Exciting new US research has the potential to lead to the first targeted treatment for triple negative breast cancer.
Scientists from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have identified overactive genes in aggressive breast cancers which could lead to a potential new drug target for hard-to-treat triple-negative tumours.
Dr Caitlin Palframan, Policy Manager at Breakthrough Breast Cancer, says:
“This research is very exciting as new treatments for triple negative breast cancer are urgently needed. There are limited treatment options available for this group of patients so a targeted treatment would be a real breakthrough. However, this is early stage research in mice and we look forward to seeing if this approach will prove effective in the upcoming clinical trials.”
The research is published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Triple negative breast cancer affects one in six women with breast cancer in the UK – around 8,000 patients each year. Around 15–20% of breast cancers do not have hormone receptors or HER2 receptors. These are termed triple-negative. They tend to be more aggressive than other forms of breast cancer. They can also be difficult to treat because, lacking receptors, the tumours do not respond to targeted therapies such as Herceptin (trastuzumab) or hormone treatments such as tamoxifen.
The Breakthrough Breast Cancer possesses world leaders in the field of triple negative breast cancer research and held the first conference dedicated to this form of the disease in March 2011
