Young Age Is Associated with Increased Locoregional Recurrence in Node-Positive Breast Cancer with Luminal Subtypes

The disparities in prognostic prediction and annualized hazard function in different molecular subtypes between young Chinese and White American women with breast cancer

Background and objectives

The prognostic disparities in different molecular subtypes between young Chinese and White American breast cancer patients remain unclear. The goal of this study was to explore the prognostic differences in different molecular subtypes between Chinese and White American patients aged ≤ 40 years.

Methods

We included Chinese and White female breast cancer patients at or under the age of 40 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (SEER) and the West China Hospital of Sichuan University. The chi-square test, log-rank test, and Cox proportional hazards model were employed to evaluate the distribution and survival disparities in the two racial/ethnic cohorts and different molecular subtypes. An annualized hazard function was used to calculate the annual failure rate among different molecular subtypes.

Results

This study included 20,859 female breast cancer patients at or under the age of 40, of whom 18,400 were White women and 2,459 were Chinese women. With a median follow-up time of 47 months, the 5-year breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) rates for young Chinese and White women were 93.9% and 90.0%, respectively (P< 0.001). Molecular subtype was found to be a significant predictor in both young Chinese and White patients (P< 0.001), but different trends were observed in the two racial/ethnic cohorts when exploring the association between BCSS and molecular subtypes. Among young White patients, the hormone receptor (HoR) (+)/epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) (+) subtype had the best 5-year BCSS rate, while in young Chinese patients, the HoR (+)/HER2 (+) and HoR (+)/HER2 (-) showed comparable survival curves and both showed superior 5-year BCSS than other subtypes. Stratification by molecular subtypes, young Chinese patients demonstrated a superior 5-year BCSS in HoR (+)/HER2 (-) (96.3% vs 92.9%, P< 0.001) and triple-negative subtypes (88% vs 81.7%, P= 0.006) compared to young White American patients, while no significant differences were found in HoR (+)/HER2 (+) and HER2 enriched tumors. The annual hazard function for BCSS showed that there were significantly different trends in the HoR (+)/HER2 (-) and HoR (+)/HER2 (+) subtypes between young Chinese and White patients.

Conclusions

There are disparities in prognosis and annualized hazard function between young Chinese and White females with breast cancer in different molecular subtypes.

Do prognosis and clinicopathological features differ in young early-stage breast cancer?

Background

Breast cancer is the most frequently detected cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related death in women. Although it is mostly seen in older patients, breast cancer affects women aged 24 to >70 years, with poorer prognosis in young patients. Young age remains a controversial topic in the literature. This study aimed to identify subtype differences and the effect of age on early-stage breast cancer outcomes.

Methods

A total of 300 consecutive patients underwent surgery between 2011 and 2015 for early-stage breast cancer. Of these, 248 were eligible for this study and were divided into three groups: group Y (aged ≤35 years), group M (aged >35 and ≤45 years), and group E (aged >45 years). The clinical and pathological features and data related to recurrence, metastasis, and death were recorded.

Results

No statistical differences were found between groups regarding histopathological features except for higher histological grade and Ki-67 levels in group M. Additionally, group Y recorded no progression (recurrence or metastasis) or death. Disease-free survival was 117.8 months (95% CI 111.8–123.8) for group M, which was significantly shorter than that for group E (p < 0.001). Additionally, the hazard ratio (HR) for progression from group M to group E was 10.21 with significant difference (p = 0.003, 95% CI 2.26–46.08). However, the HR of group Y to group E was 0.04, without significance (p = 0.788, 95% CI 0.18–345 × 10⁶). The overall 5-year survival was 100% in group Y, 98.8% in group M, and 99.3% in group E, without significance.

Conclusion

A very young age cannot be considered an independent risk factor for poor prognosis. Rather than age, histological grade and Ki-67 index are more important factors in early-stage breast cancer.

The different prognostic impact of age according to individual molecular subtypes in breast cancer

Purpose

Young age at diagnosis has been considered a poor prognostic factor. However, considering young age itself as an independent poor prognostic factor for all breast cancers is unwarranted. We analyzed the different prognostic effects of age as a prognostic factor according to molecular subtype.

Methods

We retrieved data from 1,819 patients with primary breast cancer at the breast cancer center between 2007 and 2012. We classified each molecular subtype in 3 age cohorts (<40, 40–50, and >50 years). The associations of age and molecular subtypes with relapse-free survival (RFS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) were assessed.

Results

Patients aged <40 years showed a poor histologic grade, hormone receptor negative expression than older patients, and had a higher proportion of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) (P < 0.001). This was thought to have led to a significantly shorter RFS than that of older patients (P < 0.001). In the subgroup analysis according to molecular subtypes, the poorer RFS was observed only in patients aged <40 years with luminal type breast cancer (P < 0.001). Age was an independent prognostic factor of RFS in luminal-type breast cancer (P = 0.001). However, no difference in RFS between age groups was found for patients with other subtypes (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 overexpression, TNBC). No significant effect between age groups was found in DSS for patients with all molecular subtypes.

