Breast Cancer

Enzalutamide showed promising clinical activity in patients with androgen receptor–positive triple-negative breast cancer.

Lisa A. Carey, MD, professor, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the CALGB 40502/NCCTG N063H trial in patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

Tari King, MD, FACS, chief of Breast Surgery, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham Women’s Cancer Center, discusses the role of sentinel lymph node biopsy in breast cancer.

Matthew P. Goetz, MD, professor of oncology and pharmacology, Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Oncology, Mayo Clinic, discusses the MONARCH trials for patients with breast cancer.

Oncology drug developers have been able to leverage knowledge about a cause of proliferation— dysregulated activity of the cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs)—to create a new class of therapy that has rapidly been integrated into the breast cancer treatment paradigm.

Matthew J. Ellis, MD, PhD, professor of oncology and medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, discusses developments with immunotherapy for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.

Trastuzumab did not reduce cardiac function in women with node-positive, HER2+, early-stage breast cancer.

Although chemotherapy remains the mainstay of treatment for patients with triple-negative breast cancer, promising developments are unfolding on several fronts, including new ways of using existing therapies and the exploration of immunotherapy, novel antibodies, and agents targeting the PI3K/mTOR/AKT pathway.

Adam M. Brufsky, MD, PhD, professor of medicine, associate chief, Division of Hematology/Oncology, co-director, Comprehensive Breast Cancer Center, associate director, Clinical Investigation, University of Pittsburgh, discusses the FDA approval of olaparib (Lynparza) for the treatment of patients with germline BRCA-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer who have previously received chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant, adjuvant, or metastatic settings.

The FDA approved the PARP inhibitor olaparib (Lynparza) for the treatment of patients with germline BRCA-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer.

Susan Domchek, MD, director of the Basser Center for BRCA at Penn Medicine, discusses promising biomarkers in breast cancer.

Aleix Prat, MD, PhD, discusses the novel treatments being developed in the paradigm of HER2-positive breast cancer.

Denise A. Yardley, MD, senior investigator of breast cancer research, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, discusses the randomized placebo-controlled phase II trial evaluating exemestane with/without enzalutamide (Xtandi) in patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive breast cancer

An analysis of the phase III OlympiAD study showed that treatment discontinuation due to toxicity was less frequent with olaparib (Lynparza) monotherapy in patients with HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer and a germline BRCA mutation.

Sara M. Tolaney, MD, MPH, instructor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, attending physician of medical oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses the evolution of adjuvant treatment for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.

The FDA has granted ribociclib a breakthrough therapy designation for use in combination with tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor as frontline treatment for pre- or perimenopausal women with hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer.

The management of ductal carcinoma in situ is one of the most controversial areas in breast cancer management.

The combination of lapatinib, trastuzumab, and an aromatase inhibitor (AI) reduced the risk for death or progression by 38% in women with HER2+/HR+ metastatic breast cancer compared with those treated with a targeted agent plus AI.

Extended adjuvant therapy with neratinib significantly reduced the proportion of clinically relevant breast cancer relapses without increasing the risk of long-term toxicity.

Erika P. Hamilton, MD, discusses recent FDA approvals in the treatment paradigm of HER2-positive breast cancer.

The FDA has approved a new breast-specific stereotactic body radiotherapy device known as GammaPod as a treatment for patients with breast cancer, based on findings from a 17-patient study.

The United Kingdom's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has issued guidance supporting approval for ribociclib and palbociclib for patients with hormone receptor-positive/HER2-negative locally advanced or secondary breast cancer.

Erika P. Hamilton, MD, director, Breast and Gynecologic Cancer Research Program, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, discusses the FDA approval of pertuzumab (Perjeta) for use in combination with trastuzumab (Herceptin) and chemotherapy for the adjuvant treatment of patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer.

The FDA has approved pertuzumab in combination with trastuzumab and chemotherapy as an adjuvant treatment for patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer at high risk for recurrence.

The introduction of cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors has resulted in a significant paradigm shift in the treatment of hormone receptor–positive breast cancer, helping to make the new agents part of rapidly developing improvements in personalized care for patients.