Dec 13th, 2021 - Stephen RD Johnson, MS, PhD The final session of SABCS is always one of the most popular programs of the week, View from the Trenches: What Will You Do on Monday Morning? The session featured a multidisciplinary panel of experts discussing some of the most important breast cancer results from the meeting and putting the findings into context for day-to-day clinical practice. HR+ Early Breast Ca...

Dec 13th, 2021 - Despite the ongoing challenges of COVID-19 over the past year, researchers in 2021 reported important progress and major discoveries in breast cancer. A panel of experts discussed some of the latest advances in early and advanced breast cancer, basic science, and translational research during the special session Year in Review on Friday, December 10 at SABCS 2021. This and other SABCS sessions ...

Dec 13th, 2021 - Lisa A. Carey, MD, ScM In her plenary lecture on Friday at SABCS 2021, medical oncologist Lisa A. Carey, MD, ScM, discussed Triple Negative Breast Cancer: Pitfalls & Progress, including advancements in treatment options and implications for population health. Dr. Carey is the Richardson and Marilyn Jacobs Preyer Distinguished Professor in Breast Cancer Research at the University of North Caroli...

Dec 13th, 2021 - Mitchell Dowsett, PhD, FMedSci Genetic profiling has been an active area of breast cancer research for more than 20 years. And while genetic profiling has become a useful clinical tool, it remains an inexact science. “That first paper did not describe the subtypes we have become very used to using ― the luminal subtypes, the basal subtype, ErbB2+ subtypes,” said Mitchell Dowsett, PhD, FMedSci, ...

Dec 11th, 2021 - Andrea Barrio, MD Black Women are More Likely to Develop Lymphedema Following Breast Cancer Treatment than White Women Black women experienced higher rates of breast cancer-related lymphedema than white women, and Black race was the strongest predictor of lymphedema development, according to study results presented during Friday’s General Session. “Lymphedema worsens quality of life for breast ...

Dec 11th, 2021 - Fabrice André, MD, PhD Precision medicine is evolving. The pathway toward targeting treatment to each breast cancer patient’s unique tumor is becoming more evident by the year, thanks in large part to Fabrice André, MD, PhD, Director of Research and consultant medical oncologist in breast cancer at Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Villejuif, France, and Professor of Medicine at Université Paris-Sa...

Dec 11th, 2021 - Lori Wilson, MD Building trust in science and healthcare is a prerequisite to improve cancer detection, treatment, and outcomes. Trust depends largely on personal and historical context, and not every breast cancer patient has had positive experiences. “My journey began with 280,000 other women diagnosed with breast cancer, 27,000 of whom are African American women like me,” said Lori Wilson, M...

Dec 10th, 2021 - François-Clément Bidard, MD, PhD Breast Cancer Patients with Estrogen Receptor Mutations May Benefit from Early Switch to Fulvestrant/Palbociclib Among patients with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer treated with an aromatase inhibitor plus palbociclib, those who displayed a rising ESR1 mutation detected in their blood before disease progression doubled their median progression-free survi...

Dec 10th, 2021 - Helen M. Piwnica-Worms, PhD Understanding the multiple pathways involved in regulating the cell cycle and how changes in cell cycle control mechanisms contribute to cancer has been vital to the development of targeted therapies for breast and other cancers. Helen M. Piwnica-Worms, PhD, was instrumental in defining the mechanisms of CDK1 activation and inactivation during the cell cycle. Her wor...

Dec 10th, 2021 - Wendy Woodward, MD, PhD In April 2020, at the height of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 5-year efficacy results of the FAST-Forward trial were published showing that 1 week of whole breast radiotherapy was noninferior to the standard schedule given over 3 weeks for women with early-stage breast cancer after primary surgery. The study compared 40 Gy in 15 fractions over 3 weeks, 27 ...

Dec 9th, 2021 - Aditya Bardia, MD Elacestrant May Improve Outcomes for Patients Whose Metastatic Breast Cancers Progressed on Prior Endocrine Therapy Elacestrant is the first oral selective estrogen receptor degrader to show clinical benefit over standard of care in a phase III clinical trial for this patient population The investigational oral selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) elacestrant significan...

Dec 9th, 2021 - Olufunmilayo I. Olopade, MD, FAACR Breast cancer is not an equal opportunity disease. It can strike anyone, but women of African ancestry are at higher risk wherever they live. “Women of African ancestry tend to have more ER- cancer, be younger, and have higher rates of recurrence,” said Olufunmilayo I. Olopade, MD, FAACR, Walter L. Palmer Distinguished Service Professor at the Center for Clini...

Dec 9th, 2021 - Mirat Shah, MD The Food and Drug Administration approved two new breast cancer indications in 2021, pembrolizumab for high-risk, early-stage triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) in both neoadjuvant and adjuvant use, and adjuvant abemaciclib for hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative early breast cancer (EBC). Both agents had earlier approvals, pembrolizumab for metastatic breast cancer in 202...

Dec 9th, 2021 - Steven Chmura, MD, PhD Evidence continues to emerge suggesting that certain patients with breast cancer with oligometastatic disease may benefit from local ablation of their metastases. However, much of that evidence comes from single-center or single-arm trials, according to Steven Chmura, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Radiation and Cellular Oncology at the University of Chicago. “Many of th...

Dec 9th, 2021 - Matthew Ellis, MB, BChir, BSc, PhD, FRCP Targeting HER2 in breast cancer is one of the biggest successes in oncology, with a plethora of agents currently available for the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer; however, the vexing question remains as to which agent is appropriate for which patient at what time, according to Matthew Ellis, MB, BChir, BSc, PhD, FRCP. “The biggest challenge in ...

Dec 9th, 2021 - Time is running out to visit the SABCS 2021 exhibit hall and explore the latest industry advancements in breast cancer prevention and care. The exhibit hall at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center will hold its final day on Friday, December 10, from 10 am to 5 pm. Attendees can stop by and interact with more than 70 booths across the onsite exhibit floor and the virtual meeting platform. Man...

Dec 9th, 2021 - You won’t want to miss these onsite presentations from industry exhibitors on Friday, December 10, at SABCS 2021. These companies will offer looks at their latest breast cancer treatments, products, and technologies during special events throughout the day. 10:00 am CT Product Theatre — Exhibit Hall, Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center A Treatment Option for Patients With High-Risk Early-Stage ...

Dec 8th, 2021 - Fabrice André, MD, PhD Using Genomics to Match Treatments Improved Outcomes for Certain Patients With Metastatic Breast Cancer The ESMO Scale for Clinical Actionability of molecular Targets (ESCAT) was highly predictive of the benefits of targeted therapies matched to genomic alterations The use of multigene sequencing as a therapeutic decision tool improved the outcomes for patients with metas...

Dec 8th, 2021 - Debra Patt, MD, PhD, MBA, FASCO COVID-19 has impacts far beyond its infectious outcomes. The pandemic has affected the entire cancer community, from screening to utilization of services, trials, supply chain, regulatory oversight, and, above all, patients. COVID-19 brought an 80% sharp drop in breast cancer screening in March 2020 compared to March 2019 and more than a 50% drop in new diagnoses...

Dec 8th, 2021 - Judy E. Garber, MD, MPH In recognition of her trailblazing work in clinical cancer genetics, Judy E. Garber, MD, MPH, received the Susan G. Komen® Brinker Award for Scientific Distinction in Clinical Research on Tuesday at SABCS 2021. In her award lecture, Breast Cancer Genetics Comes of Age, she highlighted some of the most significant historical and emerging advances in the field. The year 19...