral pain, and pseudocirrhosis were common signals for palbociclib and abemaciclib. Anemia, hepatotoxicity, and pneumonitis were observed as common signals for ribociclib and abemaciclib. Furthermore, specific AEs associated with palbociclib included fatigue, alopecia, and stomatitis. For ribociclib, specific AEs included electrocardiogram QT prolongation, thrombocytopenia, and decreased hemoglobin. Abemaciclib was specifically linked to diarrhea, vomiting, and interstitial lung disease.
CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis revealed that palbociclib showed a higher risk of hematologic toxicity. Ribociclib showed higher risks of hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, and QT prolongation. Abemaciclib showed higher risks of hepatotoxicity, gastrointestinal effects, interstitial lung disease, and thrombosis. These findings provide valuable insights for CDK4/6 inhibitor selection.

The accumulation of senescent cells promotes ageing and age-related diseases, but molecular mechanisms that senescent cells use to evade immune clearance and accumulate in tissues remain to be elucidated. Here we report that p16-positive senescent cells upregulate the immune checkpoint protein programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) to accumulate in ageing and chronic inflammation. We show that p16-mediated inhibition of cell cycle kinases CDK4/6 induces PD-L1 stability in senescent cells via downregulation of its ubiquitin-dependent degradation. p16-expressing senescent alveolar macrophages elevate PD-L1 to promote an immunosuppressive environment that can contribute to an increased burden of senescent cells. Treatment with activating anti-PD-L1 antibodies engaging Fcγ receptors on effector cells leads to the elimination of PD-L1 and p16-positive cells. Our study uncovers a molecular mechanism of p16-dependent regulation of PD-L1 protein stability in senescent cells and reveals the potential of targeting PD-L1 to improve immunosurveillance of senescent cells and ameliorate senescence-associated inflammation.

The fact that the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-low group, historically classified as HER2 negative in breast cancer histology, benefited from HER2-targeted treatments similarly to the HER2-positive group indicates that this group has a distinct histology from the HER2-0 group. The effectiveness of cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors, which are the standard first-line treatment for hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer, in this newly defined histological subgroup remains a topic of debate. In our study, we examined the impact of HER2 status on the efficacy of CDK4/6 inhibitors. Our study is a retrospective, multicenter, real-world data analysis. One hundred sixty patients were included in the study. The relationship between HER2 status and other clinical-pathological features, as well as progression-free survival, was examined. Median follow-up was 20.33 ± 0.98 months. The mPFS could not be reached. All patients exhibited positive estrogen receptor expression. Among the patients, 111 (69.4%) were categorized as HER2-0, and 49 (30.6%) as HER2-low. The 24-month progression-free survival rates were similar between HER2-0 and HER2-low patients (60.6% vs 65.3%, hormone receptor: 1.18, CI: 0.67-2.20, P = .554). We established that the mPFS achieved with cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors as a first-line therapy for patients with advanced breast cancer is unaffected by HER2 status.

Myocardial infarction (MI) seriously threatens the health of elderly people, and reducing myocardial injury is of great significance for the treatment of MI. LncRNA-TTN-AS1 shows protective effects on cardiomyocyte injury, while the role of TTN-AS1 in MI remains unknown. CCK8, flow cytometry, and JC-1 staining assessed cell viability, apoptosis and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), respectively. Cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and secreted lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels were measured. The interactions between ELF5, TTN-AS1, PCBP2 and CDK6 were explored using ChIP, luciferase reporter assay, RIP, and pull-down. The severity of MI in mice was evaluated using TTC, H&E, and TUNEL staining. The data revealed that OGD/R significantly induced ROS, mitochondrial injury and apoptosis in AC16 cells, while overexpression of ELF5 or TTN-AS1 reversed these phenomena. ELF5 transcriptionally activated TTN-AS1 through binding with its promoter. TTN-AS1 increased CDK6 stability via recruiting PCBP2. CDK6 knockdown abolished the inhibitory effects of TTN-AS1 overexpression on OGD/R-induced myocardial injury. Furthermore, overexpression of TTN-AS1 or ELF5 alleviated MI progression in mice by upregulating CDK6. Collectively, TTN-AS1 transcriptionally regulated by ELF5 alleviated myocardial apoptosis and injury during MI via recruiting PCBP2 to increase CDK6 stability, which shed new lights on exploring new strategies against MI.

