Symptom-detected breast cancers more likely to require mastectomy, chemotherapy
A new analysis published this week compares the differences in cancers identified during screening versus those that are symptom-detected, revealing significant differences in outcomes between the two.
Screen-detected cancers are spotted via routine mammograms, while symptom-detected cancers are brought to light when patients present with pain, swelling, redness or a palpable lump. Though advancements in treatment methods have paved the way for improved outcomes for all cancers, data suggest that women whose cancer is identified after symptoms emerge may have less favorable outcomes.
Researchers involved in this latest study sought to better define the characteristics of cancers detected via screening or due to symptoms, with the goal of providing detailed data that can be considered when updating breast cancer screening guidelines. They shared their findings in the American Journal of Roentgenology.
“A contributor to variable breast cancer screening guidelines has been limited research assessing associations of the method of cancer detection with cancer outcomes,” Steven J. Chen, MD, with the department of radiology at the Renaissance School of Medicine, in New York, and colleagues noted.
For the study, the group compared the tumor characteristics, treatments, and survival outcomes between screen- and symptom-detected cancers. They analyzed the cases of more than 1,000 women diagnosed with biopsy-confirmed breast cancer over the span of a decade, taking note of when they presented for their mammogram and measuring how this affected the time of diagnosis.
The two groups were divided evenly between screening and clinically detected diagnoses. Nearly half of the cancers identified via screening were small in size (1-10 mm) compared to just 13% of the symptomatic cancers. Women diagnosed after routine screening also had their cancer caught in earlier stages, were much less likely to require mastectomy and chemotherapy, and had nearly 15% higher 5- and 10-year survival rates.
Symptom-detected cancers, however, were larger, in later stages, more likely to have spread prior to imaging and be more invasive in nature. Women with these cancers more often required mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation treatments, highlighting a significantly greater disease burden for both patients and providers.
Authors of the study suggested that their findings add to the “strong evidence” supporting screening guidelines and highlight the importance of women adhering to said recommendations.
Learn more about the findings here.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She began covering the medical imaging industry for Innovate Healthcare in 2021.