Breast Cancer Recurrence and Study of Factors Associated with Survival after Recurrence

Abstract

Madiha Liaqat, Shahid Kamal and Waqas Fazil

Background: Breast cancer is the most occurring threat for women across world, survival of this deadly disease is effected by recurrence after primary treatment. This study was aimed to understand survival times, hazard ratios and prognostic factors of breast cancer after recurrence.

Methods: This study was conducted on 1028 Pakistani women through retrospective design from February, 2011 to February, 2018 at Punjab, Pakistan. Factors were analyzed using statistical tools and techniques to find out rate of mortality after recurrence. Descriptive statistics, univariate and multivariate hazard ratios were calculated, which are helpful for clinicians to make therapeutic strategies for breast cancer patients.

Results: From the total of 1028 patients 447 observed mortality due to breast cancer with in follow-up time after recurrence, while 581 were still alive or had expired due to other reasons. Median survival time after recurrence was 3 years. Survival of breast cancer patients depends upon many factors. Multivariate model was used to find out predictors of death. Significant factors included post- menopausal women who were diagnosed breast cancer of grade 11 and 111 at the age ≤ 45 and/or ≥ 56, recurrence age ≤ 45, estrogen receptor positive, progesterone receptor negative and Her2.neu positive with tumor size ≥ 4 & involved lymph nodes ≥ 6.

Conclusions: At younger age survival of patients had decreased after recurrence. Chemotherapy as a primary treatment had statistically significant effect on lower mortality for women recurred. Progesterone receptor negative have greater chances of mortality .Grade 11 & 111 tumor with, larger tumor size and greater number of lymph nodes had the highest hazards.

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