Key Breast Cancer Research Takeaways From the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting
The 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting is taking place May 30 to June 3 in Chicago. This conference attracts thousands of people engaged in all aspects of cancer research, care, and advocacy. Breastcancer.org is reporting on the latest breast cancer news from the ASCO conference, as well as podcasting with advocates and experts.
Dr. Teplinsky discusses breast cancer research highlights
Eleonora Teplinsky, MD, head of breast and gynecologic medical oncology at the Valley-Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Center, breaks down breast cancer research for tens of thousands of followers on her social media platforms. She talked to The Breastcancer.org Podcast about the three studies presented at this year’s meeting that she found most promising and what they might mean for breast cancer treatment.
Trodelvy plus Keytruda outperforms current standard of care for some metastatic TNBC diagnoses
People diagnosed with metastatic, PD-L1-positive, triple-negative breast cancer fared better with Trodelvy (chemical name: sacituzumab govitecan-hziy) combined with Keytruda (chemical name: pembrolizumab) as a first treatment compared to those who received chemotherapy and Keytruda, according to results from the ASCENT-04/KEYNOTE-D19 trial. The treatment may replace chemo and Keytruda to become the new standard of care.
After ESR1 mutations develop, switching to camizestrant improves outcomes
The results of the SERENA-6 trial show that, if metastatic hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer develops ESR1 mutations during first hormonal therapy treatment, switching to camizestrant from an aromatase inhibitor before the cancer grows improves outcomes. Camizestrant isn’t yet FDA-approved, but the study results may lead to a new first-line treatment strategy.
Metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer may have new first treatment
Results from the DESTINY-Breast09 trial show that the combination of Enhertu (chemical name: fam-trastuzumab-deruxtecan-nxki) and Perjeta (chemical name: pertuzumab) is a better first treatment for metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer than the current standard of THP chemo.
In people with advanced-stage hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer with a PIK3CA mutation that grew during or after hormonal therapy, adding inavolisib (brand name: Itovebi) to Ibrance (chemical name: palbociclib) and Faslodex (chemical name: fulvestrant) improved overall survival by about seven months and delayed the need for chemotherapy by nearly two years. Overall survival is how long people live whether or not the cancer grows or comes back.
The findings are the latest results from the INAVO120 trial.
Adding inavolisib also improved the number of cancers that shrank by more than 30% in response to treatment, called the objective response rate, or ORR. The ORR was about 63% for cancers treated with the inavolisib combination, compared to 28% for cancers treated with only Ibrance and Faslodex.
Nicholas Turner, MD, PhD, FMedSci, of London’s Royal Marsden Hospital, presented the research at a media briefing before the annual meeting and said that the findings “support an inavolisib-based regimen as an emerging new standard of care that helps people live longer, as well as substantially improv[es] how long treatment works.”
New oral SERD beats Faslodex for metastatic HR-positive breast cancer with ESR1 mutation
Vepdegestant is a new type of hormonal therapy called a PROTAC SERD. The VERITAC-2 trial compared vepdegestrant to Faslodex (chemical name: fulvestrant) for metastatic, hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer with an ESR1 mutation that had grown during treatment. People who took vepdegestrant had better progression-free survival than those who received Faslodex. Read more about the VERITAC-2 study.
Elinzanetant eases hot flashes in women taking hormonal therapy
The OASIS-4 study has shown that elinzanetant — a non-hormonal drug for hot flashes that’s currently pending FDA approval — reduces the number of hot flashes in women taking tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor to treat or reduce the risk of breast cancer. Results from the OASIS-1 and OASIS-2 studies had previously shown that the medicine could treat hot flashes in women who had gone through menopause. Elinzanetant, a neurokinin receptor antagonist, works by blocking some of the activity of cells in the brain that trigger hot flashes when estrogen levels are low. It works in a slightly different way from Veozah, another medicine used to ease hot flashes, and researchers think it may be less likely to cause liver problems.
Expert advice on managing hormonal therapy side effects
Hope Rugo, MD, world-renowned breast cancer expert and division chief of breast medical oncology and professor of medical oncology and therapeutics research at City of Hope, discussed some of the most troubling hormonal therapy side effects and offered tips on how to manage them on The Breastcancer.org Podcast.
