Suzanne Fuqua on Biopsying Metastatic Tumors

Suzanne A. W. Fuqua, PhD, professor of medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, says that it is an exciting time for the treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer.

Many women today are consenting to biopsy their metastatic lesions, which is the only way to learn about the mechanisms that evolve during the course of treatment. A metastatic tumor is not the same as a primary tumor, Fuqua says, as it evolves both with and as a function of treatment.

Biopsied lesions allow for the discovery of many new mechanisms of resistance that are targetable. Fuqua says that there are drugs available today that can be combined with hormonal therapies in this space.