Table 1.
Demographics and clinical characteristics
| Chemotherapy n = 8 | No chemotherapy n = 6 | |
|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | ||
| Mean (SD) | 52.6 (3.9) | 50.2 (2.3) |
| Range | 50–61 | 47–53 |
| Partner | ||
| Yes | 4 | 5 |
| Education | ||
| Higher | 3 | 4 |
| Further | 2 | 1 |
| Secondary | 3 | 1 |
| FSIQa | ||
| Mean (SD)* | 111.1 (7.4) | 120.8 (4.5) |
| Range | 106–123 | 112–124 |
| Employed | ||
| Full-time | 5 | 4 |
| Part-time | 3 | 2 |
| Cancer stage*,b | ||
| I | 0 | 4 |
| II | 1 | 1 |
| III | 7 | 0 |
| Type of surgery | ||
| Mastectomy | 2 | 1 |
| WLE | 6 | 5 |
| Node sampling | ||
| Yes | 8 | 6 |
| Chemotherapy regimen | ||
| AC | 1 | – |
| FEC 75 | 2 | – |
| FEC-Tc | 5 | – |
| Herceptin | ||
| Yes | 2 | – |
| Radiotherapy | ||
| Yes | 7 | 5 |
| Endocrine therapy by T3 | ||
| Yes | 3 | 6 |
| Postmenopausal at baseline | ||
| Yes | 3 | 2 |
| Prior HRT | ||
| Yes | 2 | 1 |
| Baseline Hb level (g/L) | ||
| Mean (SD) | 135.4 (10.9) | 133.8 (7.6) |
| Range | 120–151 | 126–145 |
AC doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide, BMI body mass index, FEC 75 fluorouracil, epirubicin (75 mg/m2) and cyclophosphamide, FEC-T fluorouracil, epirubicin, cyclophosphamide and docetaxel, FSIQ full scale intelligence quotient, G-CSF granulocyte-colony stimulating factor, Hb haemogloblin, HRT hormone replacement therapy, SD standard deviation, WLE wide local excision
* p < 0.05
aDerived from the National Adult Reading Test
bOne participant had an ungraded tumour due to unusual presentation
cOne woman had neo-adjuvant FEC-T chemotherapy