Effect of Palbociclib Plus Letrozole on Patient-Reported Health-Related Quality of Life: Extended Follow-Up of the PALOMA-2 Trial

March 2025 in “ ESMO Open ”

Nadia Harbeck, Véronique Dièras, Karen A. Gelmon, Richard S. Finn, Miguel Martín, Patrick Neven, Seong‐Eun Kim, Jie Ma, Eric Gauthier, E. Broughton, J. Doan, Hope S. Rugo

palbociclib letrozole estrogen receptor-positive human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative metastatic breast cancer hair loss

TLDR Long-term treatment with palbociclib plus letrozole maintains quality of life in certain breast cancer patients.

The extended follow-up of the PALOMA-2 trial, involving 666 women with ER+/HER2− metastatic breast cancer, evaluated the long-term effects of palbociclib plus letrozole on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The study found that HRQoL was maintained in patients receiving palbociclib plus letrozole, with no significant differences in overall change from baseline in FACT-B and EQ-5D-3L scores compared to placebo plus letrozole. However, patients in the palbociclib group reported fewer side effects and less hair loss. Although the time to deterioration in quality of life was shorter for those with disease progression, palbociclib plus letrozole remains an effective long-term treatment option for maintaining quality of life in this patient population.