Titles and Affiliations
Assistant Professor
Breast Medical Oncologist
Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation
Research area
Improving disease monitoring during treatment to improve therapeutic intervention in patients with triple-negative breast cancer
Impact
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype and is more likely to recur after treatment. Many patients with TNBC have lingering cancer cells in their blood after standard treatment, increasing their risk of recurrence within the first few years post therapy. Currently, cancer recurrence is detected through monitoring patient symptoms and imaging. However, liquid biopsy has emerged as a non-invasive monitoring technique to detect genetic material released by cancer cells in the blood (circulating tumor DNA, ctDNA).
Progress Thus Far
For her Conquer Cancer Award supported by BCRF, Dr. Abdou has launched PREDICT-RD (NCT07069595), which is investigating the use of a blood test to detect ctDNA in patients with high-risk TNBC who remain at increased risk of recurrence despite standard treatment. Patients with detectable ctDNA will receive datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd), an antibody-drug conjugate that targets the protein TROP2, a protein found on the surface of many cancer cells. The goal is to eliminate residual disease before it becomes clinically detectable. The trial is now open to enrollment at University of North Carolina, with activation pending at several additional sites across the country.
What’s next
By combining early molecular detection with this targeted intervention, Dr. Abdou aims to determine whether ctDNA-guided treatment can reduce the risk of recurrence and improve long-term outcomes for patients with TNBC.
Biography
Yara Abdou, MD is an Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a breast medical oncologist at the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her research focuses on developing novel therapies and investigating innovative biomarkers for disease recurrence and treatment response, with a particular emphasis on understanding and addressing racial disparities in breast cancer outcomes among minority women.
Dr. Abdou’s work has been recognized with several awards, including the METAvivor Health Disparities in Metastatic Breast Cancer Research Award and the Robert A. Winn Diversity in Clinical Trials Award. As both a clinician and researcher, she is dedicated to improving treatment strategies for breast cancer patients while minimizing suffering and morbidity from the disease.
