Cáncer de mama en mujeres jóvenes evaluación de los factores de riesgo

objective: breast cancer in young women has different biological and clinical characteristics when is compared with breast cancer in third age women. method: a prospective study of risk factors for development breast cancer was done comparing both age groups. thirty six patients < 40 years and 100 patients > 64 years from a total of 515 breast cancer patients were included between april 2006 and april 2007. family history of breast and ovary cancer, hormonal risk factors (endogenous and exogenous) previous history of breast disease were studied. results: the significant results were as follows: family history of breast cancer (31 % < 40 years vs. 14 % > 64 years, p = 0.015), family history of ovary cancer (25 % < 40 years vs. 15 % > 64 years, p = 0.04), mean age of first terminal pregnancy (21.11 years > 64 years vs. 23.0 years < 40 years, p = 0.05), mean number of terminal pregnancies (5.1 > 64 years vs. 2.2 < 40 years, p = 0.00014), and oral contraceptives ingestion (67 % < 40 years vs. 13 % > 64 years, p = 0.0000001). conclusion: we concluded that family history of breast and ovary cancer, age of first terminal pregnancy, number of terminal pregnancies, and oral contraceptives ingestion were the most important risk factors in young women with breast cancer, being the first time that family history of ovary cancer and number of terminal pregnancies are reported.