Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston, Massachusetts
Associate Chief, Division of Breast Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Advancing new strategies to prevent and treat breast cancer metastasis to the brain and central nervous system.
Brain metastases (cancer that has spread to the brain) remains a major problem in breast cancer. Nearly half of patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC), 25 to 45 percent of those with triple-negative MBC, and 15 percent of patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive MBC will experience brain metastasis. Dr. Lin is focused on developing effective strategies to prevent and treat metastases to the central nervous system (CNS), either to the brain or to the spinal fluid and lining of the brain (leptomeningeal disease, LMD), which will help extend survival of patients and improve their quality of life.
Most clinical trials exclude patients with brain metastases or LMD. Clinical trials led by Dr. Lin were among the first to include such patients and to demonstrate that systemic targeted treatments can be effective in the brain. Treatments such as tucatinib and neratinib are now options for patients due to the results of these clinical studies.
Dr. Lin and her team will continue to enroll patients in a phase 2 clinical trial testing datopotamab deruxtecan, a promising antibody-drug conjugate, in patients with ER-positive or triple-negative brain metastases or LMD. They will also enroll patients to a multicenter national clinical study within the Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium (TBCRC) to further evaluate the effects of trastuzumab deruxtecan (Enhertu®) in patients with breast cancer brain metastasis. Finally, they will enroll patients into a multicenter registry study designed to maximize cooperation and learning about treatments for LMD, to learn more about the biology of LMD, and to identify potential new targets for drug development.
Nancy Lin, MD is a medical oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Lin received her medical degree at Harvard Medical School and subsequently completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and a fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at Dana-Farber/Partners Cancer Care.
Since 2018, she has served as Associate Chief of the Division of Breast Oncology at DFCI. Dr. Lin’s focus is on developing novel targeted therapies for patients with advanced breast cancer and exploring mechanisms of drug resistance, with a particular interest in patients with breast cancer that has metastasized to the brain. Dr. Lin is leading multiple ongoing and planned clinical trials evaluating a variety of targeted approaches in patients with metastatic breast cancer. Her work is highly collaborative and involves close working relationships with clinicians, laboratory investigators, and patient advocates. Dr. Lin’s honors and awards include the Women in Oncology Award from Practical Recommendations in Immuno and Medical Oncology, and a Young Investigator Award and Career Development Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology. She is a member of the Massachusetts Medical Society, American Society of Clinical Oncology, Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, and Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium.
“Through the support of the BCRF, we have been able to develop multiple effective therapies for patients with cancer that has spread to the brain, but we know our work is not done, and there is still much progress yet to be made.”
2007
The Friends and Family of Jen and Josh Feinberg Award
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