30-Year-Old Diagnosed With Triple-Negative Breast Cancer After Partner Found A Lump. Now She’s Urging Women To Get Screened

The American Cancer Society (ACS) describes triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) as 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.

Samander explained in a recent video post, “I wanted to just give my quick, quick diagnosis story as someone who has no medical history, hasn’t drank alcohol in six years, has been vegan for nine years, and has absolutely no breast cancer family history.

“So in May of 2026, a partner had found a lump in my left breast. I was not super worried about it, but I went to OB-GYN [obstetrician and gynecologist] just to get it looked at. OB-GYN said this is probably benign, still ordered an ultrasound to make sure.”

Treating Triple Negative Breast Cancer

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She then described the lump as a “2.8 centimeter pretty well-circumscribed mass,” and recalled being recommended to undergo a biopsy.

“Again, I was not super worried, radiologist wasn’t super worried, but she recommended a biopsy based on the size. And regardless, I wanted that lump removed because it was quite large and I don’t want it growing,” Samander said.

That same day she spoke with a breast surgeon who was “fairly confident” her lump was benign and resembled a typical fibroadenoma, a benign breast lump made up of glandular and connective tissue.

Samander continued, “Three days later I got the pathology results that my tissue was invasive breast carcinoma, triple negative. So, besides being absolutely floored and devastated and shocked, [I] immediately had to start looking at treatment.”

Her treatment plan involves five months of chemotherapy, three of which remain. Regardless of how much the tumor shrinks, chemo will be followed by surgery—either a lumpectomy (removal of the mass and surrounding tissue) or a unilateral mastectomy (removal of one breast)—and then radiation.

She expects the whole treatment process to take about a year.

“I made this video because I want other women to get screened and know that literally anything can happen to you, and I’m really lucky to have such good care team and family,” Samander concluded.

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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

On July 13, Samander shared a photo of herself prepared for treatment, writing, “Andddd let the chemotherapy begin.

“So proud of my body. She’s carrying me through. Was a baddie, currently a baddie, still gonna be a baddie.”

In a more recent post, she admitted, “I have never felt stronger or more empowered in my life. I continue to grieve a cancer diagnosis that has forever changed who I am and what my life will look like.

“But I’m here. And my god, life is a f***ing whirlwind. Thank you for the thoughts, prayers, donations, food, coffee. I see humanity in such a beautiful light.”

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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 20 percent 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.

Understanding Triple Negative Breast Cancer

For example, a CMF regimen combines the chemotherapy drugs cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil. AC stands for doxorubicin (Adriamycin) with cyclophosphamide, and ACT indicates that a taxane drug is added to the regimen. Likewise, TC is a regimen of Taxotere and cyclophosphamide.

RELATED: In Triple Negative Breast Cancer, Drug Trodelvy Extends Life

Pembrolizumab and Early-Stage TNBC

In 2021, the FDA approved the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for the treatment of early-stage triple-negative breast cancer, based on the KEYNOTE-522 trial. Pembrolizumab was already used to treat other cancers, including melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer. Doctors heralded the FDA’s approval as a potentially paradigm-shifting advancement in breast cancer treatment.

For patients with stage 2 or 3 TNBC, adding pembrolizumab to combination chemotherapy before surgery increases the chances of living free of breast cancer, oncologist Dr. Sylvia Adams, director of the Breast Cancer Center at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, has explained to SurvivorNet.

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 said. “Yes, it’s a game-changer, though there is much more to be learned.”

Immunotherapy for Metastatic TNBC: An Updated Picture

Earlier reporting on this topic pointed to the IMpassion130 trial, which in 2019 led to accelerated FDA approval of atezolizumab (Tecentriq) plus nab-paclitaxel for PD-L1-positive metastatic triple-negative breast cancer — the first immunotherapy combination approved for this disease. However, that approval is no longer in effect.

The First Immunotherapy Approved For Breast Cancer Hope For Triple Negative Breast Cancer

The confirmatory trial, IMpassion131, failed to show a progression-free survival benefit when atezolizumab was added to paclitaxel, in either the PD-L1-positive population or the overall study population. Following an FDA review, the drug’s manufacturer voluntarily withdrew the accelerated approval for this indication in August 2021. The withdrawal was not attributed to any new safety concerns, but rather to the confirmatory trial not replicating the original results.

Instead, pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy is now the standard of care for patients with previously untreated metastatic TNBC whose tumors have a PD-L1 combined positive score of 10 or higher, since it has been shown to improve overall survival compared with chemotherapy alone.

Dr. Adams’ broader point about biomarkers still holds. She explained, “The question now becomes, is it only triple negative breast cancer that can benefit from immunotherapy, or are there other subtypes as well?

“If a tumor has the PD-L1 protein in it, that means there’s already an inflammatory response, that the patient’s immune system already recognized the tumor and was starting to work against it. The benefit of identifying such a strong biomarker in the triple negative subset will allow us to actually test for the presence and responsiveness to immunotherapy in other subtypes of breast cancer.”

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, has spoken with SurvivorNet on this relevant topic.

You might be told you have triple-negative breast cancer, meaning your cancer is not being fueled by any of the three main receptors: estrogen, progesterone, or the HER2 protein. But you could now also be categorized as HER2-low rather than simply HER2-negative.

RELATED: What to Know About CDK4/6 Inhibitors as Breast Cancer Treatment: Weighing the Risks vs. Benefits

Breast cancer cells with higher-than-normal levels of HER2 are called HER2-positive; those with low levels of HER2 were traditionally called HER2-negative.

More recently, researchers have expanded this definition to include patients with a minimal amount of HER2 expression who do not meet the classic criteria for HER2-positive tumors. This group is called HER2 “low” and represents close to half of all breast cancer patients.

This distinction matters because HER2-low breast cancers are targetable with the FDA-approved drug Enhertu (fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki). Enhertu has shown strong effectiveness for appropriate patients and can meaningfully improve quality of life and survival.

It is therefore worth discussing your HER2 status—including whether you fall into the HER2-low category—with your doctor.

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.

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

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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