International Conference Features UCSF Breast Cancer Experts

Breast cancer experts from UCSF Health will present new research and clinical findings at the annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, the world’s largest and most prestigious breast cancer conference. This year’s meeting will be held Dec. 10–13, 2024.

Combining clinical, translational and basic research, the meeting brings together leading breast cancer researchers and clinicians, helping to shape clinical practices and research directions. The mission of the annual conference, which began in 1977 as a one-day regional conference, is for breast cancer research and treatment experts to share the latest information about the biology, etiology, prevention, diagnosis and therapy of breast cancer and premalignant breast disease.

The symposium is presented by UT Health San Antonio Mays Cancer Center and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).

This year’s scientific program features numerous presentations and updates on new and late-breaking data, including diagnostic developments by breast experts at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center (HDFCCC). Here are some highlights (all times are CST):

Wednesday, Dec. 11, 11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.

William L. McGuire Memorial Award and Lecture

UCSF’s Laura J. van ’t Veer, PhD, will receive the William L. McGuire Memorial Lecture Award and give the award lecture. She is being recognized for her trailblazing work in advancing risk stratification, subtyping and improved treatment for early breast cancer through the invention of MammaPrint, as well as for her leading efforts within the I-SPY 2 trials.

van ’t Veer is the Angela and Shu Kai Chan Endowed Chair in Cancer Research in UCSF’s department of Laboratory Medicine. She is also the director of applied genomics and co-leader of the Breast Oncology Program for the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center (HDFCCC).

She is an internationally recognized leader in molecular biology. Her research focuses on personalized medicine based on the knowledge of the genetic makeup of the tumor and patient. She developed MammaPrint, a lab test that is used to help predict the likelihood that breast cancer will come back or spread to other parts of the body by looking at the activity level of 70 different genes in breast cancer tissue. 

van ’t Veer has been responsible for building the scientific platform for the nationwide I-SPY 2 trials. Since the first I-SPY trials were launched over a decade ago, her persistent efforts have led to the development of a valuable biomarker bank of clinically annotated tissue and blood samples for over 3,000 high-risk early breast cancer patients. Following this research, van ’t Veer and her colleagues described five response predictive subtypes based on several novel gene expression signatures that predicted which patients would benefit the most from a specific therapy. This is currently being tested in the next generation of I-SPY trials.

Wednesday, Dec. 11, 7:00 – 8:30 a.m.

Poster Spotlight Session 7: Targeting the ER and PI3K Pathway: Novel Drugs and Combinations

Hope S. Rugo, MD, will be discussing two studies and participating in a panel discussion following the presentations:

PS7-06: Elacestrant combinations in patients with estrogen receptor-positive (ER+), HER2-negative (HER2-) locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer (mBC): Update from ELEVATE, a phase 1b/2, open-label, umbrella study. The study evaluated the phase 1b treatment combinations, and Rugo reports on the efficacy and safety profiles of the various combinations. Abstract

PS7-07: Elacestrant plus abemaciclib (abema) combination in patients (pts) with estrogen receptor-positive (ER+), HER2-negative (HER2-) advanced or metastatic breast cancer (mBC). The study evaluated recommended phase 2 dose combination of elacestrant 345 mg QD + abemaciclib 150 mg, and Rugo reports on the efficacy and safety profile of the combination. Abstract

Wednesday, Dec. 11, 12:00 – 1:45 p.m.    
Risk Reduction and Early Detection: Updates on Breast Cancer Screening

Karla Kerlikowske, PhD, presents “Risk-Based Screening in the Average Population” and serves as a panelist for this session, which also includes discussion of novel imaging modalities and screening for high-risk women.

Thursday, Dec. 12, 7:00 – 8:30 a.m.
Poster Spotlight Session 2: Personalizing CDK 4/6 Inhibitor Therapy for Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer: Survival, QOL and Biomarkers

Hope S. Rugo, MD, will present PS2-03: “Comparative overall survival of CDK4/6is plus an aromatase inhibitor (AI) in HR+/HER2- MBC in the U.S. real-world setting” and participate in a panel discussion following the session presentations. Rugo and her team conducted a retrospective comparative effectiveness study of CDK4/6is plus AI in HR+/HER2-MBC using the U.S. nationwide Flatiron Health electronic health record (EHR)-derived deidentified Panoramic database, comprised of more than 650,000 patients with breast cancer. Abstract

Thursday, Dec. 12, 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Poster Spotlight Session 18: Advancing Our Understanding of Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Potential to Develop Personalized Therapeutic Strategies?

Rita Mukhtar, MD, serves as a discussant for the several of the session’s presentations (PS18-05, PS18-06, PS18-07, PS18-08 and PS18-09), focusing on “Advancing Clinical Outcomes” (6:30 – 6:45 p.m.)

Friday, Dec. 13, 7:00 – 8:30 a.m.
Poster Spotlight Session 13: Molecular Determinants of Therapeutic Response and Resistance – Spotlight on CDK 4/6i and ADCs

Amy Jo Chien, MD, serves as a discussant for several of the session’s presentations (PS13-01, PS13-03, PS13-04 and PS13-05), focusing on “Endocrine Therapy” (7:30 – 7:45 a.m.)

Additional UCSF researchers will be presenting poster abstracts including:

P1-12-18: A Case Report of Paraneoplastic Rapidly Progressive Cerebellar Syndrome in a Patient with Locally Recurrent Hormone Receptor Positive (HR+)/HER2- Breast Cancer 
Presenting author Kelsey Natsuhara, MD, and co-authors Michael D. Alvarado, MD, Prashanth Ramachandran, MBBS, Laura A. Huppert, MD, Jessica Knapp, NP, Sarah Donahue, NP, and Hope S. Rugo, MD. 
Abstract Number: SESS-1886

P1-12-19: A Case Report of Successful Hair Preservation Using Scalp Cooling With Doxorubicin and Cyclophosphamide During Pregnancy
Presenting author Kelsey Natsuhara, MD and co-authors Annalisa Post, MD, Michael D. Alvarado, MD, Sally Fang-Tu, NP, Gretchen Fulgencio, NP, and A. Jo Chien, MD. 
Abstract Number: SESS-1864

P5-10-01: Demographic, Clinical Characteristics and Overall Survival of Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer and Brain Metastases: A Single Center Retrospective Cohort Study
Presenting author Laura Huppert, MD, and co-authors Kelsey Kuwahara, MD, Maggie Zhou, Mia Salans, Samantha Fisch, MD, Jo Chien, MD, Melanie Majure, MD, Hope Rugo, MD, Lauren Boreta, MD, Steve E. Braunstein, MD, PhD, Ramin A. Morshed, MD, PhD, Harish N. Vasudevan, MD, PhD, and Michelle E. Melisko, MD. 
Abstract Number: SESS-1569

P5-12-25: Single-center Retrospective Cohort Study Evaluating Neutropenia and Growth Factor Use with Sacituzumab Govitecan in Patients with HR+/HER2- and Triple Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer
Presenting author Samantha Fisch, MD and co-authors Joshua Chin, PharmD, Laura Quintal, PharmD, Melanie Majure, MD, Michelle Melisko, MD, Jo Chien, MD, Hope S. Rugo, MD, and Laura A. Huppert, MD.
Abstract Number: SESS-1476

A complete listing of UCSF authors is in SABCS abstracts.

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