Breast Cancer Recurrence in Women of all Ages Studied

Young women diagnosed with a common form of early-stage breast cancer called ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) are no more likely to have recurrences than older women with the disease, a new study finds.

Common thinking has been that women ages 40 and younger, when diagnosed with DCIS, were more likely to have it recur, says Dr. Aruna Turaka, of Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia.

But a study presented at a recent American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology meeting found otherwise.

According to the National Cancer Institute, DCIS is a noninvasive condition in which abnormal cells are found in the lining of a breast duct, but have not spilled out from the duct to other breast tissues.

The American Cancer Society reports about 62,000 cases of in situ cancer are diagnosed each year.

Recurrence Rates Similar in all Ages

In the new study, Dr. Turaka looked at the institutional database at Fox Chase from 1978 to 2007. All of the DCIS patients were treated with breast-conserving surgery and radiation.

The researchers examined the records of 440 patients with DCIS; 24 were 40 or younger; the rest were ages 41 and older. The team then looked at follow-up records from 10 and 15 years after treatment.

"The overall recurrence over 10 years was 7 percent, and at 15 years, 8 percent," she says.

Ranked by age, Dr. Turaka found that at the 15-year follow-up, 10 percent of women 40 and under had a cancer recurrence, while 7 percent of those ages 41-54 did, 11 percent of those ages 55-69 did, and 4 percent of those ages 70 and older did.

"It shows there is a trend toward increased recurrence in younger versus older, but it is not statistically significant," Dr. Turaka notes.

Prior studies did find a higher risk of recurrence in younger women with DCIS, she says, but those studies also had some methodology problems, including using varying definitions for DCIS.

Fine-Tuning Treatment with this Knowledge

One expert applauds the new study.

"They have debunked the commonly held belief that age alone is a risk factor for recurrence after treatment of DCIS," says Dr. Ann Partridge, at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

Dr. Partridge has researched women's anxiety over their prognosis when diagnosed with a DCIS.

She found that women are typically highly anxious, even though their risk of recurrence or of developing invasive breast cancer is low.

"I think this is a good study," says Dr. Partridge, although it is only a single-institution study.

She notes, however, that Fox Chase physicians "are doing what they should be doing" and are careful about selecting the right treatment for their patients.

Always consult your physician for more information.