Are triple negative breast cancers more aggressive?
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. The outlook is generally not as good as it is for other types of breast cancer.
Which is the most aggressive form of breast cancer?
Metastatic Breast Cancer
The most serious and dangerous breast cancers – wherever they arise or whatever their type – are metastatic cancers. Metastasis means that the cancer has spread from the place where it started into other tissues distant from the original tumor site.
Is it better to be HER2-positive or triple negative?
Conclusions: The triple negative subtype has the worst survival regardless of stage. HER2-positive cancers are heterogeneous and not all have poor survival. ER and PR must be considered. ER status appears to influence 5-year survival more than HER2 status.
Is TNBC a death sentence?
Fact: TNBC is not a death sentence! Make sure patients know there are effective treatments for this disease, and people can survive. Be sure to point out that TNBC is particularly sensitive to chemotherapy, and many clinical trials are available if standard treatment is ineffective.
What are the odds of surviving triple-negative breast cancer?
Survival rates for triple-negative breast cancer
The five-year survival rate for someone with localized triple-negative breast cancer, cancer that has not spread beyond the breast, is 91 percent (91 percent as likely as someone without cancer to survive during the five-year period).
Why are some cancers more aggressive?
The interior of a cancer tumour is a hostile environment with oxygen deficiency, low pH levels and lack of nutrients. The cells that survive in this environment are called “stressed cells” and are considered to be more aggressive.
What does it mean to be triple positive?
“Triple-positive” refers to breast tumors that are ER-, PR- and HER2-positive. It means the cancer cells grow in response to estrogen (ER), progesterone (PR) and a growth-promoting protein that’s on the outside of all breast cells known as HER2.
What does HER2-positive mean?
HER2 is a growth-promoting protein on the outside of all breast cells. Breast cancer cells with higher than normal levels of HER2 are called HER2-positive. These cancers tend to grow and spread faster than other breast cancers, but are much more likely to respond to treatment with drugs that target the HER2 protein.