Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsUnderstanding TNBCCaring for a Loved OneTaking Care of YourselfFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Understanding TNBC
Caring for a Loved One
Taking Care of Yourself
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are caring for a loved one diagnosed withtriple-negative breast cancer(TNBC), you are probably wondering how to support them. You may not be familiar with this subtype of cancer—or even cancer in general.
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Understanding what it means to have triple-negative breast cancer will help you address your loved one’s needs as well as empower you to find support for yourself as a caregiver.
Unlike other kinds of breast cancer,triple-negative breast cancerdoesn’t have estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, or HER2 receptors (the proteins that fuel the growth of breast cancer).
The term “triple-negative” means a breast cancer isestrogen-negative,progesterone-negative, andHER2-negative.
Approximately 10-20% of diagnosed breast cancers are triple-negative.Younger women, women of African, Latino, or Caribbean descent, and those with theBRCA mutationsare more likely to bediagnosed with TNBC.
Triple-negative breast cancers tend to be more aggressive and spread more quickly than other types of breast cancer, making them challenging to treat. Chemotherapy is the main treatment for TNBC.
Whiletargeted therapygiven during or after active treatment can help prevent recurrence in other forms of breast cancer, this is not the case for TNBC.
How is Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Treated?
Treatments that target specific receptors won’t work for cancers where the receptors are absent, as in the case of triple-negative breast cancer.
As such, many common drugs used to treat breast cancer, such astamoxifenandHerceptin(trastuzumab), do not effectively treat TNBC.
Research is ongoing to find targeted therapies for triple-negative breast cancer, but there are currently none available.
Consequently, people diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer often fearcancer recurrencefollowing the end of active treatment. Research has shown that the risk of a recurrence is highest in the first five years after diagnosis. After five years, the risk of recurrence for TNBC decreases.
Aromatase Inhibitors to Prevent Breast Cancer Recurrence
What You Can Do
Even though family and friends are considered “informal caregivers” (in the sense that they are not specially trained), they tend to take on the majority of caregiving responsibilities.
According to a report from the American Cancer Society, informal caregivers may spend up to eight hours a day for at least a full year providing care for someone with cancer.
Caregiving can take many forms. The level of care needed will depend on the person’s individual needs, as well as the severity of their illness and duration of treatment.
For example, if your loved one is diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, they might need some help with practical concerns, but won’t require in-home physical care.
Pre-Treatment
Before treatment begins, discuss some of the ways you plan to help with your loved one. Ways you can support them in the pre-treatment phase could include:
One of the most valuable things you can do for a loved one with cancer is to provideemotional support. Sometimes, what your loved one will need most is for you to just listen.
Allowing your loved one toreact to and process their cancer diagnosisin whatever way is natural for them (be it crying or getting angry or both) and will help reassure them that they do not have to go through the experience alone.
During Treatment
Treatment for triple-negative breast cancer is generally aggressive. Side effects of treatment may be intense and prolonged. Your loved one may be most in need of your help and support when they are feeling thephysical and emotional impactof treatment.
Ways you can support your loved one while they are receiving treatment include:
How much help your loved one needs from you will depend on how they respond to treatment, the other types of assistance they’re receiving, your and their responsibility load, and other factors.
Someone with triple-negative breast cancer may need several hours of help during the day. If you are the primary person caring for your loved one, you’ll want to find ways to manage stress and avoidcaregiver burnout.
The Family and Medical Leave Act requires companies in the United States to allow employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave each year to care for a spouse, parent, or child.
If you will be caring for a family member, discuss your needs for time off with your boss and your employer’s human resources department. This will help protect your job while you are on unpaid leave to provide caregiving.
Asocial workerat the hospital or treatment center where your loved one is receiving care is also an essential part of your team. In addition to helping you learn to cope with stress, a social worker can also connect you with community resources.
Community-based services you may be able to access include:
7 Signs of Caregiver Burnout
If your loved one has triple-negative breast cancer, don’t try to do all the caregiving on your own.Ask for helpeven before you feel you need it.
You’ll also want to make sure you know thesigns of caregiver burnoutand have a plan in place to provide you with support and respite when you need a break. By taking care of yourself, you can be a better and stronger caregiver.
During cancer treatment and recovery, your loved one will likely be stressed, fatigued, and less able to cope with everyday tasks. To help ease the burden:Offer to do shopping, cooking, housekeeping, or childcare.Help withinsurance claims, accounts, and other paperwork.Sit in on appointments, taking notes when needed.Provide transportation to and from appointments.Help your loved one with scheduling and reminders.
During cancer treatment and recovery, your loved one will likely be stressed, fatigued, and less able to cope with everyday tasks. To help ease the burden:
Firstly, don’t go it alone; recruit others to assist you, and delegate tasks to friends and family members. Don’t try to make everything right; accept that there will be glitches and setbacks. And, finally, don’t take it personally if your loved one gets moody or angry; make room for those emotions and remind yourselfwhere they are coming from.
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Bianchini G, Balko J, Mayer I, et al.Triple-negative breast cancer: challenges and opportunities of a heterogeneous disease.Nat Rev Clin Oncol.2016;13:674-690. doi:10.1038/nrclinonc.2016.66
Wahba HA, El-Hadaad HA.Current approaches in treatment of triple-negative breast cancer.Cancer Biol Med.2015;12(2):106-116. doi:10.7497/j.issn.2095-3941.2015.0030
Hoeferlin LA, E Chalfant C, Park MA.Challenges in the Treatment of Triple Negative and HER2-Overexpressing Breast Cancer.J Surg Sci. 2013;1(1):3-7.
Reddy SM, Barcenas CH, Sinha AK, et al.Long-term survival outcomes of triple-receptor negative breast cancer survivors who are disease free at 5 years and relationship with low hormone receptor positivity.Br J Cancer. 2018;118(1):17-23. doi:10.1038/bjc.2017.379
Schulz R, Tompkins CA.Informal Caregivers in the United States: Prevalence, Caregiver Characteristics, and Ability to Provide Care. In: National Research Council (US) Committee on the Role of Human Factors in Home Health Care.The Role of Human Factors in Home Health Care: Workshop Summary.Washington, DC: National Academies Press (US); 2010.
Breastcancer.org.Six tips for caregivers from people living with metastatic breast cancer.
American Cancer Society.If you’re about to become a cancer caregiver.
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