Breast cancer research aims to improve early-stage curation and enhance metastatic survival. Notably, immunotherapy and antibody-drug conjugates made substantial progress, advancing precision medicine in the field.

Metastatic breast cancer outcomes have improved with new drug incorporations, including immunotherapy, chemotherapy, CDK inhibitors, and antibody-drug conjugates. Despite survival gains, it remains incurable. Ongoing research aims to extend survival and enhance patient quality of life. Recent studies propose significant shifts in clinical practice.

In recent years, immunotherapy has shown promise in treating early triple-negative breast cancer and PD-L1-positive metastatic cases. However, challenges remain in understanding the cancer-immunity relationship, particularly as the disease progresses. Ongoing clinical trials are investigating immunotherapy’s efficacy in PD-L1-negative triple-negative breast cancer.

Additionally, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) have demonstrated remarkable activity in metastatic breast cancer, positioning them as leading treatments. In HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, TDXd has become the second-line standard of care, and HER2 status appears clear in the HER2-low population following positive results with TDXd.

The optimal sequencing of ADCs remains a key question for future research to optimize treatment strategies.

References:

1. Source: Saavedra C, Gion M, Cortés J, Llombart‐Cussac A. Top advances of the year: Breast cancer. Cancer. 2023 Apr 4.
2. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.