Guiding Patients With Metastatic Breast Cancer on Treatment Choices

Dr. Masey Ross helps patients with metastatic breast cancer understand their treatment options.

At a recent CURE Educated Patient® Updates event, patients with metastatic hormone receptor–positive breast cancer received guidance on how to better understand and navigate treatment decisions.

Dr. Masey Ross, medical director of Clinical Research Affiliations and Integrative Health at VCU Massey Cancer Center, spoke about how sequencing therapies and staying up to date on biomarker testing can impact care. She explained that treatment planning considers a patient's history, prior therapies and current information about the cancer itself, including hormone receptor status and any targetable mutations identified through next-generation sequencing.

The event also highlighted emerging treatment options and clinical trials. Ross encouraged patients to ask their care teams about antibody-drug conjugates and to explore whether additional biomarker testing could expand their options in later lines of therapy.

CURE: Could you please provide a general overview of the event and some key highlights?

Ross: The general overview would be that it was an educational event for patients, focused on the sequencing of therapies for metastatic hormone receptor–positive breast cancer. It highlighted important aspects patients should discuss with their oncologist when thinking about next steps in treatment planning.

What aspects of biomarker testing are important for patients with breast cancer to know, and what questions should they be asking their care team?

I think it’s important to consider biomarker testing each time we’re selecting a new therapy. As an oncologist, we’re considering a lot of different factors, including patient history and prior experiences with therapies, but also making sure we have the most up-to-date information about the cancer cells themselves. That includes the phenotype — like ER, PR, and HER2—but also using next-generation sequencing (NGS) to look for any targetable biomarkers that might open up additional treatment options.

Why do you feel events like this, or other education is important for patients when it comes to decision-making?

I think the more information, the better. This event opened up a really good forum for patients to come together and ask questions. They were also able to connect with one another and share their experiences. It was kind of nice seeing our own patients talk and support one another during the event.

How do you feel like quality of life should play a role when discussing treatment with your physician?

Quality of life is extremely important when thinking about treatment for metastatic breast cancer. You have to balance it with treatment goals, especially since many of these therapies are given indefinitely. We want people to feel well and be able to spend time doing what they want, while still controlling their cancer.

Are there any trials or upcoming treatments in the pipeline that patients should be aware of for ER-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer?

Yes, there’s a lot of interest right now. We’re seeing emerging therapies for various targetable mutations, and there’s also growing interest in figuring out the best sequencing of treatments — especially for patients with multiple targetable options. Researchers are looking at which combinations to use and in what order. The goal is always to balance quality of life and treatment burden, and a lot of clinical trials are currently focused on sorting those pieces out.

What do you hope was the number one thing that patients or their loved ones took away from the CURE Educated Patient® Updates event?

Maybe we can each answer this, but I would say I hope it empowered patients to ask questions and feel like active participants in their treatment planning. I also hope it gave them some anticipatory guidance about what to expect in conversations with their medical oncologist, and a sense of hope — because there are a lot of emerging therapies, and I think those will continue to expand as research progresses.

I agree. Patients often don’t know what to ask, and I think this kind of event helps prompt those next questions. It also helps them realize that there are more options out there than what providers may initially mention.

At the event, first-line therapy and beyond was discussed. What treatments should patients be aware of or ask their physicians about?

First-line therapy is pretty well established, but second-line and beyond is where we start to see more variability and tailoring of treatment. Patients should be aware of the value of looking for targetable treatment options, utilizing next-generation sequencing, and asking about antibody-drug conjugates — several of which have recently been FDA approved in this setting.

Transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

For more news on cancer updates, research and education, don’t forget to subscribe to CURE®’s newsletters here.