Roswell Park Experts Present Breast Cancer Research at SABCS 2025

Molecular insights inform high-precision surgical and medical treatment strategies

• More than a dozen Roswell Park teams invited to present new research
• Work spans clinical trials, health disparities, AI, new treatment strategies
• Focus on clinical innovation and real-world outcomes in breast cancer care

BUFFALO, N.Y. — More than a dozen Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center teams will showcase new research at the 2025 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) this week, highlighting how Roswell Park experts are applying precision-medicine tools and insights to shape the future of breast cancer management.

“Our team is addressing some of the most pressing challenges in breast cancer,” says Sheheryar Kabraji, BMBCh, Chief of Breast Medicine at Roswell Park. “The breadth of work from Roswell Park faculty and fellows at this year’s meeting underscores our commitment to improving treatment outcomes and quality of life for patients with every type and stage of breast cancer. Most of our presenters are trainees and junior faculty, emphasizing our commitment to training the next generation of breast cancer experts.”

“The San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium gives our experts an outstanding platform to share strategies on how to apply the latest tumor biology insights to guide innovations in surgery,” notes Kazuaki Takabe, MD, PhD, FACS, FSSO, Chief of Breast Surgery and The Alfiero Foundation Endowed Chair in Breast Oncology at Roswell Park. “Our work on molecular signatures and the immune microenvironment is paving the way for more precise, personalized approaches to breast cancer treatment.”

Among the Roswell Park experts sharing research at SABCS 2025 are Sheheryar Kabraji, BMBCh, Chief of Breast Medicine, right, with lab team members Vittal Kurisetty, left, and Maia Homsi.

Presentation highlights by day

Wednesday, Dec. 10

• PS1-01-11. Outcomes and Toxicity of Combination Chemotherapy and HER2-Targeted Therapy Versus HER2-Targeted Therapy Alone in Elderly Patients with HER2-Positive Breast Cancer — presented by Maha Zafar, MD, in collaboration with co-first author Fayaz Khan, MD, both fellows from the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo working with the Department of Supportive Care at Roswell Park, Wednesday, Dec. 10, from 12:30-2 p.m. in the Exhibit Hall.

   

• PS1-02-11. The Unbridged Gap in Sexual Health Counseling: A Global Oncology Trainee Perspective — presented by first author Malak Saud Alharbi, MBBS, a Hematology/Oncology Fellow in the Roswell Park Department of Medicine, Wednesday, Dec. 10, from 12:30-2 p.m. in the Exhibit Hall.

   

• PS1-03-13. Comparative Outcomes in Breast Cancer Patients Treated with Alpelisib With and Without Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Real-World Analysis from the TriNetX Network — presented by presented by Maha Zafar, MD, in collaboration with co-first author Fayaz Khan, MD, from the UB Jacobs School and Roswell Park’s Department of Supportive Care, Wednesday, Dec. 10, from 12:30-2 p.m. in the Exhibit Hall.

   

• PS1-10-12. Impact of Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists Use on Survival and Metabolic Outcomes in Metastatic Estrogen Receptor Positive Breast Cancer: A Real-World Cohort Study — presented by presented by Maha Zafar, MD, in collaboration with co-first author Fayaz Khan, MD, from the UB Jacobs School and Roswell Park’s Department of Supportive Care, Wednesday, Dec. 10, from 12:30-2 p.m. in the Exhibit Hall.

   

• PS1-12-04. Development and characterization of patient-derived xenografts of HR+/HER2- breast cancer following progression on CDK4/6 inhibitor-based therapy — presented by first author Agnieszka Witkiewicz, MD, Professor of Oncology and Personalized Medicine in Roswell Park’s Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, in collaboration with senior author Erik Knudsen, PhD, Senior Vice President, Associate Director of Basic Science Research and Chair of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Roswell Park, Wednesday, Dec. 10, from 12:30-2 p.m. in the Exhibit Hall.

   

• PS1-12-07. Impact of TP53 mutations on Treatment Duration with CDK 4/6 Inhibitors and Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in ER-positive/HER2-negative Breast Cancer: Insights from Real-World Data — presented by Masanori Oshi, MD, postdoctoral research scholar with the Department of Breast Surgery, with senior author Kazuaki Takabe, MD, PhD, FACS, FSSO, Chief of Breast Surgery and The Alfiero Foundation Endowed Chair in Breast Oncology, Wednesday, Dec. 10, from 12:30-2 p.m. in the Exhibit Hall.

   

• PS2-10-18. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) Signature Score of a Bulk Tumor May Not Reflect the EMT of Malignant Epithelial Cells — presented by an expert from Central Japan International Medical Center, Minokamo, Japan, in collaboration with senior author Kazuaki Takabe, MD, PhD, FACS, FSSO, Chief of Breast Surgery and The Alfiero Foundation Endowed Chair in Breast Oncology, Wednesday, Dec. 10, from 5-6:30 p.m. in the Exhibit Hall.

