© 2025 HSP News Service, L.L.C.
In a phase III trial (OASIS-4) reported at the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting and in The New England Journal of Medicine, Cardoso et al attempted to determine whether the neurokinin-targeted therapy elinzanetant reduced the risk of vasomotor symptoms from endocrine therapy for patients with hormone...
The disparities in breast cancer incidence and mortality rates between Black and White women in the United States have been well documented. Studies over the past decade consistently show that although Black women have a 4% lower breast cancer incidence rate than White women, they are still between ...
With the approval of HER2-targeted antibody-drug conjugate options for treating patients with breast cancer across different HER2 expression levels, accurate assessment of HER2 expression has become more important than ever. And a recent study may provide a solution to the challenge of accurate...
“Inavolisib plus palbociclib and fulvestrant significantly improved overall survival compared with placebo plus palbociclib/fulvestrant…. This is the first time overall survival has been significantly improved by a PI3K pathway–targeted drug,” said Nicholas Turner, MD, PhD, FRCP,FMedSci, who...
In a long-term follow-up of an Israeli phase II trial reported in a research letter in JAMA Oncology, Evron et al compared prophylactic radiation therapy (RT) of the contralateral breast vs surveillance in BRCA pathogenic variant carriers with early-stage breast cancer. Study Details In the...
Patients with breast cancer receiving radiation therapy demonstrated moderate changes in their cardiac function over a period of several years, and patients who received a maximum left anterior descending artery dose had a modest worsening in both systolic and diastolic function, according to the...
Hope S. Rugo, MD, FASCO, of City of Hope, and Rebecca Alexandra Dent, MD, FASCO, of National Cancer Centre Singapore, review the results of a biomarker analysis of the DESTINY-Breast06 trial, which evaluated trastuzumab deruxtecan after endocrine therapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer (Abstract 1013). They also discuss findings from the SERENA-6 and EMBER-3 trials, also presented at ASCO 2025, and what all this new data means for the sequencing of endocrine therapy in patients with breast cancer.
Neil M. Iyengar, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, reviews several studies that aimed to answer two questions: does menopausal hormone therapy (HRT) impact overall survival and breast cancer–specific mortality in younger women diagnosed with high-risk disease (Abstract 10506); and do GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), a class of weight-loss medications, have cancer risk reduction properties (Abstracts 10507 and 10508).
Patients with stage II and III (early-stage) HER2-positive breast cancer usually undergo preoperative therapy with multiagent chemotherapy in combination with anti-HER2 antibodies, followed by surgery. A less intensive, reduced-chemotherapy treatment approach is currently being evaluated in the...
A drug already approved by the FDA to treat menopause symptoms may also help to prevent invasive breast cancer, according to recent findings from a clinical trial led by Northwestern Medicine. The research was presented at the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 512). Study Details The multicenter,...
Results from the phase III DESTINY-Breast09 clinical trial found that the combination of fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd) with pertuzumab may delay cancer growth for longer than the current standard of care in people with HER2-positive locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer. The...
Stephen K.L. Chia, MD, FRCPC, of BC Cancer Agency, reviews data from the phase III CCTG/BCT MA.40/FINER trial of fulvestrant and ipatasertib for advanced HER2-negative, ER-positive breast cancer following disease progression on first-line CDK 4/6 and aromatase inhibitors (LBA1005).
Karen Eubanks Jackson, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Sisters Network Inc. and recipient of the 2025 ASCO Patient Advocate Award, discusses her 30-year-long effort to support patients with breast cancer in the Black community. Sisters Network is focused on raising awareness of early screening for breast cancer, providing financial assistance, and addressing the disparities Black women face in breast cancer care and outcomes.
Sara M. Tolaney, MD, MPH, FASCO, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, discusses findings from the phase III ASCENT-04/KEYNOTE-D19 study, which compared sacituzumab govitecan-hziy plus pembrolizumab vs chemotherapy plus pembrolizumab in previously untreated patients with PD-L1–positive advanced triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) (LBA109).
