 for patients with a type of breast cancer known as 'triple negative' is a life-altering development. But it's a bitter-sweet breakthrough for those of us who narrowly missed out on receiving it. When a doctor told me in January 2021 that the lump in my right breast was triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), I had no idea what that meant. I was distraught to learn that TNBC tumours are more aggressive, with a higher risk of recurrence and more likely to affect younger women. Despite only accounting for around 15 per cent of cases (around 8,000 a year in the UK), TNBC is responsible for a quarter of all breast cancer deaths. Aged 40, with two small children, I cried as I realised mine was grade 3 (the fastest-growing), multifocal (two tumours in the same breast), and had spread to my under-arm lymph nodes. As one oncologist said, my diagnosis a decade ago would have been 'a death sentence'. Instead, I'm cancer-free, having had chemotherapy, radiotherapy and a mastectomy with lymph node clearance - followed by further chemo to reduce my risk of recurrence. The arrival of pembrolizumab is improving outcomes further. It is far more effective in destroying TNBC cells than chemo alone, reducing the risk of recurrence by 40 per cent. Professor Peter Schmid, clinical director of the Breast Cancer Centre at London's St. Bartholomew's Hospital, led the trial that proved its efficacy. 'It has taken us a long time to make an impact with new treatments for this most aggressive subtype of breast cancer,' he tells me. 'So this is an incredible step forward.'){kind=link}
Diagnosed with breast cancer aged 40, I learnt an effective treatment was available – but only to private patients
The news that pembrolizumab will be routinely available on the NHS (England and Wales only) for patients with a type of breast cancer known as “triple negative” is a life-altering development. But it’s a bitter-sweet breakthrough for those of us who narrowly missed out on receiving it.
When a doctor told me in January 2021 that the lump in my right breast was triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), I had no idea what that meant. I was distraught to learn that TNBC tumours are more aggressive, with a higher risk of recurrence and more likely to affect younger women. Despite only accounting for around 15 per cent of cases (around 8,000 a year in the UK), TNBC is responsible for a quarter of all breast cancer deaths. Aged 40, with two small children, I cried as I realised mine was grade 3 (the fastest-growing), multifocal (two tumours in the same breast), and had spread to my under-arm lymph nodes.
As one oncologist said, my diagnosis a decade ago would have been “a death sentence”. Instead, I’m cancer-free, having had chemotherapy, radiotherapy and a mastectomy with lymph node clearance – followed by further chemo to reduce my risk of recurrence. The arrival of pembrolizumab is improving outcomes further. It is far more effective in destroying TNBC cells than chemo alone, reducing the risk of recurrence by 40 per cent.
Professor Peter Schmid, clinical director of the Breast Cancer Centre at London’s St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, led the trial that proved its efficacy. “It has taken us a long time to make an impact with new treatments for this most aggressive subtype of breast cancer,” he tells me. “So this is an incredible step forward.”