Cells (Aug 2024)

Effect of Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 4/6 Inhibitors on Circulating Cells in Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer

  • Soraia Lobo-Martins,
  • Patrícia Corredeira,
  • Ana Cavaco,
  • Carolina Rodrigues,
  • Paulina Piairo,
  • Cláudia Lopes,
  • Joana Fraga,
  • Madalena Silva,
  • Patrícia Alves,
  • Lisiana Wachholz Szeneszi,
  • Ana Barradas,
  • Camila Castro Duran,
  • Marília Antunes,
  • Gonçalo Nogueira-Costa,
  • Rita Sousa,
  • Conceição Pinto,
  • Leonor Ribeiro,
  • Catarina Abreu,
  • Sofia Torres,
  • António Quintela,
  • Gadea Mata,
  • Diego Megías,
  • Julie Ribot,
  • Karine Serre,
  • Sandra Casimiro,
  • Bruno Silva-Santos,
  • Lorena Diéguez,
  • Luís Costa

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13161391
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 16
p. 1391

Abstract

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The combination of cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) with endocrine therapy (ET) is the standard-of-care for estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative (ER+/HER2− advanced/metastatic breast cancer (mBC). However, the impact of CDK4/6i on circulating immune cells and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in patients receiving CDK4/6i and ET (CDK4/6i+ET) remains poorly understood. This was a prospective cohort study including 44 patients with ER+/HER2− mBC treated with CDK4/6i+ET in either first or second line. Peripheral blood samples were collected before (baseline) and 3 months (t2) after therapy. Immune cell’s subsets were quantified by flow cytometry, and microfluidic-captured CTCs were counted and classified according to the expression of cytokeratin and/or vimentin. Patients were categorized according to response as responders (progression-free survival [PFS] ≥ 6.0 months; 79.1%) and non-responders (PFS < 6.0 months; 20.9%). CDK4/6i+ET resulted in significant changes in the hematological parameters, including decreased hemoglobin levels and increased mean corpuscular volume, as well as reductions in neutrophil, eosinophil, and basophil counts. Specific immune cell subsets, such as early-stage myeloid-derived suppressor cells, central memory CD4+ T cells, and Vδ2+ T cells expressing NKG2D, decreased 3 months after CDK4/6i+ET. Additionally, correlations between the presence of CTCs and immune cell populations were observed, highlighting the interplay between immune dysfunction and tumor dissemination. This study provides insights into the immunomodulatory effects of CDK4/6i+ET, underscoring the importance of considering immune dynamics in the management of ER+/HER2− mBC.

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