[Adjuvant breast cancer: which clinical and pathological characteristics in 2007?]

To refine available epidemiological data in early breast cancer, a national and retrospective study analyzed 1,934 cases listed between May and July 2007 by 88 French centers. More than one third of patients had less than 50 years old (26%) or more than 74 (15%). The anatomopathological tumors' characteristics were as following: ≤ 2 cm in 62% of cases, lymphatic invasion in 35% of cases, positive hormone receptors in 85% of cases, and SBR grade III in 18% of cases. The assessment of HER2 status, performed in 1,899 cases (98%), showed at least 12.1% of early stage HER2 positive tumors. HER2 overexpression was higher before 50 years old (15.9 versus 11.5% between 50 and 70 years, and 10.0% if ≥ 70 years old), for the largest tumors (pT2/3/4: 15.9%, ≤ 1 cm: 11.4%, between 1 and 2 cm: 9.0%) or for a high SBR grade (III: 24.7%, II: 12.1%, I: 3.5%). This study allowed to emphasize the prevalence of HER2 overexpression in elderly patients and for small size tumors.