Video

National Harbor, MD. – The PARP inhibitor rucaparib is safe and effective in patients with primary platinum-sensitive high-grade ovarian carcinoma who have germline or somatic BRCA mutations, according to integrated summary data from parts 1 and 2 of the phase II ARIEL2 study.

Prior analyses of ARIEL2 data included 493 patients with germline/somatic BRCA mutations and BRCA wild-type. The current analysis included the 41 patients from ARIEL2 part 1 and the 93 patients from ARIEL2 part 2 who had germline or somatic BRCA mutations, and overall response rates in these patients ranged from 52% to 86% depending on the number of prior therapies, Gottfried E. Konecny, MD, reported at the annual meeting of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology.

The highest overall response rates were seen in platinum-sensitive vs. platinum-resistant and platinum-refractory patients, said Dr. Konecny of the University of California, Los Angeles.

Median progression-free survival was 12.7 months in the platinum-sensitive patients vs. 7.3 and 5.0 months in platinum-resistant and platinum-refractory patients, respectively, he said.

Treatment was generally safe and well tolerated. The most common treatment-emergent adverse events were nausea, fatigue, vomiting, and anemia; the most common grade 3/4 events included anemia, increased ALT/AST, and fatigue.

Previous findings from ARIEL2 and other studies of rucaparib led to conditional approval of the drug (pending further confirmation of the data), first for patients with germline or somatic BRCA mutations who fail at least three prior lines of chemotherapy, then for those who fail two or more prior therapies.

In this video, Dr. Konecny discusses his findings and the next steps with respect to the study of rucaparib for high-grade ovarian carcinoma.

ARIEL2 was supported by Clovis Oncology. Dr. Konecny is on the speakers’ bureau for AstraZeneca and Clovis Oncology and has received research funding or honorarium from Amgen, Merck, and Novartis.

sworcester@frontlinemedcom.com

National Harbor, MD. – The PARP inhibitor rucaparib is safe and effective in patients with primary platinum-sensitive high-grade ovarian carcinoma who have germline or somatic BRCA mutations, according to integrated summary data from parts 1 and 2 of the phase II ARIEL2 study.

Prior analyses of ARIEL2 data included 493 patients with germline/somatic BRCA mutations and BRCA wild-type. The current analysis included the 41 patients from ARIEL2 part 1 and the 93 patients from ARIEL2 part 2 who had germline or somatic BRCA mutations, and overall response rates in these patients ranged from 52% to 86% depending on the number of prior therapies, Gottfried E. Konecny, MD, reported at the annual meeting of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology.

The highest overall response rates were seen in platinum-sensitive vs. platinum-resistant and platinum-refractory patients, said Dr. Konecny of the University of California, Los Angeles.

Median progression-free survival was 12.7 months in the platinum-sensitive patients vs. 7.3 and 5.0 months in platinum-resistant and platinum-refractory patients, respectively, he said.

Treatment was generally safe and well tolerated. The most common treatment-emergent adverse events were nausea, fatigue, vomiting, and anemia; the most common grade 3/4 events included anemia, increased ALT/AST, and fatigue.

Previous findings from ARIEL2 and other studies of rucaparib led to conditional approval of the drug (pending further confirmation of the data), first for patients with germline or somatic BRCA mutations who fail at least three prior lines of chemotherapy, then for those who fail two or more prior therapies.

In this video, Dr. Konecny discusses his findings and the next steps with respect to the study of rucaparib for high-grade ovarian carcinoma.

ARIEL2 was supported by Clovis Oncology. Dr. Konecny is on the speakers’ bureau for AstraZeneca and Clovis Oncology and has received research funding or honorarium from Amgen, Merck, and Novartis.

sworcester@frontlinemedcom.com

National Harbor, MD. – The PARP inhibitor rucaparib is safe and effective in patients with primary platinum-sensitive high-grade ovarian carcinoma who have germline or somatic BRCA mutations, according to integrated summary data from parts 1 and 2 of the phase II ARIEL2 study.

Prior analyses of ARIEL2 data included 493 patients with germline/somatic BRCA mutations and BRCA wild-type. The current analysis included the 41 patients from ARIEL2 part 1 and the 93 patients from ARIEL2 part 2 who had germline or somatic BRCA mutations, and overall response rates in these patients ranged from 52% to 86% depending on the number of prior therapies, Gottfried E. Konecny, MD, reported at the annual meeting of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology.

