J Breast Cancer.  2025 Feb;28(1):37-45. 10.4048/jbc.2024.0188.

Treatment Patterns and Outcomes of Young Female Early Breast Cancer in Taiwan

• Huang CC
• Tseng LM

• KMID: 2565743
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4048/jbc.2024.0188

Abstract

Young female early breast cancer (≤ 40 years) treatment presents unique challenges due to its aggressive features. Using data from the Taiwan Cancer Registry (2007–2017), this study investigated its clinical characteristics, treatment patterns, and prognostic factors. The proportion of young female breast cancer declined from 12% to 8% during the study period. Triple-negative (TN) breast cancer was more prevalent in younger patients, while hormone receptor-positive (HR+)/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative subtypes increased with age. Stages II and III were observed more frequently in older patients, whereas extremely young patients (20–29 years) exhibited compromised overall and recurrencefree survival. Subtype analysis revealed worse outcomes for TN and hormone receptornegative/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive (HER2+) cases. Treatment patterns showed that targeted therapy was more commonly administered to younger patients with HER2+, while endocrine therapy was used less frequently for HR+ cases, reflecting tolerability and treatment compliance challenges. Future research should focus on optimizing therapeutic strategies and addressing long-term survivorship to enhance care for young women with breast cancer.

Keyword

Adult; Breast Neoplasms; Estrogen Antagonists; Molecular Targeted Therapy; Taiwan