Intraoperative Margin Assessment With Specimen PET/CT Imaging in Early Breast Cancer
In a European trial (BrIMA) reported in JAMA Surgery, Göker et al found that specimen PET/CT imaging was associated with improved detection of positive margins in surgery for early breast cancer. Study Details The study recruited patients from six European breast centers between June 2022 and March ...
Disparities in Cancer Screening Persist Among Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Minority Populations
New research has uncovered persistent disparities in preventive cancer care across different sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) minority populations. The study—published by Arena et al in the journal Cancer—found particular concern for cervical and breast cancer screening. To assess SOGI ...
Study Uncovers How Obesity Influences Molecular Pathways in Breast Cancer Progression
A novel study has found that obesity is associated with a distinct molecular program driving the transition from early-stage, premalignant breast lesions to invasive breast cancer. Rather than simply showing increased activation of classical invasive pathways, tumors from patients with obesity...
Real-World Heart and Lung Radiation Doses From NHS Breast Radiotherapy Plans
In a study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Kirby et al identified real-world heart and lung radiation doses associated with English National Health Service (NHS) radiotherapy treatment plans in breast radiotherapy practices. Study Details The study involved data from 26,236 eligible patients...
Case 3: Toxicity Management in ER-Positive Breast Cancer
This is Part 3 of High-Risk HR-Positive, HER2-Negative Early-Stage Breast Cancer: Bridging Evidence, Risk Identification, and Real-World Practice, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this roundtable. In this video, Sara Tolaney, MD, MPH, FASCO, Erica Mayer, MD, MPH, FASCO, and Elahe Salehi, DNP, ANP-BC, discuss managing toxicities for patients with high-risk hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer on CDK4/6 therapy. They review the case of a 58-year-old woman with T2 N1 high-grade disease who develops grade 1 diarrhea after starting 150 mg of abemaciclib. The faculty highlight practical approaches to establishing baseline bowel habits and optimizing supportive care, evidence supporting dose modification strategies that preserve efficacy, methods for monitoring renal function and cardiovascular risk during treatment, and the importance of frequent, proactive clinical monitoring.
Case 2: High-Risk ER-Positive Early Breast Cancer With Germline BRCA Mutation
This is Part 2 of High-Risk HR-Positive, HER2-Negative Early-Stage Breast Cancer: Bridging Evidence, Risk Identification, and Real-World Practice, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this roundtable. In this video, Sara Tolaney, MD, MPH, FASCO, Erica Mayer, MD, MPH, FASCO, and Elahe Salehi, DNP, ANP-BC, discuss the management of high-risk hormone receptor–positive early-stage breast cancer with germline BRCA mutations. They review the case of a 42-year-old premenopausal woman with a 5.2-cm, grade 2 invasive ductal carcinoma and two positive lymph nodes. Her Oncotype Recurrence Score is 21, but she has a high disease burden. The faculty highlight how high disease burden and germline mutation status influence treatment intensity, the rationale for incorporating ovarian function suppression in premenopausal patients, considerations for sequencing targeted agents such as PARP inhibitors and CDK4/6 inhibitors, and strategies for monitoring and managing related side effects.
Case 1: Understanding Risk of Recurrence in ER-Positive Early Breast Cancer
This is Part 1 of High-Risk HR-Positive, HER2-Negative Early-Stage Breast Cancer: Bridging Evidence, Risk Identification, and Real-World Practice, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this roundtable. In this video, Sara Tolaney, MD, MPH, FASCO, Erica Mayer, MD, MPH, FASCO, and Elahe Salehi, DNP, ANP-BC, discuss identifying and managing high-risk hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative early breast cancer. They review the case of a 62-year-old postmenopausal woman with a 4.5-cm, grade 1 invasive lobular carcinoma and two positive lymph nodes. Despite high anatomic risk, her biology was favorable with a Ki-67 of 5% and an Oncotype Recurrence Score of 8. The faculty highlight how to interpret discordant risk factors, the role of extended endocrine therapy as the bedrock of treatment, considerations around adding a CDK4/6 inhibitor in high-risk postmenopausal patients, and strategies for sequencing therapy with radiation to manage potential side effects.
