Metastatic Breast Cancer

The immune microenvironment of metastatic breast cancer lesions is relatively inert and depleted versus primary tumors, results of a recent study suggest.

“These results predict that immune therapy may be more successful in early stage breast cancers rather than in metastatic disease,” Lajos Pusztai, MD, and study coinvestigators reported in Annals of Oncology.

However, metastatic breast cancers showed high expression levels of some targetable molecules that may provide a “foundation for rational immunotherapy combination strategies,” wrote Dr. Pusztai, director of breast cancer translational research at Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, Conn., and his coinvestigators.

The investigators looked at tumor PD-L1 protein expression, tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) count, and mRNA expression for 730 immune-related genes in both primary and metastatic cancer samples obtained from pathologists at Yale.

The study included one cohort with full sections of paired metastatic and primary tumors from 45 patients, and a second cohort of tissue microarrays from 55 other patients.

Compared with primary lesions, metastatic lesions had substantially lower levels of PD-L1 expression and TIL counts, the investigators found.

Staining of PD-L1 was primarily seen in stromal immune cells, rather than tumor cells, according to investigators. The median stromal PD-L1 positivity was 14% for metastases and 52% for primary tumors in the first cohort (P = .0004), and 7% for metastases and 22% for primary tumors in the second cohort (P = .03).

They also reported significant decreased TIL counts in metastatic lesions for both the first (P = .026) and second (P = .089) cohorts, the report shows.

Immune gene expression profiling results, similarly, showed that most immune cell types and functions were “depleted” in the metastatic lesions, including a decreased mRNA expression of CTLA4, Dr. Pusztai and his colleagues reported.

The “lesser immunogenicity” of metastatic breast cancer cells was shown by decreased expression of immune proteasome and MHC class I genes, along with increased expression of HLA-E, which has been shown to suppress immunity, and reduced presence of dendritic cells, they said.

However, they also found high expression of targetable molecules in metastatic lesions. Those included macrophage markers such as CD68 and CD163, cytokine ligand/receptor pairs that mediate pro-tumorigenic effects, such as CCL2/CCR2 and CXCR4/CXCL12, and signaling molecules such as STAT-3 and JAK2, among others.

“We suggest that targeting these molecules may lead to synergy with PD1/PD-L1 blockade in metastatic breast cancer,” they wrote.

The work by Dr. Pusztai and his colleagues was supported by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Susan G Komen for the Cure, Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program Awards, and the Rosztoczy Foundation. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

SOURCE: Szekely B, et al. Ann Oncol. 2018 Sep 10. doi: 10.1093/annonc/mdy399.

The immune microenvironment of metastatic breast cancer lesions is relatively inert and depleted versus primary tumors, results of a recent study suggest.

“These results predict that immune therapy may be more successful in early stage breast cancers rather than in metastatic disease,” Lajos Pusztai, MD, and study coinvestigators reported in Annals of Oncology.

However, metastatic breast cancers showed high expression levels of some targetable molecules that may provide a “foundation for rational immunotherapy combination strategies,” wrote Dr. Pusztai, director of breast cancer translational research at Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, Conn., and his coinvestigators.

The investigators looked at tumor PD-L1 protein expression, tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) count, and mRNA expression for 730 immune-related genes in both primary and metastatic cancer samples obtained from pathologists at Yale.

The study included one cohort with full sections of paired metastatic and primary tumors from 45 patients, and a second cohort of tissue microarrays from 55 other patients.

Compared with primary lesions, metastatic lesions had substantially lower levels of PD-L1 expression and TIL counts, the investigators found.

Staining of PD-L1 was primarily seen in stromal immune cells, rather than tumor cells, according to investigators. The median stromal PD-L1 positivity was 14% for metastases and 52% for primary tumors in the first cohort (P = .0004), and 7% for metastases and 22% for primary tumors in the second cohort (P = .03).

They also reported significant decreased TIL counts in metastatic lesions for both the first (P = .026) and second (P = .089) cohorts, the report shows.

Immune gene expression profiling results, similarly, showed that most immune cell types and functions were “depleted” in the metastatic lesions, including a decreased mRNA expression of CTLA4, Dr. Pusztai and his colleagues reported.

The “lesser immunogenicity” of metastatic breast cancer cells was shown by decreased expression of immune proteasome and MHC class I genes, along with increased expression of HLA-E, which has been shown to suppress immunity, and reduced presence of dendritic cells, they said.

However, they also found high expression of targetable molecules in metastatic lesions. Those included macrophage markers such as CD68 and CD163, cytokine ligand/receptor pairs that mediate pro-tumorigenic effects, such as CCL2/CCR2 and CXCR4/CXCL12, and signaling molecules such as STAT-3 and JAK2, among others.

“We suggest that targeting these molecules may lead to synergy with PD1/PD-L1 blockade in metastatic breast cancer,” they wrote.

The work by Dr. Pusztai and his colleagues was supported by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Susan G Komen for the Cure, Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program Awards, and the Rosztoczy Foundation. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

SOURCE: Szekely B, et al. Ann Oncol. 2018 Sep 10. doi: 10.1093/annonc/mdy399.

The immune microenvironment of metastatic breast cancer lesions is relatively inert and depleted versus primary tumors, results of a recent study suggest.

“These results predict that immune therapy may be more successful in early stage breast cancers rather than in metastatic disease,” Lajos Pusztai, MD, and study coinvestigators reported in Annals of Oncology.

However, metastatic breast cancers showed high expression levels of some targetable molecules that may provide a “foundation for rational immunotherapy combination strategies,” wrote Dr. Pusztai, director of breast cancer translational research at Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, Conn., and his coinvestigators.

The investigators looked at tumor PD-L1 protein expression, tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) count, and mRNA expression for 730 immune-related genes in both primary and metastatic cancer samples obtained from pathologists at Yale.

The study included one cohort with full sections of paired metastatic and primary tumors from 45 patients, and a second cohort of tissue microarrays from 55 other patients.

Compared with primary lesions, metastatic lesions had substantially lower levels of PD-L1 expression and TIL counts, the investigators found.

Staining of PD-L1 was primarily seen in stromal immune cells, rather than tumor cells, according to investigators. The median stromal PD-L1 positivity was 14% for metastases and 52% for primary tumors in the first cohort (P = .0004), and 7% for metastases and 22% for primary tumors in the second cohort (P = .03).

They also reported significant decreased TIL counts in metastatic lesions for both the first (P = .026) and second (P = .089) cohorts, the report shows.

Immune gene expression profiling results, similarly, showed that most immune cell types and functions were “depleted” in the metastatic lesions, including a decreased mRNA expression of CTLA4, Dr. Pusztai and his colleagues reported.

The “lesser immunogenicity” of metastatic breast cancer cells was shown by decreased expression of immune proteasome and MHC class I genes, along with increased expression of HLA-E, which has been shown to suppress immunity, and reduced presence of dendritic cells, they said.

However, they also found high expression of targetable molecules in metastatic lesions. Those included macrophage markers such as CD68 and CD163, cytokine ligand/receptor pairs that mediate pro-tumorigenic effects, such as CCL2/CCR2 and CXCR4/CXCL12, and signaling molecules such as STAT-3 and JAK2, among others.

“We suggest that targeting these molecules may lead to synergy with PD1/PD-L1 blockade in metastatic breast cancer,” they wrote.

The work by Dr. Pusztai and his colleagues was supported by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Susan G Komen for the Cure, Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program Awards, and the Rosztoczy Foundation. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

SOURCE: Szekely B, et al. Ann Oncol. 2018 Sep 10. doi: 10.1093/annonc/mdy399.

CHICAGO – A circulating tumor cell (CTC) count less than 5 per 7.5 mL of blood in patients with metastatic breast cancer indicates an indolent disease subset, according to a pooled analysis of individual patient data from two large cohorts.

The findings, which were independent of molecular subtype, disease location, or line of treatment, have important implications for CTC-based staging of metastatic breast cancer (MBC), which in turn could guide treatment decision making and drug development, Andrew A. Davis, MD, of Northwestern University, Chicago, and his colleagues reported in a poster at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

In 1,944 patients from the European Pooled Analysis Consortium (EPAC) and 492 from MD Anderson Cancer Center, CTC counts of 5 per 7.5mL or greater were associated with worse outcomes overall (hazard ratio, 2.43), the investigators said.

