Stage 0 to stage III breast cancer in young women1

Abstract

Patients diagnosed with breast cancer before age 36 differ from older patients in numerous respects. They present more often with a palpable mass rather than a mammographic finding and their cancers are more advanced with features that are more aggressive. Despite aggressive treatment, most commonly with mastectomy and chemotherapy, local and distant failure rates are higher than for patients 36 and older. The higher rate of local recurrence in patients less than 36 years reflects an excess number of local recurrences in patients treated with breast conservation.