← Return to Triple Negative Breast Cancer: What treatments are you having?

Discussion
Comment receiving replies
@eurojones2

@thielmann1
I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer on Sep 20, 2023. I was seen quickly at the Mayo as it's a very aggressive cancer. The treatment follows the the KEYNOTE-522 study. It was a study evaluating the combination of (CHEMO) consisting of weekly paclitaxel 1 + carboplatin (AUC1. 5 weekly or AUC 5 every 3 weeks) followed by AC every 3 weeks, with or without pembrolizumab in a 2:1 randomization. In laymen's terms it's about 5 months of chemo, the first 12 weeks it's once a week and then the last 4 treatment is every 3 weeks. You will most likely have chemo before surgery unless you tumor is very small. Mine was almost 4 cm so I had chemo first to shrink the tumor and the surgery. I was given KEYTRUDA, an immunotherapy drug at the end of my 12 weeks. You do Keytruda every 3 weeks for about 9 months. I had a double mastectomy only because I tested positive for the BRCA1 gene mutation. Before I found out I was positive for BRCA1, the surgeon was going to do a lumpectomy. Depending on how you respond to chemo and how much the tumor shrinks and if any cancer remains after surgery, you might be finished with treatment or you may have to take a pill for 6 months to a year to prevent cancer recurring. Sometimes the recommend radiation depending on if cancer is in lymph nodes or when you have a lumpectomy. Your oncologist and surgeon will help you better understand your treatment as you will soon discover, everyone is different. I can tell you though, that Keynote 522 is what they follow for triple negative breast cancer. Good luck and I will be praying for you! One day at a time!

Jump to this post


Replies to "@thielmann1 I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer on Sep 20, 2023. I was seen..."

I am having the same treatment one a week with Keytuda every 3 weeks I’m still waiting for the genetic test to come back hopefully this week.
Any suggestions on meal plans / snacks? I had some weight loss this week (12) over 3 weeks. Any suggestions?

Thank you for your reply and the details of your treatment. Unfortunately, the oncologist I had did not try chemo before the surgery. Had this happened, my tumor would have disappeared and surgery could have been avoided. It was a complicated surgery followed by radiation, which left my chest wall fairly tight and paralyzed. After he went on medical leave, another oncologist was assigned to me at Stanford and sent my tissue to be further diagnosed. The results showed that I had 11 mutations which put me in another category for chemotherapy. He put me on the correct chemo medication, and the leftover small tumors just disappeared. I am not on any medication at this point as I don't have any active breast cancer going on at the time. Best of luck with your breast cancer.
Nancy