Breast Cancer | Specialty

The OncLive Breast Cancer condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and expert insights on various types of breast cancer, including those that are triple negative, hormone receptor positive, and/or HER2 positive. This page features news articles, interviews in written and video format, and podcasts that focus on treatment advances and ongoing research in breast cancer.

Neoadjuvant Abemaciclib Active in HR+/HER2- Breast Cancer

December 9th 2016

A neoadjuvant regimen combining the CDK4/6 inhibitor abemaciclib with anastrozole induced a response rate of 54.7% in patients with HR+/HER2-negative early-stage breast cancer, according to findings from the phase II neoMONARCH trial.

Hormonal Therapy Effectively Added to Dual HER2-Blockade in Phase II PERTAIN Study

December 8th 2016

The addition of an aromatase inhibitor (AI) to pertuzumab and trastuzumab improved progression-free survival by 3.09 months, when compared with trastuzumab plus an AI.

Buparlisib Combo Modestly Effective in Pretreated HR+ Breast Cancer

December 8th 2016

Median progression-free survival was improved by 2.1 months with the addition of the pan-PI3K inhibitor buparlisib to fulvestrant for women with HR-positive/HER2-negative advanced breast cancer who received a prior aromatase inhibitor and progressed on or after an mTOR inhibitor.

Six Years of Anastrozole After Adjuvant Tamoxifen Not Better Than 3 Years

December 8th 2016

First results from the phase III DATA study show no advantage to extending anastrozole therapy from 3 years to 6 for the primary endpoint of 5-year adapted disease-free survival.

Mixed Results on Benefit of Extending Letrozole Beyond 5 Years of Prior Endocrine Therapy

December 8th 2016

Extending letrozole therapy in women with early-stage, HR-positive breast cancer who completed 5 years of prior hormone therapy did not yield a statistically significant improvement in either disease-free or overall survival, but prolonged use of the aromatase inhibitor may be beneficial in some subgroups of women with a higher risk of recurrence.

Genomic Study Uncovers Resistance Mutations in ER+ Breast Cancer

December 8th 2016

The genomic landscape of recurrent metastatic estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer differed significantly from the mutational profile of primary disease in a study that sheds light on acquired resistance mechanisms to anticancer therapies.

TILs Associated With Survival for Advanced HER2+ Breast Cancer

December 8th 2016

Higher levels of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes were associated with improvements in overall survival for patients with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer treated with docetaxel, trastuzumab, and pertuzumab in the phase III CLEOPATRA trial.

Veliparib Regimen Nears 80% Response Rate in BRCA+ Breast Cancer

December 8th 2016

Adding the PARP inhibitor veliparib to carboplatin/paclitaxel chemotherapy induced a response rate of 77.8% in patients with advanced BRCA-positive breast cancer.

DNA Repair Defects Emerge as a New Category for Anticancer Therapies

December 2nd 2016

A coordinated network of signaling pathways works to protect the cell from the toxic effects of DNA damage.

It's Time to Move Beyond the Genome in Breast Cancer

December 2nd 2016

Matthew J. Ellis, MB BChir, PhD, FRCP, provides his expertise on the genomics and molecular profiling of breast cancer.

Lead PALOMA-2 Author Says Results Will Boost Global Use of Palbociclib

November 28th 2016

Results from the phase III PALOMA-2 study—which demonstrated a significant progression-free survival advantage with palbociclib (Ibrance) plus letrozole compared with letrozole alone in ER-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer—were recently published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Dr. Carey on QOL Changes Seen in Patients With Breast Cancer

November 23rd 2016

Lisa Carey, MD, associate director, Clinical Research, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Richardson and Marilyn Jacobs Preyer Distinguished Professorship for Breast Cancer Research, UNC-Chapel Hill, discusses how she has seen various agents impact quality of life (QOL) when used to treat patients with breast cancer.

Dr. Marcom on Impact of FALCON Trial on HR+ Breast Cancer

November 22nd 2016

Paul Kelly Marcom, MD, associate professor of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Duke Cancer Institute, discusses the impact that the FALCON trial findings have had on the field of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer.

I-SPY 2 Paves the Way for Novel HER2-Targeted Agents in Breast Cancer

November 22nd 2016

There are a wide variety of novel agents currently being investigated in the neoadjuvant setting for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.

Dr. Tripathy on Immunotherapy Potential in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer

November 19th 2016

Debu Tripathy, MD, chair of Breast Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the potential role of immunotherapy in the treatment of patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.

Dr. Borgen on Successful Progress in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer

November 17th 2016

Patrick Borgen, MD, chair, Department of Surgery, director, Breast Center, Maimonides Medical Center, discusses the successful progress seen in the treatment landscape of HER2-positive breast cancer.

Improved Patient Selection Needed to Advance HER2+ Breast Cancer Care

November 17th 2016

Immunotherapy and chemotherapy are options physicians should not dismiss for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer, according to Lisa Carey, MD, even with the available targeted agents trastuzumab, pertuzumab, lapatinib, and ado-trastuzumab emtansine.

Dr. Tripathy on Neoadjuvant Agents for HER2+ Breast Cancer

November 16th 2016

Debu Tripathy, MD, chair of Breast Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses agents that are available and in development in the neoadjuvant setting as treatments for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.

Expert Sheds Light on Efficacy of Dual HER2-Directed Therapy

November 15th 2016

Dual HER2-directed therapy has demonstrated promising efficacy as a treatment approach for patients with breast cancer. Still, there remains a need for further research pertaining to therapies for HER2-positive patients who do do not meet the current criteria for this neoadjuvant regimen.

Novel Antibody-Drug Conjugate Could Become First Targeted Therapy Approved in TNBC

November 15th 2016

Findings from a highly anticipated, randomized, phase II trial could possibly pave the path for the FDA approval of the first targeted therapy for patients with triple-negative breast cancer, explains Linda T. Vahdat, MD.