Treatment for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Like other forms of breast cancer, triple-negative breast cancer is treated with surgery, radiation therapy, and/or chemotherapy. Based on other features of the cancer, such as stage and grade, your doctor will work with you to determine the best treatment approach.

Many people with triple-negative breast cancer are concerned when they find out they will not be taking additional treatments after chemotherapy, such as hormonal therapy and Herceptin. They feel as if they are not “doing enough” to fight the cancer. If you feel this way, you’re certainly not alone. Some research has shown that hormone-receptor-negative breast cancers — which triple-negative breast cancers are — actually respond better to chemotherapy than breast cancers that are hormone-receptor-positive. If you follow the treatment plan that makes the most sense for your specific situation while doing your best to make healthy lifestyle choices — such as eating a healthy low-fat diet, exercising regularly, and limiting alcohol — you are doing everything you can to treat the cancer.

You also may wonder whether you should have more aggressive treatment, such as mastectomy rather than lumpectomy, or more chemotherapy treatments or higher doses of chemotherapy. It’s logical to assume that, since triple-negative breast cancer tends to be more aggressive, it should get more aggressive treatment. At this time, however, there is no standard recommendation that people with triple-negative breast cancer should routinely have more treatment.

Some studies have looked at whether giving chemotherapy before surgery — called neoadjuvant therapy — may be a good option for women with triple-negative breast cancer. One study published in 2008 by researchers at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center found that chemotherapy before surgery benefited some women with triple-negative breast cancer, causing all evidence of disease to disappear. For these women, survival rates were similar to those of women with breast cancer that was not triple-negative. Another 2007 study of more than 100 women found that neoadjuvant chemotherapy did benefit some participants with hormone-receptor-negative and triple-negative breast cancer. These women had a complete response to chemotherapy (no evidence of disease) and then went on to have surgery. More research on neoadjuvant chemotherapy for triple-negative breast cancer is needed.

Also, women with triple-negative breast cancer do not necessarily need to have mastectomy rather than lumpectomy. You and your doctor can work together to determine what type of surgery is best for your individual situation.

Because doctors are still developing their understanding of triple-negative breast cancer, they may vary in their treatment recommendations. You may find it helpful to get a couple of different opinions.