Abstract
BackgroundAt present, the characteristics of mucinous breast carcinoma (MBC) and the factors affecting its prognosis are controversial. We compared the clinical features of MBC with those of infiltrating ductal carcinoma (IDC) and summarized the relevant prognostic factors.MethodsThe Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database includes information on 10,593 patients diagnosed with MBC between 2004 and 2016. Chi-square tests and analyses were used to analyze differences in variables between the MBC and IDC groups. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the relative impacts of risk factors on cancer-specific survival (CSS) in patients. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were constructed to assess cancer-specific mortality and were compared using the log-rank test.ResultsFrom 2004 to 2016, 10,593 people were diagnosed with MBC, and 402,797 were diagnosed with IDC. Patients with MBC had significantly higher 5−/10-year CSS rates (96.4%/93.4%) than those with IDC (89%/83.8%). Compared with IDC patients, MBC patients had less lymph node metastasis, an earlier stage, a higher rate of hormone receptor positivity and a lower expression rate of HER2. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that age ≥ 60 years old (HR = 1.574, 95%CI: 1.238–2.001, P < 0.001), singled status (HR = 1.676, 95%CI: 1.330–2.112, P < 0.001) and advanced TNM/SEER stage were independent prognostic risk factors for MBC. In addition, positive estrogen receptor (HR = 0.577, 95%CI: 0.334–0.997, P = 0.049), positive progesterone receptor (HR = 0.740, 95%CI: 0.552–0.992, P = 0.044), surgical treatment (HR = 0.395, 95%CI: 0.288–0.542, P < 0.001) and radiotherapy (HR = 0.589, 95%CI: 0.459–0.756, P < 0.001) were identified as protective factors.ConclusionCompared with IDC, MBC has a better prognosis. For patients with MBC, we identified prognostic factors that can help clinicians better assess patient outcomes and guide individualized treatment.
Highlights
At present, the characteristics of mucinous breast carcinoma (MBC) and the factors affecting its prognosis are controversial
We evaluated the impact of clinical features on survival in MBC patients, further to identify the prognostic factors associated with cancerspecific survival (CSS)
Overview of MBC and infiltrating ductal carcinoma (IDC) patients From 2004 to 2016, a total of 10,593 people were diagnosed with MBC, and 402,797 were diagnosed with IDC
Summary
The characteristics of mucinous breast carcinoma (MBC) and the factors affecting its prognosis are controversial. We compared the clinical features of MBC with those of infiltrating ductal carcinoma (IDC) and summarized the relevant prognostic factors. Infiltrating breast carcinoma accounts for the vast majority of all breast cancer types. Infiltrating ductal carcinoma (IDC) is the most common subtype of infiltrating breast cancer, accounting for approximately 70–80%, whereas mucinous breast carcinoma (MBC) is a rare and special subtype. MBC is subdivided into simple mucinous carcinoma and mixed mucinous carcinoma based on whether it contains other types of tumor components. It is reported that MBC accounts for 1–6% of all breast carcinoma and approximately 2.4% of all infiltrating breast carcinoma [2, 3]. Most MBC patients receive postoperative adjuvant endocrine therapy, and fewer patients with MBC need chemotherapy and radiotherapy compared with those with other types of breast cancer [7]
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