Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), which makes up about 10 to 15 percent of all breast cancers, describes breast cancer cells that do not have estrogen, progesterone, or HER2 receptors.
In a recent Facebook Live webchat, Ann Partridge, MD, MPH, Director of the Program for Young Women with Breast Cancer in the Susan F. Smith Center for Women’s Cancers at Dana-Farber, discussed treatment for this disease, as well as promising new advancements in areas such as immunotherapy.
“The good news is that we are making headway — there are a lot of newer therapies that seem to be showing great promise,” Partridge said. “So I’m very optimistic.”
Immunotherapy is not yet available as a standard treatment for patients with breast cancer. However, some clinical trials have shown that some pre-operative breast cancer patients, especially those with TNBC, responded well to a combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy, according to Partridge.
During the chat, Partridge also discussed why TNBC in often found in younger women and in women of African American or Hispanic background; what particular challenges face young women with breast cancer; and who is at risk for this kind of breast cancer, including women with the BRCA-1 mutation.
View a video of the August 1 webchat below.