Triple Negative Breast Cancer
Triple negative breast cancers are characterized by the lack of hormone receptors (proteins found inside breast cells) that fuel the disease, making it more difficult to treat. These include estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2).
Chemotherapy is the mainstay of therapy for women with triple negative breast cancer. Because triple negative tumors lack all three receptors, they do not respond to the kind of treatment that receptor positive breast cancers do. These treatments include such drugs as tamoxifen, the aromatase inhibitors, and trastuzumab.
Triple negatives account for 12.5%1 to 15%2 of all breast cancer. Women and men with this type of disease have poorer survival than those with other types. This is true for each stage of breast cancer and each racial group. Those with triple negative breast cancer are more likely to be younger than 40 years of age as well as non-Hispanic black or Hispanic.
If you or someone you know has triple negative breast cancer, keep in mind that statistics are the average of large groups of individuals. As one individual, your case is unique. If you are concerned about triple negative breast cancer, please talk with your physician.
Ongoing research is focusing on triple negative breast cancer to develop strategies to effectively treat patients who develop it.
Y-ME peer counselors are available 24 hours a day to lend emotional support and provide information. Please be in touch with us at 800-221-2141 if you ever need to talk.
1. Bauer, K. R., Brown, M., Cress, R. D., Parise, C. A., & Caggiano, V. (2007). Descriptive analysis of estrogen receptor (ER)-negative, progesterone receptor (PR)-negative, and HER2-negative invasive breast cancer, the so-called triple-negative phenotype: A population-based study from the California Cancer Registry. Cancer. Published online March 26. DOI: 10.1002/cncr.22618.
2. Cleator, S., Heller, W., & Coombes, R. C. (2007). Triple-negative breast cancer: Therapeutic options. Lancet Oncology, 8(3), 235-244.
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