PER® Miami Breast Cancer Conference

Neoadjuvant therapy can eliminate both invasive and in situ carcinoma in up to 50% of patients, particularly when their subtypes are triple-negative disease or HER2-positive cancers.

Abemaciclib (Verzenio) has quickly amassed several clinical indications for patients with metastatic breast cancer, and is the only CDK4/6 inhibitor approved as a single agent.

Patrick I. Borgen, MD, chairman of surgery, director of the Breast Cancer Program, Maimonides Medical Center, and chair of the Miami Breast Cancer Conference, discusses the evolution of breast cancer treatment in recent years. Borgen shared his insight in an interview during the meeting.

Sara A. Hurvitz, MD, director of the Breast Oncology Program at the University of California, Los Angeles, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses novel agents that are emerging in the HER2-positive breast cancer space. Hurvitz shared this insight in an interview with OncLive during the 35th Annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference.

Endocrine therapy can achieve tumor reduction for patients with ER-positive breast cancer, possibly avoiding the need for chemotherapy or even surgery in some patients; however, deciding how long to continue this therapy can be tricky.

The latest revision of the staging manual for breast cancer from the American Joint Committee on Cancer is a quantum leap toward precision oncology, as it codifies advanced knowledge of the role of biologic factors in cancer, and oncologists should now be using it.

The PARP inhibitors have finally become available for patients with BRCA-mutant metastatic breast cancer, ushering in a potential new era for targeted therapies with studies currently ongoing in the adjuvant setting and exploring combinations.

The discovery of crosstalk between the HER2 and hormone receptor pathways has led to the promising treatment strategy of dual targeting regimens.

Several new agents have emerged in HER2-positive breast cancer with the potential to further alter the natural course of the disease.

Palbociclib (Ibrance) demonstrated significant efficacy in combination with letrozole (Femara) in the frontline setting of estrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative, postmenopausal metastatic breast cancer.

Fabrice André, MD, professor, Department of Medical Oncology, Institut Gustave Roussy, discusses the remaining questions with immunotherapy agents as potential therapy for patients with triple-negative breast cancer. Andre expanded on this in an interview with OncLive during the 35th Annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference.

William J. Gradishar, MD, interim chief of hematology and oncology, Department of Medicine, Betsy Bramsen Professorship of Breast Oncology, professor of medicine (hematology and oncology), Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, discusses the utilization of genetic testing in breast cancer to identify actionable results for patients.

The progression-free survival benefit for ribociclib in pre- or perimenopausal women with hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer was sustained across patient subgroups, according to findings from the phase III MONALEESA-7 trial.

Improvements in progression-free survival with olaparib (Lynparza) remained consistent regardless of baseline tumor burden for patients with HER2-negative breast cancer with a germline BRCA1/2 mutation.

Debu Tripathy, MD, professor and chairman, Department of Breast Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the FDA approval of olaparib (Lynparza) for patients with BRCA-positive breast cancers and the impact it has had on clinical practice. Tripathy shared this insight in an interview during the 35th Annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference.

Adam M. Brufsky, MD, PhD, discusses considerations for using denosumab and zoledronic acid in patients with breast cancer.

Male breast cancer is a rare and poorly understood disease, but recent molecular studies have revealed fundamental differences from female breast cancer that could help guide treatment strategies toward a more tailored approach.

Whereas the androgen receptor (AR) is a common target in prostate cancer, emerging findings are showing a potential role for targeting AR in breast cancer, as well.

Preventive sexual counseling can be effective in reducing sexual dysfunction resulting from the treatment of breast cancer patients with aromatase inhibitors; however, that intervention should be provided early in treatment and supported by encouragement from providers.

Debu Tripathy, MD, provided an update on neoadjuvant strategies in HER2-positive breast cancer at the 2017 Miami Breast Cancer Conference.

Michael F. Press, MD, PhD, discusses issues with the ASCO-CAP guidelines on assessment of HER2 amplification by fluorescence in situ hybridization testing.

Hope Rugo, MD, highlights the latest efforts to improve outcomes in triple-negative breast cancer.

For television personality, author, and lifestyle maven Sandra Lee the roots of her controversial decision to have a bilateral mastectomy go back to her childhood, when her grandmother was diagnosed with an advanced and aggressive form of stomach cancer.

The success of olaparib in a phase III trial and recent data for other emerging agents has reversed the PARP narrative in breast cancer, Kimberly Blackwell, MD, said in a presentation at the 34th Annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference.

Multiple ongoing clinical trials are evaluating various immunotherapy strategies for patients with breast cancer, with combinations representing the most potential for future success.

Adam M. Brufsky, MD, PhD, professor of Medicine, associate chief of Hematology/Oncology, co-director of the Comprehensive Breast Care Center, associate director of Clinical Investigation, University of Pittsburgh, discusses when to do a multiparameter genomic assay for a patient with early-stage breast cancer.

Joyce A. O’Shaughnessy, MD, chair of Breast Cancer Research and the Celebrating Women Chair in Breast Cancer at Baylor-Sammons Cancer Center, discusses differentiating between CDK 4/6 inhibitors in breast cancer.

Healthcare resource use and costs remain high among patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer, indicating a need for better targeted treatments for this patient class.