The Discussion Between Prof. Masakazu Toi and Dr. Ravi Velaga on Breast Cancer

On September 2, 2022, the Editorial Office was delighted and honored to have a special interview with Prof. Masakazu Toi and Dr. Ravi Velaga from Kyoto University, Japan.

They published a high-quality paper entitled “Molecular vulnerabilities and therapeutic resistance in hormone receptor positive and HER2 dependent breast cancer tumours” on Cancer Drug Resistance in July 2022. In the interview, they talked about some detailed information in their article, the benefits and drawbacks of ‘endocrine therapy’. In the meantime, Prof. Toi and Dr. Velaga shared their perspective on the impact of tumor microenvironment on breast cancer metastasis. At the end of the interview, they shared their views on the future prospect in the field of breast cancer and their team’s recent research progress on breast cancer.

Details of the interview

Q1. You elaborated on "endocrine therapy" for breast cancer in the article. Can you talk about the benefits and drawbacks of this therapeutic strategy?

Q2. You mentioned “Tumor microenvironment, microbiome, and therapeutic resistance” in the last part of the article. What do you think is the impact of tumor microenvironment on breast cancer metastasis?

Q3. As for breast cancer metastasis, what do you think is the most effective way to inhibit it?

Q4. Can you talk about the current research hotspots and the prospects in the field of breast cancer? 

Q5. Can you share something about your team’s recent research progress?

Introduction of Prof. Masakazu Toi

Masakazu Toi, Professor of Breast Surgery at the Graduate School of Medicine in Kyoto University and Director of the Breast Cancer Unit at Kyoto University Hospital， Japan. Prof. Toi's research interest mainly focuses on breast cancer biology and treatment. He is keen on research that translates basic science into clinical study. Prof. Toi is affiliated with various associations and is a member of several leading academic organizations. He serves as an Editorial Board member of multiple academic journals and has authored or co-authored over 300 articles.

Dr Ravi Velaga is a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Breast Surgery at Kyoto University, Japan. Research interests include various aspects of breast cancer development involving, translational research, biomarker discovery for therapeutic response and resistance, the role of liquid biopsy in breast cancer detection, and cancer hallmarks.

Respectfully Submitted by the Journal Editorial Office
Cancer Drug Resistance