What Is Personalized Care in Breast Cancer?
Breast cancer is a personal experience, with no two cases being exactly alike. For this reason, personalized care (or personalized medicine) is increasingly common in the medical landscape. For breast cancer, personalized care refers to tailored screening, treatment and support. This approach integrates genetic, biological and personal factors to improve outcomes and provide the most effective care possible.
What Makes Care Personalized?
- Tailored Screening Plans
Breast cancer screening recommendations are based on national guidelines, personal risk factors and guidance from your doctor. Everyone deserves a breast cancer screening plan personalized to their unique risk. Screening mammograms are the gold standard to detect breast cancers early in most women when there are more treatment options available and the chances of survival are highest.
For women at average risk, major health organizations recommend annual screening mammograms starting at age 40. Those at higher risk, like those with a family history of breast cancer, inherited gene mutations like BRCA1/2 or LCIS may need to be screened earlier or more often, in addition to requiring other tests, such as a breast MRI or earlier screenings.
Learn more about screening recommendations here.
- Customized Treatment Options
Because of advancements in research, personalized treatments can now be matched to a person’s unique tumor make up and genetics to determine the best treatment plan.
- Biomarker testing gives information about the hormone receptor status and HER2 status of a tumor, which can help guide treatment.
- Targeted therapies and advanced treatments like CDK4/6 inhibitors have improved outcomes, particularly for people with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). These treatments can offer hope for a better and longer quality of life.
- Genetic predispositions, like BRCA1 and BRCA2 inherited gene mutations, impact breast cancer risk, and genetic testing may help guide treatment. By assessing a person’s unique genetic profile with genetic counseling and testing, doctors can decide what treatments will be most effective.
Learn more about how biomarker research is changing lives.
- Accommodating Different Personal Needs
Personalized care isn’t just about treating cancer – it’s about treating the whole person. This approach ensures care meets an individual’s physical, emotional, cultural and lifestyle needs.
- Supportive care can help people manage side effects, such as fatigue or nausea, while also offering emotional support like counseling or support groups.
- Patient navigation services like Komen’s Patient Care Center offer free, personalized services to patients, caregivers and family members. These services help people navigate the health care system and adapt care to align with a person’s cultural background, values and preferences, ensuring that treatment feels respectful and meaningful to their individual experiences.
- Survivorship care plans are designed to meet each person’s specific risk of recurrence and needs after treatment, providing guidance on follow-up medical care, lifestyle adjustments and ongoing health monitoring.
Learn more about SGK’s Patient Care Center.
- Empowering Patients to Get Involved in Their Care
Personalized care also empowers patients by involving them in decision-making with their doctor. Understanding their genetic and biomarker profiles helps individuals make more confident choices about their care plan, possibly leading to better treatment adherence and outcomes.
- Through the Patient Care Center, Komen offers customized navigation services that help individuals with breast cancer find the resources and support they need.
- Educational resources on Komen.org help users understand how their unique breast cancer and lifestyle can shape their diagnosis and treatment.
- Komen provides tools for self-advocacy through resources including the Real Pink podcast, blogs and support groups that show users how to leverage their unique health information for more personalized treatment plans.
Personalized Care and Health Equity
Personalized care is critical to achieving health equity. Addressing disparities in access to screening, diagnostic imaging and treatment ensures that high-quality care is available to everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity or socioeconomic status. By removing barriers like insurance coverage gaps for diagnostic imaging or genetic counseling and testing, personalized care can be a reality for everyone.
Learn about SGK’s Health Equity Revolution.
The Future of Breast Cancer Care is Personal
Personalized care is not just about treating breast cancer – it’s about caring for the individual before and after a diagnosis. By combining cutting-edge science with compassionate, patient-focused care, we can ensure that each person receives treatment tailored to their unique needs.
From the laboratory to the clinic, personalized medicine is paving the way for a future where breast cancer care is more effective, inclusive and hopeful than ever before.
If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with breast cancer, resources and support are available to guide you every step of the way.
More Resources
Clinical Trials for Personalized Therapies
Personalized Medicine in Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review
MBC Impact Series: Intro to Personalized Medicine Part 1 and Part 2
US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement on Personalized Screening
SharesForCures Research Registry to Improve Diversity in Research and Personalized Care
