Table 1.
Patient demographics and baseline characteristics
| Exemestane (n = 149) | Anastrozole (n = 149) | |
|---|---|---|
| Age, years | ||
| Mean (SD) | 63.4 (9.3) | 64.0 (9.0) |
| Range | 44–95 | 45–94 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | ||
| Mean (SD) | 23.0 (3.6) | 23.6 (4.5) |
| Range | 15.4–39.1 | 15.0–38.2 |
| ECOG performance status, n (%) | ||
| 0 | 126 (84.6) | 118 (79.2) |
| 1 | 23 (15.4) | 31 (20.8) |
| Cause of menopause, n (%) | ||
| Natural | 115 (77.2) | 125 (83.9) |
| Medication | 14 (9.4) | 10 (6.7) |
| Oophorectomy | 9 (6.0) | 3 (2.0) |
| Hysterectomy | 9 (6.0) | 7 (4.7) |
| Other | 2 (1.3) | 4 (2.7) |
| Hematoxylin and eosin staining grade, n (%) | (n = 113) | (n = 107) |
| I | 19 (16.8) | 18 (16.8) |
| II | 56 (49.6) | 56 (52.3) |
| III | 38 (33.6) | 33 (30.8) |
| Estrogen receptor Allred score, n (%) | (n = 115) | (n = 110) |
| ≥3 | 109 (94.8) | 108 (98.2) |
| <3 | 6 (5.2) | 2 (1.8) |
| Progesterone receptor Allred score, n (%) | (n = 115) | (n = 110) |
| ≥3 | 92 (80.0) | 92 (83.6) |
| <3 | 23 (20.0) | 18 (16.4) |
| HER2 score, n (%) | (n = 115) | (n = 110) |
| 3+ | 7 (6.1) | 7 (6.4) |
| <3+ | 108 (93.9) | 103 (93.6) |
| Androgen receptor staining intensity, n (%) | (n = 114) | (n = 110) |
| ≥1 + | 107 (93.9) | 106 (96.4) |
| 0 | 7 (6.1) | 4 (3.6) |
| EGFR staining intensity, n (%) | (n = 115) | (n = 110) |
| ≥1 | 10 (8.7) | 8 (7.3) |
| 0 | 105 (91.3) | 102 (92.7) |
| KI67 labeling index, n (%) | (n = 115) | (n = 110) |
| >15 % | 49 (42.6) | 38 (34.5) |
| ≤15 % | 66 (57.4) | 72 (65.5) |
| Previous treatment, n (%) | ||
| Radiotherapy | 35 (23.5) | 28 (18.8) |
| Systemic therapy | 103 (69.1) | 100 (67.1) |
| Stratification factors | ||
| Sites of metastasis, n (%) | ||
| Visceral tissue | 75 (50.3) | 72 (48.3) |
| Bone only | 40 (26.8) | 40 (26.8) |
| Soft tissue only | 34 (22.8) | 37 (24.8) |
| Patients receiving concomitant bisphosphonate therapy, n (%) | 37 (24.8) | 38 (25.5) |
| Patients with no previous adjuvant tamoxifen or recurrence/metastasis for ≥1 year after surgery, n (%) | 124 (83.2) | 124 (83.2) |
Adapted with permission from Masuda et al. [24]
BMI body mass index, ECOG Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, EGFR epidermal growth factor receptor, HER2 human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, SD standard deviation