Antonio Llombart-Cussac, MD, PhD, on ADELA: Elacestrant Plus Everolimus in ESR1-Mutated ER-Positive HER2-Negative Advanced Breast Cancer
Antonio Llombart-Cussac, MD, PhD, of Medica Scientia Innovation Research (MEDSIR), discusses the ongoing ADELA study, a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized phase III trial of elacestrant plus everolimus vs elacestrant plus placebo in patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive HER2-negative advanced breast cancer with ESR1-mutated tumors who experienced disease progression on endocrine therapy plus CDK4/6 inhibition (Abstract TPS1154). ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT06382948
Changes in AI Mammogram Risk Scores Over Time May Help to Predict Future Breast Cancer
Using artificial intelligence (AI), researchers found that image-based risk scores for breast cancer derived from screening mammograms evolve over time and differ between women who develop cancer and those who do not, opening the door to a new era of dynamic breast cancer risk assessment. The new...
ASCO Collaborates With Ryght AI to Accelerate Site Selection for Metastatic Breast Cancer Trial
ASCO has announced a collaboration with Ryght AI aimed at accelerating the identification and activation of research sites for the CDK4/6 Inhibitor Dosing Knowledge (CDK) Study, a clinical trial evaluating different starting doses of CDK4/6 inhibitors in patients with metastatic breast cancer. The...
FDA Approves Sacituzumab Govitecan-hziy as Monotherapy and in Combination With Pembrolizumab for First-Line Treatment of TNBC
On June 24, 2026, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the antibody-drug conjugate sacituzumab govitecan-hziy (Trodelvy) for two indications in adults with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The first indication, supported by data from ASCENT-03, is for sacituzumab govitecan as a ...
SENOMAC Trial: Omission of Completion Axillary Dissection Is Oncologically Safe in Expanded Breast Cancer Population
The international non-inferiority SENOMAC trial has confirmed that omitting completion axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) is oncologically safe (ie, a less intensive approach does not compromise outcomes) and substantially reduces patient-reported arm morbidity in patients with one or two...
Breast Cancer: Palbociclib-Based Regimen Approved for HR-Positive, HER2-Positive Metastatic Disease
On June 24, 2026, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved palbociclib (Ibrance) in combination with trastuzumab, with or without pertuzumab, and endocrine therapy for the maintenance treatment of adult patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-positive locally advanced or...
Advanced Breast Cancer: Novel CDK4/6 Inhibitor Plus an Aromatase Inhibitor
In an interim analysis of a Chinese phase III trial (FCN-437c-III201) reported in JAMA Oncology, Yuan et al found that the addition of the novel CDK4/6 inhibitor fovinaciclib to aromatase inhibitor therapy was associated with significant improvement in progression-free survival in the first-line...
Impact of Early Palliative Care on Quality of Life in Patients With Breast Cancer in India
Early integration of palliative, or supportive, care at the time of breast cancer diagnosis improved quality of life more than on-demand palliative care in a randomized trial of patients in India. The research was highlighted in a media briefing ahead of the 2026 ASCO Breakthrough Meeting, taking...
Chinese Study of HER2-Targeted Combination in Neoadjuvant Therapy for Locally Advanced Breast Cancer
A HER2-targeted regimen produced high pathologic complete response rates before surgery in patients with locally advanced HER2-positive breast cancer, according to results from a single-arm phase II neoadjuvant trial conducted in China. The research was highlighted in a media briefing ahead of the...
Subgroup Analysis of Inavolisib Regimen in Asian Patients With Advanced Breast Cancer
Treatment with the PI3K inhibitor inavolisib in combination with palbociclib and fulvestrant produced substantial clinical benefits in Asian patients with PIK3CA-mutated, hormone receptor–positive (HR-positive), HER2-negative, endocrine-resistant advanced breast cancer, according to a subgroup...
FDA Warns of Ongoing Breast Biopsy Needle Shortage
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued notice of supply chain interruptions for stereotactic breast biopsy needles due to recent supplier issues. Disruption in biopsy needle manufacturing is expected to impact patient care and could require adjustments for the management of patients...
