Impact of modern chemotherapy on the survival of women presenting with de novo metastatic breast cancer

BMC Cancer

Table 2 Patient characteristics stratified by study period

Characteristic	Period A (n= 151)*		Period B (n= 123)		P-value
	n	(%)	n	%
Median age, years	50		51		0.33
Histology
Inflammatory	25	(17)	27	(22)
Non-Inflammatory	126	(83)	96	(78)	0.59
Site of Metastasis
Liver	28	(19)	45	(37)	0.30
Lung	45	(30)	39	(32)	0.24
Brain	4	(3)	10	(8)	0.72
Bone	84	(56)	82	(67)	0.008
Bone Only	37	(25)	31	(25)	0.52
Supraclavicular Node	55	(36)	34	(28)	0.20
Soft tissue	20	(13)	22	(18)	0.18
ER Status
Positive	56	(63)	75	(68)
Negative	33	(37)	34	(32)	0.01
PR Status
Positive	43	(48)	54	(51)
Negative	45	(52)	53	(49)	0.75
HER2 Status
Positive	1	(50)	31	(39)
Negative	1	(50)	32	(62)	0.71
Receipt of Endocrine therapy
SERMs	82	(54)	52	(42)	0.0002
AI	19	(13)	46	(37)	0.72
LHRH	0	(0)	5	(4)	0.87
Fulvestrant	2	(1)	19	(15)	0.86
Receipt of Chemotherapy
Category A**	85	(56)	15	(12)
Category A + B	32	(21)	95	(77)	<0.0001
Receipt of HER2-directed therapy	2	(1)	19	(15)	0.17
Receipt of Bisphosphonates
Pamidronic acid	8	(5)	37	(30)	0.0007
Zoledronic acid	3	(2)	35	(28)	0.04

Percentages reflect the proportion of patients in each subgroup relative to the total number of patients in the respective period (i.e., Period A or Period B), except for ER, PR, and HER2 status. For these variables, percentages reflect the proportion of patients in each subgroup relative to the total number of patients in the respective period for whom pathologic data is available. P-values determined using the Chi-square test.
* Period A encompasses patients diagnosed between January 1, 1985 and December 31, 1994. Period B encompasses patients diagnosed between January 1, 1995 and December 31, 2004.
** See Table 1 for delineation of cytotoxic agents within Category A and Category B.

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