Stories about breast cancer that can inspire and inform

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Highlights From ESMO 2023

Scientists and doctors from around the world recently gathered for the 2023 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress, which took place Oct. 20-24 in Madrid, Spain. Here, researchers present their latest findings that have the potential to change the standard of care for patients here in the United States. This year’s meeting was full of exciting news for breast cancer. 

New Komen Researcher Dr. Erika Crosby is Seeking New Immunotherapy Benefits for Obese Women with TNBC 

Through her new Komen-funded study, Komen researcher Erika Crosby, Ph.D., is hoping to answer these questions, with a goal of improving treatment outcomes for obese women with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), especially Black women. Dr. Crosby, who is an assistant professor at Duke University and an immunologist, is dedicated to improving the effectiveness of immunotherapies and ensuring breast cancer research is representative and beneficial to all.  

Amplifying Voices and Bridging Inequities: Marian Johnson-Thompson’s Breast Cancer Advocacy Journey

In the collective effort to create a world free from breast cancer, every story, every experience and every voice matters. One such voice that has been pivotal in shaping the narrative and enhancing awareness about breast cancer inequities is that of Marian Johnson-Thompson, Ph.D.

Breast Cancer Breakthroughs Episode 5: Moving the Needle for HER2+ Breast Cancer 

Since the approval of the first therapy targeting the HER2 protein in 1998, outcomes for people with an aggressive type of breast cancer, called HER2-positive, have improved dramatically. While there are now eight approved drugs that target HER2, the disease can still outsmart each of them over time. Because of this, there is still work to be done. 

Dr. Bryan Schneider is Reducing Treatment Disparities for Black Breast Cancer Patients

Breast cancer is a devastating disease, but even more so for the Black community. Black women in the U.S. are more likely to die from breast cancer than white women due to many complex factors. They are also underrepresented in clinical trials, which among many other things, test and evaluate the effectiveness and side effects of breast cancer treatments.

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‘Research is Saving My Life’: Sheila Johnson Knows the Power of Sharing Data

For anyone in the scientific community, it’s evident that research is the cornerstone to discovery. But the value of research isn’t just measured in breakthroughs or publications. For individuals like Sheila Johnson, it’s about lives saved, extended and improved. Sheila is more than just an advocate in the breast cancer community. She has been living with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) for 13 years. In Sheila’s own words: “I believe that research is saving my life.”

Illuminating the Path Ahead: The Future of Diagnostic Imaging in Breast Cancer

The progress in how breast cancer is diagnosed and treated is due in no small part to the dedication of scientists, doctors and advocates worldwide, all committed to a future without breast cancer. In particular, the remarkable research conducted by David Mankoff, Ph.D., M.D., is opening a new understanding of diagnostic imaging for breast cancer.

Breast Cancer Breakthroughs Episode 4: Unmet Needs in TNBC

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is one of the most aggressive and complex types of breast cancer to treat. Because TNBC lacks the estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and HER2, it cannot be treated with targeted therapies that work for other breast cancer types. While the prognosis for TNBC is slowly improving, patients with TNBC are in critical need of better treatment options.  

New Komen ASPIRE Grantee Briana Banks is Building a Bridge to Eliminate Breast Cancer Disparities for Black Women

Adolescence is a critical time of physical and psychological development for young women and is also the time when breast tissue develops. While research has shown that environmental and genetic factors can increase the risk of breast cancer, little is known about how psychosocial stress experienced during puberty may also influence breast cancer risk.