In what has become the leading breast cancer symposium in the world, more than 8,000 experts met at the 30th annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium last winter to look at the latest research findings and outcomes in preventing and treating breast cancer. Their conclusions? The best cancer treatment outcomes are created when treatment is very personalized to each patient and the specific tumor.
Leading the buzz was the introduction of Oncotype DM, a new genomic test that can predict cancer recurrence, give an estimated benefit of chemo in an individual’s prognosis and even suggest lifetime survival rates for women being treated for cancer that hasn’t spread to the lymph nodes. Experts also explored 100 months of data from the important ATAC trial (Arimidex, Tamoxifen, Alone or in Combination), observing that evidence supports the aromatase-inhibitor anastrozole (Arimidex) as a first-line, post-treatment preventative therapy to boost survival and prevent cancer recurrence when used alone or in combination with tamoxifen in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive tumors. And this benefit continues for as long as four years after treatment ends.
Women taking tamoxifen for the first five years after treatment to prevent cancer recurrence may now want to talk to their healthcare provider about increasing that time for up to 10 years, as there may be a continued benefit, albeit a small one, the same study showed.
Addressing the screening question, one Dutch study suggested that MRI is more sensitive than mammography and may be beneficial in screening in women at high risk for recurring breast cancer. How do you know which screening mechanism may be best for you? Experts at the American College of Radiology looking at comparable data in the U.S.are recommending:
- Digital mammography for pre- and peri-menopausal women younger than age 50 who have dense breast tissue.
- Traditional mammography for women with less dense breasts.
- MRI for women with a greater than 20% lifetime risk of developing breast cancer.
