*This information was originally published as part of an abstract for the 2025 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS)*
Understanding Metastatic Breast Cancer and the Unmet Patient Need
Hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative (HR+/HER2–) advanced breast cancer represents the most common subtype of metastatic breast cancer (mBC). While the emergence of PI3K/AKT/mTOR inhibitors has expanded therapeutic options for patients with PIK3CA-mutated disease, real-world adoption in community settings remains limited.
Clinicians face challenges managing treatment-related toxicities that contribute to delays in therapy initiation, interruptions, or discontinuations that can undermine treatment efficacy. Education that bridges evidence-based guidance with practical, real-world experience is essential to improving clinician readiness and patient outcomes in community oncology settings.
The Medlive Approach
To address these challenges, Medlive developed a two-phase continuing medical education (CME) initiative that combined qualitative insight-gathering with structured learning on AE management for PI3K/AKT/mTOR inhibitor therapy.
Phase 1: A 90-minute virtual roundtable convened academic and community oncologists to identify key barriers and establish consensus strategies for managing complex toxicities. Panelists cited hyperglycemia (100%), rash (83%), and diarrhea (75%) as the most difficult AEs to manage—highlighting limited endocrinology access, frequent dose interruptions, and the importance of early patient education.
Phase 2: Findings from the roundtable informed a 45-minute on-demand CME/CE activity and a four-part micro-learning video series distributed to oncologists, nurses, and pharmacists. The program emphasized the clinical rationale for PI3K/AKT/PTEN-pathway inhibition, trial evidence supporting use, and consensus-based strategies for toxicity prevention and mitigation.
Key Findings
- Substantial knowledge and confidence gains: Understanding of molecular mechanisms improved from 27% to 56% (+29%), while knowledge of trial efficacy outcomes increased from 23% to 50% (+27%, p<0.05). Participants demonstrated greater confidence interpreting data from pivotal studies such as SOLAR-1.
- High engagement and broad reach: More than 10,240 participants engaged across CME and micro-learning formats, including 4,501 NPI-verified oncologists, 3,487 oncology nurses, and 1,677 oncology pharmacists. 83% of CME participants completed the activity, and 74% reported currently treating mBC patients.
- Practice transformation: Following education, clinicians planned to implement more coordinated AE management with specialists (45%), increase use of PI3K/AKT/PTEN-pathway inhibitors (34%), and apply more rigorous PIK3CA mutation testing (33%). An equal proportion (33%) intended to strengthen AE monitoring protocols to support long-term therapy adherence.
- Identified barriers: Three-quarters of community oncologists cited limited specialist or pharmacy support as a persistent barrier to effective AE management.
Conclusion: Strengthening Real-World Readiness for Targeted Therapy Integration
The integration of PI3K/AKT/mTOR inhibitors into HR+/HER2– breast cancer care has the potential to transform outcomes, but success depends on clinician confidence and infrastructure readiness. This Medlive initiative combined real-world insights with outcome-driven education to equip community oncologists with practical strategies for managing toxicities and sustaining therapy.
Findings reinforce the value of aligning qualitative perspectives with data-informed CME design to close implementation gaps and support the seamless integration of targeted therapies in everyday practice.
To learn more about partnering with Medlive, reach out via our Contact Us page.
This initiative was supported by an independent educational grant from AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals.
