In the latest episode of Investigating Breast Cancer, Dr. Adrian Lee discusses collaboration, strategies to improve treatment for ILC, and more. A BCRF investigator since 2013, he is the Pittsburgh Foundation chair and director of the Institute for Precision Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC

In the latest episode, Dr. Rachel Jimenez discusses a new strategy of delivering radiation called proton beam radiation that could reduce treatment time and minimize its damaging effects on the heart. Unlike traditional radiation, proton therapy radiation can target cancer cells specifically, sparing other healthy tissues from potential damage. Dr. Jimenez is an assistant professor of radiation oncology at Harvard Medical School and the chair for quality and safety in the department of...

Dr. Laura Esserman talks about her current research that examines how fiber shapes the gut microbiome, potentially improving the response to immune agents in women newly diagnosed with breast cancer. Her prior research looked at how immune cells in tumors influence tumor response to immune drugs, and she believes the gut microbiome plays a key role in this complex system. A BCRF investigator since 1998, Dr. Esserman is an internationally recognized breast surgeon, breast oncology...

In October, BCRF holds its annual New York Symposium and Awards Luncheon. The event recognizes BCRF-supported investigators for their devotion to ending breast cancer and announces the Foundation’s research investment for the coming year. In this special episode of Investigating Breast Cancer, you’ll hear this year’s  extraordinary symposium, co-moderated by BCRF Founding Scientific Director Dr. Larry Norton and BCRF Scientific Director Dr. Judy Garber, that included Drs. Seema Khan,...

Breast cancer is a profoundly personal disease, and blanket approaches may not work for all patients. In fact, some can avoid particular therapies or treatments altogether. BCRF investigators have played a significant role in developing precision medicine and individualized therapies, improving treatment efficacy and limiting side effects. This is the area where Dr. Roisin Connolly’s work is centered. In this latest episode Dr. Connolly discusses her work to uncover more personalized...

Since Evelyn H. Lauder and Dr. Larry Norton launched BCRF in 1993 remarkable advances in breast cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, and metastasis have been made. But there is still critical work to be done. The Foundation is moving faster and closer than ever to achieving its mission to prevent and cure breast cancer by advancing the world’s most promising research.  We spoke with BCRF co-founder and Founding Scientific Director, Dr. Larry Norton to discuss the progress...

In this latest episode of Investigating Breast Cancer, Dr. Nora Disis talks about prevention, treatment, breast cancer vaccine research, and more. Her research focuses on identifying ways to boost the immune response in breast cancer patients to improve chemotherapy outcomes. She is working on discovering new molecular immunologic targets in solid tumors to develop vaccines and cellular therapy for treating and preventing breast cancer. Dr. Disis, a BCRF investigator since 2016, is the...

There are some technologies that enhance human efforts and abilities and other technologies that make such a drastic impact–– they revolutionize protocol and entire ways of thinking. AI in the healthcare field is one such technology. Scientists like BCRF Investigator, Dr. Regina Barzilay, are working on ways to harness AI to improve how medical professionals interpret mammograms, and finesse and better personalize existing risk prediction models, and tackle disparities in screening and risk...

Why have so many individuals who carry BRCA mutations not undergone genetic testing and counseling? How do we eliminate barriers to this lifesaving care? Dr. Susan Domchek talks about her work to tackle these issues and more in the latest episode of BCRF's official podcast, Investigating Breast Cancer.

What elements of our environment are carcinogenic? What role do factors like age, diet, and genetics play? And because cancer is biological in nature, many of us tend to think about the individual and their body as an obvious point of focus. What about, though, the larger, societal picture? That’s what Dr. Scarlett Gomez and the field of social epidemiology are working to uncover and what you’ll hear about in this latest episode.

In the latest episode of Investigating Breast Cancer, Dr. Ian Krop discusses his team’s work to advance clinical trials through—including one to test immunotherapy in HER2-positive breast cancer. A BCRF investigator since 2017, Dr. Krop is the chief clinical research officer and associate cancer center director for clinical research at the Yale Cancer Center. Dr. Krop also currently serves as chief scientific officer for the BCRF-supported Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium.

The complexities of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) can sometimes make it hard to understand. It’s an aggressive form of breast cancer that is more likely to spread to other tissues––a process called metastasis. BCRF Investigator since 2005, Dr. Jill Bargonetti’s research works to break down some of the complexities of TNBC. Her research has put her at the forefront of how we might develop novel strategies to accurately identify and kill these cells. In this latest episode of...

