Deep Learning and Mammography for Identifying Interval Breast Cancers
A deep learning algorithm developed for processing digital screening mammograms, Mirai, was able to detect interval breast cancers and identify women who would benefit from more frequent screenings, according to the results of a UK retrospective study published in Radiology. “If we called back 20% ...
Carboplatin Plus Taxane-Anthracycline Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
In an Indian single-center phase III trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Gupta et al found that the addition of carboplatin to neoadjuvant sequential taxane-anthracycline chemotherapy did not improve event-free survival, the primary endpoint, in patients with triple-negative breast...
Jobs Commonly Held by Immigrant Women May Put Them at Increased Risk for Breast Cancer
Many immigrant women in the United States work in jobs that may expose them to chemicals linked to breast cancer, according to a recent study led by Silent Spring Institute. The analysis is among the first to examine how job-related chemical exposures may contribute to breast cancer risk among...
Global Analysis Uncovers Wide Inequalities in Care for Breast, Cervical, and Ovarian Cancers
A major study of three of the most common cancers in women, conducted by the Cancer Survival Group at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, found variations in the stage of disease at diagnosis, the type of treatment, and the extent to which treatment was consistent with...
Could Statins Help Preserve Cognitive Function During Chemotherapy?
Contrary to previous research, a preplanned secondary analysis of the multicenter PREVENT trial reported by Grizzard et al in JAMA Network Open showed that patients with cancer undergoing anthracycline-based treatment who receive statins may not experience deterioration in cognitive function....
HER2-Positive Early Breast Cancer: Trastuzumab Deruxtecan Moves Into Earlier Clinical Settings
Two pivotal studies of fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd) in early HER2-positive breast cancer suggest this antibody-drug conjugate (targeting the HER2 protein) may be moving into the curative setting after having shown benefit in metastatic disease in multiple previous trials. The new...
Clinical Usefulness of Linking Whole-Genome Data to Mortality Statistics in UK Patients With Breast Cancer
In a retrospective analysis reported in The Lancet Oncology, Black et al examined whether linking of comprehensive whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to mortality data could add prognostic value to standard clinical data and provide a rationale for use of targeted therapies. Study Details In the...
New Guideline Reflects the Latest Evidence in Support of Postmastectomy Radiation Therapy for Patients With Breast Cancer
A joint task force composed of experts from the American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), ASCO, and the Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) has released new guidance for postmastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT) for patients with breast cancer.1 This guideline—which is intended to replace the...
New Approvals in Breast and Bladder Cancers
Here are brief reports on three oncology approvals by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September 2025: • Estrogen Receptor Antagonist in Advanced or Metastatic Breast Cancer: The FDA has approved imlunestrant (Inluriyo), an estrogen receptor antagonist, for adults with estrogen...
ADC Improves Outcomes for Patients With Advanced TNBC Ineligible for Immunotherapy
Patients with an aggressive type of breast cancer who are not candidates for immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy showed significantly improved progression-free survival when treated with the antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) sacituzumab govitecan-hziy compared with standard chemotherapy. These...
Metastatic ER-Positive, HER2-Negative Breast Cancer: Novel Treatment Combination Improves Progression-Free Survival
Patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer showed significantly improved progression-free survival when treated with an oral combination regimen that includes giredestrant, a next-generation oral selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) and full...
First-Line Ribociclib at 400 vs 600 mg in Hormone Receptor–Positive, HER2-Negative Advanced Breast Cancer
In a phase II trial (AMALEE) reported in JAMA Oncology, Cardoso et al found that a first-line ribociclib dose of 400 mg was not noninferior to a dose of 600 mg in patients with newly diagnosed hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer. Study Details In the open-label...
Armando E. Giuliano, MD, Honored With 2025 William L. McGuire Memorial Lecture Award
Armando E. Giuliano, MD, will receive the William L. McGuire Memorial Lecture Award during the 2025 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), to be held December 9 to 12 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas. The William L. McGuire Memorial Lecture Award was...
Incidence of Invasive Lobular Carcinoma Rising Faster Than Other Breast Cancers
Incidence rates for invasive lobular carcinoma have increased more drastically than all other breast cancers combined between 2012 and 2021, according to findings from the American Cancer Society’s Lobular Breast Cancer Statistics 2025 report, published in Cancer. “Although lobular breast cancer...
Gaps Persist in Follow-Up Care Among Young Survivors of Breast Cancer
In a prospective cohort study published in JCO Oncology Practice, Ssebyala et al examined long-term health-care utilization and adherence to follow-up care among young adult survivors of breast cancer. Their findings reveal high rates of mammography adherence but persistent gaps in other areas of...