Vaginal estrogen linked to better survival among women with breast cancer
Women diagnosed with early-stage hormone receptor-positive breast cancer are often prescribed five to 10 years of hormonal therapy after surgery to reduce the risk of recurrence (the cancer coming back). But hormonal therapy can cause a number of troubling side effects, including genitourinary syndrome of menopause, vaginal dryness, and painful sex. Vaginal estrogen can treat these conditions, but — even though studies show that the amount of estrogen the body takes in from vaginal treatment is tiny — some doctors have worried that the estrogen could increase the risk of recurrence.
The results of a large study suggests that vaginal estrogen seems safe and may offer benefits beyond treating sexual side effects. Women with a history of breast cancer who used vaginal estrogen had better overall survival and better breast cancer-specific survival (how many women didn’t die from breast cancer) than women who didn’t. Among women who used vaginal estrogen, those who used it for more than seven years had better survival than those who used it for shorter periods.
Exercise and cancer care: Making movement part of every treatment plan
Kathryn Schmitz, PhD, MPH, studies cancer and exercise and is interim director of the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. She spoke with The Breastcancer.org Podcast about how doctors are working to integrate exercise into every cancer treatment plan.
Oral paclitaxel seems just as effective as IV version
Paclitaxel in pill form offered the same benefits as IV paclitaxel and was less likely to cause neuropathy in people with metastatic or recurrent breast cancer, according to a study.
After about three years of follow-up, progression-free survival and overall survival were similar for the 549 people in the trial, no matter which version of paclitaxel they received.
While rates of most side effects were also similar for both forms of the medicine, people who took oral paclitaxel had lower rates of neuropathy (38% for the oral medicine and 48% for the IV infusion).
Resources and advice for people facing financial issues
People diagnosed with breast cancer may face more financial problems than people with other types of cancer. Fumiko Chino, MD, radiation oncologist at MD Anderson, spoke to The Breastcancer.org Podcast about strategies and resources people can use to get back on their feet.
Financial Toxicity and Breast Cancer: How Doctors Can Help
Jun 3, 2025New data on breast cancer in transgender and nonbinary people
New data has emerged from the first analysis of information on “transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse" (TGD) people who were treated for breast cancer at cancer centers around the country. The analysis compared 112 TGD people to people with breast cancer in the national SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program) database; the SEER database includes most breast cancer cases in the country but has limited data on gender-diverse people.
The new analysis found that the TGC group:
are younger
include a higher proportion of people assigned male at birth
are more likely to have a BRCA mutation
According to the researchers, the results suggest earlier screening could benefit high-risk TGD people, regardless of the sex they were assigned at birth.
Eating a lot of red meat linked to dying from breast cancer
A diet high in red meat — meaning a woman ate more than 70 grams (about 2.5 ounces) per day — was the leading risk factor associated with dying from breast cancer in both older and younger women, according to an analysis of the Global Burden of Disease database.
“If you were to implement one change, I would recommend [eating less red meat],” said Dr. Samantha El Warrak, a hematology/oncology fellow at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, who presented the results. She talks about the results and other lifestyle risk factors on The Breastcancer.org Podcast.
Lifestyle Risk Factors and Breast Cancer Mortality
May 27, 2025Enhertu, Kadcyla seem less effective in Black people with breast cancer
Although antibody-drug conjugates have improved survival for people diagnosed with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer, survival benefits vary by race and ethnicity, according to results from a study of nearly 7,500 people.
After five years of follow-up after treatment with either Enhertu (chemical name: fam-trastuzumab-deruxtecan-nxki) or Kadcyla (chemical name: T-DM1 or ado-trastuzumab emtansine), overall survival rates were:
90% in Asian people
88% in Hispanic white people
85% in non-Hispanic white people
81% in Black people
The reasons for these differences weren't clear and the researchers want to do more research.
This content is made possible by AstraZeneca, Daiichi Sankyo, and Lilly.
— Last updated on July 30, 2025 at 3:32 PM