Table 3.

Adjusted relative risk of dying after diagnosis of primary breast cancer according to age at diagnosis, tumour characteristics, and protocol allocation in 9541 breast cancer patients^* diagnosed during 1978-96

Variables	Adjusted relative risk (95% CI)†
Age at diagnosis (years):
<35	1.46 (1.27 to 1.70)
35-39	1.26 (1.12 to 1.42)
40-44	1.07 (0.97 to 1.19)
45-49	1 (reference)
Tumour size (cm):
⩽2	1 (reference)
>2-5	1.78 (1.61 to 1.97)
>5	2.31 (2.00 to 2.67)
No of positive nodes:
0	1 (reference)
1-3	1.80 (1.62 to 2.01)
4-9	3.44 (3.05 to 3.89)
⩾10	4.71 (3.96 to 5.59)
Histological grading:
I	1 (reference)
II and III	2.44 (2.12 to 2.81)
Non-ductal carcinoma‡	1.12 (1.00 to 1.43)
Protocol allocation:
Allocated	1 (reference)
Not treated according to surgical guidelines	1.11 (0.95 to 1.28)
Not allocated for other reasons§	2.61 (2.26 to 3.01)

^*815 patients (7.9%) excluded because of missing information on tumour size or nodal status. 

^†Adjusted for age at diagnosis, tumour characteristics, protocol allocation, year of diagnosis, and expected mortality. 

^‡Includes patients with no information on histological grading. 

^§Medical contraindications, bilateral or inflammatory breast cancer, or distant metastases.