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February 19, 2026Clinical Cancer Research0 citations

Abstract PS1-11-11: Outcomes in patients with PIK3CA-mutated breast cancer treated with metformin

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CTC. TravalineRPRosemary N. PlagensAEA. Elliott

Key Points

  • The aim is to assess the clinical outcomes of metformin in combination with alpelisib for patients with PIK3CA-mutated hormone receptor-positive breast cancer.
  • Retrospective review of tumor samples and clinical outcomes from breast cancer patients
  • Utilized next-gen sequencing and immunohistochemistry for analysis
  • Compared outcomes based on treatment sequences of metformin and alpelisib
  • MET concurrent with ALP improved overall survival (25.1 vs 13.6 months) and time on treatment (6.0 vs 3.0 months) compared to ALP alone
  • MET prior to ALP did not improve overall survival
  • Patients with hyperglycemia reported better outcomes when receiving MET concurrent with ALP

Abstract

Abstract Background: Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors, including alpelisib (ALP), are commonly used to treat metastatic hormone receptor-positive (HR+) breast cancer (BC) with PIK3CA mutations (PIK3CAmut). However, hyperglycemia (HG) is a frequent and challenging side-effect. Metformin (MET) is a first-line treatment (Tx) for HG and has anti-neoplastic properties. We retrospectively reviewed tumor samples and associated clinical outcomes from real-world patients (pts) with HR+/HER2- BC treated with ALP and MET, focusing on prior vs concurrent Tx. Methods: A retrospective review was performed using metastatic BC samples that underwent next-gen sequencing of DNA (592-gene/whole exome) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) at Caris Life Sciences (Phoenix, AZ). IHC (intensity/% cells stained) was used to identify HER2- (≤1+ or ≤10%, or 2+/10% and CISH-null), HR+ (ER+ (≥1+/≥1%) or PR+ (≥1+/≥1%)) samples. Pathogenic/likely pathogenic PIK3CAmut were identified in 3922 samples, of which 315 pts received ALP but not MET (“ALP alone”) and 198 pts received ALP + MET in various sequences, including MET prior to (but not concurrent with) ALP (n = 41) and MET concurrent with (but not prior to) ALP (n = 86). Endpoints, inferred from claims data, include overall survival (OS, date from first ALP Tx to last contact) and time on treatment (ToT, first to last ALP Tx). Hazards ratios (HR) and p-values were calculated using Cox proportional hazards models and log-rank tests, respectively. ICD10 codes for HG and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were used to identify incidence of co-morbidities. Outcomes are reported as: median months (m); HR 95% CI; p-value. Results: Compared with ALP alone, MET concurrent with ALP was associated with both longer OS (25.1 vs 13.6 m; HR = 0.61 0.44-0.84; p = 0.003) and longer ToT (6.0 vs 3.0 m; HR = 0.69 0.53-0.90; p = 0.006). However, MET prior to ALP had similar OS and ToT as ALP alone. An intermediate ALP+MET subgroup, MET prior to and concurrent with ALP (n=71), was associated with longer OS compared to ALP alone (22.6 m; HR = 0.59 0.40-0.87; p = 0.008), but similar ToT. HG was reported for 94 (29.75%) ALP alone and 60 (69.77%) MET concurrent with ALP pts. Among these, MET concurrent with ALP had significantly longer OS compared to ALP alone (26.1 vs 12.9 m; HR = 0.51 0.33-0.80; p = 0.003), as well as longer but not statistically significant ToT (5.7 vs 3.1 m; HR = 0.71 0.49-1.03; p=0.071). T2DM was reported for 101 (31.96%) ALP alone and 55 (63.95%) MET concurrent with ALP pts. Among these pts, MET concurrent with ALP was again associated with longer OS compared to ALP alone (28.7 vs 13.5 m; HR = 0.58 0.37-0.92; p = 0.0196), as well as longer but not statistically significant ToT (6.0 vs 3.2 m; HR = 0.72 0.50-1.06; p = 0.096). Conversely, MET prior to ALP had similar OS as ALP alone (14.3 m; HR = 1.23 0.74-2.07; p = 0.424), along with shorter though not statistically significant ToT (1.6 m; HR = 1.37 0.80-2.35; p = 0.25). Conclusions: Our finding that MET, when given concurrently with but not prior to ALP, was associated with improved outcomes suggests this therapy combination could have clinical benefits. Further research is warranted to examine this impact as well as any adverse effect profiles. Citation Format: C. Travaline, R. Plagens, A. Elliott, G. Sledge Jr., J. Hundal, J. P. Leone, S. L. Graff, M. Lustberg, M. Vasekar. Outcomes in patients with PIK3CA-mutated breast cancer treated with metformin abstract. In: Proceedings of the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2025; 2025 Dec 9-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2026;32(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PS1-11-11.

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Travaline et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6996a879ecb39a600b3ef31fhttps://doi.org/10.1158/1557-3265.sabcs25-ps1-11-11
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Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

  1. 1Efficacy of alpelisib (ALP) + fulvestrant (FUL) with rational use of metformin (MET) in patients with HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer (ABC).2024
  2. 2Abstract PO4-12-12: An Updated analysis of risk factor identification and Hyperglycemia prevention with alpelisib + fulvestrant in PIKC3A-mutated, hormone-receptor positive, human epidermal growth factor-2 negative advanced breast cancer2024
  3. 3Abstract PS1-03-13: Comparative Outcomes in Breast Cancer Patients Treated with Alpelisib With and Without Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Real-World Analysis from the TriNetX Network2026
  4. 4Abstract PS4-01-14: Evaluation of Metabolic Dysregulation, Endocrine Therapy Outcomes, and Tumor Biology in HER2-/HR+ Breast Cancer using a Multi-Omic, Real-World Analysis2026
  5. 5Abstract PS1-11-21: Sequencing PIK3CA, AKT and mTOR Inhibitors in HR+/HER2- Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Real-World Retrospective Analysis2026