OBJECTIVES: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is distinguished by the absence of excess HER2 protein and tests negative for estrogen and progesterone receptors. TNBC is characterized by significantly shorter survival rates, worse quality of life (QoL) and higher inpatient utilization and healthcare costs as compared to non-TNBC. This review aims to summarize recent literature on the survival, QoL, healthcare resource utilization and direct and indirect costs of TNBC in the real-world setting.

METHODS: A targeted literature search of evidence studies in English language from January 2010 to January 2020 was performed in PubMed, Cochrane Library and Embase databases. Outcomes of interest were captured from original studies and summarized with costs standardized to 2020 USD.

RESULTS: Sixteen articles were included in the review. The rate of survival for TNBC varied based on the stage of disease. The overall five years survival rate for patients with localized disease varied from 71.4% (Morocco) to 88.5% (France) whereas the survival rate for patients with metastatic disease was as low as 40% (Algeria). The variation in QoL outcomes between the TNBC and non-TNBC patients was mainly attributable to various current health status, role limitation, anxiety, depression and income. The average monthly healthcare cost per patient varied across studies from $4,810 to $9,154 for patients with early stage disease and $9,159 to $10,084 for patients with advanced-stage disease. Overall, in comparison to non-TNBC, patients with TNBC had more hospitalizations, in-patient days, emergency room visits and incurred higher health care expenditures.

CONCLUSIONS: The burden imposed by TNBC on patients, payers, and society is considerable. Additionally, patients with TNBC had lower QoL scores as compared to non-TNBC patients. Due to limited availability of evidence on QoL and indirect burden of TNBC, further studies are required to assess the overall burden of this disease.