Research
Chemotherapy is a trusted breast cancer treatment, but standard chemotherapy kills all cells that divide quickly, including healthy ones. While chemotherapy is effective, it also brings patients a variety of unwanted side effects, including hair loss, fatigue and a weakened immune system. Today, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are emerging as an alternative to conventional chemotherapy for […]
Beginning September 10, 2024, all mammography centers across the U.S. will be required to notify women about their breast density after having a mammogram. Studies reveal that many people are unaware that having dense breasts can increase their risk of breast cancer and most are unaware of what to do if they are told they […]
If you’ve just been diagnosed with breast cancer, you’re not alone. Since 1 in 8 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, each diagnosis is as unique as the person receiving it; breast cancer isn’t one-size-fits-all. Your breast cancer experience will not be the same as your aunt’s, friend’s […]
Researchers are always seeking safer, more effective treatment options for breast cancer patients through clinical trials, with the hope that these new treatments could also be more tolerable. For people living with metastatic estrogen receptor-positive (ER+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HER2-) breast cancer, the hormone therapy fulvestrant is the standard treatment for […]
For breast cancer researchers, one of the biggest goals of a clinical trial is to address the unmet needs of people living with advanced breast cancer. Advanced breast cancer is difficult to cure or control with treatment. The cancer may have spread from where it first started to nearby tissue, lymph nodes, or distant parts of the body, i.e. bones, lungs, brain, or liver. Patients with advanced breast cancer need more treatment options.
In this episode of Breast Cancer Breakthroughs, we speak with Komen grantees Dr. Tarah Ballinger, medical oncologist at Indiana University School of Medicine, and Dr. Pedram Razavi, medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, about the biggest highlights from the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting and what they could mean for patients.
According to the National Cancer Institute, mammograms correctly identify about 87% of breast cancers present at the time of screening. Researchers are investigating whether AI software can help radiologists detect breast cancer with even more accuracy.
Researchers are exploring new frontiers in early estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer to improve outcomes and quality of life for patients. People with early ER+ breast cancer often see favorable outcomes from their treatment, but once treatment is done, many face the fear of not knowing if their cancer will come back.
Due in part to underrepresentation in clinical trials, Black women in the U.S. are at higher risk from dying of breast cancer than white women. Komen Scholar Bryan Schneider, M.D., trial lead for the EAZ171 clinical trial, is seeking to overcome these disparities in outcomes for Black women with breast cancer by personalizing chemotherapy.
“The unprecedented health and economic crisis we are undergoing as a nation has highlighted how important our patient support, research and advocacy are for people facing breast cancer – they need us now, more than ever,”
– Paula Schneider, Komen’s President and CEO
As a trusted source of breast health information, Susan G. Komen supports new treatments and technologies that are evidence-based and will bring the greatest benefits to patients. The path from the lab to the clinic is never fast or easy.
“In the Black community, there’s a stigma about treatment, clinical trials and research. We have to understand that there’s not enough data to help us if we get sick. There’s not enough data to create treatments that will help us. We need to participate in clinical trials.” Sharon Elmore-Anderson Patient Advocate Living with Metastatic IBC
