Physician scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute will present more than 50 research studies at the 48th annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, December 9-12. The San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium is the world's most comprehensive academic breast cancer meeting, attracting thousands of breast cancer clinicians, researchers and advocates from around the world.
Select presentations by Dana-Farber faculty include new research around improving quality of life for young women with breast cancer, new targeted therapies for metastatic breast cancer, the use of liquid biopsies to predict exceptional response to HER2 directed therapies, and encouraging results from a clinical for older adults with breast cancer.
Additionally, Dana-Farber’s Dr. Nolan Priedigkeit is the recipient of the 2025 SABCS Rising Star Award and Dr. Sara Tolaney, Chief of the Division of Breast Oncology at Dana-Farber, is the recipient of the 2025 AACR Outstanding Investigator Award for Breast Cancer Research.
Mobile Health Tool May Improve Quality of Life for Adolescent and Young Adult Breast Cancer Survivors
Dr. Ann Partridge, Founder and Director of the Program for Young Adults with Breast Cancer at Dana-Farber, will present results of a multicenter randomized controlled trial on a mobile health intervention for adolescent and young adult breast cancer survivors that offered tailored support by monitoring electronic patient-reported outcomes.
Incidence of breast cancer in women between the ages of 15 and 39 has risen on average 0.6% each year between 1975 and 2022. Recognizing a need for accessible, scalable, and self-management interventions to support adolescent and young adult breast cancer survivors, Partridge and her colleagues piloted a study for the Young, Empowered, & Strong (YES) mHealth tool to see if it would improve outcomes.
An embargoed news release is available upon request.
• Title: Randomized controlled trial of Young, Empowered & Strong (YES), an mHealth intervention for adolescent and young adult breast cancer survivors GS3-03
• Date and time: Friday, December 12, 7:15 a.m. CST at SABCS Press Program.
Consistent Benefits of evERA Breast Cancer Regimen Found in Subgroup Analysis
A subgroup analysis led by senior investigator Dr. Erica L. Mayer, Director of Breast Cancer Clinical Research at Dana-Farber, showed that the survival benefits previously reported in the phase 3 evERA Breast Cancer study were consistent across prespecified subgroups. These findings continue to support the activity of the combination of giredestrant plus everolimus in patients with ER-positive, HER-2-negative advanced breast cancer after treatment with a CDK4/6 inhibitor and endocrine therapy.
Previously reported results from the evERA trial from ESMO 2025 demonstrated that patients with estrogen-receptor (ER)-positive HER-2-negative advanced breast cancer post- CDK4/6 inhibitor experienced significantly improved progression-free survival when treated with an oral combination regimen that includes giredestrant, a next-generation selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD), plus the oral mTOR inhibitor everolimus, compared to a standard combination of endocrine therapy plus everolimus. Prespecified subgroups analyzed in the new analyses included patients whose tumors harbor PIK3CA and PI3K pathway gene mutations (PIK3CA/AKT1/PTEN), and those with varying durations of prior CDK4/6 inhibitor therapy.
Results showed a consistent and significant improvement in progression-free survival in all subgroups analyzed, in both the intention to treat population and in those with ESR1 mutations in their tumor.
• Title GS3-09: Clinical and biomarker subgroup analysis of evERA Breast Cancer: A Phase III trial of giredestrant plus everolimus in patients with estrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer previously treated with a CDK4/6 inhibitor
• Date and time: Friday, December 12, 9 a.m. CST
Palbociclib may help delay or prevent brain metastases in HER2+/HR+ metastatic breast cancer, according to PATINA trial
A planned secondary analysis of data from the PATINA trial presented by Dr. Otto Metzger, a physician-scientist at Dana-Farber, showed that adding palbociclib, a CDK4/6 inhibitor, to standard post-treatment maintenance therapy for HER2-positive, HR-positive metastatic breast cancer could help prevent or delay the occurrence or progression of brain metastases. Patients who received added palbociclib had lower cumulative incidence of metastases in the central nervous system than those receiving standard of care. Among patients who had no known central nervous system metastases at baseline, the cumulative incidence of CNS metastases or death at 36 months was 13% with palbociclib and 19.2% in the control arm.
