As you know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month so be sure to check back each week throughout the month as we share important breast health tips.
For patients with one particularly aggressive form of breast cancer, new treatments may provide hope.
Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), which encompass around a fifth of all U.S. breast cancer diagnoses, is difficult to detect in mammograms. Since it does not react to most common targeted therapies, it’s also more difficult to treat. This kind of cancer is aggressive. It grows faster, and it spreads to other parts of the body more easily.
The recent approval of a certain therapy by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is offering better results than previous treatments.
What is TNBC?
As its name suggests, tested tumor cells are negative for common estrogen factors and a pair of progesterone receptors that usually help doctors target treatment. Tumors stem from damaged DNA strands in the cells. The triple negative result means the cancer growth is not supported by estrogen and progesterone hormones, as most cancers are, and therefore will not respond to the usual hormonal therapies.
Enter the enzyme poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP).
Why does PARP make a difference?
Initially employed to fight ovarian cancer, PARP inhibitors capitalize on the TNBC Achilles’ heel. The effected cells’ DNA repair mechanisms are already impaired, and PARP only fuels the cancer’s growth. Prior to FDA approval late last year, researchers showed PARP inhibitors disable the tumor cell’s ability to repair its damaged DNA, ensuring those cells will die while healthy cells survive.
Approval of the inhibitors was limited to ovarian cancer in the FDA’s latest move, but doctors are confident it will soon be employed to help breast cancer patients as well.
Because of TNBC’s aggressiveness, it’s important to catch it early. Prognoses for the first five years after detection is poorer than other types of breast cancer because it’s usually detected too late.
What you need to know about TNBC
If you’re worried about developing this cancer, here are three facts to keep in mind:
1. TNBC is more prevalent in younger women and African American women.
While anyone can develop it, the cancer is most likely to occur in these populations. Women with the BRCA1 gene mutation are also at higher risk. Don’t be afraid to ask your doctor if you have some concerns, especially when it comes to genetics.
2. Currently, common treatment for TNBC includes a combination of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.
Because it tests negative for the three receptors mentioned above, TNBC isn’t treated with hormone or targeted therapy.
3. If detected early, chemotherapy has a slightly higher effectiveness against TNBC.
After treatment, if cancer cells haven’t returned for five years, the chance of surviving TNBC is higher than more common forms.
Early detection saves lives. To find out more, visit the St. Elizabeth Breast Center or call 877-424-5750 to register for a mammogram.
