Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Treatments To Consider
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/ Updated October 6th, 2023

Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Treatments To Consider

Medical Source: Dr. Elizabeth Comen
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
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Know Your Options

  • Chemotherapy is the main treatment for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer.
  • Genetic testing is crucial, as it can help with treatment decisions.
  • Participation in a clinical trial may provide an opportunity for new treatment options.
  • Newer drugs have come on the market that provide additional options for patients with triple-negative breast cancer.
If you’ve been diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer that means that on the outside of your cancer cells you don't have the receptors that are commonly found in breast cancer. These are the estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 receptors.

Not having these receptors will affect your choice of treatment. "This means that the most important way we would treat this cancerfor many patientsis with chemotherapy," says Dr. Elizabeth Comen, a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. "And it’s really important to talk to your doctor about what chemotherapy options are available.”

Medical History

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Assessing your medical history is the first step as treatment options may depend on whether or not you’ve ever received any type of chemotherapy. For example, if you were initially diagnosed with early stage breast cancer, you may have received chemotherapy at that time. Or if you were diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, you may not have any previous history of breast cancer or had related treatment.

Another really important point to discuss with your doctor is to find out if you are a candidate for immunotherapy, says Dr. Comen. "We know that certain patients who have a marker on the outside of their cancer cells called PD-L1 may be more responsive to immunotherapies."

There are newer drugs on the market, including atezolizumab, which is an immunotherapy drug that has received FDA approval for the treatment of certain types of metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. Dr. Comen explains that this could be an option for patients who have that extra PD-L1 marker on the outside of their cell.

RELATED: How to Treat Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Keytruda Shows Promising Boost in Survival

Clinical trials can provide an opportunity to explore new treatments, and many are available for patients with triple-negative breast cancer. "Participating in a trial may provide you with additional options," says Dr. Comen.

It’s also crucial for patients with triple-negative breast cancer to undergo genetic testing, especially for BRCA 1 and 2 mutations, as it may be able to inform treatment options. For example, there are now drugs available called PARP inhibitors that can be used to treat patients with triple negative breast cancer that has a BRCA mutation.

And finally, there is a brand new drug that recently received FDA approval called sacituzumab, which is indicated for patients who have already been treated with at least two other therapies. It has just come on the market and has shown to be beneficial for patients with triple-negative breast cancer, says Dr. Comen.

RELATED: ‘It’s A Game Changer’: FDA Approves Keytruda, Chemo Combo To Treat Aggressive Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

Dr. Elizabeth Comen serves as a medical advisor to SurvivorNet. She is a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Read More

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