Survival prognosis and influencing factors in elderly patients with stage I-III breast cancer.

AIMS: To analyse the survival prognosis of elderly patients with stage I-III breast cancer and to explore the related clinicopathological influencing factors. METHODS: Retrospective collection of clinicopathological data from elderly breast cancer patients (aged ≥ 65 years) admitted to Sichuan Cancer Hospital between October 2014 and December 2022. Survival curves were generated using the Kaplan–Meier method and comparisons were made using the log-rank test. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were employed to identify factors independently associated with five-year event-free survival (EFS). RESULTS: A total of 319 elderly patients with stage I-III breast cancer were included, with a 5-year overall EFS rate of 82.0%. Univariate analysis revealed significant associations between 5-year EFS and age, histological grade, estrogen receptor (ER) status, progesterone receptor (PR) status, Ki-67 level, tumour size (T stage), lymph node status (N stage), and the administration of endocrine therapy (all P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that age, PR status, T stage, N stage, and Ki-67 level were independent prognostic factors for 5-year EFS. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that age, PR status, the Ki-67 index, tumour size, and lymph node metastasis can serve as independent predictors of the 5-year EFS rate in elderly patients with stage I-III breast cancer. Specifically, younger age (≤ 68 years), PR positivity, Ki-67 < 30%, and early T (T1-T2) and N (N0) stages are associated with a more favourable prognosis.