Breast cancer in young women

an analysis of the initial clinical staging and molecular subtypes of tumors

Abstract

Objective: To compare the initial clinical stage and molecular subtypes of tumors in women younger than 40 years old with three older age groups. Methods: A case-control retrospective study was carried out, and analyzed the electronic medical records of patients treated between 2001 to 2011. They were divided into four groups according to the age at diagnosis: patients younger than 40 years old (n=65, referred as Cases); patients aged 40 and 49 years old (n=187, Control I); patients with ages between 50 and 65 years old (n=276, Control II), and older than 65 years old (n=162, Control III). The variables initial clinical stage and molecular subtypes of tumors were analyzed. A statistical analysis was performed using the chi-square test with Yates correction, and values of p<0.05 were considered significant, corrected for multiple comparisons where it was deemed necessary. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in the stage distribution between groups, except for category 3A that was more frequent in the Case Group compared to the Control III (20 versus 6%, OR: 3.8; 95%CI 1.57–9.18; p<0.004). Regarding the distribution of molecular subtypes of tumors, no significant difference was observed between Cases and Controls. Conclusion: Distribution of the initial clinical stage and tumor molecular subtypes prognostic indicators showed to be independent of age. This suggests that the poor prognosis of breast cancer in young women may not be associated with these factors.