Gene Panel Update, & New Tabar Findings: How Both Affect Treatment Options

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

2:45 PM – 3:45 PM EDT

Location: Room 203-205

Speaker(s)

SG

Sujata V. Ghate, MD, FSBI, FACR

Associate Professor of Radiology
Duke University Medical Center
Raleigh, North Carolina

Slides PDF Additional Resource
Michael N. Linver, MD, FSBI, FACR

Emeritus Director of Mammography/Clinical Professor of Radiology
X-Ray Associates of New Mexico, P.C./University of New Mexico School of Medicine/George Washington University School of Medicine
University of New Mexico School of Medicine, & George Washington University School of Medicine
Alexandria, Virginia

Slides PDF Additional Resource

First portion of the session will discuss the 21-gene assay and its role in breast cancer treatment. We will discuss the results of the TAILORx and the recently published RxPonder trials. The second portion of the session will discuss Dr. Tabar's recent article.
Dr. Laszlo Tabar’s recent article in the European Journal of Radiology (see HANDOUT) challenges the current histopathologic nomenclature for breast cancer. His review of more than 5,000 breast cancers over a 40 year period, using both large section pathology slides and his innovative thick section 3-D slides, clearly shows that what pathologists presently call Invasive Ductal Carcinoma actually originates in the lobule, and what they presently call high-grade DCIS is actually a deadly duct-forming invasive cancer. Dr. Tabar further demonstrates that the potential consequence of redefining these breast cancers more appropriately is critical: women are currently being over-treated for small “Invasive Ductal Carcinoma”, and are being grossly under-treated for so-called “High Grade DCIS”. The bases for these statements are discussed and substantiated with Dr. Tabar’s extensive and powerful supportive data.

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion, participants will be able to understand the dangers posed by the current inaccurate descriptions of breast cancers utilized by pathologists, and the pressing need to replace these with a system based on anatomic site of tumor origin, similar to that now being utilized by pathologists to describe prostate cancers.
Upon completion, participants will be able to discuss the 21-gene assay and its role in "personalized" breast cancer care
Upon completion, participants will be able to appreciate the need for large section pathology slides to properly identify the full extent of disease of certain deadly breast cancers now being missed by pathologists on the currenly utilized small section slides.