[Platinum-based chemotherapy in triple negative breast cancer]

Since its first market authorisation 40 years ago, cisplatin is an important constituent of cytostatic chemotherapy regimens. Some tumour entities even lost their fright after introduction of cisplatin into the therapeutic armamentarium. For instance, cure rates of up to 95 % are reported for testicular cancer depending on the tumour-stage at the time of diagnosis. In the first-line breast cancer therapy cisplatin is regarded only a cytostatic reserve at present. However, platinum-based therapy regimes are widely used in anthracyclin- and/or taxan-refractory situations. In addition, platinum-based therapy is well-established in the palliative treatment of breast cancer.Breast cancer is the most common female cancer type and triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) has the poorest prognosis. Therapy options are limited to surgery, radiotherapy, and polychemotherapy since targeted therapies, which are based on a molecular interaction with a target protein, are not amenable at present. However, triple negative breast cancer specimens show good initial response to platinum-based chemotherapy. Therefore, clinical research of cisplatin therapy in BRCA-mutated triple negative breast cancer is currently intensified. However, despite successful first treatment, the tumour often reappears quickly, a phenomenon designated as the triple negative paradox. Throughout this article, current indications and possible future development to a potentially new indication is outlined.