{
  "abstract": "BackgroundTriple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive breast cancer subtype associated with poor prognosis and a disproportionate disease burden among women of African ancestry. Contemporary data describing its clinicopathologic characteristics, metastatic patterns, treatment, and factors associated with advanced presentation in sub-Saharan Africa remain limited.\n\nMethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study of 869 women with histologically confirmed TNBC managed at a major tertiary cancer centre in Nigeria between May 2019 and December 2025. Demographic, clinicopathologic, treatment, and metastatic data were extracted from institutional electronic medical records. Advanced-stage presentation was defined as American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Stage III-IV disease, and multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify factors independently associated with advanced-stage presentation.\n\nResultsThe mean age at diagnosis was 52.1 {+/-} 12.3 years. Most patients presented with Stage III (42.9%) or Stage IV (35.1%) disease, while only 21.9% presented with Stage I-II disease. Grade II (51.3%) and Grade III (36.5%) tumours predominated, and invasive ductal carcinoma accounted for 83.0% of cases. Among 305 patients with Stage IV disease, lung, bone, liver, and brain metastases occurred in 48.5%, 38.7%, 20.0%, and 18.4%, respectively. Overall, 73.1% underwent surgery, 83.2% received chemotherapy, and 63.5% received radiotherapy. On multivariable analysis, tumour grade was independently associated with advanced-stage presentation. Compared with Grade I tumours, Grade II tumours were associated with significantly greater odds of advanced-stage disease (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.45, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.39-4.32; p = 0.002), while Grade III tumours demonstrated more than five-fold higher odds (aOR 5.15, 95% CI 2.73-9.82; p < 0.001).\n\nConclusionThese findings demonstrate that TNBC in this Nigerian cohort presented predominantly at advanced stages and showed a visceral, lung-predominant metastatic distribution. The independent association between higher tumour grade and advanced-stage presentation underscores the need for earlier diagnosis, appropriate staging pathways, and strengthened multidisciplinary management in resource-constrained settings.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "University of Lagos"
  ],
  "article_type": "PUBLISHAHEADOFPRINT",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "A. Sowunmi"
    },
    {
      "name": "C. Agbakwuru"
    },
    {
      "name": "E. Aje"
    },
    {
      "name": "O. Kehinde"
    },
    {
      "name": "T. Andero"
    },
    {
      "name": "C. G. Eze"
    },
    {
      "name": "B. Oshikanlu"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6jmz7nb59jv8q.bib",
  "cited_by": 1,
  "doi": "10.64898/2026.06.10.26355358",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.10.26355358v2.full",
  "id": "6jmz7nb59jv8q",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.10.26355358v2",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "medrxiv",
      "oncology"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1306|Breast Cancer Treatment Studies"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7164562927",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.10.26355358v2.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-06-10",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6jmz7nb59jv8q.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:44Z",
      "native_id": "10.64898/2026.06.10.26355358",
      "source": "medrxiv",
      "url": "https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.10.26355358v2"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "medrxiv:oncology",
      "subfield": "oncology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Real-World Clinicopathological Characteristics, Metastatic Distribution, and Treatment Patterns of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: A Single-Institution Experience from Nigeria",
  "title_text": "Real-World Clinicopathological Characteristics, Metastatic Distribution, and Treatment Patterns of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: A Single-Institution Experience from Nigeria",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:44Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6jmz7nb59jv8q",
  "venue": "medRxiv",
  "versions": []
}