Breast Carcinoma in Situ

Chaired by founder Stephen Birrell, MD PhD, group includes experts in breast cancer biology, endocrine signaling and biomarker-driven risk reduction strategies BOULDER, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Havah Therapeutics, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative, proprietary hormonal implant therapies for prevention and treatment of breast cancers, announced the formation of their Clinical Advisory Board Chaired by Havah Therapeutics founder Stephen Birrell, MD, PhD. “The scientific and clinical guidance of this esteemed group will be invaluable as we advance our androgen targeted therapy into late-stage clinical studies for Ductal Carcinoma In-Situ (DCIS) and investigator-sponsored combination studies in more advanced disease,” said, Matthew Brewer, CEO of Havah Therapeutics. Shelley Hwang, MD, MPH, Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) Investigator and internationally recognized expert in pre-invasive disease and DCIS, added: “I am thrilled to be involved with Havah Therapeutics at this critical stage of their development. Insights gained from their ongoing Phase 2 study ( RECAST DCIS ), coupled with my experience as the principal investigator of the COMET Study , will potentially enable the company’s androgen receptor targeting therapy to provide a much needed treatment alternative to invasive surgery and radiation treatment.” The members of Havah Therapeutics’ Clinical Advisory Board include: Stephen Birrell, MD, PhD (Chair), is founder of Havah Therapeutics and Chief Medical Officer of Wellend Health, an Australia-wide clinic that specializes in breast hormone-health, women at high-risk breast cancer and clinical trials. He is a Clinical Affiliate academic at the University of Adelaide Dame Roma Mitchell Cancer Research Laboratories. Shelley Hwang, MD, MPH is the Mary and Deryl Hart Distinguished Professor of Surgical Oncology and Radiology, Vice Chair of Research and Disease Group Leader for the Breast Cancer Program at Duke University Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her research focus includes breast cancer prevention, identifying less invasive treatments for early-stage breast cancers including DCIS and addressing and mitigating health care disparities in breast cancer. Seema A. Khan, MD is Professor of Surgery in the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, and the Bluhm Family Professor of Cancer Research. She is the Co-Leader of the Cancer Prevention Research Program at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her research focuses on applying biomarker knowledge to improve breast cancer risk stratification and develop preventive interventions for high-risk women. Her research is funded by the National Institutes of Health, The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the Avon Foundation, and the Susan G. Komen Foundation Professor Wayne Tilley, PhD is the Inaugural Director of the Dame Roma Mitchell Cancer Research Laboratories, University of Adelaide. He completed a Fellowship at UT Southwestern in Dallas Texas in the late 1980s where he was one of the first to clone the human androgen receptor (AR) with Professor Jean Wilson, MD. A current major research focus of Professor Tilley’s lab is the development of new treatments for breast cancer that stimulate the tumor suppressive activity of the AR in the breast (Nature Medicine 2021; Lancet Oncology 2024) to counter the proliferative effects of estrogen. Additional background information on the CAB members can be found on the company’s website: About RECAST DCIS Havah Therapeutics is currently participating in the Re-Evaluating Conditions for Active Surveillance Suitability as Treatment: Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (RECAST DCIS), a Phase 2 platform study aimed at preventing the progression of DCIS to breast cancer. Havah Therapeutics’ HAVAH T+Ai™, a proprietary combination of testosterone (T) and anastrozole (Ai) that targets the androgen and estrogen receptor pathways, is being evaluated alongside two other endocrine therapy arms. About Havah Therapeutics Havah Therapeutics is developing a novel therapeutic implant for treating hormonally sensitive cancers and other breast conditions. This groundbreaking method relies on stimulating (agonizing) the androgen receptor in breast tissue, utilizing natural hormonal mechanisms to treat patients safely and with greatly reduced side effects. The product is a combination of two registered agents (testosterone and anastrozole, a low dose aromatase inhibitor) that when dosed, provides three months of continuous medication enabling a superior product pro compliance, safety and efficacy. For more information, visit . Contacts Media Contacts: Matthew Brewer mb@havahtx.com Danielle Clark-Brown dcb@havahtx.com

Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC), also known as lobular breast cancer, comprises 15% of all breast cancer diagnoses NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Oct. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of October Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Hoag joined the Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance (LBCA), a US nonprofit organization whose mission is to raise awareness and promote more research for an understudied type of breast cancer, to declare October 15th "Global Lobular Breast Cancer Awareness Day." Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC), or lobular breast cancer, is the second most common type of breast cancer. But despite being so common, accounting for 15% of breast cancer diagnoses worldwide, it receives less than 1% of federal research funding and has no targeted treatments. "In collaboration with lobular scientists, researchers and patient advocates worldwide, Hoag is proud to raise awareness for lobular breast cancer and work to find better ways to detect and treat this long over-looked breast cancer type," said Gary A. Ulaner, M.D., Ph.D., F.S.N.M.M.I., F.A.C.N.M., the James & Pamela Muzzy Endowed Chair in Molecular Imaging & Therapy at the Hoag Family Cancer Institute and member of the LBCA Scientific Advisory Board. What differentiates lobular breast cancer from the more common non lobular carcinomas is the tumor cell's lack of the protein E-cadherin, which helps cancer cells form lumps. Instead of clumping together, ILC tumor cells form in thin strings like cobwebs. This makes them extremely hard to detect with mammograms, especially in women with dense breast tissue, or to image elsewhere in the body if metastasized. "More than 40,000 women are diagnosed with ILC each year," said Monica Mita, M.D., co-director of early phase development therapy and co-director of breast medical oncology. "Today it is diagnosed and treated along the same lines as usual breast cancer ductal carcinoma, although ILC has distinct biological and behavioral characteristics that make it more difficult to detect and treat, with decreased response to standard of care treatments." "As such, ILC represents an unmet need for patients and further research is crucial to help improve detection, treatment, prevention of metastasis, and ultimately, develop better treatments for people with ILC," added Chaitali Nangia, M.D., Co-Director, NK Cell Therapy Research at Hoag Family Cancer Institute. Hoag Family Cancer Institute has been at the forefront of clinical trials for patients with ILC. Dr. Ulaner has led research trials and international clinical consortiums demonstrating the value of estrogen receptor (ER)-targeted molecular imaging for patients with ILC (JAMA Network Open 2024 and Journal of Nuclear Medicine 2023). These studies demonstrate how molecular imaging may improve staging and detection of suspected recurrence for patients with ILC. "We are dedicated to continuing research on ILC to bring our patients the best methods to image and treat this type of cancer," said Dr. Ulaner. For more information, visit ABOUT HOAG Hoag is a nonprofit, regional health care delivery system in Orange County, California. Delivering world-class, comprehensive, personalized care, Hoag consists of 1,800 top physicians, 16 urgent care facilities, 11 health & wellness centers, and two award-winning hospitals. Hoag offers a comprehensive blend of health care services that includes seven institutes providing specialized services in the following areas: cancer, digestive health, heart and vascular, neurosciences, spine, women's health, and orthopedics through Hoag's affiliate, Hoag Orthopedic Institute, which consists of an orthopedic hospital and four ambulatory surgical centers. Hoag is the highest ranked hospital in Orange County by U.S. News & World Report and the only OC hospital ranked in the Top 10 in California, as well as a designated Magnet® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). For more information, visit hoag.org. About the Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance (LBCA) Founded in 2017 by individuals with invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC), LBCA became a 501c3 nonprofit organization in 2022 dedicated to raising awareness of ILC and the need for more ILC research. As the only organization in the US dedicated to lobular breast disease, LBCA is the go-to source for information on lobular breast cancer including current studies, lobular-specific clinical trials and educational fact sheets, graphics and recorded webinars for patients. LBCA is guided by an international scientific advisory board of researchers and clinicians and a patient advocate advisory board. LBCA partners with patients, scientists, clinicians, and breast cancer organizations worldwide to increase dialogue about ILC and fund vital ILC research. Visit the LBCA website at lobularbreastcancer.org. SOURCE Hoag WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM? 440k+ Newsrooms & Influencers 9k+ Digital Media Outlets 270k+ Journalists Opted In GET STARTED

THURSDAY, Sept. 19, 2024 -- Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) can increase cancer detection compared with two-dimensional digital mammography (DM), according to a study published online Sept. 17 in Radiology . Liane Elizabeth Philpotts, M.D., from the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, and colleagues compared cancer types and stages over three years of DM screening and 10 years of DBT screening in a retrospective study that identified breast cancers detected by using screening mammography from August 2008 through July 2021. A total of 1,407 breast cancers were examined: 142 were identified with DM and 1,265 with DBT. The researchers found that the rate of cancer detection was significantly higher with DBT than DM (5.3 versus four cancers per 1,000), with a similar ratio of invasive cancers to ductal carcinomas in situ (76.5:23.5 percent versus 71.1:28.9 percent). There were no differences in the mean invasive cancer size between DM and DBT; incident DBT cases were smaller than prevalent cases. Similar rates of invasive cancer subtypes were seen for DBT and DM: low grade (26.5 versus 29 percent); moderate grade (57.2 versus 51 percent); and high grade (16.1 versus 20 percent). A lower proportion of advanced cancers was seen with DBT than DM (32.6 versus 43.6 percent, respectively) and for DBT prevalent and incident screening (39.1 versus 29.1 percent). No difference was seen in interval cancer rates. "These findings add to the growing literature regarding cancer detection with DBT and may support its use in screening mammography in the United States and globally," the authors write. Abstract/Full Text Editorial (subscription or payment may be required) Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.