Androgen equality.

Where do we stand on a women’s right to androgen blockade? A phase 2 trial in JCO is the third study to report efficacy of androgen receptor (AR) targeted therapy in women with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). First, of all TNBC tumor samples submitted for eligibility, 80% had detectable AR expression and over half had at least 10% expression. Enzalutamide resulted in stable or improved disease burden in 28% of patients at 24 weeks, a bit higher than the rates of 20% in the TBCRC bicalutamide trial and the French abiraterone trial. The progression-free survival times weren’t stellar for any of the three studies, ranging 2-3 months, but maybe because only about a quarter of people respond. What this all tells us? We need to better define which women are most likely to benefit.