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Squamous cell carcinoma of the breast in the United States: incidence, demographics, tumor characteristics, and survival

  • Epidemiology
  • Published:
Breast Cancer Research and Treatment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Squamous cell carcinoma of breast accounts for less than 0.1% of all breast cancers. The purpose of this study is to describe the epidemiology and survival of this rare malignancy.

Methods

Data were extracted from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Registry to identify women diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of breast between 1998 and 2013. SEER*Stat 8.3.1 was used to calculate age-adjusted incidence, age-wise distribution, and annual percentage change in incidence. Kaplan–Meier curves were plotted for survival analysis. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to determine predictors of survival.

Results

A total of 445 cases of squamous cell carcinoma of breast were diagnosed during the study period. The median age of diagnosis was 67 years. The overall age-adjusted incidence between 1998 and 2013 was 0.62 per 1,000,000 per year, and the incidence has been on a decline. Approximately half of the tumors were poorly differentiated. Stage II was the most common stage at presentation. Majority of the cases were negative for expression of estrogen and progesterone receptor. One-third of the cases underwent breast conservation surgery while more than half of the cases underwent mastectomy (unilateral or bilateral). Approximately one-third of cases received radiation treatment. The 1-year and 5-year cause-specific survival was 81.6 and 63.5%, respectively. Excluding patient with metastasis or unknown stage at presentation, in multivariate Cox proportional hazard model, older age at diagnosis and higher tumor stage (T3 or T4) or nodal stage at presentation were significant predictors of poor survival.

Conclusions

Our study describes the unique characteristics of squamous cell carcinoma of breast and demonstrates that it is an aggressive tumor with a poor survival. Older age and higher tumor or nodal stages at presentation were independent predictors of poor survival for loco-regional stages.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, Beaumont Health, 3601 W 13 Mile Rd, Royal Oak, MI, 48073, USA

    Siddhartha Yadav

  2. Nancy and James Grosfeld Cancer Genetics Center, Beaumont Cancer Institute, Beaumont Health, Royal Oak, MI, 48073, USA

    Siddhartha Yadav & Dana Zakalik

  3. Department of Internal Medicine, Siedman Cancer Center, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA

    Dhiraj Yadav

  4. Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, 2200 N Squirrel Rd, Rochester, MI, 48309, USA

    Dana Zakalik

Authors
  1. Siddhartha Yadav
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  2. Dhiraj Yadav
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  3. Dana Zakalik
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Siddhartha Yadav.

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All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Yadav, S., Yadav, D. & Zakalik, D. Squamous cell carcinoma of the breast in the United States: incidence, demographics, tumor characteristics, and survival. Breast Cancer Res Treat 164, 201–208 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-017-4251-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-017-4251-3

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