Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes Prognostic in the Metastatic and Neoadjuvant Breast Cancer Settings
Studies presented at the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium added to growing evidence that tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes are important prognostic factors in breast cancer. One investigation evaluated their impact in advanced HER2-positive breast cancer, finding a linear relationship between...
Shoshana M. Rosenberg, ScD, MPH, on Young Breast Cancer Survivors: Helping Them Cope
Shoshana M. Rosenberg, ScD, MPH, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, talks about ways to help young women move from active treatment to survivorship, based on findings from focus groups in which patients discussed their unexpected physical and psychological experiences after surgery (Abstract 180).
Lauren P. Wallner, PhD, MPH, on Breast Cancer Survivorship Care: Patient Preferences
Lauren P. Wallner, PhD, MPH, of the University of Michigan, discusses her findings on the type of providers women prefer when it comes to handling survivorship care after breast cancer treatment and the need to clarify and discuss provider roles with patients (Abstract 99).
Sophia Kustas Smith, PhD, MSW, on Depression and Fatigue: Self-Managed in 'Reimagine'
Sophia Kustas Smith, PhD, MSW, of Duke University, discusses study findings on an online, symptom self-management curriculum, known as www.reimagine.me, employed for breast cancer survivors with chronic pain (Abstract 182).
Electra D. Paskett, PhD, on Preventing Lymphedema: Results of a CALGB Study
Electra D. Paskett, PhD, of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses an intervention that increased knowledge of lymphedema in breast cancer, and the personal story that drove her research (Abstract 104).
Shawna V. Hudson, PhD, on Breast Cancer: A Quality-of-Life Program
Shawna V. Hudson, PhD, of Rutgers University, discusses a survivorship program designed to improve the quality of life for Hispanic and Latino breast cancer survivors (Abstract 183).
ECCO 2017: Some Patients With Early-Stage Breast Cancer May Benefit More From Breast-Conserving Therapy Than Mastectomy
Breast-conserving therapy (breast-conserving surgery combined with radiation therapy) may be superior to mastectomy in certain patients with breast cancer, according to results from the largest study on this topic to date, presented at the 2017 European Cancer Congress (Abstract 4LBA). Although...
ECCO 2017: Low Cause-Specific Mortality in Women Over 50 Treated for Ductal Carcinoma in Situ
Women over 50 who have been treated for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) are more likely to be alive 10 years later than women in the general population, according to new research presented by Elshof et al at the 2017 European Cancer Congress (ECCO) (Abstract 173). DCIS differs from breast cancer...
Predicting Acute Cardiac Events in Patients With Breast Cancer Receiving Radiotherapy
In a Dutch study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, van den Bogaard et al found that a model including the volume of the left ventricle receiving 5 Gy (LV-V5) might provide improved prediction of acute cardiac events in patients with breast cancer receiving radiotherapy. Prior findings...
Managing Breast Cancer in a Pregnant Patient
“One of the most challenging oncologic situations that I face as a clinician is the diagnosis of breast cancer in a young pregnant patient,” Jacqueline Jeruss, MD, PhD, Director of the Breast Care Center at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, told the more than 250...
Expert Point of View: Sara Hurvitz, MD; Mothaffar Rimawi, MD; and Carlos L. Arteaga, MD
Sara Hurvitz, MD, Director of the Breast Oncology Program at the University of California, Los Angeles, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, commented that in the United States, a bone mineral density test can help identify candidates for bone-modifying agents. “We look at women who are going on...
Ibandronate Fails to Improve Disease-Free Survival in Early Breast Cancer Patients—but With Favorable Trends
Addition of the oral bisphosphonate ibandronate to endocrine therapy did not significantly improve disease-free survival in patients with early breast cancer, according to the first results from the Dutch TEAM IIb trial presented at the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.1 The results were...
