Vanessa, a travel nurse from Memphis, Tennessee, had her life meticulously planned—building her career, saving for a home, and looking forward to a future she had worked hard to create. That all changed when she was diagnosed with stage 3 triple-negative breast cancer, the most aggressive subtype. The diagnosis forced her to halt her plans and focus entirely on treatment. Even as a nurse, she found herself navigating unfamiliar territory. "I've taken care of patients my whole life," she says, "but I didn't really know what breast cancer truly entailed."
Her treatment began quickly, but the cancer spread, and Vanessa was soon facing metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. "When I found out I had metastatic breast cancer, it was just an awful feeling to know you have to go through treatment again," she recalls. Triple-negative breast cancer tends to grow and spread more quickly than many other types. For about half of women with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer, their first treatment might be their only opportunity to keep the cancer from growing, making it critical to choose the best option on day one. This cancer subtype also occurs more often in younger women and appears at higher rates in Black and Hispanic women, making access to the latest education a matter of survival for these communities.
Like many patients, Vanessa wanted to understand her treatment options and what questions to ask her doctor. Historically, metastatic triple-negative breast cancer treatment options were limited to chemotherapy, which impacts cancer cells more than normal cells. Her doctor suggested a clinical trial for a newer class of medicine called antibody-drug conjugates, or ADCs. Unlike traditional chemotherapy, ADCs are designed to find specific markers and deliver medicines more directly to cancer cells. Until recently, ADCs were used later in treatment, but now patients may be able to receive an ADC as their first treatment after a metastatic diagnosis. Innovations like ADCs have already made a difference for many by helping to keep cancer from growing. For Vanessa, that means being able to better plan ahead, knowing her good days and bad days—whether that's the next girls' trip or time with her family.
However, not all ADCs are the same; safety and efficacy can vary. While not every patient will be eligible, understanding when they may be considered and how treatment can impact daily life can help patients feel more informed when discussing options with their care team. Vanessa's medical oncologist, Dr. Gregory Vidal, MD, PhD, Director of Clinical Research at West Cancer Center and Associate Professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, emphasizes, "When selecting treatment, it's important to consider patients' goals, wishes and needs so that we can try to realistically plan around those. All patients are different and may qualify for different ADCs." He encourages patients to have open conversations with their care team and ask questions about treatment goals.
Every person's experience is different, but many people with metastatic breast cancer remain on treatment for life, with the goal of managing disease and slowing progression while maintaining quality of life. Despite the physical and emotional toll, Vanessa kept going, leaning on close friends and family to maintain "faith over fear" by focusing on positives and planning outings around treatments. She encourages others to stay positive, ask questions, and advocate for themselves. "You definitely have a fight in front of you, but you can get through this," she says. "You have to do your research and get answers." To see how Vanessa and others navigate ADC treatment for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer, visit Expose-MBC.com/ADC.
