Post-Neoadjuvant Treatment Strategies for Patients with Early Breast Cancer

Abstract

Pre-surgical treatments in patients with early breast cancer allows a direct estimation of treatment efficacy, by comparing the tumor and the treatment. Patients who achieve a pathological complete response at surgery have a better prognosis, with lower risk of disease recurrence and death. Hence, clinical research efforts have been focusing on high-risk patients with residual disease at surgery, who may be “salvaged” through additional treatments administered in the post-neoadjuvant setting. In the present review, we aim to illustrate the development and advantages of the post-neoadjuvant setting, and to discuss the available strategies for patients with early breast cancer, either approved or under investigation. This review was written after literature search on main scientific databases (e.g., PubMed) and conference proceedings from major oncology conferences up to 1 August 2022. T-DM1 and capecitabine are currently approved as post-neoadjuvant treatments for patients with HER2-positive and triple-negative breast cancer, respectively, with residual disease at surgery. More recently, other treatment strategies have been approved for patients with high-risk early breast cancer, including the immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab, the PARP inhibitor olaparib and the CDK 4/6 inhibitor abemaciclib. Novel agents and treatment combinations are currently under investigation as promising post-neoadjuvant treatment strategies.

Insights Into the Patient Experience of Hormone Therapy for Early Breast Cancer Treatment Using Patient Forum Discussions and Natural Language Processing

“…1 Around 65% of female BC cases are diagnosed at the local stage, which is potentially curable with standard locoregional and systemic treatments. 1,2 Standard treatment of early breast cancer (eBC) includes surgery with neoadjuvant and/or adjuvant chemotherapy in combination with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)targeted therapy and/or hormone therapy (HT) depending on the molecular status of the disease. 3,4 Data show that 70%-80% of all BCs are estrogen receptor-and/or progesterone receptor-positive and, therefore, are likely to respond to HT.…”

Bibliometric analysis and visualization of endocrine therapy for breast cancer research in the last two decade

“…Breast cancer stands as one of the most prevalent and lifethreatening diseases affecting women worldwide (1). Its complex nature and the diverse range of factors contributing to its development have fueled extensive research efforts to uncover effective treatment strategies (2)(3)(4). Among these, endocrine therapy has emerged as a pivotal method, offering new hope to countless breast cancer patients (5,6).…”