Outcomes of triple negative breast cancer in African-Americans vs. Caucasians: a community-based study.

Abstract #3043

Background: Breast cancers with a triple negative tumor (TNT) subtype are associated with inferior outcomes and more recently racial disparities in patients with TNT have been demonstrated with African American women experiencing worse outcomes compared to Caucasians. This study examines association of race (AA vs. Caucasians) and breast cancer outcomes in a large community hospital TNT population.
 Methods: Breast cancers of the TNT subtype were reviewed from a hospital-based tumor registry. Cases diagnosed from 1999 to 2006 were included in the study. Multivariate regression analyses were conducted including socio-demographic, and treatment factors. Endpoints were local/systemic recurrence and death.
 Results: Of 1827 newly diagnosed cases of breast cancer from 1999- 2006, 93 were of the TNT subtype. A higher number of AA (17.58%) had TNT compared to Caucasians (3.7%). In patients with TNT, AA presented at a younger age (mean age 51.78 years vs. 58.52 years, (<50 years) (p value=0.07), had more advanced disease at diagnosis (stage 3) (5.38% vs. 1.08%; p value 0.001) and had a poor insurance status (uninsured and Medicaid) (9.68% vs. 4.30%; p value 0.004). There was no difference in the histologic grade of the tumors. AA had a higher rate of local recurrence (4.30% vs. 2.15%; p value 0.029), systemic recurrence (19% vs. 10%; p value 0.02) [Figure 2] and death (17.20% vs. 13.98%; p value 0.005) [Figure 1] compared to Caucasians.


Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(2 Suppl):Abstract nr 3043.