Is elacestrant a chemotherapy drug or a targeted drug? Description of its pharmacological mechanism of action

Elacestrant is a targeted drug rather than a traditional chemotherapy drug. It is a selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD), mainly used to treat patients with hormone receptor-positive (HR+) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-) advanced or metastatic breast cancer. Unlike traditional chemotherapy drugs, elastran achieves its anti-cancer effect by specifically targeting receptor signaling pathways in cancer cells, rather than through non-selective cytotoxicity.

Elastran binds to the estrogen receptor (ER) with high affinity, promotes the degradation of the receptor, blocks the transcriptional activity mediated by ER, thereby inhibiting the proliferation of breast cancer cells. It not only inhibits estrogen-dependent signaling, but also reverses part of the resistance mechanism, giving patients resistant to tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors new treatment options.

While targeting ER degradation, elastran does not significantly affect other non-target cells, so it has a lower risk of systemic toxicity and bone marrow suppression than traditional chemotherapy. This selective effect helps improve patient tolerance and quality of life while maintaining highly effective inhibition of tumor cells.

Due to its specific targeting effect, elastran is suitable for HR+/HER2- patients with advanced breast cancer as monotherapy or in combination with other targeted drugs. In clinical studies, it has shown the potential to extend progression-free survival (PFS) and improve response rates, providing breast cancer patients with a safer and better-tolerated treatment option than traditional chemotherapy.

Reference materials:https://www.drugs.com/