lUMINAL-B (eSTROGEN/ PROGESTERONE RELATED) BREAST CANCER
LUMINAL B – ESTROGEN AND PROGESTERONE RELATED BREAST CANCER
Luminal B breast cancer, like Luminal A, is an estrogen positive-related breast cancer with progesterone positive.
Luminal B breast cancer can also include another breast cancer sub-type called HER/2 – positive or negative.
That’s good news because Luminal B responds well to hormonal treatment like Tamoxifen.
So Luminal B (like Luminal A), are linked with a good prognosis and excellent long-term survival (approximately 80%–85% 5-year survival), in general.
HOWEVER,
Luminal B breast cancer is slightly more aggressive than Luminal A.
Luminal B types are not as common as Luminal A which represents about 20% of patients in general, however,
This type of cancer also is more common among younger and Black women.
WHY?
Apparently, it’s all about what is called Ki-67 protein.
One of the things that make cancer cells different from normal healthy cells is the way in which breast cancer cells change. Let’s say, mutate.
There’s a difference because,
Breast cancer cells do not stop growing and,
They keep dividing with speed (proliferation)
Ki-67 is used as a marker of cell growth and speed. The faster they divide the greater amount of BC cells produce.
In Luminal B, there tend to be higher levels of Ki-67 and therefore, the prognosis is slightly worse. This information is factored into your treatment with some researchers suggesting this marker may even identify where chemotherapy is unnecessary. However, this is a general view with experts not entirely agreeing on Ki-67 analysis.
Research in this area is ongoing with some regarding the test for Ki-67 as UNRELIABLE.
CHEMOTHERAPY
A positive, so to speak, is that high levels of Ki-67 proteins appear to respond well to chemotherapy. If your cancer is particularly aggressive, this may be a good thing. Again, this is not settled work.
SYMPTOMS
A lump in the breast or under your arm.A change in your breast shape – Swollen? A thickening?Skin change – Dimpling? Red? Flaky?Nipple – Discharge? Sinks inward?
TREATMENT
1. TARGETED THERAPIES
- Your doctor may recommend that you have targeted therapy, sometimes called immunotherapy
- Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors are drugs that block immune checkpoints.
- T-cell Transfer Therapy boosts the natural ability of your T- cellsto fight cancer. (T- cells have been investigated as a biomarker of the tumor immune response in many studies) but little is still understood for black breast cancer patients.
- In this treatment, immune cells are taken from your tumor. Those that are most active against your cancer are developed artificially in a laboratory, to better attack your cancer cells. Those cells are put back into your body in large amounts, through a needle in a vein.
2. TRADITIONAL ADDITIONAL ROUTES
- Surgery to remove cancer cells,
- Chemotherapy,
- Radiation therapy &
- Hormonal Treatment
