Table 1. Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics of the study population.
| Features | Number of patients (%) |
|---|---|
| Number of patients: n=85 females | 100% |
| Median (range): 55 years (45–66) | |
| Age at diagnosis (years) | |
| <55 | 37 (44%) |
| ≥55 | 48 (56%) |
| BMI (kg/m2) according to WHO criteria | |
| Normal (<24.99) | 40 (47%) |
| Overweight (≥25–29.99) | 30 (35%) |
| Obese (30 or more) | 15 (18%) |
| Menopausal status | |
| Pre-menopausal | 27 (32%) |
| Post-menopausal | 58 (68%) |
| MHT administration | |
| Oral route of administration | 12 (14%) |
| Transdermal route of administration | 4 (5%) |
| Parity | |
| Nulliparous/1–2 children/>2 children | 7 (8%)/60 (71%)/18 (21%) |
| History of smoking habit | |
| Current smoker/ex-smoker/never smoked | 21 (25%)/10 (12%)/ 54(63%) |
| Tumour size (T- status) | |
| T1 (<2 cm)/ T2 (≥2 cm, but <5 cm) | 60 (71%)/25 (29%) |
| Nodal status (N) | |
| N0/ N1 | 66 (78%)/19 (22%) |
| Histological grading | |
| Grade I/II/III | 7 (8%)/65 (77%)/13 (15%) |
| Histological type of BrCa | |
| Invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) | 75 (88%) |
| Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) | 10 (12%) |
| Molecular type of BrCa | |
| Luminal A (ER+/HER2−/Ki67 < 14%) | 58 (69%) |
| Luminal B HER positive (ER+/HER2+/Ki67 ≥ 14%) | 8 (9%) |
| Luminal B HER negative (ER+/HER2−/Ki67 ≥ 14%) | 8 (9%) |
| Triple-negative (ER/PR/HER2 negative) | 8 (9%) |
| HER+/non-luminal | 3 (4%) |
| ER status | |
| Positive/negative | 74 (87%)/11 (13%) |
| PR status | |
| Positive/negative | 69 (81%)/16 (19%) |
| HER2 | |
| Amplified/normal | 11 (13%)/74 (87%) |
| E-cadherin | |
| Positive/negative | 81 (95%)/4 (5%) |
| Ki67 cut-off point 14% | |
| Lower | 58 (68%) |
| Higher | 27 (32%) |
| Breast surgery | |
| BCS | 68 (80%) |
| MRM | 17 (20%) |
| Localization | |
| Left breast/right breast | 43 (51%)/42 (49%) |
Abbreviations: MHT, menopausal hormonal therapy; Parity, number of full-term pregnancies.