A 10-year Follow-up of Triple-negative Breast Cancer Patients in Taiwan

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether triple-negative breast cancer has a worse prognosis; here, we present the 10-year follow-up results of triple-negative breast cancer patients in Taiwan. Methods: We identified 2858 breast cancer patients in Taiwan, of whom 416 (14.6%) had triple-negative breast cancer. Data used for analysis were derived from those breast cancer patients who were diagnosed between January 1996 and December 2006. Results: In the Kaplan -Meier analysis, tumor subgroup (triple-negative breast cancer vs. non-triple-negative breast cancer) was a prognostic factor related to 10-year breast cancer death-specific survival and disease-free survival. The results of univariate analysis showed that tumor subgroup was a significant factor related to 10-year disease-free survival and breast cancer death-specific survival, as well as menopausal status, tumor size, lymph node, metastasis, grade, stage, estrogen receptor status, progesterone receptor status and her2/ neu gene expression status. Similarly, the multivariate analysis also revealed that tumor subgroup was a significant factor related to 10-year breast cancer death-specific survival and disease-free survival, in addition to tumor size, lymph node, metastasis and grade. Conclusions: It was suggested that triple-negative breast cancer patients in Taiwan have worse 10-year survival. Notably, in node-positive patients, triple-negative breast cancer played a prognostic role in 10-year breast cancer death-specific survival.

Clinical characteristics and prognostic analysis of triple-negative breast cancer patients

“…Our multivariate Cox's regression analysis demonstrated that tumor size and axillary lymph node status were the main prognostic indicators for 7-year DFS and OS. These findings are in accordance with those of previous studies (8,19). Tumor subgroup (TNBC or non-TNBC) was identified as a significant prognostic factor of breast cancer in the univariate and multivariate survival analysis.…”

“…Furthermore, the TNBC subgroup is associated with a higher risk of distant recurrence and mortality compared to its non-triple-negative counterparts, particularly during the first 3-5 years of follow-up (6). However, few studies have been conducted among non-Western populations (7) and the information on the Asian TNBC subtype remains confusing and limited (8). Kurebayashi et al (9) reported that Japanese patients with TNBC are mostly superimposable for disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS).…”

Remotely Phototriggered, Transferrin‐Targeted Polymeric Nanoparticles for the Treatment of Breast Cancer

“…Such therapies are often used independently or in combination with other drugs, including bevacizumab and/or carboplatin . However, using chemotherapy has several limitations such as early recurrence, metastasis and multidrug resistance, an obstacle encountered ever more so due to rapidly mutating and evolving cancer cell populations . Currently, no targeted treatments are clinically approved for TNBC, and therefore, it is paramount to explore more targeted therapies using different treatment modalities such as photodynamic therapy (PDT) .…”

The Outcome of Patients with Triple Negative Breast Cancer: The Turkish Oncology Group Experience

“…Additionally presence of lymph node metastasis was associated with worse disease-free survival. Similarly other studies from different populations underscore the influence of tumor size on survival for TNBC patients (23,24). A recent Asian study have demonstrated that tumor size and axillary lymph node status were the main prognostic indicators for 7-year DFS and OS in multivariate Cox's regression analysis (25).…”