This summary table contains detailed information about research studies. While viewing summary tables offers an informative glimpse at the science behind many breast cancer guidelines and recommendations, they should be viewed with some caution. There are a number of concepts you must understand to be able to successfully read and interpret research tables. To get some background information about understanding research tables, please see How to Read a Research Table.
|
Introduction: It is well known that adjuvant chemotherapy improves survival in women with breast cancer. The 2005 report from the Early Breast Cancer Trialists’ Collaborative Group showed that women of varied ages with different types of breast cancer can benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. While women under age 50 showed the greatest improvement in 15-year overall survival, women over age 50 also benefited. The absolute benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy depends on a person’s prognosis. People with the best prognoses get the smallest absolute improvement in survival, while those with the poorest prognosis get the most.
For information on the strengths and weaknesses of different types of studies, click here.
Study selection criteria: Latest Early Breast Cancer Trialists' Collaborative analysis.
Pooled Analysis
Early Breast Cancer Trialists' Collaborative Group [1]
A combination of 60 randomized clinical trials that together include 28,764 women
|
Age and Prognosis
|
15-Year Overall Survival
|
Percent Surviving— Chemotherapy
|
Percent Surviving—No Chemotherapy
|
Absolute Improvement in Survival With Chemotherapy
|
By age at diagnosis
|
<40 years
|
70.2%
|
64.1%
|
6.1%
|
40-49
|
75.8%
|
69.3%
|
6.5%
|
50-59
|
69.5%
|
65.9%
|
3.6%
|
60-69
|
68.8%
|
66.1%
|
2.7%
|
70 years or older
|
73.9%
|
68.2%
|
5.7%
|
Among women <50 years old at diagnosis
|
Lymph node-negative
|
84.4%
|
79.3%
|
5.1%
|
Lymph node-positive
|
55.1%
|
46.2%
|
8.9%
|
Among women 50-69 years old at diagnosis
|
Lymph node-negative
|
86.4%
|
83.1%
|
3.3%
|
Lymph node-positive
|
61.5%
|
58.7%
|
2.8%
|
References
1. Early Breast Cancer Trialists' Collaborative Group. Effects of chemotherapy and hormonal therapy for early breast cancer on recurrence and 15-year survival: an overview of the randomised trials. Lancet. 365(9472):1687-717, 2005.
Updated 09/12/09