Regulated cell cycle progression ensures homeostasis and prevents cancer. In proliferating cells, premature S phase entry is avoided by the E3 ubiquitin ligase anaphasepromoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C), although the APC/C substrates whose degradation restrains G1-S progression are not fully known. The APC/C is also active in arrested cells that exited the cell cycle, but it is not clear whether APC/C maintains all types of arrest. Here, by expressing the APC/C inhibitor, EMI1, we show that APC/C activity is essential to prevent S phase entry in cells arrested by pharmacological cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) inhibition (Palbociclib). Thus, active protein degradation is required for arrest alongside repressed cell cycle gene expression. The mechanism of rapid and robust arrest bypass from inhibiting APC/C involves CDKs acting in an atypical order to inactivate retinoblastoma-mediated E2F repression. Inactivating APC/C first causes mitotic cyclin B accumulation which then promotes cyclin A expression. We propose that cyclin A is the key substrate for maintaining arrest because APC/C-resistant cyclin A, but not cyclin B, is sufficient to induce S phase entry. Cells bypassing arrest from CDK4/6 inhibition initiate DNA replication with severely reduced origin licensing. The simultaneous accumulation of S phase licensing inhibitors, such as cyclin A and geminin, with G1 licensing activators disrupts the normal order of G1-S progression. As a result, DNA synthesis and cell proliferation are profoundly impaired. Our findings predict that cancers with elevated EMI1 expression will tend to escape CDK4/6 inhibition into a premature, underlicensed S phase and suffer enhanced genome instability.

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to evaluate the effect of progesterone receptor (PR) status on the prognosis of advanced estrogen receptor (ER)-high human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer patients receiving CDK4/6 inhibitor combined with endocrine as first-line therapy.
METHODS: Advanced ER-high HER2-negative breast cancer patients who were admitted to Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital and received cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)4/6 inhibitor combined with endocrine as first-line therapy were included for analysis. Patients were divided into PR-high group (11-100%), PR-low group (1-10%), and PR-negative group (< 1%) according to the expression of PR. Chi-square test was used to analyze the correlation of variables between groups. COX regression analysis were used to analyze the risk factors of survival. Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to analyze the differences of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) between groups.
RESULTS: Among the 152 patients, 72 were PR-high, 32 were PR-low, and 48 were PR-negative. Compared with PR-negative group, the proportions of disease-free survival (DFS) ≥ 5 years and Ki-67 index ≤ 30% in PR-low group and PR-high group were significant higher. PR-negative patients were more likely to occur first-line progression of disease within 24 months (POD24) than PR-high(P = 0.026). Univariate and multivariate analysis showed that PR-negative and first-line POD24 occurrence were risk factors for survival. Survival curve analysis showed that compared with PR-high group, the PFS and OS were significantly lower in PR-negative group (P = 0.001, P = 0.036, respectively). Patients with first-line POD24 had shorter OS in the overall population as well as in subgroups stratified by PR status.
CONCLUSIONS: PR-negative and first-line POD24 occurrence were risk factors of advanced ER-high HER2-negative breast cancer patients receiving CDK4/6 inhibitor combined with endocrine as first-line therapy. PR-negative patients had shortest PFS and OS. Regardless of PR status, first-line POD24 occurrence predicted shorter OS.

