A single-centre chart review exploring the adjusted association between breast cancer phenotype and prognosis

Abstract

Purpose and methods: Using a retrospective chart review, we investigated the differences in survival and prognostic factors between patients with triple-negative breast cancer (tnbc) and those with non-tnbc. The review included 1018 breast cancer patients who were diagnosed between 2000 and 2005 in Essex, Kent, and Lambton counties in Ontario, Canada.

Results: Our findings indicate that, although the unadjusted results suggested that patients with tnbc were more likely than patients with non-tnbc to die [hazard ratio (hr): 2.29; 95% confidence interval (ci): 1.33 to 2.93], an adjusted survival analysis revealed no significant difference in overall survival between the groups (hr: 1.22; 95% ci: 0.63 to 2.39). The significant predictors of survival in the adjusted analysis were age, stage of cancer, and size of cancer.

Conclusions: Our findings support those of earlier reports, which suggest that presenting tumour size is the most important prognostic factor in tnbc. Investigations into unique screening methods to identify these tumours at an earlier stage and to prevent advanced-stage cancer in this patient subpopulation are necessary.

Keywords: Triple-negative breast cancer; age; cancer-related death; survival; tumour size.

FIGURE 1

Life table survival curves for the study groups.

FIGURE 2

Adjusted survival curves for patients with triple-negative and non-triple-negative breast cancer.