For the first-line treatment of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, the combination of eribulin mesylate and trastuzumab yields higher response rates, with manageable toxicity. Read More ›

Management of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) was the focus of 2 studies highlighted at a premeeting Press Cast for the American Society of Clinical Oncology Breast Cancer Symposium held in San Francisco, California. Read More ›

Breast cancer survivors who suffer from depression can safely take both tamoxifen and a concomitant selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant, according to a large population-based observational study presented at the 2013 annual meeting of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer. Read More ›

Further analyses of Study 301, which compared eribulin to capecitabine in the treatment of advanced breast cancer, showed greater improvements in quality of life (QOL) with eribulin, and overall survival (OS) benefits in subsets of patients. Read More ›

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved pertuzumab (Perjeta; Genentech) for use in combination with trastuzumab and docetaxel for the treatment of patients with HER2+ metastatic breast cancer who have not received prior anti-HER2 therapy or chemotherapy for metastatic disease. Read More ›

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved everolimus (Afinitor; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation) for the treatment of postmenopausal women with advanced hormone receptor–positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer in combination with exemestane, after failure of treatment with letrozole or anastrozole. Read More ›

The antidepressant venlafaxine is often prescribed to patients with breast cancer who are taking tamoxifen, to help reduce the side effect of hot flashes. But according to research presented at the 2012 CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, venlafaxine may reduce the effectiveness of the drug. Read More ›

Studies have suggested that musculoskeletal toxicity associated with aromatase inhibitor therapy can lead to noncompliance in up to one-third of women with breast cancer. Read More ›

Surgery and radiation are considered the standard of care for estrogen receptor–negative (ER–) breast cancer. However, adjuvant chemotherapy may have a role in treating isolated ER– breast cancer recurrences, according to results of the Chemotherapy as Adjuvant for Locally Recurrent Breast Cancer (CALOR) trial presented at the CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS). Read More ›

Young women with triple-negative and luminal-type breast cancer were more likely to respond to neoadjuvant chemotherapy than were older women with these cancers, and improved outcomes were observed for young women with luminal-A–like tumors who achieved a pathologic complete response (pCR) versus those who did not. Read More ›