Month: December 2024

Among breast cancer subtypes, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has long been a clinical challenge due to its high malignancy and poor prognosis. Traditional therapies for advanced TNBC often yield suboptimal results, but the rise of immunotherapy has brought new hope to patients.

On December 6, CAHON brought together a distinguished group of hematology and oncology experts at The University Club Atop Symphony Tower in San Diego, CA. The symposium was a celebration of collaboration, innovation, and mentorship.

The 47th San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), held from December 10–13, 2024, in San Antonio, USA, showcased the latest research, clinical practices, and technological innovations in breast cancer. In this special installment of the “Highlights Series,” hosted by Prof. Yongmei Yin of Jiangsu Provincial People’s Hospital, Prof. Qiang Liu from the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital joins us live from SABCS to present significant immunotherapy findings unveiled on the final day of the conference (December 13). These include updates on the ZEST, CamRelief, NSABP B-59/GBG-96-GeparDouze, A-BRAVE, and BreastImmune-03 studies for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), as well as insights into HER2-positive breast cancer from the NRG-BR004 and neoHIP trials.

To advance the standard of care for gastrointestinal cancers in China and share the latest developments and insights, the "2024 CSCO Workshop on Standardized Diagnosis and Treatment of Gastrointestinal Cancers," co-hosted by the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO), the Beijing Xisike Clinical Oncology Research Foundation, and the Hangzhou Oriental Clinical Oncology Research Center, took place in Shanghai from August 17–18, 2024.

With the global aging population, treatment strategies for breast cancer patients over 70 years old have garnered increasing attention. At the 2024 SABCS conference, a patient-level meta-analysis conducted by the Early Breast Cancer Trialists' Collaborative Group (EBCTCG) addressed the impact of immediate versus delayed surgery on outcomes in operable breast cancer patients aged 70+ (Abstract No.: LB1-01). The study highlighted that, for operable breast cancer patients over 70 who did not receive radiotherapy, immediate surgery significantly reduced local recurrence rates and positively influenced long-term survival. This research not only provides robust evidence for treatment decision-making in elderly breast cancer patients but also prompts a reevaluation of therapeutic strategies for this population. Oncology Frontier invited Dr. Baoliang Guo from The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University to provide insightful commentary on this study.

Advances in medical oncology for breast cancer are reshaping the approach to drug dosing and regimen design. Traditional chemotherapy development relied heavily on identifying the maximum tolerated dose (MTD)—the highest dose patients could endure without severe side effects. However, the focus in modern drug development, particularly for molecular targeted therapies, is shifting toward individualized dose optimization strategies. On December 10 (Tuesday) from 2:00 to 3:45 PM (CST), experts at the 2024 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium delved into these strategies during the "Clinical Symposium on Dose Optimization in Breast Oncology."

From December 6–8, 2024, the ESMO Asia Annual Meeting was held in Singapore, presenting groundbreaking research in oncology. Among the key highlights was the DESTINY-Gastric06 (DG06) study, which sparked extensive discussion. Oncology Frontier invited Prof. Zhi Peng, a leading researcher and specialist from Peking University Cancer Hospital, to share the latest findings from the DG06 study and insights into the role and future potential of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) in cancer treatment.