Breast Cancer

Pathologic complete response may still have a role in accelerated neoadjuvant approvals for select patients with early stage breast cancer, despite the fact that it remains an unproven surrogate endpoint.

Amy Robach, breast cancer survivor and Good Morning America news anchor, describes her diagnosis of a 2 cm tumor in her right breast that appeared isolated on ultrasound and other subsequent scans.

The combination of the alpha-specific PI3K inhibitor alpelisib (BYL719) and fulvestrant (Faslodex) demonstrated promising early efficacy and mild toxicity in heavily pretreated postmenopausal women with ER-positive metastatic breast cancer.

Among patients with HR+/HER2- or triple-negative metastatic breast cancer, nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane) improved time to treatment discontinuation, time to next treatment, and had a favorable safety profile compared with paclitaxel.

Carboplatin shows promise in treating metastatic BRCA-mutated triple negative breast cancer.

William F. Symmans, MB, ChB, Division of Pathology/Lab Medicine, Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the institution's Moon Shots program for patients with triple-negative breast cancer.

Kimberly L. Blackwell, MD, medical oncologist, Duke Cancer Institute, discusses using the word "cure" in patients with breast cancer who have not had recurrences of disease.

The past decade of biomarker research has led to the introduction of several multigene prognostic tests that are now routinely used in clinical decision making to assist the se-lection of patients for adjuvant chemotherapy, and several other tests have emerged with potential clinical utility.

Among the bright spots in the treatment of patients with breast cancer are the successes achieved in the management of HER2-positive disease. And, therapeutic options are continuing to expand, owing to the advent of novel anti-HER2–targeted agents and multitargeted HER2 receptor blockade.

Kimberly L. Blackwell, MD, discusses recent studies examining emerging agents in HER2-positive breast cancer.

Erika P. Hamilton, MD, Director, Breast Cancer and Gynecologic Cancer Research Program; Principal Investigator, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, discusses ONT-380, a novel HER2-specific inhibitor. Most oral HER2-inhibitors block not only HER2, but other proteins such as EGFR.

The FDA has approved palbociclib (Ibrance) for use in combination with fulvestrant in pretreated patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer.

Benjamin D. Smith, MD, associate professor and research director of breast radiation oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, discusses complications with mastectomy versus lumpectomy for early breast cancer.

Gabriel N. Hortobagyi, MD, who has pioneered many clinical advances in the treatment of women with breast cancer, was honored in the Breast Cancer category with a 2015 Giants of Cancer Care® award, a program that the Intellisphere® Oncology Specialty Group launched to honor leaders in the field.

Although metastatic breast cancer remains incurable for most women, recent research offers important new guidance for clinicians managing patients across the spectrum of advanced disease.

The search for immune system biomarkers that could prove clinically useful in treating patients with breast cancer is yielding promising results, particularly in triple-negative subtypes.

ASCO released new evidence-based recommendations to ensure appropriate use of biomarker assay results in guiding decisions on adjuvant therapy for women with early-stage invasive breast cancer and known estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and HER2 status.

Sacituzumab govitecan (IMMU-132) has received an FDA breakthrough therapy designation for the treatment of patients with triple-negative breast cancer following at least 2 treatments for metastatic disease.

Ingrid A. Mayer, MD, co-leader and Clinical Director, Breast Cancer Research Program Chair, Data and Safety Monitoring Committee, Associate Professor of Medicine (Hematology/Oncology), medical oncologist, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, discusses the use of targeted therapies in estrogen-receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer.