SAGE Publications, Clinical Medicine Insights: Therapeutics, (8), p. CMT.S18492, 2016
DOI: 10.4137/cmt.s18492
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New therapies are changing the outlook for breast cancer worldwide. Breast cancer is traditionally divided into hormone receptor-positive, HER2-positive, and triple-negative disease. We have seen the development of new drugs targeting each of these breast cancer groups with promising results. In this article, the novel treatments are discussed with reference to recent clinical trial data. In each group, treatments are emerging that have had positive results in clinical trials. We discuss the new therapies aimed at evading hormone resistance in hormone receptor-positive disease, which have substantially increased the disease-free survival of patients with metastatic breast cancer in clinical trials. We have also seen multiple new therapies targeting HER2 receptors, working synergistically with Herceptin leading to dramatic and durable disease responses. Finally, in triple-negative disease, we are starting to see the results of trials using immunotherapy. Across all the treatment groups, we have seen the emergence of new therapies that are specifically designed to target the molecular drivers of an individual's cancer, regardless of hormone or HER2 positivity. This is paving the way for a more personalized approach to breast cancer treatment.