Authors: Lan Huang Karen A Johnson Angela B Mariotto James J Dignam Eric J Feuer
Publish Date: 2010/02/04
Volume: 123, Issue: 1, Pages: 257-264
Abstract
This study investigated the trends over time in age and stage specific populationbased survival of estrogen receptor negative ER− breast cancer patients by examining the fraction of cured patients and the median survival time for uncured patients Causespecific survival data from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results program for cases diagnosed during 1992–1998 were used in mixed survival cure models to evaluate the cure fraction and the extension in survival for uncured patients Survival trends were compared with adjuvant chemotherapy data available from an overlapping patternsofcare study For stage II N+ disease the largest increase in cure fraction was 44–60 P = 00257 for women aged ≥70 in contrast to a 7–8 point increase for women aged 50 or 50–69 P = 0056 and 0038 respectively For women with stage III disease the increases in the cure fraction were not statistically significant although women aged 50–69 had a 10 point increase P = 0103 Increases in cure fraction correspond with increases in the use of adjuvant chemotherapy particularly for the oldest age group In this article for the first time we estimate the cure fraction for ER− patients We notice that at age ≥70 the accelerated increase in cure fraction from 1992 to 1998 for women with stage II N+ compared with stage III suggests a selective benefit for chemotherapy in the lower stage groupThe authors wish to thank the editors and the referees for comments and suggestions Work JJD was supported in part by a research grant from the Susan G Komen for the Cure Foundation The clinical trials data for Fig 1 generation was obtained under Public Health Service grants NCIU10CA69651 and NCIU10CA12027 from the US National Cancer Institute
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