San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS)

Surgical removal of primary breast cancer tumors had no benefit on overall survival in women who presented with metastatic breast cancer, according to the results of a study presented at SABCS.

Patients with HER2-positive breast cancer who achieved pathologic complete response had significantly improved event-free survival and overall survival over patients that did not, according to the trial results presented at SABCS.

Triple-negative breast cancer patients with primary invasive cancer did not benefit from adjuvant combination chemotherapy plus bevacizumab compared to chemotherapy alone.

Combining histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors with PARP inhibitors or cisplatin has the potential to be an effective treatment for triple-negative breast cancer, according to preclinical research presented this week at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

A small study analyzing neurocognitive function in women undergoing chemotherapy to treat their breast cancer shows that some of the common cognitive issues experienced by breast cancer patients tend to occur not only post-chemotherapy, but also prior to chemotherapy treatment.

Combining an investigational agent called PD 0332991 with letrozole improved progression-free survival over letrozole alone in women with advanced estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, according to a study presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium this week.

A large cohort study found that black women with early-stage invasive breast cancer were significantly less likely than white patients to undergo the less invasive axillary sentinel lymph node biopsy. Black women also had a higher rate of lymphedema, due largely to that difference in treatment modalities.

Increasing the dose of fulvestrant from 250 mg to 500 mg yielded a longer median overall survival as well as a lower overall risk of death in women with locally advanced or metastatic estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, according to results from the CONFIRM trial.

Breast cancer patients 35 years and younger, even those with luminal-like disease, derive more benefit from neoadjuvant chemotherapy than do older patients, according to a German study presented at SABCS.

Patients who took tamoxifen as adjuvant therapy for ER-positive breast cancer for 10 years had both a reduced risk of recurrence and better overall survival compared to patients who stopped after 5 years, according to results of the ATLAS study presented at SABCS.

To kick off SABCS 2012, we discuss the use of molecular testing for the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer patients in the clinical setting with Dr. Antonio Wolff of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University, one of the presenter's during the "Practical Use of Molecular Profiling" session at this year's symposium.

Bevacizumab (Avastin) improved progression-free survival (PFS) in women with HER2-positive locally recurrent or metastatic breast cancer by an average of 3 months when added to standard treatment as first-line therapy in the multinational, randomized, phase III AVEREL study.

Results of 4 trials involving bisphosphonates in a range of protocols and patient cohorts suggest that the role of these agents in preventing recurrence of breast cancer remains to be defined. In 2 of the 4 studies reported, favorable outcomes were obtained following intravenous administration of zoledronic acid. Neither of two trials in which a bisphosphonate was administered orally, however, achieved its primary endpoint.

Although some preventive steps can now be taken by women to reduce environmental factors that contribute to breast cancer risk, much more research is needed to clarify the role of recognized and suspected environmental factors, according to a new report issued by the Institute of Medicine.

Updated findings from the pivotal phase III Breast Cancer Trials of Oral Everolimus (BOLERO-2) study confirm dramatic improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) in women with metastatic breast cancer when the immunosuppressant agent is combined with the hormonal therapy exemestane.

Addition of pertuzumab to a standard chemotherapy combination of trastuzumab and docetaxel led to a 38% reduction in risk of disease worsening or death in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, reported investigators from the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III CLEOPATRA study.

At this year’s San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, new data results from four different clinical trials of bisphosphonate usage in patients with breast cancer will be presented and discussed.

The San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium brings together basic science researchers and clinicians for the latest breast cancer research-related progress. The symposium has evolved from a 1-day local conference to a 5-day international meeting focusing on clinical, preventive, diagnostic, translational, and basic research.

Cancer Network interviews Kent Osborne, who is the moderator of the year in review session. He has been involved with the meeting since its beginning. The international San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium is unique as it facilitates the interaction of both basic and science researchers and clinicians to combine the efforts of laboratory research and clinical research for better treatment and patient care.

Ten-year follow-up results from the BCIRG 001 trial make a case for TAC therapy over FAC. In another study, researchers suggested a link between aromatase inhibitor therapy and breast density.

Jose Baselga, MD, PhD, and Michael Untch, MD, shared results from the NeoALLTO and GeparQuinto trials, respectively. NeoALLTO is a phase III, randomized, open-label, neoadjuvant study of lapatinib (Tykerb), trastuzumab (Herceptin), and their combination plus paclitaxel in women with HER2-positive primary breast cancer. GeparQuinto (GBG 44) is evaluating lapatinib vs trastuzumab in combination with neoadjuvant anthracycline- and taxane-based chemotherapy.

Results from an observational study strongly indicated that circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are an independent prognostic marker in metastatic breast cancer at first-line chemotherapy, and an early predictive marker of clinical benefit after one cycle of chemotherapy. But questions remain about the value of CTCs for guiding treatment decision-making.

The SUCCESS adjuvant therapy trial enrolled 2,026 women with primary breast cancer and no clinical evidence of metastatic disease. Disease-free survival at three years was 88.1% in women with one or more circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in their peripheral blood before undergoing chemotherapy compared with 93.7% in women with no CTCs.

Researchers from the ATAC and BIG 1-98 trials reported that CYP2D6 testing is not ready for prime time for gauging response to tamoxifen. While of the leading researchers in the field of CYP2D6 genotyping posed some key questions that need to be answered before CYP2D6 can be officially ruled out, or embraced, in clinical practice, these study results strongly suggest that CYPD2D6 testing should not be part of the standard of care, said Claudine Isaacs, MD.

As the FDA considers whether to rescind approval for bevacizumab (Avastin) in the adjuvant setting, “disappointing” results from the GeparQuinto study indicate the agent may be best reserved for patients with triple-negative disease.

Results from the GINECO group study demonstrate Afinitor’s ability to buy more time for patients while Xgeva makes everyday life less painful.

Exemestane provides a new option for upfront, five-year endocrine therapy in postmenopausal women, based on results of the first definitive early breast cancer trial to compare nonsteroidal and steroidal therapy.

Although there was no benefit for Zoledronic acid overall, the researchers reported significantly improved disease-free survival and overall survival in women who were more than five years postmenopause. Adjuvant bisphosphonate efficacy may be dependent on low estrogen concentration within the bone microenvironment, according to Robert Coleman, MD.

An analysis of multiple ECOG trials found that obese women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer experience worse outcomes. But an exploratory analysis of the international TEAM trial indicated that obesity does not exert a negative influence on the efficacy of adjuvant endocrine therapy.

C. Kent Osborne, MD, codirector of SABCS 2010, spoke with Oncology NEWS International about what to watch for at this year’s meeting. Dr. Osborne highlights key studies in adjuvant therapy and aromatase inhibitor therapy and discusses some of the future challenges that the breast cancer community faces.