Age of Diagnosis of Breast Cancer in China: Almost 10 Years Earlier than in the United States and the European Union

作者：Qing-Kun Song, Jing Li, Rong Huang, Jin-Hu Fan, Rong-Shou Zheng, Bao‐Ning Zhang, Bin Zhang, Zhong-Hua Tang, Xiao-Ming Xie, Hong-Jian Yang, Jian-Jun He, Hui Li, Jia-Yuan Li, You‐Lin Qiao, Wan-Qing Chen · 发表于：Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention · 年份：2014 · DOI：10.7314/apjcp.2014.15.22.10021 · 被引用次数：81 · 研究领域：Global Cancer Incidence and Screening、Cancer Risks and Factors、BRCA gene mutations in cancer

BACKGROUND: The study aimed to describe the age distribution of breast cancer diagnosis among Chinese females for comparison with the United States and the European Union, and provide evidence for the screening target population in China. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Median age was estimated from hospital databases from 7 tertiary hospitals in China. Population-based data in China, United States and European Union was extracted from the National Central Cancer Registry, SEER program and GLOBOCAN 2008, respectively. Age-standardized distribution of breast cancer at diagnosis in the 3 areas was estimated based on the World Standard Population 2000. RESULTS: The median age of breast cancer at diagnosis was around 50 in China, nearly 10 years earlier than United States and European Union. The diagnosis age in China did not vary between subgroups of calendar year, region and pathological characteristics. With adjustment for population structure, median age of breast cancer at diagnosis was 50~54 in China, but 55~59 in United States and European Union. CONCLUSIONS: The median diagnosis age of female breast cancer is much earlier in China than in the United States and the European Union pointing to racial differences in genetics and lifestyle. Screening programs should start at an earlier age for Chinese women and age disparities between Chinese and Western women warrant further studies.