The Impact of COVID-19 on Breast Surgery Fellowships
AbstractPurpose of ReviewAcross the world, medical training has been affected by the COVID-19 virus and this has changed the way physicians are educated. What is less clear is the effect of the pandemic on breast surgical oncology fellows who were in training during this time. This review discusses the experience of breast surgical oncology fellows during the pandemic and how fellowships adapted to preserve the educational experience and conserve the quality of training.Recent FindingsThe challenges and changes experienced by breast surgery fellows during the COVID-19 pandemic have proved to be sudden shifts in not only fe...
Source: Current Breast Cancer Reports - October 22, 2021 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research
Breast Cancer Disparities Through the Lens of the COVID-19 Pandemic
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThe emergency medicine and critical care needs of the COVID-19 pandemic forced a sudden and dramatic disruption of cancer screening and treatment programs in the USA during the winter and spring of 2020. This review commentary addresses the impact of the pandemic on racial/ethnic minorities such as African Americans and Hispanic-Latina Americans, with a focus on factors related to breast cancer.Recent FindingsAfrican Americans and Hispanic-Latina Americans experienced disproportionately higher morbidity and mortality from COVID-19; many of the same socioeconomic and tumor biology/genetic factors th...
Source: Current Breast Cancer Reports - August 6, 2021 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research
Surgical Risk Reduction, Breast Cancer and Childbearing
AbstractPurpose of ReviewYoung women who carry a genetic predisposition to breast cancer need to balance surgical and nonsurgical risk reducing options with childbearing. In this review, we explore how women make decisions without the benefit of official guidelines and in the context of frequently contradictory strategies.Recent FindingsWomen of reproductive age with known BRCA mutations receive incomplete and conflicting advice regarding the urgency and timing of risk reducing mastectomy (RRM). Those who prioritize RRM achieve highly effective prevention and thereby avoid not only a diagnosis of breast cancer but also adj...
Source: Current Breast Cancer Reports - July 27, 2021 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research
Oncologic Anthropology: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Understanding the Association Between Genetically Defined African Ancestry and Susceptibility for Triple Negative Breast Cancer
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThis review aims to present contemporary research regarding the association between genetic/germline African ancestry and risk of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC).Recent FindingsTNBC is more common in African American compared to White American women and contributes to breast cancer outcome disparities. Variation in the frequency of TNBC across different regions of Africa suggests that population migration (the African diaspora) and the genetics of African ancestry contribute to this epidemiology. Our group has coined the nomenclature “oncologic anthropology” to describe the study of these ...
Source: Current Breast Cancer Reports - July 18, 2021 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research
Correction to: Updates in Genetic Testing Guidelines for Breast Cancer Susceptibility Genes: a Change in the Paradigm
A Correction to this paper has been published:https://doi.org/10.1007/s12609-021-00425-z (Source: Current Breast Cancer Reports)
Source: Current Breast Cancer Reports - July 17, 2021 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research
The Role of Screening Mammography in Addressing Disparities in Breast Cancer Diagnosis, Treatment, and Outcomes
This report summarizes the history of screening mammography and its potential value in addressing breast cancer disparities by improving early detection of disease in minority women, particularly African Americans.Recent FindingsThe landmark screening mammography trials provide no substantive data regarding the efficacy of mammography in African American women. Contemporary studies are inconsistent with regard to patterns of mammography utilization in African American compared to White American women, but it appears that screening is underutilized in all adult American women. Recent data suggest that mammography may be par...
Source: Current Breast Cancer Reports - July 13, 2021 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research
Clinical Trials and Breast Cancer Disparities
AbstractPurpose of ReviewData generated from well-designed clinical trials represent a powerful strategy for advancing cancer care. African Americans carry a disproportionately high breast cancer mortality burden and have been under-represented in clinical trial research. This review summarizes accrual patterns for clinical trials studying prevention, medical oncology, surgical oncology and radiation oncology in breast cancer.Recent FindingsStrengthening the diversity of breast cancer clinical trial participants can improve understanding of the multifactorial etiology of breast cancer disparities. Strategies to achieve thi...
Source: Current Breast Cancer Reports - June 30, 2021 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research
Automated Breast Ultrasound: Technical Aspects, Impact on Breast Screening, and Future Perspectives
AbstractPurpose of ReviewAutomated breast ultrasound (ABUS) is a three-dimensional imaging technique, used as a supplemental screening tool in women with dense breasts. This review considers the technical aspects, pitfalls, and the use of ABUS in screening and clinical practice, together with new developments and future perspectives.Recent FindingsABUS has been approved in the USA and Europe as a screening tool for asymptomatic women with dense breasts in addition to mammography. Supplemental US screening has high sensitivity for cancer detection, especially early-stage invasive cancers, and reduces the frequency of interv...
