Every October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month reminds us of the importance of raising awareness and promoting early diagnosis of breast cancer. This campaign aims not only to improve women’s health but also to share advances in research and treatment options for this disease.

While prevention and early detection are crucial, treatment remains equally important and can be quite challenging due to the many factors influencing its outcomes. The prognosis often depends on the subtype of the cancer and its spread. Researchers at D’Or Oncology and the D’Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR) have been contributing to studies that aim to better understand breast cancer and its complexities.

Here are some of the key areas of breast cancer research at IDOR:

Sponsored Clinical Trials

Breast cancer is a central topic for many globally recognized pharmaceutical companies, and IDOR plays an active role in numerous clinical trials, conducting high-quality research to test new, more precise, and safer treatment options for patients worldwide.
On our website’s Clinical Trials page, you can find ongoing studies about breast cancer and other diseases, as well as volunteer recruitment opportunities. The page features a personalized search tool that can be used by doctors or interested patients.

Molecular and Translational Research

In addition to clinical trials, IDOR conducts many “bench” studies—laboratory research aimed at gaining a deeper understanding of the disease and its underlying mechanisms. When these studies move from basic research to human trials, they are known as translational research.

Noteworthy in this area are genomic and precision studies, utilizing advanced techniques such as single-cell analysis, which allows for the assessment of gene expression and cell quantification in a sample. Another key research focus is the detailed analysis of the tumor microenvironment, which helps identify the behavior of various immune cells and whether they indicate a higher or lower chance of treatment response.

Other biomarker studies focus on cellular microvesicles—small molecules secreted by healthy or tumor cells containing valuable information about the body’s health or disease state.

Seven IDOR-Supported Breast Cancer Studies

Here’s an overview of some of the major breast cancer research projects IDOR researchers have been involved in this year:

1. Advances in Personalized Therapy: Abemaciclib for High-Risk Breast Cancer Treatment
Published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, this study, with IDOR’s participation, explored the effectiveness of abemaciclib, a drug used to treat patients with high-risk, hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer. This type of tumor is particularly challenging due to its high recurrence rate.

The study followed patients for five years and found that combining abemaciclib with endocrine therapy significantly reduced the recurrence of breast cancer, decreasing the risk of invasive recurrence by 32% compared to endocrine therapy alone. The benefits persisted for up to five years after treatment.

2. Reducing Abemaciclib Dosage and Its Effects on Breast Cancer Treatment
Published in npj Breast Cancer by Nature, the “monarchE” study focused on abemaciclib’s effectiveness as an adjuvant therapy for high-risk breast cancer patients with affected lymph nodes. The results demonstrated improved disease-free survival, with lasting benefits even beyond the two-year treatment period.

An important aspect of the study was the possibility of reducing the abemaciclib dosage to manage side effects. Additional analyses showed that the drug’s effectiveness was not compromised by the dose reduction, offering hope for patients needing treatment adjustments.

3. Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy Research
A publication in the British Journal of Cancer analyzed previous studies on neoadjuvant immunotherapy (nIO), a treatment option for patients with stage II-III triple-negative breast cancer.

The meta-analysis of individual patient data revealed that combining nIO with chemotherapy led to statistically significant survival benefits, reducing the risk of death by 38%. These findings support the use of nIO as a standard treatment for early-stage triple-negative breast cancer.

4. Genomic Mapping of Breast and Prostate Cancer
The Onco-Genomas Brasil project aims to map breast and prostate cancer within Brazil’s public healthcare system, providing data for treatment and prognosis. The project seeks to characterize the genomic landscape of women with locally advanced HER2-positive breast cancer and men with metastatic prostate cancer.

The study involves 550 adult patients from across Brazil’s five regions, collecting clinical, pathological, and DNA samples from both peripheral blood and tumors to identify genetic variants that may influence prognosis and treatment response. The project’s protocol was published in Frontiers in Oncology.

5. Testing New Drugs for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
The ongoing TROPION-Breast03 clinical trial is evaluating a new treatment for patients with triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease, characterized by the absence of hormone receptors, which complicates treatment and increases the risk of recurrence after therapy.

Researchers are testing datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd), a drug-antibody conjugate, in combination with durvalumab, an immunotherapy drug, to determine if this combination can improve survival and reduce recurrence risks compared to current standard therapies. The phase III trial protocol was published in Therapeutic Advances in Medical Oncology.

6. Genomic Studies for Precision Diagnosis and Treatment
Published in Nature Communications, a study led by INCA with IDOR’s participation identified immune cell subpopulations associated with tumors. These cells, which play a role in tumor growth and are potential treatment targets, were linked to worse clinical outcomes in cancers such as ovarian and triple-negative breast cancer.

The research also showed that TREM2 protein expression alone is insufficient to predict cancer prognosis, as different cell subtypes expressing TREM2 behave differently depending on the tumor environment. These findings pave the way for future studies on how the immune system interacts with tumors, potentially leading to more effective treatments and helping predict disease progression in individual patients.

7. Addressing Advanced Triple-Negative Breast Cancer in Brazil
Advanced triple-negative breast cancer is a public health challenge in Brazil, where the standard treatment is neoadjuvant chemotherapy. A study conducted from 2015 to 2017, involving 30 women with the disease and 30 healthy women, was published in the Journal of Surgical Oncology.

The results showed elevated levels of T cells with specific markers, such as CD28, FAS, and PD-1, in cancer patients compared to healthy women. These markers may predict chemotherapy response in patients with triple-negative breast cancer. The study also demonstrated significant changes in immune response profiles after chemotherapy, suggesting that treatment can modulate the immune response and influence patient outcomes.

Researchers involved in Breast Cancer Awareness Month publications: Renata Bonadio, Maria Del Pilar, Laura Testa, Karina Moutinho, Vanessa Petry, Luiz Senna Leite, Gabriel S. Macedo, Rodrigo Naglio, Fernando Soares.