Ethnic factors underlie differences in treatment and survival in early-onset breast cancer.

While the majority of cases of breast cancer affect women over 50, when it occurs in younger women it is often more aggressive, with a poorer prognosis. A US hospital-based survey shows that women from African-American and Hispanic backgrounds are more likely to have early-onset breast cancer than white women. They found that 6.3 per cent and 6.2 per cent of all breast tumours occurred in African-American and Hispanic women under 35, respectively, compared to 2.8 per cent in white women in this age group.

Moreover, other new data shows that the mortality rate from early-onset breast cancer is three fold higher in African-Americans than in white women. Treatment also varies, with African-American women and Hispanic women being less likely to have adjuvant radiation therapy although they were more likely to get tamoxifen.

Further research should look into any genetic factors that underlie these striking differences. Clinicians should also check whether women are getting the most appropriate treatment for their disease - for instance, radiation therapy may give a survival advantage in aggressive forms of breast cancer.

Source

Cancer 1st January 2003