title: Breast cancer in very young women: Clinicopathological study of 149 patients ≤25 years old.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Breast cancer in young women has different clinical and pathologic features and a more aggressive biological behavior when compared to breast cancers in older women. However, information is limited to the group of very young women (≤25 years).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present study was to investigate the pathological characteristics of breast cancer in 149 Brazilian women who were ≤25 years old at the time of breast cancer diagnosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tumor samples diagnosed between 2003 and 2009 were analyzed from the archives of the Bacchi Laboratory.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In our series of 149 Brazilian women ≤25 years, 8.7% presented with in situ disease only. Of 136 invasive carcinomas, 91.9% were of the ductal type and 45.6% were of histological grade III. Overall, estrogen receptor (ER) was positive in 59.6% cases, and HER2 overexpression was detected in 32.8%. We also found a low prevalence of Luminal A cases and a high prevalence of Triple Negative cases. Statistical analysis showed that HER2 and basal-like groups had a lower overall survival expectation. Follow-up data showed high frequencies of regional lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, and tumor-related deaths.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study represents the largest series of breast cancer arising in women ≤25 years and establishes the main clinical, pathological, immunohistochemical and follow-up features of this population.
authors.affiliation: Bacchi Lab/Consultoria em Patologia, Botucatu, SP, Brazil; Department of Pathology of Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: de Deus Moura
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology of Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Filomena M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.affiliation: Bacchi Lab/Consultoria em Patologia, Botucatu, SP, Brazil; Department of Pathology of Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. Electronic address: bacchi@conspat.com.br.
authors.forename: Carlos E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Bacchi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002285:Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D064726:Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human
keywords: Breast cancer; Immunohistochemistry; Very young