Dr. Adams on Immunotherapy in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Sylvia Adams, MD, associate professor, Department of Medicine, director, Clinical Research, Breast Cancer Disease Management Group, New York University Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, discusses immunotherapy in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

Immunotherapy is a very exciting research area, especially for women with TNBC, says Adams. It has been shown that TNBC is visible to the immune system. At diagnosis, there are some tumors that have already been infiltrated with immune cells. TNBC shows immunogenicity, says Adams and harnessing the immune response—either in combination or alone—can make a big difference in patient outcomes.

The drugs that are currently being tested are agents that target the inhibitor receptors on immune cells. Inhibiting a negative signal can activate an immune response that targets the cancer, says Adams. This has been shown to induce durable responses in a subset of women with metastatic disease. Since this does not work in a majority of patients, Adams states that it is important to define the women who will benefit from the treatment and the women who may benefit from combinatorial approaches.