For women diagnosed with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer, the combination of chemotherapy and an immunotherapy drug called atezolizumab (also known by its brand name, Tecentriq) can have a significant survival benefit.
“For a while, it was thought that [breast cancer] wouldn’t necessarily respond to immunotherapies,” says Dr. Elizabeth Comen of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. But now, as Dr. Comen explains, that’s changed. “We have an FDA-approved drug called atezolizumab that has been approved for first-line metastatic triple-negative breast cancer patients.”
By “first-line,” Dr. Comen means patients who have not yet had any therapy for their metastatic breast cancer. The combination of atezolizumab with chemotherapy given as first-line therapy has been shown to increase overall survival time by as much as 10 months.
“Ten months’ improvement in overall survival is significant — and can be truly significant for the patients who are fighting metastatic triple-negative breast cancer,” Dr. Comen says.
Dr. Comen points out one thing that’s really important to keep in mind about atezolizumab, which is that the survival benefit won’t necessarily be the same for all women with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. Women who have something called a “PD-L1” marker on their breast cancer tumors are much more likely to benefit from the drug. This is why the FDA has specifically approved atezolizumab for patients with locally-advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer who test positive for PD-L1.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Dr. Elizabeth Comen serves as a medical advisor to SurvivorNet. She is a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Read More
For women diagnosed with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer, the combination of chemotherapy and an immunotherapy drug called atezolizumab (also known by its brand name, Tecentriq) can have a significant survival benefit.
“For a while, it was thought that [breast cancer] wouldn’t necessarily respond to immunotherapies,” says Dr. Elizabeth Comen of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. But now, as Dr. Comen explains, that’s changed. “We have an FDA-approved drug called atezolizumab that has been approved for first-line metastatic triple-negative breast cancer patients.”
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By “first-line,” Dr. Comen means patients who have not yet had any therapy for their metastatic breast cancer. The combination of atezolizumab with chemotherapy given as first-line therapy has been shown to increase overall survival time by as much as 10 months.
“Ten months’ improvement in overall survival is significant — and can be truly significant for the patients who are fighting metastatic triple-negative breast cancer,” Dr. Comen says.
Dr. Comen points out one thing that’s really important to keep in mind about atezolizumab, which is that the survival benefit won’t necessarily be the same for all women with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. Women who have something called a “PD-L1” marker on their breast cancer tumors are much more likely to benefit from the drug. This is why the FDA has specifically approved atezolizumab for patients with locally-advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer who test positive for PD-L1.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Dr. Elizabeth Comen serves as a medical advisor to SurvivorNet. She is a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Read More
