Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Advancements
- In a new study published by the New England Journal of Medicine, a new drug, a unique antibody drug conjugate (ADC), shows to nearly double the survival time of patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer.
- This is an exciting advancement for this type of disease and broadens existing treatment options.
- Triple-negative breast cancer is an aggressive type of cancer.
What Does this Mean for Breast Cancer Fighters?
Dr. Amy Tiersten, professor of medicine, hematology and medical oncology at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, tells SurvivorNet that SG is a ” tremendously exciting drug to have in our armamentarium to treat metastatic triple-negative chemotherapy.”Related: Treatment for Early Stage Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Given the aggressive nature of this disease, any advancements in treating it are important. “Triple-negative metastatic breast cancer is an aggressive form of breast cancer and standard therapy has been single agent chemotherapy with moderate effectiveness,” Dr. Tiersten says. “Antibody drug conjugates are a very exciting form of therapy in that a potent chemotherapy is attached to an antibody that is present on the surface of the cancer cells so it is a form of biologic or targeted type of therapy.”
“The sacitizumab showed a very significantly higher rate of tumor shrinkage…”
“In this trial, the sacitizumab showed a very significantly higher rate of tumor shrinkage, longer time that the treatment worked and more than a doubling of survival time as compared to standard chemotherapy.”
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Increased Survival Rates
Dr. Ingrid A. Mayer, professor of medicine and co-leader of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center Breast Cancer Research Program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, says the survival rates improvements are significant. “This is a very important study for patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), as this type of cancer has been notoriously associated with very short survival. Even though immunotherapy has added impact in survival in TNBC, only a limited percentage of patients derive true benefit from it.”
“Now, with this new class of drugs (an antibody conjugate that combines a potent chemotherapy with an antibody against a protein that is expressed in almost 90% of breast cancer cells), we have an incredibly effective option of treatment, that not only promotes much more impressive tumor shrinkage, but actually improves survival significantly for patients with metastatic TNBC. While this drug is not less toxic than conventional chemotherapies, it is not more toxic either. Therefore, this is a wonderful and much-needed addition to our fight against TNBC!”
A Major Advancement
Dr. Douglas K. Marks, assistant professor at NYU Long Island School of Medicine (and a member of NYU Perlmutter Cancer Center), notes that sacituzumab govitecan received FDA accelerated approval in April 2020 and that it “represents a first-in-class antibody drug conjugate for triple-negative breast cancer.”
“Sacituzumab Govitecan, along with Anti-PD1/PDL1 therapy, and PARP inhibitors have significantly expanded the treatment options, beyond conventional chemotherapy, for patients with triple-negative breast cancer for which improved therapies are critically needed,” Dr. Marks says.
Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Treatments To Consider
What is Triple Negative Breast Cancer?
Triple-negative breast cancer is an especially aggressive form of breast cancer. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), this type of cancer accounts for approximately 10-15% of all breast cancers.
The ACS says that the term “triple-negative” breast cancer refers to the fact that the cancer cells don't have estrogen or progesterone receptors and also don't make too much of the protein called HER2. So, the cells test a “negative” on all 3 tests.
Triple-negative breast cancer tends to be more common in women under the age of 40, Black women and women who have the BRCA1 gene mutation. These cancers grow and spread faster than other breast cancers, their treatment options tend to be more limited, and the prognosis may be worse than other cancers.
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