Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Risk Factors

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) tests negative for estrogen , progesterone, and HER2 receptors. Although TNBC responds to chemotherapy treatments, there have not been effective targeted treatments for this aggressive type of breast cancer. Diagnosis isusually made at a late stage, has shorter survival rates, and has a high rate of relapse 5 years after treatment. Researchers are working on targeted therapies to treat this disease, but women who are at high risk should be proactive in monitoring their own health, because early detection could help boost survival rates. African American Women Are At Highest Risk For TNBC In a study of invasive breast cancer patients done at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center between 2001 and 2006,18.9% of those patients were diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer. Within the group of women who had TNBC, Asian women had the lowest risk, Caucasians and Latinas had a moderate risk, and African Americans had triple the average risk. African Americans and Latinas have low risk of developing breast cancer, but when they are diagnosed, they tend to have triple-negative breast cancer. Survival rates for African Americans are not good, as only 14% of patients are still alive five years after diagnosis. But for TNBC patients who survive from 7 to 10 years beyond treatment, rates of recurrence are low. Age and Socioeconomic Status African Americans under 40 who are living atlow socioeconomic status have the highest risk for a diagnosis of TNBC. But young Latinas living at or near the poverty level had the second-highest risk. It is still being studied, but researchers think that genetics, lack of health education, and inadequate access to medical care may be related to the disproportionate number diagnoses in low-income minority women. Ongoing stress and social isolation, due to life in areas with high crime may also contribute to development of some types breast cancer. Genetic Risk Linked with TNBC Having the BRCA1 mutation raises a woman's risk for triple-negative breast cancer. In a study of women with triple-negative breast cancer, it was discovered that 90% of TNBC patients had the BRCA1 mutation. Fewer than10% of patients in this study had the BRCA2 mutation . Research on the link between genetic mutations and triple-negative breast cancer is still going on, but the early studies strongly suggest that having the BRCA1 mutation does increase the risk for developing this type of breast cancer. Effects of Pregnancy and Breastfeeding on TNBC Risk It's too early to know for sure, but scientists think that there may be some relationship between a woman's number of full-term pregnancies, the amount of time she spends breastfeeding, and her risk for developing TNBC. For Latinas, 3 or more full-term pregnancies and a shorter period of breastfeeding may relate to an increased risk.For African American and Asian women, number of pregnancies and breastfeeding time appears to have no relation to increasedrisk.