I’m worried because I’m triple negative

PiNK 2021 Spring issue

【Your Questions Answered】Breast Cancer Care’s experts answer your questions about breast cancer and its treatments.

Q: I’ve been diagnosed with primary triple negative breast cancer and I’m worried there’s a lack of treatments. What are my options?

A: Triple negatvie breast cancer (TNBC), which doesn’t have receptors for the hormones oestrogen and progesterone or the protein HER2, can be treated with chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy, and bisphosphonates.

Chemotherapy is often given before surgery -called neo-adjuvant chemotherapy – and ongoing research is looking into different chemotherapy combinations.

An oral chemotherapy drug called capecitabine is sometimes used if there is still some cancer left after surgery. Clinical trials are trying to find out if other treatments help people with TNBC. These include treatments called PARP inhibitors and immunotherapy.

Many people find it helpful to talk to someone who has been through a similar experience, so they can talk through their worries and share experiences.