Titles and Affiliations
Clinical Fellow in Hematology/Oncology
Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation
Research Area
Understanding the biological differences between breast cancers diagnosed as stage 4 and those that advance after treatment.
Impact
Breast cancer that is stage 4 at diagnosis, is called de novo metastatic breast cancer and accounts for up to 30 – 40 percent of newly diagnosed metastatic cases. Patients with de novo metastatic breast cancer have never been exposed to therapy, whereas cancer that has returned or advanced after treatment (recurrent breast cancer) may harbor a population of treatment-resistant cancer cells. Researchers have found a difference in outcomes after treatment between these two groups of patients, indicating a fundamental difference in tumor biology. Current guidelines, however, recommend similar treatment strategies for de novo and recurrent breast cancer.
What’s Next
For her Conquer Cancer research supported by BCRF, Dr. Isseroff aims to understand the biological differences between de novo metastatic and recurrent breast cancer. She will compare biological characteristics of de novo metastatic lesions to the primary tumor in the breast to see if there is a stronger similarity compared to primary/metastatic tumor pairs in recurrent breast cancer. These findings could guide new studies to evaluate if patients with more limited spread at diagnosis might benefit from more aggressive, potentially curative treatments.
Biography
Devora Isseroff, MD is a clinical fellow in Hematology and Medical Oncology at Yale University. She received her medical degree from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and completed her residency at New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell, where she also earned a certificate in medical education. Dr. Isseroff is dedicated to a career in breast cancer clinical care and research. She is passionate about enhancing the quality of life and therapeutic options for patients with advanced disease.