Mafalda Oliveira, MD, PhD, of Vall d’Hebron University Hospital and Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology, discusses findings on the incidence and management of hyperglycemia in a subset of patients with prediabetes and/or obesity included in the phase I trial of inavolisib alone and in combination with endocrine therapy with or without palbociclib for PIK3CA-mutated, hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative locally advanced/metastatic breast cancer (Abstract 1004).
Switching to treatment with camizestrant if an ESR1 mutation is detected during first-line treatment can help slow cancer growth for patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer, according to findings from the phase III SERENA-6 clinical trial. The research is...
Nicholas C. Turner, MD, PhD, of the Royal Marsden Hospital, presents findings from the phase III, double-blind ctDNA-guided SERENA-6 trial, which evaluated the combination of camizestrant plus a CDK4/6 inhibitor to treat emergent ESR1 mutations during first-line endocrine therapy for patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer (LBA4).
Nicholas C. Turner, MD, PhD, of the Royal Marsden Hospital, presents final overall survival data from the INAVO120 trial of inavolisib/placebo plus palbociclib and fulvestrant in patients with PIK3CA-mutated, HR-positive, HER2-negative, endocrine-resistant advanced breast cancer (Abstract 1003).
Giuseppe Curigliano, MD, PhD, of Istituto Europeo di Oncologia, IRCCS, University of Milano, discusses patient-reported outcomes from the phase III EMBER-3 trial, which investigated treatment with imlunestrant, investigator’s choice of standard endocrine therapy, or imlunestrant plus abemaciclib in patients with ER-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer (Abstract 1001).
Results from an international phase III clinical trial show that treatment with sacituzumab govitecan-hziy and pembrolizumab helps patients with unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic PD-L1–positive triple-negative breast cancer live longer without disease progression compared with...
Results from VERITAC-2 trial showed that the proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) vepdegestrant could extend progression-free survival for people with previously treated estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer with an ESR1 mutation. The research will be presented at...
Climate change may be contributing to a small but notable increase in the incidence and mortality rates of breast, ovarian, endometrial, and cervical cancers in the Middle East and North Africa, according to a recent study published by Mataria and Chun in Frontiers in Public Health. Background...
In a Danish Breast Cancer Group nationwide prospective cohort study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Jensen et al attempted to develop a prognostic standard mortality rate index to predict excess mortality based on risk-adapted adjuvant therapy in postmenopausal patients with early-stage breast...
New findings from the phase III INAVO120 trial showed that adding inavolisib to palbociclib and fulvestrant may help extend survival and delay the time until treatment with chemotherapy in previously treated patients with PIK3CA-mutated, HR-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer. The...
The accuracy of HER2 breast cancer scoring improved with the use of AI assistance, especially for patients with low and ultralow levels of HER2 expression, results from a multinational study showed. The findings were presented in a press briefing ahead of the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract...
Abbreviated breast MRI scans demonstrated comparable diagnostic accuracy to full multiparametric protocol MRI scans for women with extremely dense breasts, according to findings from the DENSE trial published in Radiology. MRI scans have greater diagnostic accuracy than mammograms for women with...
In an international cohort study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Blondeaux et al evaluated whether both risk-reducing mastectomy and risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy were associated with improved survival among women aged 40 or younger who have invasive breast cancer with germline BRCA1/2...
Investigators have identified two genetic risk loci that may be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer for Black South African women, according to findings from a genome-wide association study published in Nature Communications. The two risk loci were between UNC13C and RAB27A on...
Investigators from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) identified changes in stromal breast tissue, called stromal disruption, that may help to identify women with a higher risk of developing breast cancer, according to study findings published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Women ...
In a German phase II trial (WSG-KEYRICHED-1) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Kuemmel et al evaluated whether chemotherapy-free neoadjuvant therapy with pembrolizumab plus trastuzumab/pertuzumab showed activity in patients with HER2-enriched early breast cancer. As stated by the investigators:...
In a phase II trial (PALMIRA) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Llombart-Cussac et al evaluated whether palbociclib rechallenge with second-line alternative endocrine therapy may improve progression-free survival vs second-line alternative endocrine therapy alone. Study Details In the...
In a phase IIa study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Escrivá-de-Romani et al evaluated whether the chemotherapy-free triplet of the HER2-targeted bispecific antibody zanidatamab plus palbociclib and fulvestrant showed activity in heavily pretreated patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive,...
Six parenchymal phenotypes were established that may be associated with a higher risk of developing breast cancer. Studies of these phenotypes identified by radiomics on mammograms demonstrated that these patterns were associated with an increased risk of invasive breast cancer, according to...
For postmenopausal women with hormone receptor–positive ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) treated with breast-conserving surgery, whole-breast irradiation, and adjuvant endocrine therapy, reexcision to achieve wider surgical margins (≥ 1 mm or ≥ 2 mm) may not be necessary, according to data presented ...
Patients with a history of breast cancer who are carriers of BRCA1 and BRCA2 pathogenic variants benefit from undergoing bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, the results of a retrospective cohort study published in The Lancet Oncology showed. Women who had their ovaries and fallopian tubes removed...
Investigators have found that the risk of developing breast cancer could be nearly three times higher among women who experience notable weight gain after the age of 20 years and either give birth after age 30 or don’t have children compared with those who give birth before age 30 and whose weight...
When screening for breast cancer, the most effective strategy to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) may involve collaboration with human radiologists, according to a recent study published by Ahsen et al in Nature Communications. The findings could help shape how hospitals and clinics integrate...
A 1-week course of postsurgery radiotherapy demonstrated comparable safety and efficacy to the traditional 3-week regimen in patients with early-stage breast cancer, according to new findings presented by Brunt et al at the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) 2025 Annual Meeting...
Despite steady increases in the rates of immediate postmastectomy breast reconstruction, racial disparities in receipt of the procedure have persisted in the years since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), according to a recent study published by Schafer et al in Plastic and...
Breast cancer deaths among women between the ages of 20 and 49 declined significantly across all breast cancer subtypes and racial/ethnic groups from 2010 to 2020, with marked declines starting after 2016, according to an analysis of data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Choong et al found that omission of endocrine therapy in patients with estrogen receptor–low (1%–10% on immunohistochemistry), early-stage breast cancer was not associated with improved survival outcomes. The study used National Cancer...
In late January 2013, while playing with my young son, I noticed my left breast seemed slightly larger than my right breast. Although, at the time, I had no idea this type of swelling is a hallmark of inflammatory breast cancer, a rare and aggressive disease, I immediately made an appointment with...
A survey study has shown cautious patient support for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) as a second reader in screening mammograms, according to results published in Radiology: Imaging Center. The study authors sought to determine the sentiments of patients regarding AI use in mammogram...
New protocols for endocrine tumors and updated existing protocols for breast cancer diagnoses are now available from the College of American Pathologists (CAP). These and other updates to protocols reflect the latest scientific advancements, ensuring that pathology reports provide oncologists with...
Breast cancer survivors with metabolic syndrome may have an elevated likelihood of breast cancer recurrence and subsequent breast cancer–related mortality, according to new findings to be presented by Harborg et al at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO) 2025, taking place between May 11 and 14...
Hope S. Rugo, MD, FASCO, recently joined the staff of City of Hope as the new Director of the Women’s Cancers Program, Division Chief of Breast Medical Oncology, and Professor in the Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research. In her role, she will lead and enhance City of Hope’s...
Various tests, ranging from a tape measure to sophisticated imaging technology, show low to moderate agreement in diagnosing breast cancer–related lymphedema, according to a recent study published by Brunelle et al in Rehabilitation Oncology. Background Breast cancer–related lymphedema is...
The results of a longitudinal cohort study published in JAMA suggest that frailty following adjuvant chemotherapy may be associated with long-term survival among older women with nonmetastatic breast cancer. Women who experienced rapid frailty progression, or nonresilience, following their...
Many patients who are eligible for lung cancer screening do not receive it, but do receive preventative screenings for other cancer types, according to the results of a new study published by Potter et al in JAMA. Background Although lung cancer screening is recommended for certain individuals...
Postmastectomy radiation therapy may be significantly shortened for many patients planning breast reconstruction, according to data from a large phase III trial (RT CHARM, Alliance A221505).1 Investigators reported that hypofractionated (short-course) radiation therapy was found to be noninferior...