Conclusion

Age at diagnosis of breast cancer affected prognosis differently according to molecular subtype. Age itself is not an independent prognostic factor. Age of <40 years showed a limited worse prognostic impact of recurrence in luminal type breast cancer only.

Comparing the Prognoses of Breast-Conserving Surgeries for Differently Aged Women with Early Stage Breast Cancer: Use of a Propensity Score Method

Background. To explore the effect of age on the prognosis of patients with early stage breast cancer after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) and to provide references for young patients. Methods. All clinical data of patients with early breast cancer undergoing BCS who were treated at Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University from January 2011 to May 2016 were obtained. The primary endpoints were local recurrence (LR) and distant recurrence, and the secondary endpoint was breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS). Chi-squared tests and Fisher’s exact tests were used for statistical analysis. Disease-free survival (DFS) and BCSS were calculated by Kaplan–Meier survival analysis and compared using log-rank tests. Logistic regression was used for multivariable analysis of the effect of age in different subgroups. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to reduce the bias confounding factors on oncological outcomes. Results. Younger patients had higher Ki-67 expression ( $P=0.048$ ) and larger tumors ( $P=0.042$ ) compared to older patients. No other clinical features were significantly different between age groups. There was no significant difference between the two groups in BCSS ( $P=0.186$ ); however, DFS was significantly different before PSM ( $P=0.012$ ). Triple-negative breast cancer and Ki-67 positivity combined with younger age at diagnosis were associated with a higher risk of recurrence ( $P=0.018$ and $P=0.046$ , respectively). After PSM, there were no significant differences in BCSS nor DFS between the two age groups ( $P=0.559$ and $P=0.261$ , respectively). Conclusion. BCS for young patients is not associated with increased DFS nor BCSS. However, young patients with triple-negative breast cancer and/or Ki-67 positivity have a poor prognosis. In sum, BCS may be appropriate for a subgroup of young patients.

Impact of Body Mass Index on Local Recurrence according to Intrinsic Subtype Approximation in Korean Women with Early Stage Invasive Breast Cancer Receiving Contemporary Treatments

Purpose: We investigated the prognostic impact of body mass index (BMI) on local recurrence (LR) according to intrinsic subtype in Korean women with early stage, invasive breast cancer.

Materials and methods: We included 907 patients with pathological stage T1-2 and N0-1 breast cancer who underwent curative surgery between 2007 and 2012. Systemic treatments were administered in 876 patients (96.6%). In total, 701 patients (77.3%) received radiotherapy. Intrinsic subtypes were determined using immunohistochemical staining results.

Results: During the median follow-up period of 72 months, LR as the first failure occurred in 29 patients, including 24 patients with isolated LR. The 5-year cumulative incidence rate of LR was 3.2% among all patients. In the luminal A subtype, a BMI of <18.5 kg/m² was an independent risk factor for LR, as determined by a competing-risk regression model (relative risk, 3.33; p = 0.041). Severely obese patients (BMI >30 kg/m²) with the triple negative subtype had an increased risk of LR (relative risk, 3.81; p = 0.048).

Conclusion: The present study identified traditionally underestimated risk groups for LR. BMI may diversely influence the rate of LR across intrinsic subtypes in Korean patients with breast cancer.

The Prognostic Impact of Age at Diagnosis Upon Breast Cancer of Different Immunohistochemical Subtypes: A Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Population-Based Analysis

Background and Objectives: The influence of age at diagnosis of breast cancer upon the prognosis of patients with different immunohistochemical (IHC)-defined subtypes is still incompletely defined. Our study aimed at examining the association of age at diagnosis and risk of breast cancer-specific mortality (BCSM). Methods: 172,179 eligible breast cancer patients were obtained for our study cohort using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database from 2010 to 2015. Patients were classified into four IHC-defined subtypes according to their ER, PgR, and HER2 status. Kaplan-Meier plots were used to describe BCSM among patients in different age groups. A Cox proportional hazards model was used for multivariate analysis. A multivariable fractional polynomial model within the Cox proportional hazards model was used to evaluate the relationship between age at diagnosis and the risk of BCSM. Results: For the whole cohort, the median follow-up time was 43 months. Patients younger than 40 years and those older than 79 years presented with the worst BCSM (hazard ratio [HR] 1.13, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03-1.23, and HR 3.52, 95% CI 3.23-3.83, respectively, p < 0.01, with age 40-49 years as the reference). The log hazard ratios of hormone receptor (HoR)(+)/HER2(-) patients formed a quadratic relationship between age at diagnosis and BCSM, but not in the other three subtypes of breast cancer. In the HoR(+)/HER2(-) subtype, patients younger than 40 years had worse BCSM than those aged at 40-49 years (HR 1.26, 95% CI 1.10-1.45, and p < 0.01). Conclusions: Women diagnosed with HoR(+)/HER2(-) breast cancer younger than 40 years or older than 79 years of age suffer higher rates of cancer-specific mortality. Young age at diagnosis may be particularly prognostic in HoR(+)/HER2(-) breast cancer.

