Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) relapses more frequently than hormone receptor-positive subtypes and is often associated with poor outcomes. This retrospective study reviewed the pattern of distant metastasis with regard to survival in patients with TNBC. A total of 205 TNBC patients were analyzed. TNBC patients with lung metastases had the longest median post-metastatic OS (with 95% confidence interval) of 16.6 (10.3-22.9) months, followed by the bone, 16.3 (11.7-20.8) months, the liver, 8.9 (3.5-14.4) months, the pleura, 7.5 (2.8-12.3) months, and the brain, 4.3 (0.6-8.0) months. Kaplan-Meier plots indicated that TNBC patients with metastatic spread to brain, liver, and pleural had poorer post-metastatic OS rate than patients with lung metastases (p = 0.001, 0.004, and 0.029, respectively). Moreover, brain and liver metastases correlated significantly with poorer post-metastatic OS as compared to bone metastasis (p = 0.004 and 0.011, respectively). Route of first metastasis correlated significantly with survival of TNBC patients with brain metastases being the poorest survival indicator, followed by metastases to liver, pleura, bone, and lung.

We report on a method that allows direct, massively parallel nanopatterning of a silicon surface using ultraviolet (UV) lasers. Silica or polystyrene nanospheres with diameters of the order of the laser wavelength were deposited on the silicon surface. Spheres arranged themselves into hexagonally close-packed form due to capillary force. The nanosphere array was irradiated with 248 and 355 nm UV lasers. The silicon surface was locally melted due to enhancement of the optical field between the nanosphere and the substrate. Redistribution of molten material due to surface tension forces leads to the formation of a nanodent array. These nanodents vary their shape from bowl-like to 'sombrero-like' with the increase of laser energy as a result of competition between the thermocapillary force and the chemicapillary force.