Don't understand all these tests

Anonymous

Tumor Genomic Assays

There are at least six tests listed in this article? Rather difficult to understand, at least for me.

Can someone please tell me if any of these tests are used for someone with triple negative breast cancer? Thanks you.

Salamandra

Hi viewfinder,

It looks like the answer is likely no.

Triple negative means hormone receptor negative, so any of the tests that say they are for hormone receptor positive cancers are ruled right out. From the article, it looks like the only test that doesn't specify hormone receptor positive is the mammaprint. But that's only in this article. From searching elsewhere, it looks like it is actually also only recommended when either ER or PR or both are positive (http://www.ascopost.com/News/57819). This MedIQ doc also states that "there really isn't any other testing that's done for triple negative breast cancer... standard practice is to do nothing outside of routine testing, except perhaps Ki67."

There is a prior thread about this topic here, from a few years ago. There, it sounds like some people whose doctors suspected that their tumors were actually ever so slightly hormone positive even if they looked like triple negative sent for testing to see whether hormonal treatment could be expected to add any beneficial impact at all. In addition, sometimes the the testing companies refused to even perform the tests if the tumor was clearly triple negative.

Hope this helps. I agree with you that the breastcancer.org article could be a lot more clear that these tests are generally used for hormone receptor positive cancers only.

Do you have access to any social worker who could help you parse information you are getting from doctors and websites? Your treatment center might have a social worker, or maybe your employer/union, or maybe an affinity or religious group. I've found them to be really helpful. I can say - I'm trying to understand X, and they can do some research, and either come back to me with an answer, or come back to me with information about who I should ask to get that answer.

Anonymous

Thank so very much Salamandra for the helpful information.

Actually, it's my little sister who is triple negative (not me). [I'm 74 and she is 69 so she wouldn't be considered a little sister by anyone but me].

I'm more worried about her than me so I'm trying to educate myself. There is so much information, new terminology, so many different types of breast cancer, that after a while everything looks the same, if you know what I mean.

I'm so very grateful for all the help forum participants freely give to others. I'll check out that prior thread.

Thanks again!

Anonymous

My sister has access to social workers, etc. as I do. I'll suggest she see them when the time is right. All this waiting really sucks? I suppose that's a good sign if they don't take you into the hopspital right away.