Triple negative breast cancer
Between 10 and 15% of all breast cancers are triple negative, which means they have none of the three receptors (oestrogen, progesterone and HER2) most commonly found in breast cancer.
This affects how this type of breast cancer is treated – people with triple negative can’t receive tamoxifen, aromatase inhibitors or Herzuma/Herceptin. It can be treated with immunotherapy drugs like Keytruda, but none of these are funded in New Zealand.
This webinar looks at what a diagnosis of triple negative breast cancer means for you, what the treatment options are and the considerations and decisions patients face.
Our expert panel share their experiences with triple negative breast cancer from a patient and clinical perspective.
Meet our panel
Auckland City Hospital medical oncologist Dr Clement Korenbaum talks about what triple negative breast cancer is, why it is different from other types of breast cancer and the treatment options available.
With most triple negative patients having chemotherapy before surgery, Wellington Regional Hospital surgeon Dr Alex Brown talks about what this means and the surgical choices offered to them.
Auckland nurse specialist Manpreet Brar discusses the role of the nurse in supporting patients through their decision-making process and their treatment as well as symptom and side effect management.
Aucklander Kirsty McAlpine was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in June 2021 at the age of 45. She shares her breast cancer journey, including what considerations she had make due to her diagnosis and the treatment she received.