Surgery included removal of multiple lymph nodes

With few exceptions, all women with breast cancer had extensive surgery that included removal of multiple lymph nodes for biopsy to determine if the cancer had spread. This standard practice increased the risk of surgical complications, as well as lymphedema, a potentially life-long problem with significant impact on quality of life.

Removal of sentinel lymph node results in better outcomes

Through innovation and outcomes research over the past two decades, investigators have learned that biopsy of the sentinel lymph node is much more precise, virtually eliminating the need for removal and biopsy of multiple lymph nodes under the arm.

Current Clinical Trials

Women will be cured with less need for surgery

Research will make it possible for many women to be successfully treated for breast cancer without any surgery.

Drugs were like sledge hammers on porcelain

In 1993, women diagnosed with breast cancer—widely known and treated as a single disease at that time—had only five drugs available for treatment. Nearly every case included a recommendation for chemotherapy.

Targeted therapies seek and silence individual cancer cells

We now know that breast cancer is not one disease, but multiple. Genomic information reveals the true nature of each breast cancer. Research has revealed the exact genes driving each cancer, interactions between cancer cells, and the environment around the tumor that supports the growth and spread of cancer. With the recent recruitment of Xiongbin Lu, Ph.D., this knowledge is expanding and driving the development of new drugs that target activity within, on and around breast tumors. In many cases, women today receive treatment to cure advanced cancer that does not include chemotherapy.

Current Clinical Trials

Risk and recurrence will be reduced

Tomorrow, women will understand their risk and tailor their screenings accordingly. Researchers continue to focus on preventing breast cancer and eliminating its recurrence. In Dr. Hari Nakshatri’s laboratory, research is revealing indicators in healthy breast tissue that portend risk for aggressive, hard-to-treat disease. And, Dr. Sunil Badve is finding clues of recurrence in a single drop of blood.

Most women experienced life-altering side effects

Women undergoing breast cancer treatment in the early 1990s were typically prescribed powerful chemotherapy in high doses to fight the disease. For many women, this treatment resulted in long-term and life-altering side effects, including congestive heart failure, early menopause and neuropathy, a nerve disorder causing numbness, tingling, weakness and pain.

Therapy is monogrammed for each unique woman

With a greater understanding that the side effects of treatment can be as devastating as the disease, Monogrammed Medicine researcher Bryan Schneider is focused on identifying which women are more susceptible to serious side effects, based on their genetics. His colleague Todd Skaar, Ph.D., identifies women who are not able to metabolize drugs, rendering therapy useless. Today, the research team is blending this information to custom design therapies that kill cancer and preserve quality of life.

Current Clinical Trials

Cancer-fighting cures won’t diminish quality of life

Women want to be involved in fighting back against breast cancer. Drs. Tarah Ballinger and Theresa Guise are researching ways for women to maintain and increase their bone and muscle strength during treatment for a better prognosis and a healthier survivorship.

Months of treatment presented challenges for women

To avoid radiation burns, chemotherapy and radiation have not been combined resulting in women waiting until their chemo treatments ended to begin weeks of radiation therapy. Patients often spent a year of their life undergoing surgery followed by chemotherapy and then radiation treatments, prolonging physical and emotional distress.

Doubling up treatments

Research is demonstrating the effectiveness of treating breast cancer with chemotherapy and radiation the same time. Dr. Rich Zellars is pioneering a technique to radiate smaller, focused areas around the tumor, rather than the whole breast, to avoid burns that present when the two treatments are combined. So far, outcomes of this approach are promising with no troubling side effects, and there are early indications that the combined therapy is a more effective treatment for the rare subtype, triple negative breast cancer.

Current Clinical Trials

Treatment cycle will be much shorter

Women can look forward to reduced treatment cycles in the future, ensuring that they will be able to get back to living their lives much more quickly.