Survival Analysis of Patients with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: A Single-Center Experience

Abstract

ABS TRACT Objective: We determined the prognostic factors of patients with triple-negative breast cancer. Material and Method: Two hundred thirteen female patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) followed in the medical oncology unit of Kartal Doctor Lütfi K ı rdar City Hospital between 2005 and 2020 were evaluated retrospectively. Patients’ clinical and demographic features, laboratory findings, and treatments were investigated and their effect on mortality was analyzed. Results: The median age of patients was 52 years. Relapse was observed in 46 (26.6%) patients, 127 patients were followed without progression. During the follow-up period, 57 patients died and 156 pa- tients survived. The median overall survival was 137.2 months in patients with tumor size <2 cm, 109.9 months in patients with ≥ 2 cm and <5 cm, and 90.5 months in patients with ≥ 5 cm (p=0.02). Tumor diameter, lymph node positivity, menopausal status, and whether receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy were determined as factors affecting the overall survival. Conclusion: In accordance with the literature, patients with TNBC showed more aggressive characteristics. Our findings support that TNBC is a heterogeneous disease and highlight the need to de- fine molecular subclasses. We believe that demographic and prognostic data studies with large patient series and determining molecular markers will guide the follow-up and treatment of patients with TNBC.