Sim HZ Rachel, Wong FY, Yap YS

Survival outcomes of Advanced Breast Cancer Patients in Singapore 

Abstract Disclosures

Abstract
Background: Metastatic breast cancer is generally incurable. However, we believe that the survival trend has improved over the past decade with changes in field of therapeutics available for this disease. Data surrounding long term survival in metastatic breast cancer patients has remained sparse, especially in our South East Asian context. To date, there is only one study that addresses it (Bhoo-Pathy, N., Verkooijen, H., Tan, E. et al. Trends in presentation, management and survival of patients with de novo metastatic breast cancer in a Southeast Asian setting. Sci Rep 5, 16252 (2015)) and even then, the data was obtained from older cohorts between the years 1996-2010. We believe that there is a significant amount of untapped data for more recent cohorts and this may allow us to more accurately describe long term survival in this particular group of patients from a specific time period. Traditionally, patients with metastatic disease have always been managed with a palliative and more conservative approach, with the aim to improve quality of life rather than to prolong survival. However, if the data does indeed show that long term survival in metastatic breast cancer patients is on an improving trend, physicians and patients alike may be more open to considering more aggressive approaches with respect to surgery, radiotherapy and systemic/targeted therapy in order to achieve longer overall survival. 

Hypothesis: This study aims to assess the survival of advanced or metastatic breast cancer patients diagnosed between from year 2001 onwards. Metastatic breast cancer is generally incurable. However, we believe that the survival trend has improved over the past decade with changes in field of therapeutics available for this disease. Data regarding long term survival in this group of patients in our local Singaporean context is also particularly lacking, hence we believe that this project can help to shed more light on this and ultimately, this may change the type of treatment that we can offer to this subset of patients. 

Methodology: This retrospective cohort study of all patients diagnosed with advanced or metastatic breast cancer from 2001 onwards within the Institution of Singhealth (de novo or recurrent metastatic breast cancer). Using information extracted from JBCR, we intend to analyse the overall survival of metastatic breast cancer patients from this time period and compare treatment modalities. The secondary objective would be to perform an assessment of potential prognostic factors based on disease and patient characteristics. 

Joint Breast Cancer Registry Singapore