Ductal carcinoma of the breast : morphological aspects according to the age

Abstract

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide, and its morphological characteristics, despite the current molecular classification, also provide important information about the pattern of this disease. Objective: To analyze the morphological characteristics of invasive ductal breast carcinoma among women older and younger than 50 years. Method: 302 cases of invasive ductal carcinoma patients treated at the Division of Mastology of the Universidade Federal do Ceará, in the period 2005-2014, aged ≤ 50 years and older. The following morphological characteristics were analyzed: larger tumor diameter (TD), lymph node metastasis (MX), and histological grade (HG). Results: The mean age of patients was 55.6 years. The average tumor size was 3.4 cm, 40% of tumors have diameter ≤ 2 cm and 60% > 2 cm. As for the histological grade, 23.7% were grade 1, 32.1% grade 2, and 42% grade 3. Axillary metastasis were present in 66% of the cases and 34% did not. Women aged ≤ 50 years had fewer tumors grade 1 (p = 0.002), compared with grades 2 and 3. Women older than 50 years had more grade 3 tumors (p = 0.002), and more tumors larger than 2 cm diameter (p < 0.001). The presence of metastasis predominated in both age groups when analyzed separately (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Women older than 50 years had larger and more morphologically undifferentiated tumors. Women aged ≤ 50 years had less well-differentiated tumors. There were no differences in morphology between these two age groups when compared each other.