Bad surgery blocks the path to immunotherapy for triple-negative breast cancer

In line with new and recent approvals for the treatment of triple negative breast cancer, the biopharmaceutical company MSD wanted this Wednesday to support scientific and public interest in the organ’s most aggressive tumor. As stated by the Deputy Director of Corporate Affairs of MSD Spain, Paula RamirezRemembering that this pathology will add 36,000 cases until 2024, affecting one in eight women; It is therefore important to work tirelessly with all agents in the sector to give a voice to all patients and thus progressively achieve safer and more effective treatments.

Paula Ramirez

Ramirez highlighted the challenge that these tumors have lower survival rates, but that has changed significantly with the advent of immunotherapy and personalized medicine, offering a clinical panorama based on commitment to patients and the healthcare system as a whole.

Pedro Ferrer

Deputy Director of Oncology MSD Spain, Pedro Ferrerconducted a lesson based on science and humanization of treatment for this type of tumor, which is distinguished by its aggressiveness. An area where his own company is supporting 1,600 open clinical trials around the world, which will, over time, bring great cause for optimism for doctors, patients and the rest of the healthcare ecosystem.

Dr. Laura Garcia Estevez

After the Versailles demonstrations of camaraderie and sincere friendship, oncologist Laura Garcia Estevezhead of the department of breast tumors at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Madrid, estimated that 10-15% of tumors correspond to the subtype that was the subject of the meeting, for which, unfortunately, there are still no specific targets.

The reason he requested multidisciplinary units for his approach, first with chemotherapy and then with a very well planned operation. Today, options have expanded with immunotherapy, whose immune-mediated side effects require coordination with endocrinologists. In addition to very good pathological anatomy. Given the anxiety, he is betting on unsuccessful surgeries that could jeopardize the prognosis. In the absence of oral treatment in private and public settings with intravenous therapy predominant. Expectation of chronification, which is unrealistic as a concept applicable to triple negative.

Dr. Javier Cortes

Doctor Javier Cortezdirector International Breast Cancer Center (IBCC) have updated their known innovations for this tumor type with the statistic that 82% of patients overcome their disease when it comes to localized pathology.

Cortes recalled that triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subtype of breast tumor that lacks hormone receptor expression and HER2 gene amplification. This type accounts for 12% to 17% of all breast cancer cases and has a tendency to recur. Clinical behavior is generally more aggressive than other breast cancer subtypes, with characteristic metastatic patterns and poor prognosis.

Also, Cortes, president of the Contigo Foundation for Women’s Cancer, emphasized the benefits of screening, which, for example, has excellent results in the United States for complex tumors such as pancreatic tumors.

Cortes believed that triple-negative tumors could also be cured 82% of the time before they became metastatic, and even in these cases there were examples of improvement if treated from the start.

He described the classical use of platinum-based chemotherapy before the advent of platinum-based immunotherapy. Pembrolizumabboth options are combined. Although, after using these new treatments, there are cases of inflammation as serious as nephritis or encephalitis.

In addition to citing the KeyNote-5 study, he felt it was vital to seek a second opinion, which should be mandatory when dealing with a triple negative. For example, there are cases that have been operated on and come back with intact lymph nodes in the armpit.

Regarding the dynamics of care, he confirmed professional exhaustion, which is expressed in 40-50% of cases. burnout oncologists with humanization requirements that are very difficult when they have to see 40 patients in four hours.

Elizabeth Ruiz Rubio

On behalf of patients, Vice President of the Association Threes, Elizabeth Ruiz Rubiorejected the fact that oncologists offer little hope for a cure, although it would be preferable for them to talk about the disease in remission, since when relapses occur, the consequences are devastating.

Pilar Fernandez

In the same spirit, President of the Spanish Association of Metastatic Breast Cancer Pilar Fernandezdescribed her long history with two breast tumors and recurrence in one of the cases after 17 years without progression. Stating that five years of follow-up is not enough to talk about a chronic disease when so many colleagues continue to leave.

Regarding the multidisciplinary approach, he regretted that it did not exist, except for some very specific reference centers. With such disadvantages as the lack of referral units, psycho-oncological and oncological nursing care, as well as palliative care throughout the illness, and not just at the end of life. In addition to exercise or nutrition guidelines, mass sequencing and liquid biopsies. But all hopes and successes in survival are based on research.

Ana Soria

Next Ana Soriaa nurse at the University Hospital of Fuenlabrada (Madrid), explained that listening to patients is essential in her work, in addition to, for example, advanced training and a master’s degree in immunotherapy. He also emphasized the importance of a good explanation of the side effects of the two main modern therapeutic approaches. As for the nurse case managers, he emphasized their ability to ensure that deadlines are met and that additional tests are carried out correctly without missing any of them.

Dr. Celia Garcia Menendez

The doctor institutionally closed the event Celia Garcia MenendezDirector General of Humanization of the Ministry of Health of the Community of Madrid (CAM), to highlight the good news recently received in the form of long-awaited approvals, said in the month of breast cancer, October, with the shadow of the threat of recurrence or metastasis in affected young women.

Finally, Dr. Cortes recalled that there are also male patients Breast cancer rates account for one man in every hundred women, and some die.

And Pilar pinned her hopes on research in a model country, on clinical trials, which, however, should be more decentralized. At the same time, protocols are being refined and more choices are being made available for drugs that can save lives.