Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSelf-ChecksPhysical ExaminationImagingLabs and TestsDifferential DiagnosesFrequently Asked Questions

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Self-Checks

Physical Examination

Imaging

Labs and Tests

Differential Diagnoses

Frequently Asked Questions

Triple-negative breast canceris diagnosed through hormone receptor and HER2/neu testing of a biopsy sample.

Diagnosing triple-negative breast cancer doesn’t take additional time compared to other forms of breast cancer. What can cause a delay in diagnosis is a lapse in awareness, whether it be neglecting self-checks, physical examinations, or frequent mammograms, depending on your age.

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Mature woman doing self breast exam at home

One of the most effective ways to detect triple-negative breast cancer early is to get in the habit of doing regularbreast self-examsat home. While research has been conflicting over the years as to whether or not self-exams have proven effective enough to be part of a breast cancer screening schedule (and because of this, the American Cancer Society does not recommend regular breast self-exams) it’s important to be familiar with how your breasts look and feel so that you can report any changes to your healthcare provider.

Breasts can be naturally lumpy due to tissue buildup, benign conditions, or hormone fluctuations (particularly during the week of your menstrual cycle) and giving yourself a self-exam at least once a month will help you distinguish between what feels normal for your breasts and what does not. A self-exam may spark you to mention any concerns to your healthcare provider, which could lead to an earlier triple-negative breast cancer diagnosis.

When performing a self-exam, it’s important to keep in mind:

While the American Cancer Society puts clinical exams and self-exams in the same category, no longer recommending them for breast cancer screening protocols, this doesn’t mean these tests shouldn’t be done.In fact, most healthcare providers will still give you a clinical breast exam, especially if you are in your 20s or 30s. Your family healthcare provider or gynecologist may perform a clinical exam during your next visit, and this is essentially the same steps that you’ll take if you do a self-exam at home. If they don’t do one and you’d like them to, it’s important to let them know that during your visit as well as ask them about any concerns you may have about your breast health.

Whether you’ve made an appointment with your healthcare provider because you’re concerned about a lump you may have found during a self-exam, or your healthcare provider has recommended additional testing after a clinical exam, there are a number of labs and tests used to diagnose all breast cancers, including triple-negative breast cancer.

The usual order of labs and tests to diagnosis triple-negative breast cancer are:

Depending on the results from a patient’s imaging, a healthcare provider may recommend abiopsyof the breast area as a next step. A biopsy is the only test that can definitively determine if the abnormal area in the breast is cancerous and if it is triple-negative breast cancer.

If a patient’s biopsy comes back positive, the next step is totest for hormone receptors. The test is done on tissue from a biopsy using a procedure called immunohistochemical staining and this will show if a patient’s breast cancer is progesterone receptor-positive, estrogen receptor-positive, or neither. The second test will be a HER2/neu test that will look at the breast tissue, or possibly a blood draw to determine if the sample is HER2 positive, meaning the cancer may have a large amount of protein genes that will make the cancer grow and spread more rapidly.

If both the hormone receptor test and the HER2/neu test all come back negative, this is what becomes diagnosed as triple-negative breast cancer, which will affect the treatment plan a patient and healthcare provider will discuss.

There are many benign breast conditions that do not turn into triple-negative breast cancer. These include:

While these conditions may not increase your risk of developing triple-negative (or any) breast cancer, they don’t decrease your overall risk of developing breast cancer (one in eight women in the U.S.), so it’s important to stay on top of yourbreast cancer screeningschedule even after discovering a benign breast condition.

Feeling a lump in your breast can be distressing, but it’s important to keep in mind that 80% of women who have a breast biopsy do not have breast cancer.Stay vigilant enough to notice any differences in your breasts and get the appropriate screenings and checks to keep your breasts healthy.

