Timely treatment of breast cancer improves longevity

Kochi: In a study on how timely treatment of breast cancer improves longevity, the overall survival (OS) of those with breast cancer in five and 10 years was found to be 79 per cent and 66 per cent, respectively.

Breast cancer is leading cancer among women in Kerala but those who were treated in the early stages had better outcomes, according to a study conducted by Amrita Hospital in Kochi.

Globally, breast cancer incidence is rising due to hormonal factors and changes in lifestyle. The Covid pandemic has challenged not only the area of treatment but also the field of diagnosis. Cancer represents a complex set of conditions with outcomes that are dependent on the timing of diagnosis and treatment.

“Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women in India, however, no studies are addressing long-term survival (10 years and above). Our study sought to evaluate long-term oncological outcome among women with breast cancer treated with curative intent,” said the head of the department of medical oncology and haematology, Amrita Hospital, Kochi, and co-author of the study, Dr K Pavithran.

To understand this, they did a retrospective cohort analysis of 1,301 breast cancer patients of all stages who had received primary treatment with curative intent from 2004 to 2010 at the hospital. The median age was 51 years with 70 per cent of the patients having early breast cancer (EBC), 22 per cent with locally-advanced breast cancer, and 8 per cent of the patients with de novo metastatic disease and underwent surgery.

The majority (57 per cent ) of the patients had hormone-sensitive tumours. The study found that the 5 and 10-year overall survival of the entire cohort was 79 per cent and 66 per cent, and the 5 and 10-year breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) was 79 per cent and 70 per cent, respectively.

The OS and BCSS were 51 per cent and 58 per cent, respectively, at 15-year follow-up after primary cancer treatment. The factors associated with prolonged survival were with women less than the age of 50 had better survival, early-stage disease at presentation, along with type of the treatment availed. The World Health Organisation (WHO) aims to achieve 50 per cent -60 per cent -80 per cent survival (15 years-10 years & 5 years).

“We have already achieved this in our hospital. But in government hospitals, the majority are still present with advanced stages due to various reasons. So we need more awareness campaigns to achieve that level,” added Dr Pavithran.

Oncologists agreed that Kerala can do better due to its literacy, women empowerment and better health facilities both in the private and public sectors.

“Early prognosis of the disease is important to ensure a better survival rate. In Kerala, lack of awareness is not a problem but women are still scared of regular breast cancer screening tests,” said surgical oncologist of Aster Medcity Dr Jem Kalathil.