Ruth O’Regan, MD, professor and head, Hematology, Medical Oncology and Palliative Care, spoke about the BELLE-3 study in a video for Targeted Oncology, a news outlet for oncology healthcare professionals. 

BELLE-3 is a phase 3 study of buparlisib (BKM120) plus fulvestrant (Faslodex) in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer, who progressed on or after mTOR inhibitor-based treatment and were treated with an aromatase inhibitor. 

“The trial met its primary endpoint….the difference was about two months, but it was statistically significant,” said Dr. O’Regan. 

Subgroups of patients who had better primary outcome (progression-free survival) on the study arm were patient with PIK3CA mutations, and patients with visceral metastasis. 

In the patients who had wild-type cancers on the primary tumor by PCR, there was no difference between the two arms of the study.

Resources:

• "Results of Buparlisib Plus Fulvestrant in HR+/HER2- Breast Cancer," Targeted Oncology, May 15, 2017