Dr. Sledge Discusses Lasting Issues in Breast Cancer

George W. Sledge, Jr, MD, Chief, Division of Oncology, Professor of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, discusses the lasting issues in the treatment of breast cancer.

Though the mechanisms of resistance have been identified for several types of breast cancer, inhibiting the mechanism is difficult. In the case of a patient who is resistant to an aromatase inhibitor, everolimus (an mTOR inhibitor) allows resistance to be overcome, as mTOR is a common pathway. This issue is relatively straightforward, Sledge says, as the current knowledge of resistance just needs to be applied.

Estrogen receptor positive disease that lies dormant for 5-10 years still presents problems for physicians and researchers. Questions remain as to how dormant tumors can be identified and treated.

Finally, in the treatment of highly-aggressive disease such as triple-negative breast cancer, an obstacle exists as to what non-kinase-based approaches can be applied to achieve favorable results.