The Prognosis in the Young Patient

The prognosis of carcinoma of the breast in a young woman has been a controversial subject for decades. Conflicting opinions have been voiced concerning the influence of the age of the patient, and whether the course of the disease was more rapid and its response to treatment less favorable in the younger age groups. In 1880, Gross 3 said, "The rate of growth [of breast cancer] is not, contrary to the generally received opinion, influenced by the early age of the patient." Lee, 4 in 1931, concluded in his study, "My associates and I have been more impressed year by year with the poor end results following radical surgical intervention in cases of cancer of the breast in young women." Equally pessimistic concerning the prognosis of mammary carcinoma in younger patients was the report by Taylor. 5 Nathanson and Welch 6 stated that "cancer of the breast in the hospital