An analysis of incidence, prevalence and prognostic outcomes for women with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer in an Indian setting.

G. S. CHOWDHARY; SARTHAK MISHRA

Volume : VIII, Issue : XII, December - 2019

An analysis of incidence, prevalence and prognostic outcomes for women with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer in an Indian setting.

G. S. Chowdhary, Sarthak Mishra

Abstract :

Background: Breast Cancer comprises of an extra–ordinarily diverse group of disease in terms of presentation, morphology, biological characteristics and clinical behaviour. Triple–Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC), lacks the benefit of protein specific targeted therapy, and is thus said to be an aggressive form of east carcinoma. Western literature gives numerous evidences regarding the same. However, lack of reliable data with regards to rural and urban settings in India, Objectives: To provide an insight into the incidence, prevalence, clinical presentation and prognostic outcomes in an Indian women diagnosed with Triple–Negative Breast Cancer in an urban setting. Method and Experimental Design: Authors studied data concerning all women with invasive TNBC treated at Army Hospital, Research and Referral Centre, New Delhi between January 2015 and January 2018. Triple–Negative Breast Cancer is defined as Estrogen Receptor (ER) negative, Progesterone Receptor (PR) negative and Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2neu) negative on Gene Expression Studies using DNA microarray technique. Diagnosis of TNBC was done using BioGenex Kit for Hormonal Receptors and over–expression of HER2neu was evaluated by the HERCEP TEST KIT from Dako, Denmark. The incidence, clinical behaviour and prognostic outcomes were explored through the study. Results: There were approximately 1000 patients of female east cancer from January 2015 to January 2018. Out of these, 185 (18.5%) patients had been classified as Triple Negative Breast Cancers on immune–histochemical analysis of receptor status. For the period between January 2015 to January 2018, 100 patients with adequate records were found and included in the study. Minimum age at presentation was 22 years and maximum age was 75 years with a median age of 49 yrs. sixty patients (60%) were less than 50 years and only 10 were more than 60 years. Forty patients (40%) had lump in east for <1 month duration and 4 patients (4%) did not notice the lump prior to presentation. Conclusions: It was concluded from the above study that TNBC usually affects younger reproductive age groups and has a rapid progression of disease in Indian females. TN tumours and Basal cell like tumours are characterised by an aggressive form of disease with metastasis to bone and viscera, usually concurrent with a poor prognostic outcome.