BREAST CANCER IN WOMEN: RECURRENCE AND SURVIVAL AT FIVE YEARS

ABSTRACTWomen undergoing breast cancer treatment are still at risk of recurrence. This study investigated the association among survival and relapse with staging of breast cancer in women treated in an oncology reference hospital in Goiânia-GO, Brazil over a five-year period after diagnosis in 2008. This descriptive, retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted with the medical records of 460 women. Data were analyzed using Fisher's Exact Test and the Kaplan Meier Curve. Overall, mortality, local/regional recurrence and metastasis were at 14.1%, 6.5% and 25.2%, respectively. There was an improvement in the survival of women with breast cancer at five years, but there is still a significant number of women diagnosed in advanced stages and experiencing recurrence, indicating there is a need to improve detection of the disease in its early stages and recurrences