Background/Objectives: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype associated with a poor prognosis and limited treatment options. Inflammatory and hematological biomarkers have emerged as potential tools for disease characterization, particularly in low-resource settings. Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted between July 2022 and February 2024 at Dalal Jamm Hospital in Dakar, Senegal, and included 120 women: 40 with TNBC, 40 with hormone-dependent breast cancer (HDBC), and 40 healthy controls. Blood samples were collected at diagnosis before any treatment to measure complete blood counts and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. Inflammatory ratios—neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR)—were calculated. Results: TNBC patients displayed a distinct inflammatory profile characterized by elevated neutrophil counts, CRP, NLR, and MLR, as well as reduced lymphocyte and basophil percentages compared to healthy controls. NLR > 1.12 demonstrated strong discriminatory ability (AUC = 0.847; sensitivity 90%; specificity 65%). Differences between TNBC and HDBC were less pronounced, except for CRP and basophil levels. Multivariate analysis confirmed independent associations of elevated NLR, CRP, and neutrophils with TNBC. Conclusions: These findings provide new insights into the inflammatory and hematological characteristics of TNBC in this population and support further investigation of accessible biomarkers for early disease stratification in similar settings.
Barry et al. (Fri,) studied this question.