The highest overall response rates were seen in platinum-sensitive vs. platinum-resistant and platinum-refractory patients, said Dr. Konecny of the University of California, Los Angeles.

Median progression-free survival was 12.7 months in the platinum-sensitive patients vs. 7.3 and 5.0 months in platinum-resistant and platinum-refractory patients, respectively, he said.

Treatment was generally safe and well tolerated. The most common treatment-emergent adverse events were nausea, fatigue, vomiting, and anemia; the most common grade 3/4 events included anemia, increased ALT/AST, and fatigue.

Previous findings from ARIEL2 and other studies of rucaparib led to conditional approval of the drug (pending further confirmation of the data), first for patients with germline or somatic BRCA mutations who fail at least three prior lines of chemotherapy, then for those who fail two or more prior therapies.

In this video, Dr. Konecny discusses his findings and the next steps with respect to the study of rucaparib for high-grade ovarian carcinoma.

ARIEL2 was supported by Clovis Oncology. Dr. Konecny is on the speakers’ bureau for AstraZeneca and Clovis Oncology and has received research funding or honorarium from Amgen, Merck, and Novartis.

sworcester@frontlinemedcom.com

AT THE ANNUAL MEETING ON WOMEN’S CANCER 

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD. – Patients with endometrial cancer and isolated tumor cells in sentinel lymph nodes had excellent short-term outcomes, even if they opted out of adjuvant chemotherapy or radiation therapy.

In a single-center prospective study, all 10 such patients remained alive and free of disease progression at 3 years, Marie Plante, MD, said in a video interview at the annual meeting of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology.

The finding suggests that isolated tumor cells in sentinel lymph nodes are not, by themselves, an indication for adjuvant therapy in women with endometrial cancer, said Dr. Plante of Laval University in Quebec City. The issue remains controversial, however, and merits larger cohort studies with longer-term follow-up, she acknowledged.

Ultrastaging of sentinel lymph node biopsies that are negative on hematoxylin and eosin staining has boosted the detection of low-volume metastases. In the case of endometrial cancer with isolated tumor cells, there is a dilemma about whether to recommend adjuvant therapy. Very few studies have examined this relatively rare patient subgroup.

This study included 519 patients undergoing hysterectomy, salpingo-oophorectomy, lymphadenectomy, and sentinel lymph node mapping for endometrial cancer. Pathologic ultrastaging identified 31 patients with isolated tumor cells (6%), of whom 11 received adjuvant chemotherapy, 14 received pelvic radiation therapy, and 10 received brachytherapy or observation only.

Only one patient with isolated tumor cells developed recurrent disease within 3 years. This patient had a 7-cm carcinosarcoma that recurred despite adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy. There were no recurrences among patients with endometrioid histology, Dr. Plante noted.

Dr. Plante cited no funding sources and reported having no conflicts of interest.

op@frontlinemedcom.com

AT THE ANNUAL MEETING ON WOMEN’S CANCER 

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD. – Patients with endometrial cancer and isolated tumor cells in sentinel lymph nodes had excellent short-term outcomes, even if they opted out of adjuvant chemotherapy or radiation therapy.

In a single-center prospective study, all 10 such patients remained alive and free of disease progression at 3 years, Marie Plante, MD, said in a video interview at the annual meeting of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology.

The finding suggests that isolated tumor cells in sentinel lymph nodes are not, by themselves, an indication for adjuvant therapy in women with endometrial cancer, said Dr. Plante of Laval University in Quebec City. The issue remains controversial, however, and merits larger cohort studies with longer-term follow-up, she acknowledged.

Ultrastaging of sentinel lymph node biopsies that are negative on hematoxylin and eosin staining has boosted the detection of low-volume metastases. In the case of endometrial cancer with isolated tumor cells, there is a dilemma about whether to recommend adjuvant therapy. Very few studies have examined this relatively rare patient subgroup.

This study included 519 patients undergoing hysterectomy, salpingo-oophorectomy, lymphadenectomy, and sentinel lymph node mapping for endometrial cancer. Pathologic ultrastaging identified 31 patients with isolated tumor cells (6%), of whom 11 received adjuvant chemotherapy, 14 received pelvic radiation therapy, and 10 received brachytherapy or observation only.

