About 15% of breast cancers diagnosed are triple-negative.These cancers are more resistant to treatment because they lack the three most common treatment targets known as receptors. Women diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer usually have a poorer prognosis as their disease is more likely to spread to other sites in the body.
Currently these women are treated with standard chemotherapy which can have benefits but which is also associated with significant side-effects often compromising their quality of life.
Tamoxifen is a longstanding and successful hormone treatment for women with hormone sensitive breast cancer. Recent research analysing earlier clinical trials show that for women with triple-negative breast cancer but who also have oestrogen β positive receptors, better long-term survival may be achieved when treated with Tamoxifen.
The researchers of the Australian New Zealand Breast Cancer Trials have developed a new clinical trial called “SORBET” which will commence soon and involve women throughout Australia and New Zealand. This trial will investigate the treatment benefits of Tamoxifen for women with triple-negative breast cancer which has spread to other parts of the body, but which is oestrogen β positive, for whom treatment with chemotherapy may not be appropriate.
It is hoped that SORBET will show whether daily treatment with Tamoxifen can control the growth and spread of triple-negative, oestrogen β positive early breast cancer, and improve outcomes for these women. Results of this research will have implications worldwide in the treatment and management of women with this type of disease.
SORBET will involve over 66 participants from 10 hospitals throughout Australia and New Zealand. |