Survival of female patients with breast cancer in the reproductive age group: A retrospective study using SEER database

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women worldwide. The progressive rise in breast cancer incidence in young and reproductive-aged women is a cause for concern. Objectives: The primary objective of this study was to investigate the survival of patients with breast cancer in women from the reproductive age group (15-49 years). The secondary objective was to identify significant factors associated with their survival. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was performed in the Department of Statistics, Utkal University, Odisha, India. We utilized data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, specifically from November 2020, covering 2000 - 2018, maintained by the National Cancer Institute. The Kaplan-Meier non-parametric estimation technique was used for survival estimation, and standard Cox proportional hazard (PH) and Cox PH with a gamma frailty term were employed to determine significant potential determinants. Results: Among women with breast cancer in the reproductive age group, the average survival time was 97.4 months (8.1 years), and the overall survival probability was 0.836. Young women ( 49 years). This study provides evidence that the ER/PR/HER2 status is an important prognostic factor and should be considered in the management and treatment decisions for patients with breast cancer in this population.

Keywords

• breast cancer
• reproductive age group
• survival
• seer database