Triple-negative breast cancer: risk factors to potential targets

Breast cancer is not one single disease, but knows different subgroups originating in the breast. Triple-negative breast cancer, one of these subgroups, has recently been recognized as an important subgroup of breast cancer with a distinct outcome and therapeutic approach when compared with other subgroups of breast cancer. Triple-negative breast cancer comprises primarily, but not exclusively, of the basal-like subtype and refers to a specific subtype of breast cancer that does not express the genes for estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) or Her2/neu.

Depending on its stage of diagnosis, triple-negative breast cancer can be extremely aggressive and is more likely to recur and metastasize than other subtypes of breast cancer. It typically is responsive to chemotherapy, although it can be more difficult to treat because it is unresponsive to the most effective receptor targeted treatments

Late last year, researchers from the Indiana University Department of Medicine, Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, Indianapolis, led by Dr. Bryan Paul Schneider MD, reported details of a new studies and findings in the area of breast cancer risk factors. The results were published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research.

Commenting on the research results, Schneider explained: ‘We do not yet have an assay to identify basal-like breast cancer in clinical samples, so triple-negative breast cancer has become a commonly used proxy for this subtype. The molecular biology and pathophysiology of triple-negative breast cancer are not completely understood, but understanding is improving rapidly with the advent of sophisticated molecular biology platforms.’

The established risk factors of breast cancer as a whole may not apply to this unique subgroup of patients. Because triple-negative breast cancer is defined by the absence of a target, there are currently limitations to using a tailored therapeutic approach, leaving conventional cytotoxic therapies as the mainstay.

‘Active preclinical and clinical research programs focus on defining the clinical behavior, delineating the risk factors, and more completely understanding the molecular biology of triple-negative breast cancer to improve prevention, optimize conventional agents, and unveil novel therapeutic targets,' Schneider said.

For more information, read:

• Schneider BP, Winer EP, Foulkes WD, Garber J, et al. Triple-negative breast cancer: risk factors to potential targets. Clin Cancer Res. 2008 Dec 15;14(24):8010-8
• Click here to contact the author.

Also read PubMed abstracts:

• Liu ZB, Liu GY, Yang WT, Di GH, et al. Triple-negative breast cancer types exhibit a distinct poor clinical characteristic in lymph node-negative Chinese patients Oncol Rep. 2008 Oct;20(4):987-94.
• Reis-Filho JS, Tutt AN. Triple negative tumours: a critical review. Histopathology. 2008 Jan;52(1):108-18. Review.
• Sasa M, Bando Y, Takahashi M, Hirose T, Nagao T Screening for basal marker expression is necessary for decision of therapeutic strategy for triple-negative breast cancer. J Surg Oncol. 2008 Jan 1;97(1):30-4.
• Rakha EA, El-Sayed ME, Green AR, Lee AH, et al. Prognostic markers in triple-negative breast cancer. Cancer. 2007 Jan 1;109(1):25-32

See online video:

• CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta looks into tripple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive and drug-resistant form of cancer affecting black women.
• About tripple-negative breast cancer on Truveo.