The De-Escalation of Therapy, with Dr. Eric Winer

How should we – patients, family, doctors – consider the careful balance in identifying patients who might benefit from less rigorous course of treatment?  Dr. Eric Winer, a BCRF investigator since 2003, studies this concept. Known as “de-escalation of therapy,” this form of personalized medicine challenges the “one-size-fits-all” approach to breast cancer treatment. His current BCRF-supported study aims to improve quality of life by reducing post-surgery chemotherapy in carefully selected patients with early-stage HER2 positive breast cancer and an excellent prognosis. Dr. Winer is Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Chief, Division of Women's Cancers and the Thompson Senior Investigator in Breast Cancer Research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He is also the recipient of BCRF’s 2019 Jill Rose Award for scientific excellence and the Westchester Women’s Award in honor of Marla Mehlman.