Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a term used to describe estrogen receptor (ER) negative, progesterone receptor (PR) negative and HER-2 neu negative breast cancer. It is closely linked to, but not synonymous with 'basal-like' breast cancer defined by gene analysis, and is more common in younger women and younger African American women. Ironically, the clinically aggressive nature of TNT lends itself to useful laboratory features such as relative ease of growth of cell lines and robust animal models for experimentation, so the opportunities to better understand and ultimately affect the outcomes of this subset of breast cancers is vast.
This special edition of Breast Disease focuses on TNBC, providing an accessible handbook for clinical, translational and laboratory researchers involved in designing and interpreting studies of triple negative breast cancer. It presents a collection of 15 in-depth reviews of multiple aspects of TNBC, from triple negative cell lines to current clinical trials, contributed by experts actively involved in TNBC research. Finally understanding the clinical course of this disease is essential to appropriate clinical trial design, and this book will be of interest to all those involved in breast cancer research.
