Five-year survival and prognostic factors in a cohort of breast cancer patients treated in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais State, Brazil

The purpose of this study was to analyze five-year survival and the main prognostic factors among women with invasive breast cancer diagnosed from 1998 to 2000 that had undergone surgical treatment in the city of Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Study variables were: age, skin color, place of residence, tumor-related variables, and treatment-related variables. Survival functions were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method, and multivariate analysis was performed using the Cox proportional hazard model. Disease-specific survival was 81.8%. Tumor size and lymph node involvement were the main independent prognostic factors in the study population, with increased risk of death for women with tumor size greater than 2.0cm (HR = 1.97; 95% CI: 1.26-3.07) and positive axillary lymph nodes (HR = 4.04; 95% CI: 2.55-6.39). The results emphasize the need for earlier diagnosis and treatment. Access to screening at different levels of care, mainly for women at high risk, should be a key priority for the Unified National Health System in Brazil.