Increased Breast Cancer Survival with Chemoimmunotherapy
Increased Breast Cancer Survival with Chemoimmunotherapy
A recent clinical trial suggests that the use of chemotherapy and immunotherapy to treat patients with triple-negative breast cancer can prolong survival. Triple-negative breast cancer is the most aggressive and lethal form of cancer due to the lack of treatment options. The estimated survival rate is approximately 18 months. We have previously reported on what we know about breast cancer biomarkers and a new potential breast cancer treatment. The Phase III trial involved the combined use of a chemotherapy drug (nab-paclitaxel) and a checkpoint inhibitor (atezolizumab) that prolonged survival rates.
What is chemoimmunotherapy?
Chemoimmunotherapy is the combination of both chemotherapy with immunotherapy treatment. Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to prevent the growth of cancer cells while immunotherapy is used to activate or suppress the immune system to destroy tumors.
The trial enrolled patients with cancer that could not be surgically removed. Researchers found a significant prolonged survival increase in patients treated with the combined treatment. Additionally, patients that expressed the programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) protein on immune cells that infiltrate the tumor had an increased prolonged survival rate. Targeting PD-1 and PD-L1 may lead to improved treatment of triple-negative breast cancer. The results suggest that patients who are positive for PD-L1 may now have a greater chance of a prolonged survival rate with the combination treatment. Further chemoimmnuotherapy combination treatments could also be tested.
Produced in HEK cells. Extracellular domain of PD-1 (aa 25-167) containing a 5’-His-tag, V5 epitope tag spacer, and a FLAG-tag., ≥90% (SDS-PAGE) | Print as PDF