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.

FDA Will Reassess 6 Immunotherapy Accelerated Approvals

March 12th 2021

Six indications for immune checkpoint inhibitors granted under the FDA’s accelerated approval process that later failed confirmatory clinical trials are being reassessed as the agency continues an industry-wide evaluation of the pathway.

Kalinsky Sees Growing Excitement Over ADCs in HER2-Negative Breast Cancer

March 11th 2021

The FDA's accelerated approval of sacituzumab govitecan-hziy in April 2020, filled a previously undefined role for antibody-drug conjugates in patients with triple-negative breast cancer.

Checkpoint and PARP Inhibition Remain the Focus of Ongoing Research in TNBC

March 10th 2021

The field of triple-negative breast cancer is pushing to improve treatment by answering questions regarding biomarkers of response, defining the utility of neoadjuvant approaches, and exploring potential combinations with checkpoint inhibitors and PARP inhibitors.

Modern Approaches to Brain Cancer Metastases in Breast Cancer

March 10th 2021

Prognosis and treatment recommendations for patients with breast cancer and brain metastases rely heavily on the tumor subtype; however, evolving evidence demonstrates that receptor expression and subtype grouping may change during the course of the patient’s disease.

Are New Ways to Reduce Positive Margins in Breast Cancer Hope or Hype?

March 10th 2021

There are a number of strategies to reduce margin positivity, particularly after partial mastectomy, but the relative effectiveness of each varies, as do the data that support their use.

Dr. Borgen on Treatment Strategies for Male Breast Cancer

March 9th 2021

Patrick Borgen, MD, discusses treatment strategies for patients with male breast cancer.

Cardio-Oncology Strategies Can Improve Survivorship for Patients With Breast Cancer

March 9th 2021

Treatment strategies for patients with breast cancer, especially the combination of anthracyclines and HER2-targeted therapies, come with an increased risk of heart failure and cardiac toxicity.

Surgical Considerations Emerge for Lymphedema Management

March 9th 2021

Promising techniques in surgical oncology are on the horizon for the treatment of lymphedema, an incurable adverse event that can often arise after certain types of breast cancer treatment.

PARP Inhibitors Remain Key Players in Metastatic Breast Cancer

March 8th 2021

Olaparib and talazoparib failed to demonstrate statistically significant improvements in overall survival compared with chemotherapy in pretreated patients with BRCA1/2-mutant metastatic HER2-negative breast cancer. However, the results are unlikely to affect the drugs’ utility in practice, given that both agents continue to show favorable tolerability and disease control

Margetuximab Approval Augments Emerging Treatment Choices in Breast Cancer

March 8th 2021

Margetuximab represents an effective new therapeutic option that can be combined safely with a chemotherapy drug of choice for patients with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer who have undergone multiple lines of prior treatment.

Defining Value for the Treatment of Brain Metastases in Metastatic HER2-Positive Breast Cancer

March 8th 2021

Experts highlight the risk factors, comorbidities, diagnosis, economic burden, and treatments for brain metastasis in metastatic breast cancer based on data presented at the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

An Autopsy of Breast Cancer Management Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

March 7th 2021

One year into the COVID-19 pandemic has allowed for some reflection on the different evolutions that the oncology community went through in response to the many challenges posed by the virus.

Biomarkers Help Predict the Role of Chemotherapy in Biologic Aging

March 7th 2021

Stimuli for biologic aging include ionizing radiation, ultraviolet light, diet, exercise, oxidative stresses, and perhaps, worst of all, smoking. All of these can trigger intracellular processes, including DNA methylation, or epigenetic change, telomere shortening and damage, DNA damage, and mitochondrial dysfunction.

Genomics, AI, and Demography Will Remake Cancer Care by 2030

March 7th 2021

A wave of approvals and a rapidly evolving treatment landscape could make the next decade a watershed period in breast cancer care.

Addressing Treatment Disparities Among Younger Women with Breast Cancer

March 6th 2021

Even in 2021, disparities in outcomes of younger women with breast cancer vs their older counterparts remain; addressing behavioral issues and psychological concerns in this population could vastly improve their quality of life, treatment adherence, and ultimately, survival.

The Marshall Family Faces Off Against TNBC

March 6th 2021

Off Our Chests: A Candid Tour Through the World of Cancer is a memoir that dives into Liza Marshall’s breast cancer journey.

Neoadjuvant Checkpoint Inhibition Shows Promise in TNBC, But Is Not Ready for Clinical Use

March 6th 2021

Although phase 3 data suggest that the addition of checkpoint inhibitors to neoadjuvant chemotherapy could improve pathologic complete response rates for patients with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer, immature data and the risk of long-term toxicity indicate that the therapy is not ready for primetime

Dr. Kalinsky on the Potential of ADCs Across Breast Cancer Subtypes

March 6th 2021

Kevin Kalinsky, MD, MS, discusses the potential of antibody-drug conjugates across breast cancer subtypes.

Dr. Rugo on the Benefit of Margetuximab Plus Chemotherapy in HER2+ Metastatic Breast Cancer

March 6th 2021

Hope S. Rugo, MD, discusses the benefit of margetuximab-cmkb in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer who have received prior HER2-targeted therapies.

New HER2-Targeting Therapies Jostle for a Place in the Treatment Lineup

March 6th 2021

The introduction of new therapies for patients with recurrent HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer has resulted in a crowded landscape for third-line treatments and beyond, raising questions about how best to sequence a wealth of options.