how many are we?

 

Jane

 

 

I don't think they yet collect stats by type of bc in this way. Recent Susan Love article in Mamm  www.mamm.com

identifies 5 broad types of breast cancer of which triple negative is one...so maybe they will start counting in this way. (maybe they already do in the US but don't think they do in UK.)

 

Jane

 

 

Basically it is very recently that scientists have begun to classify breast cancers into 5 different sub types based on the peculiar gene expressions of each, and related to er, pr and her2/neu

 

The five types are:

 

luminal A:         er+ pr+ her2-     more likely to respond to hormone treatment and/or be lower grade tunours

 

luminal B: er+ pr+ her2-   more aggressive than A type, may do better with chemo

 

 

er+ pr+ her2+      will/may respond to hormonals, chemo and herceptin

 

 

er- pr- her2+        will/may respond chemo and herceptin. Possibly as a group the 'most aggressive'

 

 

triple negative      us er- pr- her2-

 

 

 

The reason I guess stats not being collected around these types is because the research and evidence is so new and there is not yet even agreement that these 5 sub types of breast cancer really do exist as discrete types.

 

 

Jane

 

 

I think we should be wary of talking up triple negative or any other kind of cancer to be the 'most aggressive'. This is to an extent what happened during the herceptin controversy in the UK...with papers headling that her2 cancers were the 'most aggressive.'

 

 

The reality is much more complex. I listed the five broad types of breast cancer by er pr her2 status and my comments about 'aggresssiveness' were intended as guides on groups of cancers, not prescriptions abot individual cancers. Many factors determine aggresssivness...and node involvement and vascular invasion are key fcators irrespective of cancer type. Not everyone with triple negative cancer is diagnosed at stage 3...no all triple negative cancers are alike..or any other kind of breast cancer.

 

 

IBC inflammatory breast cancer, as  a special type, is probably the most aggressive kind of breast cancer irrespective of er pr her2 status.

 

An er- pr- her2+ breast cancer which doesn't respond to herceptin is a a very aggressive cancer.

 

Jane

Thanks trip - it's appreciated!!  

 

 

trip2 wrote:   Lucky, I posted a link yesterday about a study or trial, can't remember it is early, but they referred to patients in that State's cancer registry.  I thought when I read that that maybe each state has something of this type.  I will look into it and let you know.