Does triple-negative breast cancer shorten your life? Five-year relative survival rates tend to be lower for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) than for other forms of breast cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, the overall 5-year relative survival rate for TNBC is 77 percent .

What are the chances of dying from triple-negative breast cancer? The 5-year overall and disease-free survival rates for the entire patient population were 77% and 72%, respectively. Overall survival was 62% for TNBC and 81% for non-TNBC, and disease-free survival was 57% for TNBC and 75% for non-TNBC (log-rank P < . 001; Figure 1).

Can triple-negative breast cancer be cured? Triple-negative breast cancer is curable when a doctor diagnoses it during the first three stages (1–3), said Dr. Jacoub.

Can you survive stage 3 triple-negative breast cancer? According to the American Cancer Society, if any type of breast cancer is found to be stage 1, the 5-year survival rate is nearly 100%. Stage 2 breast cancer survival is about 93%, stage 3 is 72%, and metastasized (spread to other areas of the body) or grade 4 breast cancer has about a 22% chance of survival.

Does triple-negative breast cancer shorten your life? – Additional Questions

What is the deadliest form of breast cancer?

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is considered an aggressive cancer because it grows quickly, is more likely to have spread at the time it’s found, and is more likely to come back after treatment than other types of breast cancer.

How effective is chemo for triple-negative breast cancer?

Although high dose chemotherapy has generally shown no improvement in overall survival, at median follow up of 62 months, TNBC patients who received high dose chemotherapy had an improved overall survival of 76% compared to 61% in the dose dense arm.

Does triple-negative always come back?

Sixty percent of patients with triple-negative breast cancer will survive more than five years without disease, but four out of ten women will have a rapid recurrence of the disease.

How often does triple-negative cancer come back?

Recurrence Rates

According to a 2019 study, around 40% of people who have stage 1 to stage 3 triple-negative breast cancer will have a recurrence following standard treatment, while around 60% will have long-term disease-free survival.

Who survived triple-negative breast cancer?

Five years after her breast cancer diagnosis, Shalena Prude, now 44, is surviving and thriving. The passage of time has given Shalena a chance to reflect on the complexity of her cancer journey. She remembers there were days when she fought the disease with all her might.

How long is chemo treatment for triple negative breast cancer?

Treatment is usually completed over the course of three to six months, and may be repeated if necessary; for instance, a physician might recommend an additional course of chemotherapy several months or years after the initial treatment if a patient experiences a cancer recurrence.

What type of chemotherapy is used for triple negative breast cancer?

Common chemotherapies for triple negative breast cancer may include an anthracycline such as Adriamycin, alkylating agents such as Cytoxan, and a taxane, such as Taxol or Taxotere. Fluorouracil (5FU) may be given as well. Often a combination of drugs, or a “chemo cocktail,” is given to disable and kill cancer cells.

Where does triple negative breast cancer usually spread to?

It has spread to distant organs or to lymph nodes far from the breast. The most common sites of spread are the bone, liver, brain or lung.

Is triple-negative breast cancer the worst kind?

Triple-negative breast cancer is usually more aggressive, harder to treat, and more likely to come back (recur) than cancers that are hormone receptor-positive or HER2-positive. The symptoms, staging, diagnosis, and survivorship care for triple-negative breast cancer are the same as other invasive ductal carcinomas.

What is the cause of triple-negative breast cancer?

What causes triple negative breast cancer? Researchers don’t know what causes TNBC, but they think BRCA1 genetic mutation might play a part. The BRCA1 gene is meant to prevent cancer. When it mutates, however, the gene reverses course and makes your cells more vulnerable to cancer.

Does triple-negative breast cancer run in family?

Genetic testing is recommended primarily for people who have a personal and/or family history that suggests HBOC. However, women younger than 60 with triple-negative breast cancer (see above), are at risk of having a BRCA mutation, regardless of family history.

Does stress cause triple-negative breast cancer?

Social stress connected to triple-negative breast cancer via fat cells. Local chemical signals released by fat cells in the mammary gland appear to provide a crucial link between exposure to unrelenting social stressors early in life and to the subsequent development of breast cancer, according to new research.

What is the best treatment for triple-negative breast cancer?

What is the treatment for triple-negative breast cancer?
  • Chemotherapy.
  • Surgery can remove more of the tumor.
  • Radiation therapy involves the use beams of radiation to destroy cancer cells, using various techniques to prevent damage to healthy surrounding tissue.

What type breast cancer has the highest recurrence rate?

Research suggests that estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer is more likely to come back more than five years after diagnosis. In this study, the researchers looked at the risk of late breast cancer recurrence, meaning the breast cancer came back 10 or more years after diagnosis.

What happens if triple-negative breast cancer comes back?

Although research suggests that about 40% of people who receive treatment for stage 1 to 3 of TNBC will experience a recurrence, 60% will continue to live a disease-free life. The American Cancer Society gives 5-year relative survival rates based on whether the cancer is local, regional, or distant.

When are you considered cancer free after breast cancer?

The cancer may come back to the same place as the original primary tumor or to another place in the body. If you remain in complete remission for five years or more, some doctors may say that you are cured, or cancer-free.

When are you considered a breast cancer survivor?

One who remains alive and continues to function during and after overcoming a serious hardship or life-threatening disease. In cancer, a person is considered to be a survivor from the time of diagnosis until the end of life.