This makes it more difficult to treat since most hormone therapies target one of the three receptors, so triple-negative cancers often require combination therapies. It can be unsettling to discover a lump in your breast, but it’s important to keep in mind that breasts are often lumpy, particular during a woman’s menstrual cycle, but these lumps will go away. Doctors make the diagnosis of triple negative after reviewing your pathology report. This predisposes them to develop a breast cancer on the other side. Testing negative for all three means the cancer is triple-negative. 2012;20(10):2611-9. doi:10.1007/s00520-012-1381-3, Langford DJ, Paul SM, Cooper B, et al. Symptoms caused by the tumor at its primary location include breast pain, the feeling of the presence a lump or mass within the breast, an abnormal discharge or secretion from the nipple, the turning inwards of the nipple, or any other visible physical deformity altering the breast’s shape. Most triple-negative breast cancers are invasive ductal carcinoma. Read about recurrence and 5-year survival rates. While triple-negative breast cancer is a unique type of breast cancer, its symptoms are common to all breast cancers, including: In cases where triple-negative breast cancer goes undetected, breast cancer can become metastatic, spreading to areas like the bones, lungs, brain, or liver. When this happens (and depending on what area of the body the cancer has spread to) symptoms include: Any complications from triple-negative breast cancer will depend on the type of treatment used against the disease. Read more: Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Article The primary goals of treatment focus on palliation of symptoms and improvement in overall survival (OS). Triple-negative breast cancer is a kind of breast cancer that does not have any of the receptors that are commonly found in breast cancer.. Doru Paul, MD, is board-certified in internal medicine, medical oncology, and hematology. Susan G. Komen. Breastcancer.org. Triple-negative breast cancer is considered to be more aggressive and have a poorer prognosis than other types of breast cancer, mainly because there are fewer targeted medicines that treat triple-negative breast cancer. Triple-negative breast cancer is more common in Hispanic and African-American women. The American Cancer Society. Treatment may incorporate surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. This can make it hard to treat because there are no known proteins for cancer drugs to target. Single-agent sequential chemotherapy with anthracycline or taxane has remained the cornerstone of t … Nipple changes, such as an inverted nipple. It tends to be more aggressive than other breast tumours, with patients having a … Not all breasts feel the same, either, or one woman may have naturally lumpier breasts than another. In addition, some patients affected by triple negative breast cancer can carry a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation. Triple-negative breast cancer can have the same signs and symptoms as other common types of breast cancer. A lump or hard, dense mass in the breast or armpit area. The most common one is a lump or mass in the breast. Problems in other organs –signs and symptoms may include severe muscle weakness, numbness or tingling in hands or feet, confusion, blurry vision, double vision, or other vision problems, changes in mood or behavior, extreme sensitivity to light, neck stiffness, eye pain or redness, skin blisters or peeling, chest pain, irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath, or swelling of the ankles Triple negative breast cancer metastasis can cause a variety of symptoms, which depend on the location to which the tumor has spread. Read our, Medically reviewed by Rochelle Collins, DO, A Breast Cancer Vaccine Is Headed to Clinical Trials, Breast Cancer Screening: Common Tests and Guidelines, Mammary Glands: Anatomy, Function, and Treatment, Uterine Cancer: Signs, Symptoms, and Complications, Study Supports Genetic Testing for All Breast Cancer Patients, Don't Recognize Your Breasts? Breastcancer.org. Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) don’t have estrogen or progesterone receptors and also don’t make too much of the HER2 protein. A tumor that metastasizes to the lungs may cause difficult breathing and coughing up blood. Here's what you need to know about risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. As the name implies, a Lumpectomy entails the removal of the abnormal lump only, with the remaining part of the breast left untouched. Lastly, breast cancer whether triple negative or not, can cause the patient to have a fever, become fatigued and worn out, and to sweat profusely at night, in addition to the symptoms caused by any hormones created by the tumor cells’ protein synthesizing machinery. © Copyright 2018 by Left Side Pains. Breast cancer can have several symptoms, but the first noticeable symptom is usually a lump or area of thickened breast tissue. Triple-negative breast cancer differs from other types of invasive breast cancer in that they grow and spread faster, have limited treatment options, and a worse prognosis (outcome). Thus, these manifestations can be divided into three groups: The first group concerns the symptoms caused by the presence of the cancer at its original location inside the breast tissue. Most breast lumps are not cancerous, but it's always best to have them checked by a doctor. American Cancer Society Guidelines for the Early Detection of Cancer. How They Change With Age, Ductogram for Diagnosing Nipple Discharge, 'Mammograms Saved My Life': The Importance of Breast Cancer Screening During COVID-19, Know Which Breast Changes Warrant a Call to Your Doctor, 6 Signs of Breast Cancer That You Might not Have Heard Of, keep an eye on your breasts with self-examination, Metastatic Breast Cancer Symptoms and Diagnosis, Identification of distinct subgroups of breast cancer patients based on self-reported changes in sleep disturbance, Comparison of subgroups of breast cancer patients on pain and co-occurring symptoms following chemotherapy, American Cancer Society Guidelines for the Early Detection of Cancer. Triple-Negative breast cancer is any cancer tests negative for three of the main things -- the hormones estrogen and progesterone and a protein called HER2 -- that drive other forms of the disease. 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