OBGYN & Women’s Health

Racial disparities in curative intent surgery, endocrine therapy, and treatment-related adverse effects were seen among women with breast cancer in a recent single-center study. Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy occurring worldwide among women. Racial disparities in BC outcomes and access to treatment are well documented, but there’s a lack of evidence regarding...

Oral selective estrogen receptor degraders are effective in the estrogen receptor 1 mutation subgroup of estrogen receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer, according to the results of a new study. Oral selective estrogen receptor degraders (SERDs) are novel agents used to treat estrogen receptor (ER)-positive metastatic breast cancer resistant to other hormonal agents. Elacestrant and camizestrant have...

Obesity is a risk factor for cancer recurrence in resected hormone-sensitive breast cancer patients undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy with aromatase inhibitors, according to a recent study. Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are extensively used for treating hormone-sensitive breast cancer (BC). In post-menopause, estrogen is mainly formed in the adipose tissue via aromatase-mediated androgen conversion, which might impair the...

Pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy significantly improves survival in advanced triple-negative breast cancer expressing programmed death ligand 1, with a combined positive score of 10 or more compared to chemotherapy alone, according to a phase 3 trial. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) lacks the expression of estrogen and progesterone receptors and involves overexpression of human epidermal growth factor...

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy in combination with nab-paclitaxel and pembrolizumab shows promising pathological complete response rates. Pembrolizumab (pembro) is the only approved immune checkpoint inhibitor for the neoadjuvant treatment of early triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). It was introduced in combination with carboplatinum/paclitaxel and anthracycline/cyclophosphamide chemotherapy. Nab-paclitaxel (nP), although not approved, is also effective in TNBC.  A study...

Women with psoriasis have a significantly increased risk for ectopic pregnancy (EP), which is highest for those with moderate-to-severe psoriasis, according to a study published in the June issue of JAAD International. Cæcilie Bachdal Johansen, M.D., from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, and colleagues examined the association between psoriasis and adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs)...

The place of care—whether a hospital or a doctor’s office—may have a profound impact on the quality and type of breast cancer care, as well as the reported side effects. One study reports disparities in breast cancer treatments and side effects between African American and White women. White women experience breast cancer more frequently, but...

Clinical disparities are apparent in aggressive triple-negative breast cancer based on age and ethnicity. A recent study identifies unique epigenetic differences in triple-negative breast cancer tumors among younger African American women, suggesting potential clinical implications for diagnostics and treatment approaches. Younger African American women with triple-negative breast cancer exhibit distinct DNA methylation profiles. The unique...

Research reveals potential biological factors contributing to racial disparities in breast cancer mortality rates. MicroRNA-510-5p’s interaction with the scaffolding protein caveolin-1, specifically, could drive aggressive tumor growth and highlight potential reasons behind racial disparities in breast cancer outcomes. miR-510-5p’s regulation of caveolin-1 in fibroblasts potentially fuels aggressive tumor growth. Black women with breast cancer show...