Mastectomy Linked to Worsened Sexual Health and Body Image After Surgery, Study Finds
Although mastectomy is often a necessary and life-saving treatment option for many women with breast cancer, the surgery may contribute to worse sexual health, body image, and several other physical and emotional challenges after surgery, according to a recent systematic review on the effects of...
Inflammatory Activity and Cancer-Related Fatigue in Early Breast Cancer
Research published in Cancer revealed that inflammatory responses may be tied to cancer-related fatigue and certain inflammatory activities may lead to distinct dimensions of fatigue in women with early-stage breast cancer. “Our findings indicate that inflammation plays a role in some aspects of...
Predicting Future Breast Cancer Outcomes: Efficacy of a Polygenic Risk Score
Studies show that if left untreated, between 20% and 40% of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) lesions may evolve into invasive breast cancer over time. And, according to the American Cancer Society, women diagnosed with lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) have between a 7 and 12 times higher risk of...
Breast Volume Preservation Comparable After Five-Fraction Whole- or Partial-Breast Radiotherapy
No significant differences were observed in breast volume loss between five-fraction whole-breast and partial-breast radiation therapy in patients with breast cancer who underwent prior partial mastectomy, according to the results of a study presented in a poster during the American Society for...
Impact of Proton and Photon Therapies on HRQOL in Breast Cancer
Health-related quality-of-life measurements demonstrated that both proton and photon radiation therapies led to excellent and similar impacts on quality of life for patients with breast cancer undergoing comprehensive nodal irradiation, according to findings from the phase III RadComp trial that...
$16 Million PRISM Trial Will Explore AI in Breast Cancer Screening
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and UC Davis will co-lead a newly funded, multi-institutional clinical trial to evaluate whether artificial intelligence (AI) can help support radiologists in interpreting mammograms more accurately, with the goal of improving breast cancer screening ...
Advanced or Metastatic Breast Cancer: FDA Approves Imlunestrant for ER-Positive, HER2-Negative, ESR1-Mutated Disease
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved imlunestrant, an estrogen receptor antagonist, for adults with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative, estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1)-mutated advanced or metastatic breast cancer with disease progression after at least one line of...
Proton Craniospinal Irradiation for Leptomeningeal Metastasis in Lung or Breast Cancer
In an interim analysis of a phase II trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Yang et al found that proton craniospinal irradiation (pCSI) improved central nervous system (CNS) progression-free survival vs photon involved-field radiotherapy (IFRT) in patients who have breast cancer or non–small cell lung...
Leading Societies Update Clinical Guideline on Postmastectomy Radiation Therapy
Three leading national cancer organizations have issued an updated guideline on postmastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT) for physicians treating patients with breast cancer. The recommendations outline when PMRT is appropriate based on new evidence and evolving clinical practice, and they highlight...
New Report on Breast Reconstruction Preferences Among African American Women
For African American patients undergoing mastectomy, the risk of complications and the postoperative appearance of the breast are among the important drivers of preferences about breast reconstruction, according to a new report published by Shammas et al in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery....
Model to Identify Patients With Clinical High-Risk Early Breast Cancer Who May Avoid Escalated Adjuvant Therapy
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Bidard et al developed a model that may identify a subgroup of patients with clinical high-risk estrogen receptor (ER)-positive/HER2-negative early breast cancer who might derive no additional distant recurrence benefit from escalation of adjuvant...
AI Shear Wave Elastography Model for Diagnosing Breast Cancer in BI-RADS 3 or 4 Masses
In a study (INSPiRED 006) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Cai et al found that an artificial intelligence–guided shear wave elastography (AI-SWE) model provided accuracy similar to expert reading of B-mode ultrasound in the diagnosis of breast cancer in women with Breast Imaging...
Study Shows That After Early Breast Cancer Diagnosis, Risk of a Second Cancer Is Low
For individuals diagnosed with early breast cancer, the long-term risk of developing a second primary cancer is low—around 2% to 3% greater than the general population)—according to findings published by McGale et al in The BMJ. The researchers say this information can help reassure many breast...
Do Breast and Gynecologic Cancers Contribute to Job Resignation in Working Women?
In a matched-cohort study reported in JAMA Network Open, Iwakura et al found that women with breast or gynecologic cancer had a higher risk of job resignation compared with their unaffected counterparts, especially among those who were older, had lower income, or had a history of depression. “These ...
