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The Effect of Age on Delay in Diagnosis and Stage of Breast Cancer Full Text
The Oncologist, 06/22/2012
Partridge AH et al. – Young age is not an independent predictor of delay in diagnosis of breast cancer and only modestly is associated with higher stage disease. Presenting with symptoms of breast cancer predicts delay and higher stage at diagnosis.
Methods- The authors examined data from women with newly diagnosed stage I–IV breast cancer presenting to one of eight National Comprehensive Cancer Network centers in January 2000 to December 2007.
- Delay in diagnosis was defined as time from initial sign or symptom to breast cancer diagnosis >60days.
- Among 21,818 women with breast cancer eligible for analysis, 2,445 were aged ≤40years at diagnosis.
- Young women were not more likely to have a delay in diagnosis >60days (odds ratio [OR], 1.08; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.98–1.19) after adjustment for type of initial sign or symptom.
- Young women were only modestly more likely to present with higher stage disease after a similar adjustment (OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.07–1.31).
- Women presenting with symptomatic disease, more common in younger women, were more likely to have a delay in diagnosis (OR, 3.31; 95% CI, 3.08–3.56) and higher stage (OR, 4.31; 95% CI 4.05–4.58).
