The Physiological Mechanisms of Triple Negative Breast Cancer in African American Women

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality among women. Multiple subtypes exist for tumor biology, but triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) lacks expression of the estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor. TNBC accounts for 20% of breast cancers and is one of the most aggressive subtypes associated with an earlier age susceptibility, racial and ethnic differences, and limited targeted therapies. African American women bear a disproportionate burden in oncology-related health disparities. This population of women is diagnosed at later stages often with regional to distant metastases, high tumor grades, aberrant sequence mutations, treatment delays, and decreased disease-free survival. This review explores the multifactorial nature of this health disparity by addressing the physiological mechanisms, socioeconomic factors, ancestral differences, and challenges associated with diagnosis and treatment methods in the era of precision medicine.