Taken from the TNBC site: "These subtypes of breast cancer are generally diagnosed based upon the presence, or lack of, three "receptors" known to fuel most breast cancers: estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). The most successful treatments for breast cancer target these receptors.

Unfortunately, none of these receptors are found in women with triple negative breast cancer. In other words, a triple negative breast cancer diagnosis means that the offending tumor is estrogen receptor-negative, progesterone receptor-negative and HER2-negative, thus giving rise to the name "triple negative breast cancer."

You might want to research on www.tnbcfoundation.org or look up the term on respected cancer sites like the Susan Komen for the Cure site and www.cancer.org.

I've also purchased the books "100 Questions and Answers about Triple Negative Breast Cancer" by Carey Anders and Nancy Lin, and "Surviving Triple Negative Breast Cancer by Patricia Prijatel

Hope this helps start your research journey, good luck, and welcome to the club no one wants to be a member of.

I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer at age 42 in 1995. At the time, less was known about how to treat this more aggressive type of cancer. Today, there are good treatments and even more coming from clinical trials.

Researchers have discovered there are more types of important treatable receptors in breast cancer than the traditional "big three" - estrogen, progesterone, and Her2. Additional tests can be run on your tumor tissue to determine if newer treatments will work for you. Ask your oncologist about them.

@A MyBCTeam Member hit it right on the head.

They test tumors for "responsiveness" to estrogen, progesterone and HER2. Meaning does the tumor respond (aka grow) when exposed to any of those factors.

In the case of triple negative, they know the tumor does not respond to any of those things. Which, in effect, means that they don't know what causes this cancer to grow.

Sounds scarier than it is.

It doesn't mean that they don't know how to treat it... it just means that there is no ongoing therapy for this subgroup. Hormone positive can use hormone blockers (for 5 years). HER2+ uses Herceptin for a year.

For triple negative, it's chemo, surgery and maybe radiation. Then you're done.

Good news: triple negative tends to react more strongly to chemo than other cancers. Recurrance rates are also most heavily impacted by lifestyle changes (decrease alcohol intake, exercise, low fat diet, etc). So the healthier you are after treatment, the better your chances are.

I know there is alot to decipher during this initial diagnosis phase. If you have questions, we're always here to help answer. I hope that helps.

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A MyBCTea...

I understood "triple negative" to be the "best" kind to have because once you're done with chemo and/or radiation, you're done. No 5 years of estrogen suppressing oral chemo (which I HATE because i have side effects from it) and you can use estrogen replacement therapy/creams/etc.