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...
Mutational Characteristics of Chemotherapy-Treated Bladder Urothelial Neoplasms
Radical cystectomy with urinary diversion is the standard of care for muscle invasive bladder cancer.1 Meta-analyses of prospective data have shown a 5% overall survival benefit at 5 years for those receiving neoadjuvant systemic chemotherapy prior to cystectomy.2,3 We currently know of two...
Study Identifies Factors in Clonal Evolution of Chemotherapy-Resistant Urothelial Carcinoma
In a study reported in Nature Genetics, Bishoy M. Faltas, MD, of Weill Cornell Medicine, and colleagues identified factors in the clonal evolution of chemotherapy-resistant urothelial carcinoma.1 As stated by the investigators: “Chemotherapy-resistant urothelial carcinoma has no uniformly curative...
Nikhil Wagle, MD, on Breast Cancer: Advances in Genomics
Nikhil Wagle, MD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses the genomic sequencing of ER-positive metastatic breast cancer that has become resistant to therapies and the implications for the choice of next therapy, clinical trial eligibility, and novel drug targets (Abstract S1-01).
Jennifer A. Ligibel, MD, on Gene Expression: Study Findings
Jennifer A. Ligibel, MD, of Harvard Medical School, discusses the impact of preoperative exercise on breast cancer gene expression (Abstract S5-05).
Chemotherapy May Be Avoidable in Some Women With Early-Stage Breast Cancer Based on Clinical and Genomic Risks
In the phase III MINDACT trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Fatima Cardoso, MD, of Champalimaud Clinical Center–Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, and colleagues found that adjuvant chemotherapy may be avoidable in women with early-stage breast cancer who are at high clinical...
Using Pharmacogenetics to Predict Cancer Prognosis, Response to Treatment, and Toxicity
Although clinical trials are helpful in determining the effectiveness of a specific drug across a patient population, they are not as reliable at pinpointing how well a particular patient will respond to the drug or dosing regimen or how the drug may impact the patient’s quality of life from...
Janessa J. Laskin, MD, on Tumor Gene Expression and Advanced Cancers
Janessa J. Laskin, MD, of the British Columbia Cancer Agency, discusses the ways in which availability of tumor gene expression data facilitates clinical decision-making for patients with advanced cancers. (Abstract 1519O)
Using Watson to Analyze Genomic Data to Personalize Treatment for Patients With Cancer
Three years ago, IBM’s Watson supercomputer was best known for defeating two former champions on the TV game show Jeopardy! Today, it is grabbing headlines for becoming an important assistant in cancer care. Able to read and understand millions of pages of text within seconds, Watson caught the...
Psychological Impact of Genetic Testing to Be Explored in Subset of NCI-MATCH Trial Patients
The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group–American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ECOG-ACRIN) Cancer Research Group has received federal approval to add a quality-of-life research study, Communication and Education in Tumor Profiling (EAQ152), or COMET, to the NCI-MATCH (EAY131) trial, which is ...
Using Social Media to Accelerate Genomic Research
The success of using social media to push forward causes for social good was a driving factor in the launch this past October of the Metastatic Breast Cancer Project (MBC project), which aims to accelerate the understanding of what makes patients with metastatic breast cancer genetically unique....
