Women with short survival after diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer: a population-based registry study

Purpose Despite therapeutic advances, overall survival of metastatic breast cancer (MBC) at the population level has seen little improvement over the past decades. Aggressive tumor biology or delay in access to cancer care might be contributing factors. With this retrospective population-based study we aimed to quantify and characterize patients with very short survival time following MBC diagnosis. Methods Women diagnosed with MBC between Jan 1st, 2005 and Dec 31st, 2016 were identified using the population-based Stockholm–Gotland breast cancer registry. Data regarding demographic and clinicopathological characteristics, survival, and treatment were extracted retrospectively from the registry and from patient charts. Patients who died within 90 days following diagnosis of MBC were identified and their characteristics were compared with all other patients diagnosed with MBC during the same period. Results Between 2005 and 2016, 3124 patients were diagnosed with MBC, of whom 498 (16.2%) died within 90 days of diagnosis. Nearly half ( N = 233) did not receive any antitumoral treatment. Patients with short survival were older ( p