Metastatic breast cancer treatment | metastatic breast cancer treatment

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women.1

An estimated 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime.2

Women expected to be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 2017.1

SUBTYPE

Each breast cancer can be classified into a subtype based on its unique biology. For example, HER2-positive breast cancer cells have excess “HER2” protein compared to normal cells, and HR-positive cells have hormone receptors. Tumors without either of these characteristics are called triple-negative.3, 4

Treating Early Breast Cancer

Early breast cancer (EBC) means the cancer has not spread outside of the breast or nearby lymph nodes. People with EBC are usually treated with surgery. They may also receive other treatment, such as traditional chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, targeted therapy or a combination of such treatments, before surgery (neoadjuvant), after surgery (adjuvant), or both before and after surgery.6

NEOADJUVANT (BEFORE SURGERY)

Upon being diagnosed with EBC, neoadjuvant therapy may be given to eligible patients as a first step to help eliminate cancer cells in the breast and potentially shrink a tumor by the time of surgery.7

SURGERY

Surgery options include lumpectomy (removal of part of the breast), mastectomy (removal of entire breast) and lymph node removal.8

ADJUVANT (AFTER SURGERY)

After undergoing surgery, a person may then receive adjuvant treatment to reduce the risk of the cancer returning.9

HOW EBC TREATMENTS ARE EVALUATED IN CLINICAL TRIALS

In clinical trials for EBC, researchers use certain “endpoints” to determine if there is an improvement with one treatment over another. The following endpoints are examples and not inclusive of all endpoints that researchers use.

OVERALL SURVIVAL

Researchers can measure overall survival. OS is how long a person lived after diagnosis and beginning treatment in a trial.10

DISEASE-FREE SURVIVAL

In the adjuvant setting, researchers can measure disease-free survival. DFS is the amount of time a person lived from enrolling in a trial until they had a recurrence of breast cancer or died from any cause.11

PATHOLOGICAL COMPLETE RESPONSE

In the neoadjuvant setting, researchers can see what proportion of patients have a pathological complete response to treatment. pCR means tumors aren’t detected at the time of surgery in a trial. pCR is not a cure. It can give some information about the cancer, but may not change the treatment plan.12

Treating Metastatic Breast Cancer

Metastatic breast cancer (MBC) means the cancer has spread, or metastasized, to distant organs. People who are initially diagnosed with MBC or who have a recurrence after treatment of early breast cancer typically do not receive surgery as metastatic treatment, but they may receive other types of treatment such as traditional chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, targeted therapy or a combination of such treatments.8, 13, 14

If a person’s disease progresses during one line of treatment, they may receive another line of treatment.15

HOW MBC TREATMENTS ARE EVALUATED IN CLINICAL TRIALS

In clinical trials for MBC, researchers use certain “endpoints” to determine if there is an improvement with one treatment over another. The following endpoints are examples and not inclusive of all endpoints that researchers use.

OVERALL SURVIVAL

Researchers can measure overall survival. OS is how long a person lived after diagnosis and beginning treatment in a trial.10

PROGRESSION-FREE SURVIVAL

In MBC, researchers can measure progression-free survival. PFS is the amount of time a person lived during and after treatment without their disease progressing.16