Antibody-Drug Conjugates in Triple Negative Breast Cancer.

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) accounts for 15%-20% of all breast cancer. It is a heterogeneous breast cancer subtype with a poor prognosis. Given these negative features, there is a need for new treatment options beyond conventional chemotherapy in both the early stage and palliative setting.

Trop-2 as a Therapeutic Target in Breast Cancer.

The emergence of Trop-2 as a therapeutic target has given rise to new treatment paradigms for the treatment of patients with advanced and metastatic breast cancer. Trop-2 is most highly expressed in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), but the receptor is found across all breast cancer subtypes. With sacituzumab govitecan, the first FDA-approved, Trop-2 inhibitor, providing a survival benefit in patients with both metastatic TNBC and hormone receptor positive breast cancer, additional Trop-2 directed therapies are under investigation.

When the World Throws You a Curve Ball: Lessons Learned in Breast Cancer Management.

In the care of patients with operable breast cancer, there has been a shift toward increasing use of neoadjuvant therapy. There are benefits to neoadjuvant therapy, such as monitoring for response, as well as an increased rate of breast conservation and reduction of potential morbidity associated with breast surgery, including axillary management. Among patients with highly proliferative tumors, such as HER2-positive or triple-negative breast cancer, those with residual disease are at higher risk of recurrence, which informs the recommended systemic therapy in the adjuvant setting.

Outcomes of patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma treated with induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiation compared with those treated with concurrent chemoradiation.

Background: Induction chemotherapy (IC) has been associated with a decreased risk of distant metastasis in locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. However, its role in the treatment of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) is not well established.

Methods: The outcomes of patients with OPSCC treated with IC followed by concurrent chemoradiation (CRT) were compared with the outcomes of those treated with CRT alone.

Subjective functional outcomes in oropharyngeal cancer treated with induction chemotherapy using the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI).

Objectives: Evaluate the use of induction chemotherapy (IC) in oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) and its impact on subjective functional outcomes using a validated MD Anderson Symptom Inventory-Head and Neck (MDASI-HN) survey tool.

Methods: A single institution retrospective review of OPC patients who received IC, including reasons given for using IC, regimens employed, responses, and patient-reported outcomes (PRO). The latter included pain, distress, dysphagia, xerostomia, and feeding tube placement and dependency.

Unique Patterns of Distant Metastases in HPV-Positive Head and Neck Cancer.

Background: HPV-positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HPV+ HNSCC) demonstrates favorable outcomes compared to HPV-negative SCC, but distant metastases (DM) still occur. The pattern of DM in HPV+ HNSCC is unclear.

Methods: 1,494 HNSCC patients were treated from 2006 to 2012.