Breast Cancer Experts Question New Recommendations for 21-Gene Recurrence Score Assay
At the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, a group of breast cancer experts made a case for using the 21-gene Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score Assay in node-positive patients, despite ASCO’s latest recommendations to restrict it to node-negative estrogen receptor–positive patients. The...
Selected Abstracts From the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium
Each year, The ASCO Post asks Jame Abraham, MD, Director of the Breast Oncology Program at Taussig Cancer Institute and Co-Director of the Cleveland Clinic Comprehensive Breast Cancer Program, to give his picks for the most important research presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium....
Expert Point of View: Steven Vogl, MD
Presentation of the PERTAIN study data by lead author Grazia Arpino, MD, PhD, was met with high interest at the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Steven Vogl, MD, of the Bronx, New York, commented, “This is a very complicated study for me, but it seems that at least half your patients got...
Pertuzumab, Trastuzumab, Plus Aromatase Inhibitor Beneficial in Metastatic Breast Cancer
In the phase II PERTAIN study of locally advanced or metastatic hormone receptor–positive, HER2-positive breast cancer patients, the addition of pertuzumab (Perjeta) to a regimen of trastuzumab (Herceptin) and an aromatase inhibitor in the first-line setting significantly improved progression-free ...
Expert Point of View: Howard A. “Skip” Burris, MD
Howard A. “Skip” Burris, MD, President of Clinical Operations and Chief Medical Officer at Sarah Cannon Research Institute, Nashville, commented on the poster presentation for The ASCO Post. He said the results “fit the whole paradigm” that is desired for triple-negative breast cancer, which is to ...
Risk Factors for Estrogen Receptor–Positive and –Negative Breast Cancer
In a study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Kerlikowske et al identified risk factors for estrogen receptor–positive and –negative breast cancer using data from the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium. The analysis included 1,279,443 women, aged 35 to 74...
Novel Antibody-Drug Conjugate Targets Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
The antibody-drug conjugate sacituzumab govitecan (IMMU-132) produced high objective response rates, many of them quite durable, in a multicenter study of heavily pretreated patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer, presented at the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.1 Trop-2 is ...
Higher Intake of Grilled/Barbecued and Smoked Meat Linked to Reduced Survival After Breast Cancer
In a study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Parada et al found that higher intake of grilled/barbecued and smoked meat may be associated with poorer overall survival in breast cancer survivors. Grilled/barbecued and smoked meat, a source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon...
Tucatinib Shows Clinical Benefit in Phase I Trial in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
Phase I clinical trial data published by Moulder-Thompson et al in Clinical Cancer Research reported that the investigational anticancer agent tucatinib (formerly ONT-380) showed 'notable activity' in the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer with . The 50 women treated had disease...
What Influences a Woman’s Decision to Stop Chemopreventive Therapy for Breast Cancer?
In an analysis from the Canadian Cancer Trials Group MAP.3 chemoprevention trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Meggetto et al found that worsening of overall menopause-specific quality of life was associated with early discontinuation of study treatment in high-risk postmenopausal...
Has the Affordable Care Act Reduced Socioeconomic Disparities in Cancer Screening?
Out-of-pocket expenditures are thought to be a significant barrier to receiving cancer preventive services, especially for individuals of lower socioeconomic status. A new study published by Cooper et al in Cancer looked at how the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which eliminated such out-of-pocket...
No Increased Risk of Skeletal Events in Patients With Bone Metastases Taking Zoledronic Acid
A new study published in JAMA reported that patients with bone metastases due to breast cancer, prostate cancer, or multiple myeloma who used zoledronic acid every 12 weeks compared with every 4 weeks did not have in an increased risk of skeletal events over 2 years. In this study, Andrew L....
Disappointing Efficacy of Chemotherapy Guided by Ki67 Level After Neoadjuvant AI Therapy for Breast Cancer
In an analysis in the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group (ACOSOG) Z1031 Trial/Alliance reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Ellis et al found that switching to chemotherapy in patients with elevated Ki67 levels after 2 to 4 weeks of neoadjuvant aromatase inhibitor therapy resulted ...
