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Prognosis of Metaplastic Breast Cancer: A Population-Based Matched Cohort Study
Marie Bergman1,2, Aglaia Schiza3, Ceren Boyaci4
1Department of Oncology, Central Hospital, Karlstad, Sweden.
Cancer Medicine
|January 28, 2026
Summary
Metaplastic breast cancer (metBC) survival outcomes appear comparable to no special type (NST) breast cancer when managed appropriately. Further large-scale studies are needed to confirm these findings for rare breast cancer subtypes.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Pathology
Background:
- Metaplastic breast cancer (metBC) is a rare and challenging breast cancer subtype.
- The prognostic impact of metBC's unique histology is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the survival outcomes of metaplastic breast cancer (metBC).
- To compare prognosis between metBC and no special type (NST) breast cancer.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of Swedish Cancer Registry data (2008-2018).
- Matched cohort study comparing 127 metBC patients with 245 NST breast cancer patients (2:1 ratio).
- Survival analysis using cause-specific hazard and Cox proportional-hazards models for BCSS and OS.
Main Results:
- Median follow-up was 54 months.
- Adjusted analyses showed no significant difference in breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) (HR: 1.13; 95% CI: 0.66-1.92) or overall survival (OS) (HR: 1.23; 95% CI: 0.83-1.82) for metBC versus NST.
- No statistically significant association between metBC and poorer survival outcomes was found.
Conclusions:
- Metaplastic breast cancer (metBC) may have comparable survival to no special type (NST) breast cancer with appropriate treatment.
- Larger studies and longer follow-up are necessary to fully elucidate metBC prognosis.
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