Abstract 215P
Background
Breast cancer in young adults accounts for 5-6 % of all cancers in this age group. There are very few studies from India evaluating the trend and outcomes of breast cancer in this subgroup. The present study looked at the demographic features, clinical presentation, and outcomes in this group of patients treated at our center.
Methods
Breast cancer patients between the age of 15-30 years with histologically confirmed invasive breast carcinoma treated at our institute from January 2009 to December 2016 were included. Pregnancy-associated breast cancers (PABC) were defined as breast cancer diagnosed either during pregnancy or up to 1-year post-pregnancy in the postpartum period.
Results
Young adult breast cancers were reported in 145 out of 6000 patients (2.41%) diagnosed with breast cancer in the study period. The median age of the patients was 29 years (21-30 years). Stage I, II, III, and IV was observed in 3.4%, 33.7%, 46.2%, and 16.5% of patients respectively. Invasive ductal carcinoma was the most common pathology observed in 126/145 (86.8%) patients, 54.4% (79/145) were ER positive, 25.5% (37/145) Her2 positive, 21.3% (31/145) triple negative, and 24.8% (36/145) had an inconclusive Her2 status. MRM was done in 61.3% (89/145) patients and BCS in 13.1% (19/145). PABC were observed in 32 out of 145 patients (22.06%). Among them, 20/145 (13.8%) were diagnosed with breast cancer in the postpartum period, 10/145 (6.9%) in the third trimester, and 2/145 (1.3%) in the second trimester of pregnancy. The median follow-up was 45 months (1.7-128.1). The 5-year EFS and OS for stage I, II, III and IV was 100%, 74.5%, 47.9% and 0% and 100%, 90.8%, 55.1% and 0% respectively. On univariate and multivariate analysis, stage of the disease and PABC were found to have a significant association with decreased EFS and OS (p< 0.001, p=0.008 and p<0.001, p=0.001 respectively). It was observed that 11/145 (7.5%) of the patients conceived naturally and had a healthy child during the follow-up study.
Conclusions
Breast cancers in young adults are rare but need to be diagnosed at an early stage to improve survival. PABC needs to be managed optimally without delay owing to their aggressive tumor biology. Fertility issues are very pertinent in this group of patients and need special attention.
Legal entity responsible for the study
Cancer Institute Adyar Chennai, Chennai, India.
Funding
Has not received any funding.
Disclosure
The author has declared no conflicts of interest.