My aunt is 57. Is her triple-negative BC treatable?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am reaching out about my 57-year-old aunt, who lives in a cold climate country. She was recently diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, and we are concerned. I am hoping to get a better understanding of what this diagnosis means, particularly regarding her life expectancy.

Could you provide some information or general guidance on what we might expect and what questions we should be asking her doctors?

We want to be as informed as possible so that we can support her during this challenging time.

Kindly help.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com

I have read your aunt's case, and she needs other investigations to stage her disease and then go for proper treatment.

She is 57 years old, one of the risk factors for breast cancer, and she has been diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer. Triple-negative breast cancer means the type of breast cancer is estrogen and progesterone hormone receptor-negative, and HER2 negative. Epidermal growth factor negative means this type of tumor is aggressive and needs aggressive chemotherapy for about three to four months, followed by surgery (mastectomy).

I would suggest you discuss this with your oncologist for further details of chemotherapy and surgery. Because when this type of tumor is diagnosed, it is more likely to have spread at the time of diagnosis and more likely to come back after treatment than other types of breast cancer, the survival rate is not quite as high as other types, usually five years. It will be a tough time during this treatment. The patient needs moral support and even psychological counseling.

The family should start a scrèening program to detect the disease early.

I would suggest you take the following test:

Mammogram of the breast.
Ultrasound of the axilla.
Core biopsy of the lump.
CT (computed tomography) scan of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis.

In addition, the patient can do the following:

Early detection by breast clinical examination and mammogram
Good healthy diet.
Weight reduction.
Exercise.
Genetic testing of BRCA1 (breast cancer 1) and BRCA2 (breast cancer 2).
Avoid smoking.

I hope I have answered your question.

Let me know if I can assist you further.

Regards.