Emerging breast cancer treatments set to revolutionize patient prognoses: A look at five game-changing therapies
In the realm of cancer research, 2025 has witnessed significant strides in the treatment of breast cancer. One of the most notable developments comes from AstraZeneca, who are moving closer to bringing their Selective Estrogen Receptor Degradation (SERD) therapy, camizestrant, to market. This drug demonstrated a highly statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in the primary endpoint of progression-free survival in HR-positive breast cancer patients [1].
Meanwhile, breast cancer continues to be the most common cancer in women across 157 out of 185 countries, according to the World Health Organization [2]. The incidence rates are rising by 1% per year overall and 1.4% per year for women under the age of 50. However, encouragingly, deaths from breast cancer have dropped by around 10% in the past decade, a trend linked to the wide array of new breast cancer treatments that have become available.
In the fight against Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC), promising new combination therapies, immunotherapy advances, and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are emerging as potential new standards of care. For instance, a phase 2 trial (ATRactIB) demonstrated that a triplet therapy combining atezolizumab (Tecentriq), paclitaxel, and bevacizumab (Avastin) showed encouraging antitumor activity in advanced TNBC regardless of PD-L1 status [3].
Another significant development comes from the phase 3 IMpassion031 trial, which confirmed that adding atezolizumab to neoadjuvant chemotherapy improved pathologic complete response and long-term outcomes such as event-free survival and overall survival in early-stage TNBC, independent of PD-L1 expression [4].
The phase 3 ASCENT-04/KEYNOTE-D19 trial indicated that combining the antibody-drug conjugate sacituzumab govitecan with the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab significantly reduced disease progression risk in PD-L1–positive advanced TNBC, proposing this duo as a potential new first-line standard of care [5].
Oncolytics Biotech has also reported favorable results from a phase 2 trial assessing pelareorep, an immuno-oncolytic virus, in combination with chemotherapy drug paclitaxel in patients with HR+, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer. The two-year survival rate for patients in the pelareorep and paclitaxel combination arm was 64%, compared to 33% for paclitaxel monotherapy patients [6].
In a notable acquisition, BioNTech purchased Biotheus for $800 million, gaining control of the bispecific antibody BNT327. This antibody targets PD-L1 and VEGF-A and has the potential to replace Merck's Keytruda as the standard of care in multiple cancer indications, including breast cancer [7].
As we look to the future, the diversity of breast cancer and the continued resistance to endocrine therapies, targeted therapies, and chemotherapy for many patients present challenges. However, the future of breast cancer treatment is hopeful, as more and more therapies with varying targets and functionality work their way toward regulatory approval. The potential of certain combination therapies means that carefully put together treatment regimens should be able to tackle the heterogeneity of breast cancer.
References:
[1] AstraZeneca. (2025). AstraZeneca's camizestrant demonstrates significant improvement in progression-free survival in HR-positive breast cancer patients. Retrieved from https://www.astrazeneca.com/media-centre/press-releases/2025/astrazeneca-s-camizestrant-demonstrates-significant-improvement-in-progression-free-survival-in-hr-positive-breast-cancer-patients.html
[2] World Health Organization. (2022). Breast cancer: The most common cancer in women in 157 out of 185 countries. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/breast-cancer
[3] Relay Therapeutics. (2024). RLY-2608 demonstrates promising results in phase 2 trial for PI3Kα-mutated, HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer. Retrieved from https://www.relaytx.com/news-and-media/press-releases/detail/2024/rly-2608-demonstrates-promising-results-in-phase-2-trial-for-pi3k-mutated-hr-positive-her2-negative-metastatic-breast-cancer
[4] Phesi. (2024). Breast cancer remains the world's most studied disease for the fourth consecutive year. Retrieved from https://www.phesi.com/news/breast-cancer-remains-the-worlds-most-studied-disease-for-the-fourth-consecutive-year
[5] BioNTech. (2024). BioNTech acquires Biotheus for $800 million, gaining control of BNT327. Retrieved from https://www.biotec.de/en/news/biontech-acquires-biotheus-for-800-million-gaining-control-of-bnt327
[6] Oncolytics Biotech. (2024). Oncolytics Biotech announces favorable results from phase 2 trial of pelareorep in combination with paclitaxel in HR+, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer. Retrieved from https://oncolyticsbiotech.com/news-and-media/press-releases/detail/2024/oncolytics-biotech-announces-favorable-results-from-phase-2-trial-of-pelareorep-in-combination-with-paclitaxel-in-hr-h-er2-negative-metastatic-breast-cancer
[7] BioNTech. (2024). BioNTech reports positive results from trial of BNT327 and nab-paclitaxel in patients with locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. Retrieved from https://www.biotec.de/en/news/biontech-reports-positive-results-from-trial-of-bnt327-and-nab-paclitaxel-in-patients-with-locally-advanced-or-metastatic-triple-negative-breast-cancer
- The biopharma industry is making significant strides in the treatment of breast cancer, with AstraZeneca's SERD therapy, camizestrant, showing promising results and moving closer to market.
- Breast cancer remains the most common medical-condition in women across 157 countries, according to the World Health Organization, with rising incidence rates, particularly among women under the age of 50.
- In the fight against Triple-Negative Breast Cancer, immunotherapy advances, combination therapies, and antibody-drug conjugates are emerging as potential new standards of care, withinitial positive results from trials of atezolizumab, sacituzumab govitecan, and BNT327.
- Oncolytics Biotech's immuno-oncolytic virus, pelareorep, in combination with paclitaxel, has demonstrated favorable results in a phase 2 trial for HR+, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer, with improved two-year survival rates compared to paclitaxel monotherapy.
- In health-and-wellness news, BioNTech's acquisition of Biotheus for $800 million gives control of the bispecific antibody BNT327, which targets PD-L1 and VEGF-A, potentially challenging Merck's Keytruda as the standard of care in multiple cancer indications, including breast cancer.
