Doctors at the Shanghai Cancer Center said yesterday that they are able to improve the remission rate of patients with the toughest type of breast cancer from 10 to 29 percent through precise diagnosis and treatment.

Their study was published in the world leading journal Cell Research.

Breast cancer has become preventable and treatable through early screening and improvements in surgery and targeted medication. However, triple-negative breast cancer remains a challenge.

This type does not express the genes for estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors or HER2, doctors said. So there is no targeted therapy, only chemotherapy.

About 15 percent of such patients have triple-negative cancer, the most fatal type. Patients usually have a 20 percent risk of relapse.

To improve treatment, a team led by the hospital’s Dr ShaoZhiminspent five years to come up with a genetic map of the disease and name four sub-types through differentmarkers.

“Through the precise classification, we studied different treatments targeting each sub-type,” said Shao.