Insight Genetics Blog Cracking the code on TNBC

T.N.B.C... Awful letters for an oncologist to have to say and so much worse to have to hear. But what does it mean? These initials stand for Triple Negative Breast Cancer. TNBC diagnosis occurs in 15-20% of breast cancer patients. Unlike other diagnoses, TNBC is a descriptive term that means the breast cancer tested negative for three common hormonal cancer drivers. The negative results indicate that the growth of the cancer is not supported by the hormones estrogen or progesterone nor by HER2 amplification, all three of which have predefined treatment options.