Loss of partner and breast cancer prognosis - a population-based study, Denmark, 1994-2010
Menée au Danemark sur la période 1994-2010 auprès de 21 213 patientes atteintes d'un cancer du sein, cette étude en population analyse l'association entre la perte de la personne partageant leur vie, le risque de récidive du cancer et la mortalité
Background: The extent to which experiencing a stressful life event influences breast cancer prognosis remains unknown, as the findings of the few previous epidemiological studies are inconsistent. This large population-based study examines the association between a common major life event, loss of a partner and breast cancer recurrence and all-cause mortality. Methods: N=21 213 women diagnosed with a first primary breast cancer 1994–2006, who had a cohabiting partner in the 4 years before their breast cancer diagnosis, were followed for death and recurrence in population-based registers and clinical databases. Information on education, disposable income, comorbidity and prognostic risk factors were included in Cox regression analyses. Results: Women who had lost a partner either before diagnosis or in subsequent years were not at significantly higher risk of recurrence or dying than women who had not lost a partner. Conclusion: Our results do not support the concern that experiencing a stressful life event, the loss of a partner, negatively affects prognosis of breast cancer.