Telemedicine in Clinical Trials

bctt on June 4, 2020

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June 2020

Telemedicine in Clinical Trials

COVID-19 brought telemedicine, sometimes called telehealth, to the forefront of healthcare. But it’s been available in some health practices for several years.

“Telemedicine” is the practice of seeing your doctors virtually from wherever you are. During the pandemic, many doctors switched to “seeing” patients by phone or video chat, as long as the patient’s needs could be met. Less certain was how telemedicine could be used to keep monitoring people enrolled in clinical trials.

Below, you’ll find resources that discuss how telemedicine may be used in drug trials, and how it might lead to faster, more efficient, and more diverse trials. You’ll also find a link to listen to an expert discuss how telemedicine may be the future of clinical trials.

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Recent FDA Approvals for Metastatic Breast Cancer

bctt on June 4, 2020

June 2020

Recent FDA Approvals for Metastatic Breast Cancer

For the past two months, Metastatic Trial Talk brought you the latest about cancer and COVID-19. But while the world focused on coping with the pandemic, the Food and Drug Administration kept drug approvals moving. It approved in April two new medicines for metastatic breast cancer: tucatinib (Tukysa®), for HER2-positive disease, and sacituzumab govetican (Trodelvy®), for triple-negative disease.

Below, read about the FDA approval of each new medicine, who might benefit the most, how the treatments are given and what side effects each may cause. In addition, you’ll find information on the approval of a third drug, trastuzumab deruxtican (Enhertu®), announced in late December.

Tucatinib (Tukysa®)
Sacituzumab govetican (Trodelvy®)
Trastuzumab deruxtican (Enhertu®)
Relevant Topics on Metastatic Trial Talk (MTT)

What is a Patient Navigator?

bctt on June 1, 2020

Patient navigators, sometimes called patient advocates, are trained to support you throughout your cancer care. Navigators offer a broad spectrum of support, from helping you sort through health insurance forms to coordinating care with your doctors. Often they’re social workers or nurses, but advocates without oncology backgrounds can also get certification. Hospitals and cancer centers have been offering patient navigation programs since the early 1990s — but their popularity is on the rise, largely due to research that shows navigation helps more patients access the care they need, when they need it.

Below you’ll find information on what patient navigators do and their value in cancer care. If you’re interested in a patient navigator supporting you throughout your care, contact your cancer care center to find out if they have navigators available. If they don’t, see the American Cancer Society link below for ways to find a patient navigator.

Find Trials That Are Right For You

bctt on June 1, 2020

Metastatic Trial Search (MTS) is a clinical trial search tool designed specifically for patients with metastatic breast cancer. The patient-friendly trial search interface and trial summary make it easy for you to find a clinical trial and understand what researchers are studying, why, and who can take part. To make it even easier for you, we recently added a new feature to MTS that enables you to narrow your search results by different trial types. Try it now!

It is available on 23 breast cancer advocacy websites so you can use MTS on your favorite community website. This month we highlight MTS on Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance.

 

Our Partners

Our partner organizations share our commitment to helping metastatic breast cancer patients learn about and participate in clinical trials. They host Metastatic Trial Search on their websites, provide content for Metastatic Trial Talk, and provide valuable feedback for continuous quality improvement. We are proud to work with the following organizations:
 

 

 

 

Managing Anxiety

bctt on June 1, 2020

Anxiety is a common part of living with metastatic breast cancer. If you find yourself feeling more stressed than normal, you’re not alone. Plus, you’re living with MBC in the midst of unpredictable transitions related to COVID-19.

Below, listen to a podcast on managing loneliness and anxiety when you may not be near your friends and family, or watch a video on anxiety and depression after a diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer. If you’re feeling anxious, you’ll find links with tips for coping with anxiety.

The Tumor Microenvironment

bctt on March 3, 2020

Scientists have discovered that the microenvironment–the cells that surround a tumor–plays a role in both how tumors grow and how they respond to treatment. Researchers also think that certain treatments, like immune checkpoint inhibitors, work in part because of the effect they have on the tumor’s microenvironment.

Below you will find articles and video presentations that discuss the microenvironment, different avenues of tumor microenvironment research scientists are pursuing, and clinical trials listed on BreastCancerTrials.org studying a treatment’s affect on a tumor’s microenvironment.

Tumor microenvironment
Tumor microenvironment and MBC
Tumor microenvironment related clinical trials

Komen LA MBC Conference

bctt on March 3, 2020

Komen LA held its 7th annual MBC Conference “Creating Change One Community After Another” on Jan. 4, 2020, at the City of Hope in Duarte. To reach as many people with MBC as possible, the conference was livestreamed in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean. MTT’s Elly Cohen was invited to speak about metastatic breast cancer clinical trials on the panel Access to Care. You can watch her talk and the full panel discussion on Komen LA’s Facebook page. There you will also find links to other conference panels that addressed topics ranging from legal and financial issues and palliative care to the benefits of advocacy.

Black Women Facing Breast Cancer

bctt on March 3, 2020

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Black women. It is estimated that 6,540 Black women died from breast cancer in 2019.

Below are a list of organizations that provide support and information specifically for Black women.

Do You Know Your Rights as a Cancer Patient?

bctt on March 3, 2020

All cancer patients have certain rights. Some are guaranteed by federal law. Your state may have additional laws it has added to further protect patients. Your health care providers may also post their own patient bill of rights. There also are Bills of Rights that pertain specifically to people participating in clinical trials.

Below are some of the Bills of Rights that protect you as a patient. We’ve also included a Bill of Rights developed for Caregivers. In various ways, they all underscore the same key point: Cancer patients are not and should never be made to feel powerless. Your care should be centered on your needs, not the needs of your health care providers.

What is Your Tumor’s Mutation Burden?

bctt on February 1, 2020

The term “tumor mutation burden” refers to the number of mutations, or changes, seen in the DNA of your cancer cells. It is now one of the biomarkers used to determine cancer treatments. Studies suggest that tumors with a high number of mutations may be more likely to respond to a type of immunotherapy called a checkpoint inhibitor.

Below you can read more about how researchers are using tumor mutation burden to determine which treatments might be best for which patients. You will also find articles specific to studies that have looked at the relationship between tumor mutation burden and treatment outcomes in patients with metastatic breast cancer.