Only one patient with isolated tumor cells developed recurrent disease within 3 years. This patient had a 7-cm carcinosarcoma that recurred despite adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy. There were no recurrences among patients with endometrioid histology, Dr. Plante noted.

Dr. Plante cited no funding sources and reported having no conflicts of interest.

op@frontlinemedcom.com

AT THE ANNUAL MEETING ON WOMEN’S CANCER 

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD. – Patients with endometrial cancer and isolated tumor cells in sentinel lymph nodes had excellent short-term outcomes, even if they opted out of adjuvant chemotherapy or radiation therapy.

In a single-center prospective study, all 10 such patients remained alive and free of disease progression at 3 years, Marie Plante, MD, said in a video interview at the annual meeting of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology.

The finding suggests that isolated tumor cells in sentinel lymph nodes are not, by themselves, an indication for adjuvant therapy in women with endometrial cancer, said Dr. Plante of Laval University in Quebec City. The issue remains controversial, however, and merits larger cohort studies with longer-term follow-up, she acknowledged.

Ultrastaging of sentinel lymph node biopsies that are negative on hematoxylin and eosin staining has boosted the detection of low-volume metastases. In the case of endometrial cancer with isolated tumor cells, there is a dilemma about whether to recommend adjuvant therapy. Very few studies have examined this relatively rare patient subgroup.

This study included 519 patients undergoing hysterectomy, salpingo-oophorectomy, lymphadenectomy, and sentinel lymph node mapping for endometrial cancer. Pathologic ultrastaging identified 31 patients with isolated tumor cells (6%), of whom 11 received adjuvant chemotherapy, 14 received pelvic radiation therapy, and 10 received brachytherapy or observation only.

Only one patient with isolated tumor cells developed recurrent disease within 3 years. This patient had a 7-cm carcinosarcoma that recurred despite adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy. There were no recurrences among patients with endometrioid histology, Dr. Plante noted.

Dr. Plante cited no funding sources and reported having no conflicts of interest.

op@frontlinemedcom.com

MIAMI BEACH – Often people living with cancer hesitate to ask their providers about sensitive and important issues surrounding sexuality and fertility. At the same time, some clinicians remain uncomfortable raising questions regarding sexual function or simply lack the time to appropriately address the issues during a patient encounter.

A new online resource aims to solve both problems simultaneously, giving both patients and providers the tools to meaningfully address sexuality and fertility issues, Leslie R. Schover, PhD, said in a video interview at the annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference, held by Physicians’ Education Resource.

The Will2love.com site features first-person patient account videos from women and men who faced similar concerns, said Dr. Schover, founder of the Will2Love digital health company based in Houston. In addition, vignettes with actors inform patients and also model how oncologists, oncology nurses, and other staff could effectively communicate with concerned patients. A professional portal offers online skills training for clinicians.

op@frontlinemedcom.com

MIAMI BEACH – Often people living with cancer hesitate to ask their providers about sensitive and important issues surrounding sexuality and fertility. At the same time, some clinicians remain uncomfortable raising questions regarding sexual function or simply lack the time to appropriately address the issues during a patient encounter.

A new online resource aims to solve both problems simultaneously, giving both patients and providers the tools to meaningfully address sexuality and fertility issues, Leslie R. Schover, PhD, said in a video interview at the annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference, held by Physicians’ Education Resource.

The Will2love.com site features first-person patient account videos from women and men who faced similar concerns, said Dr. Schover, founder of the Will2Love digital health company based in Houston. In addition, vignettes with actors inform patients and also model how oncologists, oncology nurses, and other staff could effectively communicate with concerned patients. A professional portal offers online skills training for clinicians.

op@frontlinemedcom.com

MIAMI BEACH – Often people living with cancer hesitate to ask their providers about sensitive and important issues surrounding sexuality and fertility. At the same time, some clinicians remain uncomfortable raising questions regarding sexual function or simply lack the time to appropriately address the issues during a patient encounter.

A new online resource aims to solve both problems simultaneously, giving both patients and providers the tools to meaningfully address sexuality and fertility issues, Leslie R. Schover, PhD, said in a video interview at the annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference, held by Physicians’ Education Resource.

