SUMMARY
Roberto A. Leon-Ferre, M.D., is a medical oncologist with expertise in breast cancer. Dr. Leon-Ferre's research focuses on triple-negative breast cancer, the most aggressive subtype of breast cancer.
Dr. Leon-Ferre co-leads the Mayo Clinic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Working Group. He studies factors that impact the prognosis and response of this disease to anti-cancer treatments, evaluating how the tumor microenvironment influences clinical outcomes.
The goal of Dr. Leon-Ferre's research is to identify biomarkers that allow clinicians to better personalize and optimize treatment for patients with triple-negative breast cancer.
Focus Areas
-
Breast cancer prognosis. Dr. Leon-Ferre characterizes prognostic factors of triple-negative breast cancer. Triple-negative breast cancer affects younger women and is characterized by worse clinical outcomes. Dr. Leon-Ferre is evaluating factors that influence the risk of recurrence in early-stage triple-negative breast cancer by assessing tumor samples from a large cohort of patients treated at Mayo Clinic and around the world. His group has identified that patients with high levels of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes may have a better prognosis, even without systemic therapy.
-
Immune system and tumor microenvironment. He also characterizes the interactions between the immune system and the tumor microenvironment of patients with triple-negative breast cancer. Dr. Leon-Ferre is evaluating how systemic immunity, which is assessed in peripheral blood, and the tumor immune microenvironment, which is evaluated in tumor samples, impact treatment response and long-term outcomes.
-
Breast cancer clinical trials. Dr. Leon-Ferre develops clinical trials for patients with triple-negative breast cancer. He is leading the development of clinical trials evaluating novel treatment approaches for patients with both early-stage and metastatic triple-negative breast cancer.
Significance to Patient Care
Dr. Leon-Ferre hopes that his research leads to new, more effective and less toxic treatments for patients with triple-negative breast cancer.