Abstract
To the Editor: Data regarding the influence of age on prognosis in breast cancer appear to conflict, with some studies reporting better survival among young women1 2 3 4 5 and others reporting an improved prognosis among older women.6 7 8 9 10 11 We reviewed the literature from the past 20 years on this subject and found that the survival data are not inconsistent. Rather, past studies defined and grouped patients inconsistently. For example, "young" women were under 50 years of age in some studies but under 30 in others.In all reports except one,12 the age groups that included patients 45 to 49 years old had the . . .