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. 2009 Jun 18:9:192.
doi: 10.1186/1471-2407-9-192.

Triple negative breast carcinoma is a prognostic factor in Taiwanese women

Che Lin  1 , Su-Yu Chien, Li-Sheng Chen, Shou-Jen Kuo, Tsai-Wang Chang, Dar-Ren Chen
Affiliations

Triple negative breast carcinoma is a prognostic factor in Taiwanese women

Che Lin et al. BMC Cancer. .

Abstract

Background: Currently, there is a debate as to whether triple negative breast carcinoma (TNBC) has a worse prognosis than non-TNBC. Our aim was to determine whether TNBC is a prognostic factor for survival.

Methods: We identified 1,048 Taiwanese breast carcinoma patients, of whom 167 (15.9%) had TNBC. Data used for analysis were derived from our cancer registry database for women with breast cancer who were diagnosed between 2002 January and 2006 December.

Results: In the Kaplan-Meier analysis, tumor subgroup (TNBC vs. non-TNBC) was a prognosis factor related to 5-year overall survival. In the univariate analysis, tumor subgroup (TNBC vs. non-TNBC) was a significant factor related to 5-year overall survival, in addition to age, tumor size, lymph node, metastasis, grade, stage, estrogen receptor status, progesterone receptor status, and HER2 overexpression status. In the multivariate analysis, tumor subgroup was not a significant factor related to 5-year disease-free survival (DFS). In node-positive patients, tumor subgroup was a significant factor related to 5-year overall survival, in addition to age, tumor size, metastasis, and grade. In node-negative patients, tumor subgroup was not a significant factor related to 5-year disease-free survival and 5-year overall survival.

Conclusion: Our results indicated that TNBC patients in Taiwan have worse 5-year overall survival than non-TNBC patients. Notably, in node-positive patients, TNBC played a prognostic role in 5-year overall survival.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Overall survival curves by tumor subgroup. Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) tended to display a worse 5-year overall survival (p = 0.0026) than non-TNBC, by log-rank analysis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Disease-free survival (DFS) curves according to patient group. A, among 1,048 patients, ER-negative and PgR-negative and HER2-positive breast carcinoma tended to display the worst 5-year DFS, by log-rank analysis; ER-positive and/or PgR-positive and HER2-negative patients had the best 5-year overall survival; p < 0.0001. B, in the node-positive patients, TNBC tended to display a worse 5-year DFS by log-rank analysis; ER-positive and/or PgR-positive and HER2-negative patients had the best 5-year DFS; p = 0.0088. C, in the node-negative patients, four subgroups showed no 5-year DFS difference by log-rank analysis; p = 0.0720. We followed up the node-negative HER2-positive patients up to 48 months. ER, estrogen receptor; PgR, progesterone receptor; HER2, her2/neu gene over-expression.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Overall survival curves according to patient group. A, among 1,048 patients, HER2-positive breast carcinoma tended to display the worst 5-year overall survival by log-rank analysis; our ER-positive and/or PgR-positive and HER2-negative patients had the best 5-year DFS; p < 0.0001. B, in the node-positive patients, TNBC tended to demonstrate the worst 5-year overall survival by log-rank analysis; ER-positive and/or PgR-positive and HER2-negative patients had the best 5-year overall survival; p < 0.0001. C, in the node-negative patients, four subgroups showed no 5-year overall survival difference, by log-rank analysis; p = 0.8620. We followed up the node-negative HER2-positive patients up to 48 months.
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