Effect of Multiple Certified Educational Activities on Knowledge and Competence with CDK4/6 Inhibitors in HR-Positive Breast Cancer

The landscape of care for patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer has been significantly transformed by cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)4/6 inhibitors that have greatly improved survival outcomes. There are multiple CDK4/6 inhibitors currently available that vary in their therapeutic indications, pharmacologic features, reported outcomes, and adverse event profiles.

Certified education for clinicians is critical to facilitate timely and accurate translation of evidence into clinical practice, particularly as landmark trials are published and new data from clinical trials and analyses emerge. The clinical utility of these therapies is evolving, and changes to guideline recommendations are being made.

To educate about the CDK4/6 therapies in the treatment of patients with HR-positive advanced breast cancer, a series of 5 certified activities were launched. Education was guided by adult learning principles, beginning with a goal of increasing awareness of novel data and then incorporating these therapeutic agents into clinical practice, finally focusing on the management of adverse events.

Panel discussions were used to offer multiple faculty viewpoints and clinical anecdotes. The effectiveness of education was assessed using 3 multiple-choice questions and 1 self-efficacy question that measured knowledge, competence, and confidence, presented as pretest and posttest repeated pairs for each activity. Included in the analysis were completers of the pre- and posttest questions.

Participating in the activities were 6037 global physicians, including 2511 oncologists. Sixty-four percent of the oncologists identified as community-setting practitioners, and as a result of the educational activity, 82% of these clinicians intended to modify their treatment plans.

Significant improvements were demonstrated in 4 areas. First was knowledge of clinical trial safety and efficacy data with CDK4/6 inhibitors. After the educational intervention, there was an increase in scores from 65% to 73%. Second, there was an increased perceived competence in implementing personalized CDK4/6 inhibitors for a patient, increasing from 74% to 84%. Third, knowledge of side effects with CDK4/6 inhibitors increased from 63% to 74%. Lastly, clinician confidence personalizing and implementing CDK4/6 inhibitor therapy in practice increased from 37% to 50%.

The authors concluded that a series of live and online, expert-led, certified educational activities resulted in significant improvements in knowledge, competence, and confidence among participating learners regarding the use of CDK4/6 inhibitor therapies in the management of patients with HR-positive advanced breast cancer. The effectiveness of on-demand education to facilitate information transfer from conferences to clinical practice was also highlighted.