Dr. Hurvitz on Treatment Hypotheses for TNBC

Sara Hurvitz, MD, medical oncologist, UCLA Medical Center, gives an overview of treatment hypotheses for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

As TNBC is a heterogenous disease, there is a need to distinguish the subtypes from one another. BRCA-like or basal-like breast cancer that is triple-negative is particularly aggressive, Hurvitz says, and platinums may be more effective.

Because of one negative trial, many pharmaceutical companies are not looking at PARP inhibitors in large studies, Hurvitz says, though she believes this area is exciting. Many TNBCs have downregulation of BRCA proteins where inhibiting PARP may be particularly effective.

Some studies are also looking at antibodies and antibody-directed therapies to inhibit the NOTCH pathway.