Chances of recurrence and optimal treatment of triple negative breast cancer

  Recently, we have received a number of consecutive consultations or consultations from domestic patients with triple negative breast cancer. Some patients are very worried and think that triple negative breast cancer has no endocrine drugs to take and no targeted therapy, and the chance of recurrence is very high and very pessimistic. So it was felt necessary to clarify it here to avoid unnecessary worries of patients.  In fact, this perception is completely wrong, the chance of recurrence of triple negative breast cancer is not much higher than other breast cancers. With regular and systematic treatment, the chance of recurrence for all subtypes of breast cancer is about 30-40%, which means that most patients (60-70%) can be completely cured. However, because triple negative breast cancer recurs mostly within 2-3 years after surgery, it is perceived to be highly malignant and prone to recurrence. But in fact, if triple negative breast cancer does not recur in the first five years after surgery, the chance of recurrence thereafter is significantly lower than that of ER-positive patients.  It is true that triple-negative breast cancers do not require endocrine therapy or targeted therapy, but most of them are sensitive to chemotherapy, especially those with high Ki67, so the optimal choice of chemotherapy regimen should be especially emphasized for these patients. was as high as 69%, almost the same as in ER+/Her2- patients. The 10-year recurrence-free rate was 56-62% for paclitaxel or docetaxel, which was significantly lower.