Breast Cancer

With tremendous advances and the accelerated approval of atezolizumab plus nab-paclitaxel for patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic PD-L1–positive triple-negative breast cancer, provider education in identifying associated toxicities from checkpoint inhibitor therapy is critical.

Hope S. Rugo, MD, director, Breast Oncology and Clinical Trials Education, University of California San Francisco Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the therapeutic advancements in the breast cancer space in the past 20 years.

Debu Tripathy, MD, professor and chairman, Department of Breast Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses combination strategies being investigated with CDK4/6 inhibitors in breast cancer.

The introduction of PARP inhibitors into the breast cancer treatment paradigm is a clinically meaningful advance for patients with germline BRCA1/2 mutations but much more research must be conducted to optimize their use.

The previously demonstrated progression-free survival benefit from the addition of alpelisib to fulvestrant appeared consistent among subgroups of patients with hormone receptor–positive/HER2-negative advanced breast cancer who have a PIK3CA mutation.

For more than 100 years, endocrine therapy has been used for the treatment of breast cancer; since that time, we have learned much about the role of estrogen in the biology of normal breast cancer development.

Each gene expression-based test available for risk prediction in patients with breast cancer has unique properties and they are not interchangeable, placing importance on the clinical studies used to validate the clinical utility of each assay.

Elizabeth A. Mittendorf, MD, PhD, director of the Breast Immuno-Oncology Program at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center, discusses the frontline approval of atezolizumab in combination with nab-paclitaxel in patients with locally advanced or metastatic PD-L1

Ciara O'Sullivan, MB, BCh, senior associate consultant, assistant professor of oncology, Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Oncology, Mayo Clinic, discusses how HER2-targeted treatment can be more individualized in the treatment of patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.

The FDA has approved the frontline combination of atezolizumab plus nab-paclitaxel for patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic PD-L1–positive triple-negative breast cancer.

After nearly 30 years as a breast cancer surgeon, Patrick I. Borgen, MD, finds that the most enduring theme in the field is constant change.

The breast cancer field is experiencing rapid advancements in the understanding of disease biology and the development of novel therapeutic strategies for several subtypes, with a clear direction toward personalized or precision medicine.

Data from the SHAVE and SHAVE2 trials, in terms of long-term outcomes vis-à-vis local recurrence, may lend some insight into the impact of adjuvant therapy on reducing the ramifications of a positive margin.

Novel and emerging agents are creating exciting new options for patients with hormone receptor–positive metastatic breast cancer, resulting in the need to consider how best to introduce and sequence these agents into the treatment timeline.

Breast surveillance is essential when determining whether or not therapy is beneficial and to avoid toxicity, usual care for patients with metastatic breast cancer includes monitoring of symptoms and cancer burden.

Neelima Denduluri, MD, medical oncologist, Virginia Cancer Specialists, discusses treatment for patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer.

The European Medicine Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has granted a positive opinion to olaparib tablets as monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with germline BRCA1/2-mutant, HER2-negative locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer.

Andrea De Censi, MD, director of the medical oncology unit at the National Hospital E.O. Ospedali Galliera–SC Oncologia Medica in Genoa, Italy, discusses the results of the phase III TAM-01 trial in breast cancer.

Geoffrey Lindeman, MD, joint head, Stem Cells and Cancer Division at The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, discusses a phase 1b dose-escalation and expansion study of the BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax (Venclexta) combined with tamoxifen in estrogen receptor-positive and BCL-2–positive metastatic breast cancer.

Matthew P. Goetz, MD, chair of the Breast Cancer Disease-Oriented Group and co-leader of the Women’s Cancer Center at the Mayo Clinic, discusses the treatment landscape for patients with metastatic hormone receptor–positive breast cancer.

Joseph F. Stilwill, MD, shares insight on the clinical benefit seen with CDK4/6 inhibitors in patients with advanced HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer and highlights ongoing research aimed at overcoming acquired resistance.

Jane L. Meisel, MD, an assistant professor in the Department of Gynecology & Obstetrics at Emory School of Medicine, Winship Cancer Institute, discusses emerging treatment strategies in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

The combination of the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab and platinum/taxane chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant setting induced high rates of pathologic complete response in patients with locally advanced triple-negative breast cancer.

Stephanie L. Graff, MD, director of the Breast Program at the Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute of HCA Midwest Health, and associate director of the Breast Cancer Research Program at Sarah Cannon Research Institute, discusses patient factors used to consider optimal treatment duration of tamoxifen in patients with breast cancer.

Jane L. Meisel, MD, discusses recent breakthroughs in the previously stagnant field of triple-negative breast cancer and what these advances mean for patients.