Triple Negative Breast Cancer, "I Won't Back Down!": Triple Negative Breast Cancer Included In MD Anderson "Moon Shots" Program Against Cancer

What is TNBC

WHAT IS TRIPLE NEGATIVE BREAST CANCER?

Just in recent years, Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) has sparked interest in the news where instead of calling the tumor as ER-negative, PR-negative, and HER2-negative; researchers began using the shorthand term, "Triple Negative," dubbed the "new type" of breast cancer. Being Triple Negative, you don't have a targeted therapy and your only treatment option is chemotherapy.

Triple Negative Breast Cancer is seen in about 15% of all breast cancers. TNBC is a very aggressive cancer that tends to strike younger women, pre-menopause, especially among African-American women and women who have BRCA1 mutations. The tumor tends to be fast growing and is less likely to show up on an annual mammogram. TNBC is more likely to metastasis early on; has a high rate of recurrence in the first 2-3 years from diagnosis and has a poorer prognosis than other types of breast cancer due to lack of specific, targeted treatment for TNBC.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Triple Negative Breast Cancer Included In MD Anderson "Moon Shots" Program Against Cancer

MD Anderson Cancer Center sets to begin new "Moon Shost" program in February 2013, targeting 8 specific kinds of cancer including Triple Negative Breast Cancer and Ovarian Cancer which both share similar genetic causes. MD Anderson has committed to spend $3 billion dollars in an effort to finding cures and lower deaths over the next 10 years of breast and ovarian, lung, prostate, melanoma, and 3 types of leukemia

http://www.mdanderson.org/newsroom/news-releases/2012/ut-md-anderson-cancer-center-launches-unprecedented-moon-shots-program.html (Click link for full story)

Breast and ovarian cancer GOALS

Increase the five-year survival rate of women with triple-negative breast cancer or high-grade serous ovarian cancer
Identify women and families at risk for these cancers and implement programs to decrease the chance they will develop cancer
Change the upfront treatment to improve the outcomes of women with these cancers
Within the first year, implement clinical trials of promising new therapies
Develop new imaging technologies that can detect aggressive lethal breast tumors at an early stage
Convert temporary responses to durable therapy by identifying and targeting drug resistance mechanisms

http://cancermoonshots.org/moon-shots/breast-ovarian/ (Click link for full story)