The Will2love.com site features first-person patient account videos from women and men who faced similar concerns, said Dr. Schover, founder of the Will2Love digital health company based in Houston. In addition, vignettes with actors inform patients and also model how oncologists, oncology nurses, and other staff could effectively communicate with concerned patients. A professional portal offers online skills training for clinicians.

op@frontlinemedcom.com

MIAMI BEACH – The Food and Drug Administration has accepted pathological complete response rate (pCR) as a surrogate endpoint for disease-free and overall survival in clinical trials for neoadjuvant therapy of breast cancer.

Yet the specimen collection and histopathologic methods used to measure pCR have differed considerably across major neoadjuvant trials for breast cancer, said Michael F. Press, MD, PhD, of the USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California, Los Angeles.

In a video interview conducted at the annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference, held by Physicians’ Education Resource, Dr. Press outlined the problems associated with a lack of standardization of outcomes measures, and described how residual cancer burden may be a more effective, validated measures for comparing outcomes across clinical trials.

MIAMI BEACH – The Food and Drug Administration has accepted pathological complete response rate (pCR) as a surrogate endpoint for disease-free and overall survival in clinical trials for neoadjuvant therapy of breast cancer.

Yet the specimen collection and histopathologic methods used to measure pCR have differed considerably across major neoadjuvant trials for breast cancer, said Michael F. Press, MD, PhD, of the USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California, Los Angeles.

In a video interview conducted at the annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference, held by Physicians’ Education Resource, Dr. Press outlined the problems associated with a lack of standardization of outcomes measures, and described how residual cancer burden may be a more effective, validated measures for comparing outcomes across clinical trials.

MIAMI BEACH – The Food and Drug Administration has accepted pathological complete response rate (pCR) as a surrogate endpoint for disease-free and overall survival in clinical trials for neoadjuvant therapy of breast cancer.

Yet the specimen collection and histopathologic methods used to measure pCR have differed considerably across major neoadjuvant trials for breast cancer, said Michael F. Press, MD, PhD, of the USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California, Los Angeles.

In a video interview conducted at the annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference, held by Physicians’ Education Resource, Dr. Press outlined the problems associated with a lack of standardization of outcomes measures, and described how residual cancer burden may be a more effective, validated measures for comparing outcomes across clinical trials.

MIAMI BEACH – Growing evidence continues to point to a widening separation between female and male breast cancers, particularly with discoveries suggesting different pathways to disease and important genetic distinctions.

Therefore, the traditional practice of extrapolating findings from female breast cancer research to men with breast cancer no longer makes sense, Patrick I. Borgen, MD, said at the annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference, held by Physicians’ Education Resource.

The incidence of male breast cancer is increasing. At the same time, fewer men with breast cancer get referred for and undergo genetic testing for their disease, said Dr. Borgen, chair of the department of surgery at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Dr. Borgen explained in a video interview that both maternal and paternal inheritance of breast cancer are important, and they tie the lineage into a hypothesis for why BRCA mutations – which can predispose people to worse survival – have persisted through generations.

MIAMI BEACH – Growing evidence continues to point to a widening separation between female and male breast cancers, particularly with discoveries suggesting different pathways to disease and important genetic distinctions.

Therefore, the traditional practice of extrapolating findings from female breast cancer research to men with breast cancer no longer makes sense, Patrick I. Borgen, MD, said at the annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference, held by Physicians’ Education Resource.

The incidence of male breast cancer is increasing. At the same time, fewer men with breast cancer get referred for and undergo genetic testing for their disease, said Dr. Borgen, chair of the department of surgery at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Dr. Borgen explained in a video interview that both maternal and paternal inheritance of breast cancer are important, and they tie the lineage into a hypothesis for why BRCA mutations – which can predispose people to worse survival – have persisted through generations.

MIAMI BEACH – Growing evidence continues to point to a widening separation between female and male breast cancers, particularly with discoveries suggesting different pathways to disease and important genetic distinctions.

Therefore, the traditional practice of extrapolating findings from female breast cancer research to men with breast cancer no longer makes sense, Patrick I. Borgen, MD, said at the annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference, held by Physicians’ Education Resource.

