Dr. Carey Discusses Treatment Challenges in TNBC

Lisa A. Carey, MD, the Division Chief of Hematology and Oncology at the University of North Carolina and the Physician-in-Chief at North Carolina Cancer Hospital, discusses triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and the importance of understanding how it differs from other types of breast cancer.

TNBC presents unique treatment challenges, as it is the only type of breast cancer with no current targeted therapies available, says Carey. Because of this, treatment of TNBC is heavily reliant on chemotherapy. To overcome this, it is important to understand why and in which cases chemotherapy can be omitted in the early breast cancer setting and when more aggressive chemotherapy may be beneficial. Patients with TNBC will benefit from enrolling in available clinical trials.

Carey says there should also be a focus on optimal management of reoccurring and stage 4 TNBC. Treatment success for stage 4 TNBC will come from tailoring chemotherapy differently than other subtypes and determining if any targeted therapies could show value in the future.