A model displays lingerie maker Triumph International's new "Konkatsu Bra"
A model displays lingerie maker Triumph International's new "Konkatsu Bra", literally meaning "marriage hunting" bra, during an unveiling in Tokyo May 13, 2009. The bra features a marriage countdown clock showing the marriage deadline set by the wearer and when an engagement ring is inserted between the cups the melody of "The Wedding March" is played to celebrate the engagement. The characters on the bra read, "now hunting for a husband". REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao (JAPAN SOCIETY FASHION IMAGES OF THE DAY) Reuters

A new study that was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology could lead to advancements in the treatment of women with triple-negative breast cancer, in which is an aggressive form of breast cancer. It does not respond to hormonal therapy such as tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors.

The study, "Impact of the Addition of Carboplatin and/or Bevacizumab to Neoadjuvant Once-Per-Week Paclitaxel Followed by Dose-Dense Doxorubicin and Cyclophosphamide on Pathologic Complete Response Rates in Stage II to III Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: CALGB 40603 (Alliance)" is set to be published in print by September.

The growth of this cancer is not due to the hormones estrogen and progesterone, nor is it due to the presence of too many HER2 receptors. One out of every 10 women diagnosed with breast cancer are triple negative and so doctors are always trying to look for new treatment. Women with triple-negative breast cancer undergo chemotherapy to shrink the cancer cells as it grows rapidly. With this treatment, the cancer is completely eliminated from one third of women even before surgery. The report specifies that this is referred to as a pathologic complete response (pCR). If this works, the probability of it coming back or spreading is much less than if the cancer survives chemotherapy.

lliam M. Sikov, a medical oncologist in the Breast Health Center and associate director for clinical research in the Program in Women's Oncology at Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island and his team, kept this in mind and wanted to see if an addition of other drugs would increase the response rates to the standard treatment.

Sikov, a lead author of the study conducted a clinical trial on 400 women from cancer centres across the country. They added additional drugs such as carboplatin and/or bevacizumab to the standard treatment and found that it increased the response to pCR. Sikov said, "Adding either of these medications significantly increased the percentage of women who achieved a pCR with the preoperative treatment".

He stated that this could mean that there would be fewer deaths caused due to cancer, though the study was not conducted on a large number he still thinks that it would provide hope to many women with triple negative breast cancer. He also specified that among the two drugs added, the results of carboplatin, was much better as it caused lesser side effects than the other drug.

There are more studies that were planned to study the role of carboplatin in treating triple negative breast cancer. They also want to observe who is best benefited from the drug. Till then, Sikov stated that medical oncologists would need to weigh out the risks of the drug for each "individual patient" before adding it in the treatment of women with triple-negative breast cancer.

The current treatment for this type of cancer is chemotherapy. "Overall prognosis for women with this type of breast cancer remains inferior to that of other breast cancer subtypes, with higher risk of early relapse", Sikov says.