Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science

Review article

Oncology and Cancer Research
Immunotherapy in triple-negative breast cancer: mechanisms of resistance and emerging approaches: a narrative review: Sung Ae Koh; J Yeungnam Med Sci. 2026;43:17. Published online February 6, 2026; DOI: https://doi.org/10.12701/jyms.2026.43.17 [Epub ahead of print]

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Abstract PDF: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is characterized by less treatment responsiveness and poorer prognosis than other breast cancer subtypes. The introduction of anti-programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) immunotherapy has expanded the therapeutic options beyond conventional chemotherapy, leading to the adoption of pembrolizumab-based regimens in both adjuvant and first-line palliative settings. However, in contrast to other tumor types that respond robustly to immune checkpoint inhibitors, the efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 blockade in TNBC remains modest. Multiple factors contribute to this limited response, including the heterogeneity of PD-L1 expression, presence of an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment regulated by complex immunomodulatory pathways, differences in mutational burden and neoantigen presentation, quantity and functional exhaustion of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, and variable synergy with combination partners. Numerous combination strategies have been actively investigated to enhance immunotherapeutic efficacy. Among these, antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) have shown the most promising results. The phase III ASCENT-04/KEYNOTE-D19 trial demonstrated that the combination of sacituzumab govitecan and pembrolizumab significantly improved progression-free survival in patients with PD-L1–positive metastatic TNBC, establishing this regimen as a potential new first-line standard, pending guideline adoption. Although the overall survival data are still immature, the trend appears to be favorable. Other ADCs are being explored in early phase studies, and targeted therapies such as poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase and protein kinase B inhibitors have also shown preliminary activity in smaller trials. Further refinement of these strategies through biomarker-driven, large-scale studies is warranted to identify the most effective combinations and to improve outcomes in patients with TNBC.

Case report

Oncology and Cancer Research
Impressive effect of cisplatin monotherapy on a patient with heavily pretreated triple-negative breast cancer with poor performance: Dong Won Baek, Ji-Young Park, Soo Jung Lee, Yee Soo Chae; Yeungnam Univ J Med. 2020;37(3):230-235. Published online January 22, 2020; DOI: https://doi.org/10.12701/yujm.2019.00423

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Systemic therapy for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) still remains challenging because there are no targeted agents or endocrine therapies currently available. The present case report documents the successful use of cisplatin monotherapy to manage a heavily pretreated TNBC patient showing poor response to therapy. The patient was a 51-year-old woman who had already undergone several lines of systemic chemotherapy for widespread TNBC. Although the mutation analysis performed on DNA isolated from blood cells and progressed lesion samples confirmed the tumor to be germline BRCA wild-type, cisplatin monotherapy was administered based on the increasing evidence of safety and efficacy of platinum for breast cancer. After three cycles of cisplatin treatment, the patient’s metastatic lesions dramatically improved without any major toxicity, and she completed 17 cycles with good response. This case study indicates that patients with heavily pretreated TNBC can potentially achieve a good response to cisplatin monotherapy.

Citations

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