ER neg BC

Ok, here we go.. I have a friend, she is only 43.. She just found out she has stage ll bc, she is also er neg. So far they believe it is in a few lymph nodes. She has 5 tumors in one breast. she is undergoing a double mastectomy in a week or so. I have been trying to find more info on triple neg. bc.. and I do feel that the info can be so speculative, and not all that specific.. She does have children, and I fear that her disease is not being considered "that dangerous" when from what I have read, truly is...What I would like to know, is what percentage of people who are pre-menapausal and have stage ll bc that is triple neg. survive the disease long term.. I mean all of the survival rates are 5yrs out.. I don't consider this to be a success, considering my friend is only 43. Does anyone have a sight I can go to that would share this info with me.. I also never see, the actual number of women as a percentage that the cancer either comes back as breast cancer, or mets...One more thing...does anyone know that there are risks with getting a double mastectomey? and the scar tissue that develops? I was told the cancer will start at the remaining scar tissue, therefore not taking the entire breast off is a better option.. Anyone out there know?
I am overwhelmed by all of this, and I am one of those people that need to have all the facts, so I can look at things logically.. This is a very sad time, and I am hoping that my girlfriends bc stays away for a very long time to come.
thanks to all..

[SueYoung55]

Five years out with no evidence of disease is a goal I aspire to. It sure as heck beats the alternative, at least from where I'm sitting! And the reason that it IS A SUCCESS is because women didn't live that long in years past!

Mastectomy is the only way to remove as much breast tissue as possible. Lumpectomy would leave too much breast tissue giving BC a lovely place to re-occur.

At her young age she needs to get BRCA testing to see if she has a genetic mutation.

Triple negative cancers tend to be more aggressive and so her treatment needs to be more aggressive too. You may want to look up the triple negative breast cancer web site for more specific and detailed info.

The best thing you can do for your friend is to NOT freak out. She needs everyone around her to be calm and quiet around her and just listen. Let her sort things out without interference. She has a lot of decisions to make in a short amount of time and this is her body and she has to live with her decisions.

Finally, anyone who says this disease isn't all that dangerous needs to live it and the live with the lifelong results of it.

Best wishes to your friend.

[bluebutterfly2222]

Very good comments by SueYoung55!

Unfortunately, Triple Negative and HER2+  breast cancers are more likely to be higher grade/ highly aggressive and to come back (recur) more frequently, and even small (1 cm or less) tumors of these types should recieve as much treatment as possible.

Information on TNBC that you may find helpful:

1. Dr. Susan Love Reseach Foundation Web site: Click on "Populaitons of Interest" in the column on the left on the Home page, then click on Triple Negative Beast Cancer.

2. Breast Cancer . Org Web site: Put in the search term "Ask-the-Expert Online Conferences" and a list will come up. Look for one from July 2008 on TNBC. (Very informative.)

Best wishes to both you and your friend...
bluebutterfly