Who gets immunotherapy for breast cancer?
You may receive immunotherapy if you have triple-negative breast cancer. Learn about Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.
Sometimes it is not clear if immunotherapy will be helpful. Your doctor may suggest biomarker tests to help predict your response to immunotherapy. Learn more about Tests for Breast Cancer Biomarkers.
When is immunotherapy for breast cancer given?
Immunotherapy for breast cancer may be given at different times in your treatment. You might get it with chemotherapy before surgery to help shrink the tumor so that it can be removed more easily during surgery.
After the doctor removes all the cancer that can be seen at the time of the surgery, you may receive immunotherapy alone to kill any cancer cells that are left.
Immunotherapy may also be given with chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer or recurrent breast cancer that cannot be removed by surgery. Learn more about Metastatic Breast Cancer or Breast Cancer Recurrence.
Immunotherapy drugs used for breast cancer
Pembrolizumab is the only immunotherapy drug approved to treat breast cancer.
Side effects of immunotherapy
The most common side effects of immunotherapy are rash, diarrhea, and fatigue, which is feeling exhausted or extremely tired. Learn more about the side effects of immunotherapy and steps you can take to manage or prevent them.