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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...
City of Hope has announced that Hope S. Rugo, MD, FASCO, has joined the organization to serve as Director of its Women’s Cancers Program; new Division Chief, Breast Medical Oncology; and Professor in the Department of Medical Oncology & Therapeutics Research. In this role, Dr. Rugo will lead...
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...
An increasing proportion of the U.S. public may be aware of the link between consuming alcohol and the elevated risk of later developing cancer, according to a recent survey conducted by the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC). Background On January 3, 2025, Vivek...
Breast-conserving therapy, including radiation therapy, could lead to a progressive reduction in breast size over time among women with early-stage breast cancer, according to a recent study published by Becker et al in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Background Breast-conserving...
Investigators found that individuals who engaged in light- and moderate-to-vigorous–intensity physical activity daily had a lower risk of developing cancer compared with those who were more sedentary, according to a recent study published by Shreves et al in the British Journal of Sports Medicine....
In a French study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Dumas et al found that improved endocrine therapy (ET) persistence among young patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive early breast cancer would likely lead to improved disease-free survival. Study Details The study used data from ...
Waiting more than 42 days postdiagnosis to undergo surgery could increase the risk of cancer-related mortality among patients with certain breast cancer subtypes, according to a recent study published by Salewon et al in Breast Cancer Research. Background Hormone receptor–positive and HER2-negative ...
This is Part 1 of PI3K Inhibition Strategies for HR-Positive/HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this roundtable. In this video, Drs. Adam Brufsky, Heather McArthur, and Seth Wander discuss the first-line treatment of hormone receptor (HR)-positive metastatic breast cancer. The patient is a 64-year-old postmenopausal woman with a history of asymptomatic left bundle branch block and irritable bowel syndrome. In 2015, she was diagnosed with a 3.5-cm invasive ductal carcinoma of the left breast with 3 positive axillary lymph nodes. She was treated with dose-dense doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and paclitaxel and postmastectomy radiation therapy, and then received anastrozole for 5 years, completing therapy in 2021. In 2024, she complains of worsening back pain, and PET-CT scan reveals multiple lytic lesions of the thoracic and lumbar spine, as well as a 3-cm lesion in the liver. In the conversation that follows, the faculty discuss how the treatment of HR-positive breast cancer has changed over the past decade, the appropriate duration of adjuvant endocrine therapy, what blood or biomarker tests to perform, and how to choose between doublet and triplet therapy with PI3K inhibitors.
Today’s oncologists are blessed with an abundance of therapies for HER2-positive early breast cancer, but this comes with the challenge of selecting among them. At the 2025 Miami Breast Cancer Conference, Sara A. Hurvitz, MD, FACP, offered insight on common clinical scenarios. Dr. Hurvitz is...
Arvinas, Inc. and Pfizer Inc. recently announced results from the randomized phase III VERITAC-2 clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT05654623) evaluating vepdegestrant monotherapy vs fulvestrant in adults with estrogen receptor–positive, HER2-negative advanced or metastatic breast...
In a German single-center trial (POLAR) reported in JAMA Oncology, Michel et al found that hand cooling and hand compression were associated with a reduced risk of taxane-induced neuropathy in women with primary breast cancer. Study Details In the trial, 101 patients enrolled at the National Center ...
In the phase II Neo-N trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Zdenkowski et al found no apparent advantage of lead-in nivolumab in neoadjuvant therapy comprised of nivolumab/carboplatin/paclitaxel for patients with early triple-negative breast cancer. Study Details In the investigator-initiated,...
With right-sizing treatment an aim of many treatment approaches in breast cancer today, ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), as well as its overtreatment, has become a potential target of change. Which patients, however, might safely forgo the current recommendations and be safely followed with active...
