We are so excited to be able to help fund research for Inflammatory Breast Cancer. The IBC Network has an ongoing relationship with Vanderbilt for this work under Dr. Justin Balko's lab. ⁣

"Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare subtype of breast cancer with a poor prognosis and unique clinical presentation. One of the defining features of IBC is its ability to form tumor cell ‘clusters’ that then metastasize to the lymphatic system of the skin in the breast. Despite this frequently seen feature in IBC, which many believe to be associated with its highly metastatic nature, no common genetic mutations have been found specifically in IBC. If such a genetic mutation could be identified, it would greatly accelerate our ability to specifically target the features of IBC that make it so lethal.

Since most breast cancers consist of very diverse types of tumor cells with different mutations, we have sought to specifically capture the metastatic tumor cells in the lymphatic system. We are using a new technology to do this – called ‘meso-dissection’ – and we then use new methods of genetic sequencing to discover any alterations in the cancer cell’s genes. Our work has uncovered a new gene alteration – a mutation that has never before been seen in breast cancer – that we believe may give IBC its unique presentation.

In addition to expanding our understanding of skin metastases, our project goals also include testing whether this new genetic alteration causes inflammatory breast cancer features in mouse models. If this aspect of the project is successful, it will catapult our understanding of IBC to a new level and generate a new model that will allow us to test therapies and further study the disease. The support of IBC Network Foundation has been invaluable in making this research possible."

#researchmatters #talkibc #inflammatorybreastcancer #breastcancer

Dr. Mary Cianfrocca, Breast Cancer Program Director, discusses Inflammatory Breast Cancer.

Stephanie Stahl reports.

Paolo Tarantino, MD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, discusses the biologic and prognostic significance of HER2-low expression as a predictive biomarker in inflammatory breast cancer (IBC). 276 patients with stage III or IV breast cancer were separated based on HER2-low or HER2-0 status and when controlling for estrogen receptor (ER) status, outcomes in both cohorts were not significantly different. HER2-low expression therefore does not constitute as a distinct subtype. This interview took place at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2022 Congress in Paris, France.

Radiation side effects are catching up with me, I finished radiation therapy on 12/30/22.