Outcomes by Ethnicity: Sentinel Lymph Node Status in Women with Breast Cancer

Abstract

Abstract : It is well known by researchers that breast cancer incidence and outcomes (disease-free survival and overall survival) vary widely in women of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. Differences in health-seeking behaviors, socioeconomic disparities, cultural influences, stage at diagnosis, estrogen receptor status, treatment, and tumor biology are all possible factors that could impact breast cancer outcomes for women of different racial and ethnic groups. What is not known is whether race and ethnicity affect lymph node status or if the value of promising new prognostic indicators currently under study, such as low molecular weight (LMW) cyclin E, is independent of race and ethnicity. Additional research is needed to determine how and why race and ethnicity impact breast cancer incidence and outcomes. This retrospective study seeks to further describe the differences in disease-free survival and overall survival by race and ethnicity for women with breast cancer. The study will aim to correlate Sentinel Lymph Node (SLN) status to race/ethnicity, cyclin E levels to race/ethnicity, and SLN to cyclin E levels. Data for 375 women has been collected from two cohort groups. Unique data for a study-specific database include socioeconomic status, education, and health-related behaviors. Data quality checks and abstraction are near completion. A final sample of 100 subjects, matched for as many factors as possible, will be equally divided into Whites/non-Hispanics and Others including Hispanics for analysis. If the prognostic accuracy of SLN status and cyclin E levels are independent of racial/ethnic factors as hypothesized, this suggests SLN status and cyclin E levels could discriminate outcomes across different racial/ethnic groups.