Cutaneous Breast Cancer

The Disease

Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women, with more than 1.2 million diagnosed cases worldwide annually. It is the second most common cancer after melanoma to metastasize to skin. Approximately 30% of individuals with metastatic breast cancer have cutaneous metastases. These cutaneous metastases are challenging to treat and cause significant morbidity as progression often results in severe pain, chest wall ulceration, bleeding, and infections.

Current Management

The current therapeutic approach is either full thickness chest wall resection or chest wall radiation. Chemotherapy used in the second-and third-line setting results in overall response rates of 20-30%. For patients with cutaneous disease and concurrent visceral disease prognosis is poor with median survival of 12 months from diagnosis.

The Clinical Need

This limited survival highlights the need for improved local and systemic therapy in this breast cancer population. A skin-directed treatment that can provide durable systemic responses that prolong survival would represent a major advancement to current clinical management.