Median overall survival (OS) among all patients with CTC counts less than 5, who were considered to have stage IV indolent disease (stage IV_indolent), was 36.3 months, and OS among those with de novo disease and CDC counts less than 5 was greater than 5.5 years, they said, noting that the survival benefit persisted across all disease subtypes.

For example, median OS in patients with stage IV_indolent vs. stage IV_aggressive (those with CTC counts of 5 or greater ) was 44.0 vs. 17.3 months in patients with hormone receptor–positive disease, 23.8 vs. 9.0 months in triple negative breast cancer patients, and 36.7 vs. 20.4 months in patients with HER2+ disease, respectively, they explained.They also noted that stage IV_indolent disease could discriminate a less aggressive cohort both for patients with and without prior treatment; the hazard ratios were 0.40 and 0.42 favoring indolent disease for both first-line treatment and treatment beyond the first line, respectively.

In early-stage breast cancer, diagnostic tools have been incorporated into practice to help identify patients who will benefit from conservative vs. aggressive therapy, and the current findings suggest that CTC counts could be used in that manner for staging MBC.

“We propose a CTC-based staging system for MBC based on indolent and aggressive disease to incorporate into the American Joint Committee on Cancer [tumor node metastasis] staging classification,” they wrote, adding that prospective studies of single-agent, cost-effective treatments for stage IVindolent disease in the first-line setting are needed.

This study was supported by the Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Research OncoSET Program at Robert H. Lurie Cancer Center. Dr. Davis reported having no disclosures.

SOURCE: Davis A et al., ASCO 2018 Poster 1019.

CHICAGO – A circulating tumor cell (CTC) count less than 5 per 7.5 mL of blood in patients with metastatic breast cancer indicates an indolent disease subset, according to a pooled analysis of individual patient data from two large cohorts.

The findings, which were independent of molecular subtype, disease location, or line of treatment, have important implications for CTC-based staging of metastatic breast cancer (MBC), which in turn could guide treatment decision making and drug development, Andrew A. Davis, MD, of Northwestern University, Chicago, and his colleagues reported in a poster at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

In 1,944 patients from the European Pooled Analysis Consortium (EPAC) and 492 from MD Anderson Cancer Center, CTC counts of 5 per 7.5mL or greater were associated with worse outcomes overall (hazard ratio, 2.43), the investigators said.

Median overall survival (OS) among all patients with CTC counts less than 5, who were considered to have stage IV indolent disease (stage IV_indolent), was 36.3 months, and OS among those with de novo disease and CDC counts less than 5 was greater than 5.5 years, they said, noting that the survival benefit persisted across all disease subtypes.

For example, median OS in patients with stage IV_indolent vs. stage IV_aggressive (those with CTC counts of 5 or greater ) was 44.0 vs. 17.3 months in patients with hormone receptor–positive disease, 23.8 vs. 9.0 months in triple negative breast cancer patients, and 36.7 vs. 20.4 months in patients with HER2+ disease, respectively, they explained.They also noted that stage IV_indolent disease could discriminate a less aggressive cohort both for patients with and without prior treatment; the hazard ratios were 0.40 and 0.42 favoring indolent disease for both first-line treatment and treatment beyond the first line, respectively.

In early-stage breast cancer, diagnostic tools have been incorporated into practice to help identify patients who will benefit from conservative vs. aggressive therapy, and the current findings suggest that CTC counts could be used in that manner for staging MBC.

“We propose a CTC-based staging system for MBC based on indolent and aggressive disease to incorporate into the American Joint Committee on Cancer [tumor node metastasis] staging classification,” they wrote, adding that prospective studies of single-agent, cost-effective treatments for stage IVindolent disease in the first-line setting are needed.

This study was supported by the Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Research OncoSET Program at Robert H. Lurie Cancer Center. Dr. Davis reported having no disclosures.

SOURCE: Davis A et al., ASCO 2018 Poster 1019.

CHICAGO – A circulating tumor cell (CTC) count less than 5 per 7.5 mL of blood in patients with metastatic breast cancer indicates an indolent disease subset, according to a pooled analysis of individual patient data from two large cohorts.

The findings, which were independent of molecular subtype, disease location, or line of treatment, have important implications for CTC-based staging of metastatic breast cancer (MBC), which in turn could guide treatment decision making and drug development, Andrew A. Davis, MD, of Northwestern University, Chicago, and his colleagues reported in a poster at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

In 1,944 patients from the European Pooled Analysis Consortium (EPAC) and 492 from MD Anderson Cancer Center, CTC counts of 5 per 7.5mL or greater were associated with worse outcomes overall (hazard ratio, 2.43), the investigators said.

Median overall survival (OS) among all patients with CTC counts less than 5, who were considered to have stage IV indolent disease (stage IV_indolent), was 36.3 months, and OS among those with de novo disease and CDC counts less than 5 was greater than 5.5 years, they said, noting that the survival benefit persisted across all disease subtypes.

For example, median OS in patients with stage IV_indolent vs. stage IV_aggressive (those with CTC counts of 5 or greater ) was 44.0 vs. 17.3 months in patients with hormone receptor–positive disease, 23.8 vs. 9.0 months in triple negative breast cancer patients, and 36.7 vs. 20.4 months in patients with HER2+ disease, respectively, they explained.They also noted that stage IV_indolent disease could discriminate a less aggressive cohort both for patients with and without prior treatment; the hazard ratios were 0.40 and 0.42 favoring indolent disease for both first-line treatment and treatment beyond the first line, respectively.

In early-stage breast cancer, diagnostic tools have been incorporated into practice to help identify patients who will benefit from conservative vs. aggressive therapy, and the current findings suggest that CTC counts could be used in that manner for staging MBC.

“We propose a CTC-based staging system for MBC based on indolent and aggressive disease to incorporate into the American Joint Committee on Cancer [tumor node metastasis] staging classification,” they wrote, adding that prospective studies of single-agent, cost-effective treatments for stage IVindolent disease in the first-line setting are needed.

This study was supported by the Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Research OncoSET Program at Robert H. Lurie Cancer Center. Dr. Davis reported having no disclosures.

SOURCE: Davis A et al., ASCO 2018 Poster 1019.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved ribociclib (Kisqali) in combination with an aromatase inhibitor (AI) for the treatment of pre/perimenopausal or postmenopausal women with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)–negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer, as initial endocrine-based therapy.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved ribociclib (Kisqali) in combination with an aromatase inhibitor (AI) for the treatment of pre/perimenopausal or postmenopausal women with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)–negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer, as initial endocrine-based therapy.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved ribociclib (Kisqali) in combination with an aromatase inhibitor (AI) for the treatment of pre/perimenopausal or postmenopausal women with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)–negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer, as initial endocrine-based therapy.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved abemaciclib (Verzenio) to be given in combination with fulvestrant, to treat patients who have hormone receptor (HR)–positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)–negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer that has progressed after taking endocrine therapy.

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The Food and Drug Administration has approved abemaciclib (Verzenio) to be given in combination with fulvestrant, to treat patients who have hormone receptor (HR)–positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)–negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer that has progressed after taking endocrine therapy.

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The Food and Drug Administration has approved abemaciclib (Verzenio) to be given in combination with fulvestrant, to treat patients who have hormone receptor (HR)–positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)–negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer that has progressed after taking endocrine therapy.

[email protected]

Discordance in HER2 status between the primary breast tumor and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in women with HER2-negative metastatic disease was 18.8% in a prospective cohort of patients.

The probability of discordance decreased with increasing age but increased with primary tumors that were hormone-receptor positive, higher grade, and of lobular histology, Amelie De Gregorio, MD, and associates reported in JCO Precision Oncology.

The investigators evaluated the HER2 status of CTCs obtained from women with HER2-negative breast cancer screened in the ongoing German DETECT III trial, which is aimed at determining the efficacy of lapatinib in patients with initially HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer but HER2-positive CTCs. HER2 discordance was defined as the presence of a single CTC or more within 7.5 mL of peripheral blood that showed a strong immunohistochemical (IHC) staining intensity (IHC score 3+).

