Immunotherapies help to boost your immune system so that it can do a better job of recognizing and fighting cancer cells. To do this, immunotherapy medicines target specific immune system proteins. Cancer cells can use certain protein checkpoints to avoid being attacked by the immune system. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) can target these checkpoint proteins to restore the immune response against the cancer cells.
In rare cases, you might not receive Immunotherapy. For example, if you have a very low-grade tumor (the cancer cells are not dividing quickly), if the tumor is very small, or if the risks of Immunotherapy outweigh the benefits. Because Immunotherapy is a common treatment for triple-negative breast cancer, always ask your doctor to explain the reasons why you would not receive it.
Keytruda (pembrolizumab) is an ICI immunotherapy drug that targets the PD-1 protein, which is expressed on the surface of immune cells (called T cells) and binds to another protein called PD-L1 on target cells (like cancer cells). PD-L1 is a biomarker that can be tested for using a biomarker test. To do this test, your doctor will take a sample of your cancerous tumor tissue to measure how much of PD-L1 is found on the cancer cells.
Keytruda is an ICI approved by the FDA that is now a standard treatment for patients with early-stage, high-risk TNBC when used in combination with chemotherapy. Breast cancer that is more likely to return after surgery is considered “high risk.”
Talk to your doctor about Keytruda, its side effects, and its treatment regimen to decide if it is right for you.
For patients with early-stage, high-risk TNBC, Keytruda is administered in combination with chemotherapy before surgery, then without chemotherapy after surgery. The therapy is given over the course of thirty minutes as an IV infusion, typically every three to six weeks.
A note: For early stage TNBC, you can only use Keytruda if you start with it before surgery. This means that you cannot begin Keytruda for the first time after surgery. It’s important that you talk to your doctor about Keytruda before your first surgery so that you have the option available to you.
Treating triple negative breast cancer is incredibly important. It also comes with some side effects. We know that reading a list of potential side effects can be scary and stressful—just because something is on this list doesn’t mean you will definitely experience it. But if we’re being honest, you will likely face something on this list. We’ve faced them ourselves. And we want you to be prepared to tackle it equipped with resources and support. We’re here for you.
