Primary Breast Malignancy in Children and Adolescents: A Population-Based Study

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Pediatric Oncology

Background:

• Primary breast cancer in children and adolescents is rare and distinct from adult presentations.
• Limited comprehensive studies exist on pediatric breast cancer prognosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To predict overall survival (OS) in pediatric patients with breast cancer using a population-based cohort.
• To identify key prognostic factors for pediatric breast cancer survival.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database (2000-2019) for demographic and clinicopathological data.
• Employed Kaplan-Meier, log-rank tests, and Cox proportional hazards regression for survival analysis.
• Developed a nomogram for predicting OS in pediatric breast cancer patients.

Main Results:

• Analyzed 115 pediatric patients (median age 18 years).
• Phyllodes tumor (36.5%) and infiltrating duct carcinoma (31.3%) were predominant histological types.
• SEER stage and M stage were identified as significant independent predictors of OS.

Conclusions:

• SEER stage and M stage are critical predictors of overall survival in pediatric breast cancer.
• This study addresses a significant gap in understanding the prognosis of this rare pediatric malignancy.