Elinzanetant Effectively Reduces Vasomotor Symptoms in Breast Cancer Patients on Endocrine Therapy

A recent phase 3 clinical trial has demonstrated that elinzanetant, a neurokinin receptor-targeted medication, significantly decreases vasomotor symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats in women undergoing endocrine therapy for hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Published online on June 2, 2025, in the New England Journal of Medicine, the study was presented during the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting held from May 31 to June 4 in Chicago.

The research was led by Dr. Fatima Cardoso from the Champalimaud Foundation in Lisbon, Portugal. It involved women aged 18 to 70 experiencing moderate-to-severe vasomotor symptoms linked to endocrine therapy either for breast cancer treatment or prevention. Participants were randomly assigned to receive daily doses of 120 mg of elinzanetant for 52 weeks or a placebo for the initial 12 weeks, followed by elinzanetant for 40 weeks. A total of 474 women participated, with only one using endocrine therapy for breast cancer prevention.

Results showed that women treated with elinzanetant had a greater reduction in vasomotor symptom frequency. At week 4, the average decline was 6.5 episodes per day compared to 3.0 episodes in the placebo group. By week 12, the reductions were 7.8 and 4.2 episodes, respectively. The study also noted that about 70% of women on elinzanetant experienced at least one adverse event, with serious adverse events occurring in 2.5% versus 0.6% in the placebo group. Despite this, the drug's benefits in alleviating symptoms and improving quality of life were deemed significant.

The authors highlighted that these findings are consistent with previous research in postmenopausal women, suggesting elinzanetant as a promising therapy for managing vasomotor symptoms. Certain authors disclosed financial ties to Bayer, the pharmaceutical company developing elinzanetant, which funded the study.

This innovative treatment offers hope for women suffering from menopause-like symptoms caused by cancer treatments, providing a new pathway to improve comfort and overall health during breast cancer management.

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-06-elinzanetant-vasomotor-symptoms-women-breast.html