Analysis Shows No Major Racial Differences in Somatic Mutations of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
A landmark study of the tumor mutational landscape of African American women with triple-negative breast cancer revealed that the mutational profile was largely similar with that of Asian and non-Hispanic White women, except for the presence of TP53 mutations in almost all African American...
Case 3: Cardiac Risk Stratification
This is Part 3 of Managing Cardiovascular Risk in Metastatic Breast Cancer: Clinical Insights on CDK4/6 Inhibitors, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this roundtable. In this video, Drs. Kelly McCann, Hope Rugo, and Avirup Guha discuss a challenging patient case: a 76-year-old woman with metastatic estrogen receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer who presents with chest pain, dyspnea, and new-onset atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response. The patient has significant cardiovascular risks, including a history of heavy smoking, high BMI, and a general avoidance of doctors. In the conversation that follows, Dr. Guha outlines the essential cardiac work-up, emphasizing immediate stabilization and highlighting the importance of patient education and addressing social determinants of health as crucial outpatient follow-up strategies. Dr. Rugo discusses managing effusions and recommends palbociclib as the preferred CDK4/6 inhibitor for this patient, given her cardiac issues. The panel concludes that comprehensive cardiovascular risk assessment is essential for these patients, whose prognosis is often measured in years, making optimization of cardiovascular health vital for their quality and quantity of life.
Case 2: CDK4/6 Inhibitor Choice in Medically Fragile Patients With Heart Failure
This is Part 2 of Managing Cardiovascular Risk in Metastatic Breast Cancer: Clinical Insights on CDK4/6 Inhibitors, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this roundtable. In this video, Drs. Kelly McCann, Hope Rugo, and Avirup Guha discuss managing cardiovascular risk for a 41-year-old premenopausal woman with complex congenital heart disease, heart failure, and metastatic estrogen receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer. The patient’s extensive medical history makes CDK4/6 inhibitor choice challenging. In the conversation that follows, the experts emphasize a team-based approach involving oncologists, cardiologists, and pharmacists for fragile patients. They outline workup strategies for worsening dyspnea, including ruling out progressive disease, pulmonary embolism, and pneumonitis, and performing cardiac exams and rhythm monitoring. Cardio-oncology can help manage CDK4/6 inhibitor–related toxicities, such as severe diarrhea, to enable cancer treatment while mitigating cardiovascular risks. Close collaboration is essential, as these therapies can exacerbate existing cardiovascular issues like fluid shifts, electrolyte imbalances, and increased venous thrombosis risk.
Case 1: Management of Cardiovascular Risk Factors
This is Part 1 of Managing Cardiovascular Risk in Metastatic Breast Cancer: Clinical Insights on CDK4/6 Inhibitors, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this roundtable. In this video, Drs. Kelly McCann, Hope Rugo, and Avirup Guha discuss cardiovascular risk management in a 47-year-old patient with metastatic estrogen receptor–positive/HER2-negative breast cancer. After prior anthracycline exposure and estrogen-deprivation therapy (EDT), the patient developed cardiovascular risk factors including hypertension and borderline diabetes. EDT can worsen cardiovascular health by affecting lipid profiles, insulin resistance, and blood pressure, potentially leading to a prothrombotic state. In the conversation that follows, the panel highlights the oncologist’s crucial role in proactively co-managing cardiovascular risks with cardiologists and primary care, stressing the importance of communication between providers. They also provide key insights in monitoring QTc prolongation, a side effect of ribociclib. Guidelines for management include baseline/regular ECG checks, electrolyte correction, and dose adjustments or permanent discontinuation for significant prolongation.
BWEL Weight-Loss Trial Reports Success for Patients With Breast Cancer at 1-Year Mark
Patients with stage II or III breast cancer who participated in a remote weight-loss intervention program lost an average of 4.7% of their baseline body weight after 1 year, whereas those in the education-only control group gained an average 1% of their baseline weight, according to a recent report ...
Adding Everolimus to Chemotherapy Reduces Risk for Advanced Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
The addition of everolimus to standard carboplatin chemotherapy led to a 52% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death compared with carboplatin alone in patients with advanced triple-negative breast cancer, according to the results of a randomized phase II trial published in Breast...
Can Beta Blockers Help Halt the Progression of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer?
Researchers have identified a molecular biomarker in triple-negative breast cancers that may inform when beta blockers can play a role in “switching off” tumor progression. These findings were published by Lam et al in Science Signaling. When stress hormones are released by the body’s nervous...
Treatment Rechallenge After Interstitial Lung Disease Related to T-DXd: Is It Safe?
Rechallenge with the HER2-directed antibody-drug conjugate fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd) after grade 1 interstitial lung disease (ILD) appeared to be safe in a diverse real-world population, including many patients with breast cancer, as presented during the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting.1 The ...
Hybrid AI Approach With Uncertainty Quantification for Mammography Reading Supports Safe Workload Reduction
Investigators have developed and tested a hybrid reading strategy for screening mammography images with artificial intelligence (AI) that includes reads from radiologists and a stand-alone AI interpretation of mammograms with an uncertainty quantification. According to study findings published in...
New Recommendations Released for Managing Aromatase Inhibitor–Induced Bone Loss
A group of experts from seven professional societies have published a joint position statement in the Journal of Bone Oncology on the management of aromatase inhibitor–associated bone loss (AIBL) as a guide for osteoporosis specialists and oncologists. This position statement acts as an update on...
Endocrine Therapy With Aromatase Inhibitor for Postmenopausal Women With Breast Cancer
In a patient-level meta-analysis reported in The Lancet, Braybrooke et al of the Early Breast Cancer Trialists’ Collaborative Group found that adding subsequent years of aromatase inhibitor treatment (AIT) for women with early estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer who had already received 5...
Are Postmastectomy Implant-Based Breast Reconstructions Associated With Lymphomas of the Breast?
The results of a cohort study published in JAMA Network Open revealed an epidemiologic association between postmastectomy implant-based breast reconstruction for any breast tumor and both B- and T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas of the breast. According to Kinslow et al, this includes diffuse large...
Clinically Significant Fatigue and Inflammation in Breast Cancer Survivors
Clinically significant fatigue was associated with increased inflammation in breast cancer survivors, according to study findings published in BMC Women's Health. The study authors also suggested that an increase in inflammatory markers from clinical fatigue could lead to breast cancer recurrence. ...
RSNA Challenge AI Models Enhance Mammography Detection of Invasive Breast Cancer
Various artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms submitted as part of a challenge demonstrated the ability to identify different breast cancers during screening mammography, according to the results of a study published in Radiology. Ensemble models of the top submitted algorithms indicated that the ...
Breast Cancer Surveillance in Pre– vs Post–COVID-19 Periods
In a study reported as a research letter in JAMA Oncology, Hahn et al found that the proportion of U.S. patients with breast cancer undergoing annual surveillance imaging was lower in the post– vs pre–COVID-19 period, with no significant difference in recurrence or progression being observed. Study ...
Older Women With High-Risk Breast Cancer: Addition of Adjuvant Chemotherapy to Hormone Therapy
In a French-Belgian phase III trial (ASTER 70s) reported in The Lancet, Brain et al examined the survival benefit of adding adjuvant chemotherapy to hormone therapy in women aged ≥ 70 years with estrogen receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer with high-risk disease on the basis of genomic...
AI Enhances Detection of Missed Breast Cancers on Screening Tomosynthesis
A U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–cleared artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm was able to detect and correctly localize almost one-third of interval breast cancers in a retrospective evaluation of screening digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), findings published in Radiology showed. The...
Study Finds Racial and Economic Segregation May Impact Advanced-Stage Breast and Cervical Cancer Diagnoses
Despite advances in early cancer detection, racial and ethnic minority individuals seem to be more likely to have a late-stage diagnosis of cancers that have a recommended screening. A large study by the American Cancer Society that examined the association between neighborhood-level segregation...
Does Menopausal Hormone Therapy Increase the Risk of Death in Women With BRCA-Mutated Breast Cancer?
The risk of death does not appear to increase with the use of menopausal hormone therapy in women with early-onset, BRCA-mutated breast cancer who began hormone supplementation after diagnosis, based on preliminary data presented during the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting.1 “Management of early surgical...
Intense Resistance Training for Breast Cancer Survivors With Lymphedema Risk
Resistance training can provide many benefits, including increased muscle mass; decreased adipose tissue; and improved metabolism, bone density, strength, and mobility. However, data are limited on the association between resistance training and the development or exacerbation of lymphedema, a...
Immunotherapy Combination: A Potential New Standard in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
In the phase III ASCENT-04/KEYNOTE-D19 trial, the combination of the TROP2-directed antibody-drug conjugate sacituzumab govitecan-hziy plus the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab in previously untreated patients with PD-L1–positive advanced triple-negative breast cancer significantly reduced the risk of...
