Hispanic, Non-hispanic Black Women Under Age 40, More Prone to “Triple Negative” Breast Cancers

“Triple negative” breast cancers are breast tumors that do not contain any of the three significant tumor markers: estrogen receptor (ER), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), and progesterone receptor (PR).

According to a new study led by Katrina Bauer from the Public Health Institute in Sacramento, California, such aggressive deadly cancers mostly affect young, poor minority women: African American and Hispanic women, under age 40 and who have lower socioeconomic status (SES).

Compared to Caucasians, African American women were at greatest risk followed by Hispanic women. Women under 40 years old were at greater risk than women over 60 years old. Women living in lower SES were also at higher risk compared to the highest SES.

Study results, which also associates triple negative tumors with later diagnosis and shorter survival, have been published in the May 1, 2007 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society (online March 26, 2007).

Triple negative tumors are often deadly because they are often diagnosed at a late stage and since they do not express any one of three markers, appropriate adjuvant therapy and prognosis is difficult to select.

Read the full report.