Source: Current Breast Cancer Reports - June 23, 2021 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research
De-escalation of Systemic Therapy for Early-Stage, Node-Negative Her2+ and Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThis review summarizes the most recent data on the management of small, node-negative Her2+ and triple-negative breast cancer.Recent FindingsBoth Her2+ and triple-negative breast cancers are characterized by high rates of recurrence and worse survival outcomes compared to hormone-positive cancers. De-escalation of systemic therapy in early-stage breast cancer is a recent national trend in clinical research. Recent prospective trials support the scaling back of cytotoxic agents and maximization of targeted therapy regimens. Similarly, large retrospective studies on small, node-negative triple-negati...
Source: Current Breast Cancer Reports - June 14, 2021 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research
Trials of Immunotherapy in Triple Negative Breast Cancer
AbstractPurpose of ReviewTriple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype with frequent chemotherapy resistance. In recent years, advances in immunotherapy have yielded promising new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of TNBC; studies evaluating immune check point inhibitors (ICIs) in combination with chemotherapy have shown encouraging results in both early and advanced stages of disease.Recent FindingsAtezolizumab plus nab-paclitaxel resulted in improved progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) compared to nab-paclitaxel alone in patients with programmed death-ligand 1-positive (PD-L1+...
Source: Current Breast Cancer Reports - June 13, 2021 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research
Fertility Preservation and Breast Cancer
AbstractPurpose of ReviewBreast cancer in young women presents many special challenges in both the treatment and survivorship settings. Considering premenopausal state at diagnosis and the trend to delay motherhood, many young women have questions about options to preserve fertility. The goal of this review is to provide background on how treatment of young women with breast cancer can affect fertility and to describe available fertility preservation techniques as well as the role of healthcare providers in addressing these issues.Recent FindingsCancer therapies have various gonadal toxicity risks that should be discussed ...
Source: Current Breast Cancer Reports - June 3, 2021 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research
The Impact of COVID-19 on National Clinical Trials Network Breast Cancer Trials
AbstractPurpose of reviewThe COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on virtually all aspects of the healthcare system, including oncology clinical trials. The purpose of this review is to describe the impact of the pandemic on national breast cancer clinical trials.Recent findingsOf the 61 breast cancer –specific cooperative group breast cancer clinical trials open to accrual during the pandemic, 32% of them received supplementary tailored guidance regarding current and foreseeable challenges for clinical sites and investigators due to COVID-19. Many clinical trial sites reported decreases in enr ollment and accr...
Source: Current Breast Cancer Reports - May 12, 2021 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research
Moving Towards Targeted Therapies for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
AbstractPurpose of ReviewIn this review, we discuss targets of interest in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), approved targeted agents, and the results of the clinical trials that led to their approval. Additionally, we review ongoing clinical trials evaluating the use of novel targeted agents in the treatment of TNBC.Recent FindingsTNBC accounts for 15 –20% of all breast cancer cases and is associated with worse clinical outcomes. Patients have a higher risk of metastatic recurrence and inferior overall survival compared to other breast cancer subtypes. Cytotoxic chemotherapy has historically been the mainstay of tre...
Source: Current Breast Cancer Reports - May 4, 2021 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research
Intraoperative Radiation Therapy for Breast Cancer
AbstractPurpose of ReviewAdjuvant radiation represents a standard approach following breast conserving surgery. While traditionally delivered as whole breast irradiation (WBI), an alternative has emerged with the development of partial breast irradiation techniques. One such technique is intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT). The purpose of this review is to discuss the studies evaluating IORT as well as evaluating current guidelines and future directions.Recent FindingsReview of two randomized trials (TARGIT-A and ELIOT) demonstrates that breast cancer patients treated with IORT had a higher risk of local recurrence (LR...
Source: Current Breast Cancer Reports - April 30, 2021 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research
Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) —precision medicine for de-escalation
AbstractPurpose of reviewMost women undergoing breast conservation surgery (BCS) for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) receive breast radiotherapy (RT) to reduce the incidence of ipsilateral recurrent DCIS and development of invasive disease. This review seeks to appraise the potential for de-escalation of RT based on clinical, biomarker, and/or molecular testing.Recent findingsClinical prognostic factors have highlighted young age, tumor (DCIS) size, multifocality, DCIS grade, palpability, and immunohistochemical biomarkers (ER negative, HER2 positive) as prognostic factors. However, molecular markers including the Oncotype...
Source: Current Breast Cancer Reports - April 22, 2021 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research
