Triple-positive breast cancer

The survival rates for triple-positive breast cancer (TPBC) and other types of breast cancer are more favorable when the cancer is found early.

Sometimes people diagnosed with cancer want to know about survival rates. Some people find survival statistics helpful. Others find them confusing, discouraging or overwhelming. It is OK to choose how much information you want.

Survival statistics can provide general information about the seriousness of the situation, but they can't predict what will happen to any one person. These statistics include thousands of people with breast cancer, including people of different ages, with different health conditions and with different treatment histories.

Keep in mind that your healthcare team uses much more detailed information when talking with you about your individual prognosis and treatment options.

The healthcare team cannot provide specific survival numbers for any one patient. But the team can provide a range of survival in groups of patients. That may be helpful for your future planning.

Survival statistics

The U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) tracks cancer survival rates in the United States. These survival rates come from NCI data for the broader HR-positive/HER2-positive group that TPBC is part of. NCI reports based on how far the cancer has spread.

• Localized cancer, which means the cancer is only in the breast, has a five-year relative survival rate of 99.5%.
• Regional cancer, which means the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes, has a five-year relative survival rate of 91.5%.
• Distant cancer, which means the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, has a five-year relative survival rate of 48.7%.

These rates describe large groups of people with breast cancer. They cannot predict what will happen to you. Your outlook depends on the details of your TPBC, your health and how well the treatment destroys the cancer.