This is Part 3 of Evolving Paradigms in the Treatment of HR-Positive/HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this roundtable. In this video, Drs. Sara Tolaney, Ian Krop, and Mark Pegram discuss second-line therapy for hormone receptor (HR)-positive/HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. The patient is a 62-year-old woman who received first-line paclitaxel plus trastuzumab for de novo metastatic HR-positive/HER2-positive breast cancer. After seven cycles, she stopped paclitaxel and initiated an aromatase inhibitor plus trastuzumab plus pertuzumab plus palbociclib. She remained on therapy for approximately 3 years and then developed new liver metastases and a single brain metastasis, for which she was asymptomatic. In the conversation that follows, the faculty discuss the role of screening brain MRIs for patients with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer, local vs systemic treatment for brain metastases, and how to approach the timing of systemic therapy with radiation.
This is Part 2 of Evolving Paradigms in the Treatment of HR-Positive/HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this roundtable. In this video, Drs. Sara Tolaney, Ian Krop, and Mark Pegram discuss how to manage a patient following first-line induction therapy for metastatic hormone receptor (HR)-positive/HER2-positive breast cancer. The patient is a 62-year-old woman who had initiated therapy with weekly paclitaxel plus trastuzumab and pertuzumab for her de novo metastatic disease. She had resolution of her liver metastasis and reduction in her breast mass. After seven cycles of therapy, however, she began to experience worsening neuropathy. In the conversation that follows, the faculty discuss when to discontinue paclitaxel, clinical implications of the recently presented PATINA trial, whether palbociclib should be a standard addition to maintenance for all patients with HR-positive/HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, and more.
This is Part 1 of Evolving Paradigms in the Treatment of HR-Positive/HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this roundtable. In this video, Drs. Sara Tolaney, Ian Krop, and Mark Pegram discuss the treatment of de novo metastatic hormone receptor (HR)-positive/HER2-positive breast cancer. The patient is a 62-year-old woman who presented with a palpable right breast mass and ipsilateral axillary lymph node. Biopsy confirmed the breast mass as a high-grade invasive ductal carcinoma that was strongly hormone receptor–positive and HER2 IHC 3+. Fine-needle aspiration of the axillary node was positive, and staging studies revealed a single liver metastasis consistent with her breast primary tumor. In the conversation that follows, the faculty discuss whether there is a role for surgery or locoregional therapy in patients with de novo metastatic HR-positive/HER2-positive disease, what systemic treatment options would be appropriate, and endocrine-based options for patients with contraindications to chemotherapy.
Investigators may have uncovered the proportion of patients with inflammatory breast cancer who receive guideline-concordant care, according to a recent study published by Tadros et al in JAMA Network Open. Background Clinical practice guidelines currently recommend neoadjuvant systemic therapy...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Veenstra et al found that pathogenic variants (PVs) in ATM, CHEK2, or PALB2 were not associated with significant differences in mortality from breast, colorectal, or pancreatic cancer compared with the absence of such PVs. Study Details The...
In a retrospective cohort study reported in JAMA Network Open, Podany et al identified differences in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) profiles, targeted therapy use, and survival outcomes in Black vs White patients with metastatic breast cancer. Study Details The U.S. multicenter study involved 1,327 ...
In JAMA, Lee et al provided a concise, evidence-based summary to help clinicians discuss information regarding breast density and implement shared decision-making with patients following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Mammography Quality Standards Act mandate. Since September 2024,...
Breast cancer mortality rates may have stopped declining in women older than 74 years and younger than 40 years, according to a recent study published by Monticciolo and Hendrick in the Journal of Breast Imaging. Background Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality among ...
A common type of diabetes drug known as sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors could help patients with cancer achieve greater long-term recovery, according to a novel study published by Bhalraam et al in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. Background Many patients with cancer ...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Matteo Lambertini, MD, and colleagues identified clinical characteristics of breast cancer in young women carrying germline pathogenic variants in BRCA1 vs BRCA2 and examined the effect of prediagnostic BRCA testing on outcomes. Study...
The receipt of chemotherapy or endocrine therapy without chemotherapy could be associated with different long-lasting physical health declines among breast cancer survivors compared with those without breast cancer, according to a recent study published in JAMA Network Open. Background Physical...
In an overall survival analysis of a South Korean phase II trial (Young-PEARL) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Ahn et al found no benefit with palbociclib plus exemestane and leuprorelin vs capecitabine in premenopausal women with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast...
Breast-conserving therapy may be associated with improved sexual well-being compared with mastectomy followed by breast reconstruction in patients with breast cancer, according to a recent study published by Stern et al in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Background Many patients with breast...
In an analysis from the ShortHER trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Dieci et al identified 10-year outcomes with 9 weeks or 1 year of adjuvant trastuzumab plus chemotherapy according to level of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in patients with early HER2-positive breast cancer. Study Details...
Among the high-quality abstract presentations at the 2024 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), a few always stand out as particularly meritorious. Each year, The ASCO Post asks our Deputy Editor, breast cancer specialist Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, to give us his picks. Dr. Abraham is Chairman...
In a study reported in Journal of Clinical Oncology, Conforti et al found that invasive disease–free survival with sufficient follow-up may be the best surrogate for overall survival in neoadjuvant randomized trials in early breast cancer. Study Details The study involved 11 trials with 15...
In a French phase II trial (UCBG 3-06 START) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Bonnefoi et al found that treatment with the antiandrogen darolutamide did not reach the clinical benefit endpoint in patients with triple-negative, androgen receptor (AR)-positive advanced breast cancer. Triple-negative...
In a meta-analysis reported in the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, Kumar et al found that the use of cryotherapy decreased the incidence of moderate or worse peripheral neuropathy by more than 50% in patients with breast cancer who received paclitaxel or nab-paclitaxel. Cryotherapy...
Investigators may have uncovered racial and ethnic disparities in the receipt of same-day diagnostic services and biopsies following abnormal mammogram findings in spite of the similar availability of diagnostic technologies, according to a recent study published by Lawson et al in Radiology....
In a UK phase III noninferiority trial (Mammo-50) reported in The Lancet, Dunn et al found that less frequent mammographic surveillance was noninferior to annual surveillance in outcomes among patients with breast cancer aged 50 years or older. Study Details In the multicenter trial, 5,235 women...
Although there’s no history of breast cancer in my family, when I was 10, my pediatrician introduced me to breast self-exams, so I would become familiar with my breasts and learn to spot any unusual changes as I got older. I remember her telling me this was an especially important exercise to do...
In a single-institution phase I trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Ramalingam et al found that intratumoral injection of pembrolizumab and mRNA-2752 (a combination of interleukin [IL]-23, IL-36γ, and OX40L mRNAs) was active in patients with high-risk ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Study Details Ten ...
In a Republic of Korea nationwide cohort study reported as a research letter in JAMA Oncology, Jung et al found that weight increase following diagnosis of breast cancer was associated with increased risk of heart failure. Study Details The study used the National Health Insurance Service database...
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Geyer et al, interim analysis of overall survival in the phase III KATHERINE trial showed a significant benefit of ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) vs trastuzumab in patients with residual invasive HER2-positive breast cancer after neoadjuvant...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Yamamoto et al, the final overall survival analysis of the Japanese phase III PRECIOUS study showed a significant benefit with the addition of pertuzumab retreatment to trastuzumab plus physician’s choice of chemotherapy (PTC) in patients with...
Investigators have found that although fewer patients may be diagnosed with and dying from cancer in Appalachia, cancer incidence and mortality rates remain substantially higher compared with elsewhere in the United States, according to a recent study published by Burus et al in the Journal of the...
In a retrospective cohort study from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, which was reported in JAMA Network Open, Ferraro et al found that patients with ERBB2 (formerly HER2 or HER2/neu)-positive breast cancer and central nervous system (CNS) metastases only vs concomitant extracranial...
Researchers have provided novel insights into the effects of radiation on the immune cells surrounding breast cancer tumors, according to a recent study published by Yoneyama et al in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology • Biology • Physics. The findings revealed that the relationship...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a label expansion for the PATHWAY anti-HER2/neu (4B5) Rabbit Monoclonal Primary Antibody to identify patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-ultralow metastatic breast cancer who may be eligible for treatment with fam-trastuzumab...