Receptor Tyrosine Kinase AXL May Mediate Nuclear Translocation of EGFR
New research from the University of Wisconsin (UW) Carbone Cancer Center has clarified the mechanisms involved in a common growth pathway implicated in many solid tumor types and could lead to better outcomes for patients with head and neck, lung, and triple-negative breast cancer,...
Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy Decisions in a Population-Based Sample of Patients With Early-Stage Breast Cancer
In a new study published by Jagsi et al in JAMA Surgery, nearly half of patients with early-stage breast cancer considered having double mastectomy, and one in six received it—including many who were at low risk of developing a second breast cancer. Many patients who chose double...
Use of Genetic Testing to Identify Patients With Breast Cancer at High Risk for Venous Thromboembolism
Venous thromboembolism is a serious—and sometimes fatal—complication of cancer and chemotherapy treatment. Since breast cancer is one of the most common cancers, it accounts for a large number of cancer-related cases of venous thromboembolism. Routine thromboprophylaxis, however, is not recommended ...
Expect Questions About Screening Mammography for Women Aged 75 Years and Older
A study finding that there is no clear cutoff age to stop breast cancer screening has received national coverage in newspapers and CNN as well as in health and medical publications. “I am glad this is catching fire, because it really needs to be out there,” Cindy S. Lee, MD, the study’s lead...
Study Suggests No Evidence for Screening Mammography Cutoff Age
An analysis of data from nearly 6 million screening mammograms found no evidence for a clear cutoff age to stop breast cancer screening. Screening mammography among women aged 75 years was associated with higher cancer detection and lower recall rates than among younger women in the study. These...
Expert Point of View: Carlos L. Arteaga, MD
Press conference moderator Carlos L. Arteaga, MD, of Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, Tennessee, said that buparlisib will probably not be clinically useful, partly because it crosses the blood-brain barrier , thus causing mood disorders, and is not an ideal phosphoinositide 3-kinase...
Buparlisib Phase III Findings: Glass Half Empty or Half Full?
The pan-phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor buparlisib combined with fulvestrant (Faslodex) prolonged progression-free survival compared with placebo and fulvestrant in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer previously treated with an...
Expert Point of View: Myles Brown, MD, Carlos L. Arteaga, MD, and Eric Winer, MD
Myles Brown, MD, Director of the Center for Functional Cancer Epigenetics at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, suggested the failure of the endocrine therapy to increase the pathologic complete response rates “may be related to the fact that the aromatase inhibitor was not the optimal...
Pathologic Complete Response Not Boosted by Addition of Estrogen Deprivation to Chemotherapy and Dual HER2 Blockade
The addition of estrogen deprivation to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and HER2 blockade did not enhance the achievement of pathologic complete responses in women with early-stage breast cancer, according to the results of the NRG Oncology/NSABP B-52 trial reported at the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer...
Expert Point of View: Carlos L. Arteaga, MD
Press conference moderator Carlos L. Arteaga, MD, said: “This drug is not necessarily the same as palbociclib [Ibrance] or ribociclib. There are subtle differences among these three [cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6] inhibitors. The tissue analysis provides us with an enormous opportunity to...
Abemaciclib Plus Anastrozole: Promising Signals Reported in Phase II Study of Early Breast Cancer
As neoadjuvant therapy, abemaciclib alone or in combination with anastrozole achieved strong signals of anticancer activity in postmenopausal patients with hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer in the neoMONARCH phase II study.1 Abemaciclib alone or in combination with anastrozole...
Expert Point of View: Leif Ellisen, MD, PhD
Results of this trial have been anticipated for a long time. Women were enrolled between 2000 and 2008,” said Leif Ellisen, MD, PhD, Program Director of Breast Medical Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center in Boston. Regarding the survival advantage in triple-negative...