Comparisons of breast conserving therapy versus mastectomy in young and old women with early-stage breast cancer: long-term results using propensity score adjustment method

PURPOSE

This study aimed to compare the effect of BCT versus mastectomy on the recurrence and survival of different-aged patients, and to investigate whether effects of BCT versus mastectomy on survival of young patients were consistent with those of old patients.

METHODS

Data on women with primary invasive breast cancer between 2007 and 2011 were extracted from the institutional database of Breast Center. Disparities in hormone receptor, tumor size, lymph node status, and Her-2 status between BCT and mastectomy groups were adjusted using the propensity score (PS) adjustment method. Patients were divided by age into two groups (≤ 40 years and > 40 years). We assessed proportions of local recurrence (LR), distant disease-free survival (DDFS), disease-free survival (DFS), and breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) in different-aged groups; this assessment was further stratified by surgical treatment.

RESULTS

A total of 2964 patients were included; 565 (19%) were aged ≤ 40 years. In the entire cohort, hazard ratios (HR) of BCT versus mastectomy for DDFS and DFS were 0.56 (P = 0.029) and 0.55 (P = 0.008), respectively. After PS adjustment, there was no significant difference between BCT and mastectomy in LR, DDFS, DFS and BCSS in the young age group. In the old age group, women who underwent BCT exhibited improved DDFS (HR 0.57, 95% CI 0.39-0.84, P = 0.004).

CONCLUSIONS

BCT did not significantly affect survival outcomes of young patients with breast cancer. Superior survival of BCT compared to mastectomy was observed only in old patients.

Prognostic Value of BCL2 in Women Patients with Invasive Breast Cancer

Background: Breast cancers are heterogeneous, making it essential to recognize several biomarkers for cancer outcome predictions especially in young women where the classical prediction parameters are not suitable. The goal from this study is to evaluate the impact of B cell lymphoma 2 (BCL2), P53 and Ki-67 proteins expression on survival in young women patients with invasive ductal carcinoma. Patients and methods: Samples and clinical data from 238 patients were collected between 2003 and 2017. They were selected according to 2 criteria: age ≤40 years old and most of them are affected by an Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. We evaluated BCL2, P53 and ki-67 expression by immunochemistry test, and then we assessed correlations of these biomarkers expression with patient’s clinicopathological characteristics and survival. Results: Triple negative breast cancer group showed a high frequency among our cohort but we emphasize an almost equitable distribution among all molecular groups. Contrary to other studies which reported that luminal A was correlated with better prognosis, our analysis demonstrated that luminal A is correlated with the Scarff, Bloom and Richardson (SBR) grading 2 or SBR grading 3. To better investigate the prognosis, we analyze three biomarkers known by their impact on physiopathology behavior on breast cancer BCL2, ki-67and P53. BCL2 is the more relevant one, it was correlated with molecular subtypes (p=0.0012) and SBR grading (p=0.0016). BCL2 seems to be the good prognostic biomarker related to survival (p=0.004) with a protective role among patients when endocrine therapy is not provided and Lymph Node (LN) involvement is positive (p=0.021, p=0.000 respectively). Conclusions: The classical prognostic parameters based mainly on the molecular classification in breast cancer seem insufficient in the case of young women. BCL2 protein expression analysis provides a better prognostic value. BCL2 should be clinically associated in current practice when young women specimens are diagnosticated.

Survival improvement in hormone-responsive young breast cancer patients with endocrine therapy

PURPOSE

We investigated the oncologic outcomes by intrinsic subtype and age in young breast cancer patients and whether survival differences were related to treatment changes over time.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was performed on 9633 invasive breast cancer patients treated at Asan Medical Center from January 1989 to December 2008. We also enrolled a matched cohort adjusting for tumor size, lymph node metastasis, subtypes, and tumor grade. Patients aged <35 years were included in the younger group (n = 602) and those aged ≥35 years were included in the older group (n = 3009).

RESULTS

The younger patients showed a significantly higher T stage, a more frequent axillary node presentation, higher histologic grade, and higher incidence of triple-negative subtype tumors than older patients and also received more chemotherapy and were less likely to undergo hormone therapy. The younger patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive tumors showed significantly poorer disease-free survival (DFS), loco-regional recurrence-free survival, distant metastasis-free survival, and breast cancer-specific survival outcomes than older patients. Younger patients with HR-positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative tumor subtypes had a significantly improved DFS over time (p = 0.032). Within the HR-positive/Her2-negative subtype, more women received gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist and tamoxifen treatment from 2003 to 2008 compared with 1989 to 2002 (p = 0.001 and p = 0.075, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

HR-positive young breast cancer patients have a poorer survival compared with older patients, even with more frequent chemotherapy, but more recent use of tamoxifen and ovarian suppression might improve this outcome in these patients.