I Am…Looking to Research for Hope
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and this year science feels closer than ever. At ASCO 2025, doctors shared results that may change how breast cancer is diagnosed, treated, and even prevented from returning.
In the past decade, more than a dozen new targeted therapies have been approved—CDK4/6 inhibitors, PARP inhibitors, HER2-directed agents, and more. In just the past five years, several more have been added—including two new medicines this year, plus an expansion to HER2-ultralow disease.
But behind every data point is a patient looking for hope. These are their stories—and the research that meets them where they are.
I Am Newly Diagnosed
"Hello to anyone out there dealing with this common but scary disease. I received the diagnosis of grade 2+, stage 3a, HR+, HER2- multifocal invasive ductal carcinoma this month. The extent of the cancer is scary and shocking. My dear husband was dying of kidney cancer, and it was impossible to get right on it. It all looks overwhelming and I would love to hear how things went for others."
In our community, voices like this remind us why research matters. Facing a new diagnosis often means searching in the dark for reassurance that better options are out there. At ASCO, studies like NATALEE and SERENA-6 offered hope: ribociclib may help prevent recurrences after surgery, and blood tests may catch resistance mutations earlier—giving tomorrow’s patients more choices and fewer shocks.
For some patients, though, hope begins even before treatment—it starts with simply being recognized in the system.
I Am Part of a System That’s Finally Seeing Me
"Those of us in the inflammatory breast cancer world have been clamoring for specific ICD codes… Starting Oct. 2025, there are three codes to document IBC. This may not seem like a ‘big thing’—but for too long, doctors haven’t even written out ‘inflammatory breast cancer’ in records."
For patients with rare subtypes like inflammatory breast cancer, progress can start with something as simple as the right code. Data drives research. Research drives change.
I Am Aware That Not All Care Is Equal
“Many doctors pride themselves on treating every patient the same—but when it comes to breast cancer, one-size-fits-all care can overlook critical differences.”
Precision medicine means treating each tumor—and each patient—as unique. At ASCO, trials like INAVO120 (for PIK3CA mutations) and VERITAC-2 (new ways of targeting estrogen receptors) showed how science continues to move toward more personalized options. And studies like OASIS 4 reminded us that side effects matter too—because treatment only works if patients can stay on it.
I Am Finding Hope in Research
In every trial, there is both a data set and a patient story. Someone newly diagnosed. Someone with a rare subtype. Someone listening late at night to the origin story of a drug. Someone who wants to know whether their biology will be seen and respected.
That's why research matters. It tells us the future is not fixed, that new codes, new drugs, new ideas, and new compassion can change the path.
I am hopeful, because research never pauses.
From ASCO in June to San Antonio in December, each meeting brings new data, new questions, and new possibilities. And our community is here to help each other make sense of the science, find hope in the details, and remind one another: no one walks this path alone.
Thank you to our partners for all you do to support patients and caregivers affected by breast cancer, including Starting Point Pathways and Twisted Pink.