BACKGROUND: The emergence of cyclin-dependent kinases 4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) represented a major breakthrough in the treatment of breast cancer over the past decade. In both clinical trials and real-world settings, it was observed that patients using CDK4/6i might experience psychiatric adverse events (PAEs). Herein, we conducted a pharmacovigilance study to comprehensively assess the correlation between CDK4/6i and PAEs.
METHODS: We obtained individual case safety reports submitted to the FDA Adverse Events Reporting System (FAERS) during the period from January 2015 to December 2023. In disproportionality analysis, the reporting odds ratio (ROR) and information component (IC) values were calculated for each adverse event-drug combination. Univariate logistic regression analysis was utilized to explore factors associated with PAEs following CDK4/6i treatment.
RESULTS: A total of 95,591 reports related to CDK4/6i were identified, with 6.72% reporting PAEs, and this proportion exhibited an annual upward trend. Based on the ROR and IC values, 17 categories of PAEs were defined as CDK4/6i-related PAEs. Among these PAEs, insomnia, stress, eating disorder, depressed mood, and sleep disorder were very common, each accounting for over 10% of CDK4/6i reports. Ribociclib showed the highest risk signal of CDK4/6i-related PAEs (ROR = 1.89[1.75-2.04], IC025 = 0.79), followed by palbociclib (ROR = 1.47[1.41-1.53], IC025 = 0.49), while abemaciclib did not exhibit a significant signal (ROR = 0.52[0.44-0.62], IC025 = -1.13). Female sex, younger age and weight exceeding 80 kg were significant risk factors for the incidence of CDK4/6i-related PAEs.
CONCLUSIONS: Using data from a real-world, large-scale spontaneous reporting system for adverse drug reactions, our study delineated the spectrum of PAEs to CDK4/6i. This potentially offered valuable insights for healthcare professionals to manage the risk of PAEs in patients receiving CDK4/6i treatment, particularly those with psychiatric disorders.

Cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) inhibitors, including abemaciclib, have been approved for the treatment of hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative advanced, and metastatic breast cancer. Despite the high therapeutic efficacy of CDK4/6 inhibitors, they are associated with various adverse effects, including potentially fatal interstitial lung disease. Therefore, a combination of CDK4/6 inhibitors with letrozole or fulvestrant has been attempted but has demonstrated limitations in reducing adverse effects, highlighting the need to develop new combination therapies. This study proposes a combination strategy using CDK4/6 inhibitors and tricyclic antidepressants to enhance the therapeutic outcomes of these inhibitors while reducing their side effects. The therapeutic efficacies of abemaciclib and desipramine were tested in different cancer cell lines (H460, MCF7, and HCT-116). The antitumor effects of the combined abemaciclib and desipramine treatment were evaluated in a xenograft colon tumor model. In vitro cell studies have shown the synergistic anticancer effects of combination therapy in the HCT-116 cell line. The combination treatment significantly reduced tumor size compared with control or single treatment without causing apparent toxicity to normal tissues. Although additional in vivo studies are necessary, this study suggests that the combination therapy of abemaciclib and desipramine may represent a novel therapeutic approach for treating solid tumors.

The synthesis, biochemical evaluation and radiosynthesis of a cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) inhibitor and radioligand was performed. NT431, a newly synthesized 4-fluorobenzyl-abemaciclib, exhibited high potency to CDK4/6 and against four cancer cell lines with IC50 similar to that of the parent abemaciclib. We performed a two-step one-pot radiosynthesis to produce [18F]NT431 with good radiochemical yield (9.6 ± 3%, n = 3, decay uncorrected), high radiochemical purity (>95%), and high molar activity (>370 GBq/µmol (>10.0 Ci/µmol). In vitro autoradiography confirmed the specific binding of [18F]NT431 to CDK4/6 in brain tissues. Dynamic PET imaging supports that both [18F]NT431 and the parent abemaciclib crossed the BBB albeit with modest brain uptake. Therefore, we conclude that it is unlikely that NT431 or abemaciclib (FDA approved drug) can accumulate in the brain in sufficient concentrations to be potentially effective against breast cancer brain metastases or brain cancers. However, despite the modest BBB penetration, [18F]NT431 represents an important step towards the development and evaluation of a new generation of CDK4/6 inhibitors with superior BBB penetration for the treatment and visualization of CDK4/6 positive tumors in the CNS. Also, [18F]NT431 may have potential application in peripheral tumors such as breast cancer and other CDK4/6 positive tumors.