The Importance of Breast Cancer Screenings
- “Glee” dancer Brittany Parks, 38, has revealed she is battling stage 2 triple-negative breast cancer and is undergoing treatment while receiving an outpouring of support from loved ones and fans.
- Mammogram recommendations vary among organizations, but the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) advises average-risk women to begin screening at age 40 with mammograms every other year through age 74. The American Cancer Society recommends starting annual screenings at 45, with options to continue yearly or switch to every other year after age 55.
- Women with higher risk factors, including family history, BRCA mutations, prior chest radiation, early menstruation, or dense breasts, may need earlier or additional screening based on a discussion with their doctor.
- If you have a breast cancer screening coming up or have recently had one, you may have questions you want answered. SurvivorNet’s proprietary AI tool “My Health Questions” is designed specifically for patients and caregivers.
For years, “Glee” touched the lives of millions by celebrating individuality, friendship, and resilience. Now, Parks, 38, is drawing on that same spirit of strength and perseverance as she navigates her own cancer journey, taking to social media to share her journey with fans.
Read MoreAccording to the American Cancer Society (ACS), triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an invasive type of breast cancer in which cancer cells do not have estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, or high levels of the HER2 protein. Since the cancer cells lack all three of these markers, the disease is known as “triple-negative” breast cancer. This type of breast cancer often grows and spreads faster while having fewer targeted treatment options.
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Parks continued, “The next year is going to be difficult, and that’s to say the least. But knowing that I WILL be okay and will come out on the other side kicking cancers ass has me currently at peace and ready for the ride.
“I am beyond grateful for the love and strength my family, friends and community have shown me thus far. I don’t know where I would be without each and every one of you picking me up when at times I feel dragged down. But I know that I’ll get through this, and I am truly thankful for the overwhelming support and prayers coming my way!”
Expert Resources On Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
- Chemo Plus Immunotherapy for Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
- Triple-Negative Breast Cancer More Deadly Among Black Women, According to New Research from Washington University School of Medicine
- Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Treatments To Consider
- Treating Early Stage Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
- Treatment Sequence for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
- Treatment for Early Stage Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
A GoFundMe, which has since raised more than $33,000 of it’s $50,000 goal, has since been set up for Parks and praised her as a “magnificent, lively, and loving person with an infectious laugh and spritely soul.”
Parks, who received her diagnosis on March 31, is now challenged with treatment and managing a weakened immune system, all while continuing her career, the crowdfunding page explained.
“Brittany now needs your help … Together, let us carry her through as she navigates the trials of chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Help lift the financial burden she may feel during one of the toughest times yet. Brittany has been the backbone to many of our own hard times… now is the time to pay it forward.
“All funds raised will go directly to Brittany’s rent, daily living expenses, food, and medical co-pays. Your support will give her the time and peace she needs to focus on healing and fighting her illness, without the added burden of financial worries. Please help her continue to spread her love and positivity to the world. Your kindness and generosity will make a real difference in her journey.”
It’s unclear what type of chemo and immunotherapy Parks’ plan entails, but it’s important to note that TNBC treatment depends on the size and stage of the cancer. As per the National Cancer Institute (NCI), surgery is often the initial treatment for stage I–III triple-negative breast cancer when the tumor is operable. Surgery options can include a lumpectomy, which removes the cancerous area and a margin of nearby healthy tissue, or a mastectomy, which involves removing the entire affected breast.
For larger triple-negative breast cancer tumors, doctors may recommend chemotherapy before surgery to help shrink the cancer and make removal easier. This pre-surgery approach, called neoadjuvant therapy, may be combined with immunotherapy medications such as pembrolizumab.
Following surgery, additional treatments like chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy for patients with certain BRCA mutations, or radiation may be used to help destroy any remaining cancer cells.
Immunotherapy for breast cancer uses drugs such as pembrolizumab (Keytruda) to help activate the body’s immune system, allowing it to better recognize and attack cancer cells.
Immunotherapy and Triple Negative Breast Cancer
Fans and loved ones offered additional support with comments for Parks on Instagram, with one writing, “I have a lot of experience with breast cancer and I know how much advancement has been made in the past twenty years with medical technology. You absolutely chose the right time to get this…so many people are living with breast cancer now, it no longer shortens a lifespan like it used to.
“As you know, the treatment is rough, but I’m absolutely confident that you’re gonna come through this fight a champion. I’ll do anything for you and will start by cheering you on as you navigate your way through this forest. I can’t wait to see you emerge triumphant.”
Another commented, “You are the strongest and most powerful among us. This is another, albeit hard, chapter of a long beautiful story. Love you so stupidly much it hurts. We got you.”
“Brittany the woman you are… you are strong, caring, intelligent, and so many more things. I love you more than you know, cancer chose the wrong person to mess with!! I’m here if you EVER need anything! Your village is massive and ready to support you. You got this. We got you. I love you endlessly and sending you the biggest hug,” someone else wrote.
