Posts by Peter W. PENG

The Phase III BURAN trial, presented at the recent ESMO Congress, evaluated the PI3K inhibitor buparlisib plus paclitaxel in patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (R/M HNSCC) who had progressed after PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor therapy. The study failed to demonstrate improvements in progression-free survival (PFS) or overall survival (OS) compared with paclitaxel alone (median PFS: 4.1 months in both arms; median OS: 9.6 vs 9.7 months), despite a higher objective response rate (ORR) with the combination (30.3% vs 20.7%).

HER2-positive breast cancer was once associated with aggressive behavior and poor prognosis. However, with the rapid advancement of targeted therapies—particularly antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs)—this subtype has evolved into a highly treatable and potentially curable disease. In 2025, landmark studies across neoadjuvant, adjuvant, and metastatic settings have reshaped treatment paradigms toward greater precision and individualization. During the 2025 Yixian Breast Cancer Conference and CSCO BC South Forum, Oncology Frontier interviewed Professor Chang Gong from Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, who summarized the most impactful annual advances in HER2-positive breast cancer treatment.

Spotlight on SABCS, insights delivered live. The 48th San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) was held from December 9 to 12, 2025, in San Antonio, USA, bringing together cutting-edge research findings and clinical insights from across the global breast cancer community. To efficiently convey the highlights of the meeting, this edition of Insight Broadcast invited Professor Junjie Li from Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center as an on-site expert commentator. Focusing on neoadjuvant therapy for HER2-positive breast cancer, Professor Li provides an in-depth interpretation of the latest research advances on the use of biomarkers such as tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) to enable more precise patient selection and response prediction, while critically examining their potential, limitations, and future directions from a clinical perspective.

At the 2025 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS 2025), results were presented from a study titled “HER2CLIMB-05: A Randomized, Double-Blind Phase III Study of Tucatinib versus Placebo in Combination with Trastuzumab and Pertuzumab as Maintenance Therapy for HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer” (Abstract No. GS1-01). This study explored an intensified strategy for first-line maintenance therapy in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (HER2+ MBC). Oncology Frontier invited Professor Xiaoyun Mao from The First Hospital of China Medical University to provide a detailed overview and expert commentary on the study, with the aim of optimizing clinical decision-making.

At the 2025 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS 2025), a study based on data from the NSABP B-42 and TAILORx trials (Abstract No. RF3-07) reported the development and validation of a multimodal, multitask deep learning model (Clarity BCR). By integrating routine digital pathology images with key clinical variables, this model accurately predicts the risk of late distant recurrence (late DR) in patients with hormone receptor–positive (HR+) early breast cancer and effectively identifies those who may benefit from extended endocrine therapy (EET).

Editor’s Note: De-escalation and precision tailoring of neoadjuvant therapy have become major trends in the management of HER2-positive early breast cancer, yet accurately predicting pathological response at an early stage…