Table 1.
Baseline clinicopathological characteristics
| Group A (≤12 months) n=201 No. (%) |
Group B (>12 months) n=203 No. (%) |
P value | |
| Age at breast cancer diagnosis (median) (years) | 50.1 (41.8–59.7) | 47.3 (39.7–56.8) | 0.124 |
| Age at diagnosis | 0.013 | ||
| ≤40 years | 36 (18) | 53 (26) | |
| 41–64 years | 140 (70) | 139 (68) | |
| ≥65 years | 25 (12) | 11 (5) | |
| Menopausal status at diagnosis | 0.320 | ||
| Pre-menopausal | 97 (48) | 108 (53) | |
| Post-menopausal | 104 (52) | 95 (47) | |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 0.801 | ||
| Underweight (BMI <18.5) | 8 (4) | 5 (2) | |
| Normal (BMI=18.5–24.9) | 82 (41) | 89 (44) | |
| Overweight (BMI=25–29.9) | 62 (31) | 60 (30) | |
| Obese (BMI ≥30) | 49 (24) | 49 (24) | |
| Surgery | |||
| Breast-conserving surgery | 57 (28) | 59 (29) | 0.875 |
| Mastectomy | 144 (72) | 144 (71) | |
| Histology | 0.583 | ||
| Ductal carcinoma | 184 (92) | 182 (90) | |
| Lobular carcinoma | 7 (3) | 6 (3) | |
| Others/missing | 10 (5) | 15 (7) | |
| Tumour size | 0.004 | ||
| pT1 | 32 (16) | 63 (31) | |
| pT2 | 100 (50) | 92 (45) | |
| pT3–4 | 26 (13) | 19 (9) | |
| Not applicable (NACT) | 41 (20) | 29 (14) | |
| Missing | 2 (<1) | 0 (0) | |
| Nodal status | 0.233 | ||
| pN0 | 38 (19) | 32 (16) | |
| pN1 | 41 (20) | 44 (22) | |
| pN2–3 | 81 (40) | 98 (48) | |
| Not applicable (NACT) | 41 (20) | 29 (14) | |
| Tumour grade | 0.620 | ||
| G1 | 5 (2) | 3 (1) | |
| G2 | 65 (32) | 77 (38) | |
| G3 | 122 (61) | 114 (56) | |
| Missing | 9 (4) | 9 (4) | |
| Type of expression of hormone receptors | <0.001 | ||
| ER-positive and/or PR-positive | 94 (47) | 130 (64) | |
| ER-negative and PR-negative | 107 (53) | 73 (36) | |
| Treatment arm | 0.270 | ||
| Trastuzumab | 113 (56) | 103 (51) | |
| Trastuzumab plus lapatinib | 88 (44) | 100 (49) | |
| Type of chemotherapy | 0.223 | ||
| Anthracycline-based and taxane-based regimens | 139 (69) | 124 (61) | |
| Anthracycline-based regimens | 56 (28) | 70 (34) | |
| Taxane-based regimens | 6 (3) | 9 (4) | |
| Timing of chemotherapy | 0.509 | ||
| Sequential (design 1) | 135 (67) | 130 (64) | |
| Concurrent (design 2 and design 2B) | 66 (33) | 73 (36) | |
| Adjuvant endocrine therapy* | 0.053 | ||
| Administered | 79 (84) | 120 (92) | |
| Not administered | 15 (16) | 10 (8) | |
| Type of adjuvant endocrine therapy | 0.164 | ||
| SERM | 47 (59) | 82 (68) | |
| SERM and AI | 5 (6) | 10 (8) | |
| AI | 25 (32) | 28 (23) | |
| LHRHa alone | 2 (3) | 0 (0) |
*Calculated on the total number of patients with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer (94 in group A and 130 in group B).
AI, aromatase inhibitors; BMI, body mass index; ER, oestrogen receptor; G, grade; LHRHa, luteinising hormone-releasing hormone agonist; NACT, neoadjuvant chemotherapy; PR, progesterone receptors; SERM, selective oestrogen receptor modulator.