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Updates on Molecular Classification of Triple Negative Breast Cancer

  • Clinical Trials (PF Peddi, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Breast Cancer Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

Clinical management of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is challenging as patients have heterogeneous responses to systemic therapy, and there is no established therapeutic target. Gene expression profiling and genomic sequencing analysis are among the first steps in understanding the biology of TNBC. In this paper, we review the molecular classification of TNBC and discuss the implications for systemic therapy.

Recent Findings

Clonal and mutational spectrum analyses of TNBC show that it is highly heterogeneous with a diverse mutational pattern and can be clustered into different subtypes including basal-like, luminal androgen receptor, and mesenchymal, based on gene expression profiling. Although knowledge of these subtypes is not used in routine clinical practice, studies have shown that patient outcomes differ according to subtype, with higher pathological complete response rates to chemotherapy reported in basal-like subtypes. Clinical trials with targeted agents are now starting to incorporate molecular subtypes into eligibility criteria.

Summary

TNBC is molecular heterogeneous, and therefore, a wide spectrum of patients’ clinical outcomes exists. Incorporating molecular subtypes into treatment algorithms may offer clinicians greater precision in managing TNBC patients.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, Campus Box 8056, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA

    Nkiruka Ezenwajiaku, Cynthia X. Ma & Foluso O. Ademuyiwa

Authors
  1. Nkiruka Ezenwajiaku
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  2. Cynthia X. Ma
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  3. Foluso O. Ademuyiwa
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Foluso O. Ademuyiwa.

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Conflict of Interest

Cynthia X. Ma has served on the advisory board for Merck, Pfizer, Novartis, Eli Lily, and AstraZeneca and has received a grant from Eisai.

Nkiruka Ezenwajiaku and Foluso O. Ademuyiwa declare that they have no competing interests.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Clinical Trials

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Ezenwajiaku, N., Ma, C.X. & Ademuyiwa, F.O. Updates on Molecular Classification of Triple Negative Breast Cancer. Curr Breast Cancer Rep 10, 289–295 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12609-018-0292-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12609-018-0292-9

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