Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat It IsSurvival RatesRecurrenceRisk FactorsNext in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer GuideCauses of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

What It Is

Survival Rates

Recurrence

Risk Factors

Next in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Guide

Theprognosis(expected outcome) oftriple-negative breast canceris not as good as other types of breast cancer, This is based on therelative five-year survival ratewhich describes the percentage of treated people who live for at least five years following their diagnosis.

Overall, the five-year survival rate for triple-negative breast cancer is 77% compared to the five-year survival rate of 91% for breast cancer in general.

Triple-negative breast cancer is also more likely to recur (come back) after treatment. Even so, if treated early and successfully, some studies suggest that over 80% will live for at least 10 years.

This article looks at current survival rates for triple-negative breast cancer and the factors that may affect survival and recurrence.

An illustration with information about triple-negative breast cancer

The Importance of Prognosis With Cancer

What Are Triple-Negative Breast Cancers?

Triple-negative breast cancers are so-named because they lack estrogen and progesterone receptors and don’t produce enough or any of a protein calledHER2.

Triple-negative breast cancer differs from other types of breast cancer in that they tend to grow and spread faster, On top of this, the lack of HER2 and estrogen and progesterone receptors make them harder to treat because they don’t respond to hormonal therapies liketamoxifenoraromatase inhibitors) or totargeted HER2 therapieslikeHerceptin (trastuzumab).

That said, triple-negative tumors tend to respond better to chemotherapy. They are also much less likely to recur after five years than other types of cancer.(Estrogen-positive tumors, for instance, are notorious for having late recurrences.)

What Is the Relative Survival for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer?

Survival rates are based on continually updated data involving all people with breast cancer irrespective of their age, general health, or how they are treated. So what one person may experience with triple-negative breast cancer may not be what you experience. This is why it is referred to as therelativefive-year survival rate.

To better describe the likely outcome, the five-year survival rate is broken down into categories:

Here is what the current survival picture for triple-negative breast cancer looks like compared to breast cancer in general:

The survival rate is not a fixed figure. It can—and frequently does— change as new drugs are introduced.

Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Recurrence

The majority of women who experiencemetastatic breast cancerdo so when the cancer recurs rather than with the primary (initial) diagnosis. Metastases, in turn, are responsible for roughly 90% of breast cancer-related deaths.

Compared to hormone receptor-positive or HER2-positive breast cancers, triple-negative breast cancer is far more likely to recur. Some studies suggest that as many as 25% of women will experience recurrence.(By contrast, the rate of recurrence for breast cancer overall is roughly 15%.)

Moreover, the risk of early recurrence (within five years of the diagnosis) is nearly three times higher than with other types of breast cancer. Most occur within three years. The most common sites for metastases are in the lungs, brain, or distant lymph nodes.

With that said, the risk of recurrence drops the longer that you are inremission. Studies suggest that after five years of disease-free survival, the risk of recurrence is less than 3%.

Among people with triple-negative breast cancer who experience recurrence, the overall three-year survival is 44% and the overall five-year survival rate is 27%.

Late Recurrence of Breast Cancer

Factors That Influence Prognosis

Beyond the stage of cancer, there are a number of factors that may affect the outlook of people with triple-negative breast cancer, including:

Summary

The prognosis for triple-negative breast cancer is not as favorable as other types of cancer. Not only does it tend to be more aggressive, but it is also not responsive to hormonal therapies or targeted HER2 drugs. The overall five-year survival is 77%, dropping to 12% when cancer has metastasized.

Even so, newer drugs like Keytruda and Lynparza are increasing survival times in people with triple-negative breast cancer. While the risk of recurrence is high during the first three to five years, the risk drops to less than 3% after five years.

