Clinicopathological and prognostic characteristic features of triple negative and nontriple negative breast cancer at a tertiary care hospital

Context: Carcinoma breast is a complex disease having diverse clinical, histopathological, and immunohistochemical features. Basing on estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor 2 receptor (HER2) status, these tumors are divided into triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) where tumor cells are negative for all three receptors and nontriple negative breast cancer (non-TNBC) where tumor cells are positive for one or two or all. The clinicopathological and characteristic prognostic features are highlighted here. Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinicopathological and prognostic features of TNBC and non-TNBC cases diagnosed in our hospital setting. Settings and Design: Single institution, retrospective study conducted over 7 and half years. Subjects and Methods: Histopathologically confirmed breast cancer cases with ER, PR, and HER2 receptor assessment were categorized into TNBC and non-TNBC. Detailed study on clinicopathological and prognostic features including pathological prognostic stage as per 8(th) AJCC was done in cases who underwent modified radical mastectomy. Statistical Analysis Used: Data were analyzed in percentage and presented in tables and charts. Results: The present study included 794 cases consisting of 253, 31.9% TNBC and 541, 68.1% non-TNBC cases. The mean age of TNBC and non-TNBC cases was 50.4 years and 51.7 years, respectively. Coagulative necrosis, lymphovascular invasion, lymph nodal metastasis, higher histopathological tumor grade, and NPI were observed in higher percentage of TNBC cases, i.e., 19 (10.9%), 21 (11.6%), 105 (57.7%), 127 (69.8%), and 149 (81.9%) cases, respectively, than non-TNBC seen in 18 (6.6%), 24 (8.8%), 135 (49.6%), 165 (60.7%), and 194 (71.3%) cases, respectively. Further, 25 (13.7%) TNBC and 1 (0.4%) non-TNBC case were upstaged, whereas 130 (47.8%) non-TNBC and 2 (1.1%) TNBC cases were downstaged by the pathological prognostic stage. Conclusions: TNBC is more aggressive having a poor prognosis than non-TNBC.