An autopsy study of metastatic sites of breast cancer.

Abstract

Summary A total of 374 women with cancer of the breast died and were autopsied at Roswell Park Memorial Institute. This patient population was examined with regard to age at the time of onset of symptoms, duration of disease, and distribution of metastases in various organs. The distribution of metastases in a younger and older age group in relation to the duration of the disease was analyzed. It appears that, with 50 years of age as the dividing point, cancer of the breast is more aggressive in its metastatic spread in younger women than in older women; however, age difference is not a factor when younger women survive more than 5 years.