Wadsten C et al. – This study identified patient and tumour related risk factors for death due to breast cancer after treatment for ductal breast carcinoma in situ (DCIS). The results indicated that a large tumour size and positive or uncertain margin status were the risk factors associated with death due to breast cancer.

Methods

• A large case–control study was conducted in a cohort of women with primary DCIS between 1992 and 2012.
• By incidence density sampling, 4 controls per case were selected randomly and their medical records and pathology reports were collected.
• The odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals for risk of death from breast cancer were calculated by conditional logistic regression.

Results

• In a cohort of 6964 women, 96 women who died of breast cancer were compared with a group of 318 controls.
• The factors which increased the risk of death from breast cancer were tumour size over 25 mm or multifocal DCIS, a positive or uncertain margin status and detection outside the screening programme.