Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women aged 45 and younger in developed countries, and although generally improving, survival rates for young women with breast cancer remain lower than for older women. The aim of the study was to evaluate the percentage and the outcome of women younger than 45 with HER2 positive disease.
Medical files of 625 women diagnosed with breast cancer between 2007-2015 were retrospectively analysed. There were 134 (21.4%) patients younger than 45 at diagnosis. In this subgroup of patients 32 were diagnosed with HER2 positive disease. The time to tumor progression of young patients with HER2 disease was compared with a matched control group of patients with HER2 disease older than 45. All patients received chemotherapy and trastuzumab. No patents received neoadjuvant trastuzumab (due to lack of reimbursement).
In the group of 32 young women, median age at diagnosis was 36.5 years, stage distribution was 12.5%, IIA, 9.4% in stage IIB, 43.7% stage IIIA, 21.9% stage IIIB,12.5% stage IV. Compare to the rest of the patients, the younger was diagnosed more often with advanced and metastatic disease (p = 0.043). The incidence of HER2 positive disease was similar in our group (23.8%) compare to entire group (26.4%). Ki 67 percentage ranged between 11% and 75% (median was 35%). The median disease-free survival for young group was 65 months were for control was not reached; the 3-year and 5-year disease-free survival were 58% and 50%, respectively compare to 63% and 55% for older women. The 3-year and 5-year overall survival were 78% and 58%, respectively significantly lower than in the matched controlled group P = 0.039.
Our lot of patients diagnosed with HER2 positive disease aged less than 45 years was diagnosed in a much more advanced stage and had a poorer prognosis compared with HER2 positive patients older than 45 years.
N/A
Has not received any funding
All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.