title: Breast cancer in very young women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose was to analyse the characteristics, treatment, recurrences and survival of very young women with breast cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  212 female breast cancer patients ≤35 years old were treated during 1997-2007. The median follow-up time was 78 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  117 patients had lymph node metastases and 14 distant metastases at diagnosis. 81 (38%) tumours were hormone receptor negative and 130 (65%) grade 3. HER2 positivity was seen in 47 (34%) and triple negativity in 35 (26%) of the 137 tumours with known HER2 status. 140 women were treated with mastectomy and 68 with breast conserving surgery. 163 patients received postoperative radiotherapy, 175 adjuvant chemotherapy, 95 endocrine therapy and 18 trastuzumab. 63 patients experienced a recurrence, of which 20 had only a locoregional recurrence. 10 (15%) of the women with breast conserving surgery experienced ipsilateral breast tumour recurrence while ipsilateral thoracic wall recurrence was seen in 8 patients (6%) after mastectomy. Seven of these eight patients did not receive postmastectomy radiotherapy. DFI was shorter in patients with hormone receptor positive tumours. At the end of follow-up 44 women had died. The 5-year OS was 80%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The 5-year OS for young women has become better but is still lower than for all breast cancer patients. DFI was shorter in patients with hormone receptor positive disease. Locoregional recurrences were seen more often after breast conserving surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liukkonen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leidenius
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saarto
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sjöström-Mattson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D018275:Carcinoma, Lobular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D018276:Carcinoma, Medullary / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D059186:Chemoradiotherapy, Adjuvant; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D017273:Goserelin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D015411:Mastectomy, Modified Radical; D015412:Mastectomy, Segmental; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control; D010052:Ovariectomy; D011379:Prognosis; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000032:analysis; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000032:analysis; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000032:analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D017273:Goserelin; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human