University of California, San Francisco San Francisco, California
Director Breast Care Center Professor of Surgery & Radiology Department of Surgery
Understanding the immune system’s role in the progression and treatment of breast cancer and ductal carcinoma in situ.
Our immune system is comprised of a variety of cell types, each with specific functions. One of these, called a B-cell, creates antibodies that can bind to foreign substances such as toxins to neutralize them. Occasionally a B-cell will produce antibodies called autoantibodies (AAbs) that bind to our own cells or proteins and are often associated with autoimmune diseases. Their influence on treatment response, however, remains largely unexplored. Dr. Esserman and her colleagues are clarifying the role of the immune system in the development and treatment of breast cancer and DCIS. Their research aims to identify specific profiles of AAbs associated with how patients respond to treatment. Their results may offer novel approaches to enhance treatment outcomes and ultimately uncover novel targets for antibody directed therapies or cancer vaccines.
Dr. Esserman’s team will analyze DCIS tissues and serum from women who have received immunotherapy. Previously, they showed that patients with more B-cells in the tumor microenvironment tended to response better to immunotherapy. In the coming year, they plan to investigate whether AAbs bind to DCIS tumor cells by examining tissue sections. Their goal is to unravel the relationship between AAbs and B cells within the tumor microenvironment and determine if specific AAb profiles could serve as predictive markers for response to immunotherapy. By understanding these connections, Dr. Esserman’s research could lead to new insights into improving the effectiveness of immunotherapy for DCIS, offering personalized treatment options based on AAb profiles.
Laura Esserman, MD, MBA, an internationally recognized breast surgeon, breast oncology specialist, and visionary in personalized medicine, is revolutionizing breast cancer screening and treatment throughout our nation today. Her breast cancer work spans a spectrum from basic science to public policy issues and the impact of both on the delivery of clinical care. She is a provocative thought leader calling attention to, and finding solutions for, over-diagnosis and over-treatment of breast cancer, especially of DCIS.
Since 2002, Dr. Esserman has led the I-SPY TRIALS, a ground-breaking national public-private collaboration among NCI, FDA, more than 20 cancer research centers, and major pharma and biotech companies. This trial model, which has now become an international model for translational research, is designed to shave several years and tens of millions of dollars off the drug development process. The trial paradigm is now being developed for use in other disease domains.
Additionally, Dr. Esserman led the creation of the University of California-wide Athena Breast Health Network, a learning system designed to integrate clinical care and research as it follows 150,000 women from screening through treatment and outcomes. As part of the network, she has spearheaded the development of the WISDOM study to learn how to improve breast cancer screening by testing and comparing the safety and efficacy of a personalized screening strategy informed by each woman’s breast cancer risk and preferences against the standard of annual screening.
Dr. Esserman has published more than 300 articles in peer-reviewed journals, and is regularly consulted by prestigious scientific, business, and consumer media including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Health Magazine, Prevention Magazine, The Newshour, ABC World News, the NBC Nightly News, the CBS Evening News, and NPR’s Science Friday.
She was included as one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2016, and she also received the 2018 Giant of Cancer Care® in Cancer Diagnostics award.
1998
The Women's Cancer Research Fund Award
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