Triple-negative breast cancer is diagnosed most often in people who:Are relatively young (under 50)Are Black or HispanicHave inherited theBRCA1mutation, who make up around 70% of people diagnosed with TNBC

Triple-negative breast cancer is diagnosed most often in people who:

Although it’s more aggressive than most other types of breast cancer, the symptoms of TNBC are the same, with the most common being a new lump, mass, or growth in the breast. Othersymptoms of breast cancerinclude:Swelling of the breast, even if there’s no distinct lumpSkin changes, such as dimpling (an orange peel-like textures), or redness, dryness, flaking, or thickening that can affect nipples as wellPain in the breast ornippleNipple changes, includinginversion(turning inward) and/or adischargethat isn’t breast milkSwollen lymph nodes(which sometimes can occur before a lump can be felt)

Although it’s more aggressive than most other types of breast cancer, the symptoms of TNBC are the same, with the most common being a new lump, mass, or growth in the breast. Othersymptoms of breast cancerinclude:

According to the National Cancer Institute, therelative survival ratefor someone with TNBC is:

How Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Is Treated

8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Cancer Society.American Cancer Society Recommendations for the Early Detection of Breast Cancer.American Cancer Society.American Cancer Society Recommendations for the Early Detection of Breast Cancer.Breastcancer.org.Risk of Developing Breast Cancer.National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.Biopsy.Breastcancer.org.Triple-negative breast cancer.American Cancer Society.Breast cancer signs and symptoms.Pogoda K, Niwińska A, Murawska M, et al.Analysis of pattern, time and risk factors influencing recurrence in triple-negative breast cancer patients.Med Oncol. 30(1):388. doi:10.1007/s12032-012-0388-4American Cancer Society.Triple-negative breast cancer.Additional ReadingBreastcancer.org.Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How Is Breast Cancer Diagnosed?Mayo Clinic.Breast Cancer.National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.Diagnosis.Susan G. Komen.Triple Negative Breast Cancer.

8 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Cancer Society.American Cancer Society Recommendations for the Early Detection of Breast Cancer.American Cancer Society.American Cancer Society Recommendations for the Early Detection of Breast Cancer.Breastcancer.org.Risk of Developing Breast Cancer.National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.Biopsy.Breastcancer.org.Triple-negative breast cancer.American Cancer Society.Breast cancer signs and symptoms.Pogoda K, Niwińska A, Murawska M, et al.Analysis of pattern, time and risk factors influencing recurrence in triple-negative breast cancer patients.Med Oncol. 30(1):388. doi:10.1007/s12032-012-0388-4American Cancer Society.Triple-negative breast cancer.Additional ReadingBreastcancer.org.Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How Is Breast Cancer Diagnosed?Mayo Clinic.Breast Cancer.National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.Diagnosis.Susan G. Komen.Triple Negative Breast Cancer.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

American Cancer Society.American Cancer Society Recommendations for the Early Detection of Breast Cancer.American Cancer Society.American Cancer Society Recommendations for the Early Detection of Breast Cancer.Breastcancer.org.Risk of Developing Breast Cancer.National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.Biopsy.Breastcancer.org.Triple-negative breast cancer.American Cancer Society.Breast cancer signs and symptoms.Pogoda K, Niwińska A, Murawska M, et al.Analysis of pattern, time and risk factors influencing recurrence in triple-negative breast cancer patients.Med Oncol. 30(1):388. doi:10.1007/s12032-012-0388-4American Cancer Society.Triple-negative breast cancer.

American Cancer Society.American Cancer Society Recommendations for the Early Detection of Breast Cancer.

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American Cancer Society.Breast cancer signs and symptoms.

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American Cancer Society.Triple-negative breast cancer.

Breastcancer.org.Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How Is Breast Cancer Diagnosed?Mayo Clinic.Breast Cancer.National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.Diagnosis.Susan G. Komen.Triple Negative Breast Cancer.

Breastcancer.org.Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How Is Breast Cancer Diagnosed?

Mayo Clinic.Breast Cancer.

National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.Diagnosis.

Susan G. Komen.Triple Negative Breast Cancer.

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