continue spreading. For some time, doctors and researchers were not sure why this was happening. Fortunately, recent studies have given some insight into what happens.
According to these studies, the cells in triple-negative breast cancer have the ability to modify a reversible molecular pathway that makes them resistant to chemotherapy. The result of this resistance is that the cells would survive the course of treatment and flourish once it was done.
READ: Treatment Options For Triple Negative Breast Cancer
Your Treatment Options After Chemotherapy Fails
Until recently, many people didn’t have any other options if chemotherapy wasn’t effective. This was concerning because of the high rate of failure with this form of breast cancer.
The new studies regarding how the cancer cells became resistant to treatment made a significant difference in the way forward after chemotherapy.
Doctors can now recommend a few targeted drug therapies that are designed to attack specific molecules in the cancer cells. These drugs are meant to disrupt how the cells operate and therefore kill them.
If you need surgery, this kind of therapy can also be helpful for reducing the size of your tumors. While only a few targeted medications are currently available, the number continues to grow as they are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). There are also clinical trials that can be great for those with late stages of the disease or for whom chemotherapy has already proven ineffective.
Triple-negative breast cancer is considered to be rare because it only affects about 15% of those who are diagnosed with breast cancer. However, up to 40% of that figure is likely to be Blacks.
If you’ve been diagnosed with this aggressive form of cancer, it’s best to talk to your doctor early about how they’ll handle it if chemotherapy fails. Having a plan means you can act quickly against the disease’s spread.