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Key Findings

MBC Scientific Research
More funds need to be directed to MBC research. MBC-focused research made up only
7% of the $15-billion invested in breast cancer research from 2000 to 2013 by the major MBC focused research
governmental and nonprofit funders from North America and the United Kingdom. Specific made up only 7% of
scientific areas are understudied. The field of MBC research is relatively small. the $15-billion invested
in breast cancer
• MBC research grants are focused on the metastasis steps of invasion and metastatic research from 2000
colonization, with far fewer studying intravasation and circulation, arrest and to 2013 by the major
extravasation, or metabolic deregulation. Why these gaps exist in funding and research governmental and
focused on these areas of the biology of metastasis need further exploration. nonprofit funders from
North America and the
• The distribution of funding across stages of MBC research (basic, translational, clinical, United Kingdom.
and cancer control) has not changed over the past decade, with most funding going
to support basic research. There is a paucity of research in MBC cancer control,
outcomes, and survivorship.
• Research on mechanisms of disease in cell lines and animal models is usually focused
on tissue taken from early stage, primary breast cancer, and not metastatic tumors.
In addition, clinical trial endpoints such as tumor shrinkage may not have relevance to Barriers to clinical
tumor spread or metastasis. trials include too
many “me-too”
• More research is needed to understand all the steps of metastasis to develop new trials in industry
treatments for the multiple types of MBC and to understand how best to improve the and the academic
quality and duration of the lives of women and men in whom breast cancer becomes “reward” system for
metastatic. single investigators
conducting single-
• Barriers to clinical trials include too many “me-too” trials in industry and the academic institution phase II
“reward” system for single investigators conducting single-institution phase II trials. To trials.
accelerate MBC clinical research, these barriers must be broken down by the conduct
of multi-institution, multi-investigator trials.

There is a paucity
of research in MBC
cancer control,
outcomes, and
survivorship.

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