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Comparison of early onset breast cancer patients to older premenopausal breast cancer patients

  • Gynecologic Oncology
  • Published:
Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

The objective of this study was to show differences between breast cancer patients ≤35 and >35 years with regard to tumor characteristics and to present the patient-relevant outcomes overall survival (OAS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS).

Methods

We analyzed data from 119 women aged 35 years or younger with breast cancer and compared multiple parameters against breast cancer patients between 36 and 55 (n = 1,097), all pre-menopausal. Data were adjusted for tumor characteristics and therapy.

Results

There was no statistically significant difference in tumor size, axillary lymph node involvement, and histological subtypes. On the contrary, grading lymphovascular invasion and receptor negativity showed statistically significant differences. Unadjusted hazard ratio are 2.11 (1.32–3.39) (OAS) and 1.92 (1.35–2.73) (RFS). Multi-adjusted hazard ratio are 2.97 (1.70–5.18) (OAS) and 2.11 (1.42–3.13) (RFS).

Conclusions

In conclusion, young breast cancer patients still have a poor prognosis. Even after adjustment of the data, OAS and RFS showed a worse prognosis. Normal prognostic factors like tumor size, axillary lymph node involvement, and grading can therefore be not the explanation for the more aggressive disease progress within early onset breast cancer patients.

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Conflict of interest statement

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universitätsfrauenklinik Ulm, Prittwitzstrasse 43, 89075, Ulm, Germany

    Dominic Varga, Kathrin Strunz, Verena Geyer, Christian Kurzeder, Ziad Atassi, Rolf Kreienberg & Achim Woeckel

  2. Institut für Medizinische Biometrie, Epidemiologie und Informatik (IMBEI), Obere Zahlbacher Straße 69, 55131, Mainz, Germany

    Jochem Koenig, Kathrin Kuhr & Maria Blettner

Authors
  1. Dominic Varga
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  2. Jochem Koenig
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  3. Kathrin Kuhr
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  4. Kathrin Strunz
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  5. Verena Geyer
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  6. Christian Kurzeder
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  7. Ziad Atassi
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  8. Maria Blettner
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  9. Rolf Kreienberg
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  10. Achim Woeckel
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dominic Varga.

Additional information

D. Varga and A. Woeckel contributed equally to this work.

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Varga, D., Koenig, J., Kuhr, K. et al. Comparison of early onset breast cancer patients to older premenopausal breast cancer patients. Arch Gynecol Obstet 282, 427–432 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-009-1339-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-009-1339-y

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