Kurt W. Tauer, MD, FACP, associate professor, Department of Hematology/Oncology, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, and senior partner, chief of staff, West Cancer Center, discusses the expansion of subtyping in breast cancer.

There is still much work to be done with creating subtypes of breast cancer and finding treatments that are effective within those groups, explains Tauer. The recent 

-mutated breast cancer demonstrates the effectiveness of personalized medicine in this field.

To develop more subtypes of breast cancer in which researchers are looking for treatment, Tauer recommends performing more next-generation sequencing. Personalized medicine, currently being developed in breast cancer with the emergence of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and HER2 data, is positive for the future of treatment, concludes Tauer.

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Kurt W. Tauer, MD, FACP, discusses the expansion of subtyping in breast cancer.

Dr. Tauer on the Expansion of Subtyping in Breast Cancer

Kurt W. Tauer, MD, FACP, associate professor, Department of Hematology/Oncology, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, board member, National Comprehensive Cancer Network, and senior partner, chief of staff, West Cancer Center, discusses the potential implications of biosimilars on cancer research funding.

Biosimilars could be an asset in the field of oncology. Although biosimilars could increase the financial feasibility of cancer therapy for patients, they could also negatively impact drug development, according to Tauer. For example, if the profit margin for biologic therapy decreases when biosimilars are brought to market, there could be less funds with which to put toward cancer research. The government may not be willing or able to supplement those expenses, says Tauer.

Such considerations often go unaddressed but will make for important topics of discussion as the community continues to find ways to reconcile the costs of drug development and drug pricing, concludes Tauer.

Kurt W. Tauer, MD, FACP, discusses the potential implications of biosimilars on cancer research funding.

Kurt W. Tauer, MD, FACP

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Dr. Tauer on the Expansion of Subtyping in Breast Cancer

Dr. Tauer on the Potential Implications of Biosimilars on Cancer Research Funding