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Understanding Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Triple-negative breast cancer is one of the most aggressive forms of the disease and makes up for approximately 10% to 15% of all breast cancers. The treatment approach varies from patient to patient and may include a combination of different treatments.
Early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) treatments may use a combination of chemotherapy drugs.
Triple Negative Breast Cancer
For example, a CMF regimen is an abbreviation for combining chemotherapy drugs cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil. AC stands for doxorubicin (Adriamycin) with cyclophosphamide, and ACT just indicates that a taxane drug is added to the regimen. Likewise, TC is an abbreviation for a regimen of Taxotere and cyclophosphamide.
RELATED: In Triple Negative Breast Cancer, New Drug Trodelvy Extends Life
In 2021, the FDA approved the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab for the treatment of early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) is already used to treat other cancers, including melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer. Doctors heralded the FDA’s approval of pembrolizumab as a potentially paradigm-shifting advancement in breast cancer treatment.
For patients with stage 2 or 3 TNBC, adding the immune-boosting medication pembrolizumab to combination chemotherapy before surgery increases chances of living free of breast cancer, explains oncologist Dr. Sylvia Adams, director of the Breast Cancer Center at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center.
She was one of several researchers involved with the pembrolizumab trials. “It changes the standard of care and should be discussed with all patients diagnosed with stage 2-3 TNBC,” she adds. “Yes, it’s a game-changer, though there is much more to be learned.”
Metastatic (stage 4) TNBC is treated differently, and the drug landscape here has shifted since the initial excitement over immunotherapy.
An early trial, IMpassion130, found that adding atezolizumab (Tecentriq) to chemotherapy helped patients with PD-L1-positive metastatic TNBC. But its FDA approval for this use was withdrawn in 2021 after a follow-up trial failed to confirm the benefit. Pembrolizumab paired with chemotherapy is now the preferred first-line option for metastatic PD-L1-positive TNBC.
It’s worth noting that immunotherapy drugs work by activating the immune system against the tumor, which is different from chemotherapy’s effect of temporarily weakening normal immune defenses. The two are often combined, but they carry different side-effect profiles— pembrolizumab, for instance, can occasionally trigger immune-related inflammation in the thyroid, lungs, or gut, which is separate from the infection risk that comes with chemo.
When To Consider Chemotherapy
Is Your Cancer Really Triple-Negative?
Dr. Heather McArthur, Clinical Director of the Breast Cancer Program at Simmons Cancer Center at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, has spoken with SurvivorNet on this relevant topic.
You might be told you have triple-negative breast cancer, that means that your cancer is not being fueled by any of the three main types of receptors: estrogen, progesterone nor the HER2 protein. But now you could be categorized as HER2 low instead of HER2 negative.
Breast cancer cells with higher-than-normal levels of HER2 are called HER2-positive, those with low levels of HER2 are (or were) called HER2 negative. Recently, however, researchers have looked to further expand this definition to include patients that have a minimal amount of HER2 expression but do not meet the classic definition for HER2-positive tumors. This group has been called HER2 “low” and is very important as it represents almost 50% of all patients with breast cancer.
This excitement stems from the fact that HER2-low breast cancers are targetable with a the FDA-approved Enhertu (Fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki). It appears that Enhertu is extremely effective for appropriate patients and can greatly improve their quality of life and help them live longer.
Therefore, it is exceedingly important to discuss with your physician about your HER2 status.
Treatment for Early-Stage Triple Negative Breast Cancer
When to Screen for Breast Cancer
Guidance on mammograms varies slightly by organization, which can cause confusion among patients, but we’re here to help.
In April 2024, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) updated its recommendation, advising all women at average risk to get a mammogram every other year starting at age 40 and continuing through age 74 — a change from its 2016 guidance, which set the starting age at 50.
The USPSTF said moving the starting age to 40 could save roughly 19% more lives, and noted that Black women face a 40% higher breast cancer mortality risk than white women, a disparity the earlier guidelines didn’t address.
The American Cancer Society’s guidance is close but not identical: annual mammograms starting at 45, moving to every other year (or annual, if preferred) starting at 55.
WATCH: When you’re getting a mammogram, ask about dense breasts.
Women with a strong family history of breast cancer, a BRCA mutation, chest radiation before age 30, early menstruation (before 12), or dense breast tissue are considered higher risk and may need to start screening earlier—however, that conversation should happen with a doctor rather than by following a general guideline.
Questions To Ask Your Doctor
If you have a breast cancer screening coming up or have recently had one, you may have questions you want answered. SurvivorNet’s proprietary AI tool “My Health Questions” is designed specifically for patients and caregivers.
WATCH: How One Cancer Survivor and Her Sister Used “My Health Questions” to Navigate Care
This powerful resource is embedded across the SurvivorNet website and delivers structured responses grounded in clinical guidelines and medically reviewed research to help people better understand their treatment options and feel more confident navigating care.
My Health Questions can also help patients come up with useful questions ahead of their next appointment.
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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