Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) refers to breast cancer that tests negative for estrogen receptors (ER), progesterone receptors (PR), and HER2 receptors. Neither hormone therapy nor anti-HER2 targeted therapy will therefore be useful for this type of breast cancer. It’s important to remember, however, that there are some effective ways to treat triple-negative breast cancer.
Triple-negative breast cancer is usually treated with a combination of surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Some newer treatment options, such as the PARP inhibitors and immunotherapies currently under study, have also yielded encouraging early clinical data.
To learn more about whether your condition makes you a candidate for other treatment options, your doctor may request additional tests to understand the biological characteristics of your tumour. Examples of these tests are genetic testing and the PD-1/PD-L1 expression test.
This photo is created and owned by F.Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd
This article is created and owned by Roche Hong Kong
References:
- National Breast Cancer Foundation. Molecular types of breast cancer. https://nbcf.org.au/about-national-breast-cancer-foundation/about-breastcancer/stages-types-treatment-break-cancer/molecular-types-breast-cancer. Accessed February 2022.
- Breastcancer.org. Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. https://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/diagnosis/trip_ne. Accessed February 2022.
- Image from: Breast Cancer (BC), accessed at: https://forpatients.roche.com/en/trials/cancer/bc.html, last accessed on May 2022