title: Differences in breast cancer characteristics and outcomes between Caucasian and Chinese women in the US.
abstract: Chinese breast cancer patients living in the United States (US) can experience different disease patterns than Caucasians, which might allow for predicting the future epidemiology of breast cancer in China. We aimed to compare the clinicopathologic characteristics and outcomes of Caucasian and Chinese female breast cancer patients residing in the US. The study cohort consisted of 3868 Chinese and 208621 Caucasian women (diagnosed from 1990 to 2009) in the US Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Compared with the Caucasian patients, the US-residing Chinese patients had a younger age at diagnosis and a higher family income, remained married longer, and more frequently lived in metropolitan areas. Other tumor characteristics were similarly distributed between the two races. Compared with the Caucasians, the Chinese patients had a significantly improved overall survival (OS) but similar breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS). Our analysis suggested that US-residing Chinese patients had significant differences in age, family income, marital status and area of residence, compared with their Caucasian counterparts. No significant disparities were noted in BCSS between the two races, whereas the Chinese patients had a significantly better OS. These findings warrant further investigation and should be considered in the screening and treatment of breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, Affiliated Union Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.
authors.forename: Dan-Na
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, Affiliated Union Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.
authors.forename: Chuan-Gui
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Cancer Center, Traditional Chinese Medicine-Integrated Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.|Department of Breast Surgery, The Third Hospital of Nanchang, Nanchang, China.
authors.forename: Qian-Wen
authors.initials: QW
authors.lastname: Ouyang
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Yi-Zhou
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, Affiliated Union Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.
authors.forename: Fu-Gui
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Fang-Jing
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Cancer Center, Traditional Chinese Medicine-Integrated Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Rong-Cheng
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Zhi-Ming
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Shao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001213:Asian / Q000208:ethnology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008875:Middle Aged; D018426:SEER Program; D014481:United States; D044465:White People / Q000208:ethnology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Caucasian; Chinese; breast cancer; clinicopathological characteristics; prognosis