Early Breast Cancer Treatment | Breast Cancer Treatment Advances

Preventive care is important to identify potential signs of early stage breast cancer. Talk with your doctor about the recommended frequency of mammograms and your overall health checkups.

After skin cancer, breast cancer is the second most common cancer affecting women. However, due to the greater focus on prevention and early identification, many people receive a diagnosis when breast cancer is still in its early stages. Breast cancer treatment advances are helping many live longer.

Generally, early breast cancer stages require less treatment than breast cancer that has spread, or metastasized, throughout other body tissues. People with early stage breast cancer should speak with their doctors about which options may be best for them.

Doctors use the stage of breast cancer to help make important treatment decisions. The American Cancer Society’s staging system ranks breast cancer on a scale from 0–4. At stage 0, breast cancer is contained within only part of the breast, specifically the milk ducts. This type of breast cancer, known as ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), doesn’t spread. 

Stage 1 breast cancers are still small, and many do not spread to tissues outside the breast. However, a small portion of stage 1 breast cancers do spread to a nearby lymph node. In contrast, stage 4 breast cancer has already spread to other parts of the body outside the breast. 

Biomarkers are also important factors when considering how to treat early stage breast cancer. These markers can help doctors determine whether breast cancer might be linked to genetic changes, hormonal problems, or unusual cellular growth. If you receive an early stage breast cancer diagnosis, your doctor may suggest further testing to identify any biomarkers.

Estrogen receptors (ER) and progesterone receptors (PR) appear on the surface of breast cancer cells. Screening for high levels of these receptors can help doctors determine whether hormones play a role in cancer development.

Similarly, doctors may test for high levels of a protein known as HER2. This protein is vital for proper cell growth. Some breast cancers have much higher levels of HER2 than normal. 

Genetic tests can also help pinpoint possible causes of breast cancer. Tests for mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 help reveal whether these genes play a role in breast cancer.

Treatments for metastatic breast cancer are now being explored as therapies for early stage breast cancer. Many are used along with traditional treatments, such as radiation therapy or surgery.

A new drug known as abemaciclib (Verzenio) was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in late 2021 for early stage breast cancer treatment. The drug is given after surgery for people with HR-positive and HER2-negative breast cancer.

The results of a large clinical trial indicate the drug reduces the chance of breast cancer coming back after two years by about 30%. However, these results were possible only in people who took abemaciclib along with hormone therapy after surgery.

Doctors are also researching HER2-targeted antibody therapies for early stage breast cancer. These medications work by blocking HER2 receptors on the surface of cancer cells. This prevents those cells from growing.

In some cases, doctors combine HER2 antibody drugs with other standard medications, like chemotherapy. The combined drug carries the chemotherapy directly to cancer cells, destroying them.

If a BRCA1 or BRCA2 genetic mutation is present, a poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor may help. PARP inhibitors are widely used to treat metastatic breast cancer. Now, there seems to be some benefit for those with early stage breast cancer. PARP inhibitors stop cancer cells from repairing their own DNA when it becomes damaged. This helps other treatments, like chemotherapy, destroy those cells more easily.

Some research also suggests that immunotherapy can be useful for people with early stage breast cancers. These drugs are still under study. However, in other types of cancer, they help the body’s immune system seek out and destroy cancer cells. More research is necessary to see whether people with early stage breast cancer could benefit.

Ongoing research will help doctors identify the best new treatments for early stage breast cancer. However, many new, exciting therapies are already benefiting people with an early stage breast cancer diagnosis. If you’re interested in exploring these new treatments further, speak with your doctor. A medical professional can help you determine whether a new treatment could be right for you.