Yara Abdou, MD

Improving disease monitoring during treatment to improve therapeutic intervention in patients with triple-negative breast cancer

Impact

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype and is more likely to recur after treatment. Many patients with TNBC have lingering cancer cells in their blood after standard treatment, increasing their risk of recurrence within the first few years post therapy. Currently, cancer recurrence is detected through monitoring patient symptoms and imaging. However, liquid biopsy has emerged as a non-invasive monitoring technique to detect genetic material released by cancer cells in the blood (circulating tumor DNA, ctDNA). The presence of cancer cells in the blood is called minimal residual disease (MRD) and can predict recurrence by up to one year earlier than current methods.

What’s next

For her Conquer Cancer Award supported by BCRF, Dr. Abdou aims to detect cancer cells in patients early to help improve outcomes for patients with TNBC. She will identify the best time to collect blood for ctDNA measurement and analysis, and probe how the ctDNA information might change treatment options. Additionally, patients who have ctDNA in their blood will have the option to receive additional therapy to prevent cancer spread.