SABCS report #1

Good sessions today. Big topic for the future (cutting edge and developing future treatment targets) has to do with:

Epigenomics - how the environment that surrounds breast cells can have an impact on DNA and genetic mutations. Methylation is a key focus right now - its a protein related process that can turn certain cell receptors on and off. Therapies can be targeted to the methylation process instead of tampering with the genes themselves to control cell proliferation and mutation, etc. Methylation is what controls estrogen and progesterone receptor status, for example.

Also, environmental pollutants, particularly minerals and metals, are found in some of these.

Proliferating macrophages - a whole new marker to look for that plays a role in very aggressive breast cancers; a study of west African women w/ breast cancer found them in large quantities in the microenvironment.

The stuff in the news about the study on br cancer virus is not too significant. The study mentioned didn't reveal a great deal of information about viruses and breast cancer. Good PR, though.

A lot more focus on what causes breast cancer to metastasize, what causes cells to break through and become invasive and beginnngs of ways to look at what creates the envirnment for traveling micrometastases to become embedded in distant areas and create metastatic tumors.

More results on BCIRG 006, a trial on using adjuvant Herceptin w/ several other chemo agents, - adriamyacin, capecitabine, and taxol. Findings indicate not just a benefit in using Herceptin in the adjuvant setting, but also that adriamyacin doesn't have much benefit in this group. Most benefit seen with a combo of Herceptin and taxanes. Cardiac toxcity still a problem.

Elderly women & bc - no benefit to getting radiation therapy for elderly patients with ER/PR +, node negative tumors and less than 2 cm. In fact, this population showed most women over age 70 who get breast cancer end up dying from something else. Result - we may be overtreating women in this group. Unless they have large and/or agressive tumors, they may do fine with just lumpectomy or mastectomy, hormonal therapy and possibly some chemotherapy. No need for radiation.

Trials show Lapatinib and Herceptin work well, especially in inflammatory BC. More stuff on IBC.

Her2 vaccine - still very preliminary

Immune system & BC - finding that the immune system can work to aid cancer as well as suppress it. More knowledge about how the immune system "talks" to developing cancer cells and sometimes aid the process of growth.


I'll decipher more of my notes later. I like the new stuff on epigenomics and macrophages.

All slides are online for the BCIRG 006 study on adjuvant herceptin.

Keep the reports coming. I going to print your info for future reference.

did they mention DCIS? In Susan Love's book she talked about how if they could find out why the DCIS broke out it would be major.

Was there any mention of how long Herceptin should be taken to receive the full benefit? Last year I read conflicting studies; one said 9 weeks was enough, another said a full year.

Thanks for doing this.