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Review
. 2021 Sep 14;7(1):121.
doi: 10.1038/s41523-021-00326-5.

A common goal to CARE: Cancer Advocates, Researchers, and Clinicians Explore current treatments and clinical trials for breast cancer brain metastases

Natalie S Joe  1   2 , Christine Hodgdon  3 , Lianne Kraemer, Kristin J Redmond  4 , Vered Stearns  1   3 , Daniele M Gilkes  5   6   7   8
Affiliations
Review

A common goal to CARE: Cancer Advocates, Researchers, and Clinicians Explore current treatments and clinical trials for breast cancer brain metastases

Natalie S Joe et al. NPJ Breast Cancer. .

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women worldwide. Approximately one-tenth of all patients with advanced breast cancer develop brain metastases resulting in an overall survival rate of fewer than 2 years. The challenges lie in developing new approaches to treat, monitor, and prevent breast cancer brain metastasis (BCBM). This review will provide an overview of BCBM from the integrated perspective of clinicians, researchers, and patient advocates. We will summarize the current management of BCBM, including diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring. We will highlight ongoing translational research for BCBM, including clinical trials and improved detection methods that can become the mainstay for BCBM treatment if they demonstrate efficacy. We will discuss preclinical BCBM research that focuses on the intrinsic properties of breast cancer cells and the influence of the brain microenvironment. Finally, we will spotlight emerging studies and future research needs to improve survival outcomes and preserve the quality of life for patients with BCBM.

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Conflict of interest statement

V.S. has received research grants to JHU from Abbvie, Biocept, Pfizer, Novartis, and Puma Biotechnology and is a member of the Data Safety Monitoring Board at Immunomedics, Inc. K.R. has received travel expenses from Brainlab, Accuray, and Elekta, research funding from Accuracy and Elekta, honorariums from Elekta and NCCN, and is a member of the Data Safety Monitoring Board at Biomimtix. C.H. has received funding from Roche/Genentech (honoraria, consulting/advisory), Pfizer (consulting/advisory), Johns Hopkins Hospital (consulting/advisory), NIH/NCI Cancer Moonshot (consulting/advisory), and Eli Lilly (travel, accommodations, expenses). D.G., L.K., and N.J. have no conflicts to disclose.

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