Prevalence and Prognostic Role of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer by Race: A Surveillance Study

• Published in: Clinical breast cancer Vol. 11; no. 5; pp. 332 - 341
• Main Authors: Swede, Helen, Gregorio, David I, Tannenbaum, Susan H, Brockmeyer, Jessica A, Ambrosone, Christine, Wilson, Lori L, Pensa, Mellisa A, Gonsalves, Lou, Stevens, Richard G, Runowicz, Carolyn D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.10.2011
• Subjects: Biologic markers; Breast neoplasms; Breast Neoplasms - epidemiology; Breast Neoplasms - ethnology; Breast Neoplasms - pathology; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast - epidemiology; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast - ethnology; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast - pathology; Carcinoma, Lobular - epidemiology; Carcinoma, Lobular - ethnology; Carcinoma, Lobular - pathology; Carcinoma, Medullary - epidemiology; Carcinoma, Medullary - ethnology; Carcinoma, Medullary - pathology; Ethnicity - statistics & numerical data; Female; Health status disparities; Hematology, Oncology and Palliative Medicine; HER2; Humans; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Staging; Obstetrics and Gynecology; Prevalence; Prognosis; Race/ethnicity; Receptor, ErbB-2 - metabolism; Receptors, Estrogen - metabolism; Receptors, Progesterone - metabolism; SEER Program; Survival Analysis; Triple negative breast cancer; United States - epidemiology; United States; Biologic markers; Health status disparities; Breast neoplasms; HER2; Race/ethnicity; Triple negative breast cancer
• ISSN: 1526-8209; 1938-0666; 1938-0666
• DOI: 10.1016/j.clbc.2011.04.004

A possible explanation for the relatively poor survival from breast cancer among blacks is the much higher rate of the adverse Triple-Negative sub-type. In a study of 1372 patients, blacks had twice the risk of death compared to whites among those with advanced cancer whether or not tumors were Triple-Negative. More research is still warranted to determine why blacks with advanced, but not local, breast cancer have a consistently higher rate of death.