Dr. Soliman on the Rationale for Using Immunotherapy in TNBC

Hatem Soliman, MD, medical oncologist, The Center for Women’s Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, discusses the rationale for using immunotherapy in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

More aggressive subtypes of breast cancer can elicit tumor lymphocyte infiltration, says Soliman, making TNBC an ideal cancer for immunotherapy.

In contrast to immunologically “cold” tumors, inflamed tumors are good targets for checkpoint inhibitors, such as atezolizumab (Tecentriq) or pembrolizumab (Keytruda), Soliman explains.

As such, TNBC has biologic rationale for immunotherapy. Moreover, clinical research has shown that TNBC appears to be more amenable to immunotherapy compared with hormone receptor–positive breast cancer.

Immunotherapy should continue to be evaluated in the TNBC paradigm, concludes Soliman.