The PATINA phase III study results showed improved progression free survival with palbociclib added to standard maintenance therapy with anti-HER2 and endocrine therapy. Brain metastases are of particular concern for this patient group. The findings of this secondary analysis suggest that palbociclib may delay or prevent CNS disease relapase in HR+/HER2+ metastatic breast cancer, warranting validation in subsequent studies.
• Title: Central Nervous system Outcomes from the Phase III PATINA Trial (AFT-38)
• Date and time: Rapid Fire 4 Thursday, December 11, 4:30 p.m. CST
Older, high-risk patients with HER2+ breast cancer benefit from Adjuvant Ado-Trastuzumab Emtansine (T-DM1)
Older patients with HER2+ breast cancer receiving adjuvant ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) – an antibody-drug conjugate – had a favorable five-year invasive disease-free survival and manageable toxicity, according to a new study led by senior investigator Dr. Rachel Freedman, medical oncologist and clinical researcher in the Breast Oncology Center at Dana-Farber. The phase II trial, called ATOP, studied patients aged 60 and older with stage 1-2 HER2+ breast cancer who either declined standard adjuvant therapy or were not candidates for standard treatment by their physician. This is the first-ever US-based adjuvant trial for older patients with HER2+ breast cancer, a group for which there are limited data.
The team enrolled 111 patients at a median age of 71 where 69.4% had stage 1, 26.1% had stage 2, and 4.5% had stage 3 of the disease who received T-DM1 every 21 days for one year. After a median follow-up of 4.9 years, invasive disease-free survival was 91.2%, overall survival was 96.1%, and invasive breast cancer-free survival was 94.1%. Results were consistent across all stages of disease represented in this population. Additional findings also suggested with only 3 distant recurrences and 2 breast cancer-related deaths observed.
• Title: Adjuvant Ado-Trastuzumab Emtansine (T-DM1) for Older Patients with HER2+ Breast Cancer – Results from the ATOP Study
• Date and time: Thursday, December 11, 12:30 p.m. CST
Ultrasensitive Liquid Biopsies Predict Exceptional Responses in Patients with HER2+ Metastatic Breast Cancer
Ultrasensitive detection of minimal residual disease (MRD) using circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) can help predict the duration of response to first-line HER2 targeted therapy in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, according to a study presented by Dr. Stefania Morganti, a Dana-Farber research fellow. This first-of-its-kind data supports the role of tracking minimal residual disease using ultrasensitive liquid biopsy assays to predict exceptional responses that last more than three years. The approach could be used to guide de-escalation of therapy or treatment breaks in prospective clinical trials.
The study analyzed data and plasma samples from 63 patients with HER2-positive breast cancer who were treated with first-line HER2 targeted therapy and enrolled in the EMBRACE research cohort. Samples were analyzed using an ultrasensitive whole-genome, tumor-informed assay called MAESTRO. All exceptional responders who remained progression-free for three or more years were MRD-negative 1 year after treatment start, whereas 75% of patients who progressed within 3 years from treatment start were MRD-positive at the 1-year timepoint. First generation, tumor-informed minimal residual disease tests would have missed ~30% of positive samples, suggesting that ultrasensitive tracking is necessary to make accurate predictions.
• Title: Ultrasensitive ctDNA Tracking Predicts Exceptional Response in HER2+ Metastatic Breast Cancer (PS5-11)
• Presenter: Dr. Stefania Morganti
• Date and time: Thursday, December 11, 7 a.m. CST
2025 SABCS Rising Star Award / Oral Presentation - Awardee: Dr. Nolan Priedigkeit
• Title: Repurposing driver and clonal fusion RNAs as therapeutic vulnerabilities with a programmable nucleic acid sensing system.
• Date and time: Tuesday, December 9, 4:15 p.m. CST
2025 AACR Outstanding Investigator Award for Breast Cancer Research Awardee/Presenter: Dr. Sara Tolaney
• Date and time: Friday, December 12, 1:30 p.m. CST