Triple negative breast cancer: a dificult disease to diagnose and treat

Abstract

Triple negative breast cancer (CMTN, Spanish acronym) is a malignant neoplasm characterized by the absence of expression of estrogen, progesterone and HER2 receptors. Recent studies have shown that CMTN is a heterogeneous group including different neoplasm with different prognosis. However, because genetic profiles are not a standard practice in conventional diagnosis of breast cancer, it is hard to properly identify this breast cancer subtype. CMTN is characterized by its high-incidence epidemiological patterns in African-American and Latin people, and lower incidence in Caucasian people, and constitutes a public health issue due to its high morbidity and mortality. Due to the absence of therapeutic targets, chemotherapy has a key role in treatment, and many efforts are being deployed to seek other combinations of chemotherapy and new drugs, while the current guides do not specify treatment for this type of cancer. This document reviews the epidemiological and clinical characteristics, the potential prognosis factors and some therapeutic strategies against CMTN.