Advancements in Breast Cancer Research

22, 61, 419 new breast cancer cases were diagnosed in 2020. This is 11.7% of the world cancer load in 2020 alone. In the first half of 2021, 2, 84, 200 people were estimated to be diagnosed with breast cancer only in the USA.

1 in 28 women is at risk of developing breast cancer in India today. In fact, breast cancer has become the most common cancer in the world, having topped lung cancer, accounting for 14% of all cancers in women. 

Unfortunately, it is rising alarmingly, especially amongst the urban population, due to lifestyle changes, environmental factors, and much more. 

That is why researchers & breast cancer doctors worldwide are collaborating to work towards the advancement of the understanding of how to prevent, detect, & finally treat breast cancer better. Along with that, they’re also trying to address the disparities & improve the quality of life for breast cancer survivors. 

In this blog, we’ll talk about the latest advancements in breast cancer research.

Latest Breast Cancer Updates

A little help with early detection

Very few cancers have a dedicated screening test. Breast cancer is one of the few armed with mammography. While MRI, ultrasound, & clinical breast exams are also used for breast cancer detection, they’re not used as routine screening tools. 

Better screening increases the chance of early detection. Hence, multiple ongoing studies are looking to enhance breast cancer screening with the help of technological advances in imaging. 

One of the new technologies is 3-D mammography, also known as breast tomosynthesis. It takes images from different breast angles & builds a 3D image. This technology is becoming readily available in clinics. However, ask any leading breast cancer doctor & he/she will tell you that there is no proof that 3-D mammography is any better than 2-D mammography in early cancer detection. 

There are two major concerns in breast cancer screening, overdiagnosis (diagnosing tumors that will not become life-threatening) and false-positive results. So, researchers are working to personalize breast cancer screening depending on every woman’s risk level to limit the possibility of overdiagnosis. For example, the WISDOM (Women Informed to Screen Depending on Measures of Risk) study where the considerations are based on genetic makeup, family history, and other risk factors.

A push towards better treatment

The backbones of breast cancer treatment are chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, hormonal therapy, and targeted therapy. But as with any treatment, there is scope for improvement in breast cancer treatment. Researchers continue to study novel treatments, drugs, and technologies along with a combination of existing options. 

Breast cancer has 3 subtypes-Hormone receptor positive, HER2 positive, and triple-negative. As researchers learn more about the subtypes, that information can guide treatment decisions. NCI’s TAILORx clinical trial is an example. In the study where ER-positive, lymph node-negative breast cancer patients were considered, it was observed that a particular test looking at the expression of certain genes can predict who can forego chemotherapy. 

Then there was the RxPONDER trial which found a very interesting thing. It found that the same gene expression test can be easily used to define treatment options in patients with more advanced breast cancer. 

Genomic analyses, on the other hand, helped reveal the molecular diversity of breast cancer and can further help identify other breast cancer subtypes. This can help create more targeted treatments. 

Some research is also going into making breast cancer treatment less invasive. For example, on April 5th, the ProSense Cryoablation Device was granted breakthrough device designation by the USFDA. ProSense is a liquid-nitrogen-based cryoablation device that makes minimally invasive breast cancer treatment for T1 invasive breast cancer and/or patients not suitable for a surgical alternative for breast cancer a possibility. 

In HR-Positive breast cancer treatment, multiple drugs have been approved to push back chemotherapy. There is Palbociclib (Ibrance), ribociclib (Kisqali), and everolimus (Afinitor) to be used with hormonal therapy, then there is Abemaciclib (Verzenio) to be used with or along with hormonal therapy, and lastly, there is Alpelisib (Piqray). 

Targeted therapies like Trastuzumab (Herceptin) and pertuzumab (Perjeta), Tucatinib (Tukysa), Trastuzumab deruxtecan, Lapatinib (Tykerb), Neratinib Maleate (Nerlynx), and more have been approved. 

Keytruda, PARP inhibitors, androgen receptor blockers, and more are approved or being tested for triple-negative breast cancer.

New research programs

Worldwide multiple researchers and breast cancer doctors are studying different facets of breast cancer, including the biological underpinnings, social factors affecting cancer risk, patient outcome improvement factors, etc.

For early detection & treatment:

Breast SPOREs help more basic findings to clinical settings quickly. They support the development of new therapies & technologies for breast cancer. 
CISNET concentrates on improving our understanding of how exactly prevention, early detection, screening, and treatment of breast cancer affects patient outcomes. 
The Confluence Project aims to develop a research resource with data of thousands of breast cancer patients & controls of different races as well as ethnicities. 
Cancer Biomarkers research group promotes cancer biomarker research.

For health disparity research:

Multi-institution projects like NCI’s Breast Cancer Genetic Study in African-Ancestry Populations can help researchers understand health disparities. In this case, for example, why black women are more likely to not only be diagnosed with more aggressive subtypes of breast cancer but also more likely to die of the disease. 

Another good example of health disparity research is NCI’s Detroit Research on Cancer Survivors (Detroit ROCS). This study looks at the critical factors which affect cancer progression, recurrence, mortality, & quality of life among African American survivors of four types of cancer, including breast cancer.

For survivorship research:

Several issues come with breast cancer survivorship. Many researchers worldwide are studying these issues to make the quality of life of breast cancer survivors better. From physical functioning to emotional well-being, these studies aim to improve it all. From cognitive impairment to sleep disturbances to cardiovascular health, some studies also focus on improving these. Other studies concentrate on financial issues, effects on caregivers, survivor care models, racial disparities, and more.

For clinical trials

Researchers are working on both early and late phase clinical trials trying to develop new and better treatments. Many scientists are also working on improving patient care.

Some of the recent breakthroughs have been:

Sacituzumab Govitecan got full approval for triple-negative breast cancer. It was recently discovered that the Oncotype DX Breast Cancer Test may be less accurate for black patients. Some researchers found fertility preservation to be safe for young women with breast cancer.

In the end

Advancements in breast cancer research can help cancer patients live a better, longer, more comfortable life. Not only that, but they can also give a closer, more in-depth look at breast cancer as a whole so that all subtypes and new forays can be swiftly discovered. This blog shines a light on the latest advancements in breast cancer research. If you need more information, you can consult a respected breast cancer doctor like Dr. Manish Singhal.

Note

Dr. Manish Singhal is a leading breast cancer doctor, and he provides the best breast cancer treatment in Delhi NCR. He and his team are knowledgeable and well equipped with all the new advancements in breast cancer research. They have gathered a well of data to help out breast cancer patients in every possible way.