Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) has an aggressive phenotype and poor prognosis. This
tumor type characterized by lack of expression of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone
receptor (PR) and no amplification of the human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) accounts for
15% of breast cancers. Limited treatment options exist in the clinic as hormonal therapies
and HER2-trageted agents have proven ineffective. BKM120 is a drug that works by blocking a
protein called phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) which may contribute to cancer growth.
This drug has been used in experiments in the laboratory and information from these research
studies suggests that BKM120 may help to prevent cancer cells from growing. In this research
study, the investigators are looking to see if BKM120 works to stop breast cancer cells from
growing.