Triple Negative Breat Cancer

So I am at home and started to research, my form of control over the situation. Even though a cancer survivor and friend Almira told me its not a good idea. I kind of agreed after I read about what I had...Below are snippets from the internet. When they do a biaposy they take a sample of your cancer tumor to test it for receptors- they call the results the pathology report.

Receptors:  "to understand triple-negative breast cancer, it’s important to understand receptors, which are proteins found inside and on the surface of cells. These receptor proteins are the “eyes” and “ears” of the cells, receiving messages from substances in the bloodstream and then telling the cells what to do.

• Hormone receptors inside and on the surface of healthy breast cells receive messages from the hormones estrogen and progesterone. The hormones attach to the receptors and provide instructions that help the cells continue to grow and function well. Most, but not all, breast cancer cells also have these hormone receptors. Roughly 2 out of 3 women have breast cancer that tests positive for hormone receptors. 

• A smaller percentage of breast cancers — about 20-30% — have too many HER2 receptors. In normal, healthy breast cells, HER2 receptors receive signals that stimulate their growth. With too many HER2 receptors, however, breast cancer cells grow and divide too quickly. 

Hormonal therapies and HER2-targeted therapies work to interfere with the effects of hormones and HER2 on breast cancer, which can help slow or even stop the growth of breast cancer cells.
About 10-20% of breast cancers test negative for both hormone receptors and HER2 in the lab, which means they are triple-negative. Since hormones are not supporting its growth, the cancer is unlikely to respond to hormonal therapies

" Your pathology report may say that the breast cancer cells tested negative for estrogen receptors (ER-), progesterone receptors (PR-), and HER2 (HER2-). Testing negative for all three means the cancer is triple-negative.

These negative results mean that the growth of the cancer is not supported by the hormones estrogen and progesterone, nor by the presence of too many HER2 receptors. Therefore, triple-negative breast cancer does not respond to hormonal therapy (such as tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors) or therapies that target HER2 receptors, such as Herceptin (chemical name: trastuzumab)."

..."In addition, triple-negative breast cancer: Tends to be more aggressive than other types of breast cancer. Studies have shown that triple-negative breast cancer is more likely to spread beyond the breast and more likely to recur (come back) after treatment. These risks appear to be greatest in the first few years after treatment. For example, a study of more than 1,600 women in Canada published in 2007 found that women with triple-negative breast cancer were at higher risk of having the cancer recur outside the breast — but only for the first 3 years. Other studies have reached similar conclusions. As years go by, the risks of the triple-negative breast cancer recurring become similar to those risk levels for other types of breast cancer."

Yup you have my attention now! stupid cancer!

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Who can get it?: Anyone can get triple-negative breast cancer. However, researchers have found that it is more likely to affect:

• Younger people. Triple-negative breast cancer is more likely to occur before age 40 or 50, versus age 60 or older, which is more typical for other breast cancer types.
• African-American and Hispanic women. Triple-negative breast cancer most commonly affects African-American women, followed by Hispanic women. Asian women and non-Hispanic white women are less likely to develop this type of cancer. A study found that black women were 3 times more likely to develop triple-negative breast cancer than white women.
• People with a BRCA1 mutation. When people with an inherited BRCA1 mutation develop breast cancer, especially before age 50, it is usually found to be triple-negative.

A gene mutation?- well I am not sure, my mom was adopted and I don't know that much about my bio dads family...I will need to look into that further.