The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) hosts an annual conference where more than 40,000 oncology professionals meet to present and discuss their clinical research. This year, Outcomes4Me had the opportunity to attend this meeting and learn about the latest findings from recent breast cancer research. We’ve compiled some of the key updates from ASCO to help keep you informed.
Kisqali reduces recurrence risk by 25% for some early breast cancer patients
The phase 3 NATALEE trial involving 5101 patients, including stage II and stage III node-negative patients who traditionally have a high risk of recurrence, tested Kisqali plus endocrine therapy as a new treatment approach. The results showed promising signs, with the invasive disease-free recurrences reduced by 25% and distant metastatic disease reduced by 26%. Although only 20% of the patients have completed the treatment at this stage and it’s still too early to confirm an impact on overall survival, the trend is encouraging and more follow-up is anticipated.
Biomarkers could help some patients avoid radiotherapy
Radiation therapy might be avoidable for patients 55 or older with low-grade luminal A–type breast cancer. The LUMINA trial has shown that some patients with low levels of the Ki67 biomarker may avoid the consequences of radiotherapy, such as acute side effects and rare life-threatening conditions like cardiac disease and secondary cancers.
Sacituzumab Govitecan improved survival for some mBC patients
Final results of the TROPiCS-02 study looked at a drug called sacituzumab govitecan (SG), which is aimed at patients with a specific type of breast cancer (HR+/HER2– mBC) that has been resistant to previous therapies. The study found that SG significantly improved patient survival compared to the standard treatment chosen by physicians. On average, patients receiving SG lived longer (14.5 months) than those on standard treatments (11.2 months). The benefit of SG was also found to be the same for patients regardless of their HER2-low status, which is an important marker in breast cancer. This is great news, as it means SG could be an effective new treatment option for patients living with MBC who have progressed on all other treatment options, offering them more time and hope for the future.
Telephone intervention encouraged meaningful weight loss in early breast cancer patients
The BWEL Study demonstrated that telephone-based weight loss intervention successfully triggered significant and clinically meaningful weight loss in patients with stage II/III breast cancer, who are overweight or obese. This effect was observed regardless of demographic variables and tumor factors, though there were no noticeable differences across menopausal status or race/ethnicity. Further follow-up of the study is planned to assess if this intervention positively influences disease outcomes over a longer period.
Outcomes4Me became a founding member of CancerX
Last week at ASCO, CancerX announced its more than 90 founding members, including Outcomes4Me. CancerX was announced by President Joe Biden in February 2023 as part of The White House’s reignited national Cancer Moonshot initiative. Led by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) branch of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), CancerX is a National Innovation Accelerator Initiative designed to bring digital solutions to healthcare to improve cancer patient outcomes. We’re excited to be a part of this partnership. Click here to learn more about CancerX and our role as a founding member.
