Prognosis

The most important prognostic factor is the breast cancer stage at time of diagnosis. Earlier stages have a significantly better prognosis than late stages.

• Tumor size

  • Large tumors have a less favorable prognosis because they are associated with higher rates of recurrence.

  • Positive correlation between tumor size and number of involved lymph nodes

• Lymphatic spread: Axillary lymph node status is the one of most important prognostic factors.

• Histological tumor grade: High-grade tumors are associated with aggressive progression.

• Hormone-negative breast cancer has a poorer prognosis than hormone-positive breast cancer.

• HER2-positive tumors show aggressive growth and metastasize quickly compared to HER2-negative tumors.

• Triple-negative disease is associated with a poor prognosis.

—> HER2-positive cancers demonstrate more aggressive tumor growth and higher recurrence rates and are, therefore, associated with a poor prognosis. However, since the development of targeted therapy with trastuzumab, the prognosis for patients with HER2-positive cancers has improved.

• Advanced age

• Aneuploidy