Effects of socioeconomic factors on prognosis in patients with breast cancer under forty years of age

Aim: Socioeconomic factors affect incidence, clinical progress and prognosis of breast cancer. The effects of socioeconomic factors on prognosis of breast cancer among women with breast cancer under 40 years of age who live in our region were investigated. Materials and Methods: Women with breast cancer attended to Gaziantep Oncology Hospital between October 2006- November 2015 were included in our study. The effects of socioeconomic factors on clinicopathological properties of patients were investigated. Results: The median age of 873 patients was found 47 and 30.4% (265) of them were under 40 years. Estrogen Receptor (ER) and Progesterone Receptor (PR) positivity in patients under 40 years were found 57% (151) and 63% (167), and in patients over 40 years were found 72.2% (439) and 70.7% (430), respectively (p<0.001). Advanced disease at diagnosis, larger tumors and ER negativity were found more common in patients under 40 years of age who were non-literate, and had lower income and worse socioeconomic status. (p<0.001) Five year and ten year survival rates related to these factors at this group of age were found 86% and 74%, respectively and were 90% and 85% in patients over 40 years, respectively. Conclusion: We found that socioeconomic factors could affect the biology and clinic of breast cancer in all groups of age. The prognosis of breast cancer may be worsened related to socioeconomic factors in the patients under 40 years of age. Key Words: Breast cancer, Prognostic factors, Socioeconomic factors, Young women.