Doctors & Patients on Clinical Trials

bctt on June 2, 2019

Many people diagnosed with cancer never consider entering a clinical trial. Yet clinical trials provide unique opportunities to receive high-quality care while contributing to the research that is necessary to determine the effectiveness of new cancer treatments. Hearing patients’ and doctors’ personal opinions and experiences can help you think about whether and when to consider a clinical trial as part of your cancer care. Below you can:

Watch the Cancer Support Community’s “In Their Own Words.” In this video series, doctors and people living with cancer discuss their experiences with cancer clinical trials.

Watch the Cancer Support Community’s “A Story of Hope,” which includes a range of cancer patients talking about the decisions they faced when considering whether and when to enter a clinical trial.

Read an interview with a breast cancer advocate conducted with an oncologist about how clinicians learn about clinical trials.

Watch an ACT video that includes doctors talking about what patients need to know about clinical trials.

Genomic Testing: What Makes Your Tumor Grow?

bctt on June 2, 2019

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved two tests to identify genetic alterations in tumors. These tests, which are done on a tumor sample, look for hundreds of known genetic mutations and alterations linked to cancer. The results can potentially be used to make treatment decisions.

Genomic tumor testing is currently not the standard of care for breast cancer patients–but one day it might be. Below you can read about the two tests.

MBC Facebook Groups

bctt on June 2, 2019

Facebook groups make it possible to interact with and get support from other individuals who are living with metastatic breast cancer.

Below you will find a list of some of the larger and more active groups. Please let us know about any other groups you belong to. We will add them to our list.

Treatment Guidelines for Metastatic Breast Cancer

bctt on June 2, 2019

A number of organizations bring together panels of experts to develop treatment guidelines for metastatic breast cancer and other forms of cancer. These guidelines can provide a roadmap and touchstone for making treatment decisions.

Below you will find treatment guidelines for metastatic breast cancer developed by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, UpToDate, European Society for Medical Oncology, National Cancer Institute, and American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Metastatic Breast Cancer Blogs

bctt on May 1, 2019

Many women and men have chosen to blog about what it is like to live with metastatic breast cancer. These blogs below are by women currently writing about their experiences. Have others you think we should add to our list? Please email us!

Why the Phase of a Clinical Trial Matters

bctt on May 1, 2019

There’s often a lot of information to review when you are considering whether to enroll in a clinical trial. One of the most important is the phase of the clinical trial. Knowing the phase will give you insight into the focus of the trial: safety and dosage, effectiveness and short- and long-term side effects.

Learn more about the phases of a clinical trial in these articles:

Metastatic Trial Search tip: You can search by trial phase on Metastatic Trial Search

Planning Ahead: Advance Care Plans

bctt on May 1, 2019

Advance care planning is a way to make sure that your family and your health care team know what you want if you are unable to make medical decisions on your own.

The radio show, articles, and materials below provide important information and resources on how to develop an advance care plan.

First Immunotherapy Approved for MBC

bctt on April 1, 2019

Immunotherapies use the body’s immune system to fight cancer. In March, for the first time, the FDA approved an immunotherapy drug as a first-line treatment for metastatic breast cancer.

The drug, Tecentriq® (Atezolizumab), is a type of immunotherapy called a PD-L1 inhibitor. It had already been approved for other types of cancers. The new approval is for treating locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer that tests positive for PD-L1 when given along with the chemotherapy drug Abraxane® (nab-paclitaxel). The approval is based on progression-free survival data from the ongoing randomized, phase 3 IMpassion130 study (no longer recruiting as of April 1st, 2019).

In the links below you will find more information about the study findings that led to the drug’s approval.

There is one other immunotherapy that might be an option for a small number of metastatic breast cancer patients. It is the drug Keytruda® (Pembrolizumab), which was approved in May 2017 for patients with any type of metastatic solid tumor that is microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or has mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) and has progressed on other treatment. You can learn more about this approval here.

Video Portraits of MBC

bctt on April 1, 2019

Many people have found that video provides a unique way to share their personal experiences with cancer. Below you can find links to stories women and men have shared about their experiences with metastatic breast cancer.

Coordinating Support for You and Your Family

bctt on April 1, 2019

It’s not often easy to ask for help. But there are times when metastatic breast cancer patients and their families can greatly benefit from the help of others.

These programs make it easy for you or a family member or friend to allow your community to rally and support you in the ways that you need.