Out of 1,123 women screened, at least one CTC was detected in blood samples from 711 women (63.3%; 95% confidence interval, 60.4%-66.1%). The median number of CTCs detected was seven (interquartile range, 2-30; range, 1-35,078 CTCs), and discordance in HER2 phenotype between primary tumor and CTCs was found in 134 patients (18.8%), Dr. De Gregorio of University Hospital Ulm (Germany) and associates reported (JCO Precis Oncol. 2017 Sep 28. doi: 10.1200/PO.17.00023).

In a multivariable analysis, histologic type (lobular vs. ductal; odds ratio, 2.67; P less than .001), hormone receptor status (positive vs. negative; OR, 2.84; P = .024), and CTC number (greater than 5 vs. 1-4 CTCs; OR, 7.64; P less than .001) significantly and independently predicted discordance in HER2 phenotype between primary tumor and CTCs. There was also a significant effect of age, with the probability of discordance decreasing with increasing age, the investigators noted.

“The knowledge of factors associated with discordance in HER2 status may be incorporated into today’s clinical practice by guiding the decision process for performing biopsy to characterize metastatic relapse,” the investigators wrote.

“Moreover, the concept of liquid biopsy using CTCs as a real-time noninvasive monitoring tool to evaluate tumor biology, progression, and heterogeneity as a basis for more personalized treatment decisions should be tested in prospective randomized clinical trials,” they added.

The DETECT study program is supported by the Investigator-Initiated Study Program of Janssen Diagnostics, with clinical trials also supported by Pierre Fabre Pharma, TEVA Pharmaceuticals Industries, Amgen, Novartis Pharma, and Eisai. Dr. De Gregorio disclosed an advisory role with Roche Pharma AG; several coauthors disclosed consultancy and funding from various pharmaceutical companies.

[email protected]

On Twitter @nikolaideslaura

Discordance in HER2 status between the primary breast tumor and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in women with HER2-negative metastatic disease was 18.8% in a prospective cohort of patients.

The probability of discordance decreased with increasing age but increased with primary tumors that were hormone-receptor positive, higher grade, and of lobular histology, Amelie De Gregorio, MD, and associates reported in JCO Precision Oncology.

The investigators evaluated the HER2 status of CTCs obtained from women with HER2-negative breast cancer screened in the ongoing German DETECT III trial, which is aimed at determining the efficacy of lapatinib in patients with initially HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer but HER2-positive CTCs. HER2 discordance was defined as the presence of a single CTC or more within 7.5 mL of peripheral blood that showed a strong immunohistochemical (IHC) staining intensity (IHC score 3+).

Out of 1,123 women screened, at least one CTC was detected in blood samples from 711 women (63.3%; 95% confidence interval, 60.4%-66.1%). The median number of CTCs detected was seven (interquartile range, 2-30; range, 1-35,078 CTCs), and discordance in HER2 phenotype between primary tumor and CTCs was found in 134 patients (18.8%), Dr. De Gregorio of University Hospital Ulm (Germany) and associates reported (JCO Precis Oncol. 2017 Sep 28. doi: 10.1200/PO.17.00023).

In a multivariable analysis, histologic type (lobular vs. ductal; odds ratio, 2.67; P less than .001), hormone receptor status (positive vs. negative; OR, 2.84; P = .024), and CTC number (greater than 5 vs. 1-4 CTCs; OR, 7.64; P less than .001) significantly and independently predicted discordance in HER2 phenotype between primary tumor and CTCs. There was also a significant effect of age, with the probability of discordance decreasing with increasing age, the investigators noted.

“The knowledge of factors associated with discordance in HER2 status may be incorporated into today’s clinical practice by guiding the decision process for performing biopsy to characterize metastatic relapse,” the investigators wrote.

“Moreover, the concept of liquid biopsy using CTCs as a real-time noninvasive monitoring tool to evaluate tumor biology, progression, and heterogeneity as a basis for more personalized treatment decisions should be tested in prospective randomized clinical trials,” they added.

The DETECT study program is supported by the Investigator-Initiated Study Program of Janssen Diagnostics, with clinical trials also supported by Pierre Fabre Pharma, TEVA Pharmaceuticals Industries, Amgen, Novartis Pharma, and Eisai. Dr. De Gregorio disclosed an advisory role with Roche Pharma AG; several coauthors disclosed consultancy and funding from various pharmaceutical companies.

