I'm sorry. Hope you will get the very best treatment. (Is this part of Mass General?)

Sorry to read this. I hope you have excellent results from the treatment. Hugs to you.

I'm passing time online, and stumbled upon your post. I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer on January 11. Since I'm a newbie myself I don't have much advice. Please go to www.breastcancer.org. It's helped me so much. Under community, there are forums devoted to many topics, including triple negative. Best wishes.

Healing and positive thoughts coming your way.

Sending best wishes. I hope you receive excellent medical care, and lots of good advice and encouragement online.

Fran, I don't have personal experience except to say we've all experienced someone in our lives we love who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. I wish you a speedy successful treatment and recovery, soon to be well again. wncang, you are of course included in positive healing thoughts to both of you. (((((hugs)))))

I have never had any experience with breast cancer, but I will pray for you for complete healing and ease of treatment.

Triple Neg is the one that once you pass five years, you are considered cured! Here's to five years for you! (I'm ER/PR+, HER2-).

No personal experience, but certainly keeping you in my prayers at this very scary time.

I am sure you are frightened, and I wish I had some words to make it better, but I don't. I will certainly pray for your health. Please keep us updated.

I had to look up triple negative breast cancer because I admit I did not know what that term meant. Now I get it. I wish you the best of care and response to the treatment. I know there is continued genomic research going on (there is a huge genome research center in our city and one focus is on br sat cancer). So I hope the continued research will find a cure. Will keep you in my prayers!

Prayers and good thoughts for you.

Seconding wncang's recommendation for breast cancer.org's forums. You'll find lots of support and real-life experience there. Good luck, and let us know how it's going once in a while too!

I'm so sorry for you both - not a diagnosis you wanted to receive. I'm assuming that you both are young women as this seems to happen to them more often than old lady breast cancer. Extra hard...

I urge you to be sure you totally trust your oncologist and if you have ANY misgiving, get a 2nd, 3rd, 4th opinion. My husband had to do this when diagnosed with very aggressive prostate cancer and we were very glad we did so.

Cancer is a nasty disease and yours is particularly nasty, so you want the VERY BEST treatment out there.

You will be in my thoughts and prayers.

I have no advice but will keep both of you in my thoughts and prayers.

Sending healing and strength your way.

I'm so sorry to hear this. Sending you positive energy and best wishes for a full recovery.

Prayers going up for you Fran and also for you wncang & chloecat. I'm triple positive and also recommend breastcancer.org. Lots of information and from what I've read there Dana Farber is great. Please let us know how you're doing.

So very sorry to hear this,Fran...wishing you nothing but the best in treatment & for an excellent recovery.

Sending gentle, long distance hugs.

What does "triple negative" mean?

Wishing you the best treatment, I know that you must be full of anxiety l am sorry this is happening (((HUGS)))

klseiverd, here is what I found on the breast cancer.org website (copied portion in italics):

Your pathology report may say that the breast cancer cells tested negative for estrogen receptors (ER-), progesterone receptors (PR-), and HER2 (HER2-). Testing negative for all three means the cancer is triple-negative.

These negative results mean that the growth of the cancer is not supported by the hormones estrogen and progesterone, nor by the presence of too many HER2 receptors. Therefore, triple-negative breast cancer does not respond to hormonal therapy (such as tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors) or therapies that target HER2 receptors, such as Herceptin (chemical name: trastuzumab). However, other medicines can be used to treat triple-negative breast cancer.

About 10-20% of breast cancers — more than one out of every 10 — are found to be triple-negative.

As to who is most likely to get the triple-negative diagnosis:

Anyone can get triple-negative breast cancer. However, researchers have found that it is more likely to affect:

• Younger people. Triple-negative breast cancer is more likely to occur before age 40 or 50, versus age 60 or older, which is more typical for other breast cancer types.
• African-American and Hispanic women. Triple-negative breast cancer most commonly affects African-American women, followed by Hispanic women. Asian women and non-Hispanic white women are less likely to develop this type of cancer. A study found that black women were 3 times more likely to develop triple-negative breast cancer than white women.
• People with a BRCA1 mutation. When people with an inherited BRCA1 mutation develop breast cancer, especially before age 50, it is usually found to be triple-negative.

I hope this information is helpful to those who don't understand the basic difference. I find it very interesting and enlightening to be educated about these things.

Sending positive thoughts..

Hi Fran,

Sorry to hear what you are facing.

Did you know that Joan Lunden (former Good Morning America host) was diagnosed with Stage 2 Triple Negative breast ca in 2014? She has some info on her web site, including a video diary of some of her treatments. She finished treatment over a year ago and is doing very well. I do not post links (I think they are dangerous), but you'll have no trouble finding her website (which is 'hername.com").

Sorry if you already knew about this. Wish I could help.

Thank you all for your kind thoughts and for the lengthy but totally accurate explanation of triple negative. This type of cancer usually affects African Americans, Latinos and younger women or sometimes women right after menopause. I am none of those at 74. There also isn't any cancer in my family. I am going to the best possible cancer center in New England so I know I am in good hands Hopefully a year from now I will be back in good health.

Oh Fran I'm very sorry to hear this. You have my prayers for a full and complete recovery.

wncang, you also have my prayers for a full and complete recovery.

Stay strong!!

I am on the list of I did not know about triple negative.

Sending you the best thoughts possible!

Moni

My sister in law (who just turned 30 last month) is a triple negative breast cancer survivor. Let me know if you'd like her contact information and I can send it to you in a message. My prayers are with you; please know that you can beat it!

Fran, I'm sorry about your diagnosis but there is always much hope. Will say a prayer for you,

I sincerely wish you the best. How fortunate you are to be near a first class medical facility. I have high hopes for a successful treatment. Keep us posted on how you're doing. Sending you a KT hug.