Why are Black women 40 percent more likely to die from breast cancer than white women? And why is it such a challenge to make clinical trials reflect everyone who faces breast cancer? That’s what Dr. Sonya Reid and her team are working to uncover by addressing disparities in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment through research. Dr. Reid is an assistant professor of hematology/oncology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Her three-year Conquer Cancer–BCRF grant was made possible by The...

Each October, BCRF holds its annual New York Symposium and Awards Luncheon. The event recognizes BCRF-supported investigators for their devotion to ending breast cancer and announces the Foundation’s research investment for the coming year. This year’s program included an extraordinary symposium, co-moderated by BCRF Founding Scientific Director Dr. Larry Norton and BCRF Scientific Director Dr. Judy Garber, that included Drs. Lisa Newman, Andrew Tutt, and Maria Jasin, who discussed novel...

What are dormant cancer cells and how they lead to a clearer understanding of the cancer in remission? Why do particular cancerous cells behave differently than others? BCRF Investigator since 2017, Dr. Angela DeMichele, discusses her work to uncover the answer to these questions and more.

About 30 percent of people diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer will experience a recurrence and develop metastatic disease. Dr. Christina Curtis and her colleagues are working to uncover why recurrence (when breast cancer comes back) and metastasis (when it spreads to other areas of the body beyond the breast and lymph nodes) happens. A BCRF investigator since 2011, Dr. Christina Curtis is an endowed professor of medicine and genetics at Stanford University, where she leads the Cancer...

In the latest episode of BCRF’s official podcast, Investigating Breast Cancer, Dr. Hyman Muss explores the need for more research in the geriatric oncology field. Thanks to Dr. Muss and others, much has been learned about breast cancer in elderly people—but there’s still much more to uncover. A BCRF investigator since 2000, Dr. Muss is professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and director of the Geriatric Oncology Program at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive...

What is triple-negative breast cancer and how is it identified? How can triple-negative breast cancers escape the immune system? And how can determining whether circulating tumor DNA in blood samples be used to predict metastatic breast cancer or treatment resistance in patients with aggressive disease? BCRF investigator since 2007, Dr. Hope Rugo answers these questions and many more on the latest episode of Investigating Breast Cancer.

Many extraordinary new treatments, diagnostic tests, and procedures for breast cancer patients have been introduced in the past decade—and more are needed and sure to come. But researchers are still exploring ways to improve health disparities in cancer care delivery, quality of care, and quality of life for patients and thrivers. In this latest episode, we spoke to BCRF Investigator since 2008, Dr. Dawn Hershman, on ways to shrink these gaps in care.

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) makes up about 15 percent of all the breast cancers diagnosed. And, better therapeutic strategies are urgently needed to treat this breast cancer subtype. BCRF Investigator, Dr. Elisa Port is working to combat drug resistance in TNBC by developing a drug for the protein PRKCQ—a promising therapeutic target that may make TNBC more responsive to chemotherapy.

Can cancers resulting from lifestyle choices be preventable? What foods should you be eating to reduce your risk of breast cancer? And what non-lifestyle decisions should be considered when looking to reduce their risk? Dr. Graham Colditz, a BCRF investigator since 2004, has spent decades diving into these questions and more. Dr. Colditz is an internationally recognized leader in cancer prevention. As an epidemiologist and public health expert, he has a longstanding interest in the...

BCRF’s annual Boston Hot Pink Luncheon and Symposium convenes the Foundation’s dedicated New England–based supporters to honor the area’s investigators and raise additional funds for lifesaving breast cancer research. This year’s virtual program included an outstanding expert panel of BCRF investigators, moderated by BCRF Scientific Director Dr. Judy Garber. The panelists discussed novel breast cancer therapies and what’s on the horizon in research. The symposium panelists included Dr....

Effective medicine has always relied on clear and verifiable diagnoses. Of course, for patients, the wait and uncertainty of diagnostics can be especially trying. BCRF investigator since 2019, Dr. Connie Lehman, is among the scientists and practitioners trying to change that. And she’s doing it in myriad ways to drastically reduce wait times and detect cancers earlier. Dr. Lehman is a professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School, and chief of Breast Imaging and co-director of the Avon...

Can breast cancer be found with a blood test? What role do genes and proteins play in developing cancer? What, exactly, are personalized diagnostics? We spoke with BCRF investigator Dr. Joshua LaBaer to answer these questions and more. Dr. LaBaer is one of the country’s foremost investigators in personalized medicine. He serves as executive director of the Biodesign Institute, director of the Biodesign Virginia G. Piper Center for Personalized Diagnostics, and the Dalton Endowed Chair of...