François-Clément Bidard, MD, PhD, on Metastatic Breast Cancer: Using Circulating Tumor Cells to Direct Treatment
2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium
François-Clément Bidard, MD, PhD, of the Institut Curie and the University of Versailles, discusses phase III study findings on the clinical utility of circulating tumor cell count as a tool to choose between first-line hormone therapy and chemotherapy for estrogen receptor–positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer (Abstract GS3-07).
Andrew D. Seidman, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Richard G. Gray, MA, MSc, of the University of Oxford, discuss a meta-analysis of individual patient data from 12 randomized trials including 24,912 women on the effects—in terms of recurrence and cause-specific mortality—of prolonging adjuvant aromatase inhibitor therapy beyond 5 years (Abstract GS3-03).
Sara A. Hurvitz, MD, of the University of California, Los Angeles, discusses the natural history and novel combinations for HER2-positive disease as well as predictive and prognostic markers for this type of breast cancer.
Monica Morrow, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center reviews lessons learned from top abstracts, including how to tailor the extent of local therapy to minimize morbidity, the diminishing role of axillary lymph node dissection, long-term sequelae of breast surgical procedures, and the need to discuss outcomes with patients.
Laura S. Dominici, MD, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses the lower quality-of-life scores seen after unilateral or bilateral mastectomy compared with breast-conserving surgery in women younger than age 40 who are treated for breast cancer (Abstract GS6-05).
Shom Goel, MD, PhD, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses preclinical data that suggest CDK4/6 inhibitors not only stop the growth of breast cancer cells, but also enhance antitumor immunity, a phenomenon that might help improve outcomes for people with advanced disease.
