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The Voice of People With Breast Cancer
Information
Treatments & Side Effects
Systemic Therapy
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy stimulates and engages your immune system to defend against cancer. It is primarily used for advanced or metastatic TNBC.
Checkpoint Inhibitors
Checkpoint inhibitors are a type of immunotherapy that help the immune system detect and attack cancer cells by blocking checkpoint proteins that allow cancer to hide. The checkpoint inhibitors used in breast cancer target PD-L1 proteins for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC).
- Examples: atezolizumab (Tecentriq), and pembrolizumab (Keytruda)
- Common side effects: Fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, rash, and low white blood cell counts
Medical Review by Roochi Arora, MD, FRCPC, August 2025
- References
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American Cancer Society. (2021). Immunotherapy for breast cancer. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/breast-cancer/treatment/immunotherapy.html
Canadian Breast Cancer Network. (2022). Breast cancer and you: A guide for people living with breast cancer [PDF]. https://cbcn.ca/web/default/files/public/Reports/Breast%20Cancer%20and%20You_ENG_edit_web.pdf
Corti, C., Batra-Sharma, H., Kelsten, M., Shatsky, R. A., Garrido-Castro, A. C., & Gradishar, W. J. (2024). Systemic therapy in breast cancer. American Society of Clinical Oncology Educational Book. American Society of Clinical Oncology. Annual Meeting, 44(3), e432442. https://doi.org/10.1200/EDBK_432442
Liedtke, C., & Kolberg, H. C. (2016). Systemic therapy of advanced/metastatic breast cancer - Current evidence and future concepts. Breast Care (Basel, Switzerland), 11(4), 275–281. https://doi.org/10.1159/000447549
National Cancer Institute. (2022). Immune checkpoint inhibitors. National Institutes of Health. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/immunotherapy/checkpoint-inhibitors
Susan G. Komen. (2025). Tumor characteristics. https://www.komen.org/breast-cancer/diagnosis/factors-that-affect-prognosis/tumor-characteristics/
Wang, J., & Wu, S. G. (2023). Breast cancer: An overview of current therapeutic strategies, challenge, and perspectives. Breast Cancer (Dove Medical Press), 15, 721–730. https://doi.org/10.2147/BCTT.S432526
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Mar 17, 2026, 12:00 AM
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About CBCN
CBCN strives to voice the views and concerns of breast cancer patients through education, advocacy activities, and the promotion of information sharing.
Canadian Breast Cancer Network
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