The incidence of male breast cancer is increasing. At the same time, fewer men with breast cancer get referred for and undergo genetic testing for their disease, said Dr. Borgen, chair of the department of surgery at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Dr. Borgen explained in a video interview that both maternal and paternal inheritance of breast cancer are important, and they tie the lineage into a hypothesis for why BRCA mutations – which can predispose people to worse survival – have persisted through generations.

MIAMI BEACH – The remarkable progress seen with immune checkpoint inhibitors in metastatic melanoma, non–small-cell lung cancer, and other tumors has yet to be replicated in breast cancer, but it’s early days yet, and breast cancer researchers need more time before the ultimate clinical benefits of immunotherapy in breast cancer can be ascertained, said Adam M. Brufsky, MD, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh.

Early studies with inhibitors of programmed death-1 (PD-1) and its ligand PD-L1 in patients with advanced triple-negative breast cancer have yielded only minimal response rates to date, but it it’s far too early to give up on the concept, Dr. Brufsky cautioned at the annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference, held by Physicians’ Education Resource.

In a video interview, he discussed the challenges of treating breast cancers, which may be less immunogenic and have a lower tumor mutational burden than other malignancies that respond more readily to PD-1 inhibition. Several large, phase III clinical trials of checkpoint inhibitors combined with cytotoxic chemotherapy are underway, he said, and those eventual findings may shed light on the optimal approach to using immunotherapy to treat patients with refractory metastatic breast cancers.

MIAMI BEACH – The remarkable progress seen with immune checkpoint inhibitors in metastatic melanoma, non–small-cell lung cancer, and other tumors has yet to be replicated in breast cancer, but it’s early days yet, and breast cancer researchers need more time before the ultimate clinical benefits of immunotherapy in breast cancer can be ascertained, said Adam M. Brufsky, MD, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh.

Early studies with inhibitors of programmed death-1 (PD-1) and its ligand PD-L1 in patients with advanced triple-negative breast cancer have yielded only minimal response rates to date, but it it’s far too early to give up on the concept, Dr. Brufsky cautioned at the annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference, held by Physicians’ Education Resource.

In a video interview, he discussed the challenges of treating breast cancers, which may be less immunogenic and have a lower tumor mutational burden than other malignancies that respond more readily to PD-1 inhibition. Several large, phase III clinical trials of checkpoint inhibitors combined with cytotoxic chemotherapy are underway, he said, and those eventual findings may shed light on the optimal approach to using immunotherapy to treat patients with refractory metastatic breast cancers.

MIAMI BEACH – The remarkable progress seen with immune checkpoint inhibitors in metastatic melanoma, non–small-cell lung cancer, and other tumors has yet to be replicated in breast cancer, but it’s early days yet, and breast cancer researchers need more time before the ultimate clinical benefits of immunotherapy in breast cancer can be ascertained, said Adam M. Brufsky, MD, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh.

Early studies with inhibitors of programmed death-1 (PD-1) and its ligand PD-L1 in patients with advanced triple-negative breast cancer have yielded only minimal response rates to date, but it it’s far too early to give up on the concept, Dr. Brufsky cautioned at the annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference, held by Physicians’ Education Resource.

In a video interview, he discussed the challenges of treating breast cancers, which may be less immunogenic and have a lower tumor mutational burden than other malignancies that respond more readily to PD-1 inhibition. Several large, phase III clinical trials of checkpoint inhibitors combined with cytotoxic chemotherapy are underway, he said, and those eventual findings may shed light on the optimal approach to using immunotherapy to treat patients with refractory metastatic breast cancers.

MIAMI BEACH – Driven by efficacy demonstrated in ovarian cancer, a number of PARP inhibitors are in development and hold promise for treatment of breast cancer as well, including patients positive for the BRCA mutation.

Interestingly, early evidence suggests these agents could also treat BRCA-negative women, potentially expanding their future clinical utility, Kimberly L. Blackwell, MD, said in a video interview at the annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference, held by Physicians’ Education Resource.

MIAMI BEACH – Driven by efficacy demonstrated in ovarian cancer, a number of PARP inhibitors are in development and hold promise for treatment of breast cancer as well, including patients positive for the BRCA mutation.

Interestingly, early evidence suggests these agents could also treat BRCA-negative women, potentially expanding their future clinical utility, Kimberly L. Blackwell, MD, said in a video interview at the annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference, held by Physicians’ Education Resource.

