The influence of age on survival was studied in an unselected series of 31,594 females with breast cancer reported to The Cancer Registry of Norway during 1955-1980. The prognosis was best in patients aged 35 to 49 years, and poorest in the older (275 years) and the younger patients (534 years). These trends were present in all stages and periods of diagnosis. The poor outcome among the older patients may, in part, be related to less aggressive treatment, while differences in treatment procedures hardly explain the poor prognosis among the younger patients.
Cancer 57:2217-2221, 1986.
IFFERENCES in the effect of age on the survival rates D of patients with breast cancer have been reported. Some studies'-4 have indicated a poorer prognosis for young patients, while have reported that younger women fare better than older. Furthermore, in other investigations, no correlation was found between age at diagnosis and prognosis. "J' These conflicting results may possibly be explained by ( ) the small number of patients included in some of the studies; (2) differences in the selection of patients, as most of the series studied consist of cases referred to special hospitals; or (3) differences in the age grouping used in the analysis, since in many studies, all patients younger than age 50 years have been grouped together.
In the current investigation, the influence of age on survival has been assessed in an unselected group of patients, comprising all female patients with breast cancer reported to The Cancer Registry of Norway during a 26year period. Survival rates have been calculated for 5-year age groups.
Material and Methods
In Norway, cancer registration has been undertaken since 1952. All hospital departments, and all institutes of pathology and radiology, are obliged to report their cases independently to The Cancer Registry. In addition, all death certificates mentioning cancer or tumor are forwarded to The Cancer Registry. Accordingly, cancer reg-