Triple Negative Breast Carcinoma: A Comparative Study between Breast Lesion and Lymph Node Metastases: A Preliminary Study

Aims and Background. Triple negative breast carcinoma is a genetic and molecular subtype of breast carcinoma with poor prognosis. Some immunohistochemistry studies have been proposed to identify BLBC. Most studies consider primary breast carcinoma but not metastases. Methods. Immunohistochemical characteristics in 11 triple negative breast carcinomas were studied in both primary lesions and lymph node metastases. All cases were reevaluated to estrogen and progesterone receptors and HER2-Neu. An FISH probe for HER2/neu was also performed. Immunohistochemical studies were performed with cytokeratin 5/6, 17, Cam 5.2, p63, EGFR, and Ki-67 in breast carcinoma and lymph node metastases. Results. The age of the patients ranged between 42 and 73 years (mean 53), and the mean followup was 68.25 months. A total of 54.55% of the patients were disease-free, and 45.45% died of carcinoma. Axillary lymph nodes maintained triple negative phenotype (11/11). Metastatic tumors showed CAM 5.2 (81.83%) and EGFR (72.73%) expression. Basal marker expression was variable in primary carcinoma and lymph node metastases (63.64%). Conclusions. Triple negative breast carcinomas maintained this immunoprofile at lymph node metastases. Triple negative carcinomas showed variable expression of basal cell markers.