Breast Cancer and Chemotherapy

       Of the many different breast cancers there are, triple-negative breast cancers are usually worse news; they are harder to treat and has lower 5-year survival rate. The name “triple-negative” refers to the lack of three common things in breast cancer: the estrogen receptor, HER2 (hormone epidermal growth factor receptor 2) receptor, and progesterone receptor. The lack of these receptors make it impossible to target the cancer through hormone therapy or medication for cancers that overproduce HER2, and so triple-negative breast cancers are more limited in terms of treatment options.

       Chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy are the three most established ways for treating triple-negative breast cancer. Chemotherapy in particular works well for shrinking the tumor. There are two types of chemotherapy: adjuvant and neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Adjuvant therapy is given after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells that can’t be seen in an imaging test; it serves as a barrier that lowers the chances of breast cancer coming back. Neoadjuvant therapy goes before surgery, which can be for shrinking the tumor so that surgery can be less extensive. Getting chemo before surgery can also give the patient time to get genetic testing or plan reconstructive surgery, and doctors also can know how effective a drug is on the cancer.

       If a tumor is small enough, surgery can be used to remove the tumor. Depending on the cancer stage, surgery may or may not remove the entire breast; breast-reconstructive surgery is also often given to maintain the patient’s quality of life. Surgery can also be used to remove lymph nodes or relieve symptoms of advanced breast cancers.

       Radiation therapy also can kill cancer cells while sparing healthy cells. External beam radiation therapy, or EBRT, focuses radiation beams on affected areas that have cancerous cells. Meanwhile, brachytherapy involves putting a radioactive device within the body to irradiate cancerous areas.

       There are other ways of treating breast cancer as well: immunotherapy, which mobilizes the patient’s own immune system, and targeted therapy, which target specific characteristics of cancerous cells, are also becoming more common. For instance, the FDA approved PARP (poly ADP ribose polymerase, which repairs DNA damage) inhibitor drugs in 2018 for the treatment of breast cancer, and the drug is gaining ground and popularity.

       All in all, while cancer is not easy to treat, and triple-negative breast cancer is comparatively harder to deal with, there are still plenty of treatments available for addressing this disease. Having a positive mindset and holding onto hope is especially important for fighting against disease. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month——screening regularly for breast cancer can greatly improve the treatability of the cancer, and we hope you join us in our campaign to raise awareness on the subject.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21756-triple-negative-breast-cancer-tnbc

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/breast-cancer/triple-negative-breast-cancer

https://www.fda.gov/drugs/resources-information-approved-drugs/fda-approves-olaparib-germline-brca-mutated-metastatic-breast-

cancer#:~:text=On%20January%2012%2C%202018%2C%20the%20Food%20and%20Drug,either%20in%20the%20neoadjuvant%2C%20adjuvant%2C%20or%20metastatic%20setting. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/breast-cancer/treatment/treatment-of-triple-negative.html