Impact of breast surgery on survival in women presenting with metastatic breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Advanced breast cancer is common in less affluent parts of Asia. The impact of breast surgery on survival of women presenting with metastatic breast cancer in this setting was investigated. METHODS: Women presenting with metastatic breast cancer at the initial diagnosis at the University Malaya Medical Centre (Malaysia) between 1993 and 2008 were included in the study. Mortality of patients who had primary breast surgery was compared with that of those without surgery, and adjusted for possible confounders by means of a propensity score. RESULTS: Of 3689 patients, 375 (10·2 per cent) presented with metastatic disease. One hundred and thirty-nine patients (37·1 per cent) underwent surgery. A total of 330 deaths occurred during 6814 person-months of follow-up. The 2-year survival rate was 21·2 (95 per cent confidence interval (c.i.) 15·9 to 26·5) per cent in women who did not have surgery and 46·3 (37·7 to 54·9) per cent in those who had breast surgery. Breast surgery was associated with a 28 per cent lower risk of death (hazard ratio 0·72, 95 per cent c.i. 0·56 to 0·94), after adjustment for patient and tumour characteristics, metastatic profile and treatment. CONCLUSION: Surgical resection of the primary breast tumour was independently associated with a survival advantage in patients presenting with metastatic breast cancer.

Factors affecting estrogen receptor status in a multiracial Asian country: an analysis of 3557 cases.

Estrogen receptor (ER) positive rates in breast cancer may be influenced by grade, stage, age and race. This study reviews the ER positive rates over a 15-year period at the University Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Data on ER status of 3557 patients from 1994 to 2008 was analyzed. ER status was determined by immunohistochemistry with a cut-off point of 10%. ER positivity increased by about 2% for every 5-year cohort, from 54.5% in 1994-1998 to 58.4% in 2004-2008. Ethnicity and grade were significantly associated with ER positivity rates: Malay women were found to have a higher risk of ER negative tumors compared with Chinese women. Grade 1 cancers were nine times more likely to be ER positive compared with grade 3 cancers. In summary, the proportion of ER positive cancers increased with each time period, and ethnicity and grade were independent factors that influenced ER positive rates.

Comparison of breast cancer in Indonesia and Malaysia--a clinico-pathological study between Dharmais Cancer Centre Jakarta and University Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur.

INTRODUCTION: The age standardised incidence rate (ASR) of breast cancer in Malaysia which is a high middle- income country is similar to Indonesia, a low middle-income country. (Globocan 2008) It is however unknown whether the presentation of breast cancer differs between these two countries. OBJECTIVE: We compared the stage, age at presentation, and pathological characteristics of breast cancer between two tertiary hospitals in Indonesia and Malaysia; Dharmais Cancer Centre (DCC), which is the national cancer referral centre in Indonesia, and University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), which is an academic hospital with established breast oncology services in Kuala Lumpur. One thousand, one hundred and fourteen consecutive women (477 in UMMC: 637 in DCC) who were newly diagnosed with breast cancer between January and December, 2010 were included. Patient's age, TNM stage at presentation, and pathological characteristics were compared. Estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) were considered positive if 10% or greater of invasive cell nuclei were stained while HER2 was considered positive with an immunohistochemistry staining intensity of 3+ . Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify differences. RESULTS: Median age at diagnosis was 52 years in UMMC and 47 years in DCC, whereby patients in DCC were more likely to be very young at diagnosis (aged < 35 years) compared to their counterparts in UMMC (Odds ratio (OR): 2.09; 95%CI: 1.32-3.31). Approximately one third of patients in UMMC presented with TNM stage III or IV, compared to 63% in DCC. Patients in DCC were three times more likely to present with metastatic breast cancer compared to patients in UMMC (OR: 3.01; 95% CI: 2.02-4.48). The percentage of low grade tumours in DCC was higher than in UMMC (28% vs 11% respectively), and the difference persisted even after multivariate adjustment. Although the frequency of ER and PR positivity appeared to be higher in UMMC (65% and 55% respectively) compared to DCC (48% and 40% respectively), these differences were not statistically significant following adjustment for age, stage, HER2 status and grade. The frequency of HER2 positivity was 45% in DCC compared to 26% in UMMC, and remained significantly higher even after multivariate adjustment (multivariate OR:1.76; 95%CI:1.25-2.47, in DCC compared to UMMC). The proportion of triple negative breast cancer was however similar in the two centres (19% in UMMC vs 21% in DCC). CONCLUSION: Indonesian women with breast cancer seem to present at a younger age and at later stages compared to Malaysian women. Their tumors were more likely to be of low grade and HER2 positive, even after adjustment for other factors, while hormone receptor positivity proved similar in the two groups. The higher HER2 positivity rate in Indonesian patients warrants further study.