title: Clinicopathological and prognostic characteristics of triple- negative breast cancer (TNBC) in Chinese patients: a retrospective study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the clinical, pathological and prognostic features associated with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical and histologic data of 21,749 breast cancer patients who were treated at Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital between July 2002 and December 2011 were collected. Patients were divided into two groups: those with TNBC and those with other types of breast cancer. Patients and tumor characteristics were compared between the two groups using the Chi-square test. The prognostic results of 9,823 patients in the study population were also analyzed to determine long-term survival rates in the two groups of breast cancer patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the breast cancer patients treated in our hospital between 2003 and 2011, 10.4%-13.5% of them had triple-negative breast cancers. Data analyses revealed significant differences in disease onset age, family history of breast cancer, tumor size, tumor histologic grade, lymph note positivity and metastatic status between TNBC and non-TNBC patients. There were also significant differences in 5-year, 7-year and 9-year disease-free and 7-year and 9-year overall survival probability between the groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TNBC are associated with younger disease onset age, larger tumor size, higher rate of axillary lymph node positivity, and higher tumor histologic grade. TNBC is also related to family history of breast cancer, increased metastatic risk and poor prognosis.
authors.affiliation: 3rd Department of Breast Cancer, China Tianjin Breast Cancer Prevention, Treatment and Research Center, Tianjin Medical University, Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Chun-Yan
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Sheng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiao-Bei
authors.initials: XB
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Pei
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Guo-Fang
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D018275:Carcinoma, Lobular / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D064726:Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone