Putting a Stop to Recurrent Breast Cancer
Right now between 15 and 20 percent of breast cancer patients ultimately relapse, and many more experience late effects of treatment or are diagnosed with a second cancer. Breast cancer research and treatment have long focused on a patient’s original tumor as a guide to preventing relapse; however, research suggests that some recurrent cancers are different from the primary tumor and may respond better to different therapies. This has led millions of breast cancer survivors without active measures to monitor and prevent recurrence in a more proactive way.
At Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center, the 2-PREVENT (Secondary PREvention through SurVEillance and iNTervention) aims to address one of the greatest challenges in breast cancer treatment: The high rate of relapse and late treatment effects among breast cancer survivors.
The mission of the ACC’s 2-PREVENT TCE is to work together as a multi-disciplinary team to understand why some women have breast cancer recurrence through prediction, prevention, monitoring, detection, and treatment measures.
Bringing Together Experts from Diverse Fields
Led by Lewis Chodosh, MD, PhD, and Angela DeMichele, MD, MSCE, the 2-PREVENT TCE is comprised of experts from across the Penn community who are all working on finding a solution to some of the most pressing issues confronting cancer patients.
"This TCE, the first and only center dedicated solely to breast cancer recurrence, is one team working together towards a common goal: helping our patients become - and remain - cancer-free." — Dr. DeMichele
The Abramson Cancer Center has more nationally recognized research on recurrent breast cancer—in the basic science labs and in the clinic—than any other center in the country. This makes us well-positioned to address all our patients’ unmet needs in facing this disease.
Watch as Dr. DeMichele and panelists discuss the 2PREVENT clinical trials on recurrence at Living Beyond Breast Cancer’s recent Breast Cancer 360 webinar.
How You Can Help
Together, researchers and patients, can work together to find a cure for breast cancer. By finding out more information or participating in research studies, patients help drive research and treatment options forward.
Clinical trials are research studies conducted to find new ways to prevent, detect and treat cancer. Every clinical trial has a protocol that describes what will be done in the trial, how the trial will be conducted and why each part of the trial is necessary.
Under the umbrella of the 2-PREVENT TCE, there are three research studies:
- ACE - Accessing Cancer Concerns at the End of Treatment.
- SURMOUNT - Surveillance Testing for Breast Cancer
- METAMORPH - Genomic Testing for Recurrent Breast Cancer
Learn more about the different types of clinical trials.
Ways to Give to 2-Prevent
To support the Abramson Cancer Center's 2-PREVENT Translational Center of Excellence, please contact Maddie Dickinson at madd@upenn.edu or 215-898-9174.
Resources
Sign up for myPennMedicine, the region's first patient-accessible online health records.
Read related blog posts: