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Advances for triple-negative breast cancer, preventing recurrence?

Page last modified on: January 4, 2010

Question from KathyW: Are there any advances for triple-negative breast cancer, and what can we do to prevent a recurrence?: Answer —Kathy Miller, M.D.: The good news for women with triple-negative disease is that they are the group that gets the biggest improvement in prognosis with chemotherapy in the adjuvant setting, but we know many of those women still have a high risk of recurrence. The most exciting development in the treatment of women with triple-negative disease in the past year has been the development of a new class of drugs called the PARP inhibitors. Those drugs take advantage of an inherent defect in repairing damage that is unique to the cancer cells, so they have had much less toxicity to normal tissues and in combination with chemotherapy in the metastatic setting, they made the chemotherapy much more effective. As you would expect, we are very excited about the potential of the PARP inhibitors as part of the early treatment of women with newly diagnosed triple-negative disease, but in that setting the potential side effects become even more important. So there are plans for a pilot study in the adjuvant setting specifically to look at the safety of that approach. That first step should start enrolling patients within the next 6 months.

On Tuesday, December 15, 2009, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Updates from the 2009 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Kathy Miller, M.D. and Kristin Brill, M.D., F.A.C.S. answered your questions about the latest updates on breast cancer risk, screening techniques, treatment options, and more.

The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.

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Meet the Experts

Kathy D. Miller, M.D. is associate professor of medical oncology at Indiana University, and a Sheila D. Ward Scholar.

Kristin Brill, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a breast surgeon and clinical instructor at the Thomas Jefferson University Department of Surgery in Philadelphia, PA. She also maintains a practice in Cherry Hill, N.J. Dr. Brill is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. In addition, she has published breast cancer research in medical journals such as Annals of Plastic Surgery and Cancer, and she has presented research at the American Society of Clinical Oncology.