OBJECTIVETo summarize the epidemiological and biological features of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and non-triple-negative breast cancer (non-TNBC) to provide reference for devising individualized therapy and making prognostic evaluation.

METHODSThe 5-year follow-up data were collected from 231 patients with pathologically established diagnosis of breast cancer treated in the Affiliated Hospital of Ningxia Medical University and Yinchuan People's Hospital between Jan. 2002 and Dec. 2004. The epidemiological and clinicopathological characteristics as well as the recurrence, metastasis and 5-year survival were compared between TNBC group and non-TNBC group.

RESULTSTNBC accounted 17.3% of the total breast cancer cases enrolled in this study. The tumor size and rates of recurrence and metastasis (especially visceral metastasis) were significantly greater in TNBC group than in non-TNBC group (P<0.05). The TNBC patients showed significantly lower 3- and 5-year survival rates than the non-TNBC patients (P<0.05), and TNBC patients with positive lymph nodes in clinical stage II had also a lower 5-year survival (P<0.05). Cox regression model analysis identified the patients' age, primary tumor size, clinical stages and triple-negativity as the independent risk factors for breast cancer.

CONCLUSIONCompared to non-TNBC patients, patients with TNBC have higher rates of local recurrence and invasion, visceral metastasis and poorer prognosis, and a lower rate of 5-year survival. The triple negativity represents an independent factor for prognosis evaluation of breast cancer.