Chemotherapy may benefit young, low risk breast cancer patients

Young age at diagnosis of breast cancer is known to predict poor outcome, but it is unclear how stage of disease at diagnosis and treatment may influence this association. Kroman and colleagues (p 474) investigated the effect of young age at diagnosis and whether this was affected by adjuvant cytotoxic treatment among Danish women. Age younger than 35 years at diagnosis was a significant independent negative prognostic factor among women with low risk disease who received no adjuvant treatment compared with women diagnosed aged 45 to 49. The negative effect of young age at diagnosis was not evident among women who had received adjuvant cytotoxic treatment. The authors suggest that all young women with breast cancer should be offered adjuvant therapy.

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