Young breast cancer: A single center experience

Breast cancer in women aged less than 35 years is uncommon and accounts for 1-2% of all breast cancer in the West. There is a paucity of data on young breast cancer from India. The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical, pathological, prognostic factors and outcome in young breast cancer patients.

This analysis was performed in 251 patients aged <35 years or less (defined as breast cancer in the young), who were registered at our institute over an 11 year period between 2001 and 2011.

The median age was 31 years (range 18-35). Positive family history (siblings and parents) was elicited in only 10 patients. The TNM stage distribution was: Stage I was 2.5%, stage II - 20.5%, stage III - 55% and stage IV - 22%. The median clinical tumor size was 5.1 cm. Modified radical mastectomy was the most common surgical procedure and this was done in 79% of cases. 40% of tumors were high grade and 60% had pathological node positive disease. Estrogen and Progesterone and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2/neu positivity were 33% and 29% respectively. Triple negative breast cancer constituted 31% of patients. With a median follow-up of 30 months, 3 years relapse free survival and overall survival was 51% and 66%.

Young women constituted 8% of breast cancer cases. Advanced disease at presentation and triple negativity (nearly one third of patients) results poor outcome.