Young Chinese patients with breast cancer have a similar survival to their older counterparts

Abstract

Introduction: Studies have demonstrated that breast cancer in younger women tends to be biologically more aggressive, which leads to a worse survival than in older women. These findings were however mostly based on the Western population. This study aims to compare the tumor biology and survival of breast cancer in Chinese young women with their older counterparts.

Material and Methods: A retrospective study of patients with breast cancer who have undergone surgery in a university hospital from January 2001 to December 2005 was performed. Tumor characteristics and survival of patients aged below 40 were compared with those of aged 40 and above.

Results: 892 Chinese patients with breast cancer underwent surgery during the study period. 73 patients (8.2%) were aged below 40 and 819 patients (91.8%) were aged 40 and above. Rates of breast conservation (p = 0.031), breast reconstruction (p = 0.010) and use of chemotherapy (p = 0.016) were higher in the younger age group than their older counterparts. Breast cancer in younger women was of higher grade and more poorly differentiated (p = 0.050), less estrogen receptor positive (p = 0.031), and more HER-2 oncogene overexpression (p = 0.017). Triple negative tumors were also more common among the younger age group (p = 0.020). [Table 1] The 5-year overall and disease-free survivals were comparable between these two age groups.

Conclusions: Early onset breast cancers in Chinese patients tend to have poorer rognostic indexes.Despite this, the survival of breast cancer in this younger age groupwomanwas similar to that of their older counterparts. This may be attributed to more aggressive treatment in this age group.