Young age is not an ominous prognostic factor in breast cancer patients.

Analysis of a series of 137 women 20-30 years of age, operated for breast carcinoma, excluding patients pregnant, lactating or with inflammatory cancer, showed that disease-free survival rates were similar and not lower than those reported for a large series of 716 breast cancer patients of all ages, treated and followed at the same Institute. Ten-year disease-free survival rates for the two series of 137 young women and 716 patients of all ages were 43.7% and 47.1% respectively. Even when considering the subgroups of patients with and without nodal axillary involvement, the corresponding figures for the two series considered were 72.6% vs. 72.1% (N-) and 25.1% vs. 24.5% (N+). It can be concluded that young age cannot be considered as an unfavorable prognostic factor.