How long does Ibrance extend life?

The length of time Ibrance may extend life depends on many factors, such as your overall health and other treatments. Studies have shown that certain breast cancer patients taking Ibrance (palbociclib) in combination with Femara (letrozole) may have more than 2 years of progression-free survival (the length of time a patient lives without their breast cancer worsening). The length of time patients survived from the start of treatment was around 4.5 years. In combination with Faslodex (fulvestrant), Ibrance may extend overall survival by about 7 months compared to taking fulvestrant alone.

How much longer do you live with Ibrance?

The effectiveness of Ibrance was studied in randomized clinical trials known as Palbociclib: Ongoing Trials in the Management of Breast Cancer (PALOMA). Two studies submitted to the FDA for approval were PALOMA-2 (Ibrance plus letrozole) and PALOMA-3 (Ibrance plus fulvestrant).

PALOMA-2 included 666 participants, who received either Ibrance plus letrozole or a placebo (no active medication) and letrozole. Researchers measured the amount of time participants lived without the breast cancer getting worse. They found that those who took Ibrance plus letrozole lived for about 25 months, compared to 15 months for the placebo plus letrozole group, before the cancer progressed. The average overall survival (length of time the patient is alive after starting treatment) was 54 months for the Ibrance plus letrozole group, and 50 months for the placebo plus letrozole group.

PALOMA-3 included 521 participants. They were randomized to receive Ibrance plus fulvestrant, or placebo plus fulvestrant. Those who took Ibrance plus fulvestrant lived for about 9.5 months before their breast cancer got worse, compared to 4.6 months for the placebo plus fulvestrant group. The overall survival was found to be about 35 months in the Ibrance plus fulvestrant group and 28 months in the placebo plus fulvestrant group. This demonstrated that Ibrance extended the length of time patients lived by about 7 months.

In an observational study that included 2,888 people with HR+/HER2 metastatic breast cancer, the overall survival was about 53 months for people taking Ibrance plus an aromatase inhibitor, compared to about 40 months for people taking an aromatase inhibitor alone.

Related questions

• Will insurance pay for the cost of Ibrance?
• What are 10 key Ibrance side effects to watch out for?
• Is Verzenio better than Ibrance?

Who is the longest survivor on Ibrance?

While it is difficult to say the longest amount of time someone has survived on Ibrance, studies have shown some patients have survived up to about 59 months from the start of taking it together with letrozole, and up to 40 months after starting it with fulvestrant.

What is Ibrance?

Ibrance is an oral capsule used to treat adults with hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer. It belongs to the drug class known as CDK4/6 inhibitors.

Ibrance is taken with food, in combination with an aromatase inhibitor as initial treatment, or fulvestrant if initial treatment has not worked well. Ibrance was initially approved by the FDA in 2015.

This is not all the information you need to know about Ibrance (palbociclib) for safe and effective use and does not take the place of your healthcare provider’s directions. Review the full patient medication guide and discuss this information and any questions you have with your doctor or other health care provider.