Triple Negative Breast Cancer, "I Won't Back Down!": Komen Series #3: Together, We Are Strong in the Mission

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, May 15, 2015

Komen Series #3: Together, We Are Strong in the Mission

While attending the reception and dinner at May 8, 2015, Komen Blogger Summit with fellow bloggers and Komen's social media team, conversations continued on Metastatic Breast Cancer while speaking with Komen Founder, Nancy Brinker. Although it is not common in the U.S., 5% of newly diagnosis women will be diagnosed with Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer. Nancy Brinker touches on this area saying,

"...we need help developing the kinds of stories and keeping passion alive with the people who want to tell these stories and making them real and calling the media to accountability to make sure this is kept high and near...

...at the end of the day, if we don't do these things, we don't keep this issue to your point, the 5% of the people, and they don't know people still got it, you're right, people, they think that everybody is just gonna walk in the park and they are just gonna live with it..."

Komen's recently advocated to Congress for more funding not only for breast cancer research, but the need for more biomedical research support in general, increasing the NIH budget. Another issue Komen discussed was oral parity... to take a pill that can make a difference in quality of life while going through treatment. Dense breast and different kinds of screening were also discussed as well as disparities in breast cancer.

"It means that we, our voices together can make a difference. Elevate the conversations as we say, we can really bring people together and make them more aware." _ Dr. Judith Salerno