The 46th San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, the world's largest academic conference on breast cancer, was held from December 5th to 9th, 2023, with thousands of breast cancer experts and scholars from around the world in attendance. During the conference, two research projects led by Professor Liao Ning of the Department of Breast Cancer at Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital were selected as the latest breakthrough studies at this year's SABCS (San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium), earning the distinction of "late breaking abstract" (LBA). The LBA series of studies are often highly topical at previous conferences, and those selected are recognized as significant research that may potentially change future clinical practices and industry trends. The two selected studies in the field of breast cancer provide strong evidence for precise diagnosis and treatment.

Study 1: Predictive Factors of Response to Neo-adjuvant Chemotherapy and Anti-HER2 Treatment in HER2-positive Breast Cancer based on the Size of HER2 Focal/Widespread Amplification

This study revealed a significant correlation between the size of HER2 focal/widespread amplification determined by next-generation sequencing and higher rates of pathological complete response in sufferers receiving neo-adjuvant chemotherapy combined with anti-HER2 targeted therapy. These findings demonstrate the unique predictive value of next-generation sequencing in detecting the size of HER2 focal/widespread amplification for HER2-positive breast cancer undergoing neo-adjuvant chemotherapy.

Study 2: Unique Molecular Characteristics of Embryonic Lineage Mutations in HER2-low Expression Breast Cancer

In this study, a total of 530 Chinese female breast cancer sufferers underwent genetic testing panel covering 102 embryonic lineage tumor mutations to compare the unique molecular characteristics of embryonic lineage mutations in HER2-low expression breast cancer with HER2-negative and HER2-high expression breast cancer. The research provides additional evidence to support special attention in clinical treatment and outcome reporting for sufferers with HER2-low expression breast cancer.

Prof. Liao Ning's team (L2) with Charles Geyer, Chief Scientific Officer and Chairman of the Breast Disease Division at the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) (R2), and Charles Balch, Honorary Vice Chairman and CEO of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (R1)

Prof. Liao Ning and the team exchanged ideas with Prof. Sandra Swain, Former President of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) at the conference venue.

Department of Breast Cancer

Updated: January 8. 2024