Patient's Query
Hello doctor,
I am a 72-year-old woman who was recently diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer. I always thought this was a young woman's disease, so I am surprised and concerned.
Kindly guide.
Thank you.
Hello,
Welcome to icliniq.com.
I read your query and understood your concern.
Triple-negative breast cancers are indeed a more aggressive form of breast cancer, with a higher recurrence rate compared to hormone-positive breast cancers. This type of cancer is less common in your age group, as most cases are diagnosed between the ages of 40 and 50.
The treatment protocols are generally the same for patients in your age group unless there are other chronic illnesses or poor general health conditions that need to be considered. Because triple-negative breast cancer is not as common in older women, there is limited data available to compare treatment responsiveness between different age groups.
Treatment for triple-negative breast cancer typically involves chemotherapy and immunotherapy, and these cancers usually respond well to these treatments. Surgery and radiation therapy are also standard parts of the treatment plan, similar to other types of breast cancer.
While this type of breast cancer is more common in younger or premenopausal women, many of them also carry BRCA (a gene) genetic mutations. It is recommended that BRCA genetic testing be performed, and if the result is positive, other family members should also consider screening and testing for BRCA mutations.
Triple-negative breast cancer is more likely to affect younger and premenopausal women, partly because BRCA mutations, which are inherited genetic mutations that increase cancer risk, are more common in these groups compared to postmenopausal women.
I hope this has helped you.
Kindly follow up if you have more doubts.
Thank you.
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Answered byDr. Arshad Hussain Shah
Medically reviewed byiCliniq medical review team
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