Washington, Mar 25 : Black women are three times more likely than whites to develop aggressive breast cancer, according to a new study.

The research team led by Dr Carol Rosenberg at Boston University School of Medicine has found that despite lifestyle, age and weight black women face three fold risk of developing an aggressive ''triple negative tumour''.

During the study, the researchers focused on 415 breast cancer cases.

They looked at clinical features particularly patient age, weight and race/ethnicity, and pathological features including the triple-negative pattern - tumours that lack expression of the estrogen receptor, the progesterone receptor and the HER2 gene.

"The odds of having a triple negative tumour were three times higher for black women than for non-black women in the study," said Rosenberg.

"Previously, it was known that pre-menopausal black women had more triple negative tumours. What we found that was new was that these tumours were just as common in black women diagnosed before or after age 50, and in those who were or were not obese.

"The higher prevalence of triple negative breast tumours in black women in all age and weight categories likely contributes to black women''s unfavourable breast cancer prognosis," she added. (ANI)