MIAMI BEACH – Driven by efficacy demonstrated in ovarian cancer, a number of PARP inhibitors are in development and hold promise for treatment of breast cancer as well, including patients positive for the BRCA mutation.

Interestingly, early evidence suggests these agents could also treat BRCA-negative women, potentially expanding their future clinical utility, Kimberly L. Blackwell, MD, said in a video interview at the annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference, held by Physicians’ Education Resource.

ORLANDO – “Consider the effects of the mind on the skin when treating patients with some skin diseases.” That was the message of several speakers during a session titled “The Skin and the Mind” at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.

“I certainly believe that the time has come to use stress alleviation techniques, at least for selected patients, and this should certainly be part of our armamentarium in the clinic,” said Richard D. Granstein, MD, George W. Hambrick Jr. professor and chairman of the department of dermatology, Cornell University, New York. During the session, he spoke about the emerging science of stress in dermatology.

While it has long been believed that stress exacerbates different skin diseases, the connection has been difficult to prove scientifically, he pointed out. However, “the overwhelming number of reports and studies indicate that stress probably does exacerbate a number of inflammatory skin diseases,” he added.

In a video interview at the meeting, Dr. Granstein notes that a number of pathways that help explain this link have now been identified and discusses one of those pathways, which involves neuropeptides and future directions in understanding the relationship between stress and inflammatory skin diseases.

wmcknight@frontlinemedcom.com
On Twitter @whitneymcknight

ORLANDO – “Consider the effects of the mind on the skin when treating patients with some skin diseases.” That was the message of several speakers during a session titled “The Skin and the Mind” at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.

“I certainly believe that the time has come to use stress alleviation techniques, at least for selected patients, and this should certainly be part of our armamentarium in the clinic,” said Richard D. Granstein, MD, George W. Hambrick Jr. professor and chairman of the department of dermatology, Cornell University, New York. During the session, he spoke about the emerging science of stress in dermatology.

While it has long been believed that stress exacerbates different skin diseases, the connection has been difficult to prove scientifically, he pointed out. However, “the overwhelming number of reports and studies indicate that stress probably does exacerbate a number of inflammatory skin diseases,” he added.

In a video interview at the meeting, Dr. Granstein notes that a number of pathways that help explain this link have now been identified and discusses one of those pathways, which involves neuropeptides and future directions in understanding the relationship between stress and inflammatory skin diseases.

wmcknight@frontlinemedcom.com
On Twitter @whitneymcknight

ORLANDO – “Consider the effects of the mind on the skin when treating patients with some skin diseases.” That was the message of several speakers during a session titled “The Skin and the Mind” at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.

“I certainly believe that the time has come to use stress alleviation techniques, at least for selected patients, and this should certainly be part of our armamentarium in the clinic,” said Richard D. Granstein, MD, George W. Hambrick Jr. professor and chairman of the department of dermatology, Cornell University, New York. During the session, he spoke about the emerging science of stress in dermatology.

While it has long been believed that stress exacerbates different skin diseases, the connection has been difficult to prove scientifically, he pointed out. However, “the overwhelming number of reports and studies indicate that stress probably does exacerbate a number of inflammatory skin diseases,” he added.

In a video interview at the meeting, Dr. Granstein notes that a number of pathways that help explain this link have now been identified and discusses one of those pathways, which involves neuropeptides and future directions in understanding the relationship between stress and inflammatory skin diseases.

wmcknight@frontlinemedcom.com
On Twitter @whitneymcknight

MIAMI BEACH – Breast tumors positive for the human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) comprise only about 20% of all breast cancers, but for patients with HER2-positive disease, neoadjuvant therapy with trastuzumab (Herceptin) was and is a game changer, improving pathological complete response rates and long-term disease-free and overall survival rates, Debu Tripathy, MD, said at the annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference, held by Physicians’ Education Resource.

In the nearly 2 decades that have passed since the approval of trastuzumab, clinicians have learned how best to use HER2 inhibitors, how to weigh the relative risks and benefits of anti-HER2 therapy in patients who may be at risk for cardiotoxicities such as heart failure, and what combination regimens work best with HER2 inhibitors in early-stage disease.

