Table 1. Patient characteristics.
AJCC, American Joint Committee on Cancer; p63, tumor protein p63; MBC, metaplastic breast cancer; ECOG, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group; NA, data not available from the chart review; HER2, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2
#Other histology in our study includes ductal carcinoma in situ micropapillary pattern, heterologous type with matrix production, high-grade metaplastic carcinoma, large cells with intermingling mature plasma cells, matrix-producing carcinoma, and sarcomatoid features, and metaplastic carcinoma.
| Variables | Level | Overall |
| Age at diagnosis (median (range)) | 60 (27, 92) | |
| Race (%) | Black | 31 (23.5) |
| White | 101 (76.5) | |
| Others | 4 (2.9) | |
| ECOG performance status (%) | 0 | 77 (56.6) |
| 1 | 38 (27.9) | |
| 2 | 12 (8.8) | |
| 3 | 9 (6.6) | |
| Lymphovascular invasion (%) | No | 78 (57.3) |
| Yes | 27 (19.8) | |
| NA | 31 (22.8) | |
| p63 (%) | Negative | 93 (68.4) |
| Positive | 43 (31.6) | |
| BRCA status (%) | BRCA1 positive | 5 (3.7) |
| BRCA2 positive | 2 (1.5) | |
| NA | 129 (94.8) | |
| Nuclear grade (%) | I | 3 (2.4) |
| II | 5 (4) | |
| III | 114 (93.4) | |
| NA | 14 | |
| AJCC stage (%) | I | 28 (20.6) |
| II | 82 (60.3) | |
| III | 19 (14) | |
| IV | 7 (5.1) | |
| Hormonal therapy (%) | No | 103 (80.5) |
| Yes | 25 (19.5) | |
| NA | 8 | |
| Radiation therapy (%) | No | 55 (42) |
| Yes | 76 (58) | |
| NA | 5 | |
| Chemotherapy type (%) | Anthracycline | 70 (51.5) |
| Non-anthracycline | 36 (26.5) | |
| None | 30 (22) | |
| Surgery (%) | Mastectomy | 76 (60.3) |
| Lumpectomy | 50 (39.7) | |
| Histologic subtypes (%) | Spindle cell | 29 (21.3) |
| Squamous | 40 (29.4) | |
| Mixed MBC/mesenchymal | 55 (40.4) | |
| #Others | 12 (8.8) | |
| Triple-negative status (%) | No | 35 (25.7) |
| Yes | 101 (74.3) | |
| Estrogen receptor positivity (%) | No | 114 (83.8) |
| Yes | 22 (16.2) | |
| Progesterone receptor positivity (%) | No | 124 (91.2) |
| Yes | 12 (8.8) | |
| HER2 expression (%) | No | 122 (89.7) |
| Yes | 14 (10.3) | |
| Metastasis to the lung (%) | No | 106 (77.9) |
| Yes | 30 (22.1) | |
| Metastasis to the liver (%) | No | 130 (95.6) |
| Yes | 6 (4.4) | |
| Metastasis to the bone (%) | No | 118 (86.8) |
| Yes | 18 (13.2) | |
| Metastasis to the adrenal (%) | No | 135 (99.3) |
| Yes | 1 (0.7) | |
| Metastasis to the spleen (%) | No | 135 (99.3) |
| Yes | 1 (0.7) | |
| Metastasis to the brain (%) | No | 127 (93.4) |
| Yes | 9 (6.6) |