Breast cancer in young women: case report and a review

Breast cancer in patients under 40 years is uncommon. Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program reveals that 75% of breast tumors occur in women age > 50 years, only 6.5% in women age < 40 years, and a mere 0.6% in women age < 30 years. Breast-conserving surgery with subsequent chemo-radiotherapy has become the treatment of choice in women with breast neoplasm.

Two young patients, 30 and 28 years respectively, with breast cancer. One patient with an atypical medullary breast carcinoma diagnosis, pT2 pN1 bipMx, Grade 3 Stage IIB, negative for receptors, Ki 67: 47%, cERB-2 negative; the other with an intraductal breast carcinoma, pT1c pN0 pMx, Grade 2 Stage I, negative for receptors, Ki 67: 85%, cERB-2 negative, p53 negative, Bcl-2 negative. The first patient underwent right radical mastectomy sec. Madden and axillary lymphoadenectomy in October 2001, started six cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy on the right side of the chest and on axillary and supraclavicular lymph nodes area. After 2 years an ecotomography revealed small hypoechogenic nodules in the left breast. In December the patient underwent left radical mastectomy with positioning of an expander device. The histological exam revealed a not much differentiated intraductal carcinoma, pT1a N0 Mx, Stage I. After the surgical therapy, she follows another adjuvant chemotherapy. The second patient underwent left quadrantectomy with axillary limphoadenectomy in November 2004. Like the first-will follow several cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Breast cancer in women under 40 years of age differ from breast cancer in older women in numerous clinical, pathological and biological features. The studies demonstrate that breast cancer arising in women under 40 years have a more aggressive profile than those of older patients. In both our patients family history of breast cancer was reported. That suggests a possible genetic susceptibility of these patients through BRCA1 and BRCA2 germ-line mutations. Breast conservative surgery with chemio-radiotherapy is the most commonly used treatment breast cancer, expecially in consideration of the aggressiveness of the lesions.