Breast medical oncologist Virginia Kaklamani, MD, Professor of Medicine, UT Health San Antonio, MD Anderson Cancer Center, believes the results of the POSITIVE trial will help patients with breast cancer make decisions.

Virginia Kaklamani, MD

“The trial is important because it helps us give advice to younger patients,” she stated. “We have assumed that younger age and estrogen receptor–positive status put women at a higher risk of recurrence. Regardless of other factors, age increases the risk of luminal A and luminal B breast cancers. Oncologists think we need to be aggressive and treat these women with endocrine therapy ‘forever,’ but many of these women want to have a family. This study reassures us that we can stop endocrine therapy for up to 2 years and allow women to start a family, then restart endocrine therapy, without negatively impacting their breast cancer outcomes.”

Dr. Kaklamani continued: “Fertility is complicated, and more so in women with breast cancer. Chemotherapy, endocrine therapy, and ovarian suppression are used to treat hormone-responsive breast cancer, and the rates of pregnancy will be lower in this population than in the general public. Other factors also affect fertility, including anxiety. It’s great to know there is life after breast cancer. Many survivors now want to be called ‘thrivers,’ because they can thrive after breast cancer.” 

DISCLOSURE: Dr. Kaklamani has served as a consultant or speaker for Pfizer, Celgene, Genentech, Genomic Health, Puma, Eisai, Novartis, AstraZeneca, Daiichi Sankyo, Seattle Genetics, Puma Biotechnology, Athenex, and Immunomedics.