Woman's Doctor: New treatments for metastatic breast cancer
Metastatic breast cancer, which is when cancer has traveled out of the region of the breast to other parts of the body, has no cure. Patients stay on a treatment until it no longer keeps the cancer in check, and then move on to the next.
But more treatment options can mean adding months or years to someone's life.
The Food and Drug Administration recently granted several approvals for therapies to treat metastatic breast cancer.
Mercy Medical Center oncologist Dr. David Riseberg said some of the new therapies include one that can treat triple negative breast cancer, which is hard to treat.
"There's a new drug which is called Trodelvy which is kind of a like a smart bomb. It's a chemo drug and an antibody that are chemically linked together. So, the goal is that the antibody seeks out the cancer cell and then the chemo is unloaded directly at the cancer cell, as opposed to going throughout the whole body," Riseberg said.
Riseberg said patients should discuss these new options, potential side effects and benefits with their care team.