breast-pathology-medchem-2018-tracks

6 / 21

Page 39
Notes:
Journal of Clinical & Experimental Pathology | ISSN: 2161-0681 | Volume 8
Breast Pathology and Cancer Diagnosis
6th World Congress and Expo on
July 25-26, 2018 | Vancouver, Canada
Medicinal Chemistry and Rational Drugs
20 th International Conference on
&
The risks of Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC): The need for greater awareness, education &
support
Genna Zimmel
Deborah Zimmel Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation, Canada
Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) tends to be more aggressive, more likely to recur or spread, and more difficult
to treat. This is because most chemotherapies target one cancerous receptor, where as triple-negative breast cancer is
diagnosed based upon the lack of three receptors known to fuel typical breast cancers. For patients with triple-negative
breast cancer, prognosis is poor, and there are no targeted therapies available, leaving chemotherapy-based regimes as the
only treatment option. Despite the best treatment plans, five-year disease-free survival rates for women with triple-negative
breast cancer are about 50%, and nearly all patients who develop distant metastasis die of the disease. So is true in the case
of Deborah Zimmel, who was diagnosed incorrectly with stage 4-breast cancer in 2013 and shortly there after underwent a
double mastectomy followed by a year of chemotherapy treatments and radiation. It came as a sock in 2014 uncovering that
her cancer had metastasized and she was triple-negative breast cancer positive all along. Deborah underwent a second round of
unsuccessful chemotherapy treatments and sadly, she passed away from Leptomenningeal Carcinomatosis in September, 2015.
This was a devastating and exasperated journey for Deborah and her family driving the establishment of the Deborah Zimmel
Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation based the evident need to aid in the areas of awareness, education and support
surrounding triple-negative breast cancer. Currently, researchers are working to identify novel drug targets and treatment
strategies to more effectively treat, manage and hopefully cure triple-negative breast cancer. This is something the Mayo Clinic
Breast Cancer SPORE (Specialized Program of Research Excellence) is working to achieve. Much of the research is in its
preliminary testing phases, namely, immunotherapy, which has demonstrated responsiveness in some patients with triple-
negative breast cancer, signalling a potential role for immunotherapy in this tumor type. Secondly, the therapeutic activation
of ERβ, this project arose from the discovery that up to 30% of triple-negative breast cancer tumors express a second form of
the estrogen receptor known as ERβ and it is hypothesized that therapeutic activation of ERβ will result in clinical benefits for
patients with ERβ-positive triple-negative breast cancer. Lastly, genetic testing for mutations in breast cancer predisposition
genes is a crucial study for triple-negative breast cancer prevention. Women found to have mutations in the cancer genetic
panel genes will receive accurate information about their risks of cancer. This is expected to lead to improvements in the use of
mammography screening, MRI screening and prophylactic surgeries as it relates to triple-negative breast cancer. The need for
quality triple-negative breast cancer prevention and treatment plans is at the top of many oncologist lists, but there is a great
deal more work that must be done.
Biography
Deborah Zimmel Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation .The Deborah Zimmel Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation was established in 2016 by Deborah’s
husband and daughters as the first foundation in Canada with a specific mandate to provide greater support, education and awareness surrounding the lack of
targeted triple-negative breast cancer treatment plans.
Genna Zimmel, J Clin Exp Pathol 2018, Volume 8
DOI: 10.4172/2161-0681-C3-051