The Impact of Ethnicity on the Incidence, Tumor Characteristics and Treatment of Ductal Carcinoma <i>in Situ</i>—An 11-Year Clinical Experience at a High Volume Teaching Hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Screening mammography has led to a marked increase in detection of in situ breast tumors in the United States. The University of Southern California/Van Nuys Prognostic Index (USC/VNPI) predicts the recurrence rates of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS); however variations in tumor characteristics, USC/VNPI scores, receptor and human epithelial growth factor receptor ( HER)- 2 /neu status across different ethnicities/races have not been well studied. This study aimed to evaluate the racial trends in incide nce, patient demographics, tumor characteristics and treat ment variations for patients with DCIS at a high volume teaching hospital. Methods: 395 women underwent surgical intervention for DCIS between 2000 and 2011. Their race/ethnicity was divided into five mutually exclusive categories and demographic and clinicopathological data was collected. Multivariate analysis was performed t o evaluate variations in patient and tumor factors with respect to age, size and surgical management among different ethnicities and races. Results: 82.1% of Caucasian women underwent simple mastectomy with sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) while lumpectomy with SLNB was highest in Hispanics (40%, p = 0.005). Overall, there was no significant difference in the incidence of receptor or HER- 2 /neu positivity, multicentricity, necrosis or grade of DCIS in the various racial groups, but there was a significant racial difference in the USC/VNPI scores ( p < 0.001). Conclusion: On a community level, screening detected DCIS accounted for the vast majority of DCIS diagnosed, which reflected national trends. Although no racial variation in DCIS with respect to patient or tumor characteristics was observed, a racial difference in USC / VNPI score was identified among the Hispanic po pulation. Additional studies are required to validate the significance of these findings.