Not exactly respiratory, but still of interest to many members: Triple negative breast cancer meets its match.

[2greys]

One member of a larger family of oxygen sensing enzymes could offer a viable target for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), UTSW researchers report in a new study. The findings, published online this week in Cancer Discovery, might offer hope to this subset of patients who have few effective treatment options and often face a poor prognosis.

TNBC – so called because it lacks estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, and overexpression of the growth-promoting protein HER2 – makes up only 15 to 20 percent of all breast cancers. However, explains Qing Zhang, Ph.D., associate professor in the department of pathology at UTSW and a Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) Scholar in Cancer Research, it’s the deadliest of all breast cancers, with a five-year survival rate of 77 percent compared with 93 percent for other types.

utsouthwestern.edu/newsroom...

[Hidden]

That has conflicting concerns for me 2g. 5 year survival rate an all.

I had triple negative breast cancer. I had a lumpectomy and when I put the question to the oncologist ' as far as they know am I now cancer free'? The answer I got was 'yes', (the margins were clear, not in the lymph etc). I opted not to go through chemo or radiotherapy because of damage to the immune system and additional damage to lungs with no guarantees it would stop the cancer coming back.

I am coming up for my first annual check, so praying no recurrence they say if you get past 1st 5 years chances are good.

[Hacienda in reply to Hidden]

Fingers crossed for you Bkin. Not an easy wait for you. My Daughter recently got through her 5 year Clearance, though she did have Chemo & Radio. They all Celebrated in Style (I watched on Wassap). Best wishes to you . C. XXX

[Hidden in reply to Hacienda]

Thanks C - congratulations to your daughter.

[2greys in reply to Hidden]

I think that the first 5 years is a benchmark for most cancers, it is the same time frame for me too.

[Hidden in reply to 2greys]

yes, just that the triple negative they don't have many options to treat it so if this new drug is approved by EU and recommended by NICE and works well for triple negative it could give hope to those diagnosed with TN.