What are the treatment goals for patients like Connie with TNBC and multiple metastatic sites?
This patient presented with an aggressive triple negative breast cancer, with a large breast mass at presentation and unfortunately with mediastinal lymph and liver metastases right from the beginning. We know life span is approximately 1 year, maybe a little longer, in that situation.
She received a clinical trial therapy, which is terrific because we always want to think first of clinical trials to make advances against this disease. She received nab-paclitaxel, gemcitabine, and bevacizumab and she did benefit from that, with palliation and control of disease.
When she had disease progression, she went on to another standard regimen that targets the inability of triple negative breast cancer to repair its own DNA, doxorubicin plus cyclophosphamide. We commonly use that in the curative setting, but we used that in the second-line setting, which is reasonable.
Again, she benefits from that. Now she progressed again in her liver and her mediastinum, and she needs third-line therapy. There are several options still for this option, but the one that reaches the level 1 evidence with regard to being the best choice for her is eribulin because of the survival advantage the treatment has documented in metastatic breast cancer.
Another combination, for example, that comes to mind, is ixabepilone plus capecitabine combination, which is an FDA approved regimen for patients whose disease had progressed through doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and a taxane.
Triple Negative Breast Cancer: Case 2
Connie C is a 56-year-old television producer for a local news station, her medical history is unremarkable for any chronic conditions.
In September of 2014, after presenting to her PCP with a palpable breast mass and fatigue of several months’ duration she underwent a left mammogram revealing a large breast mass.
In February of 2015, she returns with increasing fatigue and back pain; her CT scan shows progression of the hepatic lesions, and bone scan shows new lesions in the T4 and T5 vertebra. At the time of progression, her ECOG performance status (PS) is 1.
In June of 2015, she returns for follow up with worsening back pain and intermittent dyspnea. Her CT scan at the time of progression shows the bone lesions worsening and several new bilateral pulmonary lesions.
Breast Cancer Leans into the Decade of Antibody-Drug Conjugates, Experts Discuss
September 25th 2020In season 1, episode 3 of Targeted Talks, the importance of precision medicine in breast cancer, and how that vitally differs in community oncology compared with academic settings, is the topic of discussion.
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