What do we know about triple negative breast cancer?
Less common type of breast cancer (15% of Breast Cancers are Triple Negative worldwide)
Not driven by estrogen or progesterone hormones, or the HER2 protein (making it “triple negative”)
Tends to be more aggressive, have poorer prognosis
More likely to grow fast and be diagnosed on exam (or by patient)
Looks less like normal breast cancer cells then other breast cancers
More common in younger women (under 40)
More common in African American and Hispanic women
More common in people who carry the BRCA1 mutations (70% of breast cancers in BRCA1 carriers are triple negative breast cancers)
These characteristics make Triple Negative Breast Cancer harder to treat.
However, it is still potentially curable and treatable.
If you are interested in learning more, we recommend the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation as an excellent resource.