The age-adjusted incidence of these three glial tumors increased during the study period. Increases in age-specific incidence of GBM were primarily limited to patients 60 years of age or older. The reasons for these increases cannot be fully explained with the data. Those in the female population had a lower risk of developing these tumors than those in the male. For GBM, the protective effect of sex was first evident at the approximate age of menarche, was greatest at the approximate age of menopause, and decreased in postmenopausal age strata. The overall protective effect of female sex and the described trend in RR for GBM in the female population suggests that sex hormones and/or genetic differences between males and females may play a role in the pathogenesis of this tumor.

Tumor grade, size, and distant metastases at initial presentation remain the most important prognostic factors for MFH. Resection with negative microscopic margins decreased the incidence of local recurrence.

The belief that young women develop more aggressive forms of breast cancer than other women is controversial. The purpose of this study was to determine if women 40 years of age and under with breast cancer have more negative prognostic indicators and a higher 5-year mortality than those women over 40 years of age. From January 1998–December 2002, all women with breast cancer were identified from our tumor registry. Women with metastatic disease at presentation were excluded from our study. The women were divided into two groups, women under 40 (cases) and women 40 and over (controls). Seventy-eight cases were identified and matched to 228 controls. These cohorts were matched 3:1 (cases:controls) based on tumor staging. The data collected on each patient included prognostic factors such as tumor size, tumor type, estrogen and progesterone receptors, Her2/neu, and Ki-67. Information on surgical procedure, postoperative therapy, recurrence, and mortality was also gathered. The mean ages for cases and controls were 35 and 59 years, respectively. The rates of modified radical mastectomy were similar in the two groups, but young women were more likely to have breast reconstruction (33.7% vs 9.8%). The rates of breast conservation therapy were actually lower in the group under 40 (32.5% vs 37.6%). Tumors in the 40 and under group were more frequently estrogen receptor negative (33.8% vs 21.9%: P = 0.046) and progesterone receptor negative (50.0% vs 35.5%: P = 0.033). Younger women also experienced a greater prevalence of Ki-67 (P < 0.001) and higher levels of Her2/neu overexpression (P = 0.013). Women over 40 were more likely to receive hormonal therapy (39.7% vs 36.1%). Women over 40 had a lower overall rate of recurrence. A difference in overall survival does exist between these two groups of women, which trends toward significance. The women 40 and under had a lower overall 5-year survival. The reason for this difference remains unclear. Although we demonstrate a higher percentage of younger women with negative biochemical markers, the only factors independently and significantly related to higher mortality were estrogen receptor negativity and tumor stage at presentation.