Table 2.
Characteristics of stage II-III breast cancer patients with distant recurrence by how recurrence was detected (sign and/or symptom vs asymptomatic imaging detected), overall population (unweighted)
| Patient characteristics | Overall (n= 1220)No. (%) | Symptom detected (n = 936) No. (%) | Asymptomatic imaging detected (n = 284) No. (%) | P a |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sociodemographic characteristics | ||||
| Age, y | .82 | |||
| Younger than 50 | 401 (32.9) | 311 (33.2) | 90 (31.7) | |
| 50-69 | 552 (45.2) | 419 (44.8) | 133 (46.8) | |
| 70 and older | 267 (21.9) | 206 (22) | 61 (21.5) | |
| Race | .08 | |||
| Black | 191 (15.7) | 135 (14.4) | 56 (19.7) | |
| Other | 53 (4.3) | 43 (4.6) | 10 (3.5) | |
| White | 976 (80) | 758 (81) | 218 (76.8) | |
| Hispanic ethnicity | .59 | |||
| No | 1041 (85.3) | 804 (85.9) | 237 (83.5) | |
| Yes | 61 (5) | 45 (4.8) | 16 (5.6) | |
| Unknown | 118 (9.7) | 87 (9.3) | 31 (10.9) | |
| Mean percent in patient zip code with less than high school degree (SD), % | .37 | |||
| >29 | 237 (19.4) | 173 (18.5) | 64 (22.5) | |
| 20-28.9 | 272 (22.3) | 212 (22.6) | 60 (21.1) | |
| 14-19.9 | 271 (22.2) | 211 (22.5) | 60 (21.1) | |
| <14 | 387 (31.7) | 295 (31.5) | 92 (32.4) | |
| Unknown | 53 (4.3) | 45 (4.8) | 8 (2.8) | |
| Median household income in patient zip code | .47 | |||
| <$30 000 | 193 (15.8) | 147 (15.7) | 46 (16.2) | |
| $30 000-$34 999 | 192 (15.7) | 141 (15.1) | 51 (18) | |
| $35 000-$45 999 | 373 (30.6) | 291 (31.1) | 82 (28.9) | |
| >$46 000 | 409 (33.5) | 312 (33.3) | 97 (34.2) | |
| Unknown | 53 (4.3) | 45 (4.8) | 8 (2.8) | |
| Insurance status | .46 | |||
| Private insurance/managed care | 624 (51.1) | 480 (51.3) | 144 (50.7) | |
| Medicaid | 137 (11.2) | 110 (11.8) | 27 (9.5) | |
| Medicare and other governmentb | 379 (31.1) | 282 (30.1) | 97 (34.2) | |
| Uninsured/self-pay/insurance status unknown | 80 (6.6) | 64 (6.8) | 16 (5.6) | |
| Urban/Rural | .58 | |||
| Rural | 34 (2.8) | 25 (2.7) | 9 (3.2) | |
| Urban | 1140 (93.4) | 873 (93.3) | 267 (94) | |
| Unknown | 46 (3.8) | 38 (4.1) | 8 (2.8) | |
| Clinical characteristics | ||||
| Charlson/Deyo score (SD)c | .86 | |||
| 0 | 1014 (83.1) | 777 (83) | 237 (83.5) | |
| >1 | 206 (16.9) | 159 (17) | 47 (16.5) | |
| Tumor characteristics | ||||
| Tumor size, cm | .46 | |||
| <2 | 206 (16.9) | 151 (16.1) | 55 (19.4) | |
| 2-5 | 715 (58.6) | 549 (58.7) | 166 (58.5) | |
| >5 | 272 (22.3) | 216 (23.1) | 56 (19.7) | |
| Missing | 27 (2.2) | 20 (2.1) | 7 (2.5) | |
| Nodal status | .40 | |||
| Negative | 258 (21.1) | 198 (21.2) | 60 (21.1) | |
| 1-3 positive | 382 (31.3) | 305 (32.6) | 77 (27.1) | |
| 4-9 positive | 310 (25.4) | 229 (24.5) | 81 (28.5) | |
| >9 positive | 246 (20.2) | 187 (20) | 59 (20.8) | |
| Uncertain/unsampled/unknown | 24 (2.0) | 17 (1.8) | 7 (2.5) | |
| Histology | .06 | |||
| Ductal | 1034 (84.8) | 781 (83.4) | 253 (89.1) | |
| Lobular | 109 (8.9) | 89 (9.5) | 20 (7.0) | |
| Other | 77 (6.3) | 66 (7.1) | 11 (3.9) | |
| Tumor subtype group | .65 | |||
| ER+ or PR+, HER2- | 610 (50) | 469 (50.1) | 141 (49.6) | |
| ER- and PR-, HER2- | 338 (27.7) | 254 (27.1) | 84 (29.6) | |
| HER2+ | 272 (22.3) | 213 (22.8) | 59 (20.8) | |
| Chemotherapy at diagnosis | .59 | |||
| No | 210 (17.2) | 165 (17.6) | 45 (15.8) | |
| Yes | 1002 (82.1) | 764 (81.6) | 238 (83.8) | |
| Unknown | 8 (0.7) | 7 (0.7) | 1 (0.4) | |
| HER2 targeted therapy at diagnosisd | .70 | |||
| No | 1074 (88) | 820 (87.6) | 254 (89.4) | |
| Yes | 128 (10.5) | 102 (10.9) | 26 (9.2) | |
| Unknown | 18 (1.5) | 14 (1.5) | 4 (1.4) | |
| Endocrine therapy at diagnosisd | .54 | |||
| No | 518 (42.5) | 401 (42.8) | 117 (41.2) | |
| Yes | 677 (55.5) | 518 (55.3) | 159 (56.0) | |
| Unknown | 25 (2.0) | 17 (1.8) | 8 (2.8) | |
| Surgery type and radiation therapy | .06 | |||
| Breast-conserving surgery alone | 346 (28.4) | 279 (29.8) | 67 (23.6) | |
| Breast-conserving surgery with radiation | 43 (3.5) | 35 (3.7) | 8 (2.8) | |
| Mastectomy alone | 538 (44.1) | 392 (41.9) | 146 (51.4) | |
| Mastectomy with radiation | 284 (23.3) | 224 (23.9) | 60 (21.1) | |
| Unknown | 9 (0.7) | 6 (0.6) | 3 (1.1) | |
| Facility type | .04 | |||
| Community cancer program/other | 331 (27.1) | 272 (29.1) | 59 (20.8) | |
| Comprehensive community cancer program | 655 (53.7) | 489 (52.2) | 166 (58.5) | |
| Academic/research program | 232 (19) | 174 (18.6) | 58 (20.4) | |
| Other | 2 (0.2) | 1 (0.1) | 1 (0.4) |
P values were determined using χ2 test for categorical variables. ER = estrogen receptor; PR = progesterone receptor; HER2 = Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2.
Medicare and other government includes Medicare with or without supplement, Tricare, military, Veterans Affairs, or Indian or Public Health Service.
Charlson-Deyo scores are summed scores for each comorbidity included in the Charlson comorbidity index and grouped to 0 or 1 or more based on the distribution of counts. A higher score is associated with a greater number of comorbid conditions.
Estimates reflect use of HER2-targeted therapy and endocrine therapy at the time of diagnosis across the full sample of patients irrespective of ER, PR, or HER2 status.