158. PARP inhibitors

I've known for a while that there is some sort of ongoing treatment available for triple negative cancer that is associated/linked with the BRCA gene.  I've heard it mentioned and seen it referred to online, but NO ONE I know with TN has had it as treatment.

So, late evening I'm online.  I pop onto the Breast Cancer Care Website because a NEBB member has said there is someone on there asking about Oncologists that deal with Triple Negative cancer in Newcastle.  While I'm on, I check the TN forum.  There is a thread talking about websites with info about TN.  I follow a link and before I know it, I'm reading a VERY dense scientific article about treatments; chemo, radio and biological.  Biological? 

Biological treatment is a reference to the mysterious PARP inhibitor treatment.  I read about 4 pages of the article.  It starts out referring to the bad press triple neg cancer gets.  Some of the article is new to me.  Apparently, the risk of recurrence with TN goes way down once the patient gets to 4 years.  After 8 years, the risk of recurrence is practically zero.  Ooooo, didn't know that!

I read on.  A bit more about PARP inhibitors.  I don't really understand so text S, asking him to talk to A, who is a chemo nurse.  PARP inhibitors somehow 'fix' dodgy DNA.  So, linked to the dodgy or faulty BRCA gene.  They sort of fix it. 

I post back on the BCC website, starting a new thread, asking if anyone's had this treatment.  No, BUT someone posts a link to an article about a trial.  At the bottom of the article is the email address of the secretary of the doc that is running the trial. 

10 minutes later, my email to the trial doc's secretary is sent.  And bounced back.  She's on maternity leave BUT gives 2 other email addresses.  Done.  Sent.  Just sit and wait time now.

Report url:
http://nosurrenderbreastcancerhelp.org/breastcancer101/TNBC/TNBC.html

PARP Inhibitor trials article url:
http://www.breakthroughresearch.org.uk/clinical_trials/parp_inhibitor_trial/index.html

Just read new posts on the BCC forum.  Phase 2 trials of PARP inhibitors are being done in Newcastle.