Have you tested ‘triple negative’?

Most people have never heard of triple negative breast cancer – yet it is one of the most aggressive forms of the disease, harder to treat and more common in young women.

It's every woman's nightmare. You feel a lump in your breast while getting dressed or in the shower and immediately fear the worst..

Most women over 45 would probably rush to their GP to get it checked out. But for many younger women it wouldn't even occur to them that it might be cancer. If you find a lump you should get it checked out because breast cancer can hit you even in your 20s and 30s.

Breast cancers are classified into three groups:

•  Hormonal forms that grow in response to female sex hormones
•  HER2-positive
•  Triple negative. This last type does not respond to standard drugs and is more common among younger patients.

Triple negative doesn't respond to treatments like the drug Herceptin or hormone therapies such as tamoxifen. This means there are fewer options with triple negative breast cancer.

Triple negative is also more common in younger women.

Although rare, it is aggressive and because tumours don't respond to normal methods it can be hard to treat. The name triple negative sounds like a death sentence but there is a positive scope for recovery.

Early detection of this type is really important because it means treatment is more likely to be successful.

BREAST CANCER RISK FACTORS

•  Gender (Female)
•  Age
•  Family history of breast cancer
•  Previous cancer in one breast
•  Previous biopsy result "atypical hyperplasia"
•  Nulliparity
•  Late first full-term pregnancy
•  Early menarche (less than 12 years old)
•  Late menopause ( > age 55)
•  Exposure to ionizing irradiation
•  High fat diet and obesity
•  Estrogen use
•  Urban environment
•  Alcohol intake.

SPOTTING THE SIGNS

The warning signs are the same for triple negative as for other types of breast cancer..

•  Lumps
•  Thickening
•  Swelling
•  Dimpling
•  Skin irritation
•  Distortion
•  Retraction
•  Scaliness
•  Pain or tenderness of the nipple that does not go away
•  Sunken or pulled-in nipple any fluid from either nipple.

This is why it is especially important for all women - especially if you're young - to check for any changes to your breasts. Touch and look and if there are any unusual changes to your breasts visit your GP as soon as possible.

TREATMENTS FOR TRIPLE NEGATIVE

The initial treatment for triple negative is the same as for other breast cancers.

The surgeon removes only the part of the breast containing the tumour, the 'lump', and some of the normal tissue that surrounds it.

The surrounding normal tissue, known as a margin, is then tested for cancerous cells. If these are found in the tissue, further surgery to remove a larger area of the breast takes place. Most women will also be offered chemotherapy.

Some women may have larger tumours, or tumours that affect more than one part of the breast and need a mastectomy and chemotherapy.

For women with triple negative, standard chemotherapy is the only drug treatment available, which is why it's so important that research is carried out into finding the Herceptin equivalent for triple negative, and tailoring chemotherapy treatment for this form of breast cancer.

CHANGES TO LOOK OUT FOR

•  Skin or shape, one breast might become larger or lower than the other.
•  Skin texture such as puckering or dimpling.
•  Appearance or direction of nipple - one nipple might become inverted.
•  Discharge - one or both nipples might discharge a bloodstained liquid.
•  Rash or crusting of the nipple or surrounding area.
•  Lump in the breast or armpit.
•  Lumpy area or unusual thickening of breast tissue that doesn't go away after your period.
•  Pain in part of the breast or armpit that is unrelated to periods.