To say that breast cancer changes everything is an understatement. With the delivery of a diagnosis, the focus of your life suddenly switches from living to surviving.

But what if the type of breast cancer you've been diagnosed with is relatively unknown and incredibly deadly?

"Most women have never heard of triple negative breast cancer," said Dr. Angel A. Rodriguez, oncologist and head of the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Clinic at the Methodist Cancer Center.

Rodriguez explains that there are three proteins tested for in patients diagnosed with breast cancer: Estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). Breast cancer is often diagnosed based on the presence of — or lack thereof — these three common receptors.

"We see which proteins are on a cell, and what makes it grow — we find out which one is feeding the cancer," Rodriguez said.

Sometimes the tumors test negative for all three receptors — but it's still cancer.

Enter a diagnosis of triple negative breast cancer: When cancerous cells still exist, despite the absence of all three known cancer proteins.

"We don't know what drives it," Rodriguez admitted. But researchers are working to find new treatments.

While relatively rare — it accounts for only 15 to 20 percent of breast cancer incidents — research shows this highly aggressive form of cancer tends to occur in younger women, and accounts for half of all breast cancer deaths.

The only method for treating it right now is chemotherapy, but current therapies most effectively target only the three common receptors.

The imperfect answer that chemotherapy provides has prompted Rodriguez and his colleagues, guided by Methodist Cancer Center's medical director, Dr. Jenny C. Chang, to participate in clinical trials with promising triple negative breast cancer treatments.

"We're defining it by what it's not," Rodriguez said. "We're differentiating between the cancers, and differentiating between which is more likely to respond to which treatment."

The main problem falls in the inability of the cancer cells to repair the DNA. That's why the Methodist team re-examined the standard treatments in their trials, and tried introducing something novel — the novel agent iniparib, that blocks DNA repair in cancer cells.

Through research and testing, the Methodist team determined that one of the most promising agents for treating triple negative breast cancer is the PARP inhibitor. "The DNA in the cancer cell can't repair itself, so the cell dies," Rodriguez said.

When this is added to chemotherapy in treating triple negative breast cancer, survival rates significantly increase.

Rodriguez has also spearheaded his own experiment — dubbed "the Angel test" by Chang — which involves taking a sample of the biopsy, looking at the molecular expression of the genes, and identifying which triple negative cancer cells will respond to the DNA-damaging agents.

"We want to provide the best treatment with minimal side effects," Chang said.

But the Methodist definition of "treatment" doesn't end at medical therapy. "It's not just what they need medically, but socially, too," said Jennifer Berry, clinical manager of outpatient infusion services at the Methodist Breast Center.

A host of support services, ranging from post-mastectomy counseling to consultations with a licensed cosmetologist from the Look Good, Feel Better program, allow the Methodist Breast Center to provide personalized treatment for every patient — through diagnosis, prognosis, treatment and beyond.

The Methodist Breast Center views itself as not only a treatment facility, but a nurturing, supportive community. "We treat our patients like family here. We develop friendships and relationships with them," Berry said.

These relationships are crucial to the Methodist Breast Center. One day, it hopes to relay the best news of all to its community of patients and survivors.

"We're so close to finding a cure — we're chipping away," Chang said. "That possibility of a cure drives us. We just need to find the right treatment."