   

• PS2-11-14. Residual disease after trastuzumab deruxtecan treatment of HER2+ breast tumors is promoted by leucyl tRNA synthetase 2 (LARS2) in HER2-low tumor cells — presented by senior author Sheheryar Kabraji, BMBCh, Chief of Breast Medicine at Roswell Park, in collaboration with first author Vittal Kurisetty, PhD, HRI Scientist with the Department of Medicine, Wednesday, Dec. 10, from 5-6:30 p.m. in the Exhibit Hall.

   

• PS2-13-01. Discrete Vulnerabilities to CDK2 Inhibition in Breast Cancer: Genetic Determinants and Therapeutic Opportunities — presented by first author Erik Knudsen, PhD, Senior Vice President, Associate Director of Basic Science Research and Chair of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Roswell Park, in collaboration with senior author Agnieszka Witkiewicz, MD, Professor of Oncology and Personalized Medicine, Wednesday, Dec. 10, from 5-6:30 p.m. in the Exhibit Hall.

Thursday, December 11

• PS3-04-06. Benchmarking Large Language Models for Clinical Decision Support in Breast Cancer Care: A Multi-Institutional Expert Evaluation — presented by first author Zunairah Shah, MBBS, Hematology-Oncology Fellow with the Department of Medicine at Roswell Park, Thursday, Dec. 11, from 12:30-2 p.m. in the Exhibit Hall. Dr. Shah received a Margaret Foti Foundation Scholar-in-Training Award, a scholarship awarded to early-career clinicians and scientists recognized for meritorious research.

   

• PS3-05-18. Non-breast cancer related germline mutations in breast cancer patients: a single institution experience — presented by first author Maha Zafar, MD, from the UB Jacobs School and Roswell Park’s Department of Supportive Care, Thursday, Dec. 11, from 12:30-2 p.m. in the Exhibit Hall.

   

• PS3-13-03. Neuron Projection Guidance signature associates with tumor progression and changes in the tumor microenvironment in triple-negative breast cancer — presented by first author Kei Kawashima, MD, in collaboration with senior author Kazuaki Takabe, MD, PhD, FACS, FSSO, Chief of Breast Surgery and The Alfiero Foundation Endowed Chair in Breast Oncology at Roswell Park, Thursday, Dec. 11, from 12:30-2 p.m. in the Exhibit Hall.

   

• PS3-13-11. Expression of Brutons tyrosine kinase (BTK) in breast cancer associates with tumor immune microenvironment but lacks predictive value for clinical outcome — presented by Tamra AlRommah, MD, a postdoctoral research affiliate at Roswell Park, in collaboration with corresponding author Kazuaki Takabe, MD, PhD, FACS, FSSO, Chief of Breast Surgery and The Alfiero Foundation Endowed Chair in Breast Oncology, Thursday, Dec. 11, from 12:30-2 p.m. in the Exhibit Hall.

   

• PS4-03-20. Spatial and biomarker associations of CD83, a promising CAR-T target for breast cancer — presented by first author Maia Homsi, pre-med research associate, in collaboration with senior author Sheheryar Kabraji, BMBCh, Chief of Breast Medicine at Roswell Park, Thursday, Dec. 11, from 12:30-2 p.m. in the Exhibit Hall.

   

• PS4-09-04. Global disparities in breast cancer clinical trials and their impact on clinical evidence, driven by underrepresentation of low- and middle-income countries — presented by first author Varsha Gupta, MD, Assistant Professor of Oncology in Roswell Park’s Department of Medicine, in collaboration with senior author Sheheryar Kabraji, BMBCh, Chief of Breast Medicine, Thursday, Dec. 11, from 5-6:30 p.m. in the Exhibit Hall.

   

• PS4-09-07. Insurance Status as a significant contributor of disparities in outcomes among young breast cancer patients- A retrospective analysis from National Inpatient Sample — presented by first author Vaishali Deenadayalan, MBBS, Hematology-Oncology Fellow with the Roswell Park Department of Medicine, Thursday, Dec. 11, from 5-6:30 p.m. in the Exhibit Hall.

Friday, Dec. 12

• PS5-04-03. Real world outcomes of use of Capivasertib in patients with HR positive HER2 negative metastatic breast cancer: A single center study — presented by first author Vinit Singh, MBBS, Hematology-Oncology Fellow with the Roswell Park Department of Medicine, in collaboration with senior author Varsha Gupta, MD, Assistant Professor of Oncology, Friday, Dec. 12, from 12:30-2 p.m. in the Exhibit Hall.

   

• PS5-08-09. A Pilot, Single-Arm, Phase II Trial of Tamoxifen plus Pegylated Liposomal Doxorubicin in Patients with Metastatic Triple Negative Breast Cancer — presented by first author Zunairah Shah, MBBS, Hematology-Oncology Fellow with the Department of Medicine at Roswell Park, in collaboration senior author Sheheryar Kabraji, BMBCh, Chief of Breast Medicine, Friday, Dec. 12, from 12:30-2 p.m. in the Exhibit Hall

Hosted by Mays Cancer Center at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in partnership with the American Association for Cancer Research, the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium is the world’s largest breast cancer research conference. More than 11,000 clinicians, researchers, and patient advocates from more than 102 countries are expected to convene in San Antonio for the 47th annual SABCS meeting Dec. 10-13.