# Clinical Profile of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: A Hospital-Based Study

## TL;DR

This study examines the clinical and epidemiological features of triple-negative breast cancer in an Indian population, highlighting its aggressive nature and treatment outcomes.

## Contribution

The paper provides new clinical data on TNBC in Eastern India, filling a gap in the literature from this region.

## Key findings

- The median age of TNBC patients was 45.53 years, with most patients presenting at advanced stages.
- Approximately 74.67% of patients were alive after 24 months, while 7.33% died due to TNBC progression.
- Most patients (84%) had early-stage breast cancer suitable for surgery at diagnosis.

## Abstract

Introduction

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a new concept and an important area of investigation. In Western country's literature, different studies reported on TNBC and all indicated the poor prognostic aspect of this molecular subtype over other types of breast cancer. However, there is a scarcity of comprehensive data from India. Hence, the present study was carried out to look at the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of TNBC in the Indian population.

Methods

The present study was performed between January 2020 and June 2021 at a tertiary care hospital in Eastern India. A total of 150 patients with TNBC were enrolled in the study. The epidemiological and clinical features of enrolled patients were collected and reviewed.

Results

The median age of patients at TNBC presentation was 45.53 years (24 to 74 years). The median tumor size was reported to be 5.32 cm. Of 150 patients, 94(62.67%) showed enlarged lymph nodes and 56 (37.33%) patients had no lymph node enlargement. In the present study, 85 (56.67%) patients were in the pre/perimenopausal stage at presentation, whereas 65 (43.33%) patients were in the postmenopausal stage. Upon evaluating the spread of TNBC, it was observed that a maximum of patients 60 (40%) were at the T4 stage and 56 (37.33%) at the N0 condition. The clinical staging of TNBC reported a maximum of 74 (49.33%) patients at the IIA, and IIB stages followed by 53 (35.33%) patients at the IIIA, IIIB, and IIIC stages and a minimum of 11 (7.33%) patients at stage IV. Only five (3.33%) patients were reported with a family history of breast cancer. Of all patients, 126 (84%) had detected early breast cancer thereby applicable for surgery at the time of presentation, whereas 71 (47.33%) patients were eligible for radiation therapy and 138 (92%) patients received chemotherapy. A total of 112 (74.67%) patients were found alive after 24 months of follow-up, 22 (4.67%) patients were observed with remission, and 11 (7.33%) patients died due to TNBC progression. During the course of follow-up, five (3.33%) patients were lost in the study.

Conclusion

TNBC is an aggressive malignancy that has a high risk of systemic relapses in the first two years after diagnosis. For more mature evidence on TNBC, longer follow-up of patients is necessary.