[email protected]

On Twitter @nikolaideslaura

Discordance in HER2 status between the primary breast tumor and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in women with HER2-negative metastatic disease was 18.8% in a prospective cohort of patients.

The probability of discordance decreased with increasing age but increased with primary tumors that were hormone-receptor positive, higher grade, and of lobular histology, Amelie De Gregorio, MD, and associates reported in JCO Precision Oncology.

The investigators evaluated the HER2 status of CTCs obtained from women with HER2-negative breast cancer screened in the ongoing German DETECT III trial, which is aimed at determining the efficacy of lapatinib in patients with initially HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer but HER2-positive CTCs. HER2 discordance was defined as the presence of a single CTC or more within 7.5 mL of peripheral blood that showed a strong immunohistochemical (IHC) staining intensity (IHC score 3+).

Out of 1,123 women screened, at least one CTC was detected in blood samples from 711 women (63.3%; 95% confidence interval, 60.4%-66.1%). The median number of CTCs detected was seven (interquartile range, 2-30; range, 1-35,078 CTCs), and discordance in HER2 phenotype between primary tumor and CTCs was found in 134 patients (18.8%), Dr. De Gregorio of University Hospital Ulm (Germany) and associates reported (JCO Precis Oncol. 2017 Sep 28. doi: 10.1200/PO.17.00023).

In a multivariable analysis, histologic type (lobular vs. ductal; odds ratio, 2.67; P less than .001), hormone receptor status (positive vs. negative; OR, 2.84; P = .024), and CTC number (greater than 5 vs. 1-4 CTCs; OR, 7.64; P less than .001) significantly and independently predicted discordance in HER2 phenotype between primary tumor and CTCs. There was also a significant effect of age, with the probability of discordance decreasing with increasing age, the investigators noted.

“The knowledge of factors associated with discordance in HER2 status may be incorporated into today’s clinical practice by guiding the decision process for performing biopsy to characterize metastatic relapse,” the investigators wrote.

“Moreover, the concept of liquid biopsy using CTCs as a real-time noninvasive monitoring tool to evaluate tumor biology, progression, and heterogeneity as a basis for more personalized treatment decisions should be tested in prospective randomized clinical trials,” they added.

The DETECT study program is supported by the Investigator-Initiated Study Program of Janssen Diagnostics, with clinical trials also supported by Pierre Fabre Pharma, TEVA Pharmaceuticals Industries, Amgen, Novartis Pharma, and Eisai. Dr. De Gregorio disclosed an advisory role with Roche Pharma AG; several coauthors disclosed consultancy and funding from various pharmaceutical companies.

[email protected]

On Twitter @nikolaideslaura

CHICAGO – William J. Gradishar, MD, outlines key research on breast cancer treatment presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

In a video interview, Dr. Gradishar, the Betsy Bramsen Professor of Breast Oncology at Northwestern University, Chicago, discusses the take-home messages on pertuzumab for HER2+ breast cancer, PARP inhibitors for BRCA-mutated breast cancer, and CDK4/6 inhibitors for ER+ breast cancers.

In another video interview, Katherine O’Brien of the Metastatic Breast Cancer Network provides the patient advocate view on this years’ meeting.

[email protected]

On Twitter @NikolaidesLaura

CHICAGO – William J. Gradishar, MD, outlines key research on breast cancer treatment presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

In a video interview, Dr. Gradishar, the Betsy Bramsen Professor of Breast Oncology at Northwestern University, Chicago, discusses the take-home messages on pertuzumab for HER2+ breast cancer, PARP inhibitors for BRCA-mutated breast cancer, and CDK4/6 inhibitors for ER+ breast cancers.

In another video interview, Katherine O’Brien of the Metastatic Breast Cancer Network provides the patient advocate view on this years’ meeting.

[email protected]

On Twitter @NikolaidesLaura

CHICAGO – William J. Gradishar, MD, outlines key research on breast cancer treatment presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

In a video interview, Dr. Gradishar, the Betsy Bramsen Professor of Breast Oncology at Northwestern University, Chicago, discusses the take-home messages on pertuzumab for HER2+ breast cancer, PARP inhibitors for BRCA-mutated breast cancer, and CDK4/6 inhibitors for ER+ breast cancers.

