Ibrance treatment doesn’t last a set number of years. You can take Ibrance for as long as you and your doctor feel it’s effective. Or you might take it until side effects are too severe.
Ibrance (palbociclib) is a targeted therapy drug approved for use in adults to treat breast cancer that is:
- hormone receptor-positive (HR-positive) and
- human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-negative) and
- advanced or metastatic (Advanced means the cancer has spread to surrounding tissues. Metastatic means the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.)
Doctors prescribe Ibrance as a long-term treatment along with hormone therapy. Depending on your previous treatment, doctors prescribe Ibrance along with another medication. They prescribe it along with fulvestrant (Faslodex) or an aromatase inhibitor (a type of hormone therapy), such as:
- anastrozole (Arimidex)
- exemestane (Aromasin)
- letrozole (Femara)
Your doctor also may prescribe a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist in some situations. Examples of LHRH agonists are goserelin (Zoladex) and leuprolide (Lupron).
This article looks at the recommended time frame for taking Ibrance. It also discusses whether Ibrance can lead to remission and what treatments may follow after taking Ibrance.
According to the European Medicines Agency, you’ll continue Ibrance treatment for as long as it continues to work and provide benefit. Or you might continue treatment until side effects are unacceptable. So it’s possible that treatment with Ibrance could last many years.
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Studies of Ibrance tablets and capsules reported some side effects, such as fatigue, nausea, and anemia. Your doctor will monitor you during Ibrance treatment to be sure it’s working and to check for side effects.
If side effects are bothersome, your doctor may recommend
Some side effects may be severe, such as very low white blood cell count or lung inflammation. In this case, your doctor may stop your Ibrance and hormone therapy treatment. In studies of Ibrance tablets and capsules, treatment was stopped for side effects occurring in:
- 9.7% of people taking Ibrance and letrozole
- 6% of people taking Ibrance and fulvestrant
During treatment, some side effects may be due to hormone therapy rather than Ibrance. Aromatase inhibitors may cause bone pain, joint pain, and thinning of the bones. Faslodex may cause nausea and hot flashes.
With advanced breast cancer, remission may be possible in certain situations. This can depend on how far the cancer has spread and how your body responds to treatment.
Ibrance targets certain proteins to help prevent breast cancer cells from dividing and multiplying. This means Ibrance works to slow the growth and progression of cancer, but it does not cause remission.
In 2024, researchers learned more information about Ibrance taken along with letrozole in advanced breast cancer. They learned that the drug combination led to significant improvements in people’s survival without their cancer progressing. These statistics were better than those of a placebo (a substance with no active drug) taken along with letrozole.
Ibrance stays in your body for several days. Researchers of Ibrance tablets and capsules estimate it takes about 6 days for Ibrance to clear from your body.
It’s likely that you’ll keep taking Ibrance until it no longer has a benefit. Or you might take it until side effects are severe or unmanageable.
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In over 60% of the diagnoses, doctors prescribed further hormone therapy following treatment with Ibrance. In about 33% of the diagnoses, people continued treatment with inhibitors similar to Ibrance. (Ibrance is a CDK4/6 inhibitor. This means it targets a certain protein to help prevent cancer growth.)
Other types of CDK4/6 inhibitors for treating breast cancer include Kisqali (ribociclib) and Verzenio (abemaciclib).
More research is needed to learn the best treatment following Ibrance and hormone therapy.
You may be considering breast cancer treatment to follow Ibrance. If so, your doctor may have you wait to start it until your body clears Ibrance. This wait time may not be needed if Ibrance and the other drug have no known interactions.
Ibrance is a targeted therapy for advanced or metastatic HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer. It works to slow the growth and progression of cancer. Doctors prescribe Ibrance along with hormone therapy.
Your doctor will monitor you during treatment to be sure Ibrance is working. As long as Ibrance proves beneficial in treating your cancer, you may continue taking it.
Your doctor also will watch for side effects. If you have any, your doctor may recommend ways to treat and manage them. Or they may reduce or delay your dosage. But if the side effects are severe, they may recommend stopping your Ibrance and hormone therapy treatment.
Disclaimer: Healthline has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.