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10 things you need to know for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual educational and fundraising campaign targeting the second leading cause of cancer death among women.

Organizations, clinicians, cancer survivors and patients, and family members are coming together this month to support early detection of breast cancer, share stories of those affected by the disease, and raise money for treatment and research.

In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, HemOnc Today has compiled a list of 10 updates on topics impacting people with breast cancer, including breast reconstruction, financial toxicity and treatment.

• Inviting women to mammography screenings may reduce breast cancer mortality by up to 20%. However, the reduction appeared limited to women who could benefit from screening. READ MORE.
• Women with breast cancer faced significant financial hardships and wished their doctors had discussed and considered costs before initiating treatment. READ MORE.
• Postmenopausal women who lost weight over 3 years demonstrated a 12% decreased risk for breast cancer compared with women whose weight remained stable. READ MORE.
• The percentage of patients with breast cancer who receive their diagnosis over the telephone has increased considerably in the past decade. About two-thirds of survey respondents diagnosed with breast cancer from 2013 to 2017 received their diagnosis by phone. READ MORE.
• Atezolizumab (Tecentriq, Genentech) monotherapy appeared safe and provided durable clinical benefit among patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. Researchers observed the most significant survival benefit among women who received atezolizumab as first-line therapy, and among those with higher levels of tumor-infiltrating immune cells and PD-L1-positive immune cells. READ MORE.
• Women who underwent autologous fat transfer for reconstruction after breast cancer surgery did not appear at increased risk for locoregional or distant recurrence. Fat transfer reconstruction also was associated with lower mortality rates than conventional breast reconstruction. READ MORE.
• An online prognostic tool accurately determined the risk for late distant recurrence among women with ER-positive breast cancer. The Clinical Treatment Score post-5 years tool could be used to determine whether patients should continue endocrine therapy 5 years after initial treatment. READ MORE.
• More than half of a small cohort of women with early-stage, BRCA-positive breast cancer who received talazoparib (BMN-673; Pfizer) — an oral poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor — once daily before surgery exhibited no evidence of disease at time of surgery. READ MORE.
• Female nursing home patients who underwent breast cancer surgery experienced significant functional decline and high rates of 1-year mortality. READ MORE.
• Whole-exome sequencing identified MSH6 and ATM as possible moderate-risk predisposition genes for breast cancer. READ MORE.