Triple negative breast cancer outcome poor

SAN ANTONIO, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Women with breast cancer whose tumors have no estrogen or progesterone receptors have the worst overall outcomes, two U.S. studies determined.

Because of this, these patients should be treated aggressively after an initial diagnosis to help prevent metastasis, said researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla.

Dr. Stephanie Hines found the median survival from diagnosis to death in women with triple negative tumors with brain metastases was 26 months, compared to 49 months in women with other types of breast cancer brain metastases. So-called triple negative tumors are cancer that does not exhibit HER2 growth factors or estrogen or progesterone receptors, as well as HER2 positive cancers that also are estrogen or progesterone receptors negative, say Mayo investigators.

The second study, led Dr. Laura Vallow, looked only at HER2 positive tumors that had spread to the brain, and concluded that median survival from initial diagnosis to death in patients with estrogen or progesterone receptor negative tumors was 17.5 months, compared to 55 months for women with estrogen or progesterone receptor positive cancer.

The researchers presented their findings at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.