Triple-negative breast carcinoma: current and emerging concepts

Abstract

Objectives: Triple-negative breast cancer is regarded as an aggressive disease that affects a young patient population and for which effective targeted therapy is not yet available.

Methods: Intense efforts have been made to gain a better understanding of this heterogeneous group of tumors from the histologic to the genomic and molecular levels.

Results: Progress has been made, including the ability to subtype these tumors and the discovery of biomarkers toward which current therapeutic efforts are focused. Many novel targets under exploration have the potential to affect the clinical course of this disease.

Conclusions: This article reviews the current concepts regarding the clinicopathologic features of triple-negative breast carcinoma, its histologic subtypes, molecular classification, the prognostic and therapeutic potential of biomarkers, and emerging targeted therapies.

Keywords: Biomarkers; Breast cancer; Pathology; Therapeutic efforts; Triple negative.