11 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.Triple-negative breast cancer.American Cancer Society.Survival rates for breast cancer.Baranova A, Krasnoselskyi M, Starikov V, et al.Triple-negative breast cancer: current treatment strategies and factors of negative prognosis.J Med Life.2022 Feb;15(2):153–61. doi:10.25122/jml-2021-0108Zagami P, Carey lA.Triple negative breast cancer: pitfalls and progress.Breast Cancer.2022;8:95. doi:10.1038/s41523-022-00468-0Zerdan MB, Ghorayeb T, Saliba F, et al.Triple negative breast cancer: updates on classification and treatment in 2021.Cancers (Basel).2022 Mar;14(5):1253. doi:10.3390/cancers14051253Pedersen RK, Esen Bo, Mellemkjær L, et al.The incidence of breast cancer recurrence 10-32 years after primary diagnosis.J National Cancer Inst.2022;114(3):391-9. doi:10.1093/jnci/djab202Morante Z, De la Cruz Ku GA, Enriquez D, et al.Post-recurrence survival in triple negative breast cancer.J Clin Oncol.2018;36(15 Suppl). doi:10.1200/JCO.2018.36.15_suppl.e13120Qiu JD, Xue XY, Li R, Wang JD.Clinicopathological features and prognosis of triple-negative breast cancer: a comparison between younger (<60) and elderly (≥60) patients.Eur J Cancer Care (Engl).2016;25(6):1065-1075. doi:10.1111/ecc.12346Chue BM, La Course BD.Case report of long-term survival with metastatic triple-negative breast carcinoma: treatment possibilities for metastatic disease.Medicine (Baltimore).2019;98(16):e15302. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000015302Barchiesi G, Roberto M, Verrico M, Vici P, Tomao S, Tomao F.Emerging role of PARP inhibitors in metastatic triple negative breast cancer: current scenario and future perspectives.Front Oncol.2021;11:769280. doi:10.3389/fonc.2021.769280Wen S, Manuel L, Doolan M, Westhuyzen J, Shakespeare TP, Aherne NJ.Effect of clinical and treatment factors on survival outcomes of triple negative breast cancer patients.Breast Cancer. 2020;12:27-35. doi:10.2147/BCTT.S236483

11 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.Triple-negative breast cancer.American Cancer Society.Survival rates for breast cancer.Baranova A, Krasnoselskyi M, Starikov V, et al.Triple-negative breast cancer: current treatment strategies and factors of negative prognosis.J Med Life.2022 Feb;15(2):153–61. doi:10.25122/jml-2021-0108Zagami P, Carey lA.Triple negative breast cancer: pitfalls and progress.Breast Cancer.2022;8:95. doi:10.1038/s41523-022-00468-0Zerdan MB, Ghorayeb T, Saliba F, et al.Triple negative breast cancer: updates on classification and treatment in 2021.Cancers (Basel).2022 Mar;14(5):1253. doi:10.3390/cancers14051253Pedersen RK, Esen Bo, Mellemkjær L, et al.The incidence of breast cancer recurrence 10-32 years after primary diagnosis.J National Cancer Inst.2022;114(3):391-9. doi:10.1093/jnci/djab202Morante Z, De la Cruz Ku GA, Enriquez D, et al.Post-recurrence survival in triple negative breast cancer.J Clin Oncol.2018;36(15 Suppl). doi:10.1200/JCO.2018.36.15_suppl.e13120Qiu JD, Xue XY, Li R, Wang JD.Clinicopathological features and prognosis of triple-negative breast cancer: a comparison between younger (<60) and elderly (≥60) patients.Eur J Cancer Care (Engl).2016;25(6):1065-1075. doi:10.1111/ecc.12346Chue BM, La Course BD.Case report of long-term survival with metastatic triple-negative breast carcinoma: treatment possibilities for metastatic disease.Medicine (Baltimore).2019;98(16):e15302. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000015302Barchiesi G, Roberto M, Verrico M, Vici P, Tomao S, Tomao F.Emerging role of PARP inhibitors in metastatic triple negative breast cancer: current scenario and future perspectives.Front Oncol.2021;11:769280. doi:10.3389/fonc.2021.769280Wen S, Manuel L, Doolan M, Westhuyzen J, Shakespeare TP, Aherne NJ.Effect of clinical and treatment factors on survival outcomes of triple negative breast cancer patients.Breast Cancer. 2020;12:27-35. doi:10.2147/BCTT.S236483

