Study finds 'dramatic' improvement in breast cancer survival

Sep 29, 2010

A new study being presented this week at the Breast Cancer Symposium (BCS) found "dramatic" improvements in breast cancer survival over the past 60 years, a trend that researchers attributed to improved disease detection, better surgical techniques, and an increased number of therapies that prevent recurrence.

Researchers from M. D. Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas in Houston reviewed the institution's records over a 60-year period dating back to 1944; the database included nearly 57,000 cases of breast cancer. They broke down survival rates into five- and 10-year increments, according to senior author Aman Buzdar, MD, professor in the institution's department of breast medical oncology, who is presenting the data at BCS in Washington, DC.

The researchers found an "impressive increase" in survival from decade to decade: In the first decade studied, 1944 to 1954, the 10-year survival rate of patients with metastatic breast cancer was 3.3%. That number increased to 22.2% for the period of 1995 to 2004. Meanwhile, the overall survival rate of patients with all types of breast cancer grew from 25.1% in the earliest period to 76.5% in the most recent period.

Percent survival at 10 years (no. of patients)

Years	Local disease	Regional disease	Distant disease	Overall*
1944-54	55.0% (120)	16.2% (191)	3.3% (92)	25.1% (410)
1955-64	56.0% (462)	23.9% (656)	4.0% (306)	30.5% (1,449)
1965-74	59.3% (440)	28.8% (566)	4.7% (321)	34.6% (1,387)
1975-84	72.0% (701)	46.9% (828)	7.4% (367)	49.3% (1,983)
1985-94	78.5% (1,036)	57.4% (1,268)	11.2% (364)	61.6% (2,927)
1995-04	86.1% (1,898)	74.1% (1,569)	22.2% (455)	76.5% (4,653)

*Also includes patients with in situ or unknown stages of the disease

The improved survival rate for patients with metastatic disease is especially significant because these patients have disease that may not be curable, yet a "significant proportion" can now live for a number of years with available therapies, Buzdar noted.

Researchers should turn their attention to refining breast cancer therapies, Buzdar said, with the goal of reducing recurrence and death for high-risk early-stage patients, while maintaining control of those with metastatic disease.

By Brian Casey
AuntMinnie.com staff writer
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