Changing patterns in the clinical characteristics of Korean patients with breast cancer during the last 15 years.
OBJECTIVE
Breast cancer has become the most common cancer in Korean women in recent years, with continuously increased incidence rates attributed to westernized lifestyles.


METHODS
Retrospective case series evaluating the changing patterns of clinical characteristics in breast cancer during the last 15 years.


METHODS
Hospitalized patients with breast cancer in a university medical center.


METHODS
A total of 5001 breast cancer patients who underwent surgery between July 1989 and March 2004 at the Asan Medical Center.


METHODS
Clinicopathologic data were collected using the online Korea Breast Cancer Registration Program, including factors such as age, symptoms, stage, surgery, reconstruction, risk factors, and survival.


RESULTS
The median age of patients slightly increased from 44 years in 1991 to 46 years in 2003. The most frequent age group was the fifth decade (41.7%) and premenopausal women younger than 50 years (64.9%). The proportion of asymptomatic patients detected by screening mammography increased from 3.8% in 1991 to 21.0% in 2003 (P<.001). The proportion of early breast cancer (stages 0 and I) increased from 34.2% in 1991 to 48.8% in 2003 (P=.013). Breast-conserving surgery has increased continuously from 5.1% in 1991 to 39.1% in 2003 (P<.001). Twelve percent of all patients who underwent mastectomies had immediate reconstruction, and the proportion showed an increasing trend, especially in skin-sparing mastectomy and transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap reconstruction. Five-year observed survival rates were 84.1%. Five-year survival rates according to stages were as follows: (1) 98.5%, stage 0; (2) 95.3%, stage I; (3) 86.0%, stage II; (4) 65.0%, stage III; and (5) 29.3%, stage IV. The number of patients with specific risk factors, such as early menarche and late first delivery, significantly increased. Of 263 high-risk patients examined for the BRCA mutation, mutations were found in 20 patients (7.6%), with 13 cases with BRCA1 and 7 cases with BRCA2.


CONCLUSIONS
The present study showed a continuous increase in the number of patients with breast cancer; the proportion of young patients, asymptomatic patients, early breast cancer, breast-conserving surgery, and immediate reconstruction after mastectomy; and the number of patients with risk factors. These results suggest that the clinical characteristics of Korean breast cancer patients reflect the patterns of Western countries.
Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Ulsan, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
Byung Ho
BH
Son
Beom Seok
BS
Kwak
Jeong Kyeung
JK
Kim
Hee Jeong
HJ
Kim
Soo Jung
SJ
Hong
Jung Sun
JS
Lee
Ui Kang
UK
Hwang
Ho Sung
HS
Yoon
Sei Hyun
SH
Ahn
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D018567:Breast Neoplasms, Male / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007723:Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008408:Mastectomy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends