Abemaciclib for early breast cancer – adjuvant treatment

Abemaciclib is in clinical development as an adjuvant treatment for patients with early breast cancer who have undergone surgery. Early breast cancer is where the disease is limited to the breast region and has not spread to other parts of the body. Symptoms include swelling of breast regions, breast or nipple pain, nipple retraction, change in texture of skin covering the breast, nipple discharge and swollen lymph nodes. Treatment of early stage breast cancer usually involves surgery. Most patients will often receive some treatment after (‘adjuvant’) the surgery to improve the success rate of the treatment.
Abemaciclib is an oral cancer medicine. It works by blocking the activity of certain enzymes known as cyclin-dependant kinases (CDK) 4 and 6, which play a key role in regulating the way cells grow and divide. By blocking these enzymes, abemaciclib slows the growth of breast cancer cells. If licenced, abemaciclib will provide an additional treatment option for patients with early breast cancer who have undergone surgery.