Investigational Breast Cancer Vaccine Plus Immune Therapy Work Well in Tandem
A vaccine for HER2-positive breast cancers that is being tested in a clinical trial at Duke Cancer Institute is part of an effective, two-drug strategy for enlisting the immune system to fight tumors, according to a Duke-led study in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
The vaccine was developed at Duke and targets the HER2 protein, which is the driver of HER2-positive breast cancer and the cause of about 20 percent of all breast cancer cases. Read at Duke Health News
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A new series from Medscape "Better with Age: Improving Breast Cancer Care in Older Adults" featuring Duke and UNC clinicians, launched in March and continues through this fall. So far three of four video episodes are available to watch. They are as follows: Episode 1: The Difference Age Makes || Episode 2: Front and Center || Episode 3: Tailoring Treatment || Episode 4: Upgrading the Assessment (coming soon). Series screenshots include: Gretchen Kimmick, MD (top right); Rebeca Shelby, PhD (bottom right); Gretchen Kimmick, MD, studies a breast image (bottom left, left); physical therapist Lisa Massa, CLT, PT, WCS (bottom left, right)
Nearly 20% of women diagnosed with breast cancer are over 75. The number is growing. Older breast cancer patients commonly pose clinical challenges, such as frailty, comorbidities, and limited functional independence. In a new four-part Medscape video podcast series, DCI breast oncologist Gretchen Kimmick, MD, DCI psychologist Rebecca Shelby, PhD, and physical therapist Lisa Massa, CLT, PT, WCS, offer some strategies for optimal treatment of geriatric cancer patients. WATCH
On September 13, the White House Cancer Moonshot program announced its support for and commitment to several new projects to "end cancer as we know it," including a new initiative led by TOUCH, the Black Breast Cancer Alliance, to bolster Black women’s breast cancer clinical trial participation by 2025 — with the goal of reaching 350,000 Black women and motivating 25,000 into trial portals.
The White House also announced a connected program, TOUCH Care, the first program to provide a nurse navigator service to assist Black breast cancer patients in clinical trials. This will include developing culturally-agile recruiting materials, training trial staff, and coaching patients. TOUCH Care is being led by TOUCH co-founder and Duke Cancer Institute patient navigator and patient navigation manager Valarie Worthy, MSN, RN, and piloted with Genentech, which will add five breast cancer clinical trials annually.
Worthy, a two-decade-plus breast cancer survivor, has been a nurse for more than 38 years and worked at Duke for the past 19 years. Her hometown is Ahoskie, in northeastern North Carolina.
VIEW White House Fact Sheet
VIEW Genentech Press Release