Diagnosed with Breast Cancer during COVID — how has treatment changed

How Breast Cancer Treatment Has Evolved Since COVID

That's a great question, and it's natural to wonder how the field has advanced. While the webinars and guidelines I have access to don't specifically address COVID-era changes, I can share what current NCCN Guidelines for Metastatic Breast Cancer emphasize about modern treatment approaches—which represent the evolution in care over the past few years.

Key Treatment Advances in Recent Years

Personalized Testing & Biomarkers According to NCCN Guidelines, treatment planning now relies heavily on comprehensive biomarker testing. Your care team tests for:

• Hormone receptor status (ER/PR positive or negative)
• HER2 status (positive or negative)
• Specific mutations like PIK3CA, ESR1, NTRK, and RET—which can now be targeted with specific therapies

This personalized approach means treatment is tailored to YOUR cancer's specific characteristics, not just a one-size-fits-all approach.

Expanded Targeted Therapy Options The NCCN Guidelines note that certain mutations can now be treated with targeted therapies—drugs designed to attack specific weaknesses in cancer cells. This represents a significant shift toward precision medicine.

Endocrine Therapy Advances For hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, newer selective estrogen receptor degraders (SERDs) like fulvestrant (Faslodex) and elacestrant (Orserdu) offer additional options beyond traditional aromatase inhibitors.

Questions to Ask Your Oncologist

Since your diagnosis was a few years ago, these are important conversations to have:

1. "Have there been any new biomarker tests or genetic tests that would be relevant to my specific cancer that I haven't had yet?"
2. "Are there newer targeted therapies or treatment combinations that might be appropriate for my cancer type?"
3. "Have my treatment options changed based on advances in the field since my initial diagnosis?"
4. "Should we consider re-testing my tumor for any mutations that might now be actionable?"
5. "Are there clinical trials available that might be relevant to my specific cancer profile?"

Why This Matters

The NCCN Guidelines emphasize that treatment decisions should be based on comprehensive testing of your specific cancer. If your testing was done during COVID (when some services were disrupted), it's worth discussing with your care team whether updated testing might reveal new treatment opportunities.

---

This information is for educational purposes only. Always consult your healthcare team for personalized medical advice and decisions.