Differences in clinicopathological characteristics, treatment, and survival outcomes between older and younger breast cancer patients

In developing countries, breast cancer is diagnosed at a much younger age. In this study we investigate the dichotomies between older and young breast cancer patients in our region. The study involved two cohorts; older patients (>= 65 years, n=553) and younger ones (<= 40 years, n=417). Statistical models were used to investigate the associations between age groups, clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes. Compared to younger patients, older patients were more likely to present with advanced-stage disease (20.6% vs. 15.1%, p=.028). However, among those with non-metastatic disease, younger patients tended to have more aggressive pathological features, including positive axillary lymph nodes (73.2% vs. 55.6%, p<.001), T-3/4 (28.2% vs. 13.8%, p<.001) and HER2-positive disease (29.3% vs. 16.3%, p<.001). The 5-year overall survival (OS) rate was significantly better for the younger (72.1%) compared to the older (67.6%), p=.035. However, no significant difference was observed in disease-free survival (DFS) between the two groups.In conclusion, younger patients with breast cancer present with worse clinical and pathological features, albeit a better OS rate. The difference in DFS between the two groups was not insignificant, suggesting that older women were more likely to die from non-cancer related causes.

Automated summary

In developing countries, younger patients with breast cancer showed more aggressive pathological features compared to older patients, but had a better overall survival rate. There was no significant difference in disease-free survival between the two groups, indicating that older women were more likely to die from non-cancer related causes.