In a video interview, Dr. Tripathy, professor and chair of the department of breast medical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, discusses current clinical considerations for the use of trastuzumab and pertuzumab (Perjeta) in the neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings, investigational targeted therapies and immunotherapeutic strategies, and recently released clinical trial data showing a significant increase in disease-free survival for patients treated with dual HER2-blockade compared with HER2 monotherapy.

MIAMI BEACH – Breast tumors positive for the human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) comprise only about 20% of all breast cancers, but for patients with HER2-positive disease, neoadjuvant therapy with trastuzumab (Herceptin) was and is a game changer, improving pathological complete response rates and long-term disease-free and overall survival rates, Debu Tripathy, MD, said at the annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference, held by Physicians’ Education Resource.

In the nearly 2 decades that have passed since the approval of trastuzumab, clinicians have learned how best to use HER2 inhibitors, how to weigh the relative risks and benefits of anti-HER2 therapy in patients who may be at risk for cardiotoxicities such as heart failure, and what combination regimens work best with HER2 inhibitors in early-stage disease.

In a video interview, Dr. Tripathy, professor and chair of the department of breast medical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, discusses current clinical considerations for the use of trastuzumab and pertuzumab (Perjeta) in the neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings, investigational targeted therapies and immunotherapeutic strategies, and recently released clinical trial data showing a significant increase in disease-free survival for patients treated with dual HER2-blockade compared with HER2 monotherapy.

MIAMI BEACH – Breast tumors positive for the human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) comprise only about 20% of all breast cancers, but for patients with HER2-positive disease, neoadjuvant therapy with trastuzumab (Herceptin) was and is a game changer, improving pathological complete response rates and long-term disease-free and overall survival rates, Debu Tripathy, MD, said at the annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference, held by Physicians’ Education Resource.

In the nearly 2 decades that have passed since the approval of trastuzumab, clinicians have learned how best to use HER2 inhibitors, how to weigh the relative risks and benefits of anti-HER2 therapy in patients who may be at risk for cardiotoxicities such as heart failure, and what combination regimens work best with HER2 inhibitors in early-stage disease.

In a video interview, Dr. Tripathy, professor and chair of the department of breast medical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, discusses current clinical considerations for the use of trastuzumab and pertuzumab (Perjeta) in the neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings, investigational targeted therapies and immunotherapeutic strategies, and recently released clinical trial data showing a significant increase in disease-free survival for patients treated with dual HER2-blockade compared with HER2 monotherapy.

MIAMI BEACH – Although typically not as immunogenic as melanoma or lung cancer, breast cancer can respond to immunotherapy. Promising strategies in development each aim to optimize an individual patient’s ability to respond to immunotherapy in advance.

Augmenting infiltration of T cells into the breast so their levels will be high enough to mount a formidable response is one tactic. In addition, preimmunotherapy radiation or cryoimmunotherapy to release neoantigens – so the immune system has something to which to respond – are additional avenues being explored, Elizabeth A. Mittendorf, MD, PhD, said in a video interview at the annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference, held by Physicians’ Education Resource.

MIAMI BEACH – Although typically not as immunogenic as melanoma or lung cancer, breast cancer can respond to immunotherapy. Promising strategies in development each aim to optimize an individual patient’s ability to respond to immunotherapy in advance.

Augmenting infiltration of T cells into the breast so their levels will be high enough to mount a formidable response is one tactic. In addition, preimmunotherapy radiation or cryoimmunotherapy to release neoantigens – so the immune system has something to which to respond – are additional avenues being explored, Elizabeth A. Mittendorf, MD, PhD, said in a video interview at the annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference, held by Physicians’ Education Resource.

MIAMI BEACH – Although typically not as immunogenic as melanoma or lung cancer, breast cancer can respond to immunotherapy. Promising strategies in development each aim to optimize an individual patient’s ability to respond to immunotherapy in advance.

Augmenting infiltration of T cells into the breast so their levels will be high enough to mount a formidable response is one tactic. In addition, preimmunotherapy radiation or cryoimmunotherapy to release neoantigens – so the immune system has something to which to respond – are additional avenues being explored, Elizabeth A. Mittendorf, MD, PhD, said in a video interview at the annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference, held by Physicians’ Education Resource.