🌸 Breast Cancer — 2026-W40

What this page is. Every paper the week's monitor reviewed — including the ones that did not go into the digest. Material marked “Not selected” was reviewed and deliberately left out. It has not been fact-checked to digest standard and is not endorsed. For the curated read, see the digest itself.

First-in-human phase 1 dose-finding study of the CYP11A1 inhibitor ODM-209 in heavily pretreated metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and advanced breast cancer, published in European Journal of Cancer. Shows PSA responses including in patients with AR-ligand-binding-domain mutations, informing further development of this steroidogenesis inhibitor.

Randomized phase 2 trial (VIOLETTE) in previously treated, PARP-inhibitor-naive advanced triple-negative breast cancer, published in Clinical Cancer Research. Adding the ATR inhibitor ceralasertib to olaparib did not significantly improve progression-free survival overall but showed higher response rates in a non-HRR-mutant subgroup, informing combination strategies to overcome PARP inhibitor resistance.

Large cohort study (Women's Health Initiative, n>45,000) in JNCI comparing long-term physical function trajectories between older breast cancer survivors and matched cancer-free women, examining effects of chemotherapy and lifestyle. Highlights chemotherapy-associated functional decline in older survivors, informing survivorship counseling and monitoring practices.

Prospective multicenter registry cohort study evaluating real-world use and decision impact of the Breast Cancer Index genomic assay in early-stage HR-positive breast cancer, published in JAMA Network Open (Q1). Shows the assay meaningfully influences physician decisions on extending adjuvant endocrine therapy, supporting its use to individualize treatment duration.

Narrative review in Curr Oncol on hereditary breast-ovarian cancer genes beyond BRCA1/2. Highlights how germline PALB2, RAD51C, and RAD51D variants confer sensitivity to PARP inhibitors, informing genetic testing panels and targeted therapy selection.

Translational study using patient tissue and mouse models to characterize how liver versus lung microenvironments differentially drive breast cancer metastatic spread, published in Cancer Discovery. Identifies BMP2 signaling as a potential therapeutic target for limiting liver-metastasis-driven secondary spread, though without clinical validation yet.

Retrospective cohort study using Ohio Medicaid claims data examining molecular profiling uptake in localized/regional ER+/HER2- breast cancer patients, published in JCO Oncology Practice. Highlights disparities in genomic testing access by race, income, and Medicaid enrollment status, informing equity-focused practice improvement rather than direct treatment change.