In another video interview, Katherine O’Brien of the Metastatic Breast Cancer Network provides the patient advocate view on this years’ meeting.

[email protected]

On Twitter @NikolaidesLaura

CHICAGO – After Shirley A. Mertz, JD, was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, she was surprised to learn the government wasn’t counting people like her in data gathered on the disease. Only a minority of women with the disease – those diagnosed de novo – are included in Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) data, she said in a video interview at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

A recently published report by a National Cancer Institute mathematician and her associates estimates that about 155,000 women are living with metastatic breast cancer and that three-quarters of those women were initially diagnosed with lower-stage disease that progressed to stage IV. Ms. Mertz, president of the Metastatic Breast Cancer Network, says the estimate is a good start, but it’s important to go further and include those diagnosed with a metastatic recurrence in SEER data to get an accurate view.

“If we are not counted, then it appears we don’t matter, and how can we know if we are doing better if we don’t know how many of us are out there,” she said.

[email protected]

On Twitter @NikolaidesLaura

CHICAGO – After Shirley A. Mertz, JD, was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, she was surprised to learn the government wasn’t counting people like her in data gathered on the disease. Only a minority of women with the disease – those diagnosed de novo – are included in Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) data, she said in a video interview at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

A recently published report by a National Cancer Institute mathematician and her associates estimates that about 155,000 women are living with metastatic breast cancer and that three-quarters of those women were initially diagnosed with lower-stage disease that progressed to stage IV. Ms. Mertz, president of the Metastatic Breast Cancer Network, says the estimate is a good start, but it’s important to go further and include those diagnosed with a metastatic recurrence in SEER data to get an accurate view.

“If we are not counted, then it appears we don’t matter, and how can we know if we are doing better if we don’t know how many of us are out there,” she said.

[email protected]

On Twitter @NikolaidesLaura

CHICAGO – After Shirley A. Mertz, JD, was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, she was surprised to learn the government wasn’t counting people like her in data gathered on the disease. Only a minority of women with the disease – those diagnosed de novo – are included in Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) data, she said in a video interview at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

A recently published report by a National Cancer Institute mathematician and her associates estimates that about 155,000 women are living with metastatic breast cancer and that three-quarters of those women were initially diagnosed with lower-stage disease that progressed to stage IV. Ms. Mertz, president of the Metastatic Breast Cancer Network, says the estimate is a good start, but it’s important to go further and include those diagnosed with a metastatic recurrence in SEER data to get an accurate view.

“If we are not counted, then it appears we don’t matter, and how can we know if we are doing better if we don’t know how many of us are out there,” she said.

[email protected]

On Twitter @NikolaidesLaura

CHICAGO – Metastatic Trial Search was launched in 2015 by ClinicalTrials.org to make it easier for patients with metastatic breast cancer to consider clinical trials as a routine option as they are making treatment decisions with their physicians.

In a video interview, Shirley A. Mertz, JD, president of the Metastatic Breast Cancer Network, describes the tool, the mixed response from physicians, the barriers to trial participation still faced by patients, and the tweaked version 2.0 of the search tool, expected to launch by the end of this year.

[email protected]

On Twitter @nikolaideslaura

CHICAGO – Metastatic Trial Search was launched in 2015 by ClinicalTrials.org to make it easier for patients with metastatic breast cancer to consider clinical trials as a routine option as they are making treatment decisions with their physicians.

In a video interview, Shirley A. Mertz, JD, president of the Metastatic Breast Cancer Network, describes the tool, the mixed response from physicians, the barriers to trial participation still faced by patients, and the tweaked version 2.0 of the search tool, expected to launch by the end of this year.

[email protected]

On Twitter @nikolaideslaura

CHICAGO – Metastatic Trial Search was launched in 2015 by ClinicalTrials.org to make it easier for patients with metastatic breast cancer to consider clinical trials as a routine option as they are making treatment decisions with their physicians.

In a video interview, Shirley A. Mertz, JD, president of the Metastatic Breast Cancer Network, describes the tool, the mixed response from physicians, the barriers to trial participation still faced by patients, and the tweaked version 2.0 of the search tool, expected to launch by the end of this year.

[email protected]

On Twitter @nikolaideslaura