Breast Cancer in Women Aged ≤35 Years: A Single-Center Retrospective Comparative Analysis by Age Subgroup

Background/Objectives: The prognostic significance of young age in breast cancer (BC) remains controversial, with varying findings across studies. This study aimed to evaluate the imaging characteristics, pathological features, and survival outcomes of BC in young patients aged ≤ 35 years by dividing them into two groups and to compare outcomes between these subgroups to determine whether very young age alone is associated with worse prognosis. Methods: This retrospective study included patients aged ≤ 35 years with malignant breast lesions who underwent image-guided interventions at a single center between January 2011 and December 2024. Patients were divided into two groups: Group 1 (≤30 years) and Group 2 (31-35 years). Demographic, imaging, and pathological data, as well as survival outcomes, were analyzed. Results: A total of 34 patients (Group 1: n = 14, Group 2: n = 20) with malignant breast lesions underwent 40 image-guided procedures. No significant differences were observed between groups in imaging features, pathological characteristics, or pTNM stage distribution. Median follow-up was 68 months. One-year overall survival (OS) was 100% in both cohorts; 5-year OS rates were 100% and 92.3%, respectively, with no statistically significant difference (p = 0.784). Median event-free survival (EFS) was 60.5 months, also without a significant difference between groups (p = 0.897). None of the clinicopathological factors assessed were significantly associated with OS in this exploratory analysis. Conclusions: In women ≤ 35 years, tumor characteristics and patient outcomes were similar between those aged ≤ 30 and 31-35 years. OS and EFS were favorable in both groups, indicating that within the ≤35-year population studied, being ≤30 years old was not associated with worse outcomes than being 31-35 years old. Although advanced stage disease was more frequently observed in the younger group, this difference was not statistically significant.