Low-Dose Tamoxifen in Noninvasive Breast Neoplasia
In a long-term individual patient-level pooled analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Gandini et al found that low-dose tamoxifen was associated with good outcomes in patients with noninvasive breast neoplasia. Study Details The study used individual patient data from three clinical ...
Long-Term Outcomes of Adjuvant Hypofractionated Radiotherapy for Breast Cancer
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Brunt et al, long-term follow-up of the UK phase III FAST-Forward trial has shown that a 1-week adjuvant radiotherapy schedule was associated with good outcomes at 10 years in patients with breast cancer. Study Details In the multicenter, open-label,...
Can AI Provide an ‘Early Alert’ for Breast Cancer Before Diagnosis?
Three commercially available radiology artificial intelligence (AI) systems have shown the potential to flag early signs of breast cancer up to 6 years before a diagnosis, according to a Swedish study published by Hickman et al in Radiology. In a retrospective study, researchers tested three...
Advancing Clinical Trials and Decision-Making With Synthetic Real-World Data
Synthetic real-world data generated by AI can model treatment patterns and clinical outcomes across large patient cohorts while accelerating clinical trials and drug development, according to Eddy Saad, MD, MSc, a Research Fellow in Medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. During a presentation...
Review of Breast Cancer News and Studies
Among the high-quality abstract presentations at ASCO and the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), a few always stand out as particularly meritorious. The ASCO Post asked its Senior Deputy Editor, breast cancer specialist Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, to offer his selection and thoughts on some...
Which Genes Contribute to Early-Onset Breast Cancer in Black Women?
Black women experience disproportionately elevated risks of developing and dying from early-onset breast cancer. New research published by Beasley et al in Cancer reveals the genes that are most likely to be mutated to contribute to these increased risks. In the study of 686 Black women diagnosed...
Five-Year Survival Analysis: Neoadjuvant Trastuzumab/Pertuzumab Plus Endocrine Therapy or Chemotherapy in HR-Positive/HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
In an analysis of the German phase II WSG TP-II trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Gluz et al found that neoadjuvant trastuzumab/pertuzumab with endocrine therapy (ET) or paclitaxel were both associated with high rates of 5-year overall survival in patients with hormone receptor...
Lymph Node Surgery and CDK4/6 Inhibitor Treatment in Early Breast Cancer
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Pfob et al, a pooled analysis of randomized trials showed that performance of lymph node surgery for the sole purpose of determining eligibility for CDK4/6 inhibitor treatment does not appear to be a promising strategy in patients with early breast cancer. As...
ASCO Collaborates With Ryght AI to Accelerate Site Selection for Metastatic Breast Cancer Trial
ASCO has announced a collaboration with Ryght AI aimed at accelerating the identification and activation of research sites for the CDK4/6 Inhibitor Dosing Knowledge (CDK) Study, a clinical trial evaluating different starting doses of CDK4/6 inhibitors in patients with metastatic breast cancer. The...
Local Radiotherapy May Help Control Oligometastatic Breast Cancer
Local radiotherapy may help control disease spread in patients with oligometastatic breast cancer, according to findings from the OLIGOMA trial presented during the Congress of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO 2026; Abstract 5611). “Currently, patients with oligometastatic ...
TAILORx and RxPONDER Trials Shift to a Discovery Platform
The ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group, in collaboration with the SWOG Cancer Research Network, has launched a new initiative to analyze paired original and recurrent tumor specimens from two practice-changing breast cancer clinical trials. Through the translational study EA1241, researchers will...
Early Breast Cancer: Is Surgery Omission Possible Following Estrogen and Ablative Radiation Therapy?
Select patients with early-stage breast cancer who achieved exceptional responses to ablative radiation therapy and endocrine therapy were able to omit surgery without disease progression, according to findings from a prospective phase II trial presented during the Congress of the European Society...
Outcomes in Patients With Breast Cancer and Obesity or T2D Receiving GLP-1 RAs
In a retrospective cohort study reported in JAMA Network Open, Tatum et al found that use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) was associated with reduced risk of all-cause mortality in patients with breast cancer and obesity or type 2 diabetes (T2D). Study Details The study...
