Racial disparities in outcomes of patients with stage I-III triple-negative breast cancer after adjuvant chemotherapy: a post-hoc analysis of the E5103 randomized trial

Purpose Breast cancer mortality is higher in Black women than other racial groups. This difference has been partially attributed to a higher proportion of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, it is uncertain if survival disparities exist in racially diverse TNBC patients receiving similar treatments. Here, we examine racial differences in disease-related outcomes in TNBC patients treated on the E5103 clinical trial. Methods From 2007 to 2011, 4,994 patients with stage I-III HER2-negative breast cancer were randomized to adjuvant chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab. This analysis was limited to the subset of 1,742 TNBC patients with known self-reported race. Unadjusted Kaplan-Meier curves and adjusted Cox-Proportional Hazards models were used to determine breast cancer events and survival outcomes. Results Of the analysis population, 51 (2.9%) were Asian, 269 (15.4%) Black, and 1422 (81.6%) White. Median age was 51 years. Patient characteristics, treatment arm, and local therapies were similar across racial groups. White women were more commonly node-negative (56% vs. 49% and 44% in Asian and Black women, respectively; p < 0.01). At a median follow-up of 46 months, unadjusted Kaplan-Meier locoregional and distant recurrence, and disease-free and overall survival, did not differ significantly by race. In Cox models adjusted for patient and tumor characteristics and treatment arm, race was not associated with any disease event. Larger tumor size and nodal involvement were consistently associated with breast cancer events. Conclusion This clinical trial population of similarly treated TNBC patients showed no racial differences in breast cancer outcomes. Disease extent, rather than race, was associated with disease events.