SABCS - San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium

In order to improve the efficacy of checkpoint blockade treatments in patients with breast cancer, it is necessary to consider treatment through the lens of the cancer immunity cycle.

Banu Arun, MD, explains why genetic testing is important and its intended uses for treatment in patients with breast cancer during the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

The study results were presented at the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held December 10 through 14.

Despite the fact that menopausal hormone therapy with estrogen plus progestin is frequently used, its influence on breast cancer incidence and mortality has been debated, with discordant findings from prospective observational studies compared with randomized clinical trials.

Peter Schmid, FRCP, MD, PhD, discusses the 5 most common immune-related side effects seen in breast cancer patients. This video was filmed December 12 at the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

Although there is no standard of care therapy following second-line treatment for human epidermal growth receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer, there are a number of options being researched.

By identifying molecular alterations contributing to CDK4/6i resistance, researchers hope to better understand which patients with breast cancer will respond best to the therapy.

Patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) who received an oral formulation of the chemotherapy drug paclitaxel (Taxol) had a better response and survival and elss neuropathy than patients who received intravenous (IV) paclitaxel.

Investigators have established a genomic outline of the CDK4/6i resistance in patients with breast cancer, growing the potential for novel treatments to circumvent that resistance.

Cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors offer the potential to significantly improve outcomes for women with HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer.

The study results also show improved outcomes for patients with brain metastases.

Although CDK4/6 inhibitors prolong progression-free survival for patients with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, the ideal treatment for each patient is currently unclear until adverse effects appear.

The research presented at the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium suggests that the different mechanisms could be exploited to overcome CDK4/6 inhibitor resistance in breast cancer patients.

Researchers say several key questions remain in the treatment of breast cancer: whether CDK4/6i therapy should be continued beyond progression, what the mechanisms of resistance are, and how agents should be selected.

"I think immunotherapy has certainly arrived for breast cancer," said Rita Nanda, MD.

Patricia Spears discusses what clinical trials can offer and when to start discussing them with patients. This video was filmed December 11 at the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

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Specialty Pharmacy Times will be on-site in San Antonio, TX, for the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, taking place December 10 to 14, 2019.