Breast Cancer

To kick off SABCS 2012, we discuss the use of molecular testing for the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer patients in the clinical setting with Dr. Antonio Wolff of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University, one of the presenter's during the "Practical Use of Molecular Profiling" session at this year's symposium.

A new study shows that adding a new three-dimensional breast imaging technique called tomosynthesis to digital mammography can increase diagnostic accuracy and reduce false-positive rates.

A study examining the association of treatment outcome and body mass index (BMI) among breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant therapy found no difference in terms of benefit from therapy based on patients’ BMI.

A new drug combination of lapatinib (Tykerb) and capecitabine (Xeloda) shrunk brain tumors in HER2-positive breast cancer patients whose cancer had spread to the brain, showing it is active as a first-line brain metastases treatment with similar efficacy to whole-brain radiotherapy.

A US and European team has developed a 3D technique that produces sharper breast images than those available with standard CT scanners, allowing earlier and more accurate detection of breast tumors.

A large study of the impact of patient navigation (PN) on breast cancer management has found that women who receive PN are diagnosed faster than non-navigated women, and the difference is most striking among biopsied women.

Until more data are available, we reserve bisphosphonates for women with evidence of decreased bone mineral density who are at increased risk of fracture and for those on clinical trials.

In this review we describe the current evidence for use of bisphosphonates as part of the adjuvant treatment of patients with early-stage breast cancer.

At present, caution is urged in use of osteoclast-targeted therapy in early-stage breast cancer patients. Not all are at risk for therapy-induced bone loss, and the majority are not at risk for recurrence following adjuvant therapy. Toxicities exist, and there is financial cost to consider.

A new imaging method--optical imaging mammography--is being developed as a tool that aims to provide a better way to identify breast cancer and to monitor patients’ responses to localized treatment.

A large collaborative sequencing study using data from the Cancer Genome Atlas shows basal-like breast cancers share similar genetic origins and features with serous ovarian tumors.

In a study using mouse models, researchers found evidence that metabolic dysregulation induced by dietary factors can stimulate breast growth and confer breast cancer risk.

The FDA has approved an ultrasound device shown to be capable of detecting small masses in dense breasts. The device is indicated for use in combination with mammography for breast cancer screening.

We speak with Clifford Hudis, MD, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, about the recent advances in breast cancer treatment and the top news to come out of this year’s ASCO Breast Cancer Symposium.

Several presentations at the ASCO Breast Cancer Symposium addressed important questions in triple-negative breast cancer: are there promising new treatment approaches for these patients and how can we identify which patients are high risk?

The 18-month results of the phase III BOLERO-2 trial were presented at the ASCO Breast Cancer Symposium, confirming earlier survival results.

Final results of the RIBBON-2 trial show that adding bevacizumab (Avastin) to chemotherapy does not improve overall survival in advanced breast cancer patients who have been previously treated for their metastatic disease.

A new device called MarginProbe may soon be available to help surgeons determine the minimal amount of tissue to be removed during a lumpectomy and reduce re-excision rates.

In this video, Tari A. King, MD, of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, discusses what to look for at this year’s ASCO Breast Cancer Symposium.

In assessing the value of innovations in breast cancer radiotherapy, it is important to consider not only the basis of their impact on mortality, local recurrence, and cosmesis; emphasis should also be placed on factors such as treatment tolerance, convenience, and delayed morbidities.

With the publication of mature experiences using accelarated partial breast irradiation (APBI) and accelerated whole breast irradiation (AWBI), the use of shortened courses of radiotherapy has become increasingly popular.

Given their greater convenience and, in most cases, decreased costs, APBI and AWBI are becoming increasingly popular alternatives to conventional WBI for early-stage breast cancer patients who desire BCT. However, given the protracted time to local recurrence and complications following BCT, definitive results from randomized clinical trials comparing conventional WBI vs AWBI or APBI are limited.

For appropriate older women screening provides a benefit in this age group by identifying early-stage breast cancer.

Geriatricians would argue that biological age alone should not be used to estimate a patient's anticipated tolerance for cancer therapy.

In this review we will discuss how to evaluate older breast cancer patients, including estimating survival, defining functional limitations, and providing guidelines for optimal adjuvant therapies.

According to a study of 12,500 women treated for invasive breast cancer, treatment with trastuzumab (Herceptin) increases the risk of congestive heart failure and cardiomyopathy.

A new study provides evidence that older women with early-stage breast cancer who undergo radiation therapy following a lumpectomy are less likely to require a subsequent mastectomy.

Given the current rate of progress in this field, it may not be completely unlikely that women with hormone receptor–positive breast cancer will be cured of this disease in the foreseeable future.

It is time to develop more active treatments in the early-disease setting that actually eradicate ER-positive breast cancer before new mutations and secondary resistance have a chance to develop. In this regard, standard chemotherapy is not the answer.

In this article, we describe the long natural history of HR+ breast cancer and review current research and clinical strategies to address this clinical challenge.