Triple negative mestastic please help.

[jwooten]

Diagnosed one year ago with triple negative. After a double Mastectomy and chemo, it has now metastasized in the lungs and lymph nodes. Has anyone survived a similar situation? Outlook does not look good. Any advice would be appreciated.

[Hidden]

Hi Jwooten,

I have MBC, but not triple negative...however, my sister has 3N MBC, and I think her story might interest you. She was diagnosed with metastatic recurrence over 3 years ago. It first appeared in a bone in her rib/sternum, then spread to her lung about a year ago. They removed that lung tumor in order to do the biopsy and she was NED for almost a year. A recent scan shows some new activity in the lungs (both), but too small to biopsy.

What I think is interesting -- and maybe encouraging -- is that she has been doing so well for so long. With 3N, the pharmaceutical options are limited, so she is not taking any mediation or doing any treatment at this time. The downside of this is obviously that she is relying only on her body to fight this; the upside is that she has no treatment side effects, which can be quite severe (as they are in my case...).

I guess my point in replying to you is that, if you had asked us 39 months ago if my sister would be living life, feeling well, etc, with 3N MBC, after more than 3 years, we would never have dared to dream this. But here she is! Yes, 3N is often more aggressive, and as noted the treatment options are fewer, but -- as the docs always remind us (!) -- each case is different and a long period with a good quality of life is quite possible. AND, the quality part is often very much within our control, i.e. to find enjoyment.

I hope my sister's story helped in some way! Very best to you... Lynn

[TNBC16]

Hi Jwooten,

Have you considered looking into clinical trials? There are some drugs being tested for metastatic triple negative bc. Check out Metastatic Trial Search. A non-profit reliable source for finding clinical trials for MBC.

breastcancertrials.org/BCTI...