05 Oct The Occurrence of Breast Cancer in Young Women and the Research Results
According to research published by ESMO (Clinical Practice Guidelines on Breast Cancer), the occurrence of breast cancer in women under the age of 40 does not necessarily mean that patients will have a lower survival rate or a greater risk of recurrence. In order to prevent these unpleasant consequences, it is of course necessary to follow the correct treatment and surgical treatment protocols.
In more detail, the research data show that 1/8 of women will get breast cancer with the most common age of onset being 50 years. Usually, the most aggressive breast cancer occurs in young women, but this does not imply lower survival rates. At this point, the importance of applying the appropriate oncological treatments defined by international protocols must be emphasized. These are the results of the latest scientific research in the field of oncology.
Breast cancer in its most aggressive forms
The aggressiveness of breast cancer in young patients was established by a Portuguese study involving 200 women aged <35 years. It was observed that 5% of cancers affect younger patients with the following percentages: triple negative (20%), HER2+ (28%), Luminal B (67%). With regard to the free survival of the woman who has suffered from breast cancer, i.e. the time period starting from the surgery until the eventual recurrence of the cancer or a metastasis, the results show that the duration of this period is longer in women with hormone-sensitive breast cancer. Then follow the women with HER2 positive and finally those with triple negative breast cancer. What is the recurrence rate of breast cancer in young women?
According to a Swiss study examining more than 350 women aged 50 years or younger with stage I-III invasive breast cancer treated at the Ticino Breast Unit in Lugano, the 5-year survival rate was estimated at 93%. In a re-check carried out after about 4 years in 29 cases, the results showed 14 cases of recurrence, i.e. recurrence of cancer in the same breast and 15 cases of metastases. The average time period for cancer recurrence is estimated at 31 months with a rate of 8.2%.
Breast cancer and the myth of a lower chance of survival
In order to achieve high survival rates in breast cancer patients, it is necessary that the correct treatment is applied by specialized doctors with experience in breast centers that follow European and international protocols in Clinical Trial Centers (CTC) that use new treatments and surgical techniques to treat of cancer. In this way, higher survival outcomes are sought and achieved.
Bibliography
Breast cancer in young women – a multicenter 10-year experience. Annals of Oncology, volume 30, 2019 Supplement 3, doi:10.1093/annonc/mdz095