For many people affected by breast cancer, treatment does not end when active therapy is complete. Long after diagnosis, individuals may continue to experience side effects that affect their daily lives, including hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disruption, fatigue, and other symptoms associated with medically induced menopause.
For those receiving endocrine therapies such as tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors, these symptoms can be more than an inconvenience. They can affect quality of life, impact relationships, disrupt sleep, interfere with work, and make it more difficult to remain on treatment.
That is why today’s announcement from Bayer and Health Canada’s expanded authorization of LYNKUET® (elinzanetant) is an important development for the breast cancer community. The non-hormonal treatment is now authorized in Canada for the treatment of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms caused by adjuvant endocrine therapy related to breast cancer.
This announcement represents more than a new treatment option. It reflects a growing recognition that quality of life matters.
At Breast Cancer Canada, we believe progress in breast cancer care must extend beyond treating the disease itself. It must also address the lasting effects of treatment and the challenges people experience while living with and beyond breast cancer.
For individuals with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, endocrine therapy remains one of the most effective tools available to reduce the risk of recurrence. Yet many patients experience significant side effects, including hot flashes, night sweats, and sleep disturbances. Historically, treatment options have been limited, particularly because hormone-based therapies are often not appropriate for this patient population.
The availability of a new non-hormonal option offers another tool to help address an important unmet need.
“Breast cancer care can’t be done in isolation. We must also address the lasting effects of treatment that shape a person’s quality of life. For too long, medically induced menopause symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats have been an overlooked consequence of breast cancer care. The availability of a new non-hormonal treatment reflects the progress that is possible when research drives innovation beyond the cancer itself. It is another step toward a more personalized, evidence-based approach, where survivorship and supportive therapies are recognized as essential components of modern breast cancer care.” Kimberly Carson, CEO, Breast Cancer Canada
Breast Cancer Canada’s newest strategic pillar focuses on improving quality of life through research, innovation, and supportive care. As research continues to advance personalized treatment approaches, it is equally important that we invest in solutions that help people manage the physical, emotional, and practical effects of breast cancer treatment.
Progress is not measured solely by survival outcomes. It is also measured by how well people are able to live during and after treatment.
Because breast cancer care doesn’t end with treatment. And neither should our focus on quality of life.
“When we talk about treating breast cancer, we need to ensure patients are supported through treatment. Adjuvant endocrine therapy is one of our most powerful tools for helping prevent recurrence, but it can leave women managing severe hot flashes that negatively affect quality of life and, too often, lead them to stop the very therapy that protects them. For a long time, our options were limited, especially because hormone-based relief is not appropriate for many breast cancer patients. The introduction of LYNKUET® in Canada is a meaningful step forward. As a hormone-free treatment, it gives us a new, non-hormonal way to treat these ongoing symptoms and help women stay on therapy.” — Dr. Christine Brezen-Masley, Medical Oncologist and Director of the Marvelle Koffler Breast Centre at Mount Sinai Hospital, and Medical Director of the Cancer Program for Sinai Health System in Toronto, Canada.
