Minorities at Risk of Fatal Breast Cancer

Race, age and socioeconomic status are risk factors for triple negative breast cancers — tumors that do not contain diagnostic markers, says a U.S. study.

The study in the May issue of the journal Cancer suggests triple negative tumors are more common among women who are African-American, Hispanic, under 40 and have lower socioeconomic status.

The study also found triple negative tumors are also associated with later diagnosis and shorter survival, according to study leader Katrina Bauer of the Public Health Institute in Sacramento.

Three important markers in breast cancer are the estrogen receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 and progesterone receptor, which are helpful in selecting appropriate therapy and prognosis. However, some 15 percent of breast cancers do not express any of these markers and are generally identified as basal-like subtypes. These triple negative tumors are associated with poor prognosis and survival, according to Bauer.