J Breast Cancer.  2011 Jun;14(2):119-123. 10.4048/jbc.2011.14.2.119.

Ultrasound and Clinicopathological Characteristics of Triple Receptor-Negative Breast Cancers

• Choi YJ
• Seong MH
• Choi SH
• Kook SH
• Kwag HJ
• Park YL
• Park CH

• KMID: 2286510
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4048/jbc.2011.14.2.119

Abstract

PURPOSE
Triple receptor-negative (TRN) breast cancer is associated with high risk of recurrence and poor prognosis. The present study assessed the clinicopathologic characteristics and ultrasound (US) features of TRN breast cancers.
METHODS
Pathological and biological data were reviewed for 558 breast cancer patients treated at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, between January 2003 and December 2009. The patients were separated into TRN breast cancer and non-TRN breast cancer groups, based on the results of immunohistochemical prognostic panels. Clinical and pathologic features were compared for the two groups. US features, including shape, orientation, margins, boundaries, echo patterns, posterior acoustic features, surrounding tissues, and microcalcifications, were determined for 41 TRN patients and 189 non-TRN controls (ER+/PR+/HER2-).
RESULTS
Of 558 cases, 58 (10.4%) had the TRN phenotype. Four hundred and thirty-four cases (77.8%) were invasive ductal carcinomas. TRN cancer was significantly associated with specific characteristics of tumor size, nuclear grade, histologic grade, venous invasion, and lymphatic invasion. With respect to US features, TRN cancers were more likely to have an oval shape, a circumscribed margin, and marked hypoechogenicity.
CONCLUSION
Tumor characteristics were different between TRN and non-TRN breast cancers, although US cannot differentiate the subtype of breast cancers TRN cancer tend to show somewhat different US morphology.

Keyword

Breast neoplasms; Hormone receptor; Pathology; Ultrasouography

MeSH Terms

Acoustics
Breast
Breast Neoplasms
Carcinoma, Ductal
Humans
Orientation
Phenotype
Prognosis
Recurrence

Figure

• 

  Figure 1 Ultrasonographic findings. (A) The image of a triple receptor-negative invasive ductal carcinoma in a 30-year-old-woman. It shows an oval shaped and well circumscribed markedly hypoechoic mass without posterior shadowing. (B) The image of a non-TRN (ER+/PR+/HER2-) invasive ductal carcinoma in a 47-year-old-woman. It shows irregular shaped hypoechoic mass with spiculated margin and posterior shadowing.

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