Dr. Kalinsky on Strategies to Prevent Recurrence in Early Breast Cancer

Kevin Kalinsky, MD, MS, an associate professor in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine and the director of the Glenn Family Breast Center and Breast Medical Oncology at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, discusses the potential benefits of chemotherapy in preventing disease recurrence in premenopausal patients with breast cancer.

Results from the phase 3 TAILORx trial (NCT00310180) found that premenopausal patients with breast cancer who had disease recurrence scores between 0 and 25 benefitted from chemotherapy, Kalinsky says. What remains unclear is whether that recurrence benefit is directly related to chemotherapy, or is primarily an indirect effect, Kalinsky continues.

An upcoming NRG Oncology study seeks to understand whether patients specifically benefit from chemotherapy during endocrine therapy, Kalinsky adds. This study will enroll around 4,000 patients and will randomize patients to ovarian function suppression plus hormonal therapy with or without chemotherapy, Kalinsky concludes.