BRCA Status Does Not Seem to Affect Survival Outcomes in Young Women With Early Breast Cancer
Young women who carry the BRCA1 and/or BRCA2 mutation and develop breast cancer seem to have similar survival compared with young women who have BRCA-negative breast cancer. However, women with BRCA-positive triple-negative breast cancer have an 11% survival advantage compared with those with...
Genomic Landscape of Metastatic Breast Cancer Differs From That of Primary Breast Cancer
Researchers working on whole-exome and transciptome sequencing of endocrine-resistant estrogen receptor–positive metastatic breast cancer have shown that the mutational landscape differs from that of estrogen receptor–positive primary breast cancer, and these differences have the potential to...
Expert Point of View: Virginia Kaklamani, MD
How can the results of this trial be applied to clinical practice? Press conference moderator, Virginia Kaklamani, MD, of the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, said: “The landscape has changed. Now we treat postmenopausal hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative metastatic...
Fulvestrant Plus Everolimus: New Second-Line Option for Postmenopausal Metastatic Breast Cancer
The addition of everolimus (Afinitor) to fulvestrant (Faslodex) doubled progression-free survival in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer resistant to aromatase inhibitor therapy compared with fulvestrant plus placebo, according to the...
FDA Permits Marketing of New Tissue Expander for Women Undergoing Breast Reconstruction Following Mastectomy
On December 21, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allowed marketing of a new tissue-expander system for soft-tissue expansion in two-stage breast reconstruction following mastectomy and in the treatment of underdeveloped breasts and soft-tissue deformities. A patient uses a dose...
Updated ASTRO Guideline Expands Pool of Suitable Candidates for Accelerated Partial-Breast Irradiation
On November 17, 2016, the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) issued an updated clinical practice statement for accelerated partial-breast irradiation for early-stage breast cancer. The updated guideline reflects recent evidence that greater numbers of patients may benefit from...
Confirmation or Transformation? The Case of Palbociclib in Hormone Receptor–Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer
Women with hormone receptor–positive metastatic breast cancer are witnessing an unprecedented time of success in the battle against their disease. Just in the past 12 months, a number of prospective, randomized, phase III studies were reported, with positive results indicating the value of...
Addition of Palbociclib to Letrozole in Previously Untreated Advanced Estrogen Receptor–Positive, HER2-Negative Breast Cancer
In the phase III PALOMA-2 trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Richard S. Finn, MD, of the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, and colleagues found that the addition of palbociclib (Ibrance) to letrozole significantly improved...
Expert Point of View: Michael Gnant, MD
Michael Gnant, MD, Professor of Surgery at the Medical University of Vienna in Austria and President of the Austrian Breast & Colorectal Cancer Study Group, was the invited discussant of the three studies of extended endocrine therapy. “The trials did not reach the necessary statistical levels ...
Benefit of Extended Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy Not Upheld in Multiple Studies Reported in San Antonio
Extended endocrine therapy with an aromatase inhibitor did not improve disease-free survival in patients with hormone receptor–positive breast cancer enrolled in three studies presented at the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. The results stand in contrast to the phase III National Cancer...
Improved Survival With Higher Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte Values in Advanced HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
In a retrospective analysis of the phase III CLEOPATRA trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Luen et al found that higher baseline tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte levels were associated with improved overall survival among patients with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer receiving trastuzumab...
ASCO Makes No Changes to 2014 Recommendations for Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in Early-Stage Breast Cancer
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Gary H. Lyman, MD, of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and colleagues, an ASCO clinical practice guideline update panel made no changes to the 2014 recommendations for sentinel lymph node biopsy in women with early-stage breast cancer. The...
ESMO Asia 2016: Almost 20% of Swedish Breast Cancer Patients Fail to Complete Prescribed Endocrine Therapy
Around 20% of patients with breast cancer in Sweden do not complete endocrine therapy, according to research that will be reported at the ESMO Asia 2016 Congress (Abstract 62O_PR), to be held December 16–19 in Singapore.The study in over 5,500 women found that younger patients and those who...
