Triple Negative Breast Cancer, "I Won't Back Down!": Rembering Holly...

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.

Friday, October 12, 2018

Rembering Holly...

Holly's family honors her every year painting the
ice rink pink at Toledo Walleye's Pink in the Rink

I met Holly Johnson Shiverdecker at our local breast cancer support group as she was just completing her treatments for Triple Negative Breast Cancer. We quickly took her in as part of the Victory gals family. Holly was young, a mother and a fighter, but like many of us, scared of the TNBC statistics.
Often, the breast cancer surgeons and oncologists don't tell us what Triple Negative Breast Cancer means for us... The aggressive behavior of our subtype of breast cancer and the fact there is not yet a targeted therapy to cure it. At our breast cancer support groups, we lean on each other for first hand knowledge and support to motivate our fight, advocacy and to tell each other that medical statistics does not apply to everyone... We all have different genetic makeups in our cells, and one may respond differently to treatment. Holly is one of the reasons, I continue to fight for Triple Negative Breast Cancer Awareness, and funding needed to find our much needed targeted therapy. My heart was broken when Holly's cancer had returned and her battle ended on August 26, 2015 at the young age of 41. Always in my heart and remembering you.