Long-Term EORTC Trial Challenges Assumptions About Lymph Node Radiation Therapy in Breast Cancer
Final results from a landmark European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) randomized trial with more than 20 years of follow-up have shown that irradiation of the internal mammary and medial supraclavicular (IM-MS) lymph nodes reduces breast cancer mortality but does not...
Case 3: Managing Toxicity to Maintain Long-Term Benefit
This is Part 3 of Shared Decisions, Better Outcome: Collaboration in Managing Targeted Therapy for HR-Positive/HER2-Negative Breast Cancer, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this roundtable. In this video, Erika Hamilton, MD, Melissa Rikal, MSN, FNP-BC, AOCNP®, and Heather Moore, CPP, PharmD, discuss collaborative strategies for managing capivasertib toxicities in breast cancer. The patient is a 67-year-old woman with de novo hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer whose disease progressed on letrozole plus ribociclib and was found to have a PIK3CA mutation on next-generation sequencing. Notable comorbidities include diet-controlled type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease, GERD, and a prior history of eczema. The faculty highlight proactive strategies to lessen the impact of toxicities, including the use of metformin or SGLT2 inhibitors to mitigate hyperglycemia and prophylactic antihistimines or topical steroids to help manage rashes. They also address how comorbidities such as chronic kidney disease influence antihyperglycemic drug selection, the importance of drug interaction awareness, grading toxicities by body surface area involvement, and the careful sequencing of holds and dose reductions to keep patients on effective therapy long-term.
Case 2: Promoting Adherence Through Early Management Strategies
This is Part 2 of Shared Decisions, Better Outcome: Collaboration in Managing Targeted Therapy for HR-Positive/HER2-Negative Breast Cancer, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this roundtable. In this video, Erika Hamilton, MD, Melissa Rikal, MSN, FNP-BC, AOCNP®, and Heather Moore, CPP, PharmD, discuss multidisciplinary strategies for managing targeted therapy in hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. The patient is a 62-year-old woman with strongly ER/PR-positive, HER2-negative invasive lobular carcinoma who was initially treated with curative intent but later develops metastatic disease with diffuse bone involvement. She has a history of prior aromatase inhibitor intolerance and multiple comorbidities including prediabetes, anorexia, and opioid-related gastrointestinal symptoms. The faculty emphasize proactive toxicity management, patient education, and frequent monitoring to improve adherence, underscoring how effective communication regarding potential side effects and dose reductions ensures long-term treatment success. The discussion highlights prophylactic strategies for key adverse events such as hyperglycemia, rash, diarrhea, and neutropenia, as well as the importance of multidisciplinary support.
Case 1: Treatment Considerations at Disease Progression on CDKi
This is Part 1 of Shared Decisions, Better Outcome: Collaboration in Managing Targeted Therapy for HR-Positive/HER2-Negative Breast Cancer, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this roundtable. In this video, Erika Hamilton, MD, Melissa Rikal, MSN, FNP-BC, AOCNP®, and Heather Moore, CPP, PharmD, discuss team-based management of hormone receptor–positive metastatic breast cancer. The patient is a 44-year-old woman with de novo ER/PR-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer involving the liver, lymph nodes, and bone, who received ovarian suppression and ultimately a bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy prior to presenting with disease progression after 5 years of endocrine therapy plus a CDK4/6 inhibitor. The faculty highlight the importance of mutational testing to identify ESR1 mutations for selecting targeted therapies and explore oral options like elacestrant, imlunestrant, and vepdegestrant, emphasizing patient education for managing side effects. The panel also reviews team-based strategies for patient monitoring, counseling on tolerability, and considerations such as drug interactions and lipid monitoring when initiating therapy.
FDA Approves Antibody-Drug Conjugate for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved datopotamab deruxtecan-dlnk (Datroway), an antibody-drug conjugate targeting trophoblast cell surface antigen 2 (TROP2), for adult patients with unresectable or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) who are not candidates for PD-1/PD-L1 ...
Recurrence With Concurrent or Sequential Radiation Dose Escalation to the Surgical Cavity in High-Risk Early Breast Cancer
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Vicini et al, the phase III NRG/RTOG 1005 trial has shown noninferior risk for ipsilateral breast recurrence (IBR) with concurrent vs sequential radiation dose escalation to the surgical cavity in conservative treatment of high-risk early breast...
Study Finds Stage IV Breast Cancer Increasing in Incidence and Proportion Over the Past Decade
A new study shows that cases of stage IV breast cancer are increasing both in incidence and as a proportion of all breast cancer diagnoses. According to the findings, published by Avila et al in JAMA Network Open, the incidence rate of stage IV breast cancer has increased significantly from 9.5...
FDA Approves Fam-Trastuzumab Deruxtecan-nxki Indications in HER2-Positive Early Breast Cancer
On May 15, 2026, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd) (Enhertu) for two separate indications for the treatment of adult patients with HER2-positive early-stage breast cancer. The first indication is for the neoadjuvant treatment of adult...
Study Examines Genetic Testing to Inform Follow-up Care for Cancer Survivors
Hundreds of thousands of people diagnosed with cancer are still alive today, but were never genetically tested, either because testing was not available or was not routinely offered at the time of their diagnosis. These patients are just as likely as those diagnosed today to carry a germline...
Inflammatory Breast Cancer: Blood-Based Biomarkers Identified
Researchers have identified blood-based biomarkers in tumors, peripheral blood cells, and plasma that may help to differentiate between inflammatory breast cancer and non–inflammatory breast cancer, according to findings published in Science Advances. “These findings provide new insights into...
Meta-Analysis Explores Impact of Ovarian Function Suppression on Breast Cancer Recurrence and Survival
In a patient-level meta-analysis reported in The Lancet, the Early Breast Cancer Trialists’ Collaborative Group found that ovarian function suppression (OFS) with ablation or drugs was associated with reduced 15-year risk of recurrence or death irrespective of chemotherapy or tamoxifen use in...
De-escalation, Recovery, and Robotic Surgery in Breast Cancer Care
At the American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBrS) 27th Annual Meeting, investigators presented new findings on breast cancer surgery, postoperative recovery, and radiation treatment planning. Among the many sessions, several studies were presented during a media briefing earlier this month and are ...
‘Promising’ Signal Only: ctDNA in Early Breast Cancer Not Yet Ready for Clinical Use
Despite compelling prognostic associations across multiple retrospective data sets, no interventional trial has demonstrated that acting on circulating tumor DNA testing results in early breast cancer improves patient outcomes. Clinicians should therefore proceed with caution until such evidence...
Breast Density Reduction: Endoxifen vs Tamoxifen
Low doses of the investigational agent endoxifen reduced breast density to the same extent as the standard treatment tamoxifen, with fewer adverse events, according to results from the KARISMA study, a proof-of-principle, dose-determining, double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. These ...
COA and Flatiron Health Study Finds Patients May Experience Longer Survival in Community Oncology Settings
Patients diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer and non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) had longer survival compared to national benchmarks when treated in independent community oncology practices, according to a new study commissioned by the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) and conducted by...
FDA Approves Vepdegestrant for ER-Positive, HER2-Negative, ESR1-Mutated Advanced Breast Cancer
On May 1, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved vepdegestrant (Veppanu), a heterobifunctional protein degrader, for the treatment of adult patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative, ESR1-mutated advanced or metastatic breast cancer, as detected by an FDA-authorized ...
Neoadjuvant Durvalumab and Chemotherapy in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Long-Term Follow-Up of GeparNuevo Trial
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Loibl et al, long-term analysis of the German phase II GeparNuevo trial showed continued benefit in outcomes with neoadjuvant durvalumab vs placebo followed by dose-dense epirubicin/cyclophosphamide in patients with triple-negative breast cancer....
ACP Issues New Controversial Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines: ACR and SBI Counter With Statement
New guidance from the American College of Physicians (ACP) says all average-risk females between ages 50 and 74 should receive biennial screening mammography for breast cancer, and that females between the ages of 40 and 49 should discuss with their doctor their risk for breast cancer and the...
Breast Cancer: Clonal Hematopoiesis and Risk of Trastuzumab-Related Cardiotoxicity
In a cohort study reported in JAMA Oncology, Park et al found that clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) was associated with an increased risk of trastuzumab-related cardiotoxicity in patients with breast cancer. Study Details The analysis involved data from the UK Biobank...
