Metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is an aggressive cancer for which there currently is no cure. However, there are many treatment options to help control the disease and allow patients to live longer. Despite available treatments, there is a limited understanding of how to select treatments for patients to better extend their survival. This study plans to look for changes in DNA which will help identify the treatment best suited to each patient. To achieve this, blood samples are collected from patients with MBC currently receiving treatment and changes in their DNA over time are studied to understand how these changes correlate with their response to treatment. The hope is to leverage this new dataset to develop a blood-based test which can help MBC patients select the most effective treatment.

About Dr. Chen:
Nan Chen, MD, is a board-certified hematologist/oncologist who specializes in comprehensive breast cancer care. Dr. Chen’s practice primarily focuses on treating patients with all forms of breast cancer. She has particular expertise in high-risk breast cancers, including metastatic hormone receptor positive and triple-negative breast cancer. Dr. Chen offers both standard of care (such as, chemotherapy, targeted therapy and endocrine therapy) and novel therapies through clinical trials in order to create individualized treatment plans for her patients. Dr. Chen’s research interests include identifying innovative treatments for both early and advanced breast cancer in addition to identifying new biomarkers to predict response to the therapies. She is very active in clinical research, managing several trials evaluating advanced care for breast cancer. Working closely with laboratory-based researchers at the University of Chicago, Dr. Chen is developing tools that investigate mechanisms of treatment response or resistance. She has been awarded grants to fund her research and has published numerous peer-reviewed papers on breast cancer.