For each outcome we also rank ordered patients on the basis of their Adjuvant! predictions, categorised the cohort into 5% prognosis intervals, and estimated the mean predicted outcome for each group.
In the univariate analysis the following factors most importantly predicted a poor prognosis: progression-free interval < 2 years: initial poor prognosis category (MRC criteria), < CR to induction chemotherapy, initial treatment early in the 1980s and treatment given at a 'small' centre.
Earlier studies have shown that prognosis of the interval cancers may not differ from the clinically detected cases (Brekelmans et al 1995; Burrell et al, 1996) or it is intermediate to the screen detected and the clinically detected cancer groups (Groenendijk et al, 2003).
Since the prognosis depends on the interval between the onset of symptoms and diagnosis, early diagnosis and treatment are important in order to prevent irreversible damage to the sciatic nerve [21].
Factors associated with a good prognosis were disease-free interval longer than 6 24 months, performance status and completeness of resection.
Hence, most studies failed to address the premise of confounding by indication that is, the relationship between the diagnostic pathway (and hence the time interval) and prognosis.
Conclusion The prognosis of women with interval breast cancers was the same as that of women with breast cancers diagnosed without mammography screening.
Therefore the valid comparison group for assessment of prognosis in women with interval breast cancers is non-screen detected cancers among women not invited to mammography screening, which are unaffected by the biases that screening entails.
Elevated serum levels of Chi3L1 are associated with poor prognosis, shorter recurrence-free interval and low overall survival [16], [17] in patients with a broad range of cancers, including breast [16] and colorectal cancers [17].
Objective To compare the prognosis in women with interval breast cancer (cancer detected after a normal screening mammogram and before the next scheduled mammogram) with breast cancer detected among women not yet invited to mammography screening (non-screened).
Furthermore, the characteristics of the tumours (except for an increase of 2.2 mm in diameter) and the prognosis of women with interval cancers were not associated with time since last mammography.
