CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL FEATURES ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROGNOSIS OF YOUNG WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER IN BRAZIL

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical-pathological features and the prognosis of premenopausal
breast cancer patients, stratified by three age groups (below 33 years, 34–36 years, and 37–49 years). Methods: This is a
retrospective study including 206 patients with breast carcinomas diagnosed before the age of 50 years, selected from the
records of the Laboratory of Immunohistochemistry, Department of Pathology, Hospital Araújo Jorge, in Goiânia (GO).
Results: Patients’ age at diagnosis ranged from 21 to 49 years, and the mean age was 34 years (±4.3). The 5-year overall
survival for the group was 61.8%. Younger patients, diagnosed before 32 years, presented a worse prognosis (52.3%), compared to other age groups (p=0.049). Younger patients also presented a higher percentage of T4 tumors (33.3%) (p=0.045)
and advanced stages of the disease (III–IV) (79.1%) (p=0.007). Conclusion: The clinicopathological and immunohistochemical characteristics of patients diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of 50 years were associated with low overall
survival. In addition, patients diagnosed before 32 years of age presented with more aggressive tumor characteristics and
worse prognosis when compared to other age groups.