Breast cancer in moroccan young women: a retrospective study

Abstract

BackgroundBreast cancer is uncommon in young women and induces more aggressive biologic characteristics. Survival in young women has been widely studied in developed countries. Less favorable prognosis and low survival were found.In Morocco, this study is the first investigation of clinical features, treatment and prognosis associated with breast cancer in young women.FindingsFour hundred and nine women aged 35 years or less were included in this study. All these women were diagnosed as having breast cancer at the National Institute of Oncology in Rabat, Morocco between 2003 and 2007. The relation between clinical and therapeutic characteristics and event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) were assessed by Cox regression analysis.The median age of the patients was 32 years. Fifty three patients (13%) have metastatic disease at diagnosis and 356 patients (87%) had localised disease. In 57.9% of the cases, the estrogen receptors status was positive. The median follow-up was 32.2 months. After 3 years the survival rate was 80.6%. In the case of localised disease, OS and EFS at 3 years were 83.2% and 62.5%, respectively. OS and EFS at 3 years was higher in patients with stage I than patients with stage II and stage III (p = 0.001). Positive estrogen receptors was significantly associated to OS and EFS at 3 years compared to negative estrogen receptors (p = 0.001). Adjuvant chemotherapy, adjuvant radiotherapy and adjuvant hormone therapy were associated with net benefit in OS and EFS at 3 years. Cox regression analysis showed that negative ER was significantly associated with poorer OS (HR = 2.42, 95% CI = 1.25 - 4.66, p < 0.009) and poorer EFS (HR = 1.73, 95%CI = 1.05 - 2.86, p = 0.03). Stage III disease were associated to poorer EFS (HR = 5.35, 95%CI = 1.60 -17.84, p = 0.006).ConclusionsIn Morocco, young women with breast cancer had less favorable prognosis. Multivariate analysis showed that negative hormone receptor status was associated with lower EFS and OS. Clinical trials should be launched to improve the survival of these young women with breast cancer.

Risk factors of recurrence in small-sized, node negative breast cancer in young women: a retrospective study in Chinese population

“…In the present study, we found that there was no difference in RFS between mastectomy and BCS+radiotherapy groups. This is consistent with a retrospective study of Moroccan young women by Abahssain et al [13]. Although the NCCN guidelines refer to age <35 years as a relative contraindication for BCS, BCS+radiotherapy seems to be a reasonable local treatment choice for early breast cancer in patients <35 years.…”

Survival rates of patients with breast cancer in countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…A number of factors may affect the survival rates in women with breast cancer, e.g. late presentation and diagnosis at an advanced stage, more aggressive tumours in young women (20,24,25), and hormonal, immunological and biological differences between younger and older women (26,27). This hormonal difference in young women may result in more rapidly growing tumour and thus reduced survival rates (26,28).…”

Outcome of Breast Cancer in Moroccan Young Women Correlated to Clinic-Pathological Features, Risk Factors and Treatment: A Comparative Study of 716 Cases in a Single Institution

“…Breast cancer in young women is uncommon and very aggressive [ 2 ]. In the literature, there is not a wide definition of young women with breast cancer; sometimes they are defined as women under 35, sometimes women under 40 or 50 years [ 3 – 5 ]. In other publications, young women are attributed to all premenopausal women [ 6 ].…”