Table 1.
Descriptive characteristics of breast cancer cases by vital status, Western New York Exposures and Breast Cancer (WEB) study
| Dead as of December 2006 (n = 160) | Alive as of December 2006 (n=864) | |
|---|---|---|
| Mean (SD) | ||
| Age (years) | 59.71 (12.33) | 57.79 (10.97) |
| Education (years) | 12.80 (2.50) | 13.60 (2.60)*** |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 29.66 (6.96) | 28.44 (6.35)* |
| Age at menarche (years) | 12.61 (1.66) | 12.56 (1.60) |
| Age at first birth (years) | 22.78 (4.82) | 23.98 (4.87)** |
| Age at menopause (years) | 47.53 (6.03) | 48.48 (5.34) |
| Number of births | 2.59 (1.80) | 2.31 (1.69) |
| Number (%) | ||
| Race | ||
| Caucasian | 139 (86.88) | 799 (92.48)* |
| Other | 21 (13.13) | 65 (7.52) |
| Menopausal status | ||
| Premenopausal | 45 (28.13) | 240 (27.78) |
| Postmenopausal | 115 (71.88) | 624 (72.22) |
| Family history of breast cancer | ||
| No | 117 (81.25) | 629 (79.22) |
| Yes | 27 (18.75) | 165 (20.78) |
| Estrogen receptor status | ||
| Negative | 69 (43.13) | 212 (24.54)*** |
| Positive | 81 (50.63) | 602 (69.68) |
| Unknown/not done | 10 (6.25) | 50 (5.79) |
| Progesterone receptor status | ||
| Negative | 78 (48.75) | 277 (32.06)*** |
| Positive | 71 (44.38) | 526 (60.88) |
| Unknown/not done | 11 (6.88) | 61 (7.06) |
| HER2 | ||
| Negative | 87 (54.38) | 540 (62.50) |
| Positive | 14 (8.75) | 48 (5.56) |
| Unknown/not done | 59 (36.88) | 276 (31.94) |
| Stage at diagnosis | ||
| I | 46 (28.75) | 440 (50.93)*** |
| IIA | 25 (15.63) | 187 (21.64) |
| IIB | 30 (18.75) | 74 (8.56) |
| IIIA | 3 (1.88) | 11 (1.27) |
| IIIB | 6 (3.75) | 5 (0.58) |
| IV | 21 (13.13) | 15 (1.74) |
| Stage not available | 29 (18.13) | 132 (15.28) |
| Underlying cause of death | ||
| Breast cancer | 95 (59.38) | - |
| Other cancer | 11 (6.88) | - |
| Cardiovascular diseases | 22 (13.75) | - |
| Others | 32 (20.00) | - |
*
p < 0.05;
**
p < 0.01;
***
p < 0.001.