Summary
Conflicting opinions exist concerning clinical and pathological presentation, as well as evolution and prognosis, of breast cancer in young women. The roles of associated pregnancy and lactation on these parameters is also unclear. These two conditions are studied in the present work through the comparison of two breast cancer patient age groups: patients under the age of 30 (Group A) and premenopausal patients aged 45–49 (Group B).
Rapidly growing and/or inflammatory breast cancer (rapidly progressing breast cancer: RPBC) — a special form of Breast Cancer with a poor prognosis very frequent in the Tunisian breast cancer population — was more often present among Group A patients. This difference is a consequence of the more frequent association of this breast cancer group with pregnancy or lactation; nearly all the cases of breast cancer associated with pregnancy or lactation are RPBC. For breast cancer without the pregnancy/lactation association, the younger group generally shows poorer histological grading and more severe evolution.
The number of patients in our study is not really sufficient to allow statistically significant conclusions, but it does seem clear that young age and associated pregnancy/lactation are aggravating factors in Tunisian breast cancer patients.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
McSweeney MB, Egan RL: Breast cancer in the younger patient: a preliminary report. In: Brunner S, Langfeldt B, Anderson PE (eds): Recent Results in Cancer Research. Springer Verlag, 1984, p 36
Moore DH, Moore DH II, Moore CT: Breast carcinoma etiological factors. In: Klein G, Weinhouse S (eds): Advances in Cancer Research, vol. 40, Academic Press, London, 1983, pp 189–253
Brightmore JGJ, Greening WP, Hamlin I: An analysis of clinical and histopathological features in 101 cases of carcinoma of the breast in women under 35 years of age. Br J Cancer 24: 644–668, 1970
Haagensen CD: Diseases of the Breast, 2nd Ed. WB Saunders Co, Philadelphia, 1971, pp 655–664
Henser LS, Spratt JS, Kuhns JG, Chang AFC, Polk HC, Buchanan JB: The association of pathologic and mammographic characteristics of primary human breast cancers with ‘slow’ and ‘fast’ growth rates and with axillary lymph node metastases. Cancer 53: 96–98, 1984
Primary Therapy of Breast Cancer Study Group: Identification of breast cancer patients with high risk of early recurrence after radical mastectomy, II. Clinical and pathological correlations. Cancer 42: 2809–2826, 1978
Horsley JS, Alrich EM, Wright CB: Carcinoma of the breast in women 35 years of age or younger. Ann Surg 169: 839–842, 1969
Briks DM, Crawford GM, Ellison LG, Johnstone RC: Carcinoma of the breast in women 30 years of age or less. Surg Gynecol Obstet 137: 21–25, 1973
Treves N, Holleb AI: A report of 549 cases of breast cancer in women 35 years of age or younger. Surg Gynecol Obstet 107: 271, 1958
Wallgren A, Silfverswärd C, Hultborn A: Carcinoma of the breast in women under 30 years of age. Cancer 40: 916–923, 1977
Black MM, Hankey BF, Barclay TH: Parity as a prognosis factor in young breast cancer patients. J Natl Cancer Inst 70: 1–27, 1983
Tabbane F, Muenz LR, Jaziri M, Cammoun M, Belhassen S, Mourali N: Clinical and prognostic features of a rapidly progressing breast cancer in Tunisia. Cancer 40: 376–382, 1977
Mourali N, Tabbane F, Jaziri M, Cammoun M, Belhassen S: Fulminating breast cancer: clinical features. In Niebur (ed): Prevention and Detection of Cancer, Part 1, Vol 1. Marcel Dekker, New York, 1977, pp 545–554
TNM General Rules. Geneva, International Union Against Cancer, 1969
Bloom HJG: Prognosis in carcinoma of the breast. Br J Cancer 20: 36–40, 1966
Scarff RW, Handley RS: Prognosis in carcinoma of the breast. Lancet ii: 582–583, 1938
Fisher ER: Pathology of breast cancer. In: McGuire WL (ed): Breast Cancer: Advances in Research and Treatment, Vol 1. Plenum, New York, 1977, pp 75–78
Bloom HJG, Richardson WW: Histological grading and prognosis in breast cancer. Br J Cancer 11: 359, 1957
Bloom HJG, Field JR: Impact of tumor grade and host resistance on survival of women with breast cancer. Cancer 28: 1580–1589, 1971
Black MM, Opler SR, Speer FD: Survival in breast cancer cases in relation to the structure of the primary tumor and regional lymph nodes. Surg Gynecol Obstet 105: 97–102, 1955
Parl FF, Dupont WD: A retrospective cohort study of histologic risk factors in breast cancer patients. Cancer 50: 2410–2416, 1982
Fisher ER, Redmond C, Fisher B: Pathologic findings from the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast Project: Discriminants for five year treatment failures. Cancer 46: 908–918, 1980
Mourali N, Tabbane F, Muenz L, Bahi J, Belhassen S, Kamaraju L, Levine PH: Preliminary results of primary systemic chemotherapy by CMF in association with local regional treatment in rapidly progressing breast cancer. Br J Cancer 45: 367–374, 1982
Kaplan EL, Meier P: Non-parametric estimation for incomplete observations. J Am Stat Assoc 53: 457–481, 1958
Hill C, Benhamou E, Rey A: Construction d'une courbe de survie. Rev du Praticien, Paris 33: 1039–1050, 1983
Rouessé J, Contesso G, Génin J, Sarrazin D, Weiler J, May-Levin F: Les adénocarcinomes du sein chez les femmes de moins de trente ans. Bull du Cancer, Paris 59: 41–60, 1972
Lacour J, Mourali N, Weiler J, Denoix P: Cancer du sein et grossesse. Rev du Praticien, Paris 17: 1231–1239, 1967
Costa J, Webber BL, Muenz L, O'Conor GT, Tabbane F, Belhassen S, Levine PH, Mourali N: Histological features of rapidly progressing breast cancer in Tunisia: a study of 158 consecutive cases. Int J Cancer 30: 35–37, 1982
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tabbane, F., El May, A., Hachiche, M. et al. Breast cancer in women under 30 years of age. Breast Cancer Res Tr 6, 137–144 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02235745
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02235745