High Mortality Risk in Women with Breast Cancer
Author Information
Author(s): T. Norden, A. Lindgren, R. Bergstrom, L. Holmberg
Primary Institution: University Hospital, Uppsala
Hypothesis
Can specific prognostic factors identify a high mortality risk group among women with primary breast cancer?
Conclusion
Women with three or four negative prognostic factors have a significantly higher risk of dying from breast cancer compared to those with fewer factors.
Supporting Evidence
- Women with three or four negative factors had a relative risk of dying from their disease more than twice that of the others.
- Survival estimates differed by 20% at 5 years based on the number of negative prognostic signs.
- 39.8% of node-negative patients had three or more indicators of poor prognosis.
Takeaway
Some women with breast cancer have signs that mean they are more likely to get very sick. If they have three or four of these signs, they are at a much higher risk.
Methodology
The study analyzed prognostic factors in a cohort of women with primary invasive breast cancer, using life table analyses and Cox proportional hazards models.
Potential Biases
There is a potential for bias due to the lack of adjuvant systemic therapy and the specific treatment protocols followed.
Limitations
The study may not apply to all populations due to the specific cohort and treatment protocols used.
Participant Demographics
The study included 525 women, with 248 node-negative and 188 node-positive patients, with a mean age of 63.8 years for node-negative and 61.5 years for node-positive.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Confidence Interval
95% CI 1.5-3.3
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
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