title: A cross-sectional study of elderly Asian and European women with primary operable breast cancer aged 70 and older. Are there differences?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Breast cancer (BC) is becoming a disease of the elderly. Additionally, BC-incidence is rising in Asia. The aim of this study was to explore clinico-pathological characteristics and differences of breast cancer in elderly Asian/Han-Chinese compared to Caucasian/Austrian women.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total number of 630 consecutive primary operable, unilateral breast cancer cases, 70 years and older, were analyzed. Histo-pathological findings and biological characteristics of 198 Caucasian/Austrian were compared with 432 Asian/Han-Chinese. Pearson's chi-square test was used to assess differences in the analyzed populations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A significantly higher rate of triple-negative BC (p=0.027) was diagnosed among the Chinese geriatric population. More estrogen-receptor positive BC was detected in the Caucasian study group (p<0.001). No statistically significant differences were detected based on tumor size, axillary lymph-node status, nor HER2-receptor expression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study will help us gain additional ethnic-specific insight into the biological characteristics of breast cancer in the elderly Caucasian/Austrian and Asian/Han-Chinese populations.
authors.affiliation: Fudan University Shanghai, Cancer Institute, Department of Breast Surgery, Shanghai, China. muy-kheng.tea@meduniwien.ac.at
authors.forename: Muy-Kheng M
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Tea
authors.forename: Lichen
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Gen-Hong
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Di
authors.forename: Dana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Muin
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Steurer
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Delancey
authors.forename: Zhi-Ming
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.forename: Christian F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Singer
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001208:Asia; D044466:Asian People; D001317:Austria; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D044465:White People
chemical_list: D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen