Clinicopathological features and prognosis of HER2-negative luminal-type breast cancer patients with early and late recurrence

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinicopathological features and prognosis of HER2-negative luminal-type breast cancer patients with early and late recurrence.

METHODS: We reviewed the records of recurrent breast cancer patients who previously underwent surgery at the Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences between 2003 and 2009. A total of 390 cases were identified as eligible recurrent patients with HER2-negative luminal-type breast cancer. Among them, 279 cases had early recurrence (DFS<5 years) and 111 cases had late recurrence (DFS≥5 years). The clinicopathological features, sites of initial metastasis and survival after recurrence in the two groups were compared and analyzed.

RESULTS: Patients with vascular invasion or and ≥4 lymph node metastases were found more common in the early recurrence group (P<0.05), while positive status of both hormone receptors and non-standardized hormone therapy were more frequently seen in the late recurrence group (P<0.05). In the late recurrence group, initial lung metastasis was seen in 47.7% of patients, significantly higher than that (25.1%) in the early recurrence group (P<0.001). Although initial multiple organ metastases were more common in the late recurrence group (P<0.05), its median overall survival (OS) after recurrence was 66 months, significantly longer than that of the early recurrence group (39 months) (HR=1.6, P=0.003).

CONCLUSIONS: The two groups of HER2-negative luminal-type breast cancer patients with early and late recurrence show some differences in clinicopathological features and prognosis. Both vascular invasion and ≥4 lymph node metastases are important factors affecting the DFS in HER-2-negative luminal-type breast cancer patients, and early recurrence is more frequently seen in this group. Late recurrence is the more frequent recurrence pattern in the HER-2 negative luminal type breast cancer patients, especially, in the double hormone receptor-positive patients who received non-standardized hormone therapy. The prognosis for patients with late recurrence is better than that in the patients with early recurrence.