OBJECTIVETo investigate the prognostic factors related to triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) by analyzing clinicopathologic characteristics, treatment and prognosis.

METHODSThree hundred and five TNBC patients treated between January 2004 and December 2011 were enrolled and retrospectively reviewed with Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards models. All patients were females and the age onset were 24-82 years old (the median were 50 years old).

RESULTSThe follow-up period was 1 to 114 months, with median 38 months. The 5-year disease free survival (DFS) rate was 68% and overall survival (OS) rate 75%. The peak risk of recurrence occurs within the first 2-3 years after initial treatment of the disease, but distant relapse after this time is much less common. Survival analysis showed that surgery type (χ(2) = 4.030, P = 0.045), tumor grade (χ(2) = 8.000, P = 0.046), lymph-vascular invasion (χ(2) = 10.386, P = 0.001) and lymph node stage (χ(2) = 119.36, P = 0.000), TNM stage (χ(2) = 65.961, P = 0.000) and treatment plan (χ(2) = 28.371, 21.874, 32.163, all P = 0.000) were statistically related to DFS; while age (χ(2) = 10.226, P = 0.006), lymph-vascular invasion (χ(2) = 18.881, P = 0.000), lymph node stage (χ(2) = 98.958, P = 0.000), TNM stage (χ(2) = 65.342, P = 0.000) and type of treatment (χ(2) = 17.862, 18.708, 31.921, all P = 0.000) were related to OS. The lymph nodes stage was prognostic factor related to both DFS and OS.

CONCLUSIONSTNBC was characterized by poor prognosis and rapid progression. The lymph nodes metastatic status was the most important prognostic factor of TNBC.