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Female patients with breast carcinoma age 30 years and younger have a poor prognosis
Author(s) -
Xiong Qinghua,
Valero Vicente,
Kau Vincent,
Kau ShuWan,
Taylor Sarah,
Smith Terry L.,
Buzdar Aman U.,
Hortobagyi Gabriel N.,
Theriault Richard L.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(20011115)92:10<2523::aid-cncr1603>3.0.co;2-6
Subject(s) - medicine , breast cancer , stage (stratigraphy) , mastectomy , population , surgery , disease , cancer registry , adjuvant therapy , cancer , breast carcinoma , lobular carcinoma , carcinoma , ductal carcinoma , paleontology , environmental health , biology
BACKGROUND The objective of this study was to analyze the outcome of treatment in young women with breast carcinoma who were treated at a single institution and to develop a clearer understanding of the natural history of the disease in these women. METHODS One hundred eighty‐five women age ≤ 30 years in whom a diagnosis of invasive breast carcinoma was made between October 1985 and September 1995 were identified in the Tumor Registry data base. Patient data were obtained by chart review. All female patients with breast carcinoma who were age > 30 years and who were identified in the same data base and received treatment during the same period served as the control population. The stage‐stratified overall survival (OS) rate for the study patients was compared with the OS rate for both the control population and patients in the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB). RESULTS Of 185 patients, 11% presented with Stage I disease, 45% presented with Stage II disease, 38% presented with Stage III disease, and 6% presented with Stage IV disease. Twenty‐nine percent of patients with Stage I disease received adjuvant therapy, and 84% of patients with Stage II disease and 96% of patients with Stage III disease received either adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Among patients with Stage I disease, 8 patients underwent mastectomy and 13 patients underwent breast‐conserving surgery (BCS). Among patients with Stage II disease, 66 patients underwent mastectomy and 17 patients underwent BCS. Among patients with Stage III disease, 65 patients underwent mastectomy and 5 patients underwent BCS. The 5‐year OS rate was 87% for patients with Stage I disease, 60% for patients with Stage II disease, 42% for patients with Stage III disease, and 16% for patients with Stage IV disease. Compared with the control patients and those in the NCDB, there was a trend toward worse OS rates in women age ≤ 30 years. CONCLUSIONS Women who are diagnosed with breast carcinoma at an age ≤ 30 years appear to have a poorer prognosis compared with that for their older counterparts. Cancer 2001;92:2523–8. © 2001 American Cancer Society.