Lynparza and Breast Cancer: Study Finds Reduced Recurrence Risk in HR-Positive Patients

In December 2024, AstraZeneca shared new findings on Lynparza in patients with HR-positive breast cancer, showing a 32% reduction in the risk of invasive disease recurrence or death. In this discussion, Aliya Omer, VP of US Breast Cancer Franchise at AstraZeneca, offers insights into the study's implications, the potential of Lynparza in high-risk HR-positive patients, and the company's ongoing efforts to address unmet needs in breast cancer treatment.

Pharmaceutical Executive: Lynparza demonstrated benefits across all key subgroups, including high-risk, hormone-receptor-positive patients. How might these findings influence treatment strategies for this patient population?

Aliya Omer: Inherited BRCAmutations are closely related to triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), but they're also prevalent in HR-positive disease. The reason HR-positive disease is so important is because it’s actually the most prevalent subtype of breast cancer if you consider the other two being triple negative and HER2-positive as well. Due to the prevalence, there are actually more HR-positive patients with a gBRCA mutation compared to TNBC overall.

The study demonstrated that the impact was actually equivalent across all subgroups, and for this one in particular, there was a 32% reduction in the risk of invasive disease recurrence or death, and the survival rate was 77.5%.

Full Interview Summary: The six-year follow-up data from the OlympiA trial demonstrated a 28% reduction in the risk of death with Lynparza (olaparib) for patients with germline BRCA-mutated, HER2-negative, high-risk, early-stage breast cancer. Notably, 87.5% of patients receiving Lynparza were alive at this point, compared to 83.2% on placebo, reinforcing its role as the first and only PARP inhibitor to show an overall survival benefit in early breast cancer. These findings solidify Lynparza as the standard-of-care for this patient group and emphasize the importance of early BRCA testing to identify high-risk patients who may benefit from treatment.

Beyond triple-negative breast cancer, Lynparza demonstrated a 32% reduction in the risk of invasive disease recurrence or death in high-risk hormone receptor-positive patients, the most prevalent breast cancer subtype. These benefits were consistent across key subgroups, suggesting a broader impact on treatment strategies.

Lynparza is already approved in multiple countries, including the U.S., EU, Japan, and China, across eight indications spanning breast, ovarian, prostate, and pancreatic cancers. AstraZeneca continues to engage with regulators to expand access and explore new indications, including monotherapy and combination therapies for other PARP-dependent tumor types.

The safety profile of Lynparza, particularly in younger patients, is reassuring. Given the increasing incidence of breast cancer in younger women, early intervention is critical. The median age in the OlympiA trial was 42, and pregnancy rates were comparable between the Lynparza and placebo groups, highlighting its potential as a viable option for younger patients.