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.Triple-negative breast cancer.American Cancer Society.Survival rates for breast cancer.Baranova A, Krasnoselskyi M, Starikov V, et al.Triple-negative breast cancer: current treatment strategies and factors of negative prognosis.J Med Life.2022 Feb;15(2):153–61. doi:10.25122/jml-2021-0108Zagami P, Carey lA.Triple negative breast cancer: pitfalls and progress.Breast Cancer.2022;8:95. doi:10.1038/s41523-022-00468-0Zerdan MB, Ghorayeb T, Saliba F, et al.Triple negative breast cancer: updates on classification and treatment in 2021.Cancers (Basel).2022 Mar;14(5):1253. doi:10.3390/cancers14051253Pedersen RK, Esen Bo, Mellemkjær L, et al.The incidence of breast cancer recurrence 10-32 years after primary diagnosis.J National Cancer Inst.2022;114(3):391-9. doi:10.1093/jnci/djab202Morante Z, De la Cruz Ku GA, Enriquez D, et al.Post-recurrence survival in triple negative breast cancer.J Clin Oncol.2018;36(15 Suppl). doi:10.1200/JCO.2018.36.15_suppl.e13120Qiu JD, Xue XY, Li R, Wang JD.Clinicopathological features and prognosis of triple-negative breast cancer: a comparison between younger (<60) and elderly (≥60) patients.Eur J Cancer Care (Engl).2016;25(6):1065-1075. doi:10.1111/ecc.12346Chue BM, La Course BD.Case report of long-term survival with metastatic triple-negative breast carcinoma: treatment possibilities for metastatic disease.Medicine (Baltimore).2019;98(16):e15302. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000015302Barchiesi G, Roberto M, Verrico M, Vici P, Tomao S, Tomao F.Emerging role of PARP inhibitors in metastatic triple negative breast cancer: current scenario and future perspectives.Front Oncol.2021;11:769280. doi:10.3389/fonc.2021.769280Wen S, Manuel L, Doolan M, Westhuyzen J, Shakespeare TP, Aherne NJ.Effect of clinical and treatment factors on survival outcomes of triple negative breast cancer patients.Breast Cancer. 2020;12:27-35. doi:10.2147/BCTT.S236483

American Cancer Society.Triple-negative breast cancer.

American Cancer Society.Survival rates for breast cancer.

Baranova A, Krasnoselskyi M, Starikov V, et al.Triple-negative breast cancer: current treatment strategies and factors of negative prognosis.J Med Life.2022 Feb;15(2):153–61. doi:10.25122/jml-2021-0108

Zagami P, Carey lA.Triple negative breast cancer: pitfalls and progress.Breast Cancer.2022;8:95. doi:10.1038/s41523-022-00468-0

Zerdan MB, Ghorayeb T, Saliba F, et al.Triple negative breast cancer: updates on classification and treatment in 2021.Cancers (Basel).2022 Mar;14(5):1253. doi:10.3390/cancers14051253

Pedersen RK, Esen Bo, Mellemkjær L, et al.The incidence of breast cancer recurrence 10-32 years after primary diagnosis.J National Cancer Inst.2022;114(3):391-9. doi:10.1093/jnci/djab202

Morante Z, De la Cruz Ku GA, Enriquez D, et al.Post-recurrence survival in triple negative breast cancer.J Clin Oncol.2018;36(15 Suppl). doi:10.1200/JCO.2018.36.15_suppl.e13120

Qiu JD, Xue XY, Li R, Wang JD.Clinicopathological features and prognosis of triple-negative breast cancer: a comparison between younger (<60) and elderly (≥60) patients.Eur J Cancer Care (Engl).2016;25(6):1065-1075. doi:10.1111/ecc.12346

Chue BM, La Course BD.Case report of long-term survival with metastatic triple-negative breast carcinoma: treatment possibilities for metastatic disease.Medicine (Baltimore).2019;98(16):e15302. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000015302

Barchiesi G, Roberto M, Verrico M, Vici P, Tomao S, Tomao F.Emerging role of PARP inhibitors in metastatic triple negative breast cancer: current scenario and future perspectives.Front Oncol.2021;11:769280. doi:10.3389/fonc.2021.769280

Wen S, Manuel L, Doolan M, Westhuyzen J, Shakespeare TP, Aherne NJ.Effect of clinical and treatment factors on survival outcomes of triple negative breast cancer patients.Breast Cancer. 2020;12:27-35. doi:10.2147/BCTT.S236483

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