Abstract 697: Clinical and prognostic comparison between triple-negative and non-triple-negative breast cancer

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL Aim: The triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtype is characterized by the lack of expression of estrogen and progesterone receptors (ER/PR) and Her2/neu protein. The present study aimed to evaluate the five-year survival rates and clinico-pathological characteristics of patients with TNBCs and those with non-TNBCs in Taiwan. Methods: This study was conducted on 313 ethnic Chinese women with primary breast cancer using tissue microarrays to perform a standardized immunohistochemical analysis. Results: Of the 313 patients, 10.5% had the TNBC phenotype. The median age of the TNBC patients was lower than that of the non-TNBC patients (47 vs. 59 years). One of the more striking differences between the TNBC and non-TNBC women was tumor differentiation, with 29.6% of the non-TNBC group having a poorly differentiated tumor compared to 45.5% of the TNBC group (p=0.01). Cox proportional hazards model results showed that (a) ER, PR, or Her2/neu status was not associated with survival rate in early-stage patients and (b) ER negativity (p = 0.03, HR = 3.4) and Her2/neu negativity (p = 0.04, HR= 4.4) were two independent predictors of the five-year survival rate in advanced-stage (stage III-IV) women. Conclusion: The TNBC phenotype represents a specific molecular profile. However, it does not always lead to worse survival, especially in women with early breast cancer. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 697. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-697