basal-like/triple negative breast cancer
basal-like/triple negative breast cancer
A recently recognised group of aggressive breast cancers for which there is no standard definition. The Notttingham group defines it as a breast cancer with expression of high-molecular weight (basal) cytokeratins CK 5/6, CK14, CK17.Significance
Basal-like/triple negative breast cancers account for 12 to 17% of all breast cancers. They are more common in younger black and Hispanic women who are carriers of BRCA1 mutation, and are common ‘interval cancers’. They have a shorter overall survival and disease-free interval in node-negative and node-positive disease, and more often metastasise to the brain and lung.