title: A 10-year follow-up of triple-negative breast cancer patients in Taiwan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to investigate whether triple-negative breast cancer has a worse prognosis; here, we present the 10-year follow-up results of triple-negative breast cancer patients in Taiwan.
  
  
  METHODS
  We identified 2858 breast cancer patients in Taiwan, of whom 416 (14.6%) had triple-negative breast cancer. Data used for analysis were derived from those breast cancer patients who were diagnosed between January 1996 and December 2006.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the Kaplan-Meier analysis, tumor subgroup (triple-negative breast cancer vs. non-triple-negative breast cancer) was a prognostic factor related to 10-year breast cancer death-specific survival and disease-free survival. The results of univariate analysis showed that tumor subgroup was a significant factor related to 10-year disease-free survival and breast cancer death-specific survival, as well as menopausal status, tumor size, lymph node, metastasis, grade, stage, estrogen receptor status, progesterone receptor status and her2/neu gene expression status. Similarly, the multivariate analysis also revealed that tumor subgroup was a significant factor related to 10-year breast cancer death-specific survival and disease-free survival, in addition to tumor size, lymph node, metastasis and grade.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It was suggested that triple-negative breast cancer patients in Taiwan have worse 10-year survival. Notably, in node-positive patients, triple-negative breast cancer played a prognostic role in 10-year breast cancer death-specific survival.
authors.affiliation: Comprehensive Breast Cancer Center, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Che
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Su-Yu
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Chien
authors.forename: Shou-Jen
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: Li-Sheng
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Shou-Tung
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Hung-Wen
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Tsai-Wang